Gently, he pushed her knees apart and slid off the seat until he was between them. Her hat ceased waving, forgotten. He stared up at her as if she were a goddess and in that moment, Al knew what it truly felt like to be beautiful. His hands encircled her ankles, sliding slowly upward until her skirt was resting across her knees.
“If I touched ye, would ye be wet for me, lass?” Clearly he didn’t expect an answer which was a good thing because she wasn’t sure if she could have voiced one. She stared down at him helplessly, speechless. “Would ye be hot and tight around my finger? If I caressed ye wi’ my mouth, my tongue, would ye scream for me?”
“Oh, God,” she moaned aloud, unable to control herself any longer. She was all those things and more. Her heart was pounding so fast, she thought she might faint.
Lifting her hand, she ran trembling fingers along his temple and into his hair, loosening it from its confines until it was once again the unruly mass she adored. Her other hand stroked his jaw, his neck.
“Keir.”
He took her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. “Those are the things I would do o’er the course of a long carriage ride. Unless ye’d rather talk aboot travel instead.”
Despite the state she was in and the arousal he seemed to share, she was suddenly uncertain which one of those he would honestly prefer. That was rich! But she wasn’t sure he didn’t want to hear about cars and planes and spaceships more.
“I guess I would say we can do whatever will make you happier,” she said ambiguously.
A smile so broad, a dimple appeared on his cheek blossomed on his face, his blue eyes suddenly alight with roguish satisfaction. He was so beautiful, the sight tore at her heart.
“Excellent choice.”
He levered himself off the floor and for a fraction of a second, she feared he meant to resume his place opposite her and ask his questions. Disappointment pierced her but quickly faded when Keir pulled down the shades on each of the windows and shifted to sit beside her.
Yes, pressed so close she could feel the heat radiating off his massive body.
He took her hat and tossed it on to the other seat next to his. Tilting her head back as promised, he caressed her jaw with the pad of his thumb as he looked down at her.
“Ye made a fine choice, lass. I was afraid ye might nae.” His hot eyes searched her face, settling fleetingly on her lips before lifting to meet her eyes once more. “I’ve contemplated so many ways I might kiss ye, I hardly ken where tae begin.”
“The lips?” she suggested a little hoarsely.
He chuckled. “The lips then.”
Al held her breath in anticipation as he lowered his lips to hers. They were soft but firm, brushing lightly over her mouth. Tasting her before he settled in, kissing her more deeply. With a moan of satisfaction, she melted against him as the fireworks flared more brilliantly than she’d ever imagined.
Breaking the kiss, he glanced down at her with a grin.
“Ah, definitely the lips.”
Definitely.
Parting her lips as his returned to hers, she quivered in delight as his tongue plundered her mouth, teasing, tempting. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any better, it did. He retreated and advanced, nuzzled and nipped at her lips until she was awash with wanting, alternately sighing in pleasure and moaning, craving more.
Chapter 21
The carriage slowed and Keir brushed his lips across hers one last time before lifting his head. Eyes still closed, she sighed softly. The wanton hum of pleasure and desire stirred him even more, bolstering the already painful arousal that had been his constant companion for more than an hour. His body screamed for release. He yearned for nothing more than to bury himself deep inside Al’s luscious body, to spend himself in her hot sheath.
Or at least urge her petite hand to provide the satisfaction he needed so desperately. He did none of those things, though he had fully intended to.
No, he’d known straightaway after taking her lips with his, she had either never been kissed, or at least, had never been kissed properly. Though there was no hesitation on her part, no surprise when he progressed more thoroughly into the task, she employed none of the skill one might when practiced in the art.
His astonishment that the men of her time hadn’t seen to it that she’d been well-tutored returned. She was of an age where she should have been kissed, and often.
Nevertheless, it had been his pleasure to be the one to teach her the true potential of the kiss. To be the first to coax her, guide her to such a level of rapture that she was only now fluttering open her silvery eyes to stare up at him in wonder and with unguarded desire.
Her full lips swollen and red, wet with his kisses. The sight of her tongue sweeping over them as if she might have one last taste of him, tightened his groin painfully.
By God, but he must have her! Though how could he conscionably seduce her into his bed when she was clearly a novice at such loveplay? When what she needed was a slow, thorough schooling on the matter. An experience demonstrating the finest nuances of what two bodies might achieve together.
He didn’t know the extent of her experience—in truth, he didn’t want to know the details—but again she was old enough that she might have taken a lover or two. If she had been as clumsily introduced to lovemaking as she had been to kissing, he’d find himself hard put not to find a way to travel to her time and pummel the life out of the man or men who’d denied her the proper appreciation.
Keir intended to be the one to show it to her. But for all his jesting, a carriage wasn’t the place to do it properly. So, he kept his hands to himself, though the temptation to do more was almost beyond his control.
Easing away, he adjusted his breeches before drawing the curtains and peeking outside.
“Are we stopping?” she asked. “Are we there already? Wherever it is we’re going?”
A purely masculine surge of smugness ran through him as she peered dazedly through the windows to the left and right. She hadn’t a clue the time that had past.
He had done that to her.
He fully intended to do it again, with an even grander conclusion.
* * *
Al blushed under his knowing gaze and fidgeted in her seat, straightening her dress and skirts. A pointless endeavor as not an inch of it was askew or a single tie undone but she had to do something to hide her embarrassment.
Except it wasn’t truly embarrassment. Rather it was something more akin to awe. For all the books she’d read, she’d never realized how thoroughly one could be kissed. How it might be ever-changing, inducing shivers of delight under the skillful touch of his lips one moment. Lifting her to electrifying heights of euphoria with the passionate stroke of his tongue in the next. Tempting her into the burning depths of pure lust until she practically begged him for more.
“Are we there?” she repeated, clearing her throat when her voice emerged husky with wanting.
“Nay, tis just a stop in Cullicudden tae rest the horses and provide us a change to refresh ourselves.” He opened the door and leapt out, turning to help her down. She took the stairs slowly, hoping her knees wouldn’t give way.
A crisp breeze caressed her hot skin, cooling away the uncomfortable warmth caused by the closed carriage and the more enjoyable warmth he had infused her with. She lifted her face to it with a sigh of relief and wished she might lift her skirts high for a better all-over effect. Instead, she studied around her surroundings.
They were in a bustling, small town, she saw. Or a village, anyway. People filled streets lined with short buildings, most not more than two stories. More were walking on the streets rather than any sidewalks. Some more leisurely, others carrying packages, some looked far to heavy to lift. Others pushed handcarts full of vegetables or other goods.
There were a number of armed, red-coated soldiers walking the streets as well. “What are they doing here?”
“Cumberland has troops and militia patrolling all o’er these parts. Guarding pa
sses tae the north, warships guarding the coasts,” he told her grimly. “Despite the defeat at Culloden, as ye call it, the rebellion was closer tae success than the king e’er imagined. He’ll nae risk it happening again.”
Al eyed the street, taking it all in. Real 18th century life. It took her a minute to realize what was missing. “Everyone’s walking.”
He glanced around over her head. “Aye, how else do ye expect them to get aboot?”
“I don’t know. I guess I always thought there’d be lots of horses and wagons.”
He looked down at her with that gleam in his eye telling her he was anxious to hear more. “Livestock is expensive tae keep. But e’en those who hae a horse or cart wouldnae use them aboot town.”
“Why not?”
“’Twould take more time tae fetch the horse from pasture or from the livery and see it harnessed or saddled than the effort to walk,” he said. “I take it that isnae the case where ye’re from?”
She could see the conversation on travel methods that had been put aside in favor of a thorough round of kissing hadn’t been forgotten.
“I’ve a private dining room reserved for us inside. We can talk more there.” He pointed to an inn marked by the curious signage Pig and Whistle. “I’ve a room as well.”
“A room?” she asked, casting him a saucy smile as he took her hand and led the way. “What for? Something rakish, I presume?”
She couldn’t believe she was being so forward. This wasn’t the light flirtation they’d been toying with all week. He’d driven her to the very fringe of release. She was eager to see what came next.
He only grinned down at her, squeezing her hand. “I would ne’er presume so much.”
What? She was practically propositioning him. For a rake, he was slow on the uptake. He’d better catch on soon or she’d lose her nerve.
“You could share it with me, if you wanted to.”
Licking her lips nervously, she watched as his gaze darkened. He knew full well what she saying. Offering.
He shook his head slowly. “Much tae my regret, lass, we hae nae the time tae employ it in any other way, nae matter how titillating the possibility. Nay, the room is for ye tae attend tae yer personal needs.”
“What? Oh.” The subject thoroughly changed, Al flushed and glanced away.
“Yer mortification o’er the most basic bodily needs is intriguing. I shall add it tae my list and perhaps one day ye shall explain tae me why ‘tis so.”
“Ha, I doubt it,” she huffed.
With a grin, Keir opened the door and waved her inside. It was quieter here, dark just as she imagined a Scottish pub might be. Warm also, though windows had been opened to allow for some air flow. What she wouldn’t give for an A/C.
After a word with the innkeeper, who’d rushed forward to greet them, he waved her off with a maid. She led Al up a narrow flight of stairs and into a private room. A few minutes later, another maid arrived with a pitcher of warm water and offered her assistance in undressing. Curious as to why she might need to undress to see to her ‘needs,’ she found she was being given the chance for a quick sponge bath to wash away the grime of travel.
As hot as she still was, she agreed, even accepting the maid’s help without one modest blush so she might keep Keir from waiting too long.
Keir.
She shivered, not from the water trickling across her arms but from the memory of his kiss fresh in her mind and on her lips. He played her like a fiddle suddenly strung taught after being out of tune for too many years.
Adrift in his strong embrace, she would have been his most willing instrument. Her body ached to sing for him.
There was no doubt in her mind that he knew it well. Therefore, it surprised her that he’d tried nothing more, but merely carried on hungrily kissing her as if he couldn’t get enough of the taste of her.
She supposed she was fine with that. For now. His kiss was pure delight. If the rest of it were to exceed her wildest dreams as well, she had much to look forward to.
Refreshed, redressed, and almost skipping in anticipation, she found Keir in a private dining room. His back was to her as he sipped wine and read from a folded sheaf of paper. Peeking over his shoulder, she saw that it was a newspaper though it lacked commanding headlines or colorful pictures.
“What are you reading?” she bent to whisper in his ear.
He didn’t jump but turned his head to kiss her lightly. “My thoughts are so focused on ye, I couldnae read a word.”
He folded up the paper, tossing it aside, and stood to hold out a chair for her. His finger trailed down her nape when he pushed her in before returning to his own seat. The table was filled already with plates of bread, cheese, and meat pies so aromatic her stomach was quick to remind her of her paltry breakfast hours past.
“What were you thinking about?” she prompted, serving herself from the platters. Keir poured her wine and filled his own plate, but she could feel his eyes on her the whole while. Warm and assessing, like a physical touch, it had her skin tingling once again. “Something good, I hope?”
“Thoughts of ye are always pleasant.” The quick response brought a smile to her lips. “My imagination regarding the future of travel hae been most diverting.”
She pursed her lips, feeling a stab of self-deprecation. She kept having to remind herself that for all his gratifying attention to her person, his true fascination was for the glimpse into the future she provided him.
“Ye dinnae ride horses,” he said, unaware of her disillusionment as he looked away and dug into his food. “Why is that? Has the animal population been depleted in some way?”
“No.” She sighed in resignation and cut into her pie. “There are still horses and people do ride them, for sport and pleasure mostly. In about a hundred years, cars will be invented. Picture a horseless carriage. That’s what they first called them. A carriage propelled by a machine, an engine.”
“An engine? How did it work? Was it steam powered?”
Leave it to Keir. It was never enough for him to just know what would happen or what would change. He wanted to know how it worked, who had invented it. In many cases, he wanted her to draw out a schematic for the internal workings of machines she had limited or superficial exposure to. He couldn’t quite accept there were things she didn’t know about. It flattered her that he gave her so much credit.
Frustrating that all their conversations constantly returned to what knowledge she had to impart. That endless, insatiable thirst for more was maddening, infuriating…
Oh, she sighed. Who was she kidding? She was just the same, her entire life dedicated on wanting to know more. For all it rankled her that his keen interest in the discovery of knowledge put his more intimate interest in her person on the back burner, it was also one of the things she loved about him.
Al froze with her fork hovering at her lips. No, she had not just thought that.
“Lass? Al?”
Blinking, she shifted her eyes to his, holding her utensil aloft. “Hmm?”
“Are ye well? Ye look a wee bit pale.”
His concern was obvious and another wave of affection swept over her but she forced it aside. “I’m fine. It’s just warm in here. So, no. Though there were some early models with steam engines, most were internal combustion engines…”
Prattling on through the rest of their meal, only half her attention was on him as she struggled with the possibility of her revelation versus the probability that it was merely a slip of the subconscious.
She loved that about him. It didn’t mean anything or imply anything grander than that. Her cat, Mr. Darcy, had a kittenish weakness for a laser pointer and she loved that about him. Albert Einstein wore fuzzy slippers and she loved that about him.
It was just a saying. Nothing more.
So all-encompassing was the inner debate, she might have been reciting her grandmother’s chocolate chip cookie recipe for all the notice she gave to the words pouring from her mouth.
&n
bsp; Chapter 22
A taste of her lips and it was as if he’d opened Pandora’s Box. Releasing not the evils of the world, but opening a floodgate to the lust he’d been holding at bay these last days. Once opened, it was impossible to rein either back in.
For nearly an hour, he’d stared blankly at the latest newssheet imagining her in the room above with a large comfortable bed close at hand. The fresh, clean scent of her when she nuzzled so close to his ear… He’d been tempted to drag her onto his lap and have his wicked way with her. Thankfully, he’d managed to introduce a subject suitable for conversation while he forced his meal down his throat.
He’d have to find a way to reintroduce the topic one day as he hadn’t absorbed a word of what she said. And he did want to know.
It was a good thing he’d had his driver take down the top of the carriage while they were dining. For her comfort, he’d told her in response to her curious gaze when he’d handed her up.
Though she’d assured him he hadn’t needed to go to such troubles, Keir knew the opposite was true.
Chivalrous intentions might have stayed his hand for a couple hours but they weren’t dependable enough to keep him from touching her for the several more remaining in their journey. Propriety might provide him the strength of will he needed but only just.
Another turn in the privacy of a closed carriage would have provided more temptation than he could fight. He’d be damned if he’d treat any ears beyond his own to the sweet song of her impassioned cries.
And he meant to wring a bloody aria from her once he could get her alone.
* * *
“Rosebraugh, I presume?”
“Where else?”
“When you said a days’ ride, I thought you meant a whole day,” she said without taking her eyes off the majestic castle rising before them. “It’s lovely.”
The view the entire way from Cullicudden had been. Though Al had been initially dismayed to find the open carriage awaiting them, her displeasure was quickly set aside in favor of the stunning scenery she absorbed along the way.
Love in the Time of a Highland Laird (A Laird for All Time Book 3) Page 14
