Page 32 of A Wife for the Highland Villain (Breaking the Highland Rules #3)

The kiss deepened, and after a while, he pulled back and leaned into her ear. The stubble on his chin grazed her ear, and the feeling sent a shiver down her spine.

“Are ye all right?” he whispered.

“Aye.” Her voice was soft.

His lips grazed hers again, almost teasingly. “Are ye certain?”

“Aye,” Lily repeated in a whisper.

His fingers trailed down from her chest to the waistline of her nightdress. “And are ye still all right if I do this?”

She barely had time to register the question before his fingers touched her where she needed him the most. A wave of sharp and rather startling heat surged through her belly, causing her to arch against him.

A gasp escaped her lips as his lips grazed her ear again. “There it is.”

Her own hand moved down without thought. She fumbled with his trousers, feeling his length strain against the fabric. Then, she unfastened them and closed her fingers around him.

A guttural groan escaped his lips, and that was all the approval she needed. She stroked him, at first slowly, and then quickened her pace.

“Lily… stop.” His voice broke against her ear as he caught her wrist, his grip trembling, and pulled her hand away.

She looked up at him, noting the desperate plea in his eyes.

“If ye keep that up, I’ll—” He bit back the words and buried his face in her neck, stifling another groan.

A wicked smile crossed her face as she leaned in to resume the kiss. His hands were quicker this time around as he pulled the dress over her head. She should feel cold. She had nothing to protect her from the night except her skin. And his touch. Yet, the last thing she felt was the cold.

He laid her on the bed and settled on top of her, his length grazing her parted legs. The feeling made her heart pump even harder. He shifted between her legs, and she arched against him. However, he shook his head at the last minute.

“Nay,” he whispered, the struggle to maintain control evident in his voice. “Nae yet.”

He moved down until his head brushed her thighs. Then, before she could catch her breath, he took her in his mouth.

Her fingers twisted in the bedsheets as his tongue slid into her, swirling and pushing.

“Alasdair—” The sound broke in her throat, her voice raw as she struggled to form words.

He gave no response. Instead, he pressed his tongue harder against her. She could feel the pressure inside her start to build, and it grew even faster when he slid a few fingers inside her.

It was only a matter of time…

No. It was now. She would let go now.

Her cry filled the chamber as her body quaked against his mouth. He held down her thighs, and her hands twisted even harder in the bedsheets until her knuckles turned white.

Finally, he raised his head and looked up at her. His lips were glistening, and the look in his eyes was daunting. For some reason, he looked even more dangerous than he always had.

He climbed back beside her, dropping heavily onto the mattress, his chest heaving. She turned her head and saw his member still straining against his trousers, pulsing with need.

Her hand moved before thought caught up. She touched him again, slower this time, her fingers curling around his length.

He caught her hand once more. “Ye daenae have to,” he muttered, his voice harsh with restraint.

She leaned close, her lips brushing his ear. “I ken.”

Her hand stayed on him, stroking him until he released her wrist. Then, she slid down, her knees sinking into the mattress between his thighs. Her hand worked him at a slow rhythm before she bent forward and took him into her mouth.

The sound he made was raw, and his hand flew to her hair, holding her close. His body trembled as she moved over him, and she drew back almost immediately. She could hear him exhale when she looked up and started to stroke him before taking him again, the weight of his length filling her mouth.

He cursed low, his voice strained and his eyes locked on her. She looked up once, their gazes colliding, and his head dropped back. A smirk touched her lips as he shuddered beneath her hand.

Release came quick and sharp. She pulled back just enough, still stroking him as his body jerked with the force of his pleasure. His groan tore through the room, his muscles taut, until at last he sagged back into the pillows.

She wiped her hand on the sheet, then crawled back up beside him, resting her cheek on his chest. His arm closed around her instinctively, his breathing still uneven.

For the first time since she had arrived at the castle, she felt her body relax. Sleep found her fast; her last memory was the sound of his heartbeat beneath her ear.

When Lily woke up, the bed was empty.

The covers were pulled high to her neck, tucked neatly, and she knew it was Alasdair who had done it. She stared at the soft fold of the blanket for a long while, her throat tight.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door, before it opened. Daisy slipped inside, her expression soft.

“Ye’re awake,” she said, her arms wrapped tightly around a towel.

“Aye.” Lily pushed herself upright.

“Are ye feeling well?” Daisy asked, concern lacing her voice. “After what happened last night, nay one would think less of ye if ye chose to rest. The wounded soldiers can wait for a day.”

Lily’s heart skipped a beat. “What happened last night?”

Had the maid heard? Did she walk in on them when they were?—

“Ye ken, in the Great Hall.”

Oh.

Lily shook her head. “It is quite all right. I’ll be fine.”

Daisy studied her for a moment, then nodded. “Shall I draw ye a bath?”

“Aye, please.” Lily rose, tying the robe at her waist. “But first, I need to see the Laird.”

“He’s in his study,” Daisy said quietly.

Lily gave a brief nod. “Good. Then that is where I’ll go.”

Alasdair stared out his window, looking at nothing except the dull morning sky. He’d been in his study for the past five hours.

After leaving Lily’s chambers in the middle of the night, he couldn’t go back to sleep. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t will it to come. So he headed to the next best place that could properly use his focus.

His eyes returned to the parchment on the desk before him. He grabbed the quill one more time before letting out a long breath.

The door opened without a knock.

Lily stepped inside, her hair loose from sleep and her eyes sharper than the paper knife on his table. “Ye didnae have to leave like a visitor in the night.”

Alasdair froze, his quill hanging mid-air. Slowly, he set it down and looked at her.

“Ye are the one always proclaiming we are married,” she added, closing the door behind her. “And yet ye left me bed like it was nothing.”

He stood up, guilt pricking his chest. “I’m sorry. There was something I had to do.”

Her eyebrows rose in disbelief. “Something more important?”

“Aye,” he said. “I am arranging a carriage for ye this afternoon.”

She frowned. “A carriage? For what? Is someone sick elsewhere that I need to visit?”

He shook his head. “Nay. It will take ye back to yer village.”

For a moment, silence filled the study. Then, she let out a cold laugh. Alasdair looked at her, his eyes narrowed.

“Why do ye keep hiding things from me? If ye want me to do something for ye, ye can just tell me.”

Oh.

This was going to hurt more than he had imagined.

“Look, Alasdair, if I am to be the maither of yer heir?—”

“Ye’re nae,” he cut in, his voice rougher than he had intended.

Oh dear.

She blinked. Her chest rose and fell before she spoke again. “I ken I give ye a hard time?—”

He rose and crossed the room before she could finish. “Ye daenae understand. Ye’re nae staying here. ‘Tis nae an observation. ‘Tis an order. I’m sending ye back.”

He swallowed, forcing back the despair rising through him. But he refused to look away from her.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Wait, I’m confused. Ye tracked me down, dragged me back here, and convinced me to stay. Now, before I can even make up me mind, ye’re sending me away?”

He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “I had all night to think about it, Lily. I realized I never want to lose ye. I wouldnae survive it.”

She gave a nervous chuckle. “But I ken ye willnae let that happen. Ye said that yerself last night, did ye nae?”

“Aye,” he responded. “Anyone who dares come close to ye will meet the tip of me blade. But Lily…” He swallowed. “Ye’re too independent for me to be with ye all the time, and I cannae chain ye to me side.”

“So yer answer is to send me away?” she asked, her voice rising.

“I am trying to protect ye.”

“Oh, spare me that.” She moved closer, jabbing her finger at his chest. “Ye’re doing what ye always do—thinking I cannae handle things, believing the only way is to push me aside. Now, remind me, where have I seen this before?”

He clenched his jaw. “This isnae the same as ten years ago, Lily. I am nae?—”

“Nay,” she cut him off. “It isnae ten years ago. Ye daenae get to do the same thing to me twice. Ye cannae send me away without so much as an explanation.”

“Lily—”

“Ye cannae run from this.”

He stared at her, the pain rising in his throat. “Please, try to understand?—”

“Oh, I understand plenty.” Her voice broke, yet she jutted her chin. “Ye always leave. That’s what ye do, is it nae?”

The back of his throat burned, but it was clear she was nowhere near done.

“First, ye left yer clan to join me faither’s boat. Then, ye left me faither’s boat right after the ceremony. And now ye want me gone this time, just for a change. Is that it?”

“That is nae true?—”

“Ye ken, me maither used to say, when someone shows ye who they are, believe them the first time.”

His breath came heavy, his hands curling at his sides. “Ye have it wrong. I didnae leave me clan to join yer faither’s boat.”

“Alasdair, ye cannae just try to lie yer way out?—”

“I was sold.”

She froze.

Alasdair leaned against the desk. He might as well reveal the truth to her now.

“What?” Lily whispered.

Alasdair drew a deep breath, the weight of old shame pressing down on him. “When I was born, I was sickly. Nay one thought I would last a year. Me family decided I wasnae worth keeping, nae even as a spare heir to Jeremiah. So they gave me away.”

Her hand flew to her mouth, and she shook her head as if she was trying to clear it. “What are ye sayin’?”

“Aye,” he said, his voice rough. “Everyone turned their back on me. Everyone but me uncle. He was the only one who asked after me, the only one who remembered I existed. The night of our handfasting, I received word from him. He told me that Jeremiah was dead, that war was tearing the land apart, and that I had to return.”

Lily stepped closer, her eyes wide and her voice faint. “So ye left me because…”

“I never wanted to leave ye,” he croaked. “But it was me home, Lily. And if I was going to die, I wanted to die fighting for me clan. I didnae want ye to come with me because I wanted ye to live. I wanted ye to survive what I might nae.”

Her eyes glistened, but she held her chin high. “So ye left in the middle of the night because ye were ready to die, but didnae want me to?”

“Aye.” His voice cracked. “Ye didnae deserve to be dragged into that. They were me family, nae yers. And I could never forgive meself if ye had died for them.”

Her silence pressed heavier than her words.

He forced himself to finish. “I cannae imagine what will happen if ye stay. So this afternoon, ye will be leaving the castle.”