Free His Destiny by Diana Cosby Page A

his side. They halted before the fire, but she found herself unable to let him go.
    “Patrik?”
    “Aye?”
    “Will you hold me?”
    Tenderness creased his face. “ ’Twould be a fine thing.”
    Shyness touched her, ridiculous to feel after asking him to make love to her, more so after their heated kiss when he’d touched her, made her body come alive.
    He helped her settle, then wrapped his hand around her waist and drew her against him. Warmth surrounded her, a contentment she’d never expected to feel.
    Emma snuggled against him. “Thank you.”
    He kissed her brow. “Go to sleep.”
    His muscled body pressed against hers, inspiring desire more than sleep, but within his arms, she felt safe, protected, feelings she’d never experienced. She closed her eyes and allowed herself the luxury of drifting off.
    On a sigh, Patrik shifted, and the writ within his trews bumped her.
    Guilt severed the warmth of the moment. She closed her eyes and prayed that when Patrik learned the truth, somehow, he could find forgiveness.
     
     
    At the soft brush against her cheek, Emma shifted closer to the warmth and fought to reclaim the haze of sleep.
    A soft scrape tickled her ear.
    Frustrated, she swatted at the pesky irritant, but a firm pressure stayed her hand. Confused, she opened her eyes and stared into Patrik’s face.
    Amusement warmed his hazel eyes.
    “I was asleep.”
    “So you were.” He claimed her mouth, soft, warm, seducing her until her sleep-jumbled mind collided with thick emotion.
    On a groan, he rolled her onto her back with his body atop hers, his weight upon his elbows while his mouth continued its amazing foray. Heat poured through her, hot, seducing, eroding her thoughts.
    Patrik lifted his head, gave her a tender smile. “A kiss from a beautiful lass is a fine way to begin the morning.”
    “’Tis pleasing,” she replied, fighting to keep the tumble of reality from stealing this fragment of bliss.
    “Pleasing?” A wicked smile touched his face as he settled himself more intimately against her. “If my kiss is merely pleasing, I am doing a poor job of it. Neglect I will be fixing.”
    “Patrik—”
    He smothered her words, destroyed her thoughts with mind-stunning intensity. He used teeth and tongue, taking, tasting, his hands caressing her until her mind tumbled into a blissful haze.
    Patrik nipped along the curve of her jaw. “Tell me, lass, was that merely pleasing?”
    Breathless, her body alive from his touch, Emma trembled. His smug expression assured her he knew exactly how his kisses made her feel. Would it be so wrong to enjoy this time with him, to take what could not be? Never had she wanted a man or believed she could find desire. But Patrik, with the depth of his caring, with his sincerity and passion, had changed everything.
    Guilt tore through her. If he learned of her deception, he would hate her. But how did his hatred weigh against loneliness? Tears burned her throat. God in heaven, however wrong, she would take this moment, store it in her mind to keep. If her actions damned her to hell, it was a path too well trod.
    She stared at the fire burning nearby, the darkness beyond, a blackness that for too long coated her soul. Too soon she would reclaim the bleakness she called her life.
    A life alone.
    “Your kiss is a touch better than pleasing,” Emma said.
    Hazel eyes narrowed with roguish delight. “A touch better? Wounded I am.”
    “Mayhap your ego, but little more.”
    “You make fun of me, lass.”
    “No, I adore you.” Her playful words fell out in a husky whisper, far from the teasing she’d intended.
    The smile on his face sobered. He stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “We are making a muddle of this.”
    “We are,” she replied, aware of exactly what he meant. Except, he didn’t understand that the Scottish woman he believed her to be didn’t exist. No, she couldn’t do this. “I must get up.”
    At her gentle shove, Patrik eased his grip, but