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She clung to him like he was the only solid thing in her world—because he was.

Her fingers tangled in his thick hair, holding him there, keeping him from slipping away.

Their mouths fused, and his kiss wasn’t careful, wasn’t controlled.

It was wild and desperate, like he’d been starving for her his whole life.

Fire streaked across her skin, but it was more than heat. It was the proof she’d been too afraid to see. Proof that this wasn’t just hunger. This wasn’t just lust. He kissed her like she mattered, like she was the only thing that mattered.

His knee parted hers, and his hands curved around her back, hauling her closer until she straddled his thigh, until there wasn’t an inch of space between them. His breath broke ragged across her lips as he groaned into her mouth, like just having her against him hurt .

God, she felt it—felt him. His need wasn’t polished or practiced. It was raw, messy, and real.

Broderick worked the laces of her bodice with rough, impatient fingers, like a man tearing down the last wall between them. And she couldn’t stop herself. Didn’t want to. She fumbled with his sporran, her hands unsteady from the terrifying realization sinking into her chest.

He wanted her. All of her. Not just her body—her fire, her fight, her heart.

As soon as he freed her bodice, he shoved her shift aside and took her breast into his mouth, his tongue teasing and tasting like he’d die if he didn’t have her. She cried out, arching into him, her breath stolen by the way he worshipped her with every desperate flick of his tongue.

This wasn’t about power or conquest. This was a man drowning in her. A man unraveling for her. And Davina shuddered at the power, the revelation, the freedom.

Her hands shook as she let the sporran fall and tugged at the laces of his breeches. She slipped her fingers beneath the fabric and wrapped her hand around him, hard and pulsing for her. Only for her.

Every inch of him was strong, unyielding, and utterly hers—and for the first time, she felt it, bone-deep and absolute. He wasn’t just taking her. He was giving himself away, piece by desperate piece. And she wanted every last bit of him.

“ Fuck , Blossom,” he groaned against her breast, the rough timbre of his voice vibrating through her.

White-hot pleasure rippled through her core, but it was more than heat—it was him. Him, claiming her, possessing her, aye, but also needing her with a desperation that struck straight to her heart.

Broderick rose smoothly to his feet, his strong hands circling her waist as if she were the most precious thing he’d ever held. He lifted her effortlessly, and for one breathless, reeling moment, she didn’t feel like a burden or an obligation—she felt wanted . Cherished. Needed.

Their frantic fingers shed the last barriers between them, fevered kisses stealing every ounce of doubt from her mind as they laid themselves bare, not just in body but in soul.

He gripped her thighs and hoisted her, his mouth devouring hers like she was his lifeline. Her arms locked around his shoulders, her legs around his waist, desperate to hold him close, to keep him tethered to her—or perhaps, to anchor herself to him.

The swollen head of his cock teased her slick entrance as he carried her toward the bed, and her body responded on instinct, bucking her hips in silent plea.

Lust twisted inside her, an unbearable ache to be filled by him .

To feel him inside her, filling her up, and she couldn’t stand to be anywhere else.

As if he’d heard the cry of her heart, Broderick thrusted deep in one claiming stroke, filling her so completely she gasped, clutching at his back as though she could pull him deeper still.

His hold on her never wavered, his strength so steady, so sure—as if he alone could carry the weight of all her fears. He moved her up and down his length with maddening control, forcing her to feel every inch of him .

This wasn’t just possession. This was devotion.

She was already undone. Already his. And if he walked away and crushed her soul, so be it.

He laid her down on the bed with reverence, spreading her wide as if she were a treasure he’d fought a lifetime to claim.

His gaze scorched over her body, the hunger of a man chasing the unattainable and finding it.

Wonder. As though he still couldn’t believe she was real beneath him, and she had no clue what she did to deserve this. To deserve him.

“God’s blood, ye feel like heaven,” he rasped.

He rocked into her with aching slowness, each stroke a confession, each breathless groan a vow. She felt it in the way he watched her, as if memorizing every part of her soul.

She didn’t dare ask him, “ Why me?” Didn’t dare spoil the moment. “Even if this is only for tonight, I’ll enjoy this while I can, savor it until my last dying breath.”

“Och, Davina.” His voice filled her mind. “ One night was ne’er enough. I cannae get enough o’ ye, lass. Nay matter how hard I tried tae forget ye. Ye’ve haunted my soul since I had my first taste of ye, and I dinnae think I’ll ever get my fill.”

His pace quickened, driving deeper, and she met him thrust for thrust, her heart swelling with a wild, fierce joy she’d never dared to imagine.

She wasn’t just feeling possessed by him.

Through that mental bond, that intimate pathway between their spirits, she felt his driving need, and God help her, the depth of his heart.

This was what she craved. Not just the physical, but him. All of him. The man beneath the hunger, the soul beneath the fire.

Her hands raked down his back, and she met him with every ounce of her being, her body shuddering as her climax tore through her like a storm, leaving her wrecked and remade all at once.

Moments later, Broderick followed her over the edge, his shout of her name muffled against her throat as he poured himself into her, as if giving her not just his body but every piece of his battered, beautiful soul.

When he finally lifted his head, her heart swelled at the sight of the softened smile playing at the edges of his lips. He brushed a damp strand of hair from her face, his roughened thumb lingering against her cheek.

“How are ye feelin’?” His voice was a husky caress, still thick with satisfaction.

Davina returned his smile, her palm resting against the rasp of stubble on his cheek. “I’m wonderful.”

That irresistible dimple creased his cheek as his grin deepened. “God’s blood, yer beautiful.”

He kissed her deeply, stealing her breath, then rolled to his side, taking her with him, tucking her securely against him before drawing the covers over them .

Davina snuggled in, savoring the heat of his body. She threw her thigh over his, and he groaned, a low rumble of pleasure.

“Och, woman,” he grunted, the gravel in his voice deliciously rough.

Davina laughed softly against him, her breath teasing his skin, and let her fingers lazily play with the soft auburn hair dusting his chest. After several lingering moments, she lifted her head and rested her chin atop her hand to study him.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye before a slow, wicked smile curved his lips. “What?”

She grinned. “Do you know how often I’ve daydreamed about moments like this with you?”

“Ha! See? I knew ye couldnae stop thinkin’ about me.” His grin deepened, smug and teasing.

She pinched his nipple in playful retaliation.

“Och, now, woman!” His palm landed on her bare bottom with a smart swat, and she yelped. But then he smoothed his hand over her backside, his touch gentle, caressing away the sting. “Nay harm in admittin’ it.”

“You’re a conceited arse,” she laughed, shaking her head.

That deep, velvety laughter rolled against her, warming her from the inside out. She shifted, her hips angling instinctively as a fluttering ache coiled low in her belly. The brush of her thigh against his semi-hard cock drew a guttural groan from him.

Broderick’s hand flattened against the small of her back, one finger curling to caress her tailbone with slow, deliberate circles. With a soft sigh, she arched her bottom to meet him, inviting his growing hunger. A growl fluttered up his throat in answer.

“I guess I’m not done with ye yet,” he rumbled, hooking his hand behind her knee and pulling her onto his lap.

Her eyes widened at the undeniable hardness pressing against her slick folds. Bracing her palms on his chest, she lifted herself and slid her wet slit along the thick length of him, rocking her hips in a teasing rhythm.

Broderick’s eyes darkened to molten green as he caught her by the waist and lifted her higher. She grasped his shaft, guiding the broad head of his cock to her entrance. He helped her lower onto him, inch by aching inch, until she took him fully inside again.

“God’s blood,” he moaned, his hands gripping her hips. “Ye’ve ruined me, woman. Every time I touch ye, I only want more.”

Davina dropped her head back, riding him with abandon, her breath coming in shallow gasps. His deep, raw voice filled the chamber, wrapping around her soul like a dark spell, fending off the dread that coiled at the edges of her heart.

This night felt too perfect, too fragile—but for now, she would lose herself in him, in the storm of pleasure only he could summon.