Page 27 of Deception of a Highlander

His hands cupped the velvety curve of her breasts, and she gasped into his mouth. She was so warm, so satiny beneath his battered hands. He clutched the back of her neck as her sweet tongue tangled with his, while his other hand found the sensitive little nub of her breast. He wanted to hear the soft cry of his name upon her lips. He wanted to make her moan with need.

Her nipple pebbled between his fingertips, and her breathing hitched. The ache in his cock was almost unbearable where it strained against his plaid. He squeezed her breast, his thumb blindly circling the delicate bud. Her moan started low and ended in a breathless whimper as her body ground against him.

Desire clouded his mind and robbed him of thought.

Her fingers left trails of fire against his naked flesh, where she explored his chest beneath his shirt. He knew her hunger all too well. She murmured his name against his lips and arched her back, so her naked breasts pressed toward the sky.

Her weight shifted as she leaned into him, nudging the heat of her desire against his cock. His breath hissed out between his teeth as her inquisitive fingertips neared his throbbing tip. He needed release, a way to come down from the height of battle. He needed her.

Now.

“Kieran!” Several male voices called in the distance.

Mariel pulled the warmth of her mouth from his. “The men…”

Kieran snatched her back to him and growled against her lips, “Let them wait.”

The voices called again, this time closer. Kieran let out a soft curse and released Mariel. She tied her chemise with trembling fingers as he rose to his feet.

He extended his arm to her. “Are ye sure ye’re fine?”

Her gaze met his with bold desire, and her kiss-swollen lips lifted in a languid smile. “Yes, thanks to you.”

She placed her small hand in his palm and allowed him to lift her from the thick mud.

“Mariel, ye’re safe!” Colin charged through the brush to where they stood. “Are ye all right?” His brow furrowed. “Ye look verra pale.”

Kieran looked down to where Mariel clung to his arm. She did look pale. How had he not noticed that before?

She wavered on her feet, and her gaze shifted to the body of the man he had killed.

This was too much for her. “Dinna look, Mariel. Come, let’s find an inn and get cleaned up, aye?”

“It’s all right,” she replied in a weak voice. “They are only…bodies…” Her words faded to a faint whisper, and her weight sagged against him.

Alarm flashed through Kieran. He wrapped his arm around her in an attempt to keep her upright, but she flinched from his touch.

“Mariel?” He yanked his hand away from her hip and found it bright red with blood.

“I couldn’t move quickly…I didn’t realize…he…” She swayed, and her face went white beneath the smears of mud.

Kieran gripped her waist above where she’d been injured and cradled her weight against him as her legs gave way. Fear clenched at his chest. He caught her slender body and held her against him, but she wasn’t looking at him. No, her head fell limply in the cradle of his arms, and her eyes fluttered closed with heart-stopping finality.

CHAPTER 12

Mariel awoke to the baritone murmur of voices in the distance. Exhaustion tugged at her, enticing her back to the numbing warmth of sleep. She gritted her teeth and tried to keep a sense of awareness. She had to stay awake. There was something she needed to do.

The scent of herbs hung heavy in the air, pungent with the almond notes of meadowsweet and the acrid tang of juniper sprigs.

She forced her heavy eyelids open, and shards of brilliant light stabbed into her skull. She slammed her lids shut against the pain and lay immobile until the roll of nausea eased.

As the muffled voices continued outside, familiarity seeped into her subconscious.

“How did she manage to kill a MacLeod, do ye think?”

A scrap of information danced at the edge of her memory.

“Those men were taken with drink, for certain,” mumbled another voice.