Page 51 of The Highlander’s Unexpected Wife

Chapter Fifteen

Alison should have known she would find herself in his bed. The rogue was simply too charming to resist.

She looked up at him through her lashes, “I would say you live up to your reputation as a rogue, sir.”

He grasped her hand and lifted it to his lips. Her heart skipped a beat. The darkening of his gaze whispered of desire. No man had ever looked at her like this. Engagement to Robert had left her feeling secure, cared for, even loved. But when she stood near Cameron, her insides turned molten. God help her, what was it about the man that sent butterflies skittering across the insides of her stomach at the mere sight of him?

He touched her cheek. “I have never meant the words more than I do tonight. You are beautiful.”

He brushed his mouth against hers. She stood motionless and allowed him to push the petticoat from her hips. When he slipped the chemise from her shoulder, the fabric fell atop the other clothes, leaving her naked. His breath hitched. How could she be so brazen? Because, despite his debauched ways, the man had rescued her. A man who risked his life to save young women he didn’t know from certain horror.

He held her hand as she stepped into the tub, then sank into the warm water. She had to keep her knees bent to sit comfortably. She scooped the soap off the small table where he’d place it along with a drying cloth, then splashed water over her chest, shoulders and face.

From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Cameron in the chair before the fire, legs stretched out before him. She rubbed the soap on her arms. Her mind muddled. Robert had never made her feel so…desired. He was a good man, but Cameron was just wicked enough to make her feel wicked. But there was so much more to his appeal. She had caused him so much trouble, yet he wanted her anyway.

She hazarded a sideways look at Cameron. He’d leaned his head against the chair back and closed his eyes. Firelight cast shadows across his features. A day’s stubble darkened his strong jaw. His straight nose had a slight bump on the bridge. Thick eyelashes brushed the tops of his cheeks. No one could deny his virile appeal. She released a shaky exhale. Not even her.

“What?” he whispered, his eyes still closed.

She started. “I thought you were sleeping.”

“A man never sleeps when a beautiful woman is staring at him.”

“How do you know I stared? Your eyes are closed.”

He opened his eyes, then twisted enough to lean an elbow on the chair arm and meet her gaze. “Believe me, with you sitting in that tub, I am aware of every move you make.”

A shiver ran along her spine and she realized the water had grown cold. She reached for the drying cloth and stood. Water cascaded off her body as she wrapped the cloth around her. Cameron rose and reached her in the next second. He grasped her hand as she stepped from the water. Alison snapped her head up. She clutched the towel to her breasts.

“Beautiful,” he whispered, then claimed her mouth.

Alison drew in a breath. Cameron slid his tongue along the seam of her lips, then slipped inside. She mimicked his movements, gliding her tongue along his, then raised onto tip toes to align more of her body with his.

He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. “Alison, I will only continue if you tell me you need to be with me as much as I do you. You will be my wife tomorrow, but I will not coerce you.”

She let the drying cloth fall to the floor.

Cameron’s hands slid down her back until his palms cupped her buttocks. He groaned, then scooped her into his arms and, in four long strides, laid her on the bed. He straightened. His gaze met hers, then tracked lower. Her nipples tightened under his stare. Heat bloomed in her belly and the warmth seeped into the deepest part of her. He cupped her breast, grazing her nipple, and a soft spasm tightened in her core.

He made quick work of his shirt buttons and shrugged out of his shirt. Fine, dark hair dusted his chest, trailed down his abdomen, and disappeared into the waistband of his breeches. His erection strained against its confines. When he lifted his gaze to hers, he was smiling.

“I…I…” Her mouth went dry.

“Aye?”

“Do not tease me.”

His brows rose. “Not even a little?”

“I do not like to be teased.” She didn’t like feeling naïve and insecure.

“There are many ways to tease.” He braced a knee on the bed and hovered above her. “Tis a pleasure to be teased in the right places.”

Alison recalled when she and Erin had once listened at the door of Erin’s father’s bedchamber. He’d been keeping company with the Widow Evangale and the widow had been vocal about her wants. Had the widow’s stomach turned somersaults as Alison’s did now? Her soon-to-be husband kissed a trail from her jaw to her neck and then lower across her collarbone.

An ache welled in her breasts. Almost by instinct, she parted her thighs and Cameron settled between them. His mouth closed over her nipple. Heat flashed from her breast to her sex. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he locked his arm beneath her lower back and positioned her fully on the bed. In an instant, his mouth was kissing her breast, laving one raised peak then the other.

“Cameron,” she said on a breathy exhale.