The Viper (Highland Guard #4)(106)

He seemed to be waiting for some kind of reply. Or maybe he was just prolonging the agony. “Let me love you, Bella.”

And then he did. Kissing her. Tonguing her. Loving her with his mouth until she no longer knew her name. Until all she could think about was the exquisite torture he was exacting on her. Until the unbelievable sensations became too much.

She’d never imagined anything could feel like this. The pressure of his mouth. The flick of his tongue. The scratch of his whiskers against the sensitive skin.

She writhed. Moaned. Trembled.

He sent her tumbling over the edge, and then sent her over again. She cried out as wave after wave of pleasure spasmed through her.

He was inside her. Filling her. Taking her with long, tender strokes. Skin to skin. Their bodies melding in a fusion of heat and passion.

But when she looked into his eyes, she knew it was far more than that.

It was perfect. With each slow, penetrating stroke, she felt his love for her. And when at last they came together, she heard the words again, echoing in her ears.

The love and happiness that had eluded her for so long were finally hers. She savored every moment of joy, knowing how hard fought it had been won.

Hours later, after he’d built a fire, fed her, and loved her once more, she slept entwined in his arms, for the first time in years feeling hope in the promise of tomorrow. With Lachlan by her side, everything was going to be all right.

Twenty

Lachlan didn’t like it, but he didn’t have any other choice. He drew the hood of the dark robe over his head and turned back to look at her standing in the doorway. God, he didn’t want to leave her. “I won’t be long,” he said.

She put her hand on his arm with the unconscious ease of a woman who knew every inch of him and gave him a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine. After so many hours in the saddle, it will feel good to move around and stretch my legs.”

He frowned. He didn’t like leaving her alone, but he didn’t have a choice. He had to scout the convent and find Margaret. She would be safe here for a couple of hours. “Don’t stray too far from the cottage. Though there aren’t likely to be any hunters or poachers at night, there are wild animals in the forest, or you could fall and twist an ankle—”

She stopped him with a laugh. “You sound like my mother.”

His jaw clenched. “Damn it, Bella, I’m serious. Just because we’ve made it so far without any problems doesn’t mean we’re safe. We still have to get you in and out of that convent without being seen.”

Not to mention getting out of England, through the Marches, and back to the safe part of Scotland. His stomach knifed. What the hell were they doing here?

But she wasn’t listening. Her mind had leapt beyond the “details” the moment they’d reached the outskirts of Berwick. As soon as he’d had confirmation from an informant whom the Highland Guard had used many times before that Despenser’s party had arrived at the castle the day prior, Bella hadn’t been able to sit still.

On their journey she’d confided more of the details of her imprisonment, including how they used the prospect of contact with her daughter to control her. He knew part of her had been protecting herself in case this was yet one more in a long line of disappointments. Once she’d learned Joan was close, however, there’d been no holding her back.

“I can’t believe I’m going to see my daughter in a matter of days—maybe as soon as tomorrow.”

The dreamy smile on her face made his chest tighten. He knew how much this meant to her, and he would cut off his right arm to make it happen, but she was getting ahead of herself. “If I can get you in there.”

She lifted up on her toes to press an unfortunately chaste kiss on his mouth, which he suspected was merely to soften his frown. “Of course you’ll get me in. It’s a convent, not a heavily guarded castle, and it’s protected by nuns, not soldiers. It will be child’s play for you.”

Unwavering faith wasn’t something he was used to, and it made him bloody uncomfortable.

He didn’t know what was wrong with him. So far everything had gone according to plan. But it was an adage among the Guard that the only thing you could count on in a mission was that something would always go wrong.

So far nothing had. The morning after the storm they’d woken to sunshine. The thin layer of snow hadn’t slowed them down at all, and by the end of the morning had melted. They’d changed horses just south of Edinburgh and made it to Berwick on the fifth day of their journey—nearly a half-day quicker than he’d anticipated. After the quick meeting with the informant to confirm Despenser’s presence, they had gone to the forester’s cottage by the stream that they’d used when they rescued Bella. Best of all, there had been no sign of his Highland Guard brethren.

Why couldn’t he shake the feeling that something was wrong?

He knew why. He was too damned happy, and he didn’t trust it. Happiness made him wary. And tentative. He didn’t want anything to screw it up.

By unspoken agreement, he and Bella had avoided talking about the future for the same reasons. She needed to ensure her daughter’s safety first, and he needed to ensure hers. There would be time when this was over. But the memories of what had happened the last time he’d mentioned a future still stung.

She was right. He was more conventional than he’d realized. He wanted her as his wife. But she loved him. It would have to be enough for now.