“I suppose I can’t stop you.”
He hesitated. “Why did you say yes to Richard Bennett?
You seemintelligentenough, and I don’t think you’re blind.
You said you admired him because he was a gentleman, but there are scores of gentleman prancing about a Londonballroom. Why him? Is it because he saved your father’s life?”
She thought hard aboutallthe possible answers to that question. She remembered the times Richard hadcalledupon her and how dashing he had been in his clean scarlet uniform. She had been infatuated at the outset—quite inescapably. She was a young, inexperienced girl with romantic dreams, eager to be wooed by a brave and noble hero.
And her father had confirmed those first impressions and approved of the match. He was, afterall, alive because of this handsome young officer, who hadgallopedacross a raging battlefield, straight into the line of fire, to save his life.
“It’s complicated,” she said, “but I see now that I did not know him aswellas I thought I did.allour encounters were polite and proper, and I had romantic ideas. My life before this was sheltered, and after my father’s death I believe I was in a hurry to wed. I felt very alone and almost in a panic, so perhaps Iwasblind. I saw only what I wanted to see.”
“You were looking for a replacement for your father,”
Duncan suggested. “You wanted the protection of a husband.
You wanted security.”
“Yes,” she admitted, though it was a difficult thing to say.
“Since Iallowed you to ask me a question,” she said, “and I answered it truthful y, may I ask you one, too?”
“You already asked me a number of them tonight.”
“Just one more…”
He did not say yes, but he did not refuse, either.
Wetting her lips, she stared at the glowing embers in the fire. Her breathing was irregular, her body restless.
“Why have you not taken me, Duncan? If it’s vengeance you want against Richard…”
He was quiet for a long moment; then he nuzzled her ear and spoke in a heavy, seductive voice that stroked her mind like velvet. “Maybe Istill will.”
She lay motionless, intensely aware of the ragged beat of her heart. She had not expected him to say that, but she was not horrified. Quite to the contrary, her body was melting irresistibly into the curve of his legs and torso and she was aching with a strange, unexplored desire.
“You shouldn’t have brought it up, lass,” he said. “Now my thoughts are wandering, and my hands want to wander, too.”
Another breeze swept across thehilltop, hissing through thetallHighland grasses. A strange anticipation rippled through her belly; then herolledon top of her, so smoothly and natural y, it seemed almost destined to occur. She felt the weight of his hips pressing into hers.
He braced himself high above her on both arms and looked down at her in the moonlight.
She could not move. She was immobilized by a host of emotions she could not begin to comprehend.
He began to swivel his hips insmallcircles, rubbing up against her. “I told you this morning that you were in more danger than ever.”
“Please, Duncan…”
“Please what? Stop?”
She knew she should say yes or simply nod her head, but she was incapable of doing either of those things. The only thing she could make sense of was the fire coursing through her veins. She stared up at him with wide eyes until he slowly eased his upper body down and touched his lips to hers.
His open mouth and probing tongue melted every last fighting scrap of her resistance. She knew she shouldn’t want this, not with this man, but neither could she refuse the need to quench her desires.
He nudged her legs open with a knee while he continued to make love to her mouth with his lips and tongue. She moaned, feeling as if she were overcome by some kind of fever, then found herself gripping the fabric of his kilt in her fists.
“Tel me to stop,” he said forceful y as he kissed the side of her neck, his movements growing more urgent.
