Quest of the Highlander (Crowns & Kilts #5) - Cynthia Wright Page 0,83

top and I am trapped, like a butterfly, as you have your way with me.”

His voice held an undercurrent of sensual amusement. “Go on, then. I’ll wait, and then ye will pay for this.”

Love welled up in her. She kissed him lustily, and when she held his arms down, he pretended to be helpless. Moving lower, Nora caressed and kissed his shoulders, lightly running her fingertips over the muscled planes of his torso then leaning down to lick one of his flat nipples. He twitched in surprise and made a sound low in his throat.

“Ah, so you like that!” Delighted, she sucked at it, making it pucker.

“Ye should stop that,” he warned.

Nora laughed. She turned her cheek against the crisp hair that lightly covered his chest, then kissed her way down the ridges of his belly, following the arrow of gilded hair that pointed the way to his sex. Reaching lower, she felt him, even hotter and harder than before, and wrapped her hand around him.

“That’s enough, Nora.” He sounded oddly breathless.

She smiled then dared to touch the tip of him with her tongue. For an instant, she feared he might come off the bed, but then he went utterly still, and even the rasp of his breathing ceased. He smelled of her, and that just made her feel more wanton, more connected to him. Using her tongue and her hands, she did her best to give him the same kind of wicked pleasure he had given her that night at Duart Castle. Lennox alternated between holding his breath and groaning, and once he reached down to hold her head, pushing himself into her mouth, which only increased the thrill of her arousal.

Then, suddenly, he caught her arms with both hands and brought her away from him, as if she weighed nothing at all. “Enough,” he groaned. “One more second, and it would be over for me.”

Effortlessly, he flipped her over into the pillows and stared down at her, his expression filled with wonder. “Ye are the most glorious woman in the world.” He took her mouth in a deep kiss, fitting himself between her legs. It was as if they had been created to be together this way.

Nora desperately wanted to tell him how much she loved him, but knowing how this night would end, she held back.

“Later,” he whispered in her ear, “ye shall be the butterfly again. But first…”

And then he was pushing into her, an inch at a time, and the feeling took her breath away. When he had fully sheathed himself inside her, they lay joined for several moments, their hearts beating in unison.

“I have dreamed of being with ye like this,” he breathed.

Slowly, he began to move, the hard length of him withdrawing then filling her again, gradually finding a rhythm as Nora lifted her hips to meet him. It was like flying, soaring in his arms, higher and higher with each thrust. Her face was warm and damp, her heart pounding. Lennox held her tighter, muttering words of love just before he pushed all the way inside her one more time and released a primal groan.

Nora wrapped her arms around his back, dizzy with the sheer bliss of the moment. Eventually, he raised his head and met her eyes.

“Tell me ye love me.”

“I do.”

“Say it, lass.”

“I love you.”

“Ah. I knew it.”

Nora felt his smile as he claimed her mouth in a sleepy kiss. He turned on his side then, cradling her near, and dozed off. She knew that Lennox assumed the future was resolved now. Bittersweet emotions tangled inside her as she rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. He smelled so good, and she felt safe from the world in his embrace.

Soon enough, he would hear what lay ahead…

* * *

The barest hint of plum was seeping over the sky as Lennox came awake. He reached for Nora, but she wasn’t there. Sitting up, he wondered if it had all been a dream.

They had fallen asleep, limbs entwined, on top of the rose-patterned coverlet on her bed. In the dim light of early dawn, he recognized the three tapestries spread out along the other half of the bed, just as they had been when he came in last night.

“Nora.” His voice was husky with sleep. “Where have ye gone?”

To his surprise, she emerged out of the shadows near the carved storage chest. Fully dressed in a simple gray gown, she was tying back her curls. As she drew closer, he