Page 26 of The Highlander's Dare
“I want ye,” he whispered against her mouth.
Clara whimpered at his words, feeling the ache of longing from the top of her head down to her toes. She wanted to wrap her body around him and never let go. To scream her assent and let him take her higher. But there was so much more beyond this private alcove, this little bit of space they’d stolen as their own. So much at stake.
“But I know I canna have ye.” He slapped the wall and broke their kiss once more.
Clara opened her eyes, making out the shadows of his body. His arms caged her in, a hand pressed to the wall by each of her shoulders, his solid body flush to hers. Both of them were panting. Her heart slammed against her chest, and her lips were tingly and swollen from his kiss.
Though their kiss had ended, they were both so filled with desire, passion, that all it would take was the tiniest bit of encouragement and she knew they’d be kissing, touching again. That if they kept doing that, they were both so close to the point of no return, that she’d be compromised right here. Where anyone could discover them.
A tiny part of her wished they would, and that Baston would discover them with Graham’s mouth at her breast, her legs wrapped around his hips.
“Ye canna,” she whispered. Wanted to add,Not yet. But she also knew what he’d told her from the beginning. He would not marry her, didn’t want to be married.
Wanting her body, wanting to lie with her, wanting to kiss her, caress her—all of those things were so much different than wanting to spend the rest of his life with her. That was a fantasy. And so was this, as rousing foray it had been. She needed to remember what was real and what was not.
Clara touched her lips, her hair, smoothed her skirts. She’d have to exit this alcove without looking like she’d been deliciously ravaged, which seemed an impossibility.
Graham slid his hands down the wall and pushed away from her, every inch of distance between them a painful reminder of reality.
“I am still your servant, my lady, however ye need me,” he said, and she wanted to cling to that.
“Then, we are on tomorrow for the next steps.”
“Which are?”
“I plan to become a wee bit hysterical, but if that does not work, then I think we shall have to go the way we’ve been practicing.” The last of her words were said on a heady breath.
“And that is?”
She drew in a deep breath. “I am prepared to lose my reputation.”
Graham was silent, so quiet that if she’d not seen his shadow in front of her, she might have thought he’d left the alcove already.
“What if I’m no’ willing to risk it?”
“My reputation is not yours to wield.”
“And yet ye ask me to ruin it.”
“I’m asking you to set me free, Graham. There is a difference. If I choose to give up my… body, that is my choice.”
“Then let us hope your hysteria is enough.”
“I am running out of time.” There was a desperation in her voice she hated, but she couldn’t pull it back. There were less than a handful of days left in the week before her fate was permanently sealed.
“As I said before, I am your servant, lass. Whatever ye might need from me, I will happily provide.”
“I thought for you, this was about revenge,” she reminded him.
“Aye, ’tis.”
“If you want to stop…”
“I dinna want to stop.” Why did it sound like he was talking about something else… about kissing?
Clara shook her head to clear her mind of these thoughts. This was silly. She was asking too much, and just when she was about to push him away as she’d tried to do earlier in the day, he spoke once more.
“I’ll wait here until ’tis safe to exit. Ye go on now if ye’re ready.” Was it regret she heard in his tone?
