Page 71 of Ruined By the Ruthless Highlander
Marian’s breath hitched.
No.
It had felt right, and that was what terrified her the most.
All her life, she had been taught to be proper. To fear impropriety more than her own desires. To see marriage as a duty and passion as an unnecessary frivolity.
But passion was what she’d felt in the library, and it had nearly consumed her with an urgency that was far more dangerous than she’d imagined. It had taken hold of her without warning, silencing every lesson she had ever been taught and drowning out every careful thought.
Her breath caught at the memory of it—ofhim, and of the way her body had responded before her mind could intervene.
Her fingers curled into her skirt, a blush creeping up her cheeks as she remembered the way his lips had claimed hers.
She had lost control. And worse still, she had liked it.
It is too dangerous.
“It does not matter how it felt,” she said finally, her voice tightening. “We should…” She swallowed, straightening her back. “I should never have allowed it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Marian could not sleep.
She lay awake in bed for most of the night, replaying the events of the past evening over and over in her head.
Many times, she caught herself trying to reenact it. Her fingers curled around her arms in the same places Lachlan’s hands had been, pressing slightly as though that would summon the memories back to life.
I cannot allow this.
She turned onto her side, then onto her back again. Her blankets twisted with every one of her movements, and a frustrated sigh slipped past her lips as she pushed them off in an attempt to free herself from the heaviness she felt.
Her thoughts refused to quiet.
She stared at the high ceiling of her chamber for a moment, memories of that encounter flooding her mind again.
I am a lady. I cannot have these thoughts.
She closed her eyes for a moment to see if that would help, but it only made it worse.
Her breath caught as the memory sharpened instead of fading—the way his breath tickled her skin and how his hand nearly fisted in her hair as though he’d been fighting it too.
She exhaled sharply, slipping out of bed in resignation.
Her feet padded across the stone floor as she began to pace her room, her hands clasped together in front of her, rubbing each other ever so slightly.
She came to a stop at the small window, pushing it open to let in the cold, morning air. It was barely dawn, so she stared into the dark, her eyes catching the faint glimmer of the glen for a moment.
It is peaceful…
The door to the adjoining room creaked open, and she stilled.
“Lilly?”
She turned around to see her maid, whose face was already drawn in worry.
“My Lady…” Lilly said gently, stopping at the window next to her. “I heard footsteps.” Her eyes searched Marian’s face, her shoulders dropping slightly as she murmured, “You look like you barely had a wink of sleep.”
Marian sighed softly. She knew it was true. Her bones ached with exhaustion, but she could hardly get herself to relax, not with thoughts of Lachlan plaguing her mind.
