Page 26 of Married to the Icy Highlander
Ceana barely refrained from rolling her eyes. But he was sitting far too close to her now, his lips only inches from her own, and the resolve that had been firing her up until now was starting to waver.
She made the mistake of glancing at his lips, the memory of how they felt against hers still far too fresh in her mind.
She had gotten nowhere, she had learned absolutely nothing new about him, and she certainly did not feel any closer to him than she had a few days ago.
Yet, when he closed the distance between them and kissed her, it was the most natural thing in the world. Even the stars above did not shine as brightly as she felt when he was touching her. There was no way to know who had moved first—him or her—but one moment they were sitting apart, and the next she was straddling his thighs, kissing him like she no longer needed oxygen to breathe.
The self-restraint that she had thought she had evaporated just like that. Neil’s hands found her waist, squeezing her flesh until she was sure his fingertips would leave marks, and he pulled her close until she was pressed against him, her mind fogging over with need as he maneuvered her.
Her heart was fluttering like a hummingbird in her chest as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair and pulling at ithard. Neil hissed at the discomfort, but then she bit his bottom lip, coaxing a groan from his throat that warmed her more than any roaring fire could ever do.
Not one to be bested, Neil reclaimed power over her as he flipped her onto her back and positioned himself between her legs. The weight of him above her was thrilling. Being at his mercy when she knew that he was focused on her and only her was something she could not even put into words.
What was it about his touch that was so damn addicting? Why couldn’t she get enough of him?
The words were there, ready to roll off the tip of her tongue, but her stubborn pride wouldn’t allow her to give in to him so easily. But oh, it was so tempting. A soft, breathy moan escaped her lips as she arched into him and pulled him closer at the same time, wanting more of him, needing him closer.
“Beg for me,” Neil purred against her skin. “Beg me to take ye right here, out in the open.”
Lost in the moment and the images his words conjured, she couldn’t even dream up the words to protest, not at first. His hands felt too good roaming over her as he nipped her earlobe and then down the side of her neck.
“Let yerself have what ye truly want, wife. Beg for me, tell me how badly ye want me—what we both ken to be true.”
His hand slid up her stocking-clad leg, over her calf and her knee.
He was right. She hated how right he was. Would it truly be so bad to let her husband take her? The location was far from ideal, but could it truly be so bad to let herself feel this way? To see how good he could make her feel?
No. She couldn’t.
Ceana shook her head, pulling at his shirt and creating some distance between them, just enough for her to catch her breath. “I want ye, it’s true… but I’ll never beg ye.”
Neil’s answering smile sent a bolt of desire straight to her core. It wasn’t fair for a man to look so wickedly handsome. Criminal, or it ought to be. He leaned forward to test her resolve—she could see it clear as day—his breath warming her skin until she brought her knee up between their bodies and pushed.
Oh, it was like trying to dislodge a boulder, and she almost wanted to fail.
Ceana pushed insistently at his chest, but he wouldn’t be moved. He strained against her so that he could remain close to her, even going so far as to capture her wrists in his hands and pinning them on either side of her head, leaving her utterly vulnerable. But she wasn’t about to change her mind.
“And I’ll never lie with ye until ye respect me. Properly.” Ceana wiggled out from under him, not caring about the dishes and things that she toppled over along the way. He didn’t let go of her wrists until the last possible second.
“Careful, wife. These conditions of yers are gettin’ out of hand,” he drawled, almost crawling after her as he tried to reclaim the distance and therefore the upper hand once more. “Need I remind ye that I can make ye obey me?”
She could hardly breathe. It was suddenly too hot outside. Her skin was burning under her clothes. She needed to dunk herself in a river so that she could stay clear-headed. How could anybody resist him?
“And will ye, M’Laird?”
It was far too telling, for how breathless she was.
He was all over her again, capturing her lips with his own. She arched into him, shamefully chasing his lips as he pulled away from her to speak. “Nay, I willnae. But next time, call me Neil, wife.”
With that, he pushed off her in one fluid motion and walked back toward the castle, leaving her breathless and feeling as if she had just lost another battle.
12
“We werenae expectin’ ye for another hour!” Ida called over her shoulder as she set a bowl of dough on the table.
Peter was working on shaping the bannocks for breakfast while Myrtle sat beside him, overseeing the whole preparation with an air of disdain. The furry creature looked bored, at best. Ersie sat at the table, sipping tea and looking as if she had averylong night.
“Well, Jeanie was of a mind to run the whole way here!” Ceana explained with a laugh.
