Page 13 of Promise of a Knight
Chapter Five
Alaric’s entire body felt afire. Flames licked along his limbs and pure liquid sin pooled in his groin tightening his breeches. Never before had he wanted to take a woman as much as he wanted to whisk this Scottish chit up in his arms and toss her onto the nearest bed.
He’d wanted to kiss her for days, but he’d been the one to hold back.Shehad kissedhim.
Alaric had always been the one to initiate kissing with a woman he was courting, not the other way around. Oh, aye, he’d quickly taken control of her lips touching his, claiming her virgin mouth and teaching her just what to do with her tongue, and how to tilt her head…
Ballocks!
What in bloody hell was he doing?
His cock raged, pressing hard to the warmth of her lower belly. Alexandra would certainly have felt it and yet she hadn’t moved. She wasn’t afraid.
And he liked that. He didn’t want her to be afraid, but neither would he take advantage of her, for even if she had been the one to initiate the kiss, he could tell this was either her first time, or she’d not been kissed more than once or twice before. Of course, there was always the possibility that whomever she’d been kissing in the past had been terrible at it.
But she wasn’t terrible. And why was he suddenly jealous of a made up lover?
Alaric gripped her shoulders, licked her lips one last time and then pulled away, gazing into her bemused eyes.
“What was that for?” he asked softly.
She blinked, her blue eyes filled with desire—a sentiment he fully reciprocated.
Alaric gritted his teeth and put another few inches of space between them to keep from kissing her once more.
“I…” She chewed her bottom lip, her hands falling down his arms leaving a heated trail before falling to her sides. “I was curious.”
“Curious?”
“Ye mentioned ravishment a few days ago.” The lady’s cheeks turned scarlet, but she kept her gaze steady on his. “I wanted to see for myself.”
Alaric smiled. “Ravishment, aye, that I did.” He tucked an errant curl behind her ear. Feeling some masculine pride at her swollen, red, very kissed lips, her flushed cheeks and mussed hair. “Do you feel ravished?”
Her eyes found the center of his forehead, or perhaps his hairline—whichever spot she was concentrating on, Alexandra was trying her best not to meet his gaze.
She nodded and replied, “Aye.”
“Then I didn’t kiss you well enough.” He winked, grinning like the rake he probably was.
Her eyes did meet his then, her lips parting slightly in surprise. “Well enough?”
Alaric leaned a little closer and whispered, “If I’d ravished you, you wouldn’t be able to speak. You’d be too busy trying to catch your breath.”
He didn’t think her face could get any redder, but it did. Lord, he was a cad for toying with her, but he couldn’t help himself! It was too much fun. And if he was going to be tormented by the raging erection and her delicious kiss, then why shouldn’t he give her a little taste of her own medicine?
“Ye are a rogue,” she said softly, poking him in the chest.
Alaric grabbed his chest dramatically. “Oh, you wound me!”
She laughed. “And a tease.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to say just who the tease was, but truth be told, he needed to get her back to the festivities and he could use a large mug of whisky.
“Come, let me take you back to the Great Hall. I’m certain your chaperone will be wondering where you are.”
“I doubt Lady Home has even noticed I’m gone.” Despite that admission, she did take his arm.
“You never did answer my question, Lady Alexandra. Did you kiss me just to distract me? That would have been very clever and devious of you.”
