Victoria squared her shoulders. “You must care very little for your income, Mr. Galloway, if you are seeking to dissuade me from my pursuit. Nevertheless, this is the course I have chosen, and if you cannot aid me in making it happen, then I shall find a lawyer who will.”
Mr. Galloway paled, no doubt expecting Victoria to buckle under the pressure of his ‘expertise,’ and give him the far easier task of finding her a property south of the border.
He cleared his throat. “I am nae saying I will nae help ye, but I find it helpful to better understand my clients. I thought, perhaps, ye’d been swayed by an outside opinion.” His eyes flitted to Camdyn once again. “But I can see ye’re strong-willed, of your own accord.”
“I am, and I will see my dear husband’s last wishes enacted,” Victoria said stubbornly.
Mr. Galloway continued to stare at Camdyn. “Ye mentioned that ye dinnae want to buy from any English. Can ye explain yer aversion to me? Being English yerself, I’d have thought ye’d be more comfortable, purchasing land from one of yer own.”
“I do not care for property that has been unlawfully taken from the natives of any land, whether that be Scotland, or Ireland, or France, or any such place. I would rather know that there was no inadvertent blood upon my hands,” Victoria explained, struggling to keep her voice calm. Who was this man, to come in here and interrogate her? Was she not the one paying for his time, so that he would do as asked?
Mr. Galloway returned his gaze to Victoria. “I wouldnae want to put words in your mouth, My Lady, but there’s a familiarity to some of the things ye’re saying. Some might say ye’re almost talking like a Scot.”
“I have been here for many years. It cannot be so strange, to you, that I have adopted some of the perspectives and vernacular of this place.” Victoria would not be shaken. At least, she would not allow him to see that she was.
Mr. Galloway shrugged. “I suppose not.” He suddenly got to his feet and gathered his belongings. “I’ll look into suitable properties for ye, My Lady, and I’ll be back within the week to discuss what I’ve found. If ye like any of them, we can start proceedings soon after.”
“Just like that?” Victoria frowned. This brusque fellow had flipped from uncooperative to positively submissive in the space of a few minutes.
“As ye say, I care for my income, and as ye are the one providing that in exchange for my services, I see no reason to delay or try to dissuade ye further.” Mr. Galloway smiled pleasantly, but it did not reach his eyes. “Ye’ve made up yer mind. All I can do is provide you with suitable choices.”
Victoria stood. “Oh… then, I thank you for your time.”
“A pleasure, My Lady.” He took her hand and kissed it, before heading to the door. Passing by Camdyn, the lawyer gave him a sharp, concerning glance that Victoria did not like at all, and promptly exited.
Once she heard the front door close, she hurried to Camdyn. “Do you think we ought to be worried about him? Genevieve said she had asked among the people of Inverness, and he was said to be the finest lawyer, but… perhaps is not as sympathetic to the Scots as I hoped.”
“Or he is more sympathetic than ye’d hoped,” Camdyn replied, biting his bottom lip in consternation. “Sounded to me like he wanted ye back down south.”
“Do you think it is too late to find someone else for the task?” Mr. Galloway’s presence had left a sour taste in her mouth.
Camdyn slid one hand around her waist, sending a shiver of delight up her side. “Coin can be more powerful than any loyalty. He’ll nae bite the hand what feeds him. I think he just wanted ye to know that he dinnae like the idea of a Sassenach buying Scottish land.” He bent his head and kissed her gently on the forehead. “But ye cannae blame him. He disnae know that it’s for a Sassenach Lady and her soon-to-be Laird.”
“Goodness, I did not even mention the part about the title!” She could have slapped herself for the omission, but Camdyn just smiled.
“In this case, I think that were for the best. We can find another lawyer to deal with that, after we’ve got our land to flee to,” he said softly, his words like a warm blanket, wrapping around her. “Maybe, I’ll decide I dinnae fancy the bother, and just be a Laird to ye, instead.”
She peered up into his eyes. “You are already my Laird, Camdyn. No title could give you what you already have.”
“And ye are me Lady.” He pulled her flush to him, his tongue sliding sensually across his lower lip, softening them for a kiss.
“Not here,” Victoria whispered throatily. “The servants may walk in at any moment.” With a shy, hopeful smile, she stepped away from him and edged over the drawing room threshold. “Indeed, I thought I might rest awhile in my chambers. Genevieve has gone into town and will not return for several hours, and no one else would dare to disturb me while I am… sleeping.”
In realizing how abruptly he could be taken from her; something had awakened inside her. A curiosity. He had already shown her a world of pleasure that she had not known existed. But what more could he teach her? What other gateways of bliss could he open?
Camdyn grinned, his eyes wide. “Is that so?”
“I would not oppose the idea of company, if you were also in need of respite.” She did not wait for his answer. Knowing in her heart that he would follow, she strode out across the entrance hall and up the staircase. All the while listening, like a veritable Orpheus, for the sound of his footsteps behind her.
Reaching her bedchamber, she still did not turn around. The anticipation that thrummed in her veins would not allow it. If he stayed downstairs, she would not have to face the disappointment of an empty doorway. If he came after her, she would soon feel his arms around her, and his kiss upon her neck.
No sooner had she thought of his strong arms encircling her waist, forcing her back up against him, than she heard the sound of the bedchamber door closing and the key turning in the lock. A second later, his masterful grasp pulled her into his body with such power that she felt the air rush out of her lungs in a gasp.
“I wouldnae want us bein’ interrupted,” he murmured close to her ear, as his lips set to ravishing the curve of her neck. “Night on night, I’ve had to stop meself from comin’ to this room to lie with ye. Even if it were only to hold ye in me arms and watch ye sleep, so ye’d ken ye were safe.”
Victoria covered his hands with hers and tipped her head back, so his mouth could reach her exposed throat. “All I have to do is think of you, and I know I am safe. I never thought I would feel that way in my entire life, and then… you came to my gates.”
“And I will nae leave ye, lass. Never.” The gentleness in his rough, calloused hands never ceased to amaze her, as he smoothed his palm across the top of her shift-covered chest and traced his fingers up the side of her neck. With a coaxing touch against her jaw, he turned her face toward his.
Finally, after days of stealing kisses in the shadows of the manor and playing a game of cat and mouse with any suspicious servants, she could kiss him without fear of being discovered. Perhaps, for some, it might have taken away from the thrill of the passionate encounter. But, for Victoria, having Camdyn here in her chambers, all to herself, was positively explosive.
Her mouth met his with a carnal hunger, unlike anything that had come before. She had still had some control of herself, the last time. But now, she wanted to shed every fragment of her inhibitions and fall wholeheartedly into him. Already, her skin felt feverishly hot, and no matter how she tried, she could not seem to catch a full breath. Beneath her outer garments, her stays strained with the pressure of trying to contain air and desire in one place.
“Och, lass… ye dinnae ken what ye do to me,” Camdyn rasped, his hand trailing back down the line of her throat and pausing upon the rise of a supple breast. He squeezed gently, prompting her to arch against his abdomen, her backside pushing against his groin. She grazed his lip with her teeth as she felt his hardness pressing back.
“I want you, Camdyn. I cannot go another
moment without feeling you… all of you, within me.” Her voice caught in her throat as he teased her with his length, grinding his hips against the firm curve of her buttocks.
His teeth caught her earlobe, walking the line between pleasure and pain. “I want you an’ all, lass. I want every part of ye, though I ken I’ll never have me fill of ye. I couldn’ae, if I lived a hundred years.”
Brazenly, she slid her hand behind her until she felt what she had been seeking. Through the coarse fabric of his kilt, she rubbed her palm up and down the astonishing length of him, her abdomen tightening as she heard him moan in her ear.
“Victoria,” he gasped, as his own hand moved southward, running down the whalebone until the hard lines gave way to the soft swell of her skirts. He curved his hand inward, his fingertips drawn to her swollen bud. Slowly, he began to rub circles against her, making her groan with bliss… and the anticipation of more to come, when they could shed these clothes all together.
With his free hand, his fingertips turned her face toward him once more, his mouth pressing hard against hers, while their tongues danced a wild fling. Driven by a maddening lust for his skin, his body, his touch, she tugged up the edge of his kilt until she took his bare member in her hand. He pushed against her as she massaged that silken flesh up and down, breathing hard, his teeth raking at her bottom lip as though he could truly devour her.
But she could not get enough of him, not with her body facing forward. Twisting around in his arms, she melded into him, her hand seeking his length again so she could resume the tantalizing caress that seemed to be driving him wild.
“Lass, I’ve got to have ye. I cannae bear to have ye in these clothes any longer,” he moaned against her mouth, as his hands cupped the firm swell of her backside.
She made a murmur of assent, unable to speak through the overwhelming ardor that coursed through her body, setting every nerve alight.
His mouth caught hers, while his hands came up to unfasten her casaquin and push it from her shoulders and down her arms. Next, he concentrated his attentions on the thin cotton of her shift. She heard the fabric rip, and she did not care. A shift could be replaced, but this moment could not.
Following his lead, she tugged his loose shirt from the top edge of his kilt and pulled it up, over his head. After a few seconds of amused fumbling with his sporran, she found the fastening that held the coarse wool together and unclipped it. The kilt fell to the ground, pooling at Camdyn’s feet, exposing the might of his masculinity.
“Goodness.” She swallowed thickly, admiring the firm, intimidating pride of his ready member.
He chuckled and stooped to unlace his boots, kicking them off until he was completely naked in front of her. Rising back up to his full height, his laughter faded, and his face turned serious, his eyes twinkling with passion.
“I love ye, lass. Ye gave me, me life back, when I thought it were over,” he said softly, his hands slipping around her waist to find her stays. “When we’re out of Inverness, and free on our lakeshore, I want to make ye me wife. Would ye have me, lass?”
Victoria’s eyes widened, happy tears welling up. “Yes… A thousand times yes, my love. I love you more than I can say. It would be the greatest joy of my existence to be your wife.”
“I am nae a priest, and I ken this is nae how a ceremony should go, but… will ye take me to be yer husband, right here in this room? We can have it done proper later, but I’d like to feel ye’re me wife before I make love to ye.” His expression turned adorably shy, undoubtedly due to the fact that he was entirely naked.
She grinned with utter euphoria. “I will take you as my husband, Camdyn McKay, if you will have me as your wife?”
“Aye, from this day on.” He leaned in to kiss her lips, before pulling away again. “I’ll nae be separated from ye, nay matter what gets thrown at us. Ye’re me love, and me life, and I’ll stand at yer side ‘til ye put me in the ground.”
She pressed her palms to his bare chest, feeling the rampant thud of his heart beating. “As you are my love, and my life,” she repeated. “I will stand by your side until my days are at an end, and my heart shall never falter.”
“Mine, neither.”
With their unorthodox vows taken, Camdyn’s fervor returned anew. Victoria giggled as he spun her around and attacked her stays with eager fingertips, pulling the two sides apart and ripping it free of her shapely figure.
Her heart leapt as he unfastened the tie of her skirt and let the fabric fall, before he shuffled her ruined shift down over her hips, where it joined the skirt. A moment later, he moved to the constraints of her drawers. It had been such a long time since she had been truly naked in front of a man. Even during the decade of her marriage, her husband had often preferred her in a nightgown, as though he did not wish to observe what lay beneath.
Sometimes, I wondered if he thought I had scales where my flesh should be.
But this was not the time or place for thoughts of that cold bedfellow. The affection she had felt for him, over the years, was barely a flicker of emotion compared to her love for Camdyn.
“Ye’re like a goddess what’s wandered out of a loch, come to seduce a lad that’s seen her bathin’.” He waxed poetic as his eyes studied every curve, and edge, and facet of her form, admiring her in a way she had never been admired.
She laughed softly, her heart racing. “I am nothing of the sort.”
“Aye, ye are.” He took her in his arms and caught her mouth with his, as he walked them backward toward the waiting bed.
She let out a surprised cry as she felt the frame hit the back of her knees. For a moment, she thought she was going to tumble onto the mattress, but Camdyn’s strong arm held her tight to his body.
He kissed along her jaw and down her throat, until he reached her bare breasts. He paused there for a moment, as though contemplating. Then, with a contented sigh, he let his mouth close around her taut left nipple, while his fingertips nipped gently at the right.
“Oh…” Victoria gasped, clinging onto her love for dear life as he sucked harder. Her back arched and her stomach tightened, inspiring a warm, wet heat to gather at her slick opening, her whole body pulsating with want for his tantalizing length.
Slowly, he lowered her onto the bed, where she shuffled back to accommodate him upon the covers. Eager to feel him as close as possible, her hands slid around him, her fingernails raking down his back until he cried out in pleasure and pain, his eyes glittering with lusty abandon.
“I love ye,” he growled, gazing at her.
She smiled, shifting her thighs so they flanked his hips. “As I love you.”
Their eyes did not leave one another’s, both of them fully enveloped in each other. Yet Victoria held her breath with anticipation as she noticed, in her periphery, his hand moving down between her thighs.
As if to test whether she was ready to feel him inside her, her eyes closed in delirious bliss as she felt his fingers slide down her cleft, teasing her swollen bud. A moment before she could protest that she did not want his fingers, that held breath finally escaped her lips, for she could feel the pressure of his member against her sex.
Her eyes opened, and she flashed Camdyn a smile. She would not be tormented any longer, and if he thought he could continue to tease her in so intoxicating a manner, then he was in for a surprise. With one firm buck of her hips, her secret well slipped around him, taking him inside her.
“Och… lass…” he panted, his lips curving into a contented, albeit surprised, grin.
Drawing in a sharp breath, he moved his own hips forward, until he was buried to the hilt inside her oiled sheath. Victoria moaned, euphoric in the sensation of him filling her entirely, her nails resuming their passionate drag down his back.
This is what I have been missing… This is what it is supposed to feel like.
She could barely contain herself as he drew his hips back, until only the tip of his member remained within her. Indeed, she wanted him to fill her again
, over and over, until that exquisite explosion crashed through her.
As if sensing her desire, Camdyn thrust back inside her, while his head bent to kiss her, firm and fervent, upon her lips. She did not know how he managed it, but it seemed as though he had transformed into some sort of magician as he plunged into her again and again, while never lacking focus upon the rest of her.
“I owe ye yer pleasure,” he murmured, propping himself up on one arm while the other sought out her swollen bud. In perfect synchronicity with his thrusts, he rubbed circles across that sensitive spot, until she felt as though the world itself were melting away around them. And when his mouth closed around her nipple, at the exact same time, she understood the meaning of paradise. Her body trembled and shivered with unyielding bliss as he bestowed his sensual gifts upon her, to the point where she thought she might lose her hold on reality all together.
“Camdyn… oh, Camdyn… yes… oh yes! Yes!” Out of nowhere, ecstasy seized her in its delicious grip, pulling every muscle taut as her body shook with violent delight. Pulse after pulse powered through her abdomen and into her sex, the walls inside her tightening around his thrusting length as she came to her longed-for conclusion.
Highlander's Fallen Angel : A Steamy Scottish Historical Romance Novel Page 18