Page 67 of Heather and the Highlander
Later that evening, Niall knocked on the connecting door, his heart hammering in his chest. This was insane. He was going to seduce his own wife for nefarious reasons, and all he could think about was how he’d possibly keep himself under control long enough to actually do it.
Heather opened the door, looking surprised, but smiling.
“It’s rather late, my lord. People might get the wrong idea.”
Niall didn’t respond to the jest. He couldn’t. “May I come in?”
Heather moved aside to let him in, then closed the door, her expression changing to worried. She asked, “What’s the matter? You look terrible.”
“I feel terrible.” He sank to the edge of her bed, leaning to put his head in his hands. “I feel…I don’t know. Heather, I shouldn’t be here. In your room…”
“It’s fine. I think we’ve learned how to behave by now. And if you’re upset, I want to know why.” She sat next to him, reaching to take one of his hands in her own. God, why was she so bloody sweet?
Niall had to stop thinking so much. He turned and kissed her.
Heather went still for a moment, obviously not expecting it. But then she responded, her hands reaching out to take his shoulders, clearly open to the idea of more.
He loved the feel of her mouth against his, the scent of her breath and her body, and the way she felt in his arms. She was so soft and warm and lovely. He plucked at the few buttons on the back of her gown, distracting her from his intent by opening his mouth and deepening the kiss.
Heather’s tongue grazed his and he groaned at how sharply his arousal increased. This was going to be embarrassing.
She continued to kiss him, curious and interested and very trusting. Her hands slipped down to his chest, and he could feel the heat of them through his clothing.
At that moment, he got the last button undone, and tugged at her gown, loosening the top. The damn stays were underneath, blocking access to her breasts. He found the strings and yanked on them.
Heather gasped. “Niall, what are you doing?”
“I want to see you,” he muttered. “There’s so much of you I’ve never even got to glimpse.” He discarded the stays, leaving only the shift now between him and what he needed. But it was loose, the neckline low and easy to pull down, revealing enough of her breasts to make him want to howl.
Instead, he bent his head and kissed the skin, feeling her heart beat in her ribcage. She was wildly excited, and that urged him on.
He kissed, he licked, he sucked. And all the while, Heather held him close and made little sounds of pleasure and surprise. How could he have not done this before? She was divine.
And he was damned. He stopped, pushing himself away from her, and moving off the bed. Heather sat up, frowning. “What’s wrong?”
“Your ring. Can I have it back, please?”
“Now?” Heather held out her hand, examining the sapphire ring as if she’d never seen it before. “Don’t you trust me with it?”
“It’s not that. It’s just…I need it.”
“For what?” she asked, puzzled.
“I’m going to sell it.”
“But it was your mother’s!”
“I need the money.”
“Well, if you need…” Heather moved to pull the ring off her finger, but then went still. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly. “You need money.”
Niall knew that she’d figure it out, but he wished it wasn’t now, when he was dying for her. “It’s not like that,” he protested.
“It’s exactly like that,” Heather said, her eyes narrow. “Maeve mentioned that man from earlier today was a moneylender. You owe him, don’t you? You meant to seduce me just now, to lock me into the marriage once and for all. All this talk of finding a way to annul, asking Kemble to do more research…you were stalling until you found the right moment to dothis.” She gestured to the bed in disgust.
“Heather, please. I didn’t do it, did I? I stopped.”
“Oh, howkindof you.” Scrambling to get away from him, Heather moved to the furthest corner of the room. “You refrained from doing the one thing we bothagreed to never do.”
