Page 128 of Promised to the Forbidden Laird

Donaldina took the patrol report from his hand and placed it upon the narrow ledge beside them. Then she caught the front of his shirt and pulled him down. Roy’s mouth met hers.

The first kiss held the restraint of the corridor, the awareness of servants beyond doors and of guards passing on distant stairs. It was over almost as soon as it began, lasting no more than a single breath. Then Roy’s hand closed around her waist. He drew her against him with sudden force, and every careful thought Donaldina had scattered.

His mouth moved over hers with the hunger he had hidden throughout the evening. She felt it in the hard line of his body, in the hand spreading across her back, and in the rough breath he let out when her fingers slipped into his hair.

Donaldina kissed him more deeply. Roy turned them, placing himself between her and the open passage as though some part of him remained capable of strategy. His forehead rested briefly against hers.

“We should stop.”

“Aye,” she whispered.

Neither moved. His gaze dropped to her mouth.

Donaldina’s fingers tightened at his collar. “Dae ye wish tae?”

“Nae.”

“Then why are we discussing it?”

Roy kissed her again. He guided her through the nearest door, which was a small chamber used by visiting councilmen, empty now except for a narrow bed, a dying hearth and moonlight falling through the unshuttered window.

The latch settled behind them. Donaldina felt the sound throughout her body. Roy stood with one hand still upon the door, watching her.

The sudden stillness was more intimate than the kiss had been. There would be no pretending they had been overcome by a careless moment in a corridor. They were alone. They understood what closing the door meant.

Roy crossed the chamber slowly.

“Tell me tae leave,” he whispered.

Donaldina reached for him. “Stay.”

His control broke with visible force. Roy caught her face between his hands and kissed her until she could no longer distinguish the heat of the hearth from the heat moving beneath her skin. Her back met the wall. His mouth traveled to her throat, and Donaldina closed her eyes as his breath warmed the place beneath her ear.

She tugged his shirt free from his belt.

Roy lifted his head. “Tomorrow⁠—”

“Tomorrow I shall marry ye.”

His eyes searched hers.

Donaldina touched the scar along his jaw. “Tonight, I choose ye without an altar.”

His mouth returned to hers as he lifted her into his arms. His lips remained locked to hers as he caught her beneath the thighs and lifted her from the floor.

Donaldina wrapped herself around him without hesitation. Her back met the cold stone wall, but the sharp breath that escaped her vanished beneath his kiss. Roy held her there with the whole strength of his body, one hand gripping her waist while the other braced beside her head.

Wet heat and frantic movement consumed what remained of their restraint. Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer as his mouth moved over hers with bruising hunger. She arched against him, meeting every urgent movement, her body trusting his strength completely. The contrast of cold stone behind her and Roy’s burning weight before her made her shudder in his arms.

He kissed down her throat, tasting her skin, then returned to her mouth when she dragged him back. Her legs tightened around him. His control shattered entirely.

Their clothing became little more than an obstruction, hurriedly pushed aside. The sound of his belt being unbuckled only seemed to heighten their desire. She swallowed heavily as she felt his manhood press against her yearning flesh.

“Ye like this, dinnae ye?” he murmured against her neck, and all she could do was moan in response.

She loved it. She loved everything about it. And she wanted more.

When he slid inside of her, he did it with gentleness, but she could sense the beast that was dying to come out.