Page 105 of Ruined By the Ruthless Highlander
Eventually, Lachlan set her down. Her feet wobbled for a moment as they touched the floor, but she quickly steadied herself against the wall.
He stepped back, allowing her eyes to feast on every inch of his upper body.
Marian’s gaze traveled from his neck to the taut muscles of his abdomen, then down the V that disappeared beneath his kilt. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, her eyes widening as she took in the sight before her.
She had seen nude sculptures of the male body before in England, but none of them had ever possessed the sort ofprotrusion that seemed to tent Lachlan’s kilt beneath his belt. Her breath caught in her throat.
She did not expect what he did next.
Lachlan kneeled in front of her, pulling up her dress ever so slightly until her legs were exposed. He held her skirts in one hand and reached up with the other to push her undergarments aside.
She gasped as she felt his lips press against her sex, pleasure shooting through her at once. Her hips bucked, and her hands stiffened by her sides. She bit down on her lip to suppress the moans that threatened to escape her.
Marian had never felt anything quite like it before.
Her body stiffened as his tongue parted her nether lips, and suddenly, a bolt of electricity shot through her. She nearly screamed. Her fingers tugged at his hair, pressing him against her harder until his tongue slid deeper inside her, and her entire body convulsed.
She let out a sound, primal and almost like a sob, as her thighs shook around his head.
Lachlan reached up, his strong, muscular arms holding her hips in place. He continued to kiss her, not stopping until the pleasure had ebbed.
Her body quivered as he stood up, and he held her tightly, kissing her again so that she could taste herself on his lips.
They paused for breath, and her head came to rest against his chest. She could feel his hard member poking her belly.
It was all so overwhelming, far more than propriety would ever allow.
Marian’s eyes remained closed in disbelief for a second longer before she opened them, realizing with quiet astonishment that something inside her had awakened for the very first time.
Good heavens.
Lachlan stepped back a fraction, his expression tight with restraint, as if the control he had fought to maintain was hanging by the thinnest thread.
“Are ye still leavin’?” he whispered, his lips curling into a wicked smirk.
Marian’s lips parted. She wanted to say something, but her cheeks flushed deeper. She looked away, unable to hold his gaze after the moment they’d just shared.
Lachlan’s hand came up to cup her face, his thumb brushing across her flushed cheek. “Mairi,” he said quietly.
She looked up at him, still breathless. Her lips trembled slightly. “I…”
She did not know what to say.
“I was wrong,” he said, his voice low and rough. “What I said in the hall. About ye nae belongin’ here.”
Marian’s throat tightened. “Lachlan?—”
“I was wrong,” he repeated firmly. “And I was a fool.” He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “It is the truth. I never should have said those words to ye.”
Marian’s eyes stung with a feeling far more pleasant than what she had just experienced. She forced back a smile as she looked at him, her chest tight with something she didn’t dare name.
“Lachlan, I?—”
The words caught in her throat. What could she say? That she’d fallen in love with a man who’d spent weeks trying to drive her away? That standing here with him felt more like home than London ever had? That she didn’t want to leave, not now, not ever?
Her lips parted again.
Just then, a sudden shout rose from the courtyard.
