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“I don’t know. Is it all right?”
“What does that mean?”
He reached up with his other hand to gently tap her nose. “It means I don’t want you doing anything you’re not comfortable with.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks. “I must be very bad at this, because I do wish to kiss you, Royal. I’m sorry if I’m making a hash of things.”
He ran a featherlight finger along the top of her upper lip, making her shiver with pleasure.
“Love, you’re doing it perfectly,” he said. “I can barely keep my hands off you.”
She felt shaky with relief. “Then why are you?”
“Because I don’t want you to do this because you feel sorry for me.”
“Royal, is that truly what you think is happening here?”
He gave a casual shrug, as if it didn’t matter. “You wouldn’t be the first woman to bed me out of pity.”
Ainsley had to repress the impulse to whack some sense into him. “Are Highlanders always this dense? I amnotdoing this out of pity. And may I just add that I insist on being the only woman who sleeps with you from now on. If you have any notion of sneaking off to consort with a local barmaid or anyone else, you can simply forget it. I won’t put up with it, Mr. Kendrick. I’d murder you first.”
With a vague feeling of surprise, Ainsley realized that might not be an exaggeration.
His big hand gently cupped her head. “I have no intention of touching any woman but you, Mrs. Kendrick, not ever,” he said in a smoky voice that made her muscles go weak.
It was a good thing she was already sitting on the bed.
She mustered a chippy tone. “Then what, pray heaven, is the problem? I wish to be with you, and you wish to be with me.”
“Because I don’t want to rush you, love. You’ve had a difficult day—”
“Rush me, by all means.”
He tilted a skeptical brow, but his other hand moved to cuddle her waist. And she could feel the evidence of his impressive erection nudging her thigh.
Snuggling closer, she slipped her fingers into the gap of his nightshirt to caress his bare skin. His harsh intake of breath was immensely gratifying.
“What happened to you was horrible, and I won’t pretend it didn’t affect me,” she said.
In fact, she’d almost burst into tears when she’d first seen his awful scar. But there was nothing weak or damaged about Royal Kendrick. He was a beautiful, hard warrior who’d overcome challenges that would have put most men in the grave.
“But your injury doesn’t make me feel sorry for you. It’s a part of who you are, Royal. And who you are is the best man I’ve ever known. You’re my husband, and I want to be with you.”
“That makes me exceedingly happy,” he said in a gruff voice.
“Although it’s sadly evident that I don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to the marriage bed,” she said ruefully. “I’d like very much to please you, though. Perhaps you could show me how.”
His mouth curled into a smile so seductive that it made her insides quiver. “I’d be happy to. But first I’d like to please you.”
“Oh? That sounds rather nice.”
“So, let’s start with kissing again, shall we?”
He took her hands and placed them around his neck. “But I want you to tell me if I’m going too fast,” he added, “or if I’m doing something you don’t like. I’ll stop right away.”
She nodded, too nervous to reply. They werefinallygoing to be together as man and wife. It was wonderful and terrifying at the same time.
He bent his head so they were eye to eye. “Do you trust me, Ainsley?”
