“And I pledge myself to you, Ramsay MacLaren, with my body, mind and spirit,” Evangeline said, loving the sound of the words that hinted at a shared future, albeit one that could never be. “I swear that I will defend you and cherish you with my all, until death us do part.”
“And so it shall be,” Ramsay said.
“And so it shall be,” Evangeline echoed. They smiled at each other, then he kissed her palm, pressing his lips against the skin so that a shiver of pleasure slid through her. She watched, heart in her throat, as he folded her fingers over the salute, as if she might hold it fast forever. Then he leaned closer to grant her the kiss she desired above all else, a sweet caress but one that fired her blood all the same.
It was a meaningless vow, but a well-intentioned one, a promise that neither could be obliged to uphold. All the same, the words gave Evangeline complete joy. She had an unerring sense that she belonged here, in this chamber with this man, and that whatever happened between them had been destined to be. She sensed that she had been waiting for him and only him, and her conviction of that was sufficient to make her smile.
“I believe it is customary when one steals a bride to complete the ritual,” Ramsay murmured and, if anything, his gaze became more intense.
“Ritual?” Evangeline echoed, feeling foolish that she did not understand. Who stole a bride? What ritual?
Ramsay raised his hand to her chin and ran his thumb across her bottom lip. It was a possessive gesture, one that made Evangeline shiver to her toes.
Her gaze dropped to his mouth, her heart leaping with anticipation and understanding. Aye, she wanted more than a kiss on this night of nights. She wanted to celebrate her survival, which had only occurred because of Ramsay, which meant she would celebrate it with him. She felt her own lips part, both surprised and enticed in the same moment, then Ramsay leaned closer and captured her mouth beneath his own.
It was a seductive kiss, both sweet and potent, an invitation to surrender to his touch. That slight caress sent fire through her veins and awakened a need she had not known she possessed. She knew she should turn him aside. She knew she was betrothed to another, even though she could not bear the notion of wedding Rufus. She knew that a dutiful daughter would protest Ramsay’s bold touch.
But Evangeline had never been a dutiful daughter. She had always been the one hungry for experience and sensation, always the one who knew her desire and did not flinch from its price. And on this day, after the terror of Rufus nearly drowning her, after Ramsay’s timely intervention, after their race to this refuge, she craved indulgence. Reassurance. Even the admiration she tasted in Ramsay’s kiss.
For the fact was that Ramsay did not fault her for being as she was. He did not expect her to be otherwise and he did not demand that she become meek, demure or biddable. She dared to imagine that he liked her, that he found her alluring, that his kiss was an honest tribute as few others might be.
Aye, he was the one to claim her heart. She had known it that day, five years before, when she had aided him, and he had returned to seek her out because he recognized the same truth. Whatever obstacles might lie between them would be smoothed away by the relentless course of love.
Just like a tale.
How she wished it might truly be like a tale. But Evangeline feared there was this night and this night alone for herself and Ramsay.
And she was not so concerned with convention to deny herself this one taste of perfection.
When Ramsay slanted his mouth across hers, deepening his kiss, Evangeline surrendered to temptation. This was not a moment that would have to be inflicted upon her. She would meet it, welcome it, participate in their mutual seduction. It would be a night to remember all of their lives, a candle in the darkness wherever she ultimately found herself. She turned so that she was in Ramsay’s embrace, loving the weight of his arms closing around her waist. She leaned against his broad chest, inviting him to kiss her more deeply, sliding her hands around his neck as he pulled her more closely against his hard strength.
A kiss that felt so good could not be wrong.
Evangelinewantedthis kiss. She wanted whatever pleasure Ramsay might offer. She wanted to touch him and to know him and to learn all about lovemaking from him—and him alone. She had desired him from the moment they had met, and on this night, what had begun five years before would find its consummation.
With this man and no other.
* * *
Ramsay was astonished—anddelighted by Evangeline’s enthusiastic response. He had thought he might have to convince her of the merit of his plan. He would never force her capitulation, but he had not expected such a willing agreement so soon. Their thoughts might have been as one.
Their future would be as wondrous as they chose to make it.
When she kissed him back, pressing herself against him, Ramsay lifted her to her toes. He speared his fingers into her hair to hold her captive to his kiss and loved that she opened her mouth to him with a little sigh. His other hand fell to the laces on the side of her kirtle, then abandoned them to pull up the hem of her skirts. They tumbled to the makeshift bed together, and he ensured that he was beneath her when they fell. She laughed when she was sprawled atop him and Ramsay could only gaze at her in awe.
’Twas easy to recall his first sight of her, silhouetted against the torchlight as she peered down into the dungeon called the Hole. He remembered his surprise at her appearance all too well, his frustration that he could not see her face, his satisfaction when she moved the candle and he was able to drink in her beauty. ’Twas the merriment in her eyes that captivated him then, and that she laughed now, in this moment of solitude with him, only convinced him that all could only come aright.
He locked his hands around her waist, holding her atop him. “Do you not think you should unbind your hair before you retire?” he asked and her smile flashed.
“I did not realize you intended to retire,” she teased, but lifted her hands to unfasten her braids.
“Are we not abed?”
“You lie down, but might be overwhelmed by your exertions of the day.”
“I assure you that I am not so tired as that.”
She laughed, a merry sound that made him smile. Her gaze locked with his, that smile curving her ripe lips, and Ramsay knew he had never seen a more enticing temptress in all his days. He watched as she deftly unbraided her plaits, pushing her fingers through the glossy length of her hair instead of using a comb. Ramsay had a comb, but he was not inclined to leave his current position to fetch it. The sight of Evangeline was too captivating. She shook out her hair, looking like a siren come to claim his heart and soul, and he was only too glad to offer it to her.
