Her body tingled all over with the most exquisite sensation, and all she wanted to do was linger in every last tingle until there were no more.
“Are you all right?”
Bliss opened her eyes to see Trey braced over her, and she smiled, glad he hadn’t slipped out of her yet and not wanting him to.
She smiled. “I have never felt better.”
“Your tears . . . I have never—”
She grinned.
He shook his head. “This is not the moment I should be thinking such a thing.”
“But you couldn’t help it, for no women you have made love to have ever cried with joy.”
“Coupled with, not made love,” he quickly corrected as he moved to ease off her.
“Must you leave me? I love the feel of you inside me.”
He smiled and kissed her. “I’ll return soon enough.” He slipped off her to rest alongside her.
She turned on her side. “You promised me the whole night.”
“And I will keep my word,” he said, and reached out to tuck her against his chest.
She rested her head there and listened to the rapid beating of his heart. He had yet to calm from their lovemaking, but, then, neither had she—her heart was continued to beat wildly.
“You do realize what this means,” Trey said after a few moments.
“What?”
“That our marriage vows are sealed and cannot be broken. You are my wife and will remain my wife.”
“Are you sure that is what you wish?”
“Like your knowing that you never doubt, this is my knowing that holds no doubt,” Trey said, “and what of you? Do you wish to remain my wife?”
She smiled and traced circles on his chest. “I believe our hearts beat as one, and one cannot survive without the other. That is love, and I love you, so the only true answer would be . . . aye, I wish to remain your wife.”
He lifted her, and she laughed with joy as he tugged her to lie across him.
A pain suddenly struck her that had her gasping for breath.
“Bliss,” Trey cried out, fear tugging at him.
She pointed to the water and he had her up in his arms in an instant and hurried to submerge them both.
The warm water worked its magic, relieving the pain, and Bliss grew annoyed with herself. “I am a fool,” she said.
“You are not,” Trey argued. “If anyone is a fool, it is me for not considering your injury.”
“I am healing just fine.”
He scrunched his brow.
“I am,” she insisted. “I need only to perform several healings close to one another, and I will be fine.”
“I distracted you, so it is my fault, and I will not touch you again tonight.”
Her eyes turned wide. “You can’t mean that. You gave me your word.”
“I caused you pain.”
“You will cause me grievous pain if you do not keep your promise,” she said, her eyes shooting daggers at him as her temper flared.
He looked about to laugh.
“Do not dare make fun of what I say. I have looked forward to this time with you, and I will not have the memory spoiled because I suffer a twinge of pain now and again.”
“It was no twinge”—he stopped abruptly—“you looked forward to making love with me?”
“You did not realize that?” she asked, surprised. “I thought it apparent.”
“That we were attracted to each other was definitely apparent, but that you actually looked forward to making love with me?” He grinned. “I but hoped.”
She gave him a playful poke in the chest. “You tease me. You knew.”
“Perhaps, though it was nice to hear it, to know that I was in your thoughts as much as you were in mine.”
“That, I’m afraid, will only escalate. The closer we grow, the more easily it is for me to know your thoughts.”
“I’m finding the same,” he said.
“What, then, am I thinking,” she challenged with a smile.
He nipped playfully along her bottom lip before kissing her senseless.
“Exactly what I was thinking,” she said after her senses returned.
His hand cupped her breast, his thumb teasing the nipple hard. “And now you want me to make love to you again.”
Her smile grew, then suddenly vanished. “You aren’t thinking of making love with me.”
“Not until you do another healing on yourself,” he ordered. “And believe me when I say I’m showing remarkable restraint, for right now I want nothing more than to have you wrap your legs around my waist so that I can plunge into you and endlessly pleasure us both.”
The image sent a tingle racing through her and an ache between her legs.
Trey shook his head. “Damn if I can’t feel your passion racing through me.” He released her suddenly and put a bit of distance between them. “Be done with your healing,” he snapped. “My need for you grows, and I have not the patience to wait.”
The knowledge that he wanted her so badly that he had to walk away from her to stop himself from having her fueled her own passion beyond reason.
“Damn,” he muttered again, and pointed at her. “Heal yourself now.”
The intense passion rising between them wouldn’t allow her to focus, and she knew it would be impossible to do any healing until . . .
“I can’t,” she said. “I can focus on nothing but my aching need for you.”
He clenched a fist and pounded the water, sending it shooting up to splash his chest and face. “I will not see you suffer more pain.” He turned to make his way to shore.
“Your absence will not matter. This ache, this longing to have you deep inside me needs to be satisfied so that my mind is clear enough to focus on healing.”
He seemed to fight himself for a moment, his fist remaining clenched. And then he moved so rapidly that it startled Bliss, and she jumped, causing a pain to hit her and making her cringe.
She thought he would stop and keep his distance, but he didn’t. His hands were suddenly at her waist, lifting her, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms going around his neck.
“When this is done—”
“You can watch me heal myself,” she said, and tried to kiss him though he didn’t give her a chance.
He lifted her and, with a swift plunge, buried himself deep inside her.
She let out a gasp, and he captured it with a hungry kiss. She held on as he took charge, his body setting a frantic tempo and his hands at her waist helping her match it. The kiss ended as their breathing turned rapid, and she knew it wouldn’t be long before they both exploded with pleasure.
She heard the groan building in Trey and felt herself once again near the edge, only this time, as the pleasurable fury erupted, she was propelled upward to explode over and over again.
They rested brow to brow, their breathing labored, their hearts pounding, and the last of their climaxes rippling through them.
“I’ll never get enough of you,” Trey said breathlessly.
“Good, for I’ll never stop wanting you.”
“Watch your words, or you’ll turn me hard again,” he warned. “And it is time to heal yourself.”
“Then you’ll grow hard for me again?” she asked.
He answered with a sputter of laughter. “I’m always hard for you.”
“And I’m always wet for you.”
He groaned and shook his head. “Enough.” He eased her off him. “Heal yourself, then we will—”
“Make love again?”
He grinned. “All night as promised.”
“I cannot wait,” she said with the eagerness of one who had just been given a gift.
“I’d say be quick, but I want you healed, for what I have in mind wil
l take stamina.”
“You intrigue me.”
“I will do more than that,” he said, walking away from her. “I will teach you the many ways there are to make love.”
Chapter 20
Trey woke in the cabin before Bliss the next morning and smiled, content for the first time in what seemed like forever. It was almost like waking from a bad dream that had been difficult to escape, and the thought made him realize how Bliss must feel when trapped in a dream or vision.
He wrapped himself more tightly around her warm, naked body and knew there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to protect her and keep her safe.
He had thought the same of Leora; to keep her safe, let no harm come to her, and he had failed horribly. He didn’t want to fail Bliss. He didn’t want to lose her as he had Leora. But as Bliss had so often reminded him, fate made plans that we didn’t always like, and we certainly didn’t understand.
What he did understand was that he could finally accept that Leora was gone and that it wasn’t wrong of him to love again. And that’s what Bliss and he had done all night . . . loved. It had surprised him to realize that making love with Bliss was far more satisfying than doing so with any woman he had ever been with, even Leora.
It was almost as if they were made for each other, they fit so well together.
He smiled again, pleased that guilt did not jab at him. It had been his constant companion for so long that he expected it to be with him forever. He was glad guilt had left him. He had let it eat away at him long enough. And he hoped that by releasing the past, he would also release Leora and that she would no longer haunt Bliss’s visions.
She stirred in his arms, turning to cuddle chest to chest, and he welcomed the pleasurable connection. He settled around her once more, wishing they could stay here, at least for a while, and simply enjoy each other. But he knew that wasn’t possible; he needed to get home.
Her arm slipped over his waist. She reached out to him in sleep, not doubting he’d be there beside her. They had grown accustomed to each other in a short time. Though what did time matter when it came to love?
One look, one touch, and love, or perhaps fate, took charge. Nothing you did afterwards mattered, for your fate was sealed. He grinned. It seemed that perhaps fate was wise in her ways, and he shouldn’t argue or be angry with her. She had, after all, given him Bliss.
His grin grew when he felt the first nibble at his throat.
“You taste good,” she whispered.
“So it would seem since you feasted on me last night.”
She giggled. “I did make a glutton of myself, but it is your fault for being so tasty.”
“Feast to your heart’s content, wife, though”—he eased her on her back, spreading himself over her—“Right now I have a need to fill you.”
“Good, for I feel empty without you inside me.”
He was already hard, her warm body and teasing nibbles having thickened him. But her words hardened him even more. And when he reached down to stroke her, his hand met moisture. She was ready for him, and he hadn’t even touched her. She seemed to always be ready for him, and that made him grow all the more excited.
He kissed her then while his thumb teased her nub, and her body moved eagerly beneath him. He didn’t wait, he couldn’t, and he knew that neither could she. He entered her swiftly and kept a hard, wild pace. It didn’t take long for Bliss to reach climax, and it pleased him, for he had learned last night that he could easily bring Bliss to multiple climaxes, and the discovery had thrilled him. Her first climax was often the beginning of stronger ones to come, which made his own pleasure all the more satisfying.
He climaxed along with her second one, and soon after they lay flat on their backs, catching their breaths.
“Making love is definitely a benefit of marriage,” she said when her breath no longer labored.
He laughed. “That depends on whom you wed. Not all husbands and wives are compatible.”
She turned on her side to face him and sighed. “How sad for them. They will never know the wonder of true love.”
He stroked her face and, for a moment, was speechless. All he could think about was how lucky he was to have Bliss as his wife. “I am a happy man,” he said, and ran his thumb over her lips, which were still plump from his kisses.
She nibbled at his thumb before answering, “And you continually make me a happy woman.”
“And I will keep you happy for years and years to come.” He punctuated each word with a kiss.
Their stomachs grumbled simultaneously, and they laughed. They were soon out of bed, dressed, and enjoying a breakfast of warm bread and honey. Trey startled when a rap sounded at the door though it had not disturbed Bliss. And why would it? People probably sought her help throughout the day.
She bid the person enter, and Trey moved his sword closer to his side just in case though he needn’t have worried. That was until he heard what the young Pict Langward had to tell them upon entering.
“A troop of the king’s soldiers has been seen on the borders of Pict and MacAlpin lands.”
Trey stood, anxious to find out if Langward knew more, when he turned and looked to Bliss. She could possibly know more than the young Pict. He didn’t have to say a word; she knew his thoughts.
“They go to join the others,” Bliss said. “And hope to collect more men along the way.”
Langward shook his head. “I don’t understand why they would take men who do not wish to fight for them.”
“So they cannot fight for the true king,” Trey said, “thus leaving fewer men to take up arms against King Kenneth.” He looked again to his wife. “They presently pose no threat to my home?”
Bliss shook her head. “It is the men and lads in the outlying farms who need to worry.”
“Once my brothers received my message about the troop buildup, they would have sent word to all the farming families to seek protection at the keep. Has Roan returned yet?” he asked of Langward.
“Not yet though we have sent men to the border to keep a watch. There is growing concern that the soldiers may attack Picts.”
“They have never disturbed you before,” Trey said. “Why would you worry now?”
Langward glanced to Bliss, as if she had the answer.
“Times are changing. No more will the Picts live separately from others. They will join force with the true king, and in the ensuing years, both people will blend until they are finally one. The Pict blood forever part of Scotland.”
Another rap at the door had them all turning and Bliss bidding entrance.
It was Dolca, and before anyone could offer a greeting, she said, “The search party returns with the injured farmers, and some are in need of healing.”
Bliss grabbed her white cloak from the peg, and Trey hooked the belt that housed his sword around his waist and followed Bliss out the door, Langward on their heels.
There was a bit of chaos when Mary spotted Thomas on the carrier and, with tears of joy, went running to her husband, with Allena in her arms.
Trey watched as Bliss made her way to Thomas, then stopped abruptly, turned, and grabbed hold of his arm. “Thomas continues to heal, but two Picts were injured defending the farmers against the king’s soldiers.”
She left his side so quickly that he grew dizzy. He stood for a moment, not happy with what he had just heard. It gave credence to why the Picts would side with the MacAlpins and proof that what Bliss had seen was true.
Trey took a moment to watch how Mary and Thomas rejoiced in their reunion. They hugged and kissed, and Thomas reached out for Allena, who had tears streaming down her cheeks. Trey only hoped that Deryn fared as well, that Albert and Teresa had managed to avoid the soldiers, keep Philip and Deryn safe, and be well on their way to arriving at the keep. And no doubt Mary and Thomas wished the same.
Trey conversed
with several of the Pict warriors in regard to Roan’s return. They were confident that Roan would have no trouble avoiding the soldiers and would arrive soon enough. Trey needed to know that his brothers had been made aware of the buildup of the king’s troops in the region. If not? He had to return home immediately and inform his brothers of the news.
He would give Roan today to return. If he didn’t, then Trey would need to leave for home at sunrise. He didn’t want to, and he certainly didn’t want to leave Bliss behind, but it would be dangerous to take her with him. Here, at home with the Picts, she would be far better protected than traveling alone with him.
The question was how did he prevent her from knowing that he might well need to leave her behind? He believed, actually he knew, that she would never agree to his decision. She would insist on going with him, and he refused to place her in such danger.
He watched from a distance as she worked on healing two Picts who had sustained injuries from their encounter with the soldiers. He worried that she had not fully healed herself, but then she had to have been healed sufficiently or she never would have been able to engage in such heated lovemaking as they had last night after they returned to her cabin.
Damn, but he loved her.
The thought hit him hard, like a punch to the gut. It stunned him to realize the depths of his love for her. He had convinced himself that he would never love again, or at least not as strongly as he had loved Leora. But here he was, madly in love with Bliss.
He saw her look up at him, and she immediately stopped what she was doing, stood, and hurried to his side.
“Do not even think of leaving me behind, for I will follow you. Nothing will keep me from being by your side,” she said.
He snatched her around the waist and planted her against his hard body, then kissed her with such intensity that no one could doubt how much he loved her. When he released her, he saw that all around them stared in silence.
“I love my wife,” he shouted for all to hear.
A cheer went up, along with grins and nods and shouts of wishes for a long life and many children.
Wed to a Highland Warrior Page 16