Page 56 of The Archer’s Wish

As if summoned by her spiraling panic, the door opened.

Male laughter and shouts from the hall spilled in for only a heartbeat before Liam closed the door behind him. Blessedly, he spared her any unwanted audience.

He turned. And froze.

His gaze swept over her, slowly, reverently, as though seeing her for the first time. Warmth spread over his features, softening everything about him.

“Ye are so beautiful,” he murmured.

Her breath caught. Her cheeks blazed anew. Surely she’d catch fire at this rate.

“I… I was nae sure where I should wait for ye,” she admitted, gesturing helplessly toward the chair, then toward the bed. “I forgot to ask my mam.”

His smile was tender, almost boyish, but laced with something deeper that made her stomach flutter. He crossed the room in a few sure strides, his hand sliding around her waist as he drew her against him.

“Ye standing there was perfect,” he whispered, his breath warm against her ear.

A shiver rolled through her.

He tipped her chin up gently, and his mouth found hers. The kiss began soft, cautious, and sweet enough to melt her bones. But in moments, it shifted. Heat surged between them, his lips moving with a hunger she felt mirrored in her own trembling response.

Beitris clung to him, her fingers curling into the fabric of his tunic. Every ounce of awkwardness she’d carried dissolved as his hands skimmed up her sides, then down again, leaving a path of delicious fire in their wake.

When he deepened the kiss, his tongue brushing past her parted lips, something inside her ignited bright, dizzying, overwhelming.

Saints above she had never felt so alive. It was as if every corner of her heart, every inch of her skin, had awakened all at once. All for him.

Somehow between the fevered kisses and the desperate glide of hands learning one another, Liam managed to shed his clothing. Beitris barely registered the movements until the last piece fell away, and he stood before her, unguarded, unashamed.

Her breath caught.

Saints how was it possible?

The scars that once marred his hip and upper thigh, angry, raised reminders of the battle that nearly stole him from the world, had changed. They were still there, yes, but softer now, flatter against his skin, no longer harsh but almost a part of him. A testament to strength rather than suffering.

Her heart swelled so fiercely it almost ached.

He was magnificent. Beautiful in a way that stole thinking from her mind, broad shoulders, sculpted lines, every inch of him a promise and a temptation. Heat fluttered low in her belly, urging her to touch, to explore, to press her lips to every place that had once known pain and show it tenderness instead.

Liam stepped closer, the warmth of him enveloping her long before his hands reached her. His gaze locked with hers, steady, reverent, hungry. When his fingers lifted to the ribbons at her shoulders, she forgot how to breathe.

Slowly… achingly slow… he tugged each ribbon free.

The nightdress loosened, sliding down her body, the silken fabric like a caress. Cool air kissed her skin as the silk pooled at her feet, leaving her bare beneath the weight of his gaze.

For a heartbeat she stood perfectly still, vulnerable and trembling, her heart hammering like a wild thing. But the look in his eyes, heat, awe, a tenderness so fierce it undid her and wrapped around her like a cloak.

He drank her in as though she was the most precious sight he had ever been given.

And in that moment, she felt it too. Felt desired, cherished, worshipped, and very beautiful.

Lifting her into his arms, Liam went to the bed, where he lowered her and somehow at the same time himself.

“Beitris, I cannae promise I’ll go slow. I want ye so badly.” His gaze moved from hers to her mouth, then further down, taking in her breasts.

Her breath caught, the demand that he kiss where his gaze had just landed on the tip of her tongue.

Thankfully he guessed her thoughts because his mouth lowered, lingering on her lips, then kissing a trail down from her jaw to her neck. Each press of his lips made her ache for more.