Page 26 of Kidnapping Cordelia

“Nae, then. I much prefer to know what yer thinking, no matter what it might be. Especially if yer thinking of kissing me,” he added with a flirtatious lilt to his voice, just to see how she would react.

“But I wasn’t thinking of it. Well, at least, I wasn’t until I thought you might kiss me, then I thought about it,” she said with her usual candour.

“Aye, and then ye wondered if it would be worth yer while to let me,” he added, smiling at her. “Shall we find out?”

She swallowed nervously and gave a taut nod.

“Have ye ever been kissed?” he asked her, moving closer, and a little startled by the way his body tensed with anticipation.

Delia shook her head, her eyes wide and impossibly blue in the bright light of the music room. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and colour bloomed in her cheeks. As he watched, her tongue swept out, licking her lips, and a jolt of desire arrowed through him. Well, that was a good sign, he thought, reaching out to cup her cheek with his hand.

“Your hands are very warm,” she said, never tearing her gaze from his. “So large, too. I mean, larger than mine, not too large for you. I don’t mean that they are out of proportion to the rest of you, for that would look ridiculous, only that—”

“Hush, lassie,” he whispered, and bent to press his mouth to hers.

Her lips were every bit as plush and inviting as he’d supposed they would be, but though the temptation to plunder was hard to resist, he lingered only for a moment, not wanting to offend her maidenly sensibilities.

As he drew back, he saw her eyes flick open, and she stared at him, looking a little incredulous.

“Is that all?” she asked bluntly.

Muir bit back a smile but could not keep the amusement from his voice. “I didnae want to make ye feart of me, but if ye can stand a bit more—”

“Yes, certainly,” she said at once, looking so earnest it was all he could do not to laugh.

“Aye, well, here we go, then,” he said, moving his mouth back to hers.

Tenderly, he brushed his mouth over her lips, back and forth, dozens of light, teasing kisses that sought to entice her as he placed his hands on her waist. Such a tiny waist it was too, easy for him to span with his hands. It reminded him of how delicate she was, how fragile. Surely a fairylike creature of this kind could not survive in such a wild place? The idea that she would be unhappy here struck at his heart and was hard to shake off.

Then she sighed, leaning into him, her palms pressed against his chest. That soft sound set off sparks of delight that glittered through his blood and made him want to take more, so he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her. She went willingly, pliant in his embrace, and he broke the kiss to look down at her.

Delia’s eyes were closed, her lips still pursed to receive his next kiss, and the sight made him smile. One eye cracked open, and she regarded him with a slight frown creasing her brow.

“Have you finished?” she asked.

“Nae, not just yet,” he told her, and kissed her again, harder this time. Muir traced her lower lip with his tongue, feeling her surprise as she gasped. “Open for me,” he urged, not entirely surprised when she pulled back to give him a questioning look.

“I don’t understand.”

“Open yer mouth a wee bit when I kiss ye,” he explained patiently, amused by her sceptical expression. “Ye wanted to be kissed, did ye nae? Well, this is the way of it. If ye dinnae like it, I shall stop.”

He prayed she would not tell him to leave off, for by this point the idea of kissing her had taken hold of his brain, not to mention other parts of his anatomy farther south.

“Very well,” she said, looking brave rather than enthusiastic, which put him on his mettle.

When his mouth touched hers again, she opened her mouth a little and Muir slid his tongue inside, his senses igniting at the shy touch of her tongue against his. To his delight, she did not remain passive, but sought to copy his movements, giving back everything he gave to her with enthusiasm, and within a very short time, Muir knew the kiss was evolving into something he had not been prepared for.

She was just so responsive to his touch. As he kissed her with increasing passion, so her fervour grew in response and encouraged him to continue, to deepen the kiss further still, allowing his hands to wander places he knew better to let them go with an innocent girl. His palm closed over her remarkably full breast, and he squeezed, yet she only sighed and pressed herself closer. Muir’s mind became a blank, his only thought focused on this first, delicious kiss, and what might come next if she became his wife.

“Oh!”

Delia jolted and pushed out of his arms, her cheeks blazing as Luella exclaimed in dismay.

“Oh, I’m so sorry I thought you were in the parlour! Pretend I was never here. Do carry on,” she said wildly and fled the room.

The door closed with a thud and Muir turned back to Delia, half expecting a flurry of accusations for his bad behaviour, or icy silence, or simply wailings of mortification. Instead, he saw her cover her hand with her mouth for a moment before she burst out laughing. Muir grinned, relieved she could see the funny side of it.

“Oh, p-poor Luella,” she stammered. “I shan’t be able to look her in the eye ever again.”