The Highlander’s Rescued Maiden by Anna Campbell

Chapter 9

Will took his time kissing Ellen, delighting in her swift and heated response. She was like flame in his embrace. Only when she was boneless with pleasure, draped across him like a scarf, did he begin to caress her body. He kept kissing her in a playful game that he hoped would stop her thinking too much about where his hands wandered.

Delicately, because he was so desperate not to frighten her, he ran his hands down that long, slender back and shaped the graceful arch of her hips. Then he dared to cup the luscious globes of her buttocks. She murmured soft encouragement against his lips and pressed closer. Arousal shuddered through him, and his cock swelled in response. But he fought back the tide. Today was all about giving Ellen pleasure, not seeking his own satisfaction.

With a brief brush of his lips across her forehead and nose and chin, he drew back. “Let me take down your hair.”

Her blue eyes were cloudy with desire. After that eon of kissing, her lips were full and soft and damp. A beguiling flush marked her slanted cheekbones.

The world called her fair. Seeing her like this, Will realized that the world had no idea of just how unforgettable the captive maiden of Bortha was.

“Aye,” she whispered, although nobody could hear them or witness how they yielded to an attraction that roared out of control.

Will already knew that this girl was special. But even recognizing that, he was surprised at how his hands trembled when he raised them to that rumpled mass of gilt blond hair. He wasn’t by any means a rake, but he’d known his share of women, and he accounted himself a skillful, considerate lover. But those earlier, lighthearted encounters belonged to a different universe. Now every second, every word, every action held a significance that shook his world.

When he’d started to touch her, impatience had gripped him. He thirsted to explore her breasts, to see her naked, to discover the secret hollows between her legs. But now time spooled out before him like a long, silken ribbon.

What a gift Ellen bestowed upon him. He owed her pleasure beyond her most extravagant dreams. With a wholehearted unselfishness which to his shame he’d never before devoted to a lover, he placed himself at Ellen’s service.

He drew a pin from her hair and watched in wonder as one long tress uncoiled down her neck and across her velvet-covered breast. He dropped the pin to the red and blue Turkey carpet. He’d become accustomed to the luxury hidden inside the tower’s unwelcoming exterior. But this bedroom was like a treasure cave, with opulent fabrics and tapestries and decorations. Although nothing could compare with the greatest treasure by far, Ellen herself.

With the same care, he slid another pin free. She stood quiet beneath his hands, although she was trembling. He hoped more with excitement than fear.

Soon a sumptuous cascade of silk cloaked her shoulders. In an ecstasy of delight, he buried his hands in her hair, lifting handfuls and letting them drift down like spun gold. “You’re so lovely.”

Usually she bridled when he commented on her beauty, but this time she smiled. “I’m glad ye take pleasure in me.”

“Och, I do, lassie.” He smiled back. “I do.”

With languorous sensuality, her slender hands trailed up his bare arms. Wherever her touch landed, it sparked heat. When he kissed her, she responded with an ardor that revealed how titillating she found his slow seduction.

By heaven, it worked on him, too.

Will stepped back far enough to untie the sash on her peignoir. He grunted with self-disgust when he fumbled at the knot. With her warm, floral scent swimming in his head, the simple task turned out not to be so simple after all.

“See the state I’m in? I’m quite mad for ye.”

She laid a soft touch on his hand. The tender brush of her fingers jammed the breath in his throat. “I like that you dinnae take this lightly.”

“Lightly?” Another huff of wry amusement escaped. “I feel like the world is about to end.”

“That sounds dreadful.”

His attention lifted from the knot’s infernal puzzle. “Trust me, the world ends in a dazzling explosion.”

She frowned, not understanding. How would she? “That still doesnae sound good.”

“Och, it’s very good indeed. You’ll see what I mean, if I ever manage to untie this pestilential belt.”

Her husky little giggle tightened his balls. “Let me.”

To his surprise, the innocent lady released the sash in a second. Her fingers retained the skill that the experienced lover lacked.

Her robe gaped over a transparent shift as fine as a cobweb. His unsteady hands pushed the heavy peignoir off her shoulders. With a whisper, it slid to the floor.

“Ellen…”

Will’s breath snagged in his lungs, making speech impossible. He’d never seen anything so lovely as Ellen at that moment. Even lovelier was the shy surrender shining in her blue eyes. From the first, she’d tugged at his emotions. Her beauty was the least of it, alluring as that was. His soul yearned to possess her strength and her passion and her incisive mind.

Now, as she stood quaking with nerves, but proud, too, he recognized that this wasn’t just another woman. This was the woman. The other half of his soul. The lady he wanted to take back to Achnasheen as his wife, his chatelaine, the mother of his children.

His heart expanded, as the blood of centuries of conquering warriors welled up to claim her. He was going to get her off this island. He was going to marry her. He was going to keep her by his side for the rest of his life – and in heaven, too, if the Good Lord was merciful.

Fair Ellen of the Isles mightn’t know it yet, but the day that Will Mackinnon’s boat beached on the rocky shores of Bortha, her fate was sealed.

Her hands fluttered in front of her body. “What…what are you thinking?”

Devil take him, he must be glaring at her the way a lion glared at his lunch. No wonder she looked more terrified by the second. But over these last minutes, his world had shifted on its axis. He needed time to catch his breath and find his balance.

Balance? That was a joke. From his first sight of her, Ellen had sent him reeling. He suspected she’d always keep him on his toes. He, like his parents, was going to have a volatile marriage. He couldn’t wait.

Which meant he needed to employ every ounce of sensual guile to convince her to accept his proposal. If he mentioned the word “forever” now, she’d run a mile.

Pleasure would light the way to wooing her. She’d be his before he was done – and not just while the storm raged outside.

“I’m plotting how to proceed,” he murmured.

She gave a startled squeak. “That’s no’ altogether reassuring.”

He feared that the smile curving his lips might still be a wee bit too carnivorous. “It’s exciting, though.”

His boldness made her laugh. She was a brave creature. She’d had to be to survive her exile. “Aye, the way standing on a cliff in the midst of a gale is exciting.”

That was his girl. “You’re no’ made to hide away and live a dull life. You’re made for cliffs and gales and the wide, open ocean.”

A troubled frown shadowed her features. “You’re wrong. I’ve been hidden away most of my life.”

He caught her fidgeting hands. “But does your soul no’ long for more? I willnae believe it if you say it doesn’t.”

“I’ve been curious, of course. But I’ve come to accept my lot.”

“Liar.”

Startled she stepped back, the uneven movement reminding him that he hadn’t yet persuaded her that she was fit to take on the world. Fit? This woman was born to reign and astonish. “I’ve tried to accept it.”

“Then stop. You’re a fighter. Keep fighting.”

Ellen regarded him in puzzlement, although she left her hands in his. “Ye think you know me awfully well for someone who only met me two days ago.”

It was a reprimand, one he no doubt deserved. His arrogance might yet lead him astray. Will reminded himself that he couldn’t rush his campaign to show her he’d make a great husband.

But dear God, he only had her to himself while the storm raged. He couldn’t brook too much delay. “I knew ye the first time I saw you.”

It was true. His soul had recognized her as the jewel he’d sought all his life. His mind had taken a little longer to catch up. That was how it went sometimes.

Her lips firmed and to his horror, she broke away and bent to pick up the crumpled peignoir. “Ye know, I’m starting to wonder if I want to do this. You’re a wee bit too cocky about your rights.”

Damn it, he’d rushed his fences. Now he looked likely to take a painful spill from his high horse. He caught her arm, keeping his touch gentle because he didn’t want to frighten her. Also because along with his male impulse to conquer, he harbored a huge lake of tenderness for her. When his desire had slammed down so hard at the same time as a compulsion to protect her, he should have realized that something unprecedented was happening.

“Don’t.”

She went still under his hold but didn’t release the peignoir. With a haughtiness that made him want to kiss the insolence from her, she arched her eyebrows. He respected her refusal to submit to him without conditions. He respected it, even as he acknowledged that he’d lost a good deal of ground.

Another reminder that he needed to be careful.

“Don’t?” she asked in the voice that had threatened to shoot a bullet into him.

Will swallowed and lowered his voice. “Please.”

A silence fell. Her eyes searched his face. “Ye have nae rights over me that I don’t grant, and I can withdraw those rights in a second if I wish.”

“I accept that.”

“I might be curious about what we can do together, but yielding to that curiosity doesnae mean you own me.”

“I accept that, too. While I hope to open a world of pleasure to ye, I’m at your command.” Right now, he wouldn’t wager a groat on even kissing her again. And that would be a sodding calamity. “Ye said you trusted me. You’ve trusted me so far.”

“But something has changed.” She remained ill at ease. “I feel it.”

She was so clever. And so attuned to him, which boded well for their future. He wasn’t alone in feeling this powerful affinity.

“You’re standing in front of me, close to naked. That’s a change, one that receives my hearty approval.” He tried a smile, but she’d gone back to being stern.

Her troubled gaze latched onto his face. “Dinnae hurt me, Will.”

Any urge to humor fled, and he tightened his grip in protest. “You’ll like what I do, I promise.”

Her lips flattened, as he shifted under her concentrated regard. The uncompromising inspection wasn’t altogether comfortable.

“I dinnae mean physically. I’m sure ye can take me to heaven and back. You’re that sort of man. I might be an innocent, but I’m also a woman, and all my instincts tell me you’re an accomplished lover.”

He frowned. That didn’t sound like praise for his prowess. “I swear that I’ll never speak a word about what passes between us.”

Ellen didn’t look satisfied, but she didn’t push for more. He recognized the risks she took with him. She was safe, but only his actions and time would prove that.

She raised her chin. “Then give me pleasure as ye promised.”

Instead of leaping to obey, Will studied her with the same attention she’d devoted to him. “If I do anything you dinnae like, I’ll stop.”

He hoped to hell he would. Already her subtle lavender fragrance and the softness of her skin beneath his hand had his blood clamoring.

To his surprise, faint amusement tinged her austere expression. “I have a feeling I’ll like everything ye do.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Show me.”