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“You are arrogant and conceited.” Her voice held no true conviction.

He chuckled, low and dangerous. “Aye, but I’m right.”

Finally, he claimed her.

His lips brushed hers, soft at first, teasing her defenses. A shiver rippled through her, and her lips yielded, parting beneath his with a sigh that whispered of surrender. That was all the invitation he needed. The kiss deepened, his mouth slanting overhers with a hunger he could no longer leash. His tongue swept the seam of her lips, coaxing her open, and when she yielded, his groan rumbled from deep in his chest, raw and unrestrained.

Davina kissed him back, but there was resistance, a tension that told him she wasn’t fully letting go. She kissed him because she wanted to, but she held a piece of herself back. That only made him more determined. He pressed his thumb beneath her jaw, angling her head to deepen the kiss, his other hand smoothing down her back to settle firmly on her sweet bottom. She was soft and warm against him, her body a perfect fit to his, and he wanted to lose himself in her completely.

She broke the kiss suddenly, her hands flattening against his chest as she tried to create space between them. “This doesn’t mean anything,” she murmured, her voice shaky, her lips swollen and glistening in the firelight from his kiss.

Broderick chuckled darkly, his thumb grazing her lower lip. “Lass, ye keep telling yerself that. But we both ken the truth.”

Her eyes flashed with defiance, her jaw tightening as she twisted out of his arms and strode toward the nursery door. But with his immortal speed, he caught her wrist and spun her back into his embrace. His hand slid to her waist, then higher, splaying across her back as he crushed her to him. His lips found the sensitive curve of her neck, and she gasped, her hands slackening as her fingers threaded into his hair.

She moaned as he nipped lightly at her skin, enough to make her shiver, before he soothed the spot with a languid sweep of his tongue. Her body arched against him, her head tilting back to give him better access, her breath catching with every teasing graze of his teeth.

His knee nudged between her thighs, and Davina released a soft moan as his lips traced down her throat, his tongueexploring the delicate hollow at its base. He groaned low as she instinctively ground her hip against his rigid length.Sweet Christ…She was intoxicating—her scent, her warmth, the soft, helpless sounds she made when she forgot to resist.

He fisted her hair and claimed her mouth with a bruising kiss. She opened to him, whimpering, her tongue tangling with his in a heated duel.

Her hands tugged at the neckline of her nightdress, baring the swell of her breast, stopping just shy of revealing the tight peak. The fabric strained between her fingers, and Broderick’s mouth found the tender flesh, his palm cupping her fully. He nibbled at her peak through the thin linen, and she groaned, arching into his touch. “Broderick, please,” she rasped.

With a tug, he tore the delicate garment open from neck to hem. The chemise fluttered to the floor, pooling by the nursery door. Her gasp of shock thrilled him, but it vanished into a cry of pleasure as he sucked her nipple into his mouth, her fingers raking through his hair in a desperate grip, the tug on his scalp a delicious spark to his already burning desire.

His hands swept down her silken back, rough palms caressing every curve until they claimed her ass. With a firm grip, he hauled her from the floor, her thighs locking around his waist instinctively. Her arms looped around his neck, and she nibbled at his lips, tasting him, teasing him, as he carried her to the bed.

The mattress dipped beneath their weight as he knelt, laying her gently onto her back. His mouth broke from hers, but his hands never ceased their exploration. Callused fingers skimmed over the softness of her skin, mapping her as though he intended never to forget a single inch. Her breasts filled his palms perfectly, nipples pebbling under his touch, and he couldn’t resist teasing them with the rough drag of his thumbs.

She arched beneath him, a breathy gasp escaping her lips. He followed her reaction like a hunter scenting blood, trailing kisses down her throat, over the elegant line of her collarbone, until he replaced his hand with the hot seal of his mouth. He drew one taut peak between his lips, suckling deeply.

Davina panted, her hands clutching at his shoulders, her grip fierce as if to anchor herself against the storm of sensation. He lavished her with attention, swirling his tongue over her sensitive flesh, grazing her lightly with his teeth until she gasped his name. Her nails bit into his skin, a delicious sting that only stoked his hunger.

Broderick loomed over her, his gaze devouring the sight of her flushed skin, her chest heaving with desperate breaths, her legs tight around him as though she fought for control she no longer possessed. His hands slid down her thighs, parting them with reverence and purpose, until his fingers found the slick heat between them.

God’s blood, she was soaked for him.

Davina’s soft cry trembled in the air as her hips lifted to meet his hand, but he denied her the satisfaction, teasing her with feather-light caresses along her folds, tangling in the soft curls framing her heat. She whimpered, her eyes dark with desire as they locked onto his.

He arched a brow, his lips curling into a wicked grin. “Go on, Blossom. Tell me ye dinnae want this.”

She turned her face away, her jaw tight, though her body told a different tale.

A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. He pressed his thumb to her clit, circling slowly. “Say it, Davina,” he coaxed, voice like gravel.

Her eyes fluttered closed, a moan slipping free.

“Admit it,” he whispered, his hand slipping away to knead her arse, his palm molding to her flesh. “Ye cannae say ye’re not beggin’ fer me tae fill ye.”

He flicked her clit with wicked precision, and she groaned deep in her throat, hips rising in silent plea.

“Tae touch ye,” he rasped, his hunger coiling tight inside him, poised on the edge of surrender.

She gyrated her hips, desperate for more contact, seeking the full press of his fingers. Her arousal slicked her skin, wet to the tight ring of her rear, where Broderick’s touch lingered with gentle persuasion. He stroked there, coaxing her to yield, and when he dipped his finger inside, Davina gasped and drove against him.

“Oh, God! Oh, Broderick, please!”

A low, wicked chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Tell me ye want this, Blossom, or I’ll—”