Page 24 of In Bed with a Highland Liar

“Have ye ever been touched by a man?” Aaden asked. His hand came up to cup her cheek and when Lilith didn’t pull back, his thumb began to trace small circles over her skin, warm and tender.

As much as she was under his spell, Lilith couldn’t help but scoff at that. “O’ course I havenae. I am the daughter o’ the laird. I’m unwed. Who dae ye think⁠—”

“Would ye like tae be?”

The question cut Lilith’s rant short. Her eyes widened, lips parting of their own accord. Any other time, she would have simply slapped Aaden for his insolence and stomped away but now it seemed too tempting to resist.

Her lifelong promise to herself and her desire for Aaden pulled her in two different directions, at war within her. When he closed the gap between them, though, and captured her lips in a soft kiss, she stopped fighting her lust. She gave in, arms snaking around Aaden’s shoulders as he deepened the kiss, licking the seam on her lips until she parted them to allow him entrance.

It was not how she thought the night would go. The kiss was like nothing she had experienced before, turning her entire body molten as Aaden claimed her mouth. When he let go of her lips to press kisses down her jaw and neck, Lilith tilted her head, baring her skin for him with a soft, content sigh.

He was gentler than she had imagined, his touch soft as he trailed his hands over her sides to rest on her hips. Even through the layers that separated them, she could feel the drag of his fingers, the touch soft and teasing and driving her mad with desire. With every breath she took, her chest heaved, her breasts threatening to spill over the neckline of the dress that she had hastily secured before leaving her chambers. When Aaden ran his tongue over the swell of them, the tip dipping past the neckline and brushing over her nipple, a moan was torn out of Lilith and she arched her back, chasing that feeling.

For a moment, Aaden pulled back, looking pleased with himself. “Good?” he asked, sounding as breathless and as affected as Lilith felt.

“Dae it again,” she demanded, fingers threading through his blonde locks to pull his head towards her once more. With a chuckle, Aaden tugged her neckline down just enough to free her breast, lips wrapping tightly around her hardened nipple. The heat of his mouth was heavenly, the pressure of his tongue sending jolts of pleasure through her, but it was when he scraped his teeth gently over her sensitive skin that she clamped a hand over her lips, muffling a moan of his name.

“Can I touch ye?” Aaden asked, his hand tracing a path down her body until it settled between her legs. With a gasp at the unexpected touch, Lilith jerked her hips, though she didn’t know if she was trying to get away from him or press closer. Sensing her hesitation, Aaden whispered in her ear, “I’ll make ye feel so good, Lilith. I promise ye.”

Nodding, Lilith tilted her hips once more in a silent plea. The movement pressed Aaden’s fingers against her mound through the fabric of her dress and she groaned at the pressure, legs falling apart wider so Aaden could settle between them. He knelt on the ground, his eyes taking in the lines of her shoulders, the curve of her breasts, the dip of her waist, before finally falling on his own fingers as they began to stroke her slowly over her clothes. The drag of the fabric against her was almost too rough but the pleasure was so foreign and unexpected that Lilith was already writhing under him, chasing the feeling as much as she could.

She wondered what a picture she must have made for Aaden, her hair spilling in a dark halo around her head, her dress barely clinging to her as she breathed, her skin flushed and hot to the touch. Under the moonlight, Aaden looked otherworldly, hair shining like burnished gold, his pupils so wide with lust that they seemed to swallow everything else.

Impatience seemed to grip him then and Aaden rushed to push Lilith’s dress up, exposing her to the cold air and his gaze. On instinct, she pulled her legs close together once more, the embarrassment too strong to resist, but Aaden was quick to grab her knees and spread her thighs apart once more, looking his fill.

“Dinnae hide from me,” he said, leaning closer to press a kiss on her thigh. “Yer too bonnie fer that.”

Lilith’s heart beat so fast that she feared it would tunnel its way through her, and then it almost stopped entirely when Aaden’s fingers found her opening, stroking gently over her folds. His other hand gripped her thigh, fingers digging into the plush flesh to anchor them both as he slowly gathered her wetness, his hand trailing higher to rub over that spot that had stars exploding behind her eyelids when she closed her eyes.

A tingling sensation travelled up her spine. It was unlike anything Lilith had ever experienced before and she thought in that moment that if this is what people had once they were married, then perhaps it was worth it after all. But Aaden had told her there was no need for love or even for marriage to have this and as long as they were in agreement about never falling in love, then perhaps they could take advantage of their situation.

When he began to push against her opening, Lilith’s hands shot up in search of him, holding onto his shoulders. Aaden leaned over her, pressing their foreheads together as one of his fingers finally breached her, both of them moaning against each other’s lips at the slide of him inside her. Lilith craned her neck to kiss him as Aaden pushed deeper and deeper, until he was buried to the knuckle in her, his touch igniting a fire beneath the surface of her skin.

“More,” she whispered when they parted. It felt as though she was hurtling towards the edge of something, but it wasn’t enough. She needed something, anything to quench that terrible desire, and Aaden was happy to oblige. Adding a second finger, he pumped them faster, building up the pace as Lilith followed the movements with her hips, wantonly taking all the pleasure she wanted from him.

When Aaden’s other hand joined his efforts, his thumb teasing that sensitive spot and tearing moan after moan out of Lilith, her desire crested, the sensations that built relentlessly inside her coalescing into a climax that had her entire body shaking with relief. Aaden worked her through it, his fingers relentlessly wringing her pleasure out of her until she could do nothing but collapse on the ground, her limbs twitching and her vision going black for what felt like minutes.

When she came to, Aaden was still hovering above her, smiling softly as he righted her dress for her.

“Ye’re very sweet when ye give in tae yer desire,” he said, much to Lilith’s embarrassment. She scowled, trying to push him away, but Aaden only laughed and stole another kiss from her, his lips lingering on hers until the urge to reestablish a distance between them was gone.

She could only hope it was nothing but a weakness of the moment and that she would return to her usual self soon. The last thing she wanted was for Aaden to have so much sway over her with a few kisses and a feverish touch.

“Aaden…” Lilith let her voice trail off, not knowing what to say. What was there to say after this? She still didn’t want to marry him but now their coupling had complicated things for her. Perhaps this was nothing but a regular night for Aaden, who was used to having a parade of women in his bed, but for Lilith, the world had tilted on its axis.

“I ken what ye’ll say an’—”

The sound of footsteps cut Aaden’s words short. Both froze where they lay on the ground, their gazes searching for the unseen source of the sound. It wasn’t a guard, that much Lilith knew for certain. The steps were quick and light, followed by a conversation she couldn’t quite decipher from that distance.

“Who is that?” she whispered. Hearing her voice snapped her out of her trance and she quickly pushed Aaden away, hands working fast to make sure she looked as presentable as possible. It was easier said than done, but as long as she looked decent enough to be able to deny that anything had ever happened, then she would be fine.

“I dinnae ken,” Aaden said, just as quietly. He stood, offering his hand to Lilith to pull her up to her feet as well, and then gave her a mischievous grin. “Shall we find out?”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Pleasuring Lilith had left Aaden with a peculiar problem he hadn’t encountered since he was a teenager. Usually, he was more than eager to find relief himself with the woman he had in his bed—or in this case, he supposed, by the lake—but he wanted the night to be focused on Lilith, not himself. Though he had expected her to have at least some experience with men, she had quickly proven him wrong and Aaden didn’t want to throw her in the deep end their very first time.

He didn’t know if there would be another time, of course. It wouldn’t surprise him if Lilith never spoke to him again after this.