CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
Bryce pulled away from her mouth, kissing down her neck, placing soft kisses on the tops of her breasts. She couldn’t believe what was happening; it was just like a dream, and she never wanted him to stop. His hand reached for her skirts, and slowly, he began to lift them up her leg.
“May I?” he asked, in a husky tone. She could feel the hardness in every inch of him, and she knew what was about to happen. It was everything she ever wanted.
“Aye,” she replied against his mouth before drawing him into another kiss. His hand slid up the side of her gown, moving the heavy skirts and petticoats until he reached her center. With his eyes closed, it was a difficult journey to make, but then his fingertips touched the soft skin of her core, and she reared up.
“Ye are so wet for me, lass,” he breathed, and she nodded, feeling her moisture against his fingertips. She moved again when she felt one of his fingers slip inside her. The sensation was just what she wanted. Last night, she hadn’t thought of putting her fingers inside herself, but just as she predicted, it was better with Bryce.
He slid another finger inside, and his thumb moved in circles over her nub, sending little frissons of pleasure through her body, one after the other, until they grew so much that they burst quickly, spreading out over her.
“Aye!” She cried, clutching at his back, and letting the spasms take her over for a little while. When her breath calmed, Bryce removed his hand and kissed her mouth again.
“Ye are so perfect, Lorna. Tae see ye come tae yer pleasure was something I have wanted tae see for a long time.” He kissed her nose and then pulled away, looking down at her lovingly.
“For a long time?”
“Aye. Ye didnae ken. Ye had someone else in yer sights, ye ken.”
“Aye, of course,” she said, blushing hotly, feeling a mixture of happiness and guilt. Here she had professed love for Watt for years upon years, but it was his brother whose hands felt like fire on her skin, whose hands brought her the greatest pleasure she’d ever known.
“But,” Bryce continued, giving Lorna a flare of hope. Could he understand that she felt nothing for Watt anymore? Or would he think badly of her? “Perhaps it could be I who is in yer sights now?”
His blue eyes bored into hers, waiting for an answer. “Aye,” she said, leaning in a little. “That could be arranged.”
He chuckled against her mouth before he took it again, and she succumbed to his kiss, fully, wanting more but not sure how much more or what the hardness in his trousers meant. She reached down to feel him there, but he stilled her hand and lifted it to his mouth to kiss.
“Nae yet, lass. Nae here. Come, I think it time we return tae the keep.” Slowly, he stood. Lorna tried not to feel too much disappointment as she pushed her skirts down and took his hand to stand.
“It is a beautiful day,” she said vaguely, hoping to push beyond her embarrassment. Had she done something terribly wrong by touching him there? She was so inexperienced, and she felt it keenly. She felt waves of desire and a longing that made her ache, but she didn’t know where to channel them. At least not fully. It frustrated her and made her feel even more like a child.
“Aye, so it is. But I think that ye are far more beautiful.” Once she was standing, he pulled her close and placed a kiss on her cheek. Lorna had never felt such love before, and she smiled.
“I can see now why ye have gotten such a reputation,” she teased as he grabbed the reins of both horses to pull them along. “Ye ken just what tae say tae make a woman smile. Among other things.”
Bryce threw back his head and laughed, right up to the sky, and in an instant, Lorna could see what her life was going to be like, if she would accept it. It made a warm feeling slide down into her belly, and she wanted it forever. But it might not be so easy. She would have to let go of her fears and insecurities. She would have to find out how Bryce felt. She would have to weather her brother’s and father’s anger against him.
“Aye, well, I was practicing for ye, of course,” he grinned, taking up her hand and keeping her gaze, he kissed it. It sent fluttery feelings to her stomach again.
“So,” she said, wanting to change the subject, in case she would simply lay down in the grass again, hoping for more of Bryce’s pleasuring. “I asked the priest about the murders.”
“And I saw ye speaking tae some of the people at the funerals.” He laughed when she looked at him with surprise.
“And how did ye ken I was asking about the murders? We were all talking and eating together.”
“Because ye get a determined look in yer eye when there is something ye want tae do. Something ye want tae prove. And a little furrow comes out between yer brows, too.” He reached out a finger and touched the skin there, and she smiled, feeling the skin relax.
“Och, so ye ken me looks well, do ye?”
“Aye, I have spent many years studying them. Before the war that is, and now, ever since I returned home.” Their eyes caught, and she breathed out, at a loss for words. “Besides, I have had enough experience watching ye give looks tae me brother. I think I should ken them by now.”
In a moment, Bryce’s open smile had disappeared, and he was looking forward, pulling the horses’ reins behind him with one hand.
Lorna winced, knowing that she would have to explain her dramatic change of feeling to him. “Bryce, I…there is something that I should tell ye about that.”
“What is it, lass?” he asked. “Och, and I should tell ye why I took the note.”
She chuckled, despite herself. “It seems we have much tae discuss.”
