He crossed toward her, unhurried, his eyes never leaving hers in the mirror. Her body betrayed her with every second, her chest rising faster and her thighs pressing together under the thin fabric.
When he stopped behind her chair, his shadow swallowed her. He leaned closer with his voice grazing her ear. “Are ye ready to retire, Scarlett?”
Her throat tightened. She forced herself to meet his gaze through the glass. “I was. But I can change me plans if ye require me.”
The words slipped out breathier than she intended.
Robert’s hand rose, his fingers brushing her hair. He gathered the heavy black strands and drew them over one shoulder, baring the long line of her neck. His other hand rested briefly on the back of her chair as he bent closer, his breath feathering warm across her skin.
Scarlett’s eyes fluttered shut, her head tipping back just slightly, helplessly.
Robert’s voice rumbled low against her ear, rough enough to make her knees weak. “This night, lass, will be one of mine.”
Her lips parted, a tremor running down her spine as the words sank in. “One… of five?”
“Aye.” His breath warmed her neck, his nose grazing her skin as he drew in a long inhale. “One of five.”
Scarlett’s fingers tightened around the edge of the vanity to steady herself. “Ye waste no time,” she managed though the tremble in her voice betrayed her.
His gaze caught hers in the mirror, “I’ve wasted too much already.”
The conviction in his tone sent another shiver through her. She closed her eyes, breath quick, and whispered, “Then claim yer night.”
His mouth curved, the ghost of a smile without softness. “Always so eager to command.”
Her eyes snapped open, defiance sparking even as her body betrayed her by leaning back into him. “Nay command, Me Laird. A bargain. Ye asked for five nights. I offer meself now.”
He bent lower, lips brushing the shell of her ear, and the sound of her own breath hitched against the charged silence. “Ye tempt me, Scarlett. More than ye ken.”
Her pulse thundered with every nerve alive. “Then… why wait?”
His eyes narrowed, his reflection dark and sharp in the glass. “Because once I start, lass, I willnae stop until I’ve had ye spent and shaking.”
Scarlett’s stomach clenched, heat pooling low between her thighs. She tried to laugh, but it broke into a shaky sound. “Ye think that frightens me?”
Robert’s lips ghosted down her throat, pausing at the fluttering pulse. “It should.”
Her fingers drummed nervously against the wood of the vanity then stilled. “And yet… I want to know.”
His jaw ticked, his gaze locking with hers again. “Careful, Scarlett. Ye’re standing on the edge, and I’ll drag ye over it with me.”
She shifted in her seat, turning just enough that her bare shoulder brushed his chest. “Then maybe I’ll fall willingly.”
Robert straightened slightly, his hands gripping the back of her chair now. “Christ, lass, ye’re bent on testing me.”
Scarlett gave a breathless little laugh. “Perhaps I am. Someone has to.”
He studied her long enough that the silence crackled. Then, suddenly, he spun the chair halfway, bringing her face to his. Their lips hovered an inch apart.
Her chest heaved. “Robert…”
He tilted his head, his voice low and rough. “Say it again.”
Her lashes lowered, heat flooding her face. “Robert.”
His eyes closed for the briefest moment, as if her voice was a blade through him. When he opened them again, his control looked thinner than glass. He brushed his thumb along her jaw, his other hand still tight on the chair. “Ye ken what happens if I kiss ye, aye?” Her voice came out hoarse. “Aye. I break.” His mouth almost touched hers. “So do I.”
Neither of them moved. The fire shifted in the grate and neither of them looked at it.
