Read Online When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare - Free Book Online Page B

undressed—­her racing pulse would have calmed.
    But it was too late now. The candles were out. And even if they could be relit, she didn’t know to ask for such a thing.
    To her, he was merely shadow. Shadow with hands and heat and a deep, entrancing baritone.
    â€œDon’t be afraid.” His hand drifted down her body, blazing a path of unprecedented sensation. “I know you’ve wondered about this. How a man fits with a woman. How it feels to be joined. I can show you everything. I’ll make it good. Verra good.”
    â€œI don’t know if I can do this,” she said.
    â€œYou can. There’s nothing easier. If this were difficult, humanity would have died out long ago.”
    â€œI think you underestimate my capacity for taking normal human interaction and making it awkward.”
    She inched away, putting space between them.
    â€œTry to understand,” she said. “You’ve been reading my letters for years. You know so much about me, and I don’t have even the slightest understanding of you. Where you come from, how you’ve lived your life . . . to me, you’re little more than a stranger.”
    â€œI’m your husband now.”
    â€œYes, but we’ve no history together. No shared memories.”
    â€œWe have seven years of actual history. And we do have memories.”
    â€œSuch as . . . ?”
    He shrugged. “Remember when we first met and you fell on your arse? Remember when we strolled beside the water and spoke of marriage? Remember the time I kissed you so hard, you felt it in your toes?”
    â€œNo,” she replied defensively. “I only felt it so far as my ankles.”
    He gripped her waist. “Well, then. I’ll have to try harder this time.”
    He leaned in.
    She put her hand on his chest, holding him back. “Can’t we get to know each other first?”
    â€œI dinna see any purpose to further chatter,” he said. “We agreed this is an arrangement, not a romance.”
    â€œThat’s just it, you see. I don’t want a romance. I don’t want to pretend. But when I close my eyes, it’s not you touching me. It’s some fictional Captain MacKenzie of my own creation. I’m liable to make too much of this. I don’t think you want a silly, clinging wife making demands on your affections.”
    â€œYou’re right on that score. I canna say I do.”
    â€œIt’s like you told me. Love is a lie ­people tell themselves,” she went on. “If that’s the case, actual knowledge should be the best antidote. Once I get to know you better, I should have no difficulty finding reasons to despise you.”
    â€œIs shameless blackmail not enough?”
    â€œI would have thought it would be. But then you told me about your men’s dire circumstances. I saw how loyal you are to them. It all became too sympathetic. I need a new reason to dislike you.” She crossed her legs. “Let’s begin with the basics. Where were you born?”
    â€œOver toward Lochcarron on the western coast.”
    A sudden thought occurred to her. “Do you have any family?”
    â€œNone.”
    â€œOh. That’s good. I mean, it’s not good. It’s terrible for you, and entirely too sympathetic. But it’s convenient for our purposes. It matches the lies I told.” She bit her lip, cringing. “I can be a bit absorbed in my own problems at times. It’s one of my worst failings. But you knew that already.”
    He nodded. “Oh, aye. I knew that already.”
    â€œSee? You know all about my flaws. It’s easy for you to remain detached. But I don’t know any of yours.”
    â€œHere’s the first.” He reached to encircle her ankle with his hand. His thumb stroked up and down. “I’m entirely too good in bed. Have a way of ruining a woman for all others.”
    She pulled her leg away.