very still, a frown frozen on her face. She was silent for a long moment. Finally she said, in a lethally quiet voice, “I really want to hit you right now, Logan Douglas.”
He stared at her in shock, and then he understood. “Of course you do.”
He forced his languid muscles to rise to a seated position at the edge of the bed. He found his shirt on the floor and picked it up. “If there is a child . . .” He sucked in a breath. “I will do whatever you wish, Maggie.” Angrily, he brushed the back of his hand over his brow. “Forgive me.”
“Stop it!” Rising onto her knees behind him, she slid her arms around him, and it was his turn to freeze. “You silly, foolish man. Stop apologizing.”
She slid around his torso to settle on his lap, wrapping her legs around him, and he couldn’t avert the surge of arousal her touch elicited. She framed his face in her hands and pulled it down to hers. She kissed him on the lips. “That was exactly what I wanted. What I needed.”
“I hurt you,” he said stubbornly.
She kissed his nose. “No, Logan.” She brushed her lips over his eyebrows. “No. You gave me pleasure.” She pressed her mouth against his forehead. “So much pleasure.”
“I came inside you,” he said, unable to keep the self-condemnation from his voice.
She touched her forehead to his. “I know,” she whispered. “I’m sorry for that.”
“It’s my fault.”
“No, it’s mine. I pushed you. If I am with child, it is my own doing. It’s not your fault.”
“I will stay with you until we know.”
“That’s not necessary. I know you are in a hurry to get home. If there is a child, I can care for it. My clan will help. No one would turn me or the babe away.”
“Nevertheless, I will remain until we know. And if there is a child, I will take you north with me.”
She pressed her lips to his jaw. “Let’s not think about it anymore. There’s no point agonizing over a remote possibility.”
He pushed his fingers against his temples. Her words hit him like slaps in the chest. Of course she didn’t want to discuss leaving her clan to come home with him. The truth shouldn’t surprise him. She was a MacDonald, and these mountains were her home, not the flat wildlands of the northernmost part of Scotland. It was ludicrous to expect her to leave everything she’d ever known for a mere stranger she’d been trapped with in an abandoned cottage.
Further, she was the MacDonald laird’s cousin, and he doubted that MacDonald would sacrifice his kinswoman to a man from so far who possessed comparatively little. A match between Logan and Maggie would do nothing for her clan.
Groaning to himself, he wrapped his arms around her and crushed her against him, burying his face in her hair. “I’m a brute.”
“Aye.” She pressed her cheek against his chest. “And that’s just how I want you to be. If you were any other way, I wouldn’t—” She broke off abruptly, and he cocked his head in question. Glancing up at him, she gave him a half smile. “I wouldn’t like you nearly as much as I do. I feel utterly secure with you.”
Confused as hell, he frowned. She made no sense. “How could you say you feel secure with me when I treated you no better than that Munroe bastard?”
She went stiff in his arms, and fire flared in her blue eyes. “You’re nothing like Innes Munroe. Nothing!”
“I was rough with you, as he was. And worse, I took it further.”
“No, Logan!” She pounded a little fist against his chest, and he looked down at it in surprise. “You were rough, but it was . . . it was . . . exquisite roughness. It was perfect.” She made a grating noise of aggravation. Her hands flew upward, and she took hold of his shoulders and tried to shake him. “Listen to me.”
He stared at her, perplexed. She was so . . . He didn’t know. He just knew he’d never met a woman like her. Never met a woman who made him feel .
“I have never really desired roughness . . .
He stared at her in shock, and then he understood. “Of course you do.”
He forced his languid muscles to rise to a seated position at the edge of the bed. He found his shirt on the floor and picked it up. “If there is a child . . .” He sucked in a breath. “I will do whatever you wish, Maggie.” Angrily, he brushed the back of his hand over his brow. “Forgive me.”
“Stop it!” Rising onto her knees behind him, she slid her arms around him, and it was his turn to freeze. “You silly, foolish man. Stop apologizing.”
She slid around his torso to settle on his lap, wrapping her legs around him, and he couldn’t avert the surge of arousal her touch elicited. She framed his face in her hands and pulled it down to hers. She kissed him on the lips. “That was exactly what I wanted. What I needed.”
“I hurt you,” he said stubbornly.
She kissed his nose. “No, Logan.” She brushed her lips over his eyebrows. “No. You gave me pleasure.” She pressed her mouth against his forehead. “So much pleasure.”
“I came inside you,” he said, unable to keep the self-condemnation from his voice.
She touched her forehead to his. “I know,” she whispered. “I’m sorry for that.”
“It’s my fault.”
“No, it’s mine. I pushed you. If I am with child, it is my own doing. It’s not your fault.”
“I will stay with you until we know.”
“That’s not necessary. I know you are in a hurry to get home. If there is a child, I can care for it. My clan will help. No one would turn me or the babe away.”
“Nevertheless, I will remain until we know. And if there is a child, I will take you north with me.”
She pressed her lips to his jaw. “Let’s not think about it anymore. There’s no point agonizing over a remote possibility.”
He pushed his fingers against his temples. Her words hit him like slaps in the chest. Of course she didn’t want to discuss leaving her clan to come home with him. The truth shouldn’t surprise him. She was a MacDonald, and these mountains were her home, not the flat wildlands of the northernmost part of Scotland. It was ludicrous to expect her to leave everything she’d ever known for a mere stranger she’d been trapped with in an abandoned cottage.
Further, she was the MacDonald laird’s cousin, and he doubted that MacDonald would sacrifice his kinswoman to a man from so far who possessed comparatively little. A match between Logan and Maggie would do nothing for her clan.
Groaning to himself, he wrapped his arms around her and crushed her against him, burying his face in her hair. “I’m a brute.”
“Aye.” She pressed her cheek against his chest. “And that’s just how I want you to be. If you were any other way, I wouldn’t—” She broke off abruptly, and he cocked his head in question. Glancing up at him, she gave him a half smile. “I wouldn’t like you nearly as much as I do. I feel utterly secure with you.”
Confused as hell, he frowned. She made no sense. “How could you say you feel secure with me when I treated you no better than that Munroe bastard?”
She went stiff in his arms, and fire flared in her blue eyes. “You’re nothing like Innes Munroe. Nothing!”
“I was rough with you, as he was. And worse, I took it further.”
“No, Logan!” She pounded a little fist against his chest, and he looked down at it in surprise. “You were rough, but it was . . . it was . . . exquisite roughness. It was perfect.” She made a grating noise of aggravation. Her hands flew upward, and she took hold of his shoulders and tried to shake him. “Listen to me.”
He stared at her, perplexed. She was so . . . He didn’t know. He just knew he’d never met a woman like her. Never met a woman who made him feel .
“I have never really desired roughness . . .
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