Page 34 of The Chief's Wild Promise

Her pulse fluttered as the realization fully sank in. She was Lady Mackinnon now. A clan-chief’s wife.

He removed her surcote, and Makenna was about to turn to face him once more when he stepped in close—so close she could feel the heat of his body burning into her—and swept the curtain of hair aside. His lips skimmed her shoulder, above the neckline of the edge of her kirtle, and up to her neck.

His hands then slid around to her front, where they began to unlace her kirtle.

Makenna couldn’t concentrate on how he was undressing her though. Instead, she shivered as his lips traveled up the side of her neck. His tongue then explored the shell of her ear, and her legs started to tremble.

She hadn’t expected to feel such a sensation. The neediness in her belly had spread, and the tender flesh between her thighs had started to ache. Her pulse galloped now. She felt strangely breathless and leaned into him as he continued to disrobe her.

Finally, she wore nothing but a filmy ankle-length lèine.

Bran took hold of her shoulder then and gently turned her to face him again. Eyes flickering open, she obeyed. And when their gazes met once more, she marked the flush upon his cheekbones and the way his eyes had darkened.

He lookedhungry.

They hadn’t even done anything truly intimate yet, but she could feel an odd quickening inside her. A wildness that scared her a little.

His gaze raked down her, taking in the lines of her body, which were clear through her thin linen tunic. The lèine left little to the imagination.Like all the women in her family, she had full breasts. Her nipples—small and hard—were clearly visible, thrusting perkily toward him.

Bran brushed the back of his hand across one of them, and pleasure darted straight through her core.

Biting down on her lower lip, she watched as he stroked his thumbs over both nipples, teasing them both into even harder peaks.

She swallowed a groan. Her belly churned now. The throbbing between her thighs intensified, and she stifled the urge to squirm. These new sensations made her feel oddly restless.

“Ye can touch me too … if ye wish?” he said, his voice strained now.

Aye, of course she could. She knew that. Pulse skittering, she reached out and tentatively untucked his lèine from his braies. Her fingers slid underneath, her breath catching as she explored the warm, smooth skin of his flat belly. Her hands slid upward, over the hard ridges of muscle to the sculpted planes of his chest.

And all the while, Bran watched her, his gaze hooded now.

Her fingertips found his nipples then, and she brushed her thumbs over them, as he’d done with her, thrilling as they grew hard under her touch. His sharp intake of breath told her that he was as sensitive as she was. He made a sound in the back of his throat before stepping back from her and pulling off his lèine and clan sash. Firelight flickered across the lean, strong lines of his finely muscled torso and arms.

Makenna studied him, her breathing coming shallow and fast.

She’d always thought she was attracted to men who were big and brawny—but Bran’s body was simply beautiful. Lean with a leashed strength that made her wonder what it would be like to be under him.

She’d soon find out. Her pulse went wild then.

Holding his eye boldly now, she reached down and took hold of the hem of her lèine, pulling it upward and wriggling out of the garment before her courage failed her.

There, she stood—naked—before him.

Bran didn’t avert his gaze either. Instead, he looked his fill, his gaze traveling over her swollen breasts, over the curve of her belly, dip of her waist, and flare of her hips, to her thighs. Makenna had a strong body, muscled from hours spent training with the rest of the Guard, but she had a woman’s softness too. And when she marked the way her husband’s pupils grew large, she knew he liked what he saw.

He then heeled off his boots, unlaced his braies, and pushed them down.

Makenna couldn’t help it. Shehadto look.

His rod was as beautiful as the rest of him, long and shaped like a thick arrow shaft. It was also as stiff as one.

Her mouth went dry, her blood roaring in her ears. He was going to putthatinside her.

Bran stepped into her once more, his hands all over her as his mouth found hers this time. His kiss was demanding, and she answered him with a voraciousness of her own. How exciting it was for them to be standing here together naked, so aroused by each other.

And hedidarouse her. Her skin was flushed and exquisitely sensitive, her breathing rapid.The wild churning in her belly was impossible to ignore. All the same, she was nervous about what they were about to do. She imagined it would hurt the first time.

However, his kiss chased her fears away, and when he moved closer still and brought their bodies flush, it was difficult to hold any thoughts in her head. Shyly, she stroked her hands up his chest once more, before linking her arms around his neck. She then wriggled herself against him, desperate to get closer.