Page 82 of Steel & Surrender

Yet consuming.

Brìghde couldn’t help it; she swayed into him, her lips parting, welcoming his tongue, while she slid her hands up his chest over his lèine to where his heart bucked under her palm.

The feel of it shocked her. It was proof that she moved him, roused him—that those weren’t empty words. Not at all.

He wanted her badly.

And, God help her, she needed him too.

With a groan of surrender, she sank into him, tilting her head back as he cupped the back of it and deepened the kiss.

She wasn’t sure how long they stood there, bodies pressed close, mouths devouring, but it was she who took the next step. “Greig,” she whispered against his mouth, “I want more.”

A low moan rumbled in his throat. “Christ, lass, don’t tempt me.”

Her belly dipped violently, as if she’d just jumped off a high wall.

She’d do more than that. She’d give him what he wanted—what they both craved.

Letting go of his hand, she stepped back, toward the door of the forge.

“In here,” she said huskily, thrilling at her own boldness, even as her pulse skittered. “Now.”

Brìghde kept moving, acting before her nerve failed her. Or before he had a chance to change his mind either.

Greig stayed where he was, still watching her, the lantern he held flickering in the darkness.

Heart in her throat, Brìghde turned and pulled open the door to the forge and stepped inside.

Please follow.

A moment later, Greig swore under his breath—and did.

Dizziness swept over her, a heady blend of excitement and nerves churning in her belly.

He closed the heavy door behind them before setting the lantern down on a nearby bench.

And then whatever restraint he had left broke.

He was on her.

Brìghde’s back slammed up against the door. His arms caged her in, his mouth taking hers, hot and hungry—rougher than before.

Welcoming it, she moaned against his mouth, her arms coming up and linking around his neck, pulling him closer. Their bodies were flush now. She could feel every hard, muscled inch of him.

And as the kiss drew out, hot and wet, she felt his hardness press against her lower belly.

Excitement flared right there, and when his hands lifted to her hair, tangling in it, excitement tightened into ravenous hunger.

She wanted his hands not just in her hair, but all over her.

Making an impatient sound in the back of her throat, she slid her hand down his chest, tugging at the lèine that was tucked loosely into his bràies.

Breathing hard, Greig pulled back from her and yanked the tunic over his head.

Casting it aside, the lamplight flickered across his naked skin, sculpting the breadth of his chest. He then unfastened his dirk belt. It thudded onto the dirt-packed floor.

God, he had such a masculine body. Despite that he was only a couple of years older than her, there was a maturity to it too.