Page 21 of Savage Kilted Highlander (Temptation in Tartan #9)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

C onstance lay in Bane’s arms as he kissed her, their breaths mingling into one. She closed her eyes as their lips collided, savouring the taste of him, Slowly, delicately, they explored each other’s lips and mouths, their tongues entwining with an eroticism she had no idea she possessed and would once have thought sinful. Now she had no such thoughts.

Bane’s arms held her waist, pressing her against him, and she was startled to feel the hardness in the front of his trews pressing against her, not understanding what it meant. However, that did not trouble her, because the feel of him spurred her on in her own passion. She cleaved to him, pressing her hips and breasts against him as their kisses deepened, emboldened by his evident hunger for her. He made her feel beautiful, desirable, and she wanted to give him everything and take everything he had to give.

Sliding her hands over his chest, she shivered to feel the soft, springy dark hair covering it. She became more daring,

“I wantae see more of you, Bane,” she whispered, reaching down and tugging at his waistband.

“I think that can be arranged,” he replied, deftly undoing the fastenings of his trews with a wolfish smile that encouraged her to take what liberties she fancied with his body. Keeping her pinned to him with one hand, he used the other to wriggle out of his trews. He lay back and laughed as Constance stared down at his naked body with an expression of amazement, especially when her eyes alighted on his erection. “See anythin’ ye like, me English lassie?” he teased.

“E-everything,” she breathed, running her fingertips down his belly, her eyes wide with mounting excitement. “I can I finally explore you. I admit, I have secretly wished to do so for some time.”

“Is that so?” he asked, quirking a dark brow. “Well, I’ve been dreamin’ of gettin’ me hands on ye fer some time as well.”

“I never suspected it… until you kissed my birthmark,” she replied.

“Ach, I gave mesel’ away then, eh? I just could nae help mesel’,” he admitted ruefully.

“Yes, you sort of did. But I did not mind at all.” Relishing the freedom to touch him, she allowed her fingers to wander through his thick, sandy locks, down his brawny neck, then across his broad shoulders and arms and the corded muscles that flexed beneath. Intoxicated by the power and strength he exuded, her breath quickened as she marvelled at his sheer magnificence. “You are very handsome, Bane. I never knew a man could be so… amazing.”

On an impulse, she lifted her skirts and straddled him, whereupon he groaned and pulled her into him again, cradling her head, his kisses growing fiercer, more demanding. She returned his passion, holding his head between her hands, kissing him deeply, not holding back.

“Oh, Bane, you feel so good. Is… is a man always hard like that?” she asked, genuinely curious as she rubbed against his erection and sighed with pleasure.

“Nay, only when ye’re near me. Ye get me excited.”

“I-I do this to you?” She was both delighted and amazed at her unsuspected power.

“Aye, Miss Constance, ye and yer sheltered upbringin’. Ye’ve brought me tae me knees. I cannae fight ye off,” he told her, nuzzling her lips with his with growing ardour.

Constance pressed her hot flesh against his hardness, and his groans of pleasure only made the flames of her passion burn higher. She arched her back and moaned as he transferred his lips to her neck, trailing hot kisses and tiny, teasing bites down to the neckline of her dress.

Bane pulled down the front of her dress and liberated her breasts. She gasped in pleasure as he cupped her already stiffened peaks in his large hands, rolling and squeezing them, his mouth growing urgent as he feasted on them hungrily, driving Constance to the edge of delirium with undreamed of sensations of pleasure.

Wanting more of him, desperate for him to satisfy the burning need between her thighs, she lifted her arms so he could pull her dress and shift over her head. Seeing her naked, he gave a deep groan of appreciation, flinging aside her clothes heedlessly, resuming his toying with her breasts and running his large rough hands all over her soft skin.

Their lips locked in an endless passionate kiss, while Constance tore at her petticoat, pushing it frantically down her legs until she was naked but for her garters and stockings. The low groan in Bane’s throat and the hungry look in his eyes as he drank her in emboldened her further.

“I want you so much, Bane. I want you to show me, teach me, I need to feel your hands on me,” she breathed, overwhelmed by a powerful desire coming from within her.

“I want ye too, Constance, so much ye wouldnae believe,” he murmured huskily, pressing her naked breasts to his face so he could kiss and tantalize them with his tongue and teeth in ways that made her moan and thrash her head from side to side.

He suddenly rolled over, so he was laying on top of her, pinning her to the blanket, his kisses becoming more forceful and passionate by the moment. He levered himself over her, leaning on his forearm as he trailed his free hand down her body, leaving a burning trail it its wake.

She gasped in shock when she felt his fingers parting her legs, stroking her inflamed flesh and rubbing at the now throbbing, sensitive bud at the head of her sex.

“Am I hurtin’ ye?” he asked, stopping what he was doing and looking down at her worriedly.

“No! Please, don’t stop!” she panted, feeling hot moisture pooling where he touched her.

She moaned, convulsively thrusting her hips upwards to receive his caresses all the better, moving rhythmically against his questing fingers in a way that felt totally natural. Thrills ran up and down her entire body as his fingers caressed her entrance. “More,” she begged, opening her legs wider to admit him.

“More, is it? Not such a proper English miss now, are ye?” He grinned at her as he toyed with her body, sending deep tremors coursing through her, seeming to know exactly what would give her the most pleasure.

“No, I am thoroughly ashamed of myself,” she admitted, twining her fingers in his hair and running her palms over the smooth skin of his shoulders as his sensuous explorations below continued. “But I blame you for leading me into such forbidden ways.”

“Mmm, and now I’m gonnae lead ye even further astray,” he told her, grinning as he slithered down her body and gripped her thighs, parting them and resting her calves on his shoulders while she lay scandalously exposed before his gaze, shocked at herself because she was enjoying every moment.

She let out a little scream when he buried his face between her legs, prising her open with his fingers, his hot, flickering tongue exploring her delicate folds, drinking from her as though to sate his thirst. “Mmm, ye taste so good,” he murmured, flashing her a heated glance as she looked down at him in wonder, amazed at what he was doing to her. The look of enjoyment on his handsome face told her that he was revelling in caressing her moist folds. She moaned his name loudly as he strummed her rosebud with his thumb and then kissed and sucked it to a stiff peak.

The sensations coursing through her were so powerful and bewitching, Constance could only cling to him, mewling and writhing helplessly beneath his intimate touch, her need for him growing ever more urgent. This was all a revelation to her, she had never dreamed of doing anything like this with a man, of feeling anything like this. She did not know what else was in store for her, so when Bane’s thick fingers entered her and delved gently inside her, she was completely unprepared for the rapturous pleasure that shot through her. She only knew she wanted more of him.

Soon, as he continued his caresses, the pleasure began to coalesce into powerful waves that gripped her as they rose up from between her legs until it was almost too much to bear. “Oh, yes, yes, Bane, I never guessed it could be like this!” she cried out, her fingers tightening on his hair, her entire body shuddering as she reaching an intoxicating peak such as she had never suspected was possible.

When her climax subsided, he rose up and rolled them over on their sides, so they were face to face. He held her close around her waist, kissing and caressing her face, pushing her long hair from her forehead and looking deeply into her eyes. She tasted her own juices on his lips with a sense of wonder. “Ye dinnae ken how beautiful ye are, Constance,” he told her, his voice soft and deep. “Ye cannae imagine how good it feels tae touch ye at last.”

“I think I can,” she contradicted him. Resting in his arms in a state of exquisite happiness, she smiled and kissed his lips, her fingers trailing across his stubbled chin. She was slightly puzzled because she could still feel his erection jutting into her, just as hard as before. Even though she had just experienced her first sexual climax, the yearning between her legs had not abated but was rather growing more intense. She craved more of him, and she knew he was still excited. An intention crystallized in her mind that would not allow her to end things there.

Emboldened by their intimacy and a feeling of joyful liberation from the old rules that had governed her body, she pressed her belly against his erection and wriggled, enjoying the way his eyes suddenly widened. “But what about you, Bane? Is there not something I can do for you so that you can share in my pleasure?” she asked, surprised by her teasing, coquettish tone as she looked into his beautiful hazel eyes.

“Dinnae worry about me, Constance. I’m as happy as a lamb in spring.”

He certainly looked happier than she had ever seen him. Smiling, his face relaxed, he looked appealingly boyish. But she was not about to give up her intention.

“But why?” she asked, disappointed.

“Because if we go any further then that’ll mean I’ll be taking yer maidenhood, and I dinnae wantae do that. Ye’ve told me many a time how precious yer reputation is as a lady. I dinnae wantae ruin that fer ye. This way, when ye marry, ye’ll still be a maid,” he patiently explained.

“I am not planning on marring anyone,” she said, noticing the glimmer of sadness in his eyes as he spoke.

“That’s nae what yer stepfaither says. Who is this earl he wants ye tae marry?” he asked, his dark brows beetling.

“He is the reason I ran away. And I have already told you, I am not going back to England whatever Lord Ashbourne wants. I… I don’t want to be anywhere without you.”

He regarded her sadly. “It’ll break me heart tae loose ye, Constance, but yer faither too is nae gonnae take kindly tae his daughter consortin’ with a lowly blacksmith. He’ll be lookin’ fer a suitable husband fer ye as well before long, someone rich and powerful like him.”

“But that is even more reason why I want you to take me, Bane. It is the only way to take control of my own life and future. I do not want to be a pawn in their games any longer. I refuse to! My stepfather will always see me as a means to an end. But I want to choose the man I give myself to, and I want that man to be you.”

He still looked uncertain. “Are ye sure, Constance?” He said, cupping her face tenderly. “Once ’tis done, there’s nay goin’ back.”

She kissed his lips and murmured, “I choose you, Bane, and I do not wish ever to go back.”

“Then yer wish is me command, me lady,” he whispered back, his mouth descending hungrily upon her lips. Constance answered him with all the unleashed power of her womanly desire, her passion enflamed by the feel of his rock-hard manhood hard pressed against her. He seized her thigh and pulled it up to his waist, opening her wide and positioning himself to enter her. “This might hurt a little at first,” he told her.

Constance did not care, she only knew she hungered for him, and when he slid his whole length inside her, she gasped and clutched at him in a daze of intense pleasure, happy to be full to the brim with the man she knew she had fallen in love with. He was careful and slow in the beginning but when he sensed her tension subsiding, he turned up his speed. She revelled in each thrust, meeting each one with her hips to intensify the pleasurable sensation of him going deeper and deeper inside her. They frantically clutched at each other, kissing, nipping and nuzzling at any bare flesh in reach. Bane’s pace increased further, filling her, stoking the fire within her with each low groan that came from his lips.

Faster they went, and before long, the blissful sensations lifted her to a peak of irresistible, maddening intensity. Constance shuddered in ecstasy against him, and a few moments later, felt him reach his climax too, his hot seed spilling inside her. She held him as they panted to catch their breaths, smiling to herself, infused with a sense of contentment and security she had never felt before and knew that only he could give her.

In the afterglow of their lovemaking, they snuggled together beneath the blankets by the fire. She loved the sensation of having Bane’s strong arm about her and being able to rest her head on his chest, listening to his heart beating solidly beneath her ear.

“Tell me more about this earl yer stepfaither wants ye tae wed,” Bane asked, his nose buried in her hair close to her ear.

Constance sighed. “He is the Earl of Belton. He is very rich and has many connections at the royal court, which is why my stepfather is so bent on me marrying him. It would bring him more riches and more power. But he is old enough to be my grandfather and repulsive as well. He looks at me as though I were a piece of meat, ugh!” She shuddered to recall it.

“And did ye nae have any choice in the matter?”

“Of course not. I am no more to them than a prize cow. I had to sit there and listen to them decide my fate between them. They had planned the wedding should take place in six weeks’ time. Until then, I had been putting off going to find my father and Agnes, not knowing how to escape from my stepfather without being caught and punished.

“But when I heard their plans, I knew I had to get away as quickly as I could. The thought of that horrible man laying a hand on me made me feel sick. I left that night, but I could never have done it without help from Henry and Amelia.”

He hugged her. “I’m grateful tae them both. Without them, I would never have found ye, and kidnapped ye.”

She stroked his cheek lovingly. “I never imagined saying this, but I am so glad you did!”

“And ye can forget all about this earl now.”

“Thanks to you, Bane, I am of no use to them now. I am ruined, and I could not be happier about it!”

“Me too,” he agreed, kissing her hair. “But ’tis nae gonnae be plain sailin’ when we reach the castle, Constance. There’s still yer faither tae deal with.”

“Hmm, I am all too aware of that. I am still very uncertain about meeting him. I am worried that he might try to separate us, and I do not want that. I’m afraid he may not be the good person I had imagined him to be, given he has imprisoned your brother for seemingly no reason.”

“We should reach the castle tomorrow sometime, so it willnae be long before we find out. I’m worried as well. I dinnae want tae be parted from ye, Constance.”

Constance sighed against him, feeling the pull of her uncertainty. She was desperate to see Agnes. But her father? That was altogether something different, and she was really not looking forward to the meeting as she once had. “Yes. It will not be long before we find out.”