Only now did he notice that she was wearing that same nightgown in which she looked ravishing. He could barely focus on the conversation at hand. How could he, when the silky fabricof her nightgown silhouetted her perfect breasts under the pale light of the candles?
“Dinnae doubt anythin’ about me, lass,” he urged.
“Right now, there is only doubt in my mind about you, Laird MacCurtney.” Keira’s voice trembled, just as torn as he was.
The chamber felt too small, and their emotions too big. The spark that had ignited between them was now a raging fire, threatening to consume everything they knew. Yet, they stood there, drawn to each other, two moths circling a flame that might prove to be their undoing.
“You shouldn’t have brought me here, knowing what lies ahead,” she pushed on. “You’ve turned my world upside down, Raphael. I… I wish I never came here!”
She turned around to head to the door, but he knew he couldn’t let her go. He grabbed her by the wrist again, pulling her towards him, their bodies almost touching, in a moment of raw desire and desperation.
“Keira…” he whispered, but the words refused to come.
The talking he wanted to do involved no words. He could feel his heart pounding inside his throat. He was barely able to breathe, yet he refused to let go of her. He feared that if he did, she would not come back again. And that thought terrified him.
Her lips parted as her intense eyes bore into his. He could see everything in those eyes, for they mirrored his passion and desire for her. He knew she wanted to be here just as much as he did, but rage stood between them.
“I ken ye are furious,” he admitted. “But I’ve never done this before. I’ve never played such games as ye wished to play, and God forgive me, I wanted to play them with ye.”
She didn’t say anything to that. All she did was stare at him, her eyelashes fluttering, her chest rising and falling so tantalizingly, teasing him.
“Do ye want me stop?” he suddenly asked, his grip around her wrist loosening ever so slightly, although he still kept her under his control. “Tell me to stop, and I will let ye go…”
No, no, don’t ever let me go…
That little voice inside of her was becoming louder and louder, and Keira feared it would spill out of her lips and right before him. She didn’t want him to stop. She didn’t want him to let go.
But she couldn’t help but fear what that would mean for her—for them both. Would she be opening herself up to heartache by staying here tonight?
His nearness was intoxicating, and the world around them seemed to fade into the background. Raphael’s eyes bored into hers, conveying a storm of emotions: desire, frustration, and an overwhelming need. Keira’s breath hitched as he cupped her face gently, his thumb tracing her lower lip. His touch sent shivers down her spine.
“Ye cannae deny that there is somethin’ between us,” he told her, his voice a low murmur. “That kiss opened a door, Keira. Dinnae ye want to walk through it?”
She wanted to walk through it more than anything else in the world. Their lips were just inches apart, the magnetic pull between them impossible to resist. The room was charged with anticipation, the moment hanging in the balance. The choice was hers, and whatever she chose would alter the course of their lives.
“I do,” she finally admitted, allowing the confession to permeate every fiber of her being, filling her with peace.
What would happen tomorrow was irrelevant. The only thing that mattered was the here and now, and she was exactly where she wanted to be, in the arms of this Scottish laird with the strength to move mountains with just one glance of his fathomless eyes.
She allowed her desires to guide her. There was no more logic, no more reason. They were left at the threshold of his room.
Their lips met in a passionate, fervent kiss, a culmination of all the longing and desire that had been building between them. In that stolen moment, the outside world ceased to exist, and the only reality was the intense connection between them.
Raphael’s hands gently slid down her arms, sending electric shocks through her. Keira’s fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer. It was a dance of desire, a battle of wills against the expectations that bound them.
For a fleeting moment, they forgot about their engagements, their duties, and the consequences. All that mattered was the heat of their passion, the taste of each other on their lips, and the fervor that blazed between them. And Keira knew that they would not be able to stop now.
Raphael seemed to read her mind, doing everything she wanted him to do. He sucked on her tongue while he kissed her, then gently bit her lower lip. She moaned softly against him, getting lost in the heat of passion.
His hand wrapped around her waist, while the other cupped the base of her delicate neck possessively. She was all his now. She could not imagine ever belonging to anyone else.
“Ye taste so good, Keira…” He pulled away only for a moment, and it awakened sensations inside of her she hadn’t even known she had.
She liked it. She liked it far too much. Her heart was beating so fast as if it wanted to jump right out of her chest and onto the palm of his hand, gifting itself to this man.
Yes, there was still the question of his betrothal, and what would happen in the next two weeks, and how they would handle all of that. In fact, she wasn’t certain whether she would be staying or not. She would…
Oh…
