“Ye’re drivin’me mad, lass,” he murmured against her skin, his breath hot. “Absolutely mad. Been wantin’ to do this since ye ran into me arms in that forest.”
“I dinnae… I wasnae tryin’to…” Piper couldn’t form a coherent sentence. Could barely think past the feel of his mouth on her neck, his hand still tangled in her hair.
“I daenae care.”Elijah’s teeth grazed her pulse point, and Piper let out a sound she’d never made before, breathy and desperate and wanton.
His hand moved lower,skimming down her side, and even through the thin fabric of the nightgown, Piper could feel the heat of his palm.
The possessiveness in his touch.She should stop this. Should push him away and remind him of his vow, of the contract, of all the reasons this was wrong.
But then hishand curved around her breast, and all rational thought fled.
“Oh,”Piper breathed, her head falling back. “Oh God.”
Elijah’s thumbbrushed across her nipple through the fabric, and the sensation shot straight through her body like lightning. She’d never been touched like this. Never let anyone get close enough to even try. Never thought anyone would want to.
Except Elijah was touchingher like she was precious. Like she was desired.
His hand tightenedon her breast, his thumb continuing its maddening circles, and Piper couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped her lips.
The sound seemedto shatter something in Elijah and made Piper jump back. She froze, her whole body going rigid. Then she jerked back like he’d burned her, stumbling several steps away.
“Daenae,”she whispered.
Elijah gasped,running a hand through his hair. His eyes were wild, his chest heaving. “What am I doin’?”
Piper stood there,flushed and breathing hard, her body still singing from his touch. Her nipples were tight beneath the thin nightgown, and she could feel the evidence of her arousal between her thighs. She felt dizzy, confused, and desperately wanted him to come back and finish what he’d started.
“Elijah. Ye cannae do that.”
“Ye daenae think I ken that?”He took another step back, shaking his head. “That was wrong. That was so bloody wrong.”
He turned toward the door,and panic surged through Piper.
“Where are ye goin’?”
“Away from yebefore I do somethin’ even more stupid.” His hand was on the latch, his knuckles white. “This cannae happen again, Piper. It cannae. Ye deserve better than… than whatever this is.”
“But…”
“Lock this door after I leave.”His voice was hard now, final. “And in the mornin’, we’ll pretend this never happened.”
Before she could respond,he was already pulling the door open.
“Goodnight, Miss Armstrong,”he said without looking back.
Then he was gone,the door closing firmly behind him with a sound that felt like the end of something before it had even begun.
Piper stoodthere in the middle of the room, alone, her lips still tingling from his kiss, her body still humming with unfulfilled desire, and absolutely no idea what had just happened.
Or what it meant.
Or how shewas supposed to face him in the morning and pretend her world hadn’t just tilted on its axis.
She raised a tremblinghand to her mouth, touching her swollen lips. She could still feel him. Could still taste him.
What just happened?
Slowly,Piper walked to the door and slid the bolt home. Then she moved to the bed and sat down, her legs no longer able to support her.
