The Making of a Highlander (Midnight in Scotland #1) - Elisa Braden Page 0,101

Together, they ate a shockingly delicious cake made by Marjorie MacDonnell and drank MacPherson whisky from their shared quaich until they were both a wee bit dizzy.

In time, John grew impatient, and he tugged her out into the corridor, up the stairs, and through the last door on the left. Inside his bedchamber, the music was faint and the light was soft. She leaned back against the oaken door, her head spinning after so much cider and whisky.

John immediately set to work unbuttoning his coat and tearing away his cravat. He was a wee bit more careful removing his sporran, dirks, and belt, but he made quick work of them, as well.

“Have I said how beautiful you are?” he asked.

No, he hadn’t. But his eyes had been devouring her since she’d first set foot on the grassy aisle.

Breathless and burning, she licked her lips while she watched him unbutton his waistcoat. “Ye havenae said much since our vows, English,” she panted.

“All my thoughts are a bit obscene, I’m afraid. Wouldn’t want to embarrass you.”

“Gentlemanly of ye.”

“Your gown is exquisite.”

She looked down at the swells of her breasts, which he hadn’t torn his eyes from since entering the room. “Do ye think it flatters my shape?”

His head tilted to a predatory angle. Hazel eyes were little more than amber rings around large, dark pupils. He wetted his lips and took a sharp, shuddering breath. “Yes.”

It took her a moment to reply. Another. And another. “As this marriage is purely for procreation purposes, I’m glad ye find me pleasin’, husband.”

“More than pleasing.” He shook his head as if to wake himself and ran a hand over his jaw. Then, he tossed away his waistcoat and crowded closer. A frown tugged. “Who says our union is meant solely for procreating?”

“I say. That’s what this marriage is, English. A venue for procreation. I want a bairn. Sooner the better.”

His eyes burned. His hands braced on the wood to either side of her head. “Oh, love. Did you just challenge me?”

For a moment, she might have gone a wee bit faint. Her new husband was a potent blaze of seductive power. Luckily, she was able to regain her senses and put him in his place. “Nah,” she replied, her voice only a little raspy. “Merely spoke the truth. Perhaps ye should try it.”

His body, surrounding her in heat and hardness and pine-scented lust, went still. But he ignored her dig. “A bairn, you say?”

“Aye.”

“So, pleasure is unimportant.”

“Well, I wouldnae say that,” she hedged, though her body wanted to scream the denial.

“But the point is to plant the seed, as it were.”

“Aye.” God, her throat was dry. And her knees were weak. And her nipples were so hard they ached. And her skin pulsed with every breath.

“No kissing, then.” His lips brushed hers with the barest slide. “Or unnecessary touching.” His knuckles stroked her breast’s upper swell before moving down to swirl around her nipple. “Just my cock deep inside you as frequently as possible.”

She whimpered. Melted against the door. Nuzzled his jaw like a cat in heat and arched her back, begging for more of him.

“I think you are challenging me,” he whispered in her ear. “And here’s my reply, love.” With swift efficiency, he plucked at her skirts until they were bunched around her waist, leaving her naked to his touch. Then, using his wrist to keep her skirts raised, he slid a knuckle directly over the slick knot of sensation that swelled and pined for him.

Her shocked gasp turned to a faint moan.

Only then did he give her his answer. “I accept.”

TlU

This woman drove him mad. Her defiant chin. Her feisty tongue. Her taunting smirk.

He wanted her until his teeth ached.

And she wanted a babe.

Far be it from him to shrink from a challenge.

“First things first,” he murmured, tasting the skin of her soft, creamy throat. Between her thighs, he unfurled his finger and gently slid the length downward amidst her ripe petals. When he reached the tight opening he sought, he circled. Circled. Breached. Then sank his longest finger inside her. “Must ensure you can take me comfortably, hmm?”

Her head fell back, her inner walls squeezing his finger while her damp thighs gripped his wrist. Her only reply was a deep, throaty moan and a bit more panting. She