Seducing the Highlander by Emma Wildes Page A

had also had a long, distressing day, and it had taken its toll. She was asleep, breathing easily, her hair a golden, glorious mass against the linens. He took in the wine by the bed, two glasses ready, the soft light of a dozen lamps, the scent of perfume in the air. His gaze strayed back to the woman in his bed, and he drank in the sheer beauty of the sight.
    Leanna was completely naked, her thighs parted, and he could see the soft, tempting darkness of her female cleft between her long, slender legs. Her breasts lifted slightly with every inhale, the pale mounds firm and high, and her face was serene, long lashes pillowed on her perfect cheekbones. Though he should probably let her sleep, he acknowledged wryly to himself that it wasn’t going to happen. He was already hard and heavy from standing there for just those few moments, the throb in his hungry cock matching the beat of his heart.
    Undressing quickly and quietly, he joined her on the bed, his fingers finding that sweet softness between her parted legs, beginning to stroke her awake. He marveled at the beauty of her body, at the mystery of her feminine allure as his fingers explored her most private place, threading through her soft thatch, circling gently the small, enticing opening that would stretch to accommodate his need, finding the nub that was even now beginning to swell in sexual arousal.
    Ian grinned as she moaned in her sleep and spread her legs further. Her eyelids fluttered as he slid a finger into her passage, and she breathed, “Ian.”
    “No one else, my love.” He continued to arouse her, using his thumb and fingers, until he could feel she was wet and wide-awake. She watched him with half-closed eyes, her enjoyment of his touch unhidden. And when he moved over her, she opened for him, welcoming him as he pushed inside. Usually voracious, especially the first time, he exerted enormous control and loved her gently, with consummate skill, concentrating solely on her pleasure. When she wildly clutched his shoulders and he knew she was ready to peak, he whispered in her ear, “Will you marry me, Leanna?”
    Her eyes flew open and she gasped. “That’s not fair. Oh, God, Ian, don’t stop, please.”
    “Answer me first,” he demanded, holding back the thrust he knew would send her over the edge.
    “Yes. Just . . . please . . .”
    He obliged, smiling, sliding forward deeply so that he could feel the tremors in her womb and the undulation of her inner muscles as she climaxed. Luring her to that sensational crest twice more, he finally let himself find his own release: a burning, fiery burst of joy that shook his entire body and left him gasping.
    “You beast” was the first thing she said indignantly, and she slapped him on the shoulder with surprising force for one so slender.
    Laughing and opening his eyes, he feigned an innocent expression, looking into her lovely flushed face. “How am I a beast, may I ask?”
    “Marriage proposals are not supposed to be made when . . . when . . .”
    “The lass is about to experience a very loud, very intense climax?” he supplied, lifting a brow in arrogant amusement.
    “Ian.” Her protest was muffled, her expression charmingly chagrined.
    “It seemed like a good time,” he told her, lightly kissing her mouth. “I didn’t want to risk your refusing me.”
    “Why would I? I love you.”
    At last . She said it at last.
    The moment seared his soul.
    When he could speak, he said hoarsely, “I kidnapped you and seduced you. That isn’t exactly a romantic courtship. I am . . . unaccustomed to what women want when it comes to marriage. I know you enjoy this”—he gestured at their intertwined bodies—“but are you sure you want to stay here, in Scotland, with me for the rest of your life?”
    Leanna smiled, a curve of those soft, tempting lips. “Oh, yes.” Ian smiled back, elation making his voice thick. “Thank heavens, or else I am afraid I might have to abduct you again, my sweet