Page 42 of The Highland Heir

She gave him a befuddled look as he camecloser. But rather than step back as she should have, she steppedcloser. A move that secured their fate.

They seemed to reach for each other at thesame time, his hands framing her face as her arms came around him,holding him close.

He bent toward her, but it was she whoreached up to kiss him first.

Once they were kissing, it was as if a firehad been lit, burning everything touched by the flames.

“Ella . . . Ella . . .” Hecould only manage to say her name as he kissed her. Her lips, theedge of her jaw, her throat and neck, the flesh of her heavingchest.

She pulled away, and when she went toward herhorse, he worried he’d stepped too far. Would she leave him?

But she simply reached up to pull down aplaid from her saddle and then, folding it over her arm, she heldher hand out in invitation.

“Come, let us find a quiet place.”

He followed her into the coolness of theforest. She glanced around, but he knew what she was lookingfor.

“Here.” He pointed to a grassy place wherethe sun reached through the trees to warm the earth.

She nodded and set out the plaid beforedropping to the blanket to remove her boots. He did the same andsank to his knees beside her. It seemed they were both of the samemind about what they wanted and what was to happen now, but evenso, he would have her approval before just assuming as much.

“Ella. I want you. It is wrong for I cannaoffer you marriage after. If you don’t want this, I wouldunderstand.”

“I want this too, Kieran. And I know ourfuture will not see us together, but I want this memory with you.If I never find a husband of my own, I want to have this time tolook back and remember.”

He nodded and then recalled another truth heneeded to share with her.

“I’ve not lain with anyone,” he admitted.

She raised a brow, and he smiled.

“I didn’t lie. Not really. I allowed you toassume, and I didn’t correct ye.”

She smiled and nodded.

“I am glad. This will just be for us.”

He understood what she meant, but he shookhis head.

“I agree that this step will be better for ustaking it together, but it would have maybe been an easier step ifone of us knew our way.”

“Animals don’t need anyone to tell them howit’s done. We’ll find our own way, Kieran. I’m sure of it.”

He nodded and reached to pull his shirt overhis head.

Teague had offered to see to the matter ofKieran’s virginity when he’d been ten and six. Kieran hadn’t wantedto lie with a woman he didn’t know. He blamed his friendship with alass as the reason he could not take pleasure from a woman forcoin. It seemed disrespectful and wrong. Ella had always made theact sound sacred. And while he’d been eager to find his way, hedidn’t want to go about it so carelessly.

“Besides,” she said as she rolled off herstockings. “We do know how one goes about it. We saw the stablemaster with the maid that time.”

“Aye. I’ve seen it a few other times as well,and there’s the fact that men talk about it all the time.” Itseemed all the men talked about. The act of swiving, who they’dswived, and who they wanted to swive.

Kieran had a formidable education, if nopersonal experience.

But that was about to change. And while hewas a bit nervous about it, he wasn’t worried, for it was Ella.They had shared everything with each other. It only made sense theywould share this as well.

Feeling heartened by that knowledge, hereached for her and bent to kiss her as he’d wanted to do since thelast time their lips had touched.

His body responded, but this time he didn’tneed to hide his cockstand from her. She was about to see him inall his glory. And he would see her.