My next words I would question for the days to come. That didn’t stop them from leaving my mouth as I leveled my wanting stare at him. “Why don’t you?” I felt the pull too, especially when we were close. It had only gotten stronger since the weird tattoo showed up.
Though I’d been on the verge of tears when we’d almost had sex, that had been more about my choice being taken away from me. Which explained why I was pissed off when he hadn’t bedded me, and the choice became mine again.
“Ye cannae say things like that. I’m barely hanging on to my control as it is. Hundreds of years I’ve waited. And here you are in that tiny dress. The fabric would not hold up against my hands from my want to taste you.”
“Kiss me,” I begged. His pupils seemed to grow darker with a faint glow. I went on, near breathless with desire. “You ruined my first one. Do a better job this time.”
“Ruined?”
I waved a hand. “Kiss the bride and all that.”
As he spoke, he stalked forward, and I moved back, step for step, until my palms and then my back met the wall.
“I wanted ye then, and I wouldn’t have been able to stop from having you if I’d kissed ye,” he said, pressing into me as his forehead met mine. “I want ye now.”
“I want you, too,” I admitted.
“Ye’re still innocent. I cannae risk binding us to an eternity together. But I need to have ye.” His mouth covered mine in a scorching kiss. His tongue penetrated my lips like a man on a mission. I didn’t know what to do but followed his lead, letting my tongue slide over his, tasting him. “More.” His word was edged with a growl. Then he dropped to his knees and pressed his face against my center. “I need to taste ye, lass.”
He could have called me anything at that point as I squirmed from my own wanting. “Do it,” I said, feeling like I would combust if he didn’t sate my need.
His fingers dug into my hips as he gathered fabric. It rose too damn slowly as a desire I’d never known filled me to the brink of insanity.
Both of our breathing was rough. So much so, I felt his breath on my mound as it was revealed to him. He glanced up at me as if begging for permission. I couldn’t speak and took a hold of his head and pulled it toward my pleasure center.
He kissed my mound like he did my mouth, his tongue dipping just enough inside me, I thought I’d burst. He shifted my legs over his shoulders as if knowing I’d become weak-kneed. I dug my fingers into his scalp and ground myself against his face. It didn’t take long before I exploded with sensations so great, they stole my breath. I cried out my release and he didn’t stop feasting on me until I panted from the sheer force of it.
All too soon, he set me down as if I was made of porcelain. Then without looking at me, he got to his feet. An impressive bulge filled his pants, and I was very aware I’d gotten my fill, but he hadn’t.
His retreat was so swift, I felt the breeze of it.
“Wait,” I called after him.
He didn’t stop, and I ran to chase after him. Only he wasn’t in the stairwell when I made it there. I hustled down and got off at the first landing. This was his level, one higher than mine. He wasn’t in the hallway. The man moved fast. I made it to his room door and went inside. He wasn’t there either.
“Fiona,” I cried out, but she didn’t come.
I flung myself on his bed, certain he’d be back at some point. Then there was nothing to do but resolve all my feelings. I wasn’t in love with the man. We barely knew each other. But I cared for him. Cared that he’d given me much and taken little. Which said a lot about him and confirmed what his friend had said. Duncan was a good man, even when he didn’t act like it. And there was most definitely a connection between us.
A lot had happened. How many hours had it been for me? Traveling across time didn’t count, as it had felt like a millisecond each time. I was tired and hungry, but sleep won as I waited.
I awoke to a hand snaking up and over my hip to grab my breast. I covered it and said, “Wait. We should talk first.” It was important for me to understand what was going on. Was this magic that created the brand on my arm using us against our will? I needed to know if the wanting was something that would be there without it.