Page 20 of The Highlander's Inconvenient Wife
“Thank you.” She suddenly felt shy at having received such praise from him.
“Do ye think the baron will follow ye if he kens where ye are?”
“I think he might,” she admitted honestly. “He was so adamant in his pursuits that I doubt he’d give up the chase so easily.”
“Ye can stay here with me.” He looked her in the eyes. “Ye can stay here in the castle, an’ I will keep ye safe. Naebody besides yer friends have to ken where ye are.” He looked down at her with the piercing gaze that affected the rhythm of her heart in an unnerving manner.
“I…I… don’t know what to say,” she stammered though her quickening breaths as her chest rose and fell. “Everything has happened so suddenly. I’m not sure what to do anymore.”
“Ye can leave if ye wish; just know that I will always keep ye safe, Joan…” he whispered her name in a way that swept her off her feet in a matter of seconds.
His lips were on hers in a flash as he kissed the final remnants of doubt from her mind.
She responded in kind by placing her arms around his neck and pulling him in closer, allowing her body to take the lead as he deepened the kiss, parting her lips with his tongue before searching the depths of her mouth.
Joan couldn’t help but moan when he used the palms of his strong hands to caress her sides, rubbing his way up her ribs where he paused beneath her breasts, massaging her skin through the fabric of her dress with his thumbs.
Things began to heat up quickly as Jasper suddenly shifted her body, placing her back against the shelf of books and hungrily kissing a path over her jaw and neck until her reached the lobe her ear.
Her body moved as if it possessed a mind of its own, allowing his hand to guide her thigh up the side of his leg until his body was fully pressed into hers.
“Jasper…” she moaned his name for the very first time as her fingers laced themselves through his hair, holding his head to her neck where he kissed and nibbled a path full of passion.
All of the pent-up desire they had felt toward one another came out in the kiss as his hands sought the curves of her body, gently caressing her breasts as he too gasped for breath against her neck. They moved in a rhythm together against the shelf until the books began to shift, nearly falling to the ground form the motion.
Needing to feel his lips on hers once again, she lifted his head, pressing her lips into his and opening her mouth to signal her willingness for his tongue. The taste of his mouth felt like heaven to her as he breathed in her air while catching his breath before deepening the kiss once again.
Joan was beginning to feel as if a pressure were building in her core. Parts of her body ached for him that had never ached before. She wanted him to touch her body, continuing with his exploration of her skin until the building tension burst.
Jasper suddenly drew back from her, leaving a cool void where his body had been as he took a few steps back.
“Why?” she whispered as she struggled to regain her breath.
“Shhh,” he raised a finger to her lips before placing it against hers.
Joan bit on her lips as she held her breath, confused and frustrated by his sudden withdrawal.
“We are nae alone,” he breathed in a husky tone before guiding her away from the shelf and ensuring that her dress and hair was in place.
It wasn’t long before the study door burst open, revealing Martha in a black dress and apron. “There ye are,” she scolded them both. “I’ve only been looking for the two of ye until I was blue in the face.”
“We were just writing Miss Moore’s letter to her friends,” Jasper quickly stepped in.
“Oh, I hope ye found everything ye need?” Martha looked past her son to Joan.
“I did, thank you, Ja… I mean, my laird has been very helpful,” she flustered on her words when she realized that they hadn’t used their given names beyond the moments they had shared in private.
Martha looked from one to the other as she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Glad to hear it,” she shook her head. “The lunch is getting cold; I gave cook the afternoon off and made us some rabbit stew. Have ye ever had rabbit stew?” she asked Joan.
“I can’t say that I have.”
“Well then, ye better hurry along; ye’ve been missing out,” she beckoned for them to follow her as she made her way out of the room.
Joan halted as Jasper reached for her hand, holding her back as he whispered in her ear.
“We will talk about the matter when we are alone again.” His hot breath sent shivers of pleasure down her skin.
Joan wasn’t sure if he meant the kiss they had shared or if he was referring to his offer for her to stay at the castle. Either way, she knew that things had just gotten a lot more complicated for them all.
