The Highlander moved his hand to her intimate flesh, and she was shocked to find that she had grown wet. His finger traced the seam of her opening, and she could not help but moan with the pleasure of his touch. She had always imagined that lovemaking was a necessary means for breeding children, where she would lie still, so that her husband could complete the act.
It had never involved such shocking feelings of need and urgency. She fought to regain control of herself, but her body warred against her mind.
Gavin guided her to lie back on the bed with her legs still open. Then he leaned in and covered her nipple with his heated mouth, over the linen. She nearly bolted off the bed when his finger slid inside her.
Sweet God Almighty.
‘I—I can’t think when you do that.’ Reckless feelings tore through her, and she tried again to master her response. But her body craved his, aching with such fierce needs, she could hardly breathe.
‘Good,’ he answered, swirling his tongue over the damp fabric. ‘I don’t want you to think of anything else but me.’
Her body strained, yearning for something she could not understand. He circled her sensitive nodule while stroking her wet entrance. Then he switched his attention to her opposite breast, and she felt her body erupt with tremors.
‘Don’t fight it,’ he said quietly. ‘Your body will ken what it needs.’ He slid her shift higher so it was bunched at her waist, and then he inserted a second finger. The pressure of his invasion, coupled with the suction of his mouth, was her undoing. A burgeoning spiral of desire made her arch against him, until she felt a surge of hot pleasure breaking over her with the force of a wave. She cried out, fisting the sheets as she rode out the release. His fingers were coated with her essence, and soon she heard him remove his trews. A moment later, she felt the blunt pressure of his erection at her entrance. He was so large, she feared he might hurt her. But he didn’t force her at all. Instead, he remained poised there, his hands moving over her sensitive breasts.
‘Do you still want this, Lianna?’ he murmured.
‘Yes.’ There was no turning back now, not when the Norman could come to her door at any moment.
‘Then take off your shift.’
It was still bunched at her waist, but she obeyed until she lay naked upon the bed. Now that the moment was upon her, she tensed, closing her eyes. Surely, he would thrust inside her, and it would be painful. But as he traced her nipples, she felt her body stirring once more. He slid in a slight fraction, and then stopped again. She didn’t know what to think, but he withdrew and penetrated again. The motion startled her, for there was a yielding of her body, a craving to be filled. He continued his motion, and soon enough, she felt the hot shimmering sensation return.
‘Gavin, please,’ she begged.
The use of his name seemed to bring about a transformation in him. There was a sudden intensity, as if he hadn’t liked to hear it. But he answered her cry, sheathing himself in her body. It did hurt a little, and the sudden breach throbbed, bringing about a different sensation. He didn’t move, and she wondered if it was over. She was so conscious of his body joined with hers, of his breathing and the weight of him. He started to pull back, and she grasped his shoulders, silently pleading for him not to end it. She was certain that he had changed his mind, and she felt herself to blame for it.
But he thrust inside her, filling her completely. His dark blue eyes burned into hers as he made love to her, mastering her body. She met his thrusts, lifting her hips, and was rewarded with another surge of pleasure. Gavin pulled her to the edge of the bed, palming her bottom and invading her wetness with his steel erection. Over and over, he penetrated in a steady rhythm that made her exhale in time with his thrusts. She was coming apart, her body shaking until once again he pressed her over the edge, making her body soar with another release.
She lay beneath him, feeling the slight change in tempo as he continued pumping until he reached his own crest of pleasure. His body filled hers once more, and then he finished, his hard body pressed against her own.
Lianna’s heart was pounding, and she drew her legs around his waist, keeping him close. The Highlander kissed her sweetly, and she closed her eyes, trying not to let her mind dwell upon her father’s fury. Right now, she felt deliciously bruised and swollen, her body fully satisfied by her impulsive move.
He drew the coverlet over them, holding her close. For a moment, she allowed herself to feel safe and protected. But she knew her father would come soon enough with the Norman. And she didn’t know quite what to say to him.
Or worse, would the Highlander have to fight Rhys de Laurent for her? She didn’t like that thought at all.
Gavin drew his hand over the outline of her ribs, his body still joined with hers. A low growl resounded from her stomach, and she blushed. ‘I am sorry. It has been a long time since I’ve eaten.’ She hadn’t taken a meal at all, not since burying her brother. And then, too, her nerves gathered up into a tight knot at the thought of her father bringing her evening meal.
‘Shall I bring you food?’ he suggested.
‘No.’ He could not dare to leave her, not now. ‘It isn’t safe for you there.’ She was afraid of what would happen when her father returned. The burden of guilt weighed heavily upon her, more so because she had found Gavin’s touch so pleasurable.
He withdrew from her, still holding her to him. His thumb idly stroked her nipple, and a sudden tremor of pleasure echoed in her womb. ‘Lianna, we need to talk about this.’
‘I ken that.’ But she was frightened to face what would come. ‘I am afraid of what my father will say. I—I never imagined I would do something like this to avoid marriage to Rhys de Laurent. But he still wants me to marry the man who killed my brother.’ She turned to face him, feeling the raw emotions rise up once more. ‘I cannot marry him. I will do anything to escape this prison. Even wed a stranger.’
Her Highlander traced the outline of her face. There was a sudden hard cast to his expression, as if he recognised that she had used him in this way. She hoped he would understand why she had made this choice.
But at last, he stared into her eyes and admitted, ‘Lianna, I am Rhys de Laurent.’
Hatred rose up on her face with such ferocity, Rhys had no doubt that if she’d had a blade, she would have buried it in his heart.
‘You black-hearted bastard,’ she accused, shoving him away. ‘How could you do this? You lied to me.’
He was not about to let her cast the blame upon his shoulders. ‘I came here to tell you the truth. But you would not let me speak.’
‘Because I thought your name was Gavin MacAllister!’ She jerked the sheet away and wrapped it around her body. ‘You deceived me, making me believe you were one of us. But you were only my enemy, from the moment I laid eyes upon you.’
He remained seated upon her bed. ‘Your father suggested that I dress as a Highlander so I could learn what sort of woman you are. If you knew who I was, you would not have listened to anything I said. He wanted me to meet you before our marriage, in the hopes that we could start out differently, not as enemies.’
‘You will be my enemy until you take your last breath,’ she swore. Her face was scarlet with rage and humiliation, but he would not leave her until they had settled this.
‘I learned that you were a beautiful woman who cares deeply for her people. And when your brother tried to slaughter us, I told your father we should not wed.’
‘And I agree!’ she shot back. ‘If you think for one moment that I will wed the man who killed Sían, I—’
‘He killed my friend.’ Rhys made no effort to curb