My Heart's in the Highlands by Angeline Fortin (best english novels for beginners .TXT) 📗

Hero, Ian took immense pleasure in watching her, in seeingthe rapture of her expression when she found her release. “I wasjesting, my love.”

“So we would never make love here?” sheasked, smoothing her palm over his chest as she leaned into him.Her vibrant eyes were dancing, and Ian was hard put to scratch hisrecent thoughts then and there.

“Aye, we could, my love,” he murmured with anequally wicked grin. By God but she was intoxicating. “But I mightjust set you on top like this,” Ian said, clasping his hands aroundHero’s waist and lifting her onto the low wall. “Then I couldsimply push your skirts up like so.” Gathering her skirts up, hepressed between her thighs until he was pressed snugly against herwelcoming heat. “See? A perfect fit.”

Ian bent his head and met her expectant lipsin a searing kiss. Her lips parted immediately, urging him tocontinue, but he retrained himself, keeping the moment light.Savoring the tension between them, building the anticipation. Heroknew him well by now and kicked her heels against his calvesimpatiently, drawing a low chuckle from him. “You are everimpatient, my love.”

“And you are ever tormenting,” she whisperedinto his neck, nipping at him playfully. “Will you make love to meright here, Ian? The staff has all gone to the summer solsticefestival in Ayr. We are very alone.”

“But for Boyle, your father, Simms, and thesecurity staff who remain,” he said.

“Yes, see?” Hero laughed softly, the puffs ofher breath tickling the side of his neck, arousing Ian evenfurther. “Very alone.”

“Ah, my love,” he responded with a low moan,running his hands up her thighs. “I never would have imagined thatyou would be one to find a thrill in the danger of discovery.” Histhumbs found the slit in her pantalets and brushed against her dampcurls. She tensed with anticipation and held her breath. Partingher, Ian circled his thumb around her sensitive nub, and her breathreleased with a shaky sigh that that nearly drove him over theedge.

“It is rather exciting,” she saidbreathlessly, adding with a laugh, “That breeze is quiteunexpected, though.”

“Good, though?”

Hero nodded, rocking her hips forward, andIan grinned. “Mmm, my fair Hero likes it outside, does she?”

“Oh, yes.”

Kissing her again, Ian savored the deliciousgasps as his thumbs teased and swirled until she was pantingdesperately, clinging to his shoulders to keep from falling overthe edge. A keening moan built in Hero until her head fell back,leaving Ian’s damp lips to cool in the evening breeze. He bent hishead, sucking lightly on a sensitive spot just below her ear. Herskin was hot beneath his open mouth despite the breeze. “Come forme, my love,” he urged and she did, the dam breaking on herpassions as she cried out her release. “Aye, my love, my God but Ilove watching you. So bonny, so lovely.”

“Ian, please,” she begged, a blush overridingthe passionate flush of her cheeks at his words. “Come withme.”

“Always,” he murmured, throwing caution tothe wind, and reached down to unbutton the flap on his trousers,freeing himself into Hero’s welcoming hand. She stroked down hislength with a hum before guiding him to her, and with one thrustIan plunged into her molten heat with a growl of satisfaction.Wrapping an arm around her waist, he drove into her again, takingher mouth with his as she lifted her legs around his waist.

Capturing her mouth with his once more, Ianpounded into her again and again. She tightened around him,pulsating, until Ian felt as though the earth was literally movingbeneath them. She climaxed with a cry of ecstasy, and with a finalviolent thrust, Ian came apart with a hoarse shout.

And then the ground did shift.

Or at least the wall did. Under the force oftheir movement, the foot-wide wall began to break apart with thegrind of rock against rock. One stone fell away before Ian was ableto regain his senses and realize what was happening.

Catching Hero about the waist, he lifted evenwhile she yelped with surprise as the stone directly beneath hergave way.

“What the hell?” As he stood with Hero’sweight suspended against him, the stone where he braced his handfor support also began to crumble. One large piece broke away,skipping audibly against the cliff side on its decent to thecrashing waves below.

Setting Hero back on her feet, Ian fastenedhis trousers hastily and bent to examine the wall. Following themortar line with his finger, it was easy to see that the mortarbinding the stones together had been chipped away. The littlecement that remained was disintegrating under the weight of thestones. Ian lifted one stone, then another. Each came away as if ithad never been secured. “Fook it all!” Ian said thickly, realizingthat the damage had been deliberate. “I thought we were done withthis!”

“Come away from there now,” Ian said and heldout a hand to Hero. “I don’t want you close to that wall until Ican have someone in to repair it.” And to inspect the remainder ofthe castle for any other failings that might result in another“accident.” How many traps had been set for them before Daphne hadbeen apprehended? Would they still find traps ready to be sprung inanother week? Another month?

“I sit there all the time,” Hero whispered inhorror as she too bent to look at the damage and the wall aroundit. The mortar had been scraped away only on the low indentationand on a radius of about a foot or so surrounding it. Ian could seethe reality of the situation hit her. This was the first time shehad been a direct target.

“It was probably done days ago,” Ian said.“Perhaps a week or more before Daphne or Jennings left.”

“We come here so often,” she reminded him. “Inever noticed that.”

“Well, we don’t often provide that muchreason for it to shift so,” he replied. Ian ground his teeth infrustration. Obviously, their habits were well known. He couldn’trecall how many times he had pressed Hero against that wall to kissher.

“We need to tell the magistrate, Ian.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

Hero and Ian both turned toward the deepvoice that came from the growing shadows