Page 38 of Married to her Kilted Enemy

Realizing she could not answer his questions without admitting her feelings, she decided it was time to come clean. She sat back from what she was doing and sighed, meeting his eyes as she fumbled for the words.

She rubbed her forehead and finally said, “Ye must understand, this is all very difficult fer me, Odhrán. I’ve been fightin’ with mesel’ fer a while now. I suppose that’s why I’ve been blowin’ hot and cold, as ye say. It’s all so confusin’.”

“Ye can say that again,” he agreed, listening attentively to her every word, his eyes drawing her in.

“What I mean is, ’tis confusin’…” She paused to take a deep breath before adding, “the way I feel about ye now.” There, it was out.

There were a few moments of silence where the only sound was the crackling of the fire.

“And how dae ye feel about me now?” he asked in a low voice that made Maddison shiver.

“I want tae hate ye, tae keep on hatin’ ye, just like I swore I would. I feel like I’m betrayin’ mesel’ and me family by even thinkin’ like this. How can ye trust someone who breaks their own vows?” She paused to look deeply into his eyes. The warmth she found there gave her the strength to go on.

“But ye’ve been so kind tae me, much kinder than I deserve after the way I’ve treated ye. I’ve tried and tried, but the truth is, I just cannae seem tae hate ye any longer. ’Tis true that I’ve come tae care about ye, and I wantae apologize fer the way I’ve been actin’. I was gonnae tell ye all this before the fight with Rollo. When I saw ye really were gonnae fight with him, I thought I’d faint, I was so scared. And when ye were fightin’, me heart was in me throat. I panicked, thinkin’ ye could be hurt. Ach, I couldnae stand it!”

By the time she had finished, tears were running down her face, releasing the terrible tension she had been under. To her surprise, Odhrán reached up and brushed them gently away with the back of his fingers. Her skin tingled under his touch.

“Dinnae cry, lass. De ye nae ken how it hurts me tae see ye cryin’?” he whispered huskily, gently taking hold of her wrist and pulling her to him. She went willingly, hypnotized by the tenderness she saw in his eyes, her tears drying as Odhrán gently cupped her face in his hands and told her, “I only ever want tae make ye smile.”

“I’m sorry, Odhrán,” she murmured again, feeling as though her heart was about to burst. “I’m sorry if I hurt ye.”

“Hush, there’s naethin’ tae be sorry fer,” he assured her, coming closer. “Everythin’ will be all right now, ye’ll see.”

Maddison closed her eyes when she felt the soft, warm pressure of his lips on hers, and she returned the chaste, sweet, loving kiss.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

But soon the kiss was not enough.

When she felt Odhrán about to pull away, she knelt up and placed her hands on his shoulders, unwilling to break the connection, following his lips with hers, until his head was pressed up against the headboard of the bed.

“Ye’re me husband, Odhrán,” she whispered into his mouth. “I want tae ken ye, all of ye. I want tae… explore ye.”

He spanned her waist with his hands, squeezing her gently. “Ach, Maddison, I’m yers, tae dae with what ye will. I belong tae ye, I have since the first moment I laid eyes on ye,” he croaked back huskily, the wanting in his voice making waves of heat wash over her body from head to toe.

“And I… I belong tae ye,” she breathed against his mouth, gazing into his eyes and softly brushing his cheek with the back of her fingers. “I want tae make it up tae ye, tae show ye how I feel about ye now,” she said, stroking his long hair back from his face with a tenderness she hardly knew she possessed but wanted badly to communicate to him.

“Have I died and gone tae heaven?” he asked, smiling against her lips, making heat pool between her thighs as he ran his hands over her hips and behind, clearly relishing every curve.

She smiled too and whispered, “I need tae be closer tae ye.” Leisurely, she pulled up her skirts and moved over to straddled his lap, her hands caressing his face, his neck, his shoulders, twining in his hair, breathing him in. “Och, ye smell so good!”

“Jesus, Maddison, tell me I’m nae dreamin’,” he said with a groan as she settled across his thighs

“Ye’re nae dreamin’,” she said, following her inclinations and toying with his lips, catching them between her own, grazing them gently with her teeth, tracing them with her tongue, learning every part of them. She felt a rush of desire when he groaned and pulled her closer, opening his mouth wider, sliding his tongue between her lips and tangling it with hers in a slow, sensual dance. As their kisses grew more intense, they gazed deeply into each other’s eyes. Maddison’s desire was inflamed to see the naked hunger in Odhrán’s.

“I want ye so much, like this…” he murmured. “Can ye feel how much I want ye?” He shifted slightly, and Maddison’s eyes widened to feel his hardness jutting against the soft, yearning flesh between her legs.

“I can feel ye,” she replied softly, rubbing herself against him as they continued their slow, burning kisses.

He groaned again and ground himself against her. “’Tis the power ye have over me,” he confessed.

“Ye have power over me too, Odhrán.” She took his hands and pressed them to her breasts, reveling in his dazed smile as he cupped them and caressed them, rolling them in his palms.

“Dae I now?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

“Aye, can ye nae feel the heat ye make me feel? ’Tis like a fire inside me that I cannae fight. I dinnae want tae fight anymore,” she corrected herself, arching her back and thrusting her breasts against him. “I want tae be yer wife properly.”

“Oh, sweet Jesus, I must have done somethin’ right in me life tae deserve this,” he joked, his mouth and hands becoming more urgent in their explorations of her person. Maddison could not help but giggle at his humility.