Page 61 of Craved By a Highland Beast

It was as though neither of them wanted this to end.

Slowly, Evan rolled onto his back, settling against the pillows and pulling Bonnie in his lap. For a moment, he only looked at her, pushing her brown hair over her shoulders until it cascaded down her back. Another teasing touch then, fingers ghosting over her body and coming to rest on her mound, giving Bonnie a moment of anticipation before Evan circled her sensitive spot with his thumb, drawing a desperate cry from her. As she straddled his hips, she couldn’t resist the urge to roll hers, seeking the friction of his manhood against her folds, her wetness leaving Evan’s length slicked and throbbing with desire.

“Please,” she said, and Evan was quick to indulge her, taking himself in his hand to guide his length in her entrance. The first contact stole all the air from Bonnie’s lungs, forcing her to brace herself on Evan’s shoulders as he breached her.

And then, he looked up at her with a teasing smirk, simply waiting.

Bonnie decided right then and there that she was going to wipe that smirk off his face. Just as slowly as he had moved, just as teasingly, Bonnie sank onto his length, taking him inside her inch by inch until she was fully seated on his manhood. Just as she had wished, that smirk had been replaced by an expression of raw desire, Evan’s gaze glazed and his lips parted, his breath coming in pants as he stared at her, his hands leaving marks on her hips. She felt him pulse where he was buried in her core, already close to reaching his climax.

She could hardly blame him. Her body throbbed around him, the stretch of her sensitive flesh as she accommodated his girth quickly bringing her closer to the edge. As Bonnie began to move, holding onto Evan’s chest as she rode him, his gaze flitted between the place where they were joined, watching as his manhood disappeared inside her, and the bounce of her breasts as she picked up speed. Then, he glanced to the side and Bonnie followed his gaze over her shoulder to see their reflection in the looking-glass in the corner of the room. She saw herself, her skin flushed all the way to her chest, her breasts engulfed in Evan’s large palms as he reached for her, pinching her nipples between thumb and forefinger to draw a moan out of her. She saw the arch of her back, the swell of her buttocks, and under her, she saw Evan, illuminated by the soft light of the evening sun thatstreamed in through the windows, looking like a statue carefully chiseled by a loving hand.

Pulling her gaze back to Evan, Bonnie met his eyes, keeping the eye contact as she rolled her hips in a slow, sensual rhythm. There was no part of her that wasn’t filled by him, the honeyed drag of him against her walls a sweet torture like no other.

Bonnie’s moans turned high and needy as every thrust brought her closer to her climax. Evan’s fingers dug into the soft flesh of her hips while her nails painted crescents on his shoulders, desperately holding on as one of Evan’s hands slid from her hip to stroke her, thumb matching the rhythm of her movements. It didn’t take long for Bonnie’s pleasure to crest over her, rushing like fire in her veins and setting her entire body aflame. She couldn’t help but quiver as her core pulsed and throbbed, her opening clenching hard down on Evan’s length and pulling his own climax out of him within moments.

Afterwards, Bonnie sat there, still straddling Evan’s hips, trying to catch her breath. Wrapping his arms around her, Evan pulled her over his chest and Bonnie went easily, nuzzling into his neck.

“Everythin’ will work out, me love,” said Evan in a reassuring tone, though Bonnie didn’t know if he was saying it for her sake or his. “I promise.”

An’ yet, still nae mention o’ marriage.

Perhaps Bonnie was expecting too much. Perhaps it would be better if she stopped hoping, if she let go of any expectations andsimply accepted whatever ended up happening in the end. After all, there was no changing Evan’s mind if he had already decided he didn’t want to wed her.

She only wished she didn’t have to think about changing his mind in the first place.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

It was a gloomy day, thick clouds looming ahead, a storm quickly approaching. Evan looked up at the darkening sky, glad that his men had spotted a carriage heading their way from down the valley.

It meant Cathleen and Macauley would arrive before the storm caught up to them, hopefully. They ran little risk of getting soaked in the rain.

Next to him in the courtyard stood Alaric and Isabeau, the three of them standing close to the castle doors while Bonnie paced back and forth farther down, close to the gates as she waited for her sister to arrive. Ever since they had received word of the carriage’s approach, she had been outside, waiting to greet Cathleen, getting more restless by the minute.

Evan got restless too just by watching her.

“What is troublin’ ye?” Isabeau asked, perceptive as always. Could it be she had spoken to Bonnie about this? In the short time they had spent in Castle MacGregor, the two girls had become fast friends, Evan knew. He often saw them together around the castle, walking arm in arm, engaged in deep conversation.

“Ye ken what is troublin’ me,” he said, figuring he didn’t need to explain any of it to Isabeau. If she hadn’t talked to Bonnie, then she had certainly talked to Alaric. “But let us nae discuss it now.”

For a few moments, Isabeau remained silent, but Evan could feel her gaze boring holes into him, his sister shifting her weight from foot to foot restlessly, in the way she always did when she had more to say. There was no avoiding this conversation, he knew, even when they were all standing in the middle of the courtyard.

“I think we should discuss it now,” she said eventually and Evan couldn’t stop the sigh that escaped him.

He turned to face her fully, lips stretched in a thin line. “What is there tae discuss?” he asked quietly, making sure Bonnie wouldn’t hear him, even though she stood too far for his words to carry over to her. “Ye ken how it is. Ye ken what the council has said, dinnae ye?”

“I’ve heard,” admitted Isabeau with a small shrug. “But yer council is there tae counsel ye, nae tae make decisions fer ye.”

“Padraig—”

“Padraig is worried,” Alaric said, interrupting Evan before he could finish. “An’ his concern is makin’ him overly cautious. He is truly doin’ what he thinks is best fer the clan, but there is nae point talkin’ about what is best fer the clan if we dinnae consider what is best fer ye. We need ye tae be as strong as ye can be.”

“Dae ye truly think I will let romance cloud me judgement?” Evan asked, offended at the mere suggestion. “I will always dae what is best for the clan, even if I dinnae like it.”

“It already is,” said Isabeau calmly. In moments like this, she reminded Evan terribly of their mother—her quietly commanding nature, the way she could sway a crowd with just a word. “I heard ye will refuse tae wed the Lady Buchanan.”

So, she has been talkin’ tae Bonnie.

“Aye,” said Evan. There was no point in hiding it now. Alaric didn’t look surprised, either, though perhaps that was because he was there at the meeting when Evan had argued endlessly with the council. “That is the plan.”

---