“That I was clumsy?”
“That ye werethe most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.”
Piper twistedto look at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Ye’re lyin’.”
“I’m nae.”Elijah held her gaze. “Out of all the lasses at that hunt, ye were the one who stole me breath.”
“Ye’re just sayin’that.”
“And for the past days,I’ve been tryin’ to convince meself that what I feel for ye is just protectiveness. Just duty.” His hand moved to cup her jaw, turning her face fully toward him. “But it’s nae. It’s so much more than that, and it’s drivin’ me mad.”
“Elijah…”Piper’s voice was breathless.
“Ye want me to prove it?”He leaned closer, his lips a breath away from hers. “I’ll prove it.”
He kissed her.
His mouth crashed over hers,not asking, but claiming. One palm clamped at her waist, yanking her against hard plaid and harder muscle; the other tangled in the loose chestnut curls that had tumbled from her coif.
His scent—peatsmoke, horse, and something darker—filled her lungs. The heat in his gaze had scorched every doubt she wore like armor, and now his touch was doing the same to her resolve.
One palm clampedat her waist, yanking her against hard plaid and harder muscle; the other tangled in the loose chestnut curls that had tumbled from her coif. His mouth crashed over hers, not asking, but claiming.
Piper’s knees betrayed her,trembling as his tongue traced the seam of her lips until they parted on a gasp. The smoky sweetness of aged malt mingled with summer heather clinging to his clothes. She tasted it all and wanted more.
Her fingers curledinto the coarse weave of his tunic, nails scraping the linen shirt beneath, dragging him so close her breasts flattened against his chest.
When he finally let herbreathe, her lips felt swollen, branded. His breath fanned her ear, hot promise wrapping around every syllable.
“Let me show ye, lass.”
Deft fingers foundthe silken laces at her back, plucking, loosening. The gown slid further down her shoulders, slithering over the swell of her hips until it pooled around her heeled slippers.
Candlelight paintedwarm ribbons across the thin linen of her shift, turning it nearly translucent; her nipples stood in aching peaks, shadows darkening the space between her thighs.
Elijah’s gazedevoured every inch.
”So bonny,”he rasped, calloused thumb brushing beneath one breast, lifting the weight as though measuring treasure. The rough pad dragged across linen, rasping the sensitive tip, and a ragged breath tore from her throat.
He sankto his knees before her, his beard scraping the quivering skin beneath her ear, down the fragile line of her throat. Each small nip sent lightning straight to her core. Piper’s head tipped back, exposing the pale column of her neck to his ravenous mouth.
Without warning,he rose, hands gripping her waist, and lifted her as easily as if she were thistledown.
The polished oak table,polished by generations of clerks hammering out rents and marriage contracts, met her backside with a soft thump. Ancient portraits looked on, austere eyes rendered in flaking oils, as Elijah spread her knees and stepped between them.
Cool air kissedher thighs when he shoved the shift high. Instinct and shame warred; Piper started to press her legs together, but his palms slid up the fragile skin, parting her wider.
He stared.
There wasno other word for the frank hunger burning across his rugged features, at the dampened curls and slick folds he’d unveiled.
A low groanrumbled from him.“Already wet for me, beauty?”
Her answer strangledin her throat as his mouth descended. The first swipe of his tongue through her folds ripped a cry from her lungs. He licked again, slower, spreading her open so he could circle the aching bud of her clit, flick, retreat, flick, until her hips jerked against his grip.
His beard abradedtender flesh in delicious contrast, creating friction that sang along every nerve. He suckled her gently, then harder, drawing the small pearl between his teeth with teasing pressure.
Piper’s handsflailed before they found his dark hair, twisting, holding him close or pushing him away—she hardly knew, desire was a drumbeat drowning thought.
