by Amy Sandas
Allegra nodded, not at all surprised that he’d taken note of her preference at some point. “I should apologize for just dropping in on you like this.”
“Nay, ye shouldnae,” he replied gruffly.
They stared at each other for a moment, the air thick between them, before he glanced down with a lift of his brow. “Yer boots are drippin’ on my rug.” He took one boot in hand and lifted it to the surface of his thigh. “D’ye mind?”
Heat swirled through Allegra, making it impossible to reply. Her lips parted and her throat grew tight as he deftly untied and loosened the laces of her boot, then tugged it off and set it aside. He did the same for the other and then took both of her stockinged feet in his hands.
“Och, lassie.” His voice was a rough whisper. “Ye must take more care.”
The boots had kept her feet dry, but her toes had become numb from the cold. Before she could respond, he tugged off the woolen stockings and set about warming her bare feet in his very capable hands.
“You don’t have to do that,” she muttered quickly, though his touch was already melting far more than her frozen extremities.
His gaze, when it rose up to meet hers, was deep and dynamic, as though he allowed everything he was feeling to be reflected there. His willingness to give of himself so freely stunned her. She’d never experienced such open trust. It almost hurt to receive it when she knew she hadn’t been brave enough to offer the same in return.
As his thumbs pressed delicious circles into the soles of her feet, he tilted his head in question. “Why are ye here, Allegra?”
She met his earnest gaze and took a thready breath. The thickness in her throat increased and her stomach gave a wild little flip. “You were right.”
His brows notched upward, but he didn’t reply. He just massaged her feet in his large hands and waited for her to continue.
“I was drawn to you. I am drawn to you,” she corrected. “I don’t know if it was fate that guided me to your room at the inn, but I know what brought me here this morning.”
“What’s that?” His voice rippled through her, so rough and low and richly textured. It never failed to touch her, soothe her, ignite the fires deep within her.
“You,” she answered simply.
Triumph and desire flashed in his gaze.
Leaning forward, she set the quickly cooling teacup on the floor. Curling her hands around his upper arms, she urged him toward her.
He responded immediately, releasing her feet to prop his hands on the sofa, bracketing her hips, as he shifted to his knees.
Allegra, smoothed her hands up over his wide, muscled shoulders, then the thick column of his neck until she cradled his bearded jaw in her palms. Meeting his hungry gaze, she whispered, “Kiss me, Macrae.”
Chapter 16
Baird’s heart stopped.
Then started again like a horse bolting straight into a gallop.
He was tempted to dive for her lips, wrap his arms around her, and draw her snug into his body. But he took a slow breath first, allowing the sense of rightness to fill him as desire roared through his blood, hardening him in a rush.
Though everything in him strained to claim her, he took a moment to look at her.
So beautiful. So confident and fierce and intense as she stared back at him. Her eyes were darkened by desire and overflowing with warmth and longing, showing nary a hint of doubt. And the pulse at the base of her throat was fluttering wildly in anticipation.
Intently holding her gaze, he leaned forward and he pressed his mouth to hers.
She seemed to sigh with her entire body. Her lashes fluttered as her eyes fell closed. A soft, gentle moan slipped from her throat. Her fingers slid from his jaw into the hair at his nape and her lips parted eagerly beneath his.
Aye! Finally!
Sweeping his tongue past her teeth, he tasted the lushness within. Honey and fire.
A groan rolled from his throat as he braced his foot to leverage himself off the floor. He needed to be closer. She seemed to agree as her arms went around his neck and her legs shifted. Still devouring her mouth with heated thrusts of his tongue, he laid her out on the sofa and brought his body over hers.
Her sigh was weighted and soft, her warm breath spreading over his lips.
Baird lifted his head to look into her warmly glowing eyes. A pretty blush pinked her cheeks and her mouth was softened and glistening from his kiss. She was smiling.
He couldn’t help but smile, as well. “Och, lassie, I’ve been dreamin’ of havin’ ye just like this.”
“Lying beneath you?”
“Soft and smilin’.”
Her eyelids lowered over her gaze as she shifted her legs and gently arched of her spine to press her breasts to his chest. Lust shot through him in a jolt, going straight to his already thickened groin.
“And aching for you.” Her voice was sultry and smooth. She was doing nothing to hide her desire from him and he savored it. Loving how it felt to finally have this moment with her.
He couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease her a bit. “Is there something more’n a kiss ye’re wantin’ from me, then?”
The sound of frustration that rose from her chest was accentuated by the fierce little tug of her fingers fisting in the hair at his nape. “So much more, Macrae,” she admitted with a bold gleam in her eyes. “I want it all.”
Bringing his hand to the side of her face, Baird brushed his thumb over the seam of her lips. “I’ll give ye the sun and the stars, lass, and everything between.”
“As long as that includes you.”
He chuckled softly. “Ye’re not likely tae get rid of me now.”
She tightened her fingers against his nape. “Good.”
It was just one word, but it revealed more to him than she might have intended. The murmured sigh of her voice spoke of her longing. It was an acknowledgement that what was between them wasn’t a fleeting thing. It was deep and honest and real.
He’d known it all along. And now she did too.
Her eyes darkened and she lifted her head to press her mouth softly to his before pulling back again to say softly, “I love you.”
A jolt of pure emotion shot through him and he released his breath in a rush before flashing a wide grin. “And it’s about time ye admitted it.”
Her brows tilted into a frown. “I know. It’s difficult for me to admit when I’m wrong. I have a contrary nature and I can be a bit arrogant.”
“I’d say ye’re more prideful than arrogant. Ye’re a passionate woman with a mind of her own and a heart worth winning.”
She tightened her arms around him. “I’m not good at needing people, but I do need you.”
Pressing his face to the curve of her neck, he breathed her in—her warmth and strength and love. “Ye’ve got me. Now and forever,” he murmured thickly.
She placed a kiss to the sensitive spot below his ear, drawing a rough growl from his throat. Her lips curved against his skin. “I like the sound of forever, but presently, I’d like to focus on the now.”
Baird chuckled. “Impatient, are ye?”
“Impatient.” She pressed another kiss to the side of his throat. “Needful.” Her voice lowered and her lips parted in an open-mouth kiss beneath his jaw. “Desperate.” Her tongue flicked hot and teasing over his pulse.
He groaned in earnest as he turned his head to claim her mouth with his own. The kiss was instantly deep and intense. All their pent-up passion had risen to the fore and would no longer be denied. Tongues twisted and tangled ravenously, breath passed in gasps and sighs as their bodies moved against each other, seeking more intimate contact.
Baird’s blood ran thick and hot through his veins, pumping in a furious rhythm of need, rushing to his cock with insistent purpose.
As he kissed her—kissed her with the full strength of love and hunger rushing through him—he fought the urge to press himself into her softness, to take her in every way possible. He’d moved too fast that morning
in Inverness. It had scared her away and he didn’t want to make that mistake again.
But he could feel her growing restless beneath him. Her hands grasped him harder; her thighs tensed and shifted against his. When the fine edge of her teeth sunk into his bottom lip, Baird could barely stop himself from thrusting his hips against her to ease the ache in his body.
Abruptly, she broke from the kiss and pressed a hand to his chest in an effort to create a breath of space between them. He tensed from head to toe, preparing himself to pull back as he looked down at her.
She drew a long and ragged breath as her dark eyes flickered over his face, settling for a moment on his mouth before rising again to meet his gaze. “Is there someplace more comfortable we can go? While this sofa is lovely,” she continued, “I’d think your bed would be much more appropriate for lovemaking.”
He nearly choked on his surprise and the rush of lust through his blood. “Are ye asking me tae make love tae ye, then?”
Her smile was slow and stunning, widening her lips in a gentle curve as she pressed her breasts to his chest. “You make love to me. I make love to you. I’d prefer we engage in the act equally, if you don’t mind.”
Baird made a sound that was part chuckle, part growl as he took her mouth in a swift, impassioned kiss before lifting his head again. “Are ye sure, lassie? It’s not my desire tae rush ye into something ye’d regret.”
“I want you, Baird Macrae. Now. Today. Tomorrow. As long as we live. And I don’t intend to waste another moment pretending I don’t.” She framed his face between her hands and boldly met his gaze. “Take me to your bed.”
In a second, Baird was rising to his feet and lifting her with him, not stopping until he had her hoisted into the air and set over his shoulder with an arm clamped over the back of her thighs to keep her in place as he strode swift and sure across the room to his bedroom.
Her laughter warmed any areas inside him that were not already aflame with desire.
Chapter 17
Allegra could not chase the smile from her lips. She’d long anticipated the passion and the heat, but she found herself surprised by the playfulness, though she should have expected it with Macrae.
Once in his bedroom, he set her carefully on her feet. “Just a moment,” he muttered as he turned to move about the darkened room.
Anxious to feel his hands on her bare skin, Allegra started releasing the row of buttons on her gown. A moment later, the room was illuminated by the glow of a small lamp.
Nearly all the space in the modest-sized bedroom was taken up by the enormous bed. Of course, it would have to be big to accommodate Macrae’s great size, but there would be more than enough space for her as well.
Desire rolled insistently through her body as she watched Macrae cross the room to the fireplace. A single chair sat before it with a small table. He crouched before the hearth to coax a gentle fire to life. Only when he had it as he wanted did he straighten and turn to face her.
She’d managed to shed her gown in the time he’d been occupied with his tasks and she stood at the foot of his bed dressed only in her underclothes. They were of thick wool and heavy cotton to protect against the cold, but that didn’t seem to matter to him. The sudden stiffening of his entire body and the blaze of heat in his gaze told her he was pleased by her less than dressed state.
She wanted to give him more of that pleasure.
When he took a single lunging step forward, she held up her hand in a gesture to halt. He did so immediately, though a sound of protest rumbled through his chest.
Allegra smiled. Sensual power swirled with her rising desire, pooling deep in her center.
Holding his gaze, she loosened the ties of her petticoat until she could push it past her hips to fall to the floor, leaving her in her drawers, short stays, and chemise.
He ran his hand roughly over his mouth. His gaze was intense and devouring.
Allegra waited until his focus returned to her face, then she gave a short nod. “Your turn.”
His eyes widened briefly, then one corner of his mouth lifted in a wicked little grin. Reaching back over his shoulder, he grasped a handful of his shirt and dragged it over his head before he tossed it aside in one smooth motion.
Allegra paused to take in the sight of his brawny naked torso. She’d seen it in a flashing glimpse that morning long ago, but she hadn’t taken the time then to admire the strength and definition of his form.
She did now.
He was perfection. Ridiculously broad shoulders, lean hips, solid rippling muscle throughout.
Allegra was desperate to run her palms over his body—to feel his smooth, male strength beneath her hands, against her softness.
Instead, she tugged on her corset ties. After releasing them faster than she ever had before, she shed the stiff garment, sighing as her breasts were freed from confinement. They felt heavier than usual, the peaks sensitive to the brush of her chemise as it shifted over them with each breath.
She wondered if they looked as achy and hungry for touch as they felt since Macrae couldn’t seem to stop staring at them. His focus was ravenous and as soon as she imagined his mouth claiming her breasts as he’d claimed her lips, she couldn’t stop the soft moan that slid from her throat.
His focus flicked up to her face. Hot, hungry. Barely in control. “Ye’ll bring me tae my knees, lass.”
“Not yet,” she replied before adding a breathless command. “Your turn.”
He narrowed his gaze, but his hands went to the fastening of his trousers. Within moments, he had them shoved down his thick-muscled legs to the floor, then casually kicked aside. Standing in nothing but his cotton drawers, which rode low across his trim hips and did nothing to hide the full extent of his desire, he crossed his arms over his chest and gave a curt nod. “Finish it, lassie. I’m fairly close tae losing the last of my control.”
His voice was raw and deep. Its harsh texture sent thrills through her body, settling like liquid fire in her core.
One tug had her drawers falling to the floor. Grasping the hem of her chemise, she lifted it over her head before it joined the pile of clothing at her feet.
Naked, she lifted her chin and watched him as he swept his gaze over every inch of her bared body. From the slope of her shoulders, over the aching peaks of her breasts, across her trembling belly, and down the length of her legs.
His expression was tense and beautiful when he brought his gaze back to hers. “I can barely believe this isnae a dream,” he murmured thickly.
Allegra shivered from the tone of his voice. She looked into his eyes and felt a pull unlike anything she could have imagined. It was intrinsic and inevitable. It claimed her heart and soul and made her wonder how on earth she’d resisted it for so long. “Don’t make us wait any longer.”
He didn’t.
In a rush he was upon her, sweeping her up in his arms until they were pressed together from shoulder to toe. Heat. Strength. Maddening desire. His mouth took hers before she could even get her arms around him. His tongue plunged. His skin burned against hers as he lifted her off her feet and propelled them both onto the bed.
He came down heavily atop her—delicious weight and hard muscle. Her legs parted around his thick thigh as he pressed it high against her sex. The pressure was delicious and poignant, making her low belly swirl and dip.
She gasped when his mouth shifted to the side of her throat. His tongue flicked against her pulse before he drew her flesh against his teeth. He nipped roughly at her shoulder, pulling a deep moan from her throat. He paused to squeeze the curve of her hip before wrapping his fingers around the back of her thigh to hook her leg over his hip.
His deep growl of satisfaction made every muscle in her body tremble. She felt just the briefest pressure of his hardness against her sex before he slid his arm beneath the hollow of her waist—forcing her to arch—and shifted lower between her legs. She was about to express her disappointment when his warm breath bathed her nipple.
Allegra clutched his head in her hands, holding him to her as she arched beneath him, offering more of herself. Taking more from him. He was shameless in his hunger for her flesh and she was shameless in her enjoyment of it.
The soft, wiry texture of his beard brushed the swell of her breast as he turned his head to take the other one into his mouth. Instead of a deep suckling kiss, he teased the second peak with flicks of his tongue and a delicate scrape of his teeth.
His focus was intent as he watched her reactions, as though seeking evidence of what pleased her.
If she were capable of speaking, she would have told him everything pleased her. His weight, his heat, his smell. The attention he gave to her body and the look of utter adoration and possessive desire in his gaze.
She smoothed her hands over his broad back, then out to his shoulders, kneading his muscles with her fingers as his tongue continued to lay a trail of heat and moisture across her breasts. And then lower.
When he dipped his tongue into her navel, she gasped.
He nipped at the crease between her hip and thigh and she gave an involuntary roll of her pelvis.
And when he lifted her legs over his shoulders and cupped her buttocks in his hands, she tensed in delicious anticipation. Her breath stopped and her hands fisted into the bedsheets. Looking down the length of her bared body, she saw him poised above her aching sex. Green eyes glittering and beautiful, lips curved in a naughty grin. “No holding back, lassie,” he commanded in a roughened tone. “I want all yer fire. Just for me.”
Then he lowered his head and took her in a hot, open-mouthed, suckling kiss. His tongue laved and circled with lush, heavy strokes. His lips teased and tugged as his beard softly abraded her inner thighs.
Allegra lost connection to anything but the deep, soul-stirring pleasure he roused.
