“Well, me dress is ruined, and me pride is hurt,” Megan remarked, with a forced laugh. She lifted a hand to the bloodstain dotting her collar. “What a pity. It was expensive.”
Ryder eyed her thoughtfully, his gaze slipping down to the stained garment.
“I suppose,” she continued, her words seeming to come from far away, “now that the danger is over and Alaina is safe, there’s nay more need for me to be here.”
“Ye must miss yer sisters,” he agreed.
“I can pay ye for the dress, by the way.”
His eyes shot up from the bloodstain on the collar to her face.
“Payme?” he queried.
She’d said the wrong thing, definitely. Megan coughed, glancing away.
“Well, it was such an expensive dress, and now it’s ruined.”
“Well then, ye had best take it off.”
Her eyes widened. She stared at him, unable to form a quick retort.
No, there was no way she’d misheard. Ryder was watching her with a dark, hungry expression, a muscle ticking in his jaw. It was as if he wanted to eat her alive.
“Can I touch ye?” Ryder whispered, so quietly she thought she’d misheard. “I need to… need to be sure that ye are all right.”
She licked her lips briefly, trying to bring some moisture back into her mouth.
“Aye,” she managed. “Aye, ye can touch me.”
He lifted his hand tentatively as if he thought she might run away after all, and slid his palm up the curve of her waist. She let her eyes flutter closed, feeling the heat of his hand.
The warmth slid sideways, following the curve of her ribs, and he tugged at the laces that bound the top part of her dress closed.
“We should take it off,” he repeated, his voice low and even.
Megan swallowed hard. She felt a sting in the cut on her throat, but none of it seemed to matter.
“Aye,” she breathed, voice shuddering. “I think so.”
“Close yer eyes.”
She eyed him for a moment, chewing her lower lip.
“Why?”
He tilted his head, grinning. “Close yer eyes.”
It sounded more like a command this time. Swallowing thickly, Megan obeyed, squeezing her eyes shut. She felt the mattress shift underneath her as he moved closer. Fingers tugged at the laces binding the dress together. She felt them loosen, a knot coming undone, and the bodice sagged.
His warm breath on her cheek was the only warning she had before Ryder kissed her. His lips were soft, tasting of salt and of wine. His fingertips skimmed across the bare skin of her back. The neckline of the dress, already designed to skim her shoulders, slumped forward, baring them entirely. Her breath caught in her throat, cool air tickling her newly bared skin.
Ryder’s lips pressed against the tip of one of her shoulders. His fingers left her back, following the curve of the neckline, pulling it down and forward until almost all of Megan’s breasts were exposed, all but her nipples. She’d never worn a dress that did that. Goosebumps broke over the soft skin there, and Ryder chased them with his fingertips, gently and almost reverently.
“Can… can I open me eyes yet?” she whispered, hearing a catch in her own voice.
His breath ghosted across the swell of one breast. He chuckled low in his throat, and the sensation made her shiver.
“Nay, nae yet, lassie. Lie back.”
