Page 43 of Forever My Lass

The words were polite, even pleasant sounding, but Madeline heard the inflexible steel running underneath. Before she could protest, Iain had ushered her out of the dining room, down the hall, and into his office. As the door closed behind him, she jerked her arm out of his grasp, then put several feet between them before turning to glare at him.

“Okay, I went along with the governess bit because I knew I needed to pay my way, and I was grateful for a roof over my head. But I don’t think entertaining your guests falls under the work you’re paying me for, does it?” Madeline scowled at him for arrogantly assuming she would just fall into line with his dictates. “I’m not your—”

Madeline stopped herself just before she landed herself in a bed of hot coals. The last thing she wanted was to make the man think she was interested in climbing into his bed. Loud laughter resounded in the back of her head as she lied to herself. Iain’s eyebrows rose, and he studied her intently for a long moment.

When he suddenly moved forward, Madeline stiffened with a wild mix of trepidation, anticipation, and excitement. She wanted to groan at the way her body reacted as each step he took brought him closer and closer. Damn it, her mouth had landed her in trouble again. The voice in her head whispered it was a good kind of trouble. She immediately pushed the suggestion deep into the back of her mind.

Madeline tried to look away from Iain, but she was all too aware that at home it would be labeled a big hashtag fail. A knot formed in her throat, and her mouth went dry at the wicked glint in his eye. Oh God, she was definitely in trouble if he even hinted at demanding a kiss.

“What were you about to say, Madeline?”

Iain reached out to brush a lock of hair off her forehead then slid his hand through her short wavy locks. The sensation of his fingers slowly moving across her scalp made it feel more like a caress. It made her stomach flutter, and she swallowed hard, trying to breathe normally. She didn’t succeed as he arched his eyebrow at her, silently demanding she answer him.

“I was going to say I’m not your… I’m not responsible for acting as your hostess.” She stumbled over her words, as she tried to come up with anything that didn’t come close to the word wife.

“Hostess?” Iain’s mouth twitched with amusement as he bent his head. Laughter echoed in his soft voice as his lips brushed across her ear. “I dinnae think that was what ye were about to say, mo bhòidhchead fuilt dorcha.”

“If you’re suggesting that I act as mistress of the house, forget it.” She jerked her head backward to glare up at him.

“Mistress of the house?” Warm fingers stroked her cheek until they cupped her chin. “An intriguing idea, mo leannan. Perhaps that’s a role we should consider.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Christ, she was the biggest liar in the world. She might not have meant to use the word, but that didn’t mean she’d not been thinking it deep in the back of her mind. The laughter in Iain’s dark blue gaze said he would have agreed with her.

“Are ye saying ye dinnae like the idea of warming my bed?”

“I…you…it isn’t…”

God, how did one dodge a question like that? Silence. That’s how. With a sharp shake of her head, she kept her mouth shut knowing it was the safest option. Anything else she said was bound to lead to places her body wanted to go, but it was a path riddled with pitfalls. The instant his mouth brushed against the corner of hers, she gulped back a small squeak of protest.

“I’m waiting Madeline. Will ye nae answer my question?” The soft rumble of his voice whispered across her skin like a hot, desert breeze.

Iain’s lips seared the opposite corner of her mouth, and she barely suppressed a moan. Heat streaked through her blood at the burr in his voice and from the fire his light, tantalizing kisses ignited inside her. Unable to speak coherently, Madeline remained silent, certain that the moment she opened her mouth she’d stammer and trip over every word she tried to say.

Even worse was the possibility she’d say something that would dig a deeper hole than the one she was already in. He lifted his head slightly to stare down at her. In seconds, she was lost in the stormy dark blue eyes that danced with laughter and something that declared she was treading in dangerous waters.

“I would nae object if ye said yes, mo leannan. I cannae deny that the thought has nae crossed my mind more than once since the morning we first met in the upstairs hall.”

The softly spoken words were a seductive, invisible caress across her skin, and it unleashed a heady exhilaration inside her. Madeline bit down on her bottom lip, struggling not to press her body into his and kiss him. Iain’s eyes darkened as if he could read her thoughts. Was that what he wanted? Did he want her to take the initiative?

Suddenly throwing caution to the wind, her hand wrapped around the nape of his neck, and she pulled his head down to kiss him. The instant her lips met his, he stiffened. Regret immediately spiraled through her. Embarrassed by her impulsive act, she started to pull away from him, but was forestalled in the next instant when Iain’s arms gathered her close and tight against him.

In a split second, the warm scent of him engulfed her senses, and the hard arms embracing her would have been impossible to escape, even if she’d wanted to. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, and as his tongue slipped into her mouth, his fingers trailed from the base of her throat down to where the valley of her breasts was covered by her bodice. A growl of something dark and dangerous echoed out of him as he plundered her mouth. The hot caress blinded her to everything but him, and a small tremor pulsed through her. With a suddenness that startled her, Iain lifted his head then pressed his forehead against hers. Madeline murmured a quiet protest.

“I’ll nae take ye here like this, mo leannan. I want tae take my time caressing every inch of ye with my hands and mouth.”

The words sent a frisson racing down her back, and Madeline drew in a sharp breath at the thought of his mouth searing her skin. The hoarse note in his voice emphasized the desire she saw in his eyes as he pulled away from her slightly but didn’t release her. Fire blazed in his dark eyes, and she reached up to touch his cheek. Immediately his hand caught hers, and he pressed his mouth against her wrist. She wanted to melt back into his arms.

“As much as… I’m not sure it’s a good idea,” she choked out and shook her head in a silent rejection of what she knew they both wanted.

“Aye, it is probably nae a good idea, but I cannae deny it’s proving difficult for me tae keep my distance from ye, Madeline.”

A tremor shook its way through her at the way her name rolled off his tongue in that rich, tantalizing voice of his. Another shiver streaked through her as his fingers brushed across her mouth. God, the way he was looking at her had her ready to ask him what time tonight and where.

Never in her life had she ever ached for a man’s touch as much as she did Iain’s. Just the thought of his hands and mouth gliding across her skin was enough to send her heart racing out of control. Desperately she tried to shove the image out of her mind. It was dangerous to involve herself any deeper than she already was. A voice snorted in the back of her head. Deeper than she already was? She was in over her head where Iain Fraser, Baron Glenburnie was concerned.

The tendril of a revelation drifted up into her conscious mind before she frantically pushed it back in fear. Admitting the truth and uncertainty of her current situation was difficult enough. If she allowed herself to believe what her heart was telling her, there would be no going back. Worse, it would mean certain heartbreak if she were suddenly thrown back to her own time.

Madeline’s heart twisted viciously in her chest. It was already breaking. Iain had made it clear he would never marry again, but she was certain it wasn’t marriage he feared. He was afraid of loving someone and losing them. The realization made her heart clench even more painfully.