threatening to lure her away like a fairy song from legend.
“But… it’s… sinful…”
The fingers on the back of her neck tightened, pulling forward a small amount so that her face tipped back up and presented her mouth to his once again. He hovered over her mouth for a moment, and she saw that he was holding back, tempering his desire.
“I swear that I will wed ye, Brina. There will be no shame, only pleasure.”
He kissed her again, this time following her when she turned away from the contact. It wasn’t a hard kiss. Connor controlled himself, and she shuddered because she knew that he was employing effort on her behalf. That knowledge overwhelmed her with how tender it was, and she lost the battle to resist. Her mouth moved beneath his, trying to mimic his motions.
“That’s the way, lass…” The hand on her nape began to guide her instead of binding her.
She liked his kiss. It was a hard certainty that filled her mind as his lips slid along hers, teasing and gently tasting, while she shivered in the grip of not knowing what to do. Even if she had been instructed at some point on how to kiss, Brina doubted she could have recalled what the lesson entailed. She was too overwhelmed by sensation to think. It flooded her and took her down into a moment where there was nothing except the way his mouth moved against her own.
He surrounded her, and her body felt as though it was made to melt against his harder one. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and she wanted to sigh with the enjoyment she gained from it. Her nipples tingled and drew into hard buttons when his lips became bolder against her own.
His kiss lost its innocent touch, becoming harder by degrees as his hand guided her head into the position he wanted. The tip of his tongue glided across her lower lip, shocking her again, only this time she eagerly embraced that shock. She wanted to be closer to it, to him, and she tried to move her lips in unison with his. Excitement was growing inside her, and she became eager to discover what his next touch might be.
He growled softly, but the tone was almost wicked. Her eyes sprang open as she recognized the sound in some deep part of her mind that harbored every thought that had been labeled forbidden.
“Enough, Connor.”
She pushed against his chest, and his hold slackened. She never would have escaped by trying to back away from him, so she ducked beneath his arm and hiked up her skirts so that she might move faster.
“Damn it all… Brina…”
She didn’t wait to hear what else he planned to say to soothe her. Brina made it past the rocks that had granted her privacy from his men, and stumbled down the few steps to where the horses were getting a last pat from their riders. A soft cry crossed her lips when she spied her mare. A younger lad held the reins, but she took them from him quickly and wrapped them around her fingers.
A hard hand clamped down on top of the strips of leather. It wasn’t a hard grip, but it was firm enough to trap her.
Connor placed his other hand on the side of the mare, pinning Brina between his arms. He wasn’t actually touching her, only caging her with his arms and body, but she quivered, too aware of him by far. Sensation was coursing through her veins like whisky. Somehow she’d failed to notice that he was so much larger than she. It was a fact that she encountered daily with Bran and her father’s retainers, but Connor was different. She noticed his strength for reasons that were dark mysteries inside her mind, and feelings arose from those shadows while she became increasingly aware of the way his body might shelter hers.
“Easy, Brina…”
“I am at ease,” she snapped. “I want to ride my own horse; that’s all.”
She heard him draw in a stiff breath, the fingers wrapped around her own gently massaging.
“Can I trust ye on yer own horse?”
Her eyes widened. She had never told a lie. Brina stared at the velvet-covered side of her mare and
“But… it’s… sinful…”
The fingers on the back of her neck tightened, pulling forward a small amount so that her face tipped back up and presented her mouth to his once again. He hovered over her mouth for a moment, and she saw that he was holding back, tempering his desire.
“I swear that I will wed ye, Brina. There will be no shame, only pleasure.”
He kissed her again, this time following her when she turned away from the contact. It wasn’t a hard kiss. Connor controlled himself, and she shuddered because she knew that he was employing effort on her behalf. That knowledge overwhelmed her with how tender it was, and she lost the battle to resist. Her mouth moved beneath his, trying to mimic his motions.
“That’s the way, lass…” The hand on her nape began to guide her instead of binding her.
She liked his kiss. It was a hard certainty that filled her mind as his lips slid along hers, teasing and gently tasting, while she shivered in the grip of not knowing what to do. Even if she had been instructed at some point on how to kiss, Brina doubted she could have recalled what the lesson entailed. She was too overwhelmed by sensation to think. It flooded her and took her down into a moment where there was nothing except the way his mouth moved against her own.
He surrounded her, and her body felt as though it was made to melt against his harder one. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and she wanted to sigh with the enjoyment she gained from it. Her nipples tingled and drew into hard buttons when his lips became bolder against her own.
His kiss lost its innocent touch, becoming harder by degrees as his hand guided her head into the position he wanted. The tip of his tongue glided across her lower lip, shocking her again, only this time she eagerly embraced that shock. She wanted to be closer to it, to him, and she tried to move her lips in unison with his. Excitement was growing inside her, and she became eager to discover what his next touch might be.
He growled softly, but the tone was almost wicked. Her eyes sprang open as she recognized the sound in some deep part of her mind that harbored every thought that had been labeled forbidden.
“Enough, Connor.”
She pushed against his chest, and his hold slackened. She never would have escaped by trying to back away from him, so she ducked beneath his arm and hiked up her skirts so that she might move faster.
“Damn it all… Brina…”
She didn’t wait to hear what else he planned to say to soothe her. Brina made it past the rocks that had granted her privacy from his men, and stumbled down the few steps to where the horses were getting a last pat from their riders. A soft cry crossed her lips when she spied her mare. A younger lad held the reins, but she took them from him quickly and wrapped them around her fingers.
A hard hand clamped down on top of the strips of leather. It wasn’t a hard grip, but it was firm enough to trap her.
Connor placed his other hand on the side of the mare, pinning Brina between his arms. He wasn’t actually touching her, only caging her with his arms and body, but she quivered, too aware of him by far. Sensation was coursing through her veins like whisky. Somehow she’d failed to notice that he was so much larger than she. It was a fact that she encountered daily with Bran and her father’s retainers, but Connor was different. She noticed his strength for reasons that were dark mysteries inside her mind, and feelings arose from those shadows while she became increasingly aware of the way his body might shelter hers.
“Easy, Brina…”
“I am at ease,” she snapped. “I want to ride my own horse; that’s all.”
She heard him draw in a stiff breath, the fingers wrapped around her own gently massaging.
“Can I trust ye on yer own horse?”
Her eyes widened. She had never told a lie. Brina stared at the velvet-covered side of her mare and
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