* * *
He kissed her, and she kissed him without hesitation, and the resolution dissolved entirely.
Daenae, he thought, even as his hand moved to the back of her neck and drew her toward him.Ye ken what this will cost ye.
He already knew. He had known for two weeks and had been acting as though he did not, which was a distinction that had served him poorly.
He kissed her jaw and felt her breath shift against his cheek. He pressed his lips to the soft spot below her ear and felt her grip tighten on his shirt, hearing the small sound she made—barely there, unguarded in a way she never was when she was watching herself—and something in him tightened around that sound, pulling it close and refusing to let go of it.
“I have ye,” he said against her skin. “We’re in nay hurry.”
She tugged at his shirt, and he leaned back, allowing her to take it off him. He felt her eyes on his chest. He was not used to being looked at like this—openly, without the authority he usually had to hide behind. He sat still under her gaze, his jaw tightening as he fought to keep still.
She reached out and touched the burn on his forearm. Her fingers were very light, barely more than a wisp of pressure.
“From tonight?” she said.
“Aye.”
She kept her fingers there and looked at him with an expression that passed through him before he could stop it. Concern. Uncomplicated and genuine, she looked at him with the same openness she gave to everything.
He reached for her hand and drew it to his chest. Gently, he pressed it flat over his heart and felt her fingers spread there. A sense of acceptance mixed with yearning moved through him in a long, slow wave.
“Tell me what ye want,” he said. His voice came out low and huskily, just as he’d intended.
Color moved up her throat and into her face. She looked at him for a beat, and he saw the moment she decided what she meant to say. She reached for his hand and drew it slowly to her breast. Just as he had done with her palm, she pressed his fingers to her chest through the thin linen, and he felt the beat of her heart thumping beneath his touch. Then, his fingers curved around hers. He felt her nipple harden against his palm and heard the sound she made, small and startled and entirely unguarded.
“I didnae mean to do that…yet. But was it…all right?” he asked, not wanting to press her too fast too soon.
She nodded; her lip caught between her teeth.
He slowly drew the linen from her shoulder, watching her face as he did, giving her every chance to stop him. Her eyes stayed on his face, her chest rising and falling quickly. When he pressed his mouth to the curve of her breast and took her nipple between his lips, she let out a sound that was far from small. Her fingers tore into his hair, holding him there.
He ran his hand down her body, over her waist, hip, and the soft flesh of her inner thigh. She pressed into it, toward him, her hips tilting. He felt her heat and heard her breathing grow uneven. He thought only of what they were doing together…the bridge they were building this night…and all the glorious moments that would unfold next .
“Alasdair,” she said his name. Not a command, not a question, just his name in her voice with nothing kept back from it.
She is the bonniest lass I’ve ever beheld. Isobel Graham, me betrothed, me wee rabbit is all I can see…all I ever care to look upon again.
He moved his hand to the hem of her chemise, felt her breath stutter, lifted his head, and looked at her face, making sure she was ready to proceed.
Her eyes were dark and entirely clear. “Don’t stop,” she said.
Alasdair removed her chemise, tossing it over his shoulder without a care, then buried his head in her bosom and kissed every inch of her chest. Alternately, he moved his mouthbetween one breast and the other, lapping his tongue around the stiff nipple before sucking one into his mouth.
“Yes,” she moaned as his lips traced a hot trail down the center of her breastbone. “That is exquisite.”
Alasdair purred contentedly as he cupped her left breast with his hand and moved his mouth toward the right one. He lavished her body with his attention…his affection and Isobel responded by tracing her hands over his bare shoulders, digging her small fingernails into his muscles, and calling out his name.
He teased her nipples until they were ripe buds, then just as he slurped one into his mouth with urgency, her legs quaked underneath him.
“Alasdair,” she gasped his name and clung tighter to his neck.
When she came apart, she turned her face into his shoulder, and he held her. She shook uncontrollably for a long moment. He relished the feel of her heartbeat beneath his hands and mouth and did not pull away into she let out a long, slow exhalation.
“I…I do not know what to say,” she breathed heavily.
“Ye need not say anythin’ unless ye want to talk.”