She raised her head, and he waited for her to object. After all, he’d promised to save her from scandal, and the servants were due to prepare Ugolino’s chamber for the night and clear away the last of the dinner.
But she threaded her hands through Fergus’s hair, and after a charged second of studying him with those fathomless black eyes, she drew his head down.
All night he’d simmered, half-afraid to look at her, in case he revealed the volcano of desire threatening to erupt inside him. He’d wanted to seize her in his arms and devour her in one bite.
But at the seeking touch of her lips, sweetness tempered his urgency, and he sipped from her as if tasting honey. Tiny kisses that teased her, until she slumped against the door.
He wasn’t feeling too steady himself. One hand settled on her slender waist, the other cupped her jaw, holding her still for more kisses.
She made a smothered sound of encouragement. He lifted away just far enough to speak. “Whisht,” he whispered. “They’ll hear us.”
He nipped at her lower lip. This time, when he kissed her, passion flared and threatened to snap the bonds of discretion. He pressed into that slender body and felt her tremble against him.
Hot darkness rose to overwhelm him, and he struggled to summon the strength to pull away. He closed his eyes and buried his face in the curve of her neck. She smelled like lilies. She smelled like a woman on the verge of surrender.
With a stifled groan, he released her and placed his hands flat against the wall on either side of her head. He gasped for breath and stared down into her unforgettable face.
Marina looked dazed and needy. She leaned against the door, as if she didn’t trust her knees to support her. Desire jolted him as he took in her boneless abandon. She didn’t look at all like the defiant woman he’d met on the road a few days ago. Heavy eyelids drooped over eyes alight with frustrated longing.
“Let me into your room, lassie,” he groaned under his breath.
The pause before she spoke made him hope. Then she gave a small shake of her dark head. “My father is in the next bedroom. I can’t. You know I can’t.”
He bit back another groan. Aye, he knew, but that didn’t make the denial any easier to bear. “Let me in for five minutes, so I can kiss ye properly.”
“You’re a wicked man, Fergus Mackinnon.”
“I’d like the chance to be.”
“You know what will happen if I let you inside my bedroom.”
Aye, he did. She’d end up taking him inside her body. He could hardly wait. He jutted forward until his cock pressed into her belly. It was a blatant demand. He watched her eyes turn glassy and her lips part. He couldn’t resist kissing her again, although every second in this corridor heightened the chance of discovery.
The kiss lasted a mere second, then she pulled free. “Stop it,” she said, although she softened her rebuke with a breathtaking caress along his jaw.
With a quick twist of his head, he kissed her fingers before she lifted them away. “Let me in, Marina.”
When she shook her head, he strove to find comfort in her unconcealed regret.
“No.” As he tilted in again, her hand covered his lips. “Don’t kiss me again. It just gets me all stirred up for nothing.”
“It doesn’t have to be for nothing,” he whispered against her fingers.
She sent him an unimpressed look, as she lowered her hand. With every moment, the melting creature with the sultry eyes was less in evidence. “I’m not giving myself to you when my father is sleeping a few feet away.”
That sounded encouraging. “So when will you give yourself to me?”
“I’m not sure I will yet.”
This time he couldn’t stifle his groan. She giggled, then pressed her hand to her lips and looked horrified. “Papa will hear us.”
“Then come to my rooms.”
“Where do you sleep?”
She hadn’t said no. Did he have a chance? He knew it was reckless to seduce her in the castle. But he’d never been so mad for a woman. “In the south tower. Nobody will disturb us there.”
“Fergus, you know it’s impossible.”