Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 32223 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32223 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
She shakes her head, her breath coming fast and shallow.
“Just for political reasons? That’s all?”
My jaw hardens, my mouth a tight line. And suddenly, the boldness just floods out of her, and Iona deflates a little as her eyes drop to the table.
“I—I’m sorry, my lord, I don’t even know what I’m saying.” She frowns, looking down as she shakes her head. “I think I’m just tired and trying to figure out…” she shrugs. “The marriage, all of it.”
I nod, my pulse still thundering in my ears.
“I—you don’t have to sit with me,” she says quietly in a way that twists my heart and breaks it slightly. “You can go,” she whispers in my continued silence.
I take a breath and stand, taking two steps towards the door before I pause and turn back to her.
“Iona,” I growl quietly.
She looks up, sadness still in her eyes even as she smiles.
“Put those thoughts out of your head, lass,” I say lowly, my gaze burning into her.
“My lord, I—”
“Like I have.”
Time stops as the words leave my mouth. She shivers, and instantly, I know I’ve crossed the line. Like the unexplainable moment earlier where I could just tell that something had shifted in the air, this time too, I just know. We’ve stepped over a line, crossed through a doorway. And instantly, when our eyes lock and the fire burns hot behind both hers and mine, I know there’s no going back.
“My lord…”
Iona stands, swallowing, smoothing her dress down as she bites her lip and looks up at me. She takes a step towards me—moving like she’s floating to me, and I can feel the fire igniting through me. My muscles clenched, my pulse quickens, and gods help me, my cock begins to thicken and harden beneath my kilt.
“Damnit, Iona,” I growl, an edge of warning in my voice. She takes another step towards me, and this time, both my hands dart to her wrists, gripping them firmly, like I can’t decide if I’m trying to push her away or yank her against me.
“This isn’t right, Iona,” I hiss, the world blurring around me until all I see is her. “You’re far too young.”
“I’m not a child anymore,” she whispers heatedly, swallowing, her face glowing pink and her eyes roaring with fire.
“Trust that I’ve noticed,” I growl back.
Iona’s tongue darts out, wetting her lips as she takes a shaky breath.
“I’m nineteen, you know.”
I bark out a brittle laugh. “Aye, a woman are you then, eh?”
“Yes.” I can feel her damned pulse beating beneath my fingers in the soft skin of her wrists, and my cock just grows harder, and my desire becomes all consuming.
“You don’t see me as one?” she asks gently, almost nervously.
“I…”
I close my eyes, gritting my teeth, but already knowing I’m going to break.
“I can’t,” I groan softly.
“Why not?”
“You know why not.”
She’s quiet a second, and when I slowly open my eyes, she’s looking down at the floor, her brow knitted.
“I—I’m so sorry,” she says quietly. “I—I feel so foolish, this was… I don’t know what I was thinking. I know it’s for political reasons. I know it’s not because you want me—”
“Is that what you believe?” I groan. My grip tightens on her wrists, hard enough to make her gasp. The war is still raging in my head—push her away, draw her close. Push her away, draw her close.
But when she looks up, and those big blue eyes lock with mine, and when I see those sensual, womanly lips part ever so slightly as her tongue wets them, I know I’m finished. I know right then that even if I am a Lord, and a ruler, and a good man as best as I can be, I’m still but a man.
…And a man can only resist a temptation like her for so long before he breaks.
“You think I don’t want you,” I growl. I pull, tugging her closer. The war is lost.
Iona gasps quietly, her breath coming quickly. I reach up with one hand, the knuckles brushing her chin and tilting her head up as the roar of desire becomes thunder in my ears.
“You think I don’t want you?” I groan.
“My lord, I—”
“You’re all that I fucking want,” I hiss. And just like that, the final brick tumbles, and the wall I’ve tried so hard to build to hold back what I feel for her comes crashing down.
And I break.
I pull, and she falls right into me, gasping as her hands land on my firm chest, my fingers on her chin slide to her jaw, cupping it gently but possessively, savoring this one moment before the drop.
“You, lass,” I growl quietly. “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”
My lips crush to hers, stealing the breath from her lungs and searing my words against her soul as I kiss her with every single drop of the passion and fire I’ve bottled up.