He smoothed out a few folds of the shawl and smiled at her.
“You look beautiful,” he told her, his gaze dropping to her mouth. “After what happened today, I… Can I give you a kiss goodnight?”
“Please! I mean…yes, that would be…acceptable.” She’d been dreaming of his kiss.
Just then a pair of maids appeared at the end of the hall, walking toward them. Heather felt distinctly shy about being seen kissing Niall. “Would you, um, mind stepping in?”
“Don’t want an audience?” he teased, but very willingly followed her into the room and closed the door.
Heather’s stomach felt all fluttery. She felt like that whenever he got close to her.
Niall bent down to offer her a chaste kiss, but the moment his mouth touched her cheek, she turned her head, offering her lips instead.
For a moment, a lightning bolt seemed to arc through her, just from the slide of his lips along hers.
Niall let out a low sound, almost of pain.
“Your mouth,” he murmured, sucking on her lower lip between words. “From the first day, I wanted to have your mouth all over me.”
Heather gasped, both at the idea of her mouthall overNiall, and the sensation his tugging, pulling, demanding kiss was stirring in her. She inhaled and he left off biting her and plunged his tongue into her mouth, drawing out a moan from her.
“We should stop, shouldn’t we?” she asked, even as she kept reaching for him.
“I could be persuaded to continue,” he murmured.
“Wait,what?”
Niall gave her a funny half-smile that sent butterflies through her stomach. “Well, everyone already thinks I’m the luckiest man alive to have such a bonny bride. To be honest, I’m getting a little jealous of what everyone thinks I’ve already got.”
He captured her face in his hands and again lowered his head to kiss her. Heather was prepared for it this time…oh, no, she wasn’t. Not this slow, soft kiss that just went on and on, his lips teasing hers, his fingertips grazing the skin along her jaw and her neck.
Heather’s mouth opened up and then the kiss was more than teasing. It was torture. She leaned into Niall, wanting more of the delicious pleasure his kisses created.
“How did you learn to kiss?” she whispered.
“Trial and error. I learned other things too.”
He ran his hand down, stroking over her breast then to her stomach, then lower, sliding to her hip, where he cupped his hand and drew her close to him, their clothing doing little to obscure the heat of their bodies.
Heather knew she should object, but part of her yearned for more of this. She liked Niall’s hands on her, liked the way he held her and cupped her and slowly massaged her, while murmuring very sweet things about how beautiful and sweet and enticing she was.
A flush of heat between her legs startled her. Why was she suddenly damp there? Did her courses just arrive? Wasn’t it too early for that?
“I can’t,” she gasped.I love you too much to do this to you.Heather choked back the words she almost said. After a moment, she stuttered out, “My life…your life. It’s too important to let…emotion get in the way. This can’t go on, Niall. Remember our agreement.”
His breath came fast, but at the mention of the wordagreement, his eyes darkened.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “I got carried away. You’re just…very tempting. If things were different… Good night.”
Niall pulled away and left though the connecting door, leaving Heather anxious and unfulfilled on so many levels.
* * * *
Dear Daisy,
I write to you from Carregness…again, yet, still. As I may have mentioned in my previous letter, Uncle Cyril has come here (well, to the village) and claims he is staying until I agree to come home with him. Which of course I will never do! He sends a letter to the castle every day, asking when I will join him on the journey back to Lancashire. I do not answer those notes, though I have kept the ten pound notes (!) he has included with each one. For an attempted bribe, it’s very odd.
The only good news is that I’ve not seen Mr. Webb yet. Perhaps he’s decided not to come, which would be a miracle. Uncle Cyril has some other motive for being here, though, and I am not sure what it could be other than kidnapping. Since I have not left the immediate grounds since I saw him, he has had no such opportunity, nor do I intend to give him any. Niall has designated a few men to keep watch on Uncle Cyril, but no one has identified anyone like a solicitor meeting with him. For a man threatening legal action, does that not seem more like legal inaction? Perhaps he is too lazy to pursue the matter. He was never a particularly industrious man, not like Papa. So perhaps I should not be surprised. And every day he does nothing brings me closer to my birthday!
