Page 86 of Claimed Highland Brides

“Has the new steward already absconded?” Jamesina asked sarcastically as the Englishman did not appear for supper.

Daividh lifted a surprised eyebrow at her. “I am told he went for a walk this afternoon. Why? Is he no allowed?”

Jamesina looked away, trying to hide her blush. “He can do whatever he wants.”

“I expect he stopped at the tavern for a drink or maybe he went in search o’ a woman. He is a braw laddie after all.”

Fiona made a disgusted sound. “Don’t be crude, Daividh.”

The laird bowed mockingly to his wife. “My apologies.”

Fiona hit his arm, glowering prettily at him and he grinned in response, leaning in to plant a kiss on her pouting lips. Jamesina smiled to see them playing with each other. For a moment she even forgot Daividh’s suggestion that perhaps the Englishman had gone in search of a woman. But only for a moment because then the thought came crashing back into her mind and she stiffened with shock.

Her hands curled into fists as she imagined the Englishman with his mouth all over one of the tavern wenches, pulling her dress up, touching her body, his eyes glazed over with lust. She almost whimpered with pain at the thought and had to stand up abruptly and leave the table.

“Jamesina?” she heard Fiona calling her but did not turn around or acknowledge her in any way. She did not want her sister to see her face and know how affected she was by Daividh’s thoughtless words. Instead, she ran out of the room and climbed up three flights of stairs until she reached the battlements.

From there, she could look out over the town. The moon was full, adding an eerie glow to the countryside and calling to mind every fairy tale she had ever heard about the creatures that lurked in lochs and duns all over the country.

She snorted to herself, embarrassed at her reaction but unable to do anything about it now.

“Miss Douglass?”

She gave a small scream, heart thumping with fear as she whirled around and her hand flew to her bosom. “Dinnae scare me like tha’ again,” she growled at the Englishman.

“My apologies. I keep on making the same mistake, thinking you’ve heard me when you actually haven’t.” Delwyn’s search in the mines had proven completely futile and could have been most dangerous. Jasmina was now his only hope...

She breathed in a few times, waiting for her heart to stop beating so erratically. Then she frowned, remembering that he had missed dinner. “Where have ye been?” she demanded.

He looked taken aback by her tone but still deigned to answer. “I went for a... walk.”

“A walk? Really? Until now? What kind o’ walk was tha’? And why are your clothes dirty?”

She was infuriated when the Englishman laughed.

“Well, I got a bit lost in the countryside, I’ll admit, and had to beg a passing tinker for a lift. Since he was mostly selling his wares as we rode, it was slow going.”

Jamesina stared at him, wondering what it was about him that was not quite…right. He did not tell me why his clothes are dirty.

Delwyn took a deep breath. It was now or never. He took a step towards her and she pressed back against the balustrade.

“What are ye doing?” she said sharply as she looked up at him.

“It’s a beautiful night. A full moon. It always makes me feel a bit reckless. I feel the urge to do something…stupid.”

“Is that so? Weel ye can do it awa’ from me.”

He took another step closer. She looked so beautiful. If the situation was a bit different he might actually fall in love with this girl. “Or I could do it to you.”

She frowned sternly and swallowed. “What are ye on about?”

“This,” he whispered before swooping down and covering her lips with his. She froze, not knowing what to expect but his lips continued to barely touch hers. He moved them gently from side to side, rubbing their mouths together. It was not so much a kiss as a question.

May I?

Jamesina was torn. Her heart had resumed its erratic gallop while her hands shook slightly. She wanted to coil them around his neck and pull him down so that their lips could fuse together. She wanted to taste him, feel him pressed against her. At the same time, she wanted to run away screaming.

So she stood frozen and waited to see what he would do next.

His tongue flicked out wetting both her bottom and top lip before disappearing back in his mouth. She whimpered, arching her face up, opening herself to him. He increased the pressure of his mouth on hers, just a little, and she parted her lips, her own tongue flicking out, searching for his.

Their eyes were open and staring and somehow, that increased the intimacy of the moment. The almost biting, almost sucking that their lips were doing. She fisted her hands so as not to wrap them tight around him, but he had no such qualms. His finger ran slowly back and forth along her knuckles and just that simple point of contact was almost more than she could bear.

His other hand ran up the sleeve of her dress, feeling the fabric yet barely touching the flesh beneath. She shivered with need a small moan escaping her lips as she arched into him in surrender.

His lips descended upon hers finally, capturing her own in open-mouthed suckling, licking adoration. Her fingers opened, and closed about his wrists, bringing his hands up to her waist, and urging him to pull her in, closer. Something inside her purred with satisfaction when he obeyed at once.

“Jamesina!” Fiona’s sharp voice froze her in her tracks. “What are ye doing?”