A Time & Place for Every Laird by Angeline Fortin (ebook reader TXT) 📕

her bra. He dragged it away, and,freed from the garment, Claire’s eager hands resumed theirexploration of the powerful body that had delivered suchfrustration over the past week and such fulfillment over the pastdays.

Over the defined ridges of his stomach herhands slipped, and around once more to dip into the indentation ofhis spine and down under the band of his boxers, over his sculptedbackside and around, slipping her hands between them to rake herfingernails up his abdomen, just grazing his rigid length. Hughgrowled against her breast, hooking the side of her panties withhis thumb and forcing them down even while Claire nudged off hisboxers.

Soon they were freed of barriers. Hughtossed her panties aside and caught her ankle, running his palmroughly up her calf and thigh before delving into the warmthbetween them. Claire panted harshly when his fingers found her,teasing and circling without mercy as he suckled at her breast.Cradling his head to her, Claire arched helplessly against his handas heat pooled and clenched low in her belly.

Hugh had already proven he could deliver herinto the arms of mind-numbing ecstasy in moments; indeed, it seemedas if he felt obligated to bring her to one soul-shattering releaseafter another before finding his own pleasure. Even now her bodywas beginning to pulse as he drove her to the edge of rapture withthe taunting thrust of his fingers, but Claire wanted more. Shewanted to share that rapture with him, fall over that clifftogether … one last time.

Her fingers slid around his thick length,and Hugh hissed, drawing in a harsh breath that melted into anagonized groan as she stroked him, guiding him to her weepingcenter. Nipping at his neck and earlobe, Claire whispered, “Please,Hugh. Love me now.”

Hugh lifted his head and looked down at herwith blue eyes blazing with mesmeric fire. There were questionsthere, perhaps protests for the expediency of their lovemaking, butwordlessly he pressed forward, nudging against her before thrustingslowly into her silken depths. His eyes held her, sharing thewonder and rapture of his unhurried possession until he was burieddeep within her.

Claire lifted her hands to his cheeks,overwhelmed by the unguarded moment, by the emotion in his gaze.“Hugh …” Claire bit her lip, denying the words she longed to say.Her heart cried, yearning for confession, but she couldn’t do it.She couldn’t deliberately gift her love, knowing that it would onlymake worse what was to come.

Instead, she clenched her muscles around hiserection, gripping him tightly with her thighs and Hugh’s eyesclosed as he helplessly arched his hips against her, tendonstightening in his neck as he fought for restraint. But Clairewouldn’t have restraint. She wanted her wild, impassionedHighlander to lose control and yield to their uncontrollabledesire. “Yes,” she whispered, urging him deeper with her thighsonce more and Hugh complied, gathering her tightly in his arms ashe retreated and thrust. One arm slid beneath her hips, lifting heragainst him as he drove into her again and again, his harsh breathsmatching hers until they were both panting desperately for therelease neither of them wanted to surrender to yet.

His lips took hers ardently as his body grewtaut, and Claire abandoned herself to the molten desire coursingthrough her, letting the mighty orgasm take her as Hugh eruptedinside her with a hoarse cry against her lips. The full weight ofhis body covered hers but Claire only gloried in it, wrapping herarms and legs around him more fully as his mouth trailed down hercheek, jaw, and neck, murmuring those same foreign words as beforeagainst her skin: “Mé grá tú gcónaí, mo Sorcha.”

Hugh’s lips returned to hers for one lasttender kiss before he rolled to his side, drawing her along withhim until Claire was nestled against his side. His heaving chestwas damp and hot against her cheek but no more so than the tearsthat began to spill from her eyes as she brushed her lips softlyagainst his skin. Her fingers skimmed across his hard abdomen asthe taut muscles relaxed beneath her hand. She hugged him againsther as he slipped into Morpheus’s embrace.

Damn, she thought as she suppressed the heaving sobs within heras best she could. Her chest burned with agonizing pain that warredwith the joy Hugh had given her, and the base of her throat was rawand thick with misery. It shouldn’t be like this. It shouldn’t endlike this. “Oh, God, Hugh,” she whispered inaudibly, swipinguselessly at the tears as they continued to flow freely. She knewwhat those words meant now. They had resonated with emotion sheshared. “I love you, too.”

Chapter 38

Day Eleven

As the black skies took on the darkest hueof blue, Claire dressed quickly and crept from the bedroom, leavingHugh slumbering behind her. Danny was still awake, though he hadabandoned his array of monitors in favor of the shabby leather sofarecliner that faced his monstrous television and worked the Xboxcontroller in his hands with nimble thumbs.

“We need to talk,” Claire said, walkingbetween her brother and the screen to get his attention but notlingering in his line of sight, knowing from years of doing so thatit would only lead to a long and vocal fight. She sat on the sofanext to him. “Can you pause that, please?”

Danny sighed heavily but complied. “You’reup early.”

“I know. I guess that means it’s almost yourbedtime,” she retorted but couldn’t find the humor to support asmile. “Here’s another unprecedented moment for you to savor. Youwere right in what you said the other day. Yes, take it for what itis. I don’t plan on repeating it. I know I can’t go with Hugh toScotland but I’ve also realized that I shouldn’t even be going withhim to Canada.”

“Glad to hear you’ve come around,” he said,throwing his arms to the side as if the movement would have someeffect on the video game soldier he controlled. “So what’s the planthen?”

“You are going to do it for me.”

“I am?”

“You are,” she said in an inflexible tone,holding out the envelope containing Hugh’s new passport and birthcertificate … his new life. “You are going to take Hugh to Canadaand make sure he gets on that plane.