"I’m deuced glad that you didn’t marry one of those milksops who hung on your father’s every word. I’m even gladder that you didn’t settle for a doddering old codger like Pascoe. I’m so happy you decided to marry me instead."
"I am…"
Good heavens, she didn’t know what she was. She’d never imagined Hamish saying such things. When he’d proposed, his manner had conveyed a grim determination to do the right thing, no matter what it cost him. Or her.
His smile filled with the sweetness she so rarely saw. Which was a good thing for her health. That smile did wicked things to her heart, made it bounce and bound about.
His other hand rose to touch her lips. "You are lovely."
The sensation of his lips on her hand had made her feel most unlike herself. The touch of his fingers on her lips turned out to be equally devastating. And when all that was combined with what sounded like a heartfelt compliment, her head reeled.
Goodness, he hadn’t even kissed her on the mouth yet. Already she was completely doolally.
Emily’s reading about copulation had described a purely physical process. It hadn’t prepared her for this hazy, shivery, restless reaction. That time Hamish had mistaken his room, she’d thrilled to his touch on her breast. That was the limit of the physical pleasure they’d shared, although she often dreamed of those charged moments when he’d taken down her hair.
"Do you still want me to kiss you?" His thumb rubbed the back of her hand. The caress’s erratic rhythm made her blood simmer in a way that was both disturbing and enjoyable.
Did she want him to kiss her? From the first, she’d feared that if she married Hamish, his larger-than-life personality would swamp her. On the brink of sharing her body with him, she recognized that she was about to change forever. In ways her innocence prevented her from imag
ining.
But her answer emerged before she stopped to consider it. She’d come too far toward him, physically, intellectually, emotionally, to retreat now.
Nor did she want to retreat. She just had to recall the desert of her life in London to admit that.
"More than ever."
Another breathtaking smile rewarded her. "Then come out into the moonlight, fair maiden." He tucked her hand through his arm and paused to collect one of the lamps. "It’s as dark as Satan’s coalmine downstairs. My plans for you don’t include a broken leg."
She shivered in anticipation, as she wondered what his plans might include instead. For the first time, she pressed close to Hamish’s side. She didn’t want anything to separate them, which was a frightening admission from someone who had always prided herself on her independence.
The closeness worked well until they reached the stairway. It was so narrow that she let him go ahead. "I must ask you about the history of this tower," she said, as the weight of expectation between them grew oppressive.
He squeezed her hand as they navigated the stairs. "Not now."
"No, not now."
They crossed the stone floor to the door. Hamish set down the lantern and raised the latch. He pushed the door open and stood back to let Emily precede him. She stepped across the threshold into a world of enchantment.
The moon turned the dramatic landscape to silver. The brook chuckled its way across the field. The breeze created its own music through the grove of Scots pines growing beside the tower.
"You approve?"
"I approve," she murmured.
He kept hold of her hand and turned to face her. In the moonlight, his sculpted features were all mystery.
"You’re so beautiful," he said, after a long while.
Emily trembled and swayed forward to catch his scent. She’d missed that scent since the day he left. The deep breath she drew was rich with his spicy male tang and the pure clear air of the Highlands. "Shut up, Hamish."
Even in the dark, she saw him jerk in surprise. "Shut up?"
"Yes, shut up and kiss me before I die of longing."
"Well, damn me for a porridge-brained fool…"
He caught her around the waist and hauled her against his body. She had a moment to gasp in surprise before he bent his head, blocking out the moonlight. His lips found hers, and she instinctively opened. He tasted hot and delicious, and when his tongue flicked her lower lip, her stomach turned over in immediate pleasure. It was all so unfamiliar and fascinating, she wasn’t even frightened when his tongue slid deep inside her mouth.