“Home is what ye make of it,” Fin interjected. “No matter what happens, just ken ye both have a home at Westmarch Hall. Gillian would never turn ye away. In fact, I ken she’d love tae have ye both there.”
“Aye. I’ve heard her complain ‘bout nae havin’ enough lady friends,” Hollis added. “Truth told, I ken she’d appreciate the company.”
She and Mira both smiled, and for Ivy, at least, it was genuine. Knowing that Fin would help give them a new home filled her with joy. And to be so close with Gillian again… that was something Ivy knew she would enjoy very much.
As much as it delighted her, though, it was not home. Not truly. She knew she could be happy there, but it would never be her home. Cherrythorn Manor was where all of her memories were stored. Her life and everything about it was soaked into the stones that made up the castle. It had seen her joy. Her sorrow. It had absorbed her laughter and her tears. She was Cherrythorn Manor as much as it was her. And regardless of how much she loved being there, she knew she would never be able to say that about Westmarch Hall.
“It will be all right. I will be all right,” Mira said. “It will just take me a little time to adjust to this and put my feet back on the ground again.”
Silence descended over the group, and nobody spoke for a while. Ivy had gone back to nuzzling herself against Fin, and together, they simply stared into the flames. Her mind was spinning as thoughts and feelings from the day continued to whirl through her head, and Ivy was having a hard time making it stop, let alone put it into any sort of coherent order.
Mira yawned and got to her feet and stretched. “If you will excuse me, I believe I need a little sleep,” she said. “I am certain this will all look differently in the morning.”
Ivy reached up and gave Mira’s hand a squeeze as her handmaiden passed by, on her way to the small home that was mostly intact that she had claimed for the night. Hollis climbed to his feet as well and followed her. Fin chuckled softly to himself but said nothing as he watched his friend disappear from sight among the decaying and empty cabins and buildings of the abandoned town, no doubt intending to sit outside Mira’s quarters and keep watch over her.
Finally, they were alone. Fin had been looking forward to spending time alone with Ivy all day. He just enjoyed being in her presence. Perhaps it was selfish, but Fin enjoyed having her attention solely upon him and not having to share his time with her with anybody else.
“I believe he is smitten,” Ivy said, her voice low and conspiratorial.
“Oh, I ken it’s well beyond smitten at this point,” Fin chuckled. “I’ve never seen him act like such a bampot about a lass before.”
Ivy laughed and slapped his chest playfully. “I think it is sweet.”
“I worry he’s settin’ himself up for a bad fall,” Fin replied. “I daenae ken Mira likes him the same way he does her.”
Ivy shrugged. “Circumstances being what they are and with so much uncertainty in the air right now, it is hard to say. She is clearly not herself right now,” Ivy said. “But I think that Hollis is the sort of man she would like. And he is clearly devoted to her already.”
They shared a soft laugh between themselves, but it quickly faded away, leaving them in silence once more. Ivy cocked her head and looked at him, seeing a confusing swirl of emotions in his eyes.
“Are ye all right, love?” he asked. “What ye went through-”
“I am fine. I promise you,” she said. “What I went through was nothing. I spent a day in a luxuriously appointed cell. I know others who have had it far worse than I.”
“Aye. But twas nae yer time in the cell I was talkin’ about,” he said. “Tis everythin’ else. Yer home. Yer braither. Everythin’ ye’ve learned about yer family.”
She sighed. “My mother had her faults. She was not a saint. I have always known this,” she said. “She is a human, not unlike myself, and as such, we are prone to our… foibles. I cannot judge her for what she did with the Duke. I will not. To me, although she was not perfect, she was a good mother. She did the best that she was able.”
“I daenae get that impression that yer braither shares that view of her.”
A rueful smile touched her lips. “My brother thinks she was a saint. Perhaps it was because she was soft where her father was hard, but to Castor, our mother did no wrong,” she said softly. “He blames her death on Duke Hamilton and does not hold her responsible in any way at all.”
“Even though she-”
Ivy nodded. “Even though she took her own life,” she said. “Yes. In Castor’s eyes, it was all Duke Hamilton’s doing.”
They both fell silent, and Ivy cuddled closer to him, stealing more of his body heat. Fin drew his cloak around her, trying to keep her warm. They sat like that for a good, long while, and she relished the feel of his body pressed to hers. Eventually, the sounds of the night grew louder. The night birds in the boughs overhead sang, crickets chirped, and frogs near the river let out their throaty croaks.
They exchanged a look and a quiet laugh together. Ivy smiled and reveled in the feeling of comfort and ease between them. She marveled at just how close and comfortable to him she felt. They did not even need to speak for her to be drawn further into him.
That she was finally able to admit to him, to his face, that she was in love with him, was like a key that unlocked a door inside of her. And once that door was opened, all of her emotions came tumbling out and washed over her. Ivy had never realized a love like this could exist, let alone that she would feel it for somebody. But she could not deny the love for Fin that was thick and deep and filled her with an amazing feeling of lightness and joy.
At the same time, though, although it brought her more happiness than she thought possible, it also brought with it a feeling of intense insecurity. She felt exposed and vulnerable. She had put her heart out there, and although he had reciprocated, there was some small voice in her that remained unconvinced.
He gently stroked her hair, sending pleasant chills washing through her. She looked up at him and smiled and tried to quiet that skeptical voice inside of her.
“Did you mean it?” she asked.
“Mean what?”
“When you said you loved me?
Fin sat up, forcing her to move as well. He turned to her and took Ivy’s hands in his own. He looked at her, holding her gaze as he caressed her knuckles with his thumbs.
“I need ye tae listen to me good,” he said, his voice firm. “Are ye listenin’?”
Ivy nodded. “I am.”
“I love ye, Ivy Welton,” he said. “I love ye with everythin’ in me. With all ma heart.”
Ivy’s vision blurred, and the voice in the back of her mind grew even quieter as she was filled with the purest joy and deepest love she thought possible. Her cheeks flushed, and her heart thundered so hard in her chest, she was certain Fin could hear it over the sounds of the night around them.
She leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his. Fin slid his hand behind her neck and pulled her toward him, his kiss so intense, it nearly stole her breath. Their tongues swirled around one another, and Ivy felt a ball of warmth spring to life in her belly. The warmth spread through her body quickly, and it was not long before she felt like she was on fire.
Ivy let out a soft yelp of surprise when Fin picked her up and set her down on his lap. She laughed softly as she sat astride him, running her hands through his hair as they kissed harder, their passion more electric than a lightning strike. Fin’s hands slid down her back, and she moaned softly as he cupped her backside and pulled her forward, letting her feel his rigid length.
His fingers pressed hard into her flesh, and she rolled her hips, grinding herself against his engorged staff. Ivy leaned her head back, groaning as he planted a line of kisses down her neck and teased the hollow of her throat with the tip of his tongue.
She rose and fell on his lap, the hard length of his staff rubbing against her swollen bud, sending sharp shocks of pleasure coursing through her
body. Ivy moved her hips, grinding herself against him harder, feeling that pressure low in her core growing more intense by the second. She knew she had gone too far to stop, and as the bubble inside of her burst, sending a flood of euphoria through her wildly trembling body, she leaned forward and sunk her teeth into Fin’s shoulder.
He drew a sharp breath, and the pressure of his fingers pressing into her backside grew harder, but he held her close. Ivy’s sharp, stuttering cries were muffled against his tunic, but her body felt out of control as she writhed atop him. She was overwhelmed by a feeling of absolute bliss. She felt enveloped by a glow of incredible pleasure, and at that moment, she was sure she could have died happy.
As the moments passed, the trembling in her body eased, and her breathing slowed. Although the feeling of ecstasy dimmed, it did not fade entirely away. She looked down at him as a salacious smile touched her lips.
“The things you do to me - I cannot even begin to describe how good they feel.”
Fin grinned and gave her a wink. “And we’re just gettin’ started.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Fin
He looked up into eyes that shone like sapphires, and let his gaze travel from her full, plump lips to the swell of her very full breasts. He slid his hands up her body, cupping them, reveling in the way they felt in his hands. Like everything else about Ivy’s body, her breasts seemed tailor-made for him.
As he gave her a gentle but firm squeeze, then circled her stiff nipples with his thumbs through the thin fabric of her dress, Ivy let out a soft groan. She leaned forward, her mouth finding his, and as they kissed, he swallowed her moans.
Fin relished the way her body felt soft and yet firm in his hands. He loved feeling her writhing on top of him, grinding herself against his rigid staff. She aroused him in ways nobody ever had before, and when he was with her, he felt as if the very blood in his veins was on fire. When it came to Ivy, Fin was insatiable. He wanted her with an intensity that overwhelmed him. But an intensity that he welcomed. That he relished.
Fin slid his hand down between her thighs, smiling at the warm, wet feeling on his fingers. As he slipped a digit inside of her, Ivy gasped and dug her fingernails into his shoulders, biting her bottom lip to stifle her cries. Fin flashed her a roguish smile as he pulled his finger out and slid it into his mouth, making an appreciative sound as he tasted her.
“Are you certain he will not wake up?” Ivy whispered. “Are you sure we should be doing this? Out here in the open?”
Though she sounded slightly concerned, the glint in her eye told Fin she desired him every bit as badly as he desired her.
“I daenae care who sees,” he replied. “If ye make me wait tae have ye, I may just die from need.”
Ivy giggled, but a sultry expression crossed her features. “Then hurry up because I might just die with you.”
“Tis a good answer, lass,” he said, returning her salacious grin.
Fin reached down and untied his breeches. He lifted himself up just enough to slide them down, and he gasped when he felt Ivy’s delicate fingers encircle his swollen staff. She gripped him tight, squeezing his stalk hard. Fin moaned and leaned forward, pressing his forehead to her shoulder as she moved her hand up and down on him, slowly, teasingly. She tickled the sensitive spot beneath the tip of his staff with her fingernail, sending ripples of pleasure through him.
Desperate to be inside of her and feel her warm, most intimate embrace, Fin pushed Ivy’s dress up to her waist. Knowing what he wanted, Ivy nestled the tip of his swollen rod between her slick folds and lowered herself down on it. She gasped as he slid into her inch by inch, gritting her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut. As he slid along her warm, soft inner walls, Fin groaned. And when he was buried to the hilt inside of her, they both paused, taking a moment to enjoy the feeling of being so intimately connected with each other.
Fin pulled her down, and their mouths crashed together, and his entire body felt as if it was aflame as he felt her squeezing his staff with her inner muscles. She stared into his eyes as she began to rock on him, moving up and down, taking him deep into her. Ivy drew in a shuddering breath as she rode him, a look of sheer ecstasy painted upon her features.
He cupped her backside as she dug her nails into his shoulders harder. Ivy moved faster, impaling herself on him with force. The clung to each other, and Fin felt his body tightening as he reveled in the feeling of being inside of her. He reached up and fumbled with the laces on her bodice, quickly untying them, and as Ivy’s blouse fell open, exposing her breasts, Fin leaned forward and took one of her nipples into his mouth. She let out a soft yelp as he nipped it with his teeth and then moaned indecently as he swirled his tongue around it.
Fin felt himself swelling as she writhed on top of him. Her muscles tensed around him, and her breathing grew ragged, her eyes alight with desire. Fin’s body was flush with heat, the ecstasy he felt coursing through him taking him to heights he’d never known. Driven on by his passion for her, Fin grabbed her hips and spun her down to the ground. He fell on top of her, bracing himself over her on his arms.
Ivy looked up at him with a palpable longing, and he pressed his mouth to hers as he rolled his hips, driving himself back into her. Ivy’s cries were lost in his kiss as he felt his passion building, he pumped his staff into her in a near frenzy. She gripped his forearms and locked her ankles behind his back as Fin plunged himself into her with the force of his desire.
“Oh, Fin,” she gasped. “Oh, God.”
He drew in a sharp breath as her nails bit into his flesh, and her body grew rigid. Her eyes opened wide, and as Fin drove himself as deep into her as he could go, he held himself there. Ivy bit her bottom lip so hard, he feared she would draw blood, and then she began to tremble wildly. Her teeth clenched hard, stuttering gasps spilled from her mouth as her release consumed her.
Fin kept his staff pressed deep inside of her, pushing against that most sensitive and intimate spot. He looked into her eyes, wild with emotion, as the pleasure ran its course through her. Slowly, her climax eased, and her body relaxed. The smile on her face wavered for a moment, and her eyes rolled back in her head. Ivy bit her bottom lip and then gazed into his eyes, her smile becoming steadier but somewhat shy.
“That was amazing,” she whispered. “But now it is your turn.”
A grin quirked a corner of Fin’s mouth upward, and he started to move slowly within her again. She gasped, and a low moan passed her lips as he slid along her inner walls. His need and desire bursting to life like a powerful fire, Fin drove himself into her even harder, the sound of their flesh slapping together a loud, steady sound that filled the air around them.
Fin felt his body tightening and knew he was reaching the point of no return. His staff began to swell, and he knew he stood on the precipice of a powerful release. Gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut, Fin tried to hold back. But he would have had more luck holding the ocean tide back. He drove himself into her one last time before he felt his shaft begin to throb. And then a low growl escaped him as the throb turned into a steady pulse.
Fin balled his hands into fists as the pulse and swell of his staff reached the crescendo, and he erupted. He let out a long, low gasp as he burst. Ivy moaned and gripped his forearms tightly as he filled her with his seed.
They clung together for a long while, neither of them wanting to move and break the warm glow of ecstasy that enveloped them both. But Fin finally leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers, planting a gentle kiss on her full lips. Their eyes were locked, and both wore very satisfied smiles.
“I love ye,” Fin told her. “With everythin’ in me.”
“And I love you,” she replied. “With everything in me as well.”
Chapter Thirty
Ivy
The morning dawned cool and gray as she stumbled out of the remains of the small cabin they had been sheltering in and stretched. Fin already had a fire going and was cooking something over the flames. She looke
d around and saw neither Hollis nor Mira and figured since it was still early, they had slept in.
“Good morning,” she greeted Fin with a smile.
“Good mornin’ tae ye.”
He looked at her with pure adoration in his face, and it made Ivy flush. She had never felt so loved before but knew it was a feeling she could get used to. As was the feeling of the sore, stiff muscles in her body garnered during her night of passion with him. That was a feeling she could get very used to. In fact, she was hoping it would become something of a permanent condition.
Ivy sat down on the log before the fire and watched him hang the meat-bearing sticks over the fire. The sound and smell of the meat sizzling saturated the air around them and made her stomach rumble.
“What I would not give for bread with some butter and jam,” she said. “Perhaps some boiled eggs and a rasher of bacon.”
Fin pursed his lips. “I’m sorry this is nae a proper meal.”
Ivy immediately felt terrible for saying such an insensitive and rude thing. She took his hand and squeezed it.
“I am sorry. I had no desire to make you feel bad,” she said. “I did not mean to-”
Fin shook his head. “Tis all right,” he grinned. “I ken this is nae what yer used tae. I ken this is quite a bit rougher. But it willnae be for much longer.”
“It is fine, Fin,” she said. “I was rude to speak out of turn like that. I appreciate that you are providing for us.”
They had lingered in Therline for almost two days now. Fin wanted to give things ample opportunity to calm down. They all agreed that Castor would be sending patrols on the main roads to York, searching for them. If Ivy knew her brother, she knew Castor was going to try to stop them from meeting with the Duke at all costs. He knew if they got to the Duke and explained it all, it would be over for him. There was no way Elix could stand up to York in a military conflict.
Siren of the Highlands: Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance (Highlanders of Cherrythorn) Page 21