Page 102 of The Cruel Highlander's Bride
Magnus rubbed the back of his neck. He wanted nothing more than to soak in the tub with his wife, but he did not want to rush things. “I dinnae want to take ye in the bath for yer first time, lass. And I’m only so strong. Ye are temptation incarnate.”
His whole being ached to take care of her, but he was hanging on by a thread.
She pouted at him.
“I ken, I ken. We’ll be quick about it,” he swore.
“Ye better be.”
Magnus took the quickest bath in Highland history that morning. He had far better places to be.
* * *
Ciara stood at the foot of Magnus’s bed as the man himself stalked towards her. She hated to admit it, but the bath had been exactly what she needed. They’d been up so long that another day dawned, and the soothing hot water had left her feeling energized.
The elaborate fabrics and colors in his chambers once again filled her with amusement. She hadn’t been back in this room since that very first night. So much had changed.
She could barely even look at the bed back then without her nerves and embarrassment overwhelming her. Nor could she even stay in the room that night, needing air.
Now, she just wanted to dive under the blankets with her husband and stay there. Whatever hesitation she might have felt paled in comparison to the glow she felt when they were together.
Besides, her body knew Magnus now. It knew that he would keep her safe and sated. There was no one else she wanted to experience this with.
The passion between them had been slowly burning since they left her father’s castle, and now that they were here, she was ready to let it consume them.
She took the last step towards Magnus and tilted her head back to meet his gaze. “Show me everythin’,” she whispered.
With a groan, he closed the distance between them and kissed her, all their emotions crashing down between them.
“Yer lips are perfect, lass,” he muttered between kisses, and heat crept up her cheeks. “I could kiss ye for hours.”
“Nae today,” she whimpered.
He pulled back a bit, so she could see his smirk. “Nay, nae today. Today, we have other plans.”
Ciara just nodded eagerly, ready for more—foreverything.
Magnus leaned in again, kissing and sucking on her neck. She tilted her head to the side, giving him better access, as she gave in to the feeling of his lips on that sensitive skin.
Slowly, with tender touches, he slid the straps of her nightgown off her shoulders. The fabric pooled around her waist, baring her chest to him, but he kept his lips on her neck for now.
His hands roamed over every inch of exposed skin, paying special attention to her breasts and her little peaks, leaving goosebumps in their wake.
“Magnus,” she breathed.
“Step out of this pretty nightgown, lass,” he groaned.
Ciara pushed the fabric down her legs and stepped out of it. “Now ye,” she ordered.
She wanted them together on this. It would not be another day of her pleasure alone. Magnus had shown her that she could trust him, and now she wanted them to fall apart together.
Her husband was only wearing a loose shirt and pants, and she watched ravenously as he slowly took them off. His glorious chest and arms and thighs were all she could see.
They stood, barely an inch between them, and took in the sight of each other, their hungry eyes roaming.
“There’s nay turnin’ back after this, lass. Ye’ll be mine,” Magnus warned.
“Good. And ye’ll be mine,” she said back.
