Page 46 of A Bride for the Icy Highlander
She had never been held like this. Never been touched like this—like she was something precious and desired, not just some pawn in a game.
Kian’s mouth moved over hers with unrelenting hunger, tasting, teasing, claiming. Her body trembled beneath his touch, caught somewhere between fear and excitement.
When his hand splayed against the small of her back, pulling her flush against him, she gasped softly into the kiss, feeling his hard manhood against her thigh.
Her knees wobbled, her heart thudding wildly against her ribs. She had never imagined she could want someone she hated so fiercely. But this wasn’t hatred anymore—at least not entirely. It was something far more complicated, tangled in fire and fury.
When his thumb brushed the underside of her breasts, a shiver coursed through her. She found herself leaning in, chasing the heat of his mouth as he pulled away slightly.
“Ye taste like defiance, bunny,” he murmured, his breath fanning her lips. “And I cannae get enough of it.”
His words only ignited something fiercer.
Abigail’s hands found their way to his shoulders, her fingertips brushing the curve of his neck, feeling the strength coiled beneath his skin. Her eyes fluttered open for the briefest second, just long enough to catch the want in his expression.
He looked at her like he wanted to devour her. And worse still, she wanted to let him.
She pulled back with effort, her breathing ragged, her lips tingling, her mind spinning. “This… this is madness,” she whispered.
“Aye,” Kian said hoarsely, pressing his forehead against hers. “But it’s our madness.”
Her pulse fluttered like a frightened bird in her throat. She didn’t know what to do with all of it—this want, this fire she hadn’t asked for. All she knew was that when his hands were on her, when his mouth claimed hers, nothing else existed.
Not the feud between them. Not the fact that he’d taken her against her will.
Only him.
Only the way he made her feel—alive, undone, and entirely his.
Suddenly, she felt his hand trail over her breasts, and fire shot through her. She knew if she let him go any further, she would not be able to stop.
She pulled away from him and stepped backward until her back pressed against the wall.
He gave a rare smirk then, sharp and far too charming. “Well, I’ll leave ye to yer sulking, bunny.”
He turned and strode out of the room without another word, leaving her alone, flustered, and more confused than ever.
She stared after him, her chest rising and falling. She should be furious. Shewasfurious.
But God help her, a part of her had enjoyed every second.
Why does he make me feel like this? One moment, he is a brute, barking orders and shooting glares; the next, he is risking his life, holding me like I am made of glass.
She didn’t know what to do with that.
Still, her heart raced. Not because of her brush with death, but because of the memory of the way he’d looked at her—like she was his to protect. Like she mattered more than he wanted to admit.
And worse still, she wanted it to be true.
But deep down, she was conflicted.
He is only seducin’ me because he needs me to secure an alliance. Nay one could be interested in me, least of all a powerful laird.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Kian paced the length of his bedchamber like a caged wolf. His muscles were tight, his blood still pumping hot, and sleep eluded him. Every time he closed his eye, he felt Abigail again—her trembling breath, her soft lips, her lush curves. The memories haunted him, unsettled him,changedsomething in him he couldn’t name.
He’d tried to lie down, tried to will rest upon himself, but the sheets felt like fire, and his bed was far too cold without her in it.
