She choked on a laugh. “That would hardly be helpful. I’ve always understood that injuries to certain parts of the male anatomy can be rather discouraging.”
“Downright deflating. But I am a cad for rushing you, love. I apologize.”
“No. I want this more than I’ve ever wanted anything.”
“Yes, but . . .”
Sabrina let out an exasperated sigh. “All right. Let me ease your maidenly qualms.”
“It’s your maidenly qualms I’m worried about.”
“Shockingly, I don’t seem to have any.”
“Well, I do. I’m an exceedingly proper fellow, not to mention rather shy when it comes to this sort of thing.”
It was so ridiculous she was hard-pressed not to laugh. But it was also a moment too serious for laughter.
Sabrina took one of his hands between hers. It was big and calloused, the hand of a strong, competent man who would do anything to protect her and the family they would build together.
“Graeme Kendrick, will you marry me?” she asked.
His eyes glittered like polished emeralds. Then he blinked a few times and cleared his throat.
“Sorry, it’s rather dusty in here,” he gruffly replied.
“You are such a booby,” she tenderly said.
“It’s not every day a fellow gets proposed to by such a lovely lady. It’s . . . it’s . . .”
She raised an eyebrow. “Disconcerting?”
“No, it’s splendid. But are you sure, my darling girl? Really, truly sure?”
That hint of vulnerability twisted her heart. That she held such power over him was rather terrifying. Of course, he held the same power over her.
“I’m sure. And I do hope you’re not going to embarrass me by rejecting my suit. I would never live it down.”
Relief and joy flooded his gaze in equal measure. “I’m not that big an idiot.” He leaned down and feathered a brief kiss across her lips. “Yes, Lady Sabrina Bell, I will marry ye. With all the love and gratitude in my wretched soul, even though I do not deserve ye.”
She sniffed, trying to hold back a few tears. “You more than deserve me, you silly man. And now that we have that settled, can we please get back to your plan?”
“Which part?” he teased.
“This part.” She started to yank his shirt out of his breeches.
“You’re a bossy little thing, aren’t you?”
The shirt snagged on a button. “Get used to it.”
He laughed. “Here, let me help you.” He pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor.
Sabrina felt her mouth sag open. “My goodness.”
A shirtless Graeme was a sight, quite on par with the Elgin Marbles. His muscled chest was dusted with golden-red hair that narrowed in a silky line to the waist of his breeches. As for what was behind those breeches . . . that was obviously impressive, too.
He tapped her jaw shut. She hadn’t even realized she was gaping at him.
“Your turn,” he said.
“I’m acting like a ninny, aren’t I?”
He kissed her nose. “Not at all, love. And I promise I won’t do anything you don’t want me to.”
For such a rugged, hard-bitten man, Graeme was remarkably tender. He’d always put her needs first, and he’d done that from the moment they met. It was simply who he was.
“Actually, I think I’d like to do everything.”
“I am delighted to hear that,” he replied as she pulled off her wrapper and handed it to him.
Sabrina now wore only a sleeveless chemise, a whisper of cambric. Graeme’s avid gaze curled her toes and made her insides grow muddled.
He reached out to cup one of her breasts. When he rubbed a thumb across one nipple, Sabrina swallowed a gasp. Then he tugged on the rigid tip, and she cried out at the sharp, delicious sensation.
Embarrassed, she clapped a hand over her mouth.
“Sorry,” she muttered when he grinned and pulled her hand away.
“Sweetheart, make as much noise as you like.”
“But Ainsley and Royal are just down the hall. They might hear us.”
“They’re probably doing the same thing right now.”
She flapped a hand. “Not helping.”
“No one can hear, I promise,” he said in a soothing tone.
“You must think I’m a booby.”
“I think you’re utterly adorable.”
He leaned down to nuzzle her lips. Sabrina’s eyes drifted to half-mast as she rested her hands on his broad shoulders. His skin was hot under her fingers, the muscles as hard as rock.
“And I like it when you make noise,” he added, waggling his eyebrows. “Feel free to scream, in fact.”
“I am not the screaming type, sir.”
His emerald gaze glittered. “Oh, I do love a challenge.”
Sabrina lifted her chin, trying to look pert. Inside, she was a bundle of nerves and excitement. Because, really, what could be more exciting than Graeme Kendrick making love to you?
“Challenge accepted, Mr. Kendrick.”
His sudden grin should have warned her. The next moment, he had her flat on her back, and was standing between her legs. He swooped down and sucked on her nipple through the fabric of her chemise.
Sabrina gasped at the hot, wet feel of his mouth. Within seconds, she was writhing beneath him. When he gently bit down, she almost did scream. It was the most incredible sensation she’d ever felt.
Graeme pulled back, his hands propped on either side of her shoulders. “Just think how that will feel when you’re naked.”
She sucked in a wavering breath. “I’m still not going to scream.”
“Lassie, you’re going to be screaming down the rafters before the night is out.”
“You are a truly dreadful man.”
He grinned and straightened up, her wrapper a crumpled ball in his hand. “Let’s get you out of that chemise and prove just how dreadful I am.”
She struggled up into a sitting position. “All right, but you’re making an absolute mess out of that very expensive robe of mine.”
He shook it out before turning to carefully drape it across a nearby chair. When the light from the crackling fire caught his back, gleaming on his bronzed skin, Sabrina let out a gasp—and not one of pleasure.
Graeme quickly turned back. “What’s wrong?”
She had to swallow before she could answer. “Your scar.”
He grimaced and reached for his shirt. “Sorry. I forget how gruesome it looks.”
She scrambled off the bed. “No, let me see.”
“Sabrina—”
“Hush.”
She gently ran her fingers over the thick scar, where the knife had sliced into his body. Although fully healed, the flesh was still puckered and red, and the scar would never truly fade. It would always be a haunting reminder of that grim day.
As she gently pressed her lips to the mangled skin, tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.
“Please dinna cry,” Graeme gruffly said when she straightened up and faced him. “It’s just a stupid, big scratch. I’ll put my shirt on if it bothers ye.”
Sabrina threw her arms around his waist. “I don’t care how it looks, you big idiot. I care that I could have lost you before I even found you.”
“I survived, sweetheart. I’m just fine.”
“You are not to be injured like that again, do you hear? I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you.”
He eased her to arm’s length, one eyebrow tilted up. “And now you know how I feel when you throw yourself into harm’s way.”
“Point taken,” she grumbled. Then she gave him a little shake. “But promise you’ll be more careful from now on.”
“I promise I will always come home to you.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Now, may I suggest we get back to the part where I make you scream?”
Her emotions were so tangled she didn’t know whether to giggle or burst into tears. She com
promised by letting out a little snort. “If you insist.”
“Oh, I do insist.”
He swept her into his arms and carried her back to the bed. Putting her down, he then pulled her chemise up and over her head. Sabrina blinked at finding herself so quickly naked.
His eyes blazed with green fire as he trailed his calloused fingertips across her shoulders. Sabrina shivered.
“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he growled.
She resisted the impulse to clap her hands over her private parts. But this was Graeme, the man she would marry. The man she loved. There was no need to hide.
“Thank you.” She mustered a smile.
“You’re welcome. Now, up with you, my brave, Sassenach angel.”
He plopped her on the bed, all in a sprawl. She started to scramble to the head of the bed. Graeme, however, gently pushed her back down, leaving her legs dangling over the edge of the mattress.
She frowned. “Aren’t you getting in bed with me?”
“Soon.”
Then he curled his big hands around her thighs and pushed them apart, stepping between them. Sabrina’s mouth went dry. To be so exposed . . . It was embarrassing and exciting, all at once.
Graeme cupped her feminine parts. “Och, that’s lovely,” he rumbled.
She felt herself grow soft and damp. When he slipped a finger along the tender seam, rubbing her, she gasped and clutched at the bedclothes.
“That’s it, my angel,” he crooned as he continued to play with her.
He teased her with slow, delicious strokes, setting her on fire. Instinctively, Sabrina clenched her thighs around his hand as tiny contractions rippled through her core.
She’d never felt anything like it, and they’d barely begun to make love.
When he pulled away, Sabrina couldn’t hold back a regretful sigh.
Graeme’s chuckle was wicked. “We’ll get back to that, my sweet. I have a few other things to attend to first.”
She came up on her elbows. “Like what?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he stood between her spread legs, staring at her. Then he cupped his hand around the huge erection pushing against the fall of his breeches, and stroked himself.
Sabrina almost fainted. Because Graeme standing between her legs, half-naked and rubbing himself, was the most stimulating thing she’d ever seen. When he finally did get naked and enter her, she probably would faint.
And, suddenly, the idea of touching him seemed very stimulating, too. “Would . . . would you like me to do that?”
“Later,” he rasped out.
Then he pushed her legs even wider and came over her, his mouth once more going to her breasts. But this time, she was naked, and the sensations defied description. Sabrina fell flat onto the mattress with a loud groan—she didn’t care who heard it—as he lavished attention on her body.
Graeme cupped her breasts in both hands, plumping them up. Then he went from one to the other, sucking and tonguing her, teasing her until she was ready to scream. Her nipples burned with intense pleasure, so hot and tight she thought she would die.
When he gently bit her, she let out a cry, digging her fingernails into his back.
Graeme lifted his head. His hair tumbled over his brow, and his cheekbones were flushed with color. Like her, he seemed short of breath.
“I do believe that was a scream,” he said.
“N . . . no,” she managed. “Certainly not a scream.”
“Ah, then let’s try again.”
He pressed a quick, searing kiss to her lips, and then started to make his way downward. He nibbled her neck, making her giggle. Then he gently pinched her nipple, holding it tight while he sucked on it. Sabrina bit down on her lip, refusing to scream.
“Stubborn lass,” Graeme murmured.
Then he slipped lower, kissing and licking his way down her body. His hands continued to play with her breasts, building her arousal.
When he slipped away, she dazedly looked up to see him on his knees on the floor. He glanced up at her, his eyes a fiery glitter, before slowly pushing her legs wide.
“Ready?” he asked in a husky voice.
Whatever it was he had in mind, she was certainly ready for it.
“Yes,” she whispered.
When he dragged his tongue over her most intimate parts, she did almost faint. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined a man would do such a thing.
And never had she imagined that anything could feel so wonderful.
For long minutes, Graeme lavished attention on her sex, driving her wild. He kept one hand planted on her thigh and the other on her belly, holding her down. His command of her body somehow made the pleasure more intense.
And he teased her, the brute, bringing her several times to the brink before easing back. Sabrina didn’t know whether to whack him or clamp her hands on his head and keep him pressed firmly against her aching sex.
But she wasn’t in control, Graeme was. And she loved every minute of it—until he pulled back.
“Why . . . why are you stopping?” she all but wailed.
“Because I need to be in you, Sabrina,” he rasped out. “And I think you’re more than ready to take me.”
He helped her to scoot up higher on the bed, onto the pillows. Every muscle in her body trembled, weak with longing for him.
Graeme sat on the edge of the bed to yank off his boots, then he stood and unbuttoned the fall of his breeches, freeing himself.
Sabrina’s mouth went dry as dust. “My goodness,” she managed.
It seemed to be the only thought her addled brain could muster.
Flashing her an almost sheepish smile, Graeme stripped out of his breeches and dropped them onto the mattress. Then he joined her on the pillows. He gathered her close, his body hard, hot, and enticing. Sabrina felt a jumble of nerves, and yet she’d never felt more cherished.
“Ready, love?” he asked again.
She tilted her face up to kiss him. “I love you, Graeme Kendrick,” she whispered, letting that be her answer.
Emotion darkened his gaze, and he blinked a few times. “Aye, that, my darling.”
He settled her on her side, facing him, their bodies all but fused together. Then he lifted her leg and placed it on top of his thigh, so she was open to him.
“Hang on to me,” he murmured.
He slicked a hand over her, making her tremble. When he notched his erection against her, Sabrina curled her hands over his shoulders. Then he began to push, breaching the tight entrance of her body.
Sabrina didn’t scream, but she did almost yelp. Because it hurt, and quite a bit.
“It gets better,” he gritted out.
“Soon, I hope,” she gasped.
He paused for a moment, then flexed his hips. She felt a sharp sting, and then he was inside. All the way inside. Sabrina sucked in a deep breath, forcing herself to relax.
After several long moments, the pain began to ease into an almost-pleasant ache. And something else replaced her discomfort, something . . . extraordinary.
Graeme inside of her, reaching so deep she could almost feel him touching her heart.
He rested his forehead on top of her head, gasping like he’d just run a race. Sabrina curved a hand around his neck, then cautiously lifted her leg and settled it higher on his muscled thigh.
Even better.
“God, Sabrina,” he groaned.
She kissed his chin. “This is certainly something, I must say.”
“It certainly is,” he ground out.
“Are you all right?” she asked after a few moments of fraught silence.
Graeme choked out a laugh, which she felt all the way to her core. “I’m supposed to ask you that.”
She took stock of her body. “I’m quite well, actually.”
He tipped up her chin to kiss her. “God, lass, I love you.”
“How much?”
When he nudged her, she gasped.
“This m
uch,” he said.
Then he began to move. He started slowly, giving her time to catch up with him. When he cupped her bottom, tilting her toward him, Sabrina moaned. Because that felt wonderful, and somehow was exactly what she needed. Her arousal built, and her entire body began to tremble.
Graeme stroked into her, his breath coming in hard gasps in her ear. She clutched him, digging her nails in as she wavered on the edge. So close . . . so close . . .
Then he gave her a last, hard nudge, and she tumbled. Waves of pleasure swept through her body, her inner contractions clenching around his erection. When she cried out, Graeme gripped her bottom and held himself tightly against her, his breath hissing from between clenched teeth. He poured himself into her. Sabrina buried her face in his neck as the last remnants of pleasure rippled through her body.
And as her love for him rippled through every bit of her heart and spirit. Graeme was inextricably a part of her in a way she’d never dreamed possible.
She lay quietly in his arms, the intensity of the moment easing into a deep, settled peace. Then Graeme rolled onto his back, bringing her to rest in an undignified sprawl on his broad chest. She was sure to be a sweaty, absolute mess, but she didn’t care. She was completely and utterly happy.
“All right, love?” he murmured.
Sabrina nestled her cheek against the crisp hair of his chest. “Aye, that.”
The rumble of his laugh vibrated through her entire body.
“Are you?” she thought to ask a moment later.
His hand drifted down to her bottom, sending a sensual shiver up her spine.
“Never better, which I suppose was your plan all along. First, you would lure me into your bed and have your way with me. Then, when I could no longer think straight, you’d propose marriage. It’s a wicked lass, you are.”
Sabrina trailed her fingertips over his flat stomach, making him twitch. “You’ll recall that I proposed before I had my way with you, and you responded in the affirmative.”
“That’s because I was already imagining the wicked ways. It turned my brain to mush.”
Sabrina propped her chin on his chest. “I hope you don’t mind.”
He lifted his head and an incredulous eyebrow. “Do I look like I mind?”
“No, but . . .”
“But?”
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