Page 56 of The Highlander Steals a Virgin
She breathed in shaky. “Ye mean… a choice?”
“I do.”
Her hand came up to her mouth, but it couldn’t stop the small sob that slipped past her lips.
Rhys stepped closer, just enough for his warmth to reach her.
“I willnae keep ye here like a bird in a cage,” he said. “Nor will I send ye back to a man who tossed ye aside like scrap, either, unless that’s what ye wish.”
Her eyes locked on his, and for a long moment, neither of them breathed.
Then she whispered, “Thank ye.”
The silence that followed wasn’t heavy, or uncomfortable.
It felt like the first true pause she’d had in days.
Then she asked quietly, “I cannae make that decision right now, Rhys. Might I… stay another week? Just to give me time to consider… all of the factors.”
Rhys’s expression shifted, and something in his eyes softened as his posture relaxed.
“Aye,” he said. “Stay as long as ye like.”
The words still echoed in her chest.
Aye. Stay as long as ye like.
She had only asked for a week. A small, safe window to figure out what she wanted, now that she was finally allowed to want something. But the way he said it, and the way he looked at her… it shook something loose inside her.
She rose slowly from the bed, still wrapped in the blanket, and stepped toward him.
“Rhys,” she said softly, voice trembling. “Why are ye bein' so kind to me now?”
He watched her with unreadable eyes. “Because I should’ve been kind to ye from the start.”
Her heart twisted.
They were close now. Just a single step was between them.
“Ye aremorethan a pawn in any game, Amara,” he added. “More than a name or a burden or a bargain. I see ye now. And I wish I’d seen ye sooner.”
Her breath hitched. She didn’t trust herself to speak.
So she reached for him.
Rhys met her halfway.
The kiss wasn’t soft. It wasn’t slow. It was all of their pent-up fury and longing and need crashing into a single, breathless moment. Their mouths moved with bruising desperation, her fingers fisting in the front of his tunic, his hands gripping her hips as if afraid she might vanish.
Her blanket slipped to the floor. Neither of them noticed.
His tongue brushed hers, and a low growl rumbled in his chest. It made her knees weak. She gasped, tilting her chin up and giving him more of her.
Rhys broke the kiss first, but only to press his lips to the side of her neck, then lower, dragging heat along her collarbone.
“Rhys,” she moaned.
“Shh,” he murmured. “Let me… please ye.”
