The Viper (Highland Guard #4)(43)

The sensation of her soft, sensual lips opening under his drove him wild. He slid his tongue into her mouth, kissing her deeper, harder, claiming every inch that she was willing to give.

She was kissing him back, her sweet little cries urging him on. He could feel her press against him. Feel the desire building inside her. Feel the increasing urgency of her kiss.

His tongue circled hers. Slowly at first, then faster, as the sensations swirling between them built.

He’d been waiting so long for this, he couldn’t take it slow.

Heat surged through his veins. His skin was hot. Tight. Too small for his body. His muscles flexed, straining against the sensations. His c**k lengthened and hardened against her.

He could feel every one of those lush, soft curves against him, but still it wasn’t enough. Closer. He had to get closer.

He plunged his fingers through the soft silk of her hair, cushioning her head as he leaned her up against the door, bending her deeper into him.

There. Oh, Jesus, right there. A wave of heat nearly dragged him under.

His body melded to hers, his c**k wedged in that soft place between her legs. The urge to thrust taunted.

It felt too good. Too right. He could almost feel what it would be like to slide into her. How he could cup her bottom with his hands and lift her against him, wrap her legs around his waist and push into that soft, wet glove of her heat.

He’d rip open her bodice so he could feel the hard points of her br**sts raking against his skin. Her skin would be flushed, hot, the scent of roses even stronger.

He could feel the frantic beat of her heart as he brought her mouth more fully against his and gave over to the passion long denied unfurling inside him.

Bella was lost in a haze of desire unlike anything she’d ever imagined. His kiss grew more insistent. Each carnal slide of his tongue against hers licked the flames a little hotter.

She could feel his hardness between her legs, and it flooded her with even more intense yearnings. He moved against her. A slow grind of the hips that sent a flutter of awareness shooting up her spine. She wanted to feel him inside her. Wanted to feel him moving—

Dear God!

The wickedness of her thoughts brought her harshly back to reality. What was she doing? How could she have succumbed so easily, so completely? What was wrong with her?

A flush of shame replaced the heat of passion. After years of suspicion and irrational jealousy, she’d finally made her husband’s accusations come true.

She pushed him away. “Stop!”

He pulled back, his eyes dark with desire. With lust. Seeing what she feared so badly made her lash out. She slapped his face. “How dare you touch me like that!”

She didn’t know who was more shocked by the violence of her reaction. His face turned back to her slowly, and she cringed seeing the imprint of her palm.

“Are you offended that I touched you, Countess, or just mad that you enjoyed it?”

The truth of his accusation stung. Tears swelled in the back of her throat. “What do you want from me?”

A slow, lazy smile curled his mouth but never reached the hardness in his eyes. “What are you offering?”

The mocking brigand was back. The man who didn’t care about anything. How could she have thought differently? “It’s always about money to you, is that it?”

His gaze, an even more piercing green than usual, raked over her in a way that made her feel dirty. “I wasn’t talking about money.” She gasped. “Countess, if I wanted money from you, I’d take you to Edward myself.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t, since gold is all that matters to you. Didn’t you tell me yourself that Robert is done? Seems like you picked the wrong side this time. What will happen to all that coin you’ve been promised?”

“You have me all figured out, don’t you, Countess?” He held her gaze, and something in his eyes made her wish her taunts back. “You make a good point. One I’ll have to consider. It’s always good to weigh your options.” He gave her an exaggerated bow. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have more important matters to attend to.”

Bella almost called him back. She knew she’d been unfair. That the shame of dissolving in his arms had made her lash out at him. It wasn’t his fault she hadn’t pushed him away the way she should have.

But she didn’t. Calling him back wouldn’t change anything. Even if they made it out of this alive, what kind of future could they have? She was the set-aside wife of another man. Nothing good could ever happen between them. These feelings—the intensity of emotion pouring through her—scared her. She feared what they might make her do. It was better this way. She had to make sure something like that never happened again.

Now that she’d tasted passion, she wished she never had.

She joined the others in the chapel and tried to sleep. But she kept one ear pinned to the door, hoping to hear him come back.

He never did.

Just after dawn, she stirred at the sound of a door closing. It was Magnus again. He’d come in and out a few times, during the night, probably checking on the men keeping watch outside. She could hear him whispering to William, “He should be back by now.”

She quickly got up and hustled over to them. “Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know,” Magnus said honestly. “But we should gather the rest of the women and get ready to go.”