He cleared his throat, knocking back the whisky and feeling the burn run down his throat. He placed the glass on the mantelpiece and turned to her, walking slowly to her chair, watching her eyes track him across the distance between them.
Dinnae do it, Magnus,that same voice spoke in his mind.Keep her at a distance, and ye willnae get yer heart broken.
But he ignored it, unable to look away from that sky-blue stare.
Her tongue swiped across her lips, leaving a sheen across the surface that reflected the fire’s orange glow. Without conscious thought, his hand came up to grip her chin, and he watched her lips part willingly, her fingers tightening around her glass.
He ran his thumb across her bottom lip, looking her over, drinking in her beautiful features.
Ye’ll take her, and then what? She’ll be gone from ye, and ye’ll be alone again with only the memory of what ye could have had if ye werenae a cursed man.
“Ye should go to bed, lass,” he said hoarsely, stepping back from her and trying to ignore his disappointment at his restraint.
Leah’s expression fell, her eyes looking back down at her glass as she hurriedly rose to her feet, surprising him to no end by downing the whisky in one swallow and handing him the glass with a defiant glare.
He placed it beside his own above the fireplace, looking at the play of the light across the crystal, the glasses standing proudly side by side, wishing that his life had taken a different course.
He followed her to the door as she stalked across the room, her back rigid, her shoulders tense.
She turned to him then, the same fire he had learned to expect from her returning.
“Is this one of the orders I must obey, My Laird?” she asked, jutting her chin in challenge.
Magnus felt tension fill his shoulders, the restraint from only moments before evaporating. Something about her boldness made him wish to own her and show her who was in command. He took a step forward, and her breath hitched as she backed into the door, her eyes darting about her hesitantly.
His hand came up once more, about to grip her chin and force her to look at him, but he could not forgo the chance to run his fingers through her loose hair. He let out a low groan as she allowed it—it was just as soft as he remembered it.
She shuddered beneath his touch, her eyes dark with lust, stronger and more determined than he had yet seen her.
“As you said,” she whispered, “I am under your command.”
Magnus growled at those words, and Leah gave a startled cry as he placed his hands beneath her arms, pushing her up against the door so that she was at his eye level, her feet dangling above the floor.
Her head fell back against the hardwood, and she shuddered beneath him, her legs wrapping around his waist as he crushed his mouth against hers in a passionate kiss.
Just as before, he felt the fire spring to life within her as she gasped against his lips, scraping her teeth across his bottom lip and pressing her body against his.
She moaned in a way that sent a dark heat through him, and his hands gripped her waist even as his hips moved forward, pinioning her to the door as she shivered.
He groaned, pushing his tongue against hers, jolting in shock as her teeth came down on his lower lip, and he felt a sharp sting as she bit his flesh. His hips bucked forward, feeling the shapeof her through her robe, wanting to strip her bare right here and bury himself inside her.
The hand that had gripped her waist traveled down the curve of her buttock and down her leg, forcefully hitching it up against the door, bringing their hips into closer contact, and he knew she could feel his length press against her. She gasped, breaking the kiss as their gazes met and they panted into each other’s mouths.
With a strength he had not known he possessed, Magnus pulled back.
He had promised to protect her honor, and yet here he was, trying to take it from her on the eve of their wedding. He could so easily have parted the layers of her dress, pushed himself inside her, and had her just as he longed to. But he knew it was wrong and would not defile her in such a way.
He gently lowered her to the floor, enjoying the sensation of keeping their hips connected for as long as possible before finally releasing her, watching her breasts rise and fall as she gathered herself.
“Get to bed, lass,” he said quietly, his hand coming up to stroke her cheek as her eyes fluttered shut.
She leaned into his hand, allowing the gentle contact, making his heart kick in his chest like a mule.
Finally, she opened her eyes, and they stared at one another before her fingers fumbled behind her for the door handle. After a second or two, she managed to pull it open, letting in the rush of cold air from the corridor and breaking the spell between them.
“I will see you at the wedding,” she said, her eyes meeting his for an electric moment before she backed away, closing the door behind her, leaving Magnus with one hand still raised at the memory of her body against his, trying his best to get himself back under control.
CHAPTER 15
