Chapter 22
“Nay, nae like that,” Kenneth said, lifting Leana’s arm a little higher.
His hand, firm in its grip, came to rest on her shoulder, before sliding down her arm and resting on her hips.
Unable to help herself, Leana sucked in a breath. She was just following instructions, avoiding looking at the Laird, who was at her back. But she could feel him.
She could feel his warmth, his presence, the authority in his husky, slightly raspy voice, and the hint of muscle that brushed against her from time to time when their bodies were close.
She tried to deny the power all those little details had over her, but it was impossible for her not to admit how much she wanted him.
“That. Now, focus on the target and pull the strin’ toward ye.”
To help her, Kenneth moved a little closer. His body brushed tantalizingly against hers as he held her firmly.
Leana inhaled, and after a moment, she exhaled deeply.
I cannae take this anymore. If I keep pretendin’ I daenae want this, I’ll die…
She looked up at him. His square chin was framed invitingly by the thick curtain of dark hair that floated in the wind.
There, in front of the imposing cliff where they had settled to train, Leana felt as if there was no one else in the world but the two of them.
Unable to help herself, she let go of the bow and arrow, and only then did Kenneth lower his face to look at her.
Her heart pounded in her chest. “I’ve missed ye,” she confessed in a whisper.
Kenneth’s fingers glided slowly, carefully over her face. The lesson seemed to have faded into the background. For suddenly, they both had more pressing matters to deal with.
Fortunately, Kenneth seemed to get the hint. His lips didn’t hesitate, nor did his body.
He took her by the chin, causing her to turn around so that they were facing each other. He lowered his face, and she rose on her tiptoes, opening her mouth in anticipation of his kiss.
A moan left her lips as they met halfway.
Leana wrapped her arms around Kenneth’s neck, while his hand cupped her cheek and the other cradled her neck. His mouth crashed down on hers, claiming her as if he had never let her go.
It was a passionate kiss, one in which they had a silent conversation, telling each other, like two devoted lovers, how much they had missed each other.
Kenneth stroked Leana’s face as his tongue confidently explored her mouth, and her knees almost buckled at the sensation.
Her doubts evaporated as she surrendered to the longing that had gripped her the past few days.
The moment his lips had touched hers, she felt as if the sky had finally cleared after a storm.
Leana surrendered to the kiss. She felt something budding within her, but she was afraid to name it, so she preferred to express it—to let Kenneth’s hands roam over her, from her head down to her breasts.
She arched into him as his palms, hot and determined, cupped her heavy breasts and kneaded them, making her moan.
The world around them seemed to blur, the rustling of leaves and the distant hum of the wind fading into the background. All that remained was the heat between them, the unspoken pull drawing them closer, deeper into the moment.
Kenneth’s breath hitched as he pulled back slightly, his gaze locking onto hers, searching for something unspoken.
Then, with a quiet resolve, he lifted her into his arms as if she weighed no more than a feather and carried her to a patch of overgrown grass.
He laid her down carefully, his hot body chasing the cold away.
His hands glided over her silken bodice, and she pulled him down to her.
She tilted her head, giving him better access to her neck, and he bit it gently, making her breath hitch.
A moan escaped her lips when he grabbed her waist and pulled her onto his lap. Her legs rested on either side of his thighs, and he easily caught her hands behind her back.
A wicked smile spread across Kenneth’s lips as he tilted her chin up with his free hand and nipped the spot behind her ear. Leana let out a desperate moan as she felt his manhood hardening between her legs.
“Say it again,” Kenneth commanded as she tried to gather her thoughts.
“Say wh—say what?” she breathed as he kissed down her neck.
“Say again that ye have missed me.”
“I have missed ye,” she said immediately.
Kenneth caught her lips again. He grazed her lower lip with his teeth and nipped it, coaxing another moan from her. Meanwhile, she felt his hands unlacing her corset and freeing her breasts from their tight confines.
“Tell me ye want this. Tell me that ye want me to pleasure ye.”
“Please, please do it…” Leana begged, in a way she had never thought she was capable of.
With a grunt of satisfaction, Kenneth hastened to pull down the sleeves that held her dress in place, baring her shoulders to the cool breeze. He kissed the freckles on her skin as his hands slid up to her cleavage and finally pulled the fabric away, revealing her ripe breasts.
Leana looked at him nervously, realizing that this was the first time a man had ever tasted her—that this was the first time she had ever felt the heat of desire so fervently. That it did not bother her.
She feared for a moment that Kenneth would not find her beautiful in her partial nudity. But he soon erased those fleeting fears when lowered his mouth to a turgid nipple and laved it with his tongue, just before biting it.
Leana moaned and arched into his mouth. She tangled her fingers in his hair to pull him against her, and he moved his hands to her lower back, gripping her tightly to lower her back onto the grass.
He caressed her breasts with his right hand as he ground his hips against her, and she felt his other hand trail down the inside of her thigh, all the way to the hem of her undergarments.
She was embarrassed but happy to share the experience with Kenneth. At least, however long the encounter lasted, it would be with a man she wanted.
A man for whom she felt more than mere desire.
She let her hands roam over him, easily pushing down his jacket, and as he took off his shirt, revealing thick and muscular arms that he did not hesitate to wrap around her, she embraced him, convinced that all she needed to be happy was the memory of that moment.
And Kenneth, who seemed to crave her just as desperately, pulled her close with an urgency that sent a shiver through her.
His arms enveloped her, strong and unwavering, as if anchoring himself to the warmth she offered.
His breath was unsteady, his fingers pressing into her back, tracing slow, reverent lines as he molded her to him.
The space between them disappeared, replaced by the quiet hum of need that neither dared to voice.
Leana gasped as his mouth found her breasts again and his hand slipped into her undergarments.
For a minute, she held her breath, but then, as she felt his fingers brush against her wet folds, she could only moan loudly, grateful that there was no one there to hear her but him.
“Ye wanted this, did ye nae, lass?”
“More… much more than ye ken,” she admitted, swallowing thickly as he slid a finger inside her.
Leana moaned as he pumped his fingers inside her, and he watched, looking proud to be the one unraveling her like that. His lips again sought hers, and she moaned his name between gasps.
“Tell me how ye want it, lass,” he commanded, stopping for a moment that maddening movement that made her feel as if she were rising to the heavens.
It was obvious to Leana that Kenneth was in control of the situation. The way he kissed her, the way he caressed her and bit her skin made it more than clear… But the game of dominance they had been playing since the moment they met seemed to culminate in this moment, through such subtle commands.
And the dark-haired healer, as much as she tried to deny it, loved it. So she meekly obeyed the Laird’s request.
“Go on,” she begged. “Please, Kenneth… daenae stop.”
And he sucked on her breasts with a sensual smile, the rhythm of his fingers picking up again.
“More… Faster, Kenneth, please…” Leana moaned.
In response, Kenneth picked up the pace, thrusting his fingers in and out of her.
His mouth trailed over her breasts, nipping them, be he moved up her neck, kissing her lips when he finally reached them and tangling his tongue with hers.
Leana felt his swollen length against her thigh. A fresh wave of desire shot through her as her hand sought to caress him over his clothing. A grunt left his lips, and he pumped his fingers inside her faster.
A cry tore from her throat. And suddenly, she felt herself approaching something.
Her body tensed, her skin tingled… until the purest pleasure erupted inside her. She cried out Kenneth’s name, like a plea and a release, as wave after wave of pleasure wracked her body.
Once again, Kenneth sought her lips, and she moaned his name between gasps.The intensity of the moment surged between them, a palpable energy that seemed to ripple through her very core.
His touch ignited a fire beneath her skin, each caress sending waves of electricity coursing through her. She felt her back arch instinctively, her breath catching as the sensation overwhelmed her, leaving her suspended in the charged air between them.
Her mouth moved lazily against Kenneth’s until her breathing slowed, and little by little she fell back down to earth, and also into the Laird’s arms.
Only then did he gently pull her hand away from his manhood. He kissed her knuckles as she looked up at him, full of doubt that he did not hesitate to dispel.
“If ye touch me like that, lass… I daenae think I can control meself. Besides, ye deserve more than that.”
“More than… More than what?” she asked, a moan trapped in her throat.
“More than bein’ deflowered in the pasture like a peasant,” Kenneth replied, still kissing her passionately, but also sweetly.