Chapter Eighteen
Shivering from the chill in the night air, Nora crossed her arms over her bent knees and propped her chin on her wrists. With the moon perched high in the sky, surrounded by hundreds of twinkling stars, she sat atop of the grassy hill with a clear view of the festivities on the village green below.
The harmonious melody of lutes and lyres blended with boisterous laughter as clan members twirled and danced around the blazing bonfires in merriment. Lanterns lit the garland-lined trestle tables covered with dozens of half-eaten platters of fare. The light, cool breeze carried scents of roasted pork, mutton, and small game roasting over the spits.
After she’d spoken her greetings and swiped a piece of Doris’ oatmeal cake and a handful of berry tarts, she left her brother conversing with his friend, David, and sought out a bit of solitude. Content to spy the merriment from her perch atop the knoll, she allowed a grin at the joyous scene.
She’d caught a brief glimpse of Liam escorting Laird and Lady Fraser to the clearing earlier in the night. The rousing cheers grew deafening when the laird, on solid feet and in good spirits, made his appearance with his lady wife on his arm. The older man’s arrival set the good-natured mood for the eve. Alas, even surrounded by such merry glee, her mind continued to stray to the discovery beneath Liam’s saddle the day before.
Nora failed to share the information she’d learned with Will, instead, choosing to wait until after the feast. He’d looked forward to the harvest banquet and she refused to spoil his eve. Her shoulders could carry the burden for another night. Afterward, she would speak to her brother.
Then—somehow, some way—she’d muster the courage to speak to Liam. She could no more explain why the thought of speaking to him filled her with dread than she could unravel why her uncle was a traitorous arse of the utmost degree.
Whispers of movement over Nora’s shoulder caught her notice. She peered left just as Liam eased down to sit side by side with her in the grass.
“Saints, you’re forever sneaking around. You might tread with a heavier foot,” she scolded.
He chuckled. “What if I whistled as I approached? Would that help?”
Rolling her eyes, she ignored the nervous flutter in her belly. “’Tis a start, I suppose.”
Liam tilted closer, their shoulders rubbing. The warmth from his solid frame permeated her side, compelling her to lean into him, but she tamped down the urge.
He slanted his head to peer at her. “Why are you not below enjoying the festivities with everyone else?”
She shifted to rest her cheek on her wrist, meeting his stare. “I could ask you the same.”
Despite the shadows of night, moonlight shone in his handsome eyes, reminding her of a pair of stars glittering in the dark sky.
“I did not see you below to ask for my dance.”
A dance? ’Twas the last thing on her troubled mind. “What of your back?”
“’Tis much better after my mother’s poultice.” He bumped her shoulder. “Mayhap now, you might tell me what you wished before my kin interrupted.”
The request left her scrambling with uncertainty. The bargain she’d struck with his cousin resided in the forefront of her mind but, Saints, she’d no desire to speak of such matters. Not that instant. Not when his eyes resembled shining twin gemstones. ’Twas no simple feat explaining to the man she adored that her uncle sought to harm him and his father. And even harder to confess she’d reserved her suspicions from the beginning when she should’ve spoken of them promptly after Fraser’s poisoning. Instead, she shoved aside her apprehension and listened to her brother’s suggestion, even when she’d known better.
Unwilling to ruin the pleasant eve, she beseeched a reprieve. “Please…can we speak on the morrow?”
Even in the dim light, she noticed the softening of his features.
“On the morrow, then.” He quirked a playful brow. “But, you owe me.”
Grateful for his understanding, she smiled. “What is your price, then?”
His lips twisted to one side as he considered. “A dance should suffice.”
“What?” Nora raised her head in surprise. “Here? Now?”
His rich laughter wrapped around her senses. Of its own volition, her body leaned closer to him.
“Come now, lass. Indulge me.”
His boyish grin, coupled with the stray lock of blond hair falling over his brow, affected the cadence of her heart. “Do I not always indulge you?”
Liam closed the distance between them, placing a chaste kiss on her cool cheek. With a grunt and a slight bit of effort, he pushed to his feet and extended his hand to her. Cast in shadows, his smiling features shone through the darkness.
“Please, my lady, would you do me the honor?”
Without a speck of hesitation, she placed her hand in his. ’Twas becoming a habit, this inability to deny him.
He tugged her to her feet and hauled her close. The heat of his body seeped through her gown, warming her skin.
A fast-paced, melodious tune drifted up from the pasture below. Men and women danced a reel, twirling to and fro in their partners’ arms. Their lively cheers carried on the breeze.
The band of his arm spanned her waist, and he grasped one of her hands, lifting their twined fingers in the air. In no particular rush to move, they stood toe to toe, gazing into each other’s eyes. Riveted by his charming smile, she reminded herself to blink.
Everything about the man captured her notice. From the disarming blue of his eyes and the flawless perfection of his golden features to his witty banter and kind heart, he was a striking man, through and through. He had the ability to make her feel dozens of sensations all at once, from exasperation to exhilaration. ’Twas almost too easy to forget her unsettling past and uncertain future and immerse herself in his warmth.
What she felt for him—this inexplicable attraction—was slow growing and steady, but pure and all-encompassing. She loved him more than she cared to admit.
Aside from the rise and fall of their chests, they stood as still as statues.
“What’s amiss, my sweet lass?” His warm breath fanned over her cheek.
“Hmm?”
“You’re frowning.”
Was she? Truly, she had not realized.
“’Tis my usual countenance, according to you.” She forced a grin for his benefit.
In the dim light, he searched her gaze, his smile slipping. Within a hairsbreadth of her mouth, he murmured, “Truly, I love you for it.”
The words sent a jolt through her frame, pushing the air from her constricted lungs. He loved her? Her heart gave a painful thump and a lump suddenly lodged in her throat.
His arm tightened around her midsection. “Why should that surprise you? Did you not already guess?”
Mayhap, only on a foolish whim for one flicker of a moment. ’Twas hard to imagine a man such as Liam MacGregor might love her.
“’Tis true, Nora.” His lips brushed hers. “I’ve fallen in love with you.”
Her eyes closed as a sweep of elation rushed through her. Her head floated and her knees wobbled. Happiness swelled in her chest, the burst of emotion overwhelming her. She opened her eyes to his tender gaze watching her.
“Kiss me?” she whispered.
His mouth moved closer, grazing her jaw. “You never have to ask.”
Liam captured her lips in a searing kiss she felt down to the tips of her toes. She melted against him, placing her palms over his firm chest. Slow and languid, he deepened their kiss as he guided her backward with slow paces, until her back rested against the base of an oak tree.
The leisurely strokes of their twining tongues grew hurried and unrestrained. Fervor swept through every pore of Nora’s being, inflaming the coiling twinge below her belly. Her hands lifted to his hair, gripping strands between her fingers, unwilling to lose the intoxicating flavor of him.
His questing hands moved over her gown, heating the skin beneath. Her body hummed from within, the ache in the pit of her stomach mounting deep inside her. Unable to stop herself, she moved against his solid frame, seeking something more. With an arm at the small of her back, he pulled her lower half forward, urging their hips together. The unmistakable hardness of his manhood pressed into her thigh through her gown.
Ripping his mouth from hers, he trailed kisses along her jaw to the column of her throat. “Do you feel my need for you?”
His harsh whisper grated in her ears. The rise and fall of his chest brushed over the sensitive tips of her breasts, shielded by the fabric of her gown. Despite the chill in the air, sweat formed on her brow from the fire burning inside her.
He nibbled on her ear, tugging the lobe between his teeth. A hiss slid from her lips. Her hips moved of their own accord, her body responding to his touch. His hands moved over the woolen material of her gown until he reached the lacings. Making quick work of the ties, he slipped the fabric from her shoulder, baring her breast to his view. A shiver ran though her frame that had naught to do with the cool night air.
His gaze roamed over her flesh, while the back of his finger grazed over the hardened pink tip, eliciting a low moan from her.
“’Tis beautiful.” He leaned forward, his lips brushing hers. “You’re beautiful.”
The rasp of his voice prickled gooseflesh over her arms. He ducked his head to her chest and his mouth closed over the taut peak. His tongue laved at her sensitive flesh, pulling a strangled moan from her throat.
Nora sucked in deep pulls of air and struggled to focus on the bright moon in the night’s sky overhead. Her own labored breaths filled her ears, drowning out the sounds of the feast in the valley below. Lost in a passion-induced fog, everything around her ceased to exist except the man in her arms.
Lifting his mouth to hers, he seized her lips with a hungry kiss. With his thigh wedged between hers, he urged her to move against him. A simple shift of her hips and she expelled a harsh breath. Despite the barrier of their clothing, his thigh rubbed over her center. Her head dropped back against the tree with a thunk, and she scarcely noticed the slight sting from the bark.
Saints, what was the man doing to her?
Swamped with desire, she moved against him, engulfed in the coil of tension building in her midsection. She panted to catch her breath as his lips drifted over her skin. His hand drifted lower to lift the hem of her gown to her hips, slipping in between the heat of her thighs.
When Liam’s fingers caressed her sensitive core, she emitted a sharp cry he captured with his mouth. He released her lips, trailing his mouth over her skin. His nose brushed her flushed cheek.
“Trust me, my sweet lass. I shall never let you fall.”
His fingertips stoked at her core, drawing her higher toward an unknown summit she scarcely understood. Her hips moved back and forth, seeking his steady strokes. One finger moved over her entrance, tracing her most intimate spot, before he eased a finger inside. His thumb continued to brush over the swollen bud, leaving her gasping for air.
“Breathe, Nora.” His lips moved over her cheek to her mouth.
Consumed by his touch, every worry in her crowded mind slipped away. She focused solely on the mounting tension below her belly, surrendering to the building sensation. Passion ignited her aflame until the pressure broke free, sending her over an invisible precipice toward release. A keening cry tumbled from her swollen lips.
Liam eased his hand from between her legs, righting her skirts. He turned her in his arms until his back leaned against the base of the tree. She melted against his strong frame while her chest rose and fell against his. More than a bit self-conscious, she buried her forehead against the warm skin of his neck, trying to digest what had occurred between them.
With a finger beneath her chin, he tipped her head up to meet his gaze. “I’ve never seen a more comely sight, seeing you come apart in my arms.”
Staring into his sparkling eyes, she actually felt beautiful for a change.
A playful grin curved his lips. “So…how was it?”
She almost laughed at the silly question. The man jested at the most ill-timed moments. Spurred by his witty query, she could not help but tease the self-assured smile from his face.
She lifted a shoulder with a half-shrug. “’Twas tolerable, I suppose.”
If anything, his grin stretched wider. He swatted her backside before hauling her flush against his chest. “Ah, lass, what am I to do with you?”
For a long while, she merely savored the warmth of his embrace, his strong arms around her. The steady beat of his heart thumped beneath her palm. She wished this single, enchanting moment could span a lifetime.
The smile eased from his lips. The earnestness in his deep blue eyes gave her pause.
“Nora…” Liam swallowed hard. “Marry me?”
The earth could’ve shifted and split apart at her feet and Nora would’ve been less astonished. Saints alive, was he serious?
Hundreds of thoughts flooded her mind, scattering her good sense to the wind. Her mouth flapped open, the words absent from her tongue.
His palms framed her face. “You do not have to give me an answer now. But promise me, you’ll consider it.”
Relieved he’d offered yet another reprieve, she nodded and leaned her cheek to rest on his shoulder while his question circled in her mind. How could she marry the man she loved when he knew naught of her past?
Mayhap, ’twas selfish of her but for now—just this once—she intended to bask in the comfort of his arms. The morrow would come soon enough, and she’d have to explain how her uncle plotted to murder him and his father and the fact that she was not a Fraser at all.