Page 22 of Tempting the Highland Devil
“Fightin’ isnae just about the sword. Ye need to learn to use yer body too to fight off an attacker. If ye are nay careful then….”
She snaked her legs around his before he could finish speaking and tugged him to the ground with her.
Arran yelped as he fell on top of her then she rolled and pinned him to the ground beneath her.
“Lily taught me that move over a year ago,” she said with a gleam in her eyes then leaned forward and plastered her hands to his chest. “Dinnae think that I am completely defenseless, Laird MacGregor.”
Arran loved the way she saidLaird MacGregorin a sultry voice. Their tussle had loosened some strands of her hair, and the curls fell down the sides of her face, making her look even more enchanting to him.
His hands moved to her waist before he could stop himself, and she shifted almost as if she wanted to arouse him ever further. Did she know what she was doing to him? His eyes flickered over hers, moved to her lips, and stayed there.
“I wanted to talk to ye,” she whispered, but he barely heard her words. “About the competition…About…” She wriggled her hips again like she was trying to find a comfortable spot. Arran knew that she felt uncomfortable because his hardness pressed against her.
“Dinnae move,” he growled, his voice huskier than he had ever heard it. The flush on her cheeks deepened before he closed his eyes and tried to will his body to relax.
Arran drew in deep breaths as he held her waist. His fingers curled into her clothing, and he found that he could not relax no matter how hard he tried. Not when she sat right on top of him and kept her soft hands on his chest.
“Arran.” Her name on his lips was his undoing. His eyes snapped open, and he flipped her around, his hand sliding under her head to shield her from the ground.
Yvaine’s eyes widened, and she turned a crimson shade as she drew in a sharp breath.
“I said dinnae move,” he said to her as his eyes bore deeper into hers. The only thought on his mind was leaning down for a kiss. Arran could barely breathe as he fought the urge to press his lips to hers and taste her for the first time.
I willnae be able to get enough.His mind said one thing, but he found himself leaning closer to her anyway. His pulse stopped racing as his lips skimmed over hers slowly before she opened them for him and allowed his tongue to slide into her mouth.
She moaned into his mouth, and he swallowed her sounds before moving his fingers to play with some strands of her hair. Arran had dreamt of doing that countless times in the past. The silky strands slid through his fingers with ease, and this close to her made her scent nestle deep inside him.
Arran knew he would never forget it.
The tides of his desire swept through all of him and stole every rational thinking then. Arran knew there was no going back. He took in all she had to offer, tasting, devouring. Her tongue met with his, and he lost his senses.
She tasted like mint from the tea she drank earlier, and her tongue toyed with his till his body fiercely responded with a quake of passion.
The night’s breeze hollered around them, and she slid her hands around his neck to press him closer to her body. Arran’s hands circled around her waist too, and he slid them beneath her garters, wanting to feel any part of her skin.
She was lush and pliant in his arms. Arran felt like he could drown himself in her and forget all the reasons why this was wrong. He deepened the kiss even more then nibbled on her lower lip before he pulled away from her.
They gazed at each other, and their chest rose with the force of their heavy breathing. Yvaine stared at him with wide eyes. The look of confusion set in as she sucked in an audible breath.
“Get inside the keep!” Arran scrambled to his feet and staggered away from her before he lost his senses and took her right here in the courtyard.
“Now, Yvaine, get away from me!” he ordered again, and Yvaine spun away from him then hurried into the keep with speed. The thunderous drumbeat of his heart made him slide to a squat and brace his head in his hands.
Goodness, what have I done?
Now that he had kissed her, Arran knew it was only a matter of time before his raging desire for her took over his senses.
12
Morning came quicker than it ever had. Yvaine could not stop tossing on her bed, thinking about the night before when Arran had pinned her to the ground and kissed her.
Her eyes flew open before she touched her lips with two fingers to test their softness.Tender,she thought as she replayed the kiss in her mind for the hundredth time since it happened.
A knock came on her door, and she sat up, dragging the sheets over her body before the door opened.
Her mother grinned at her from the entrance as she made her way into the chamber. “This is the day, child,” Elspeth announced with enthusiasm as she spread her arms out wide and walked into the chamber with three servants behind her.
“Yer earasaids for the celidih tonight have arrived. It is the start of the competition, and ye must look yer best as we welcome all the lairds to our clan tonight.”
