Page 41 of The Highlander’s Dangerous Desire

“Just concerned?” One dark eyebrow rose, and Grace swallowed again.

“I suppose I have become quite… fond… of you.”

“An’ I ye.” Ewan’s thumb stroked over her hand.

His hands were so gentle, far gentler than she could recall having ever felt before from anyone. Ewan was incredibly kind, underneath the taciturn exterior. Grace couldn’t deny that she was drawn to the gruff Scotsman. But what she might feel beyond that…

“What are we supposed to do now?”

“I dinnae ken more than ye. But….” Ewan tugged her closer, ran a hand through her hair. “I ken what I want tae dae.”

“What is that?”

Ewan smiled, then sat up, leaned forward, and kissed her again. His lips were dry, a little cracked, his mouth firm against hers. He tasted of medicine and mead, and Grace found herself relaxing into the kiss as his lips claimed hers. His tongue teased her lips, and she hesitantly opened her mouth to let the kiss deepen. The feel of his tongue caressing hers made her stomach feel as if she’d swallowed butterflies.

Ewan’s hand on her chin held her steady, his other hand caressing hers, and Grace leaned closer, wanting more of his tenderness.

Ewan MacDuff. Gruff and stern, kind and gentle. She longed to know more of him.

Kissing Grace was like drinking water from the fountains of paradise. She tasted of tea and fresh-baked bread, the scent of heather and herbal soap clinging to her. Her hair was soft, her lips even softer, and she welcomed the touch of his mouth with an eagerness that he would never have expected.

He caressed her hand, ran a thumb across her chin. Grace shivered, but didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned closer, her breath going shallow and fast. “Ewan…”

He could feel the heat rushing to his groin, the blood stiffening his manhood, and the urgency of desire filling his veins. However, he knew as well that Grace was not as experienced as he, and furthermore, the importance of a young noble woman’s reputation. English laws were rumored to be far more strict than Highland customs on the matter. He didn’t dare risk endangering her position with more than a caress or a kiss.

He started to pull away, started to let go, but Grace leaned into him, her hand clutching his as she breathed his name. “Ewan…”

“Lass… we’ve got tae stop…” He pulled back a little, taking in the flush on her cheeks and the way the fabric clearly showed her breasts, the nipples hard against the bodice. “Grace…”

“Please… kiss me again?”

That, he thought he could do. Ewan bent his head to kiss her again, and this time she opened her mouth to him easily, her desire evident and growing with every touch. Her hand rose to tangle in the collar of his shirt, tugging on the laces. “Ewan… please…”

He forced himself to pull back, despite the tightness of his groin, the aching erection of his shaft. “Lass… Grace… this isnae… if we go further, I cannae…”

“I never said I wished you to stop.” Her eyes were wide, her cheeks flushed a becoming rose. “Ewan, I have spent the past fortnight and more coming to know you for the amazing man you are. And I have never desired anyone the way I desire you. Never before. Whatever my fate is to be beyond this… I wish my first time to be with a man I respect. Besides, we are betrothed. Why should we not also be together like this?”

Ewan swallowed, startled by the forthrightness he would never have expected from a young woman of Grace’s heritage. “Ye never said…”

“I never knew, until you kissed me.” There was only truth in her words, in her voice, and only certainty in her touch as she tugged his shirt free of the loose belt of his kilt and toward his shoulders. Then she stopped, her hands stilling as uncertainty washed across her face. “Unless you do not feel that way…”

She began to pull away. “Oh God, I suppose I am being forward. And you are a gentleman…”

He caught her gently before she could begin to slide away from him. “Ye’re nae forward. An’ I may be a gentleman, but that includes answerin’ what a woman asks o’ me, if I can. I just want ye tae ken… if ye truly want this, if we go further, then…”

“I know what the consequences may be. It does not change my wish.” The flush to her cheeks spoke of desire and a hint of uncertainty, but her eyes were clear and determined. “Please… Ewan…”

She leaned closer, and kissed him again, gentle and tentative, then with more assurance. Her hands slid slowly, uncertainly, over his chest, further loosening the laces of his shirt. Ewan grunted as her hand drifted lower, closer to his belt and his stiffened shaft.

Ewan caught her hand. “Nae so fast, lass.”

He’d never last if she began to touch him, and he wanted to take his time with her. Grace Lancaster was far too beautiful and too unique to treat with anything other than the utmost gentleness and respect.

He kissed her again, long and slow and sweet, then took Grace’s shoulders and turned so that she was resting against his pillows. “If this is truly what ye want, then I’m honored tae be the man ye chose. But I’ll nae rush this.”

He brushed her hair back, then lowered his hand to tease loose the laces on the bodice of her dress as he kissed her forehead, then her temple, then the point of her jaw, before pressing a stronger kiss to her pulse point. Grace gasped, shivering in his hands.

Ewan undid the laces of the bodice, loosened the top of the dress so he could kiss her collarbone, then slid the dress lower, so he could cup her breast in one hand. His thumb and forefinger gently pinched the nipple, rolling it in his fingers, and Grace shivered again, her back arching slightly at the touch. “Oh…”