Page 39 of Betrayed by His Highland Wife

I want to do that again.

He had chickened out. Maybe not out of the kiss, but out of telling her what he felt. He felt hot. And feverish. But worse than that, a lot worse, he felt in love. The tingle of madness burned him. Inside, he was as hot as a flame. Something was happening, something unexpected. In mild despair, William caught himself.

He was used to comely lasses. He had slept with half the women in the Highlands. But he was not used to this feeling, which surprised so him that he hardly dared name it.

Instead of talking, he had just laughed. Nora's face looked almost as shocked as his, the passion of their tryst having taken them so by surprise. Then, before they could fathom it, he thought, Why nae just go again? And so he had, enveloping her sweet head in his arms, drawing her in and kissing her again and again.

They had stood there so long that the moon had grown faint. First, in the center of the sky, it had moved, shifted behind a cloud, and then faded. Until now, it was gone altogether.

Nora gazed. He caught her looking, staring beyond the clouds. The stars were also gone, disappearing in a twinkling of an eye. Clouds were rolling across the glen, consuming everything in their wake. And now it was cold.

Shivering, he saw her watching his face. By now, it was difficult to see anything, only the whites of her eyes, but he saw her staring.

"It's dark," she said pointlessly.

William just laughed, but Nora looked alarmed. He could only just see himself and the faint outline of her face, pressed against the dim skies. But more than anything, he could feel her fear. The girl was shaking, and it was not all cold.

"Nora?" he questioned, as he felt her shiver. "Ye're cold?"

"Aye, a bit," she said, as he squeezed her.

Bringing another little kiss to the edges of her temple, he calmed her down a bit, although the sensation of their touch made him flinch slightly. She was vital, like a fire. William felt himself smolder and smart.

"Well, let's be getting ye abed."

The moment the words were out, he regretted it. Just the mention of her bed did strange things. In flashes, William pictured them together beneath the covers, him running his fingers over her pliant flesh.

William stopped himself dead. He was sweating. Nora grinned. It was not helping his heart thumping loudly in his chest.

"Dinnae be getting any ideas, lad," chided Nora, smiling. She must have read his mind. Then again, it couldn't have been very hard. William's intentions were etched all over his face—and body.

Praying that she had not noticed, William took her by the hand. Steering her with his arm, he pushed her gently along until they rejoined the pathway. All the time, he was aware of her gait, stooping and uncertain. It was clear she was finding it difficult to see.

"Dinnae fash," said William gently, leading her. "I can help ye."

Sharply, Nora turned toward him. In the thin light, her eyes shimmered.

"I cannae see," she said. "I hate the dark."

She shivered, and for not the first time, William saw she was nervous. He squeezed her hand and smiled.

"Aye."

Slowly, they made it, Nora following unsurely in his steps. Before long, they were back inside the castle and already standing outside her chambers.

Despondent, William felt the call of duty shout loudly. But how badly did he want to stay and wait. There she was, as perfect as a summer's day, just waiting for him to ask.

All he wanted to do was touch her, ravish her slowly, then carry her into the room. Gazing into her green eyes, William felt a rush. This was so hard. Every part of him screamed to kiss her. But here, on the door, seemed so wrong.

"An' here's where we say goodbye?"

William looked up, surprised. The rueful words were Nora's, not his, and she was regarding him amused. But he could see beyond her light glance; deep down, she wanted more. So did he. That was the problem.

Reluctantly, William sighed. "Aye, aye, that we do," he agreed. But they were still touching. Even more determinedly, they held tightly, neither one of them letting go. For a few moments, they stayed there, then she moved a little nearer.

"Braw," she repeated, beaming, holding his hands carefully.

A strange pallor overcame his cheeks. Right then, he regretted bitterly doing the right thing. Strategically, William drew out, leaving Nora blinking on the threshold of the room.