Page 21 of Taken by the Heartless Highlander (Falling for Highland Villains #2)

CHAPTER 21

Noah watched the white figure dive beneath the water and felt a variety of emotions warring within him.

On the one hand, he was annoyed at her recklessness given her situation, but he was also impressed by how bold she was, how independent.

He was hard as stone in his trews again. He had been aroused ever since he had watched her strip off her dress. The wind had picked up, even as he watched, tightening her white undergown against her body and showing him every inch of her perfect form.

When Daisy had told him Keira had left the castle to gather herbs, he had followed her as quickly as he was able. He had been determined to forbid her from leaving the castle grounds for her own safety. Now he couldn’t think of anything but joining her in the water.

He stood up from his crouched position where he had been observing her, glancing down the path to ensure they were not seen by anyone, and walked to the bank. Keira was swimming away from him with long, elegant strokes, and did not notice his approach.

He pulled his léine from his body, throwing it carelessly to the ground, and kicked off his boots. He walked down to the edge of the water, his kilt still fastened at his waist as he waded out to meet her.

For a little while, she had no idea he was there until she spun in the water and lay on her back. His shape must have caught her eye because she righted herself abruptly and floundered backwards, gasping in surprise.

He took her body in his arms to steady her as she caught her breath, looking at him angrily. He had been right; her eyelashes looked beautiful covered in droplets of water, just as he had known they would.

Her black hair trailed in the loch behind her, framing her face. The water ran over her cheekbones, making his heart beat faster in his chest.

“Ye cannae just disappear, lass,” he said sternly, treading water beside her. Her body immediately molded against his to keep from going under. “Ye are me responsibility, and it isnae safe?—"

“And sneakin’ up on a woman whilst she is swimmin’ is alright, is it?” she asked, giving him an irritated look.

“Aye. I own this loch, ye are trespassin’,” he replied. “Ye’d best climb out of this water and get yerself home.”

“Is this an order, me laird?” she whispered.

Yes.

“It is for yer own good, lass,” he said, feeling the folds of her undergown brush against him in the water.

“So I must ask yer permission before I do anythin’, is that it?”

He finally lost the battle with himself as his arms encircled her waist, holding her close to him. He loved the sound of her gasp of shock as her hands came to rest against his forearms, as he kept them both afloat.

“Exactly, lass,” he said firmly, “ye must ask nicely and always follow me orders to the letter.” His voice was a low rumble as he added, “Or I will punish ye and see how much ye like it.”

She was panting in his arms as he kicked his legs more assuredly toward the bank. Her beautiful face, slick with water, the droplets dripping over her full mouth, was a sinful temptation he could barely resist any longer.

Slowly, as they swam through the water, the ripples lapping around them, he moved a hand up her back toward her neck. She did not protest, looking at him with the same need that raged within him.

He moved his hand to her neck, pulling her slowly forward, rubbing his cheek against her jawline as she trembled. A low moan fell from her as he caught a droplet that was running down her neck with his tongue. Her head fell back on a groan of pleasure, as he felt her surrender to him.

“We shouldnae…” she breathed, but her body was leaning into him even as she spoke.

His hands shifted, lifting her higher against him in the water as they approached the bank of the loch. The uneven earth allowed him to position her slightly above him, the water shallow enough for him to stand, feeling the peaty soil between his toes.

“Ye have strayed from me castle, lass,” he said, his lips brushing her neck, “and ye must face the consequences.”

Keira melted into his arms at his words, and he felt himself harden further at the lust and need in her eyes.

“Will ye take yer punishment, lass, or will ye fight me?” he asked as her fingers smoothed over his shoulders, gentling over his bandaged arm, as they circled around his neck.

“What will ye do to me?” she asked in a whisper, almost as though the question had been forced from her against her will.

Noah pushed himself against her, his hands moving down her waist, over her thighs. He lifted them so she had to latch her legs around his body, and she moaned as he rocked his hard length against the join of her legs.

Her head fell back, and he could not help running his tongue over that bronzed skin as she gripped him even tighter. Her own hips pushed against him, the friction he so desperately needed almost bringing him to the edge.

“Ye will take what I give ye, lass, and ye’ll beg me for it,” he growled.

“What if I fight ye,” she whispered, “what if I daenae let ye touch me?”

He thrust his hips more forcefully against her, just to hear her cry out for him.

“Was it nae ye who begged me to take ye?” he asked, kissing up her neck, searching for her mouth. “Take me as yer mistress, ye said to me, and ye wanted me to have ye right there, standin’ helpless against the wall, lettin’ me do whatever I wanted with ye.”

She shuddered, her nails digging into his back, low moans falling from her lips as he scraped his teeth against her neck.

“I would have done it, too. I would have taken ye just to hear ye moan me name. Feelin’ yer heat. Touchin’ yer skin.”

He kissed his way along her jaw until he finally took her lips with his own. He shoved her forcefully into the bank of the loch so that she was pinned between it and his body.

She was higher than him on the bank, her mouth urgent, her body slick and smooth. She rubbed against him as their tongues tangled with one another, her groans mingling with his as he took what he wanted from her.

His hand tangled in her hair, and pulled hard against the roots. He wrenched her mouth from his and forced her to look at him. She panted above him, her eyes a storm cloud of need as she mimicked his hold on his hair and pulled down just as hard.

“Ye are a witch indeed,” he muttered, rocking his hips against her, watching as her eyes closed with pleasure. “What should I do with ye, I wonder. What might teach ye a lesson?” he asked as she trembled, the last rays of the sun beating down on them.

She was silhouetted against a crimson sky, her body perfect above his, the most stunning sight he had ever seen.

She let out a startled cry as he dropped her back down into the water and brought his hand up to the neck of her undergarments. He pulled it down, exposing her breast, and latching his mouth onto the peak of it without a moment’s thought.

“Ah! Ye shouldnae—” but her hand was pushing his head against her, her chest coming up to meet him as he licked at the stiff peak and sucked it into his mouth over and over.

He let go only to look up at her, using all his strength to throw her up and onto the bank. She gasped in shock as she fell against it, her legs splayed wide, almost exposing her, staring down at him in surprise.

Noah pulled himself from the water, waves cascading off him and onto her waiting body as he lay on top of her, rutting against her as she cried out for more.

He pinned her hands above her head as the other moved between her legs, pulling the fabric of her dress up to her hips until he finally felt the hot mound of her flesh between his fingers.

“Do ye wish me to stop?” he asked, rubbing his finger slowly against her.

“Nay, dinnae ye dare,” she said as he finally sank a finger slowly inside of her, the wet, tight heat making him groan as he lowered his mouth to her breast, sucking on it even as he pushed his finger more forcibly inside her body, making her cry out with pleasure.

“Am I hurtin’ ye?” he asked.

“Nay, nay, keep goin’. I cannae stand it; it feels so good.”

He had never been so aroused in his life. He could barely hold back from claiming her as he wanted. He pushed his finger into her more deeply as she began to rock her hips against him. Her hands, still pinned above her head, were clenching and unclenching against the grass of the bank. A full-body shudder ran through her as she groaned, tightening around his fingers.

“Can ye take another?” he asked. She looked down at him, surprise on her face as she contemplated that new idea. “Ye tell me if it hurts,” he said gently, releasing her wrists as he pulled her dress up and over her waist. “Watch me lass, watch me pleasure ye.”

As her eyes settled on his fingers, he placed them in his own mouth, sucking on them to wet them and then returning them to her body. He slowly pushed them both inside her, and she came apart for him, crying out and keening against the ground, wild with pleasure.

“Ye’ll take this, lass,” he murmured, “ye’ll take yer punishment like ye should, and ye’ll do as I say from now on.”

“Yes! I will. Daenae stop!”

“I willnae stop.”

Her knees came up as she rose onto her elbows, watching his fingers moving in and out of her body, panting and moaning, her nails clawing at his back.

She rolled her hips one last time, her head arching back against the bank as she reached her peak, and he felt the warm rush of her pleasure against his fingers as he took her mouth with his.

He claimed her then, coming to lie on top of her as he plundered her mouth, his tongue sucking on hers in desperation as he rutted against her.

He jolted in surprised pleasure as he felt her hand move beneath his kilt and close around his hard length. He looked down between them, lifting the sodden fabric out of the way, and watched her rub against him as he groaned.

“Is this what ye want?” she asked.

“Aye, tighter,” he commanded, watching the desire bloom over her face at the instruction. He began thrusting into her hand, and she watched, almost in fascination, as the banked-up desire finally broke, and he felt himself reach his climax. His seed fell between them as he shuddered, resting his forehead against hers as they both descended from the heights they had reached together.

It was a long while before Noah felt capable of moving. It was only at the low protest from Keira that he finally lifted his weight from her body and looked down at those wild blue eyes, wondering what she was thinking.

“We should get back,” she said finally, glancing up at the beautiful sky above them.

“Aye,” he replied awkwardly, rising to his feet and holding out a hand to help her up.

She allowed it, letting him pull her to her feet. They ended up standing inches from one another, their soft breaths mingling in the evening air, the sky a crimson cascade reflected in her eyes.

He wanted to kiss her again, but the moment was broken as Keira left him to retrieve her dress, squeezing the loch water from her hair. She pulled her new dress over her wet underclothes, and Noah picked up his léine, pulling it on hurriedly.

Keira picked up her bag, which was bulging at the seams with plants and bottles. It was a stark reminder of her station and her place in his life. Suddenly, he felt guilt creep into his mind at what he had allowed to happen. She was a woman he had sworn to protect, yet he could not even control his own lust enough to keep her safe.

“This was a mistake,” he said as he hurriedly pulled on his boots. The words burst forth unbidden. In truth, he felt that what they had shared was one of the greatest experiences of his life, but he knew no good could come of it.

Keira looked up at him, her expression unreadable, and he held his breath, not knowing what she might be about to say.

“Ye’re right,” she said finally, “we should keep things as they were. I am yer healer; ye are the laird. Nothin’ more.”

Noah stepped down from the bank, joining her on the path, and stood beside her, looking down at her with a throbbing need that was still not sated in his blood.

Why does this woman have to stir in me such feelin’s of want? He thought desperately. If it was just want, it would be one thing, but I enjoy her company and value her opinion. That is the danger. That is the risk.

They stared at one another for the longest time, her eyes full of uncertainty and hidden need.

Noah watched, as though in a dream, as his hand came up to curl a lock of hair that had fallen loose behind her ear. As he did it, she let out a long breath, and he stepped closer to her, brushing against her body. He watched her eyes close as she leaned forward, their foreheads coming together again as his hands came to rest on her hips.

“We shouldnae touch one another,” he said, running his hands around to her back, pulling her body toward his, unable to stop.

“I agree,” she said breathlessly. “We should remain apart in the future.” Her lips brushed his as he shuddered against her.

“Aye,” he agreed, kissing the corner of her mouth. “Nay more of this. That’s an order.”

The bag that had been over her shoulder fell to the ground, and suddenly, her arms were around his neck. He tightened his hold on her waist. He was claiming her lips before he could stop himself, his mouth urgent against hers. He pushed his tongue between her lips as she gasped and met him stroke for stroke. A moan ripped from his throat as he felt arousal flood his senses for a second time.

He pulled free, looking down at her as she met his gaze.

“Damn ye,” he said and dove back in for more, her gasp of pleasure the best sound he had ever heard as he ran his hands over her figure, hitching a thigh against his hips as he?—

“Get away from me sister!”