Page 34 of The Scot is Hers
“She is a dear friend.”
“And a good one from the sounds of it.”
Giselle nodded, butterflies dancing in her belly. “I’m ready.”
“I’m no’,” Alec murmured, but his actions said otherwise as he leaned toward her.
She watched his face descend and then closed her eyes when his breath fanned over her mouth the second before his lips touched hers. They were soft, tender, and not in the least intrusive. This kiss was the complete opposite of what she’d had with Sir Joshua, and as she’d wished, it erased the horror of before, replacing the memory with the scent of Alec, the melding of their mouths in such a delicious fashion. He tasted the way he smelled, of spice. A hint of cinnamon.
The hair of his beard was not as bristly as she’d expected, tickling her, but not in an irritating way, rather only heightening her senses.
Alec’s face tilted, the tip of his nose brushing her cheek as he deepened the kiss. Lips overlapping and then between. And his tongue... Oh, Giselle gasped, then sighed, as the velvet tip fluttered out to tease her sensitive lips. He tasted the inside, skimming over the plush flesh of her lower lip. On instinct, she touched her tongue to his, then darted it back as waves of pleasure and desire coursed through her. This was...this was... She didn’t know what she could even say about it other than it was pure bliss.
Giselle leaned into him, her fingers curling in the lapel of his frockcoat, wanting to explore more than that. And she noticed then that Alec kept his hands to himself, braced on either side of her. She had the sudden desire for him to misbehave, to discover all of her body the way she wanted to unearth his.
The thought was as frightening as it was exciting. Saints, but she was a wicked lass. But he was to be her husband, so why should she not? However, at the same time, what if tomorrow he changed his mind? What if she was sent back to Sir Joshua Keith?Ruined.
Nay...she couldn’t allow either of those things to happen. Her ruination or her damnation. Whatever she did, she had to make sure that she and Alec made it to the altar. He was her savior, and she was his, although she was certain she got the better end of the bargain.
A knock at the door had them leaping apart.
“My lady?” a maid said from the other side.
Giselle pressed her hand to her pounding heart. “Thank goodness. I thought it was Jaime.”
Alec chuckled. “And I thought it was my mother. Better to be caught by a servant. They can always be paid off.” He stood then, taking all of the warmth and passion with him.
She wanted to send the maid away. To keep kissing, however doing that would invite not only Jaime, but his mother to the door, and judging from their previous encounters, the countess would not be pleased with her.
“Come in,” Giselle called.
Alec straightened, looking as put together as he had when she’d seen him in the parlor, whereas she was not as disheveled as she was upon their first meeting, but his kiss had undone her enough, she felt it in her bones.
The maid opened the door as Alec reached it. He nodded to the servant and made his exit. It took everything within Giselle not to call him back, and even more to will away the blush and secret smile. Thank goodness the maid appeared discreet and pretended not to have noticed a thing.
“I’ve come to help ye undress, my lady.”
“I am grateful for the help.”
* * *
Curse it!
Alec’s blood was still running hot, his cock aching to seal the deal with his future bride in a completely different way than a simple kiss.
He’d made sure to keep his hands to himself for more reasons than Joshua Keith’s disgusting behavior. To touch her would have opened up another set of doors he was certain she wasn’t ready for—and neither was he.
The only women he’d made love to since returning from war had been the few widows blind enough not to notice his scar or kind enough not to mention it. And there was a mistress he’d paid heavily, but she did not last long because, after a while, he felt disgusted that he had to compensate a woman to keep him company.
He needed to stop comparing Giselle to other women. In every sense of the word, she was different. Instead of shying away, wheezing in horror when he’d kissed her, there had been gasps of pleasure.
Even still, he couldn’t forget that she’d only agreed to marry him to escape that blackguard, Joshua Keith. Alec had to remember that he was the lesser of two evils. Perhaps that had been her plan all along—to seduce him with her taunts and teases, so he’d offer her marriage and a way out of a fate she couldn’t live with.
That thought soured his mood considerably. He didn’t want to be simply the man she used as a means of escape.
That kiss, though... Lady Giselle’s moods might shift with the wind, but she couldn’t pretend her reaction to him. Nor he to her.
Alec let out a low growl. He needed a stiff drink and a fight.
