A Lass for Christmas (Tenacious Trents Novella) (10 page)

He was fairly certain she didn’t. Lachlan
placed his finger beneath her chin and lifted her face. Her light
green eyes met his. “If I kiss ye I am not sure I could stop, and I
am afraid of where it may lead.”

A soft smile came to her lips.

What did it really matter? They were to be
married. What was a few days of intimacy before the actual vows? If
a child came from their union it would be close enough nobody would
raise an eyebrow. Though he shouldn’t think of making love to her.
And, he shouldn’t share any intimacy since they barely knew one
another, but there was something about this lass that drew him to
her. He didn’t want her to leave his side and he never thought he
would think that about any English lady.

She was a lady, despite her birth. He could
not make love to her until she was officially his.

It was going to be a long night. He would
show her some passion, but not all. Not until they were man and
wife.

Lachlan leaned in and kissed her. Her lips
were as sweet as honey. When she opened, he delved in, tasting her
sweet nectar. Her tongue mated with his and he kissed her over and
over as a man without water after days in the dessert. He wanted
her. He needed her. But he would not take her.

Maddie turned into him, pressing her body
against his. Surely the lass didn’t know what she was doing. He was
only a man and could take only so much.

She grasped his hand and put it on her breast
and broke the kiss. “Touch me like you did before.”

“It is wrong.”

“It wasn’t wrong before.”

“I dinna ken ye were innocent before.”

“Please,” she begged. “Make me feel the same
things you did before.”

Maddie knew she shouldn’t ask such a thing,
but she wanted to know passion, and she desired him. Of course it
was wrong, but everything in her life at the moment was wrong. She
may never have this chance again to know a man’s touch and she was
going to take the opportunity while it was in her grasp. She wasn’t
sure where any of it led, but she wanted to find out. She wanted
memories for her future.

Lachlan groaned and kissed her with a passion
she hadn’t felt from him before. His hand massaged her breast and
when he pinched her nipple, pleasure shot through areas of her body
that were never discussed.

His lips trailed across her cheek and down
her neck as his hands pushed the nightshirt from her shoulders. Her
breast came free but before she could cover herself, his lips
closed around one nipple and he sucked. The pleasure was more
powerful than his fingers. Heat pooled in her body, and she wanted
to tear her clothing off.

Moans were coming from somewhere and it took
a moment for her to realize that it was she making the sounds.

His hand skimmed down her leg and started
bunching her nightshirt, dragging it up her body. His fingers
traced her inner thigh and it was all she could do not to squirm.
She was a bit ticklish and it also made her ache in the deep
recesses of her body. Slowly, as if he had all the time in the
world, he caressed up her thigh, toward her center where she ached.
All the while his mouth moved from one breast to the other. She
wasn’t even sure what was giving her the most pleasure or perhaps
it was a combination of everything. All Maddie could do was lay
there, not sure what to do. Every sense was being assaulted in the
sweetest of ways and she could do nothing but enjoy the desire
pulsating through her body.

Then he touched her in a place she never
considered could bring such pleasure. She jerked but his hand
against her hip stilled her and his fingers went back to touching
her in the most intimate of ways, caressing and stroking, bringing
her higher and higher until her body shattered. She would have
screamed had Lachlan not kissed her.

Good heavens what had just happened to
her?

Lachlan rested his hand on her belly, aching
with a need so powerful it was near painful. As much as he wished
to bury himself inside her right now and bring her release again,
he would not. She was not his wife. But when she was, he was going
to enjoy each and every moment of making love to her over and over.
Her passionate response was unlike any he had ever encountered, and
she was innocent in the game of love. How much more passionate and
how much deeper the pleasures would they experience once he taught
her all the ways that one could experience release.

His breathing was harsh to his own ears, but
he needed to maintain control. He had to be able to look Trent in
the eye tomorrow and say he had not bedded Maddie. He wanted to be
able to swear she was still a virgin, but if he didn’t get out of
bed right now, he may not be able to do so. The lake actually
looked rather inviting now, unlike yesterday.

Bloody hell, had he only met her yesterday
and already he was contemplating marriage?

He was daft. Of course, he didn’t have much
choice in the matter. But to want her as his, already? It was
unheard of.

He pushed the nightshirt back over her legs
and adjusted the top before he pulled the covers over her.

Maddie was looking at him. “So that is what
it is like,” she sighed.

“Some of it.”

Her eyes popped open. “There is more?”

“Much, but ye willna be experiencin’ that
tonight.”

“Why, Lachlan?”

“Ye will remain a virgin until ye marry.”

She sighed and snuggled deeper into the bed.
Lachlan leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Rest. I will be back
shortly.”

When he rose from the bed, he was careful to
keep his back to her or she may question the tent in his kilt.
Regardless of what she had just experienced, she was too innocent
to know what it meant, and he wasn’t about to explain.

He walked toward the door, needing to get out
of the room, intending on taking a brisk walk in the snow. Hell, he
might even pick up his kilt and sit in the frozen powder to cool
his loins.

“Lachlan.”

He looked over his shoulder at her.

“Thank you.”

He wasn’t sure exactly what she was thanking
him for, and he wasn’t going to ask. He had to remove himself from
her and the bed before he took her the way his body demanded.

Madeline stretched and sighed. She didn’t
want to leave the bed. Lachlan had left her alone for the rest of
the afternoon and evening, and Mrs. MacGinnis had kept her company
while she had her evening meal. The woman was the best cook
Madeline had ever encountered. Madeline had tried to read, but the
book hadn’t held her interest. She finally shut the book and turned
down the lamp when her eyes became too heavy only to wake when he
crawled in beside her. His body was cold as if he had been outside
without any clothing on, and she snuggled close to warm him.
Several times she woke during the night only to feel his arms
around her. It would be difficult to return to her empty bed after
this.

It was amazing how so much could change in
just a few days. She hadn’t even known Lachlan before, but now he
was a part of her, as if she had known him all her life. He felt
like home. But he wasn’t home and he wasn’t hers. Jordan would call
for her later, and she would have to leave this house and Lachlan
behind. It would pain her to do so, but it was for the best.

“Mornin’, lass.”

His voice rumbled in her ear and sent a
thrill down her spine. What would it be like to wake like this
every morning?

Stop that, she chastised herself. He was
meant for someone else. A Scottish woman without a hint of scandal
to her name or even the potential for one.

He rolled out of bed on the other side, and
she felt the loss immediately, as if some part of her had been
ripped away. How could that be when she had only known him a short
time? He rummaged through the dresser and then disappeared into a
dressing closet. The man had been wearing the kilt for at least a
day. He probably wished for fresh clothing.

Madeline pushed the covers away and got out
of bed. She nearly yelped when she stepped down. She had forgotten
about her ankle. She couldn’t wait for Mrs. MacGinnis to come check
on her and she certainly wasn’t going to ask Lachlan for
assistance, so Madeline hiked up the nightshirt and hopped across
to the room to the necessary. Thank goodness it was in a separate
room and not in a corner somewhere. She may have allowed intimacies
last night but there were some matters that she did not wish to
share with him.

When she emerged, Lachlan was standing in the
middle of the room, dressed as fine as any Englishman she had ever
encountered. Her heart skipped a beat before she started breathing
again. Goodness he was pleasing to look at, though she wasn’t sure
if she preferred his plaid or his fine clothing. Both looked
dashing on him.

“What are ye doin’ up?”

She nodded behind her. “I thought that was a
bit obvious.”

“Ye should have asked for help.”

“I prefer to do some things on my own, thank
you.”

She started to hop back to the bed, but he
scooped her up in his arms and carried her the rest of the way.

There was a short knock on the door and
Lachlan called for them to come in.

Mrs. MacGinnis entered carrying a bundle
wrapped in paper and tied with string. “Yer brother is waitin’ for
ye downstairs, Lady Madeline.”

It was too soon, Madeline wanted to scream,
but had to accept that her time with Lachlan was at an end.

He nodded. “I will wait out in the hall while
ye help Maddie dress.”

Not only was Jordan waiting for him in the
foyer, but his younger brother, the former vicar was there as well.
“Mr. Trent,” he greeted. Lachlan hadn’t known Jordan’s brother well
until a few months ago when he had been called upon to make a
determination into the competency of Matthew Trent’s now
father-in-law and whether the man’s daughter needed a guardian. As
Matthew Trent was now married to said daughter, those issues had
been put to rest.