“Aye,” she said softly. “He kept me at home, forced me to work, and made me earn me meals.” Her voice dropped. “I ken that when I was grabbed at the market, it exposed me to worse treatment, but that was the first time I’ve ever been able to make friends. That’s how I ken I was already tainted. They’d at least been allowed, friends.”
“Just because yer life was hard and men treated ye poorly doesnae mean ye’re a ruined woman,” Lucas argued, leaving no room for her to refute him. “And even if any of them had touched ye, the only thing that would change is how cruel Lewis’ punishment would be. Because if he touched ye, I would join in huntin’ him down.”
“Why… why arenae ye huntin’ him down now?” Flora asked, the change in subject abrupt and telling of how she refused to accept Lucas’ assessment. “I thought ye wanted to be the one to eliminate him.”
“Aye, I did at first,” he said gruffly. “But now I care more about makin’ sure ye’re safe here.”
“Ye daenae have to do that for me,” she replied, broken and hopeful and frightened all at once. “If ye’d rather be goin’ after those men, ye shouldnae let me stop ye.”
“Ye’re nae makin’ me do anythin’, Flora.” He lowered himself further, his mouth mere millimeters from hers. When he spoke again, their lips nearly brushed. “And ye’re nae ruined. I’ll do whatever I can to make ye believe it.”
As if to punctuate his words, Lucas closed the infinitesimal space between them. The kiss was firm but as respectful as he could muster, a relaying of his intentions. It took Flora no time at all to reciprocate, a soft sound escaping between them as her hands flew to Lucas’ shoulder blades.
He groaned against her plush mouth, pressing in closer. She arched up against him, pressing those irresistible breasts against his chest. The sensation went straight to his groin, want so strong it could bring him to his knees, coursing through him. His cock pulsed in his trews, begging for friction, for Lucas to grind against Flora and show her exactly what she was doing to him.
It wasn’t until she sucked in a harsh breath that Lucas pulled back. His eyes searched hers, looking for any sign of regret or fear. The only thing he found was a desire that seemed to mirror his own.
“If ye want me to stop,” he rasped, resting his forehead against hers, “tell me now. Because I daenae think I’ll be able to if we keep goin’.”
A noise between a whimper and a sigh slipped past Flora’s lips. Then, rather than giving him an answer with words, she leaned up. He met her halfway, no longer holding himself back.
Flora’s hands found their way into Lucas’s hair. His beard tickled her chin in a way that she didn’t expect to be so pleasurable, and most curious of all to her was the warmth in her belly.
Everything about him was intoxicating, and now that she’d given in to her desires, she found that fear was quite similar to pleasure. The only difference was that the knife’s edge wasn’t cold; it was warm, burning hot, and she only wanted more.
When his tongue teased the seam of her lips, her mouth opened instinctively. He took the invitation, plunging in deeper. She did her best to match his movements, meeting each swipe of his tongue with her own, whining at the sensation.
The sound only spurred him on further, his hips coming down to meet her own. His hardness pressed against her, and the knot in her belly tightened further. The place between her legs twitched, wetness gathering there. She spread her thighs further apart, allowing him to do whatever he wanted, desperately needing more but unable to namewhat.
“Ach, ye’re drivin’ me mad,” he groaned against her lips. “Ye’ve been makin’ me insane since I taught ye to throw knives.”
She didn’t have the words to respond, but it wasn’t out of fear or a mental block. Her mind was overloaded by his taste and the feel of his strong, solid body against her own. She tightened her hands against his back, her nails digging into the muscle beneath them.
“Ye’re goin’ to be the death of me, Flora,” Lucas growled before connecting their mouths again.
The kiss grew hotter. It didn’t take long for her to match his rhythm, anticipating each movement he made. Her hips lifted, searching for more of the delicious friction he seemed to be teasing. She felt crazed with desire, her head spinning as she took more and more.
When he balanced himself on one forearm, his free hand pushing her gown up, she moaned. The sound was so loud that she wondered if it could be heard all the way back at the castle. She found that in that moment, she didn’t care.
Cool air caressed her newly exposed skin. Gooseflesh blossomed, but she didn’t think it could be blamed entirely on the breeze. She lifted herself from the ground when he tapped her hip, and when her bottom landed on the soft fabric of his cloak, she was fully exposed.
“I’m goin’ to make ye feel so good, ye forget all the pain ye’ve ever endured,” he said against her lips, the words a vow that she believed with every fiber of her being. “I’m goin’ to erase every single touch that wasnae from me. Ye’re goin’ to understand that ye belong to me.”
The heat of his body shifted. She made a soft sound of protest, propping herself up to chase his attention. Then, she saw where his gaze was focused.
His hands slid down her sides as he stared greedily at her center. In a moment of clarity, she tried to press her thighs together, embarrassed at being seen in this way. A possessive rumble worked its way from Lucas’ chest as he grabbed onto her knees, pushing them apart without ever looking away from her wet opening.
“Nay,” he warned, low and dangerous, his tone sending a shiver up her spine. “Ye daenae get to hide from me. I want to see every part of ye. I want to claim the bits of ye that ye keep away from the world.”
“Lucas,” she whimpered, unable to look away from him.
Another rush of wetness spilled forward as he ran his calloused palms up her legs. He leaned in, pressing his lips against the soft skin of her inner thigh. The coarse hair of his beard tickled the nerve endings she hadn’t even realized were there, making the muscles in her abdomen contract with anticipation.
“Ye’re a dream, Flora. I cannae believe that ye’re real,” he said, nipping at the sensitive flesh. “Bet ye taste just as sweet as ye look.”
That was all the warning Flora got before he was moving closer to her center. He left a trail of wet kisses as he made his way to where she was glistening in the moonlight. Then, he stopped just short of where she wanted him most, his breath hot against her sex.
“Please,” she whispered after a beat, unable to restrain herself, feeling addicted to his touch already, even though she hadn’t yet gotten it where she wanted it most. “Please, Lucas.”
