Page 108 of To Bed the Bride
“Logan...”
Bruce settled the matter by entering the secret passage. She smiled at Logan once more before she followed the dog.
Less than ten minutes later Bruce was happily chewing on his rope toy while Eleanor was backed up against a wall in her sitting room being thoroughly kissed.
“Are you always so devious?” Logan asked when the kiss was over. He continued to nibble his way down her throat, which made it very difficult to speak.
“Only when there’s a significant inducement,” she said, reaching for his trouser buttons. How odd that she’d never been maidenly with him.
Her hands reached up beneath his shirt, her nails gently scratching his skin. He sucked in his stomach, which made her laugh.
“Are you ticklish? I would never have known it.”
“Now, that’s a dare if I ever heard one. Don’t tell me you aren’t.”
He would take it as a challenge if she denied it. It was safer just to pull his head down for another kiss.
There was none of the hesitation of before. None of the conversation or rationalizations. Only hunger. They were wild for each other and she didn’t care if he knew how she felt.
He couldn’t undress fast enough. Nor could she. Her fingers fumbled on buttons and tabs. Whoever had designed the newest style of dress evidently wanted to preserve a woman’s virtue. She was half tempted to simply raise her skirts up and be done with it.
His hands were as active as hers, flying over tabs, bows, and the busk of her corset. She heard something hit the floor and guessed that she’d been a little too fevered in unbuttoning his shirt. She pushed his jacket from his shoulders while still kissing him.
Off, off, she wanted all his clothes off. She needed to be next to him, her skin against his. The day in his drawing room, the day that felt as if it had happened ages ago, was the first time she’d ever felt as complete. Or happy. Or satisfied.
She honestly didn’t care if the entire staff of Hearthmere knew that they were here, making love. Let them talk. Let them speculate. It didn’t matter.
All that mattered was Logan lifting her up in his arms and carrying her to her bedroom. He dropped her onto the mattress, then joined her there a second later.
They rolled together, still wrestling with clothing. Shoes fell to the hardwood floor with a thud. His shirt went flying onto the floor. Her dress got wound around one of the four posters. She thought she saw one of her stockings land on the sconce near her vanity, but couldn’t be sure.
They were laughing by the time they were naked.
She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.
“I love you,” she said against his shoulder before kissing his skin. “I love you, Logan.”
He pulled back and looked into her eyes. He’d charmed her when she hadn’t wanted to be charmed, bedeviled her when they were opponents, if that’s what they had been. With him looking at her now, she realized that he didn’t have to say anything. Still, he gave her the words, soft and sweet in Gaelic and then in English.
“I love you, Eleanor. My dearest love.”
The world, which had been alien to her so very long, slipped into place, into its rightful order.
She put one hand on the back of his neck, the other on his cheek. She’d never thought she could feel so much that it was painful. Her heart was filled to overflowing. Her mind was so engrossed with thoughts of him that she had no room left over to think about anything else.
His skin and hers were touching and yet they still weren’t close enough. She wanted to melt into him.
Every care that he had she wanted to smooth away. Every worry, every concern, every aggravation—anything that marred his life—she wanted to erase, expunge, and eliminate.
If she had ever given a thought to the reason for her life, she would have an answer after this day. To be here. To touch this man. To love him.
He was kissing her from her throat to her feet, paying special attention to her breasts.
Their loving was like a whirlwind, passion, need, desire, laughter, and desperation all mixed up together.
She slid over him, kissing and nipping her way down his body. His hips arched as she took him into her mouth, shocking herself with her actions.
There wasn’t anything to stop her from doing whatever she wished. She could explore, experiment, and test the limits of her own behavior. Logan would only congratulate her on her courage.
