Page 13 of The Veiled Wish of a Highland Bride

Mia smiled again. “Fair enough.”

She gathered her knees close to herself before the fire and stared at the ground. She undid her plait and sighed deeply.

“My husband does nae desire me. I dinnae ken why. He has never touched or embraced me, and that is the truth. He says that it would feel like he’s touching a boy and he cannae do it. I think… Ihopethat if I learn how to act more like a woman, he will see me as one and desire me enough to truly make me his wife.”

Emotions thickened her voice, but Archie let her navigate them.

“I have been married for wee over a year now, but I ken nae what a man's touch feels like. I would very much like to feel loved, but my husband makes me feel… unlovable.”

Archibald was infuriated. How was it that Laird Murray could not see what was directly in front of him? If he had this woman as his wife he would spend every moment memorizing all inches of her body. Archibald hurriedly censured his thoughts and inwardly chided himself. Why was he thinking ofmarriage? He wasn’t interested in such things and he never would be. He was attracted to this woman, but nothing more.

“Yer husband is either blind or clueless. Ye are a bonnie lass, and one that any lad would want to lavish with kisses if ye were nae already sworn to Laird Murray.”

Mia smiled gratefully, but Archibald could still see the sadness in her eyes.

“All right, I’ll teach ye,” he declared, getting up to kneel beside her in front of the fire. “Kneel in front of me. I cannae stand too long for fear that my leg will make me collapse on ye.”

Laughing softly, Mia adjusted herself to kneel just like he was. The ground grazed Archibald's knees through the fabric of his britches, and the pain in his back irked him, but he didn't care. He wanted to help this poor woman feel wanted.

He began to speak. “There are some things a woman does that simply drive a man mad with desire. Most women do not need to try because they already do those things without realizing it, but mostly it must be learned. It's in yer glances, yer touches, the way ye tell a man with yer body that ye want his.”

He hesitated, looking at her to make sure he could go on. Her eager expression was encouragement enough.

He lifted his thumb and touched her temple, just by the corner of her eye. “A lass’s eyes are her most powerful weapon. She can communicate with a man with a simple look, and it will make him do her bidding. Most men like shy women, innocent lays, while others prefer their lasses confident and strong. But one thing is for sure: grown lads like to feel incontrol. Shy lassies, with a good head on their shoulders, use this to their advantage by letting their man take the lead. A pleading look is one that makes lads drool over a lass, nae matter how powerless she might feel.”

Archibald lowered his finger, moving his hands to take her own, which hung limply at her sides. He noticed how her lips had parted, her expression unknowingly sultry as she gave herself completely to his lesson. She blinked slowly, as though trying to comprehend his voice and gentle touches. Still her entire body remained relaxed; the tension that had previously made her stiff now gone.

“Next is the touch,” he murmured. “Men want to be touched. A simple caress from a lass that a lad fancies can send him into a frenzy.” He began caressing her hand, drawing lines on her palm. His voice came out thick and husky as the tension between them rose. “But ye must ken the right places to touch andhowto touch. Gentle touches, like an accidental graze, are the best for initially getting a man to notice ye.”

He traced his finger up her forearm and towards her elbow. “It must be gentle, rhythmic. And then ye can do the one thing that drives anyone mad with lust.”

His fingers were on her shoulder now, drawing soft circles at the hollow of her collarbone. He could see her pulse race and his was not far behind. He wanted this woman, and itkilledhim to know that she was married to a man that never touched her. All he wanted to do was touch her.

Mia's lips were parted, anxious. He smirked. He was aware of the effect he had on women. He existed to give them pleasure. This woman he had wanted wholly from the first time he saw her in that closet, so much that he feared he would be consumed by the fire that burned within him. This was new.

He curled his fingers behind her neck, tickled by the soft hair that ran over them. And slowly, he lifted his thumb to touch her lips. They were soft just as he thought they would be. Mia did nothing but stare into his eyes.

His voice was guttural now. “The one thing that everyone wants… is a kiss.”

As he said this, he slowly lowered his face to hers, giving her permission to resist him, to stop him. A part of him knew that she would not—she wanted to learn how this was done, and something told him she was not the kind of woman to back down from a challenge.

Her eyes were now closed, and he could not wait to feel the skin of her face against his. His caresses were still rhythmic, and he moved even closer to her. He could feel her hot breath against his face and that only stirred his desire more. Just as his lips brushed hers, he groaned and pulled away.

As though pulled out of a trance, Mia gasped, her chest rising and falling. Awkwardly clearing her throat, now unable to meet his eye, she stammered, “Erm… A-aye. I-I understand ye now. Seems easy enough, really. I should like to try.” She paused and swallowed hard. “May I?”

Archibald could not believe what he had heard. He was sure she was going to be the end of him, but he had promised to help her so he agreed, letting her take her time.

Mia moved towards him, touching his hand like he had touched hers. She tried to trace the lines of the muscles on his arms, but her touches were too firm, too nervous. It was clear how scared she was, touching him like she was scared he would break if she stopped.

God, even her clumsy first try made him mad for her.

Archibald could not help but laugh at her attempt, and he laughed even harder as her frown deepened.

“What's so funny to ye? I amtrying!”

He tried to catch his breath. The moment had passed. “I'm sorry, aye. Ye are nervous, and yer grip is too firm. Ye need practice, that's all. Ye'll get better,” he said with a smile.

“Well, it is hard to do something ye have never done before. I have neverhadto seduce a man,” Mia quipped, hurrying to defend herself. “Especially in a dank wood.”

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