Betrothed? Fergus was almost married.
Her head spun.What did the lass look like? Was she pretty? Prettier than Jeane? Had Fergus loved her?She had a million questions, but instead of pushing, she just waited, despite her jealousy.
“Her name was Iris,” Fergus said, and his tone was tinged with bitterness but no fondness. “She was a flighty little thing and only wanted to marry me because I was laird. As soon as she saw me after the attack, she wanted nothin’ to do with me.”
Jeane frowned. “What? Why?”
Fergus stared at her. “Why else? Because they made me a beast. A monster.”
“Did she call ye that?” she asked, her voice low and almost dangerous. She was angry, rage rushing through her veins. She had been jealous of this Iris, and now, she just hated her.
“Aye,” he said miserably, and Jeane stepped ever closer. “And she was right. After that, I wasnae the same man. I was bitter, cold. I let myself become… this. A monster inside and out.”
“That’s nonsense. Ye arenae a monster.”
“Nay?” he barked out a bitter chuckle. “Isnae that why ye rejected me? Why ye daenae want to marry me?”
“What?” She gaped at him, shocked and a little hurt that he would think her so shallow. “Nay, of course nae.”
He frowned, stepping forward and glaring down at her.
“Then why? Why did ye reject me, little mouse?”
She bit her lip, looking up at him through her blonde eyelashes.
“I thought ye cruel. Ye did kidnap me after all.”
Fergus just stared at her for a long moment.
“And what do ye think now?”
That I am falling in love with ye.
The thought, unbidden, scared her. She blinked at him, unsure what to say. Shedidlove him, more than she ever thought possible, but she was loath to admit it, even to herself. She could no longer deny it, though, not after that night they had kissed when he had touched her, not after their walk in the woods, and not after he had told her about his dark past.
“I’m nae sure, but I daenae think ye’re cruel anymore.”
“Nay?”
“Nay,” she answered, giving him a small smile.
“Daenae do that to me, lass.”
“Do what?” she asked, her smile widening into a grin.
“Daenae smile at me like that,” he growled, his expression still intense as he looked down at her.
“Why nae?”
Instead of answering, he grabbed the back of her head, pulling her close and kissing her. His tongue spread across her lips slowly, asking for entrance. Jeane gasped for breath, her chesttight, and Fergus took the opportunity to shove his tongue in her mouth. Jeane could not help but moan into his mouth, and he answered her in kind. He kissed her again and again, trapping her tongue between his lips to suck on it, and Jeane’s heart felt like it might explode.
Jeane’s head spun as he sat down again, pulling her into his lap but this time, facing him.
She was sweating from the heat of the forge, but he did not seem to care, kissing her over and over.
Jeane felt dizzy, and she was sure it was not just from the heat but his nearness and the way his manhood pressed against her core. She could feel how hot and hard he was, even through the fabric of her dress and his kilt.
Fergus just kept kissing her, as if it was the only thing he wanted to do from now on, focused, his hands sliding up her back before moving back down to grab her hips.
