Seduction in the Highlands: By choosing him she loses her inheritance, by leaving him she brakes her heart...

by Kendrick, Kenna

  “I know that this all seems rather untoward, just as my act on the hilltop was. I know this may sound strange, but I wish to be a different person, Liam. I wish to be stronger, bolder, more confident, and more courageous.” Liam watched her. She was looking down at her hands, and they were twisting in front of her, covered in their elegant, lace-covered gloves. “I cannot return to the way I was, so fearful and timid, so trapped by my father, and the way things were meant to be. I want, if just for once, not to think about anything. I want to be like Brea and fight for what I desire.”

  Liam stepped forward, his heart beating fast. His hands lifted to her elbows and touched them lightly, his fingertips caressing her soft skin there. His voice was low and sultry. He tried to catch her eyes. “What is it ye desire, lass?”

  She looked up, and he could see her eyes were full of resolve. He searched them, searching for her answer. For a moment, they just looked at each other, trying to read one another, and then, Elizabeth said very softly, “You.”

  * * *

  As soon as Elizabeth uttered the words she never thought she would say, Liam lifted his hands to her cheeks, and smoothing his thumbs over each side of her face, he leaned in and kissed her. At first, he had moved slowly, gently, but then, the kissing grew hard and heavy, each of their mouths moving quickly to capture the other. Slowly, they pushed inside, and he shut the door behind him.

  He released her mouth and moved his lips down the side of her neck, trailing soft, heated kisses down its sweet, pale length. Elizabeth leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Her mind was a blank, filled only with thoughts of Liam and the desire that had ached within her for so long, slowly growing to a peak, becoming more unbearable with every moment. Her arms were clasped about his strong shoulders. She wanted to feel all of him, see his skin, trace her finger over his ever mark and curve.

  Was this what she had long awaited? Yes, her every vessel was screaming out its acquiescence. It set her heart to beating feverishly in her chest, so much so that she feared Liam could hear it as he made his way down her neck and over the front of her chest. He even laid soft kisses on the top of her breasts before turning his face back up to meet her eyes. “The thing that puzzles me greatly is why do ye want tae be someone else, lass? Ye are perfect.”

  His words went straight to her heart. Liam MacLean was in front of her, telling her that she did not need to change anything about herself. Could that really be true? This moment was more perfect than she’d imagined it would be. She didn’t want it to end. She looked at him for a moment longer and then drew his lips back to her own without answering, savoring the feel of their strength.

  He smelled like a true man and so natural. It brought to mind the cool sea breeze or the scent of fresh grass and soil. Liam’s scent made her feel more like a woman, and she wanted to give herself up to him. His lips worshipped her, and she felt like the most desired, most beautiful woman in the world. She finally could understand why people would do as she was doing right then. Why they might visit a house of ill-repute or even be one of its employees. Why they would not wish to be constrained by society’s rules and forcing themselves into marriage with people they did not even care for, let alone desire.

  She suddenly wished to be rid of her clothing, wanted to feel his skin against her own. She put Liam’s hand to the front of her dress, silently prompting him to untie the laces there. When he felt what she wanted, he looked into her eyes for a moment, waiting a breath. “Are ye certain, lass? This is what ye want tae do?”

  She nodded and smiled. “Yes. More than anything in the world.”

  He grinned and began to pull at the laces to her gown. First, he removed her cape, and it fell to the floor in a light rustling of folds. Then he removed her stomacher, and once her front laces were loosened, she pulled her sleeves down over her shoulders. The dress came undone, and soon, she was before him in only her stays and shift. Breathing heavily, he undid his cravat, waistcoat, and kilt, leaving him in only breeches, his naked chest rising and falling to the rhythm of his breath.

  Amazed, Elizabeth stepped forward and pushed her hands over the skin of his open chest. It was lightly sprinkled with dark-reddish hair, and her mouth fell open as she traced the outline of every valley and mountain shown to her. His every inch was covered in muscle. No part of his chest did not ripple with strength, and it titillated her to be held a man of his power and beauty.

  He chuckled at her studying touch. “Now, I wish tae see ye, lass. ‘Tis only fair.”

  Smilingly, he helped her out of her stays, and once she was just in her shift, he lifted his thumbs to trace over the pink nipples that were poking through the light sheen of fabric. Elizabeth gasped with the pleasure of it all, the feel of his hands cupping her large breasts, the delightful wickedness of his fingers rubbing and smoothing until the nipples rose to a blissful peak, and she felt a wetness spill out at her core.

  As if it had been called to do so, one of his hands slid down the silky length of her shift and landed between her legs, where she knew his fingertips could feel the moisture there. She was afraid he would recoil.

  Instead, he smiled and drew her mouth to his, pushing her forward to the bed until they were lying atop it, and he was propped up on his arms above her. “It means that ye desire me, that ye desire our union. It will smooth me path inside of ye.”

  She had no idea what he meant, but the words ‘inside of ye’ sent tingles down her spine, and she realized she wanted it more than anything. “Good.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, but he pulled them away. “I want tae see ye, I said. Ye are still covered in fabric. I want tae see ye without any clothing at all and have yer bare skin touching mine.” With a smile on her own face, Elizabeth lifted the shift up over her legs, and then slid it from her torso and shoulders, finally pulling it from the ends of her arms and laying bare before Liam’s admiring gaze.

  “Good God, lass. Ye are the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes upon. What God has made of ye, lass.”

  Elizabeth trembled under his praise. She had known only somewhat that she was a lovely-featured woman, but her father had always told her that was her way to entice men to make good marriages. It had never been about the simple fact of being admired or desired or savored. Her beauty had never meant much to her. In fact, she almost wished it away so that she wouldn’t have to have made that promise to her father or be subservient to evil men.

  But she didn’t want to think about that right now. Instead, she preferred to watch Liam’s eyes rove over her every feature. Keeping his gaze locked to hers, he untied the laces of his breeches at his waist, and she sat up to watch as his lower body became bare for her view. His manhood stood tall and erect before her, and while it was foreign to her, it didn’t scare her.

  She reached out a hand and clasped onto its slick strength. “Ye make me as hard as iron,” Liam said. He pushed her legs apart gently.

  Elizabeth didn’t protest. She saw the direction of his next steps as he lined his length up with her core. But before he moved, he took a thumb and began to rub on her nub softly, gently, and then more firmly. Elizabeth sat up a little more, her eyes wide with surprise at the pleasure that suffused through her every muscle. This was the center of her desire. This was where it had stemmed from.

  Heat billowed along her limbs and through her stomach. It built and built, and she had to lean her head back and give herself up to the delight of it. It was a feeling like she’d never known, and it was climbing to an even greater unknown pleasure. In one swift motion, Liam pushed himself between her folds, and her whole body tensed around him as she felt the sweet sting of his entry.

  While still inside her, Liam leaned forward and kissed her gently before moving down her neck again and towards her breasts. Elizabeth drew in a breath as she felt his tongue slip over the peaks of her nipples, one and then the other. The feeling was delicious wicked, but also touching and sweet. She had never before felt so adored.

  He be
gan to move, sliding himself in and out of her center, and with each movement, Elizabeth could feel that initial sting slowly melt away, replaced by a warm, slick heat that sent tremors through her legs and tingles over her skin. Wrapping her arms gently around his strong shoulders, she could feel his muscles flexing and releasing with each thrust, and she enjoyed the rhythmic pattern of their movement. She gave herself up to it, lifting her hips to meet his own. She was rewarded with a growl of pleasure from Liam, and in return, he quickened his thrusts.

  Then, she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him even closer to her, and he growled again, increasing his speed even more. He was filling her to the core, and with each movement of his hips, she could feel his member stroke the essence of her, the place where her desire had most throbbed and ached with need. It was the most beautiful, blissful thing she had ever experienced. With each new movement, with each new understanding of his body and her own, she gasped with pleasure and delight, wordlessly begging him to fill her even more.

  She could feel that heat and pleasure building, growing, as it climbed atop itself, attempting to reach its zenith. While it was unknown to her, she knew she was headed for something incredible, as her muscles tightened and her breathing sped up, causing her chest to lift rapidly. Liam was steady and skilled. He kept his hands on her bottom, guiding him to her core, attempting to delve deeper within her. His mouth had a mind of its own, and it would speed over her skin, kissing, sucking, savoring every inch of her.

  Elizabeth began to moan. Her eyes had closed, and she was losing herself to the building feeling. It felt like that first moment she had seen the Sound from the hilltop. Its beauty was so overwhelming that there weren’t truly words that could describe it properly. It couldn’t be contained in mere words; it was so all-consuming.

  She kept climbing, following the beat of his thrusts until with his last one, she cried out, releasing her arms behind her, feeling the height of her pleasure burst and spread, causing her to pant and blink and shudder. After that initial burst, she lay back, languid with contentment. In another moment, Liam had clamped on tightly to her and was riding her body until he too cried out, calling her name into the air, and then after a few deep and calming breaths, pulled his length out of her and lay beside her.

  Elizabeth leaned up to meet him, her body covered in a glistening sheen of sweat, and began to trace her hand across his body, moving through the enticing curves of its surface, able to relish it more fully now that desire wasn’t clouding her thinking. “Are we in Heaven?” she asked innocently.

  Liam kept his eyes closed, but he smiled. Elizabeth noticed his lovely straight, white teeth and blushed a little at the sight of his soft lips, which had done so many lovely things to her skin. “Nae, but if we were, I would say ‘twas nae a bad spot tae be. Didnae think God would approve of such delights.”

  Elizabeth chuckled and laid back on the bed. “But surely, God wishes us to be happy.” At that moment, her body was given what it had so craved; she thought nothing of discussing God. It gave her no pain, and for the first time in her life, no guilt prodded her to think again, to consider what she could have done differently. In the clutches of passion, it was the freest she had ever felt. Could God have wished his people to never enjoy the feeling of this satisfaction?

  If so, then he was cruel. She did, however, feel just the slightest bit nervous about her own abilities. She had planned to speak to the women nearby about their skills with men in the bedroom, but instead, she had taken it into her own hands, the lovely warmth of alcohol in her blood, removing the edges from her worries and fears. “Does it always feel like this, even with the women of ill-repute?”

  Her blue eyes turned to Liam, open wide with wonder and question. He finally opened his own and looked at her for a moment before grasping her cheek and kissing her. “Och, lass, I suggest ye put those women out of yer mind. Ye are naething like them. Ye are far more elegant and beautiful and desirable than any of them. It was done perfectly well. More than perfectly well,” he said with a growl and pulled her just a little closer.

  Elizabeth giggled. She had done what she’d set out to do, and by God, it was blissful. She had never been taken to such heights of physical pleasure, which burst through her like ocean waves.

  Liam had been the perfect man for this. He was kind, attentive, handsome, and they connected in more ways than one. She had finally stepped over a line, and a veil was lifted from her eyes. She felt like a true woman, having discovered what the poets and authors had written about for all these years. The act of passion was certainly worth memorializing.

  A knock sounded at the door, and the two of them sat up in bed. Elizabeth covered her chest with the bedclothes, and Liam, with suspicion in his eyes, stood and began to tie his breeches. “Aye, who is it?”

  The drunken voice of Fergus spoke from the other side. “I was told tae find ye here, lad. Come, let us have a drink! The innkeeper told me that ye came up here with a beautiful blond woman. Good for ye, lad! Ye are finally putting thoughts of that Lady Elizabeth aside and fulfilling yer desires elsewhere.”

  Elizabeth froze, her mind racing a mile a minute. Words suddenly were lost to her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Liam lunged to the door and opened it a little, pushing only his head out. He couldn’t believe what Fergus had just done. “Bloody Hell, lad, get away! I will see ye downstairs.”

  Fergus was drunker than he’d seen him in a long time. He was certain Fergus would have overpaid at the house of women or even had money taken from him, but right now, that was not Liam’s problem. He practically pushed Fergus away and closed the door again, fearful of seeing what Elizabeth’s expression might hold.

  He swallowed nervously, trying to think of something to say that would erase the embarrassment of only a moment before. He pointed a thumb to the door. “I wouldnae take anything that man says seriously. He is as drunk as a brute and could barely focus on me face when I spoke tae him.” He chuckled a little, but the atmosphere in the room felt frosty.

  Elizabeth stood, still clutching the sheet around her, around the body that had so delighted him only a few heated moments before. He couldn’t help watching the shape of it under the soft fabric, but his eyes snapped back up to her face when she spoke, her voice slightly clipped. “I think it is better that you went anyway, Liam. It would be a little unseemly to spend the night together once the alcohol is cleared from everyone’s minds and eyes come morning. The inn is close enough to Fort William and to Mull that I do not wish any of my acquaintance to know about what has occurred.”

  Liam felt like he’d been pierced with an arrow. Was she embarrassed by him? Or was she simply embarrassed that she had let things get to this stage? He searched his mind. She had wanted this, right? He had not been a brute and forced himself on her. He began to gather his clothes and was tucking his shirt into his pants. “Aye, I think I should go. I wouldnae want tae embarrass ye lass or bring ye any further humiliation.”

  She nodded, watching him dress with no longer an eye of lazy, seductive interest as it had been before, but almost as if she was angry with him. “Yes. Go and find yourself another lass. I forgot that you are so well-experienced with women that one can be used whenever you have the need. One can replace another.” She crossed her arms, and Liam saw red.

  Why was she so unbendable now? Where was the soft, wicked lass of delights that he had just spent an incredible hour making love to? Why had she gone and replaced herself with the woman from the library, who had angrily scolded him like a child? He slid on his boots, trying his best to hold his tongue from hurling out too many insults.

  Once he was dressed and by the door, he couldn’t take it anymore. That moment had been more than special to him, and she was treating it as if it was nothing. He supposed he should have listened to Brea after all. His hand on the door, he turned back to her and said, “Well, I suppose it is nae matter tae ye. Ye only have had a ‘moment with me and naething more.’

&nbs
p; To punctuate his words, Liam slammed the door behind him and sighed deeply, rushed down the stairs to meet Fergus and to get riotously drunk before daybreak. There would be no chance he would sleep tonight, for Brea had gotten her revenge.

  * * *

  The next morning, the sight of dawn spilling in through the inn windows felt like knives in his eyes, and he groaned as he lifted himself up from a chair in the inn. He was unsure how or when he had decided to bed there, but he was grateful that he had not stumbled into Elizabeth’s room by mistake.

  Elizabeth. Feck, what an error in judgment that was.

  The words formed in his mind, but he knew that he didn’t really believe them. As soon as Fergus had opened his bloody mouth, the whole of insecurity between he and Elizabeth had poured out, and she turned on him as quickly as Brea might have. He humphed to himself. Perhaps they were more alike than he’d realized.

  Rubbing his eyes to clear away the last remnants of sleep, he tried to find Fergus. No one else was in the inn’s main room except the two of them, so he was not hard to spot. A snoring pile of red curls was in the corner chair near the fireplace, and with a few groans, Liam tried to stand up and find his way to his friend.