Page 97 of A Wife for the Highland Villain
Her breath caught at the certainty in his voice.
“Ye truly think this is over?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Nay. This is only the start. But ye’re safe now.”
She rested her forehead against his chest. She could feel his heart hammering against her cheek. His fingers threaded through her hair, brushing it back with rare gentleness.
“Ye’re trembling,” he murmured.
“Of course I am,” she whispered. “He said he’d cut me into pieces.”
His hand cupped her jaw, forcing her to meet his eyes. “But he didnae. Because ye fought. Ye struck him. Ye lived.”
Her lips parted. “Ye think I was brave?”
“I ken it.”
The conviction in his voice pierced through her fear.
Her gaze locked on his, searching, questioning. “Alasdair…”
“Aye?” His voice was low.
She did not answer. Instead, she pressed her lips to his.
The kiss was gentle, almost as gentle as the night itself before the disaster. His hands roamed down her back and settled on her waist as he pulled her closer to him.
Perhaps it was merely the way he had held her or the fear from what had just happened, but she suddenly shuddered against him.
“‘Tis all right,” he whispered, his voice soothing yet filled with hunger. “Ye’re all right.”
Lily nodded once as he led her to the bed. She might not have seen the end of her attacker, but Alasdair was here. And for the rest of the night, she didn’t intend to think of anything else.
CHAPTER 29
The kiss deepened,and after a while, he pulled back and leaned into her ear. The stubble on his chin grazed her ear, and the feeling sent a shiver down her spine.
“Are ye all right?” he whispered.
“Aye.” Her voice was soft.
His lips grazed hers again, almost teasingly. “Are ye certain?”
“Aye,” Lily repeated in a whisper.
His fingers trailed down from her chest to the waistline of her nightdress. “And are ye still all right if I do this?”
She barely had time to register the question before his fingers touched her where she needed him the most. A wave of sharpand rather startling heat surged through her belly, causing her to arch against him.
A gasp escaped her lips as his lips grazed her ear again. “There it is.”
Her own hand moved down without thought. She fumbled with his trousers, feeling his length strain against the fabric. Then, she unfastened them and closed her fingers around him.
A guttural groan escaped his lips, and that was all the approval she needed. She stroked him, at first slowly, and then quickened her pace.
“Lily… stop.” His voice broke against her ear as he caught her wrist, his grip trembling, and pulled her hand away.
She looked up at him, noting the desperate plea in his eyes.
