Chapter 9
Ruaridh’s lips on hers were firm and unyielding, and for a moment, she stilled, unsure of what to do in such a surprising turn of events. But when she heard him groan and felt his arms wrap around her, her eyes fluttered shut, and she found herself leaning into him.
Her hands moved to his chest as her lips began to respond to his, and she felt his heart pounding hard, almost echoing her own.
He was warm and solid beneath her touch, his skin hot like he was lit from within despite it being so cold outside, and the hairs on his skin teased her fingers, sending tingles from her palms up her arms.
She scratched his skin with her nails and heard him groan, the sound traveling through her chest. Her body tightened in response, and soon her breasts felt heavy with a need she couldn’t name.
His broad hands moved from her face, lower to her back, and then her waist, and she felt a startling hardness poke her belly. He nipped at her lips, and she opened her mouth to let his tongue in, the taste of him making her moan.
The strokes of his tongue were soft at first, searching and tasting and helping her adjust, but soon they became hungry and overwhelming, and all she could do was surrender to the storm that was him.
More, please…
Her hands itched to touch him the way he touched her. To run through his hair as she had longed to do since the first moment she had seen him. To pull him even closer, even though there was hardly any space left between them.
She lifted her hands to the nape of his neck, sliding them into his soft hair before fisting them. His answering groan filled her chest with pride, and she did it again, loving how he shuddered against her.
A cold draft blew around them, but she wasn’t in the least bit worried, not when he burned like a flame against her. All her earlier worries about her poor choice of clothes faded as his warmth seeped into her chest.
When his lips finally left hers, she didn’t open her eyes for fear the moment was nothing more than a dream that would fade away when reality hit her, but she felt his forehead press against hers and sighed just as he did.
What had they even been arguing about? She couldn’t remember.
She wished she could say she was offended that he had taken such liberties with her, but no liberties had been taken, not when she had responded to him the way she had.
Lord. She had behaved so wantonly that her former governess would have reddened in mortification.
A smile spread across her lips at the thought.
She risked opening her eyes when he pulled back, though his arms remained around her waist. His chest was heaving, and in the moonlight, the water droplets on his skin glittered like diamonds.
Her mouth went dry again at the smattering of dark hair on his chest and abdomen, and her tongue darted out to wet her lips when she remembered the press of his hardness against her.
Her eyes flicked to his face, and the heated look in his eyes caused her heart to race even faster in her chest, but she felt comforted to see that he looked just as rattled as she felt.
The tips of his ears were red. Whether from the cold or embarrassment, she couldn’t tell, but she found it endearing that this mountain of a man could have such charm.
“We shall marry,” he said suddenly, pulling her out of her thoughts.
“Pardon me?” she asked.
He lowered his hands but didn’t move away from her.
“We will be wed, and soon, as I initially proposed,” he explained. “If we’re wed, then the scandal ends, and yer faither’s reputation is saved.”
Violet wished she could correct him, but in the afterglow of the kiss and seeing the determination on his face, she didn’t know how to begin.
The ton was ruthless, and with a man like Lord Westall hellbent on revenge, he would no doubt have spun such a nasty tale to earn him the attention he had so desperately longed for.
The man would no doubt use this to get himself into the circles of those he had so longed to befriend. As such, he wouldn’t let her family off so easily.
The thought of her cowardly father left alone to the whims of such an evil man made her feel some guilt, but remembering how he hadn’t bothered to come for her even after hearing of her fate hardened her heart.
Looking into Ruaridh’s eyes, she nodded and smiled when his brow smoothed. Even if she were to return to England, she would no doubt have been forced into a marriage to a man she didn’t want, who would treat her terribly.
With Ruaridh, she would have peace and the freedom to live a life that was hers.
“I agree,” she said with a firmer nod.
“Alright. Now, let us return to the castle before ye catch yer death.”
“I believe you should be more worried about the cold than I,” she answered with a small smile and a pointed glance at his bare chest.
He gave her a hot look, which made her smile widen, then he bent to pick up his shirt. Her heart raced when he took her hand in his, but she was grateful for the warmth as he led her back to the castle.
The halls were silent when they returned, their footsteps soft on the rushes-covered floors.
It seemed the residents of the castle still slumbered, betraying the fact that she hadn’t been gone for as long as she had assumed, even though it seemed almost a lifetime ago since she had gotten out of bed.
She was grateful that there were no eyes that would look upon their disheveled state, but the intimacy of the halls made her remember what had happened between them again. She bit her lip as heat crawled up her neck and cheeks.
Thankfully, Ruaridh remained silent and kept his gaze ahead.
His face was blank, betraying nothing as he led her to her chambers, and she itched to break the silence if only to ask what was on his mind.
But this would be the first time they shared a somewhat comfortable silence, and the feeling was somewhat nice.
She didn’t realize when they stopped moving, but she heard him clear his throat, and her eyes went to his. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she turned to see that they were outside her chambers.
“Oh,” she murmured.
“I will inform me grandmaither to hasten the preparations for our wedding,” he said coolly. “Ye can work with her to see it done to yer taste.”
Her eyes went wide, and she nodded excitedly.
This was the first time she had been given freedom to do anything for herself, and the gesture touched her deeply. A wide smile crossed her face before she remembered her manners, dipping into a curtsy.
“I thank you for the show of faith,” she offered. “I will do my best not to disappoint you.”
He gave her a curt nod and folded his arms behind his back. “I bid ye a good night, then,” he said.
“And you as well, my Laird,” she returned.
She opened the door and gave him a small smile before shutting it behind her. She leaned back against the wood, waiting with bated breath until she heard his footsteps retreat.
She let out the breath she had been holding and scurried to her bed, throwing herself onto it as excitement filled her. She screamed into her pillow, kicking her legs as their earlier activities flashed through her head.
She rolled around and bit her lips to suppress a smile, but failed when she remembered Ruaridh leaning in and capturing them with his own. She placed a hand over them, as if she could feel his kiss again. Then, remembering her list, she got up and moved to her desk to pick it up.
He had offered to help her complete her list without knowing everything on it and had unknowingly ticked off one of the items already. She smiled and crossed off the item before replacing it at the bottom of her drawer.
If their match was off to such an interesting start, she almost felt guilty that she was planning her escape.