Page 47 of Awoken
It was hard not to stare at her, for his gaze not to settle upon her small, lush mouth.
That kiss had been a mistake. He wasn’t sure what madness had taken him to move close to her and cup her face with his hands. He’d been possessed by a need that had consumed him for a short while. Fortunately though, he’d managed to break free from it.
Even so, the memory of how she’d tasted, the tentative exploration of her tongue gliding against his, made Ross’s groin start to ache.
She was so innocent, and yet so beguiling. He wished she hadn’t welcomed his kiss; better that she’d slapped him for his forwardness. Instead, she’d leaned into him, and when she’d let out that soft groan, the beast had stirred within him.
God strike him down; he’d wanted to take her right there.
Ross’s fingers tightened around the cup. What a mess all of this was. Fortune had not been smiling upon him of late, and if he ever ended up back in Dunan, MacKinnon would rip him to pieces.
Ross’s mouth thinned. He wasn’t afraid of the clan-chief, but he feared for Lady Leanna if MacKinnon managed to get her back. His punishment upon her would be terrible, and a chill rippled through him at the thought of the lengths that Duncan MacKinnon might stoop to in order to exact his reckoning.
In stealing Leanna away, he’d possibly just made things worse for her.
And yet, she’d already taken an axe to the tree, so to speak, by attacking the clan-chief. Without his help, she’d have never gotten free of the chamber.
“Ye look as if ye carry the weight of the world upon yer shoulders.” Leanna’s soft voice roused him from his brooding. “Why do ye scowl so?”
Ross glanced up and met her gaze. “Just bitter thoughts that aren’t worth sharing,” he replied.
“Not still blaming yerself are ye?”
Ross shrugged. “And if I am?”
“Ye are wasting yer energy, Ross,” Leanna replied finally. Her voice was soft, yet there was a strength to it. Despite the precariousness of her situation, she wasn’t afraid. “There is little point in brooding over what is done.” Ross stiffened at her bluntness, but Leanna was not yet finished. She brushed crumbs off her habit, her gaze fusing with his. “The last few days have taught me much,” she continued, her tone firm, resolute, “and many things have become clear to me. The first is that I am not suited to be a nun. When we first fled Dunan, I hoped ye would take me back to Kilbride … to a place where I’d always felt safe … but I now realize that whatever happens in the future, I shall never return there.”
Ross’s gaze widened. “Really?”
Leanna nodded. “I made a poor nun. My heart was never really in it. I only agreed to go to Kilbride to save myself from wedding MacKinnon … and to please my father.”
Ross stared at her. God’s bones, this woman fascinated him. She had such a soft, feminine appearance, and yet a will of iron lay beneath it. No wonder Leanna had chafed at the restrictions of a religious life.
Leanna drew herself up, although at the same time, her face grew strained. She glanced away, suddenly nervous. “We can’t stay here forever,” she murmured, still not meeting his eye. “Sooner or later we’ll have to move on … and MacKinnon will be waiting for us.”
Ross nodded, a weary sensation settling over him. Of course, she was right.
Leanna’s chin snapped up then, her eyes gleaming. She had the look of a woman who’d just made an important decision. “I want to forget MacKinnon’s touch. Life is so short, Ross … I want to know what it’s like to give myself to a man I desire.” She broke off there, her breast heaving with the force of the emotions roiling within her. However, when she finished speaking, her voice was steady. “I want to lie with ye.”
22
What Ye Wish
ROSS STARED AT Leanna. There were few moments in life when he was lost for words—but now was one of them. He couldn’t believe that this young woman, this lady, had just told him that she wished to give her maidenhead to him.
“Lady Leanna,” he began, the huskiness in his voice betraying his shock. He needed to step back from Leanna. The connection between them was strong, and had been growing ever since their departure from Dunan, but he had to put a stop to things before they spiraled out of control. “Ye don’t know what ye ask.”
“Please call me ‘Leanna’,” she replied, lifting her chin. “I haven’t been a ‘lady’ for a while now … I forfeited that title when I entered Kilbride, and I don’t want it back.”
Ross frowned. “But yearea lady … and I won’t take advantage of ye.”
Leanna gave a huff of frustration. She then picked up the tray and shoved it to one side, shifting closer to him. A faint flush now stained her cheeks. To Ross, she’d never looked so alluring, but he still fought the urge to reach for her.
“Ye wouldn’t be taking advantage, if I give myself to ye willingly,” she pointed out. “I’m tired of letting other people dictate my behavior. All my life I’ve done as I’ve been told … and look where it’s gotten me? Today, just once, I want to be in control of what happens to me.” She broke off there, her hazel eyes luminous as she stared at him. “Do ye not want me, Ross?”
Satan’s cod’s—he couldn’t believe she’d asked him that.
“Of course, I want ye,” he growled. “What man wouldn’t? Ye are lovely.”
