Page 33 of The Icy Highlander's Bride
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Daniel's hips pressed against hers, teasing her with what she was missing by refusing him. He kissed her neck and felt her hands holding hard on to the back of his arms, practically pulling him against her.
"Ye dinnae eat," Daniel whispered, kissing down her neck and across her collarbone. "Do ye dislike me so much that ye would starve yerself just to make me angry?"
Lana didn't answer. Instead, she brought her hands to the sides of his face and pulled him up to kiss him. Her boldness excited him, and Daniel felt his arousal grow as her tongue slipped into his mouth. She was learning quickly, and he thought it was time for another lesson.
"Or perhaps ye were hungry for somethin' else?" he purred. "Were ye hopin' to satisfy a different appetite?"
He bunched her skirts around her knees, and this time Lana didn't resist. His hand traced circles on her inner thigh, and she moaned as he teased her.
"Let me show ye," Daniel murmured. His hand moved higher, getting closer and closer to the space between her legs. "Let me show ye that love isnae required to sate yer appetite."
Lana jerked back at the words, tearing her mouth away from his. She pushed his hand away, and all at once she was smoothing down her skirts, just as she did in his study.
"Ye shouldnae tease me," she said, hurt reflected in her eyes.
Daniel realized that she thought he was mocking her commitment to love. She jumped down from the table, her body full of tension that seemed to bring them right back to their argument before their kiss.
"Of course, ye would assume it's all about ye," she spat, her arms crossed over her chest. "If ye had thought to ask me what I like to eat, then I wouldnae have ended up with a meal I am disgusted by."
"Disgusted?" he echoed. "That's a fine way to speak about the dinner I've provided ye."
Lana looked back at him with an unreadable expression. It was a mix of hurt and embarrassment and exhaustion that he couldn'twork out. Daniel sensed she was hiding something behind her insults, and he wanted to know what it was.
"I'm tired," Lana said. "I would like to return to me chambers."
She wasn't looking at him. Instead, her eyes were trained on the window, beyond which the sky was darkening. Daniel crossed in front of her, and she dropped her eyes to his.
"Will ye tell me why ye dinnae eat?" he asked, his voice much gentler than usual.
"It is nothin', and I apologize," she replied, shaking her head.
Daniel reached up to cup her face in his hand. The gentle gesture surprised her, and he felt the tension drain from her body, but her lips stayed firmly closed.
"I must add another rule," he said quietly. "Nay lies."
He ran his thumb across her cheek, and she leaned into his hand, enjoying his warmth. Her eyes looked behind him and around the room before finally settling back on his face. She cleared her throat.
"I daenae eat rabbit."
"Ye daenae like it?" Daniel asked.
"I just…I daenae eat it."
Daniel knew he could let this go. He could nod and assure her that they wouldn't eat rabbit again, but he also knew this was an opportunity. Lana had said he didn't take the time to get to know her. Here was his chance to show her that this wasn't the case.
"Why so?"
Daniel kept his tone light and welcoming. He let his hand fall away from her face, but he dropped it down to her shoulder and then down her arm so he could take her hand in his. He didn't know what made him do it. The gesture was intimate, though very different from their kissing on the table.
"Me papa gave me a pet rabbit once," Lana said.
She breathed deeply at the mention of her father. Daniel knew the man had been killed suddenly, attacked by murderers on the road.
"Ever since then, I couldnae bring meself to eat them."
Daniel nodded. He was touched that she had chosen to tell him this.
