Page 37 of Her Reluctant Highlander Husband

To be honest, the only reason he’d been mad was because he’d felt weak for not giving her the brush and comb from the trunk right away. It had been selfish of him to withhold something she’d needed when he had it to offer. Worse, he wasn’t even certain he was still thinking of the blasted brush and comb.

He’d wanted Dorie to know he did care about her. At least as much as he was able to. But it hadn’t taken long for him to get caught up in the kiss, and he’d found himself removing her clothes and easing her back on their bed.

Now he was lying between her thighs, his cock lined up to her hot center as he prepared her to become his wife in every way.

He’d not felt like this since…Maggie. He could remember it now, at least. Though now was mayhap not the time he should remember such things. But he could think about what it had been like with Maggie and still enjoy kissing Dorie, knowing it was different.

Good. Better than good, but still different.

Dorie was tall, which meant she lined up with him perfectly. He could press himself against her warmth and look into her blue eyes at the same time. He hooked her legs around his waist and placed his forehead against hers in an effort to calm himself.

It wouldn’t do to rush the moment. There was no way to avoid hurting her briefly, but he could control himself so he didn’t make it worse than it needed to be.

He was shocked when she used her long legs to pull herself up, sinking him farther into her. She wiggled impatiently, driving him mad with wanting to plunge into her heat in one thrust.

The way she responded to every touch made him want to touch her more, just to see her reactions.

“There will be a bit of pain when I push into you all the way, but it will be over quickly. If you don’t want to, we don’t have to.”

She looked at him with her wide blue eyes and he saw the trust there. She moved against him again.

He pulled away in preparation, and she made a noise of protest.

“I’m not going anywhere, lass.” He wouldn’t have been able to leave her if the castle were under attack.

“Before we go any further, I need something from you,” he said.

She looked up at him, waiting.

“I need you to speak to me. I need you to tell me you want this.”

She was quick to reach between them and make a cross over her heart. It was a valiant effort, but he shook his head. “Can you speak, love?”

She glanced away and then back to face him. She nodded.

“I’m sure there’s a reason you’ve chosen not to for all this time, but I’ll not have silence any longer between us. Do you understand?”

“I do,” she whispered. It was as if they were starting over with the first words she should have spoken at their wedding. Her voice was low and husky, either from lack of use or from passion. Whichever reason, hearing those two words made him burn.

He kissed her again, a reward for trusting him enough to break her silence. “I know you just started to use your voice, but I’m planning to have you scream with desire before the night is over,” he promised with a smile.

Her wide eyes went even wider as he nudged closer between her legs, but passion overtook her fear. She moaned and gripped him tighter.

Maggie had also been a virgin when he’d bedded her. At the time he’d thought it best to go slow, but later he’d thought maybe that wasn’t the best way. It had just taken longer to get past it.

He decided to go about things differently with Dorie. He waited for her to open her eyes and look at him. He smiled, hoping to reassure her.

“I’m going to make it quick.” He paused to clarify. “The painful part. Not the good part.”

She gave a slight nod and then a more determined, “Aye.”

He kissed her hard, at the same time pushing inside her the whole way, claiming her as his wife.

Softening the kiss, he held still to give her a moment to relax and took that time to caress her mouth with his tongue. Her fingers clutched his hair, holding him to her. But it was unnecessary. He had no plans to leave. Instead, he continued to kiss her until she shifted restlessly. He knew she was ready for more when she whimpered in frustration and pushed up from the bed as if to ease a need.

“Are you ready for the good part?” he asked, and she nodded.

When he waited, she swallowed and answered, “Please.” The yearning in her voice nearly did him in, but he’d promised it would be good.