Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 32259 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32259 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
He did a lot more than look…
My breath catches as I remember his hands on me, and his mouth. The moan purrs low in my throat, my thighs squeezing together on their own as I remember the way he…
I quickly shake my head as the fierce heat in my face threatens to burn me up.
His mouth. He put his mouth on me. I shiver, a heat pooling between my legs as I replay the wicked memory of him licking me there—knowing how wrong and sinful it was, but willfully giving in to the pleasure. I understand how sex works… mostly, I suppose. I know what a cock is, and what it’s for, and where it goes—after all, I’ve heard enough from Elise and the captain of the guardsman back home late at night. My mother has had, well, brief words with me on the subject. And then of course there’s the gossiping amongst me, Ailith, Cat, and Rhona.
But no “talks” or gossip have prepared me for what I’ve just experienced with Hamish. No “understanding” about sex has prepared me for a man putting his mouth between my thighs and licking me until I saw God, or heaven, or… I don’t even know what.
My breath catches as I squeeze my legs tighter, blushing fiercely at the heat I can feel blooming between them. I swallow, reliving that feeling of his tongue on me while his powerful hands held me so tightly, when suddenly, there’s a knocking at the door.
I gasp, bolting up from my seat on the floor against it and whirling at the sound. My face burns fiercely, and I swallow a thick lump in my throat as I stare. The knock comes again, and I jump—somehow both scared and excited at who it very well may be.
“My—” I swallow again, forcing myself to breath so my words don’t squeak.
“My lord?”
“Una!”
Ailith’s voice hisses through the door, and my shoulders drop, breath escaping me in a rush. I’m not actually sure if I’m relieved or disappointed it’s not Lord Ballentyne as I reach for the door and swing it wide.
“There you are,” Ailith rushes past me, her face just as red as mine, her eyes wild as they dart around my lavish quarters. She whirls once she reaches the far wall, eyeing me as I close the door.
“Where were you?”
I frown. “The baths? You walked me there?”
She blinks, chewing her lip before she shakes her head.
“Right, yes, I know.” Her frown returns. “But you’ve been gone for ages.”
I try and swallow back the heat on my face as I causally shrug. “Was I?”
Ailith arches a brow, and I swallow.
“Well, they’re very nice baths. I guess I let time get away from me.”
Ailith nods absently, turning to glance out the window. My brow furrows as I move towards her.
“Are you okay?”
“Hmm? What?”
She whirls, looking downright cagey as her eyes dart all over the place.
“Are you okay?” I chew at my lip worriedly. Something’s up.
“Of course, I am,” she says quickly, waving me off before she turns back to the window. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
I smile. “Because you look guilty.”
She blushes fiercely, her eyes sparking with something.
“Guilty?”
The word cracks awkwardly from her mouth, and she instantly cringes, turning to bury her face and look away. My face falls as I rush to her, putting an arm around my friend’s shoulders.
“Hey! Hey now!”
Ailith takes shaky breathes as I rub her back, holding her to me.
“I think it’s me who’s supposed to get emotional on the wedding day. You know, because I’m the bride?”
She smiles wryly, taking a shaky breath.
“Sorry, Una.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s really fine, Ail.”
“But, it’s your wedding day. You don’t need me barging in here like this.”
I arch a brow at her. “Arranged wedding day.”
Ailith sighs. “You read far too many books, Una. Too many fairytales with knight swooping in to sweep the princess off her feet. True love and all of that?”
“And what’s wrong with that?”
Ailith smiles wryly. “It’s not real? Una, in the real world, people are betrothed to others. Marriages are planned, for all sorts of practical reasons.” She frowns. “I don’t think true love is much a part of marriage in the real world, Una.”
For a second, my thoughts tease back to Hamish, and what we did, and I blush wildly.
I don’t think true love is much a part of marriage in the real world, Una.
Hamish’s eyes swim into my vision—his gorgeous face, with that strong jaw and gorgeous lips. The fire in his gaze, the way he smelled as he drew close to me.
But I quickly shake my head. No, what happened before was… sinful. That wasn’t love. This is an arranged marriage, and nothing more. And deep down, I know Ailith is right. The true love I read about in my books exists only there, not here in the real world. And the sooner I accept that, the easier it will be to just let this wedding happen and take these cards I’ve been dealt for my life.