She was shaking her head, completely balking at the idea, when one of the maids remarked, “I hope you like it, Lady Kimberly. Her Grace the duchess will be so disappointed if you don’t.”
Kimberly could have murdered the girl. Of course, now shehadto wear the ensemble. She couldn’t even claim she was too cold to wear it, the crackling fire in the room had it so toasty warm.
Jean, bless her, suggested she might like to wear her cameo with it. Yes, anything to cover a little more skin, even a very little more. But it still wasn’t enough, her breasts were still bursting out of that low cleavage, and she felt more naked than if she wasn’t wearing anything at all. And she had every intention of finding something else to wear, just as soon as Megan’s servants left the room, and would have—if Lachlan didn’t arrive first.
The cameo failed as an added cover. All it did was serve to draw Lachlan’s eyes straight to her cleavage, and she went up in flames of embarrassment, because he seemed shocked too, or at least so surprised that his remark about the enticing smells of food as he walked into the room was cut off abruptly. Nor did he discreetly look away. He simply stared at her breasts, and stared, until one of the maids cleared her throat, and then he blushed as well.
But his charm surfaced, and he immediately set out to put them both at ease, remarking on the journey so far, discussing the route they would take the next day, mentioning the cottage and how he was no longer going to be surprised by the duke’s generosity. He even confessed that Devlin had amazed him by apologizing because he hadn’t believed Lachlan’s story about his stolen inheritance.
Before Kimberly realized that she’d been so distracted she’d forgotten about her revealing cleavage, they were halfway through their dinner, and the maids had quietly departed. And that was when the doubts came to plague her.
Was it presumptuous of her to assume they would have a wedding night? Just because they were sharing a meal in the bedchamber didn’t mean they’d be sharing the bed there as well. Lachlan had done his duty by marrying her. What if he had no intention of playing the husband thereafter? What if he expected a marriage just like her parents’ dismal union? She’d have a hard time pretending she had a perfect marriage in that case, now wouldn’t she?
She was startled out of her thoughts when Lachlan suddenly stood up, tossed his napkin aside, and came around the table to take her hand.
“What—” was all she got out before he was dragging her toward the bed, and stopping there, his hands coming to her cheeks, he gave her such a scorching kiss that her knees buckled and she sagged against him.
He groaned and said against her lips, “I dinna know how I restrained myself as long as I did. I wanted tae toss those blasted maids out the door. I wanted tae crawl across the table and eat you, no’ the blasted food. If you ever wear a gown like this again, I willna be responsible for what I do. Do you ken, Kimber? I dinna need tae be provoked, when I’m already wanting you all the time.”
He sounded angry, and yet his hands were extremely gentle as they caressed their way down her neck and catching on her robe, dragged it off her shoulders and down her arms. And there was such heat in his eyes as they fastened on her gown without its lacy frame.
“I had plans for tonight, darlin’. I was going tae love you so slowly, was going tae make you need me as much as I’ve needed you these many weeks. I was going tae make you beg me tae take you—but now I’m begging.”
He dropped to his knees before her, his arms wrapping around her legs, his mouth pressing into her belly. She caught her breath. She could barely stand.
“Begging…for…what?” she managed to ask, she wasn’t sure how.
“For your forgiveness, because I mun have you now—right now. I swear it feels like I’ll be dying if I wait another minute.”
Her hands came to the top of his head as she replied in a soft whisper, “I’ve no desire to be a widow so soon, Lachlan MacGregor.”
He looked up at her, and then his smile came, so beautiful, so heart-moving. But he wasn’t joking about his need for haste. He stood up, lifted her, and was on top of her on the bed almost all in one motion. And she barely had time to blink before his tongue plunged deeply into her mouth, and his manhood thrust even more deeply into her welcoming warmth.
He groaned again, that she was so ready for him, but why wouldn’t she be? His mention of needing her had sent heat coursing through her. But then she’d known she’d be a sucker for those words if she ever heard them from him. And it only took seconds for her to feel the same tearing need as he drove into her again and again, so that she was there, meeting him on each thrust, and joining him when he soared over the edge on a pulsing wave of bliss.
It took a while for her heartbeat to return to normal, as well as her breathing. She held him close as she recovered, her hands gently caressing him, marveling at the uniqueness of lovemaking, and how powerful were its urges under the right provocation. Lachlan MacGregor was all the provocation she’d ever need.
His face was still buried in her neck, his breathing still hard, when she heard his whisper, “Did I mention something about doing this slowly?”
“I believe you did.”
He leaned up to grin at her. “And something about begging?”
“No—you must have imagined that.”
He chuckled. She rolled her eyes at him. It was a very long night.
47
Kimberly had heard Kregora Castle mentioned more than once, but somehow she had imagined something not quite so massive and definitely not soold. Well, most castles did have their old parts, the looming circular tower, the surviving great hall, the small but sturdy chapel, yet they also had their modern additions that blended in so nicely that the original castle sections were hardly discernible among all the chimney tops and fancy gables and moldings of more recent architecture.
Kregora, however, was just the opposite. If there was anything modern behind its high stone walls, you couldn’t tell it as you approached. Turrets and crenellations were visible on two huge rectangular towers and—good God, even a drawbridge and portcullis. Could the thing possibly still work after hundreds of years?
After her initial surprise, though, Kimberly had to admit it was a very impressive edifice, sitting as it was on a high bluff of a large lake that wandered and curved through the countryside like a river. And just across the water, hills and mountains rose up to form a varied background for the castle, with the occasional small stone cottage here and there, and even another castle in the far distance, though one not nearly so large as Kregora.
This time of year there was no green to speak of, but those ice-topped mountains and hills were a grand sight on their own, truly magnificent. The entire scene took Kimberly’s breath away, it was so beautiful.
Lachlan had been watching for her reaction, and it was a bit apparent in her expression. He grinned, pleased, and said, “Welcome home, darlin’.”
