Skye allowed him to help her into the sleigh, gathering her skirts to make room on the plush velvet seat. As she settled in, he grabbed a thick wool blanket and draped it gently over her shoulders.
“We wouldn’t want you catching a chill,” he said, his voice a low caress.
Skye clutched the blanket closer, acutely aware of his nearness, as he took the seat beside her. She breathed in the crisp, pine-scented air, admiring the snow-laden trees they passed.
“It’s so peaceful,” she remarked softly. “Like we’re the only two people in the world.”
His gaze lingered on her profile. “It does feel that way, does it not?”
He shifted closer until their thighs touched, and her heart quickened. The sleigh bells jingled merrily as they glided over the snow, but all she could focus on was the hard strength of his leg pressed to hers.
This was highly improper, being alone with him like this—even for a widow. But she found she didn’t care. All she wanted was more. More time with him, more of his caresses and kisses. She wanted all of him. What a revelation, but could they have a future together?
Skye let her gaze drift over the snow-covered hills and valleys, finding beauty in the way the sunlight glinted off icy tree branches. She inhaled deeply, the cold air stinging her lungs.
“It smells so fresh and clean out here,” she commented. “Like the whole world has been scrubbed new.”
He chuckled. “Trust you to find poetry in the landscape, Skye.”
“Oh hush, I’m appreciating the moment,” she teased, giving him a playful nudge with her elbow.
He grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Skye felt her heart do a little flip. When he smiled like that, so boyish and unguarded, he was utterly charming.
They continued on in a comfortable silence for a time, the only sounds the rhythmic clop of hooves and the soft tinkling of bells. She snuck a glance at his profile, admiring the powerful line of his jaw and the way the winter sunlight brought out golden highlights in his tousled hair.
“You’re staring, my lady,” he said, though his eyes remained fixed ahead.
She blushed, caught out. “I was just thinking how handsome you look today.” She leaned in closer. “In fact, I find you quite irresistible.”
He turned to meet her gaze, one eyebrow arched. “Do you now?”
His voice was low, edged with suggestion. She felt her cheeks grow even warmer, but she refused to back down from the unspoken challenge in his eyes.
“I do,” she affirmed boldly. “What do you plan to do about it, my lord?”
Bradford’s lips curved into a roguish smile. “Well, since you find me so irresistible...”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer until their bodies were pressed together beneath the blanket. She gasped softly at the contact, her pulse quickening. His face hovered mere inches from hers, his breath warm against her skin.
“I suppose I shall have to thoroughly kiss you,” he murmured.
Her eyelids fluttered closed as his mouth descended on hers. His lips were firm yet gentle as they moved over her own, sending delicious shivers through her body. She sighed into the kiss, lifting a hand to curl around the back of his neck, fingers tangling in the soft hair at his nape.
Bradford deepened the kiss, parting her lips with his tongue to stroke hotly against her own. Arousal coiled tight and low in her belly, every nerve alive and tingling. She shifted against him restlessly, craving more contact.
With a low groan, Bradford broke the kiss, his breathing ragged. “Bloody hell, woman. The things you do to me.”
She smiled coyly up at him through her lashes. “I assure you, my lord, the feeling is quite mutual.”
His eyes darkened, pupils dilating with unrestrained want. “Minx,” he growled affectionately before swooping in to capture her lips once more.
Skye sighed blissfully into the searing kiss, her body melting against the hard planes of his. The winter landscape faded away until nothing existed but the two of them, wrapped up in each other and the growing passion between them.
He trailed heated kisses along her jaw and down the slender column of her throat. She tipped her head back, eyes fluttering closed as she surrendered to the pleasurable sensations.
“I want you, Skye,” he rasped against her skin. “Here, now. Say you’ll let me make love to you.”
A thrill rushed through her at his bold words. Though they were alone in the secluded winter landscape, such an impulsive tryst was shockingly improper. And what of the cold winter air? Yet she found herself uncaring of propriety, her body aching with need for this man.
