My Heart's in the Highlands by Angeline Fortin (ebook reader screen TXT) 📕

handsliding lower over his buttock, grasping, urging. Their hearts beatin time, their chests heaving and straining together, until Herowas once again wound tightly, ecstasy singing in her veins. Hereyes fluttered closed, and her breath came in desperate pants. Alow keening sounded from deep within her as Ian pushed her higherand higher. As if by their own will, her legs wound tightly aroundhis hips.

Mewling transmuted into a long moan ofentreaty. “Please,” she groaned, begging for she knew not what.“Please.”

“Aye, my love,” Ian whispered softly andhastened his pace, pounding into her furiously, and Hero buckedbeneath him, her body tensing.

“Yes. Yes!” she cried, throwing back herhead. Hero’s body burst rapturously, contracting around him. Ahoarse shout escaped Ian, and with one last torrid thrust he joinedher in a climax so intense it wrung him dry.

Ian collapsed on top of her, burying his facein the crook of her shoulder. With his arms binding her tightly tohim, Hero slowly descended from the magnificent heights to whichIan had taken her. Her body pulsated around his length, deliveringwaves of pleasure that ebbed and eventually faded away. Releasingone last sated breath, Hero relaxed beneath Ian, savoring hisweight upon her. She curled her fingers into his hair, hugging himto her.

It had been beautiful, more passionate andfulfilling than Hero had ever dreamed possible, and her heart achedwith emotion. She stroked his hair, savoring the tender rush ofpure joy.

Ian lifted his head and looked down at her,brushing the hair back from her temple. “Lovelier than a glimpse atheaven.”

His lips brushed across hers, a thrillingcombination of tenderness and aching passion that quickened Hero’spulse once more. Hero watched his face from beneath her lashes. Awewas written there, and she was sure that if he opened his eyes, Ianwould see that very same expression on her face. Never had she feltanything like this. Not just passion, but heart-rending need mixedwith something she had never felt before, and it made her chesttighten, her throat close, and her eyes burn with tears. She feltlike sobbing, yet at the same time she wanted to sing with joy.

Hero ran her hands up Ian’s back and over hisshoulders, feeling the muscles playing beneath his smooth skinwhile his lips played against hers, searching and exploring. Shewanted to beg him to never stop, to let her remain forever in thecircle of his arms.

Pulling back, she stared up at him, her eyesbegging him with the words she couldn’t say. Ian brushed the hairback from her temple, curling a lock of hair around his finger. Hisdark gaze, warm as caramel, melted into hers. “I love you,” hewhispered, his voice carrying a wealth of emotion. Hero’s heartached at his words as Ian bent his head to kiss her again. “God,how I love you.”

A single tear slipped down her cheek as herheart burst with joy. “And I love you. I never imagined this, Ian.I never knew how this could relay feelings beyond words, as if mysoul has been torn open. I have never experienced anything soprofound.”

“Nor have I, my love,” Ian said. “I told you,did I not, that what is between us belongs to the ages.” Liftinghimself off of her, Ian turned to his side, dragging her with himuntil she was nestled against his side. “And we will have this fora lifetime. And when this lifetime has ended, we will have eachother in the next because my soul is yours for eternity.”

Hero wrapped an arm around his waist andhugged him. “I like the sound of that. Forever. You are mine and Iam yours.”

Ian brushed a kiss against her hair. “Sleep,my love. Tomorrow, we will begin our life together.”

“Tomorrow?” she asked, sleepily tracingcircles on his chest with her fingertip.

“Aye,” he said with a lazy grin. “My surprisefor you. I went into Ayr for the bishop and a special license. Evennow he sleeps above, ready to marry us in the morning.”

Hero’s heart leapt with pleasure at hiswords. So that was where he had been! A thrill went through herthat Ian didn’t want to wait even another day to make her his wife.No long engagement. No society wedding. And she didn’t mind at all.This time she wouldn’t wed for politics or convenience. She wouldmarry for love alone. “Where? When?”

“I thought we might have our rendezvous atthe pagoda after all,” he said. “This afternoon?”

Hero nodded, her eyes shining with joy. “Oh,but what will I wear?”

Ian chuckled, squeezing her gently. “You’llfind something. You are perfection in anything you wear.”

Smiling at that, Hero snuggled against hisside and closed her eyes. Her last thought as she drifted away wasthat there was nothing more perfect than that moment.

A wailing unlike anything she had ever heardfilled her ears. Even through her closed eyes, she could see a dullred light pulsating. Pain, so much pain.

Voices, shouts. She could feel the press ofbodies surrounding her. The air was thick with their presence, somany words one over another.

Hero fought to get away from them, struggledto get back to her haven at Ian’s side, but the nightmare had herfirmly ensnared in its talons.

The howling grew louder. The red light grewbrighter, moved closer, until Hero was certain she could feel itsheat against her skin, and still the voices jumbled in herhead.

Ian, her mind cried. Help me. Don’tlet me go!

A whimper escaped her. Please, no.

“Come on, lass!” a voice shouted. “Bloodyhell. Fight!”

Hero woke with a gasp, sitting upright in thebed and feeling the chill of the early morning air waft across thefine sheen of sweat that covered her body. Pressing a hand to herheart, she took deep, gasping breaths, desperately trying to soothethe ache in her chest.

“Hero?” Ian immediately spoke. “What isit?”

Still, her heart was racing. Her head achedso badly that Hero couldn’t suppress the whimper that escaped her.Immediately, Ian’s comforting arms encircled her. He hugged heragainst him, tucking her head beneath his chin, rocking hergently.

He murmured soothing nothings in her ear, andafter a few moments Hero felt the pain fade as the lingeringtendrils of the nightmare receded. Exhaling a shuddering sigh, shemelted into Ian’s embrace.

“Bad dream?” he asked, and Hero nodded intohis chest. “Do you