Page 42 of A Healer for the Ruthless Highlander
“I told ye, I daenae plan on fallin’ in love,” she insisted. “Besides, if I were to get married, what chance would ye have of kidnappin’ me again in the future?”
The joke was meant to lighten the mood, but Kenneth seemed to take it as a challenge.
He pulled her closer until his chest brushed against hers and his warm breath fanned her cheek. “There is nay power on this earth, Leana Beaton, that can keep me from seekin’ ye,” he murmured.
Lord, give me strength. This man will be me ruin!
She swallowed thickly again, her throat tightening as his gaze bore into her. Their breaths mingled in the charged air between them, a tantalizing dance of closeness. His scent—earthy, with a hint of cedar and something uniquely him—wrapped around her like an intoxicating veil, making her head swim. The way he stood, towering yet steady, exuded a quiet strength that both unsettled and drew her in. Her pulse quickened as she felt the heat radiating from his body, the space between them shrinking with every heartbeat. She fought the urge to lean closer, to let herself be consumed by the magnetic pull of his presence...
The feeling was warm and pleasant, making her want more.
Her body remembered the previous night’s encounter. More than that, Leana reminded herself that she was not there to succumb to the Laird’s charms but to find a cure for his younger brother’s illness.
Once she did, she would leave.
“My, ye take it all too seriously,” she teased, patting him on the chest playfully.
Reluctantly, she pulled away and dropped her hands.
“All done for now,” she announced, figuring that the sooner she got away from him the better.
Her feet led her to the door. She thought about running away and taking refuge in her room, but she hadn’t even taken three steps when Kenneth stood up quickly and grabbed her arm.
He pulled her against him slowly and lowered his lips to her ear. “Why do ye run… when I can see in yer eyes that ye want to stay?” he whispered.
It was true, and she knew it. They both did, in fact.
“This isnae right…” Leana murmured, her palm resting on his chest as she sucked in a breath through parted lips.
His delicious scent was in her mouth, on her tongue. She felt it running down her throat, and she wondered what it would be like to kiss him again.
“Tell me why it isnae,” Kenneth demanded, his arm banding around her waist. “Ye want me as much as I want ye…”
“It’s just the heat of the moment,” she lied. “It’ll fade as soon as we break apart.”
“I willnae stop wantin’ ye, even if I daenae see ye for the rest of the month,” he said, making her insides melt. “And ye… Will ye stop wantin’ me?”
His hand—warm and gentle—ran over her cheek, while his thumb brushed her lips. He traced her bottom lip, and Leana could not help but gasp, longing for a kiss she dared not ask for.
Fortunately, Kenneth was able to read between the lines. To understand that it was more than a kiss she wanted.
“Ye want to… experience other things, daenae ye?”
Leana closed her eyes, exhaled slowly, and nodded once.
I give in to temptation, but… Lord, how good it feels to do so!
The unraveling of her modesty lay bare before her, undeniable and raw. Kenneth loomed as a possible doom, but she wanted to fall into that abyss, present before her. Kenneth loomed as a possible doom, but shewantedto fall into that abyss.
So, she didn’t resist when he leaned in slowly and brushed her earlobe with his lips.
“Ye daenae have to fall in love to experience pleasure like ye’ve never kenned, Leana Beaton,” he promised.
Leana let out a soft moan. Her hands clung to his arms, feeling his muscles bunch with the strain of holding her. His fingers wrapped around her hip and squeezed gently.
Through the fabric, she could feel the outline of his still-soft member. She knew a man’s anatomy well enough, though she had never enjoyed it in person. She had never dreamed of it. But now, in Kenneth’s arms, she understood that this was exactly what she wanted.
“Ye can… Ye can do this,” she murmured.
