by Mary Wine
“Undress for me, Helena.” Keir’s voice was rough with hunger. “I swear, the image of ye brushing yer hair last night is burned into my soul. I want to look at ye, the way ye were made.”
The firelight turned his shirt translucent. She gained a glimpse of the way his torso tapered down to a lean waist, and then the unmistakable thrust of his erection. But he took one step away from her and removed his boots in quick, efficient motions. His attention returned to her. The fire crackled and gooseflesh raced along her arms. She was suddenly more aware of her own heartbeat, could hear it and feel it pulsing along her limbs.
The look on his face made her feel beautiful. She realized that nothing had the power to make someone attractive until someone else believed that they were. It wasn’t about the color of her hair; it was about this moment and their need for one another.
“All right. But you shall promise to stay until I grant you permission to touch me, husband.”
He frowned, but excitement flickered in his eyes. She offered him a look through her eyelashes, enjoying the moment of flirtation. It heightened the need that burned along her skin, deepening the pleasure.
“’Tis a good thing I was no’ playing cards with ye. I would have lost me shirt.”
She slowly smiled, her cheeks burning hotter. He tilted his head and offered her a mocking look.
“I do believe I like that idea, husband.”
He chuckled. “I thought noblewomen needed their maids.”
There was a teasing note in his tone. It challenged her, making her bold. Reaching up, she tugged on the lace, keeping her stays tight. The moment the knot was free, the weight of her breasts pulled the lace so that the front sagged open. A little shiver traveled along her skin. It was a relief to be loosened from the constricting garment. Keir’s attention was focused on her fingers. She toyed with the lace, gently pulling it through the first few holes. He swallowed roughly, filling her with confidence. She had never really taken any time to think about whether or not her body was attractive. All of the pads and supports demanded by fashion gave her a distortion of what in fact a man enjoyed in a woman’s form.
Keir enjoyed hers. It shimmered in his gaze and his expression was tight. Her curiosity was piqued. She pulled the lace from the next few holes. It was curious to believe that he might enjoy her out of her stays more than he did while she wore the essentials of fashion.
Yet his face indicated that he was very pleased by the enlarging area opening down the front of her stays. She eased the lace through the last few holes and realized that she had been holding her breath. Her body shuddered when she exhaled, sensation tingling along her skin. For the moment she felt freer than she ever had. Keir moved toward her while she was lost in contemplation of his face. His hands cupped her shoulders and gently rubbed them. A little hum of contentment rose from her throat. Need was beginning to pound through her but it was a steady tempo and one that she was at ease enjoying tonight. Something had changed between them. She no longer feared allowing him to see her true emotions.
Keir caught the straps of her corset and sent them down her arms, the open garment sliding easily off her. The heat from the fire traveled up her legs and the fabric of her chemise billowed gently. She was now more aware of her breasts. They felt swollen and needy hanging free.
“Ye win, lass. I couldna wait any longer.”
He took a single step away from her and pulled his shirt off his body. She bit into her lower lip as every inch of hard muscle was illuminated by the flickering fire. He looked surreal, like a legend she might envision yet never touch. Her hand stretched out in spite of that thought, seeking to touch the image of perfection.
She shivered when her fingertips made contact. The tremor raced through her, touching off a need that roared to life. Her nipples drew into hard peaks that poked against the sheer fabric of her chemise. The delicate skin covering her breasts begged to be stroked.
“No a bit longer,” he said as he gently fingered the fabric of her last garment. She couldn’t have agreed more.
Lifting her hands up above her head, she sighed when she felt him drawing the chemise up and over her. Her hands came down on his chest, trailing over the hard muscles. She didn’t stop but stroked lower until she found his belly.
His hands cupped her hips. Pleasure swirled in her belly, making her breathing uneven. There was something incredibly intimate about his hands gripping her hips. It drew to mind the way he held her when he was deep inside her. It was a shockingly carnal thought, but one that she enjoyed. Her clitoris throbbed softly between the folds of her sex.
His grip tightened as though he was forcing himself to wait for her, wait to see how far she might trail her fingers, how low she might venture. Maybe it was the need filling her or the approval she witnessed in his eyes, but she sent her hand down until she found the base of his cock.
He muttered something in Gaelic that didn’t need translation. The rough tone of his voice was enough to spur her forward. She closed her hand around his girth. His eyes narrowed with pleasure and the grip on her hips tightened. Confidence filled her, along with an insane delight at being able to affect him so strongly. She had been on the receiving end so many times that she was eager to affect him as strongly as he often did her.
Which brought to mind several dark whispers that she had heard at court….
Seduction was an art perfected by many ladies of the court. They shared their knowledge and often shared the details of their liaisons. The fact that she was a maiden didn’t deter them. They delighted in whispering torrid details of what went on behind closed doors.
Pulling her hand up his length, she didn’t stop until she gripped the head. A thick ridge of flesh circled it but she only remained there for a moment before pulling her closed hand down to the base.
“Helena…”
He growled her name and she smiled. The thick carpet beneath her shoes offered a perfect place to try what she had heard whispered. Kneeling in front of him, she gained her first true look at his cock. Thick and long, it was crowned with a ruby head that boasted a slit down half its face. Maintaining her grip, she leaned forward and licked that slit.
“Holy Christ!”
Her husband pulled her back by her hair, his face betraying his shock.
“Where in the hell did ye learn to do something like that?”
His brogue was so thick she had trouble understanding him. But there was no mistaking the fact that she was affecting him.
“Court gossip.” She worked her hand up to the tip and slid one fingertip through that slit. A muscle jerked along the side of his jaw. “I believe I may have just discovered the first good use of it. What do you think?”
His eyes glowed, anticipation burning in their dark centers. The grip that held her hair relaxed and she lowered her attention to his length again. She licked him again, this time running her tongue all the way around the crown. His hips jerked toward her and she opened her mouth to allow the first inch to enter.
“I swear to God I cannae believe ye’re doing this.”
There was no way she was going to stop, either. Moving her head in slow motion, she took his length in and out of her mouth, allowing more of his cock to penetrate each time she pressed toward him. He captured the back of her head and his fingers gripped the soft strands, sending little prickles of pain across her scalp. The portion that wouldn’t fit into her mouth she stroked with her hand, keeping the same motion as her mouth. He shuddered and groaned, his large body drawn tight as a bowstring.
“Enough, lass! I’ll be unmanned in another few moments.”
He pulled her away from his cock, frustrating her. “And what is wrong with that?”
He sank to his knees in front of her, maintaining his grip on her hair. One hard arm encircled her waist, shifting the power balance between them. She was now his captive; his superior strength bound her against him. But she was a willing one. Her body eagerly soaked up the feeling of his skin pressed against hers. Pl
easure washed over her, every warm ridge of muscle delighting her.
“A good lover doesna spill himself until he has satisfied his partner.”
“But many a husband does not concern himself with his wife’s pleasure.”
He bent her back until she lay on the carpet. But he didn’t lie on top of her. He sat back on his haunches, making her long for his body against hers again.
“I enjoy pleasuring ye.”
Promise flickered in his eyes. He reached for one of her feet and stripped her shoe and stocking off. His fingers toyed with her bare calf, stroking the skin. The fire had burned down but the coals turned her skin scarlet. She was suddenly shy and pressed her thighs together.
“Och now. That willnae do at all.”
He lifted her other foot and removed her last garment. He gently massaged her foot for a long moment before rubbing his fingers down over her ankle, working the muscles with soothing motions. A little hum of pleasure crossed her lips.
“Better, but I’m wanting that confidence back that ye had when ye so boldly sucked my cock.”
Her cheeks burned but she couldn’t stop the smile that parted her lips. His hands stroked past her knee, gently parting her thighs. He leaned down until she could feel the soft hair that coated his chest against her breasts. His breath teased her lips before he pressed a warm kiss onto her mouth.
“But I’m also wanting to repay the favor.”
“What?”
He chuckled while keeping her back on the floor with his larger body. He gently cupped both of her breasts. Need spiked through her but there was no hurry displayed in his expression. He tilted his head and pressed a kiss against her neck while his thumbs toyed with her nipples. She arched beneath him, craving more contact. He kissed his way down her body until he found one soft mound. The skin drew tight with anticipation, her nipple aching for the touch of his lips. She had never wanted something so badly.
Keir didn’t disappoint her. He licked his way to the top of her breast and closed his lips around the hard point. She cried out, unable to keep the pleasure behind her lips. She reached for him, gripping his shoulders and arching so that her breast was raised up for his mouth to feast upon. He cupped it, his grip holding the soft mound in place. She’d never have guessed that a mouth might feel so hot, but his lips burned across the tender tip of her nipple, the point of his tongue lavishing it with attention.
It all flowed down to her belly. Her clitoris throbbed and she forgot why she wanted to keep her thighs together. The folds of her sex felt swollen and she needed to open her legs to relieve that pressure. He smoothed a hand over her hip and down across her belly the moment she opened for him.
“Ah, exactly what I was hoping for. An invitation.”
His fingers grazed over her mons. She jerked, too aware of every touch to remain still. He pressed her down with one large hand centered on the top of her belly. But it was a soft touch, his hand stroking and massaging, tempting her to relax and allow him to touch more of her. Her clitoris begged for attention.
“Better, lass. Much better.”
His fingers ventured lower, stroking across her open sex. It was a mere whisper of a touch but she sent her hands into the carpet as her body contorted with sensation. It flowed through her like a living thing, all of the need combining into a passion that was consuming her.
Keir placed a soft kiss on the smooth skin of her belly before moving back to hover over her spread sex.
“Keir?”
He looked up her body, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “What, lass? Did the gossips never discuss how a man might repay the favor of having his cock sucked?”
“No….”
He rubbed her belly with a firm hand, then stilled and pressed her against the floor.
“Well now, I’ll be happy to introduce ye to what delight ye just gave me.”
Her breath froze in her lungs, and even when they burned she didn’t exhale. She was too shocked by the sight between her thighs. His shoulders kept her spread wide but he used a single hand to spread her further, exposing the little button of her clitoris.
“Keir…”
He didn’t respond to her. Instead he leaned down and gently lapped her exposed slit. She would have rolled away if he wasn’t holding her down. That single touch sent desire up her passage so quickly her vision blurred. Her neck muscles lost the strength to keep her head up and she closed her eyes when she collapsed against the floor.
There was nothing except the hot tip of his tongue. He licked her slowly, beginning at the opening to her passage and up her spread slit to her clitoris. He toyed with it gently until her hips arched toward him.
He seemed to understand her need. His lips closed around the little nub. Pleasure raked through her, drawing tighter. He began sucking and she cried out, her head thrashing from side to side. She was suddenly afloat on a rippling surface of sensation and need. Delight shot through her a hundred times a minute but it was always chased by need so acute she felt she couldn’t bear it. Seconds became eternities in which she bounced between need and pleasure. It drew tighter and tighter, her body straining toward his mouth, seeking true satisfaction. He didn’t grant it to her quickly. His mouth released her clitoris so that he could lick his way down to her passage. The tip of his tongue circled the delicate skin several times until she sobbed with need. She felt so empty, tears stung her eyes.
“Aye, lass, I’ve no more discipline for waiting either.”
His brogue had thickened again but she didn’t care. He closed his lips around her clitoris and this time he applied more pressure. She felt the promise of release coming closer and closer. Her heart pounded harder as the pleasure built to a crescendo and burst. It flooded her with blinding pleasure that tore away every pretense of who she was expected to be. There was only the way she felt and the man holding her throughout the torrent.
She lost track of time but gasped for breath when it began to subside. A moment later her husband rose above her. Hunger drew his features tight and the scarlet glow of the coals bathed him.
But he didn’t cover her. One hand grasped her hip and rolled her over onto her belly. He slid one arm beneath her body and pulled her back onto her knees. She felt him behind her, his hands gripping each of her hips just as she had enjoyed him doing earlier.
This time it was very carnal and that pleased her greatly. His cock pressed against her, easily sliding into her slick passage. Deeper satisfaction filled her along with his flesh. Ripples of delight were still moving through her and the hard pounding seemed to add to it. He wasn’t gentle and she realized that she didn’t want him to be. She wanted to feel his strength, enjoy the hard slap of his body behind her. His cock was harder than she recalled and he drove it deeply into her, all the time holding her hips in place, even pulling her back to meet each thrust. Lust and need sent soft cries past her lips.
“Aye, lass, let me hear ye whimper. ’Tis a sweet sound.”
Her entire body was feeling so much more than it ever had. Keir grasped her hips and rode her with fast, hard thrusts. Her breasts swung back and forth with the motion, her hands gripping the carpet, but she began moving back toward each thrust. Her back arched, lifting her bottom into prominent display. A soft growl of approval came from her husband.
The fingers on her hips suddenly tightened and she heard a harsh intake of breath. A second later his seed flooded her. Hot and searing, he thrust a few final times before catching his weight on flattened hands that pressed down on either side of her. Her legs quivered but so did his body against her back. They both sank down onto the carpet, his arms pulling her against his body. He rolled onto his back, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
“Sweet Christ. Ye may be the death of me, lass.” He pulled her close, pushing her head down onto his shoulder. “But I’ll face me demise a happy man.”
“You shouldn’t tempt fate by saying things such as that.”
He found the end of her braid and began working her hair loose wi
th his fingers.
“Like what? Am I no’ permitted to tell ye how much I enjoy lying with ye? Does the fact that ye’re noble born mean we must be unhappy? Sharing a bed the minimum amount of times in order to produce children that will then grow up with parents who have no affection for each other? I dinnae agree with that. Ye make me very happy, Helena.”
Her throat tightened. She didn’t understand the strange reaction. “You simply should not tempt fate.”
She tried to roll away but he held her still. “I’m chilled.”
“Nay, ye are not. Ye’re trying to escape so that ye can think yerself back into that model of proper behavior that yer parents sent ye off to court believing in.”
He rolled over on top of her, pinning her down with his greater weight. “I’ll nae have that, Helena. I have tender feelings for you, and I am stunned to discover such, too. The difference is I thought I could live without affection in my marriage and I’m happy to be proven wrong. ’Tis truly a delight to find myself proven wrong.”
“Love is insanity.”
He kissed her, hard and long. He didn’t stop until she kissed him in return, the need inside her too great to ignore when he touched her.
“Than I am a happy victim of the disease.”
He rolled over her but left her closest to the fire. The coals bathed her bare skin in heat and Keir kept her tight against his body to warm the rest of her. He was correct; she was not cold. He had her hair loose and began playing with it.
“But—”
“Hush now. Tomorrow will be time enough for us to return to what the world outside those doors tells us is right and wrong. For the moment, let us enjoy just being a man and his woman, with nothing to worry us save when passion will demand more from us.”