“I thought you’d left.”
“I tried to leave. I couldn’t manage it.” He gently touched his fingers to her swollen eyes. “Have you wept all night, my sweet Lainna?” She didn’t answer for her sobs would not subside. He bent over and kissed each eyelid, and the tenderness within his touch only proved to increase her tears. She laid her head to his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat, inhaled his masculine scent until her tears finally ebbed.
He lifted her upon the horse, swung himself up behind her, and pulled her close. She leaned against him, still hiccupping and trembling. He placed a soft kiss upon the top of her head and buried his face in her lovely tresses.
“Thank you,” he murmured.
Alainn jerked awake and, for an instant, could not recollect where she was.
It was only a dream, she thought, stiffening in a panic.
“You’ve slept the day away, Lainna,” a deep voice rumbled in her ear as muscular arms tightened around her. The horse swayed beneath her. She leaned back against Killian and looked to the darkening sky. The sun had nearly sunk beneath the western horizon.
“Should we not have reached Castle O’Brien by now?” she asked.
“Aye, but I decided to take you to another location this night. And before you protest, I assure you we will be back to Castle O’Brien before my uncle has to forfeit any of my bouts. I suspect I should not rile him further if we intend to have him see things our way.”
She sighed deeply.
“Where are we off to, then?”
“To my father’s castle. I promised to take you there one day.”
“I was only a child when you promised me that. I would not hold you to it.”
“Aye well, I once told you I’d take you to see the sea and you managed that one without me. I do not intend to renege on this promise.”
“How long has it been, Killian, since you’ve been back?”
“Nearly two years.”
“They won’t be expecting you. Does your mother’s cousin live in your castle?”
“No, he has a castle of his own, but he manages affairs for my family and has agreed to do so until I take over.”
“Will there be others there? Is it kept?”
“Aye, there is still a full staff of servants. My father was a wealthy chieftain, and the land is unusually rich for being so near the sea.”
“You must be exhausted.”
“It was not a night I care to repeat.”
She squeezed his hand and felt his arms tighten possessively.
“Are you hungry, Alainn? You seemed so weary I thought I would not wake you.”
They stopped and dismounted. He passed her a pouch filled with bread and cheese, and a waterskin. She drank heartily.
“Are we near to where your castle is situated?” she asked, taking a bite of the bread.
“Aye, perhaps an hour away.”
She finished the food as they walked to stretch their legs. He held her free hand as if afraid to let her go.
“How will you explain me to your servants?”
“They will require no explanation.”
“But even if they haven’t seen you in almost two years, they will surely know you have not yet married. Will they not wonder why a woman travels with you unaccompanied by a chaperone?”
“They may wonder all they want. I doubt they will inquire about it.”
“Where will I sleep this night?”
“Wherever you desire. There are many rooms to choose from.”
“Where will you sleep?”
Killian sighed and kissed her fingers.
“Lainna, if you’re wondering whether we will spend this night together, that is entirely up to you. There are many adjoining rooms if you are concerned about prying eyes and the whispers of servants. I will not ask you to share my bed, but you know if I’d had my way we’d be in our marriage bed this night.”
“You will not need to ask me, Killian. I will share your bed and try not to think of Mary MacDonald.”
“If you’re in my bed, you can be certain no thoughts of any other woman will cross my mind.”
Alainn lay upon an enormous bed, freshly bathed and feeling most content. The sheets were soft and inviting; the pillow cool and comfortable. Killian had been correct in assuming the servants would welcome him, and no one had questioned the fact that he’d brought a woman with him. They were all most polite and entirely accommodating. He had told them she was the woman he loved and intended to marry, and that was apparently all the information they required.
The servants had seemed very pleased to see him, and several had asked if he was here to stay. Soon, he had said. His mother’s cousin had been sent for, and now Killian was in the castle’s great hall, speaking with the man.
The castle was as grand and spectacular as Killian had always boasted. It was larger than Castle O’Brien and nearly twice as wide; the turrets more massive, and the parapets higher. The evening breeze blew in lightly through the open window, tickling her. She left the comfort of the bed and stepped onto the open balcony.
The gentle wind caressed her bare shoulders. She was wearing a new chemise that Killian had purchased for her. It was a soft pink color with feminine lace, and it made her feel lovely and desirable. There was also a dress in a lovely pale shade of green. Killian told her he had another garment for her but was most secretive about it, insisting it would be saved for a grand occasion.
She heard the door open in the chamber that adjoined hers. Her heart quickened knowing he would be with her soon. Hugh O’Brien would not be pleased at her attempts thus far in discouraging Killian’s attention toward her. She’d shared his bed once and was fully intending to do so again.
Her thoughts went to the Scottish girl who was promised to Killian, and she shook her head as if to dispel the unpleasantness. They would have this night with no guilt and no regret, for she did not know what lay ahead of them. In her vision she had seen her man dead, and she would do anything possible to prevent that from happening. Tonight, there would be no room for discord, only love and passion.
The door open between the two rooms, and he called her name softly. She smiled and entered his room.
She walked through the doorway and her beauty took his breath away. The moonlight caught her hair as it fell in soft, beautiful waves down her back. She must have used the brush he’d set out for her. It had been his mother’s. She would have liked Alainn.
Killian could almost hear his parents, and his brother and sister. He remembered how Alainn had spoken of rooms containing echoes, and he wondered if she could hear his family even now. Alainn had been his family since his own had gone, even more so than his uncle and his kin.
He went to her and placed his hands lightly on her shoulders, slowly caressing her arms down to the wrists until he found her hands. He kissed them, and she touched his cheek, pulled her hand through his thick mane.
“Your brow is creased, Killian. The meeting with your kin did not go well?”
“No, it went well enough, Alainn. But let us not speak of anything but you and me this night.”
“So it shall be, Milord.” She began removing his tunic, and her soft touch on his bare skin set him afire. “Sit down here on the bed, Killian. I will ease your tired body.”
She climbed onto the bed and knelt behind him, her fingers kneading the taut muscles in his back and shoulders, strained from the lengthy journey on horseback.
“You must be employing your magic,” he murmured, feeling his body relax. When she leaned closer and placed her lips on his neck, he felt himself sinking into a realm of complete pleasure. She slid off the bed to stand before him.
As her lips kissed every inch of the long scar he bore on his chest, she unhooked his belt and laid his sheathed sword upon the floor. Then, she slowly unfastened his trews and released his manhood. He moaned in appreciation of her actions.
He closed his eyes as her kisses continued downward and breathed in sharply when she plac
ed her mouth upon that part of him. He opened his eyes to watch. She had never before been so bold, never pleasured him in this manner, and he could scarcely contain his great need. When she sensed his mounting passion, she moved from him, deliberately pushing him back onto the bed with an eagerness that intensified his arousal. She finished removing his trews and mounted him. He lay back, watching her lovely form as she rode him.
He rubbed her firm breasts through the soft fabric of her chemise and felt the nipples peak and harden. She emitted a soft mewling sound that made his aching masculinity throb with a searing need for her. The heat of her enveloped him, and he thrust again and again as she took them to the epitome of pleasure, and beyond.
She collapsed on top of him, her forehead damp against his bare chest. Her breathing was labored, and he chuckled.
“You’ve not had enough riding this day?”
She opened her clear blue eyes and smiled at him.
“I slept through the first ride, ’twas not nearly as invigorating as this one. And besides, you managed the long journey today. I thought I might save you exerting yourself further.”
“And you did so most capably, and it was not all that you did most capably!” he smiled as he spoke.
“It was adequate then?”
“Aye, more than adequate, my Lainna.”
“The women at the brothel seemed to believe that above all other requests that manner of pleasure is most in demand by men and that it was a certain remedy to cure whatever might be broken between a man and woman.”
He did not respond.
“And is it so?” she pressed.
His cheeks colored with embarrassment.
“Well it’s most arousing and most pleasurable, I’ll not deny it, but no more than lying with you, Alainn. Come to it, just kissin’ you and holdin’ you creates a desperate fire within me. Even lookin’ upon you makes me ache with the need of havin’ you. Touchin’ your flawless silken skin and hearin’ your lovely voice. The scent of your lustrous hair. Your sweet laugh. You heighten every sense I possess, Lainna.”
“You are either very sweet or very wise.”
They remained locked in a lovers’ embrace, but her eyes still held a glint of passion.
“Are you overtired, Killian? Too weary to love me again?”
He was stunned at her request.
“Never too weary for my Lainna,” he said, flipping her onto her back to gaze down into her eyes. And he proved true to his word.
This time, the lovemaking was slow and tender. When their release came it was so overwhelming they fell asleep still intimately joined. Yet, sometime in the middle of the night, Alainn was aware of him removing her garment, of his soft caresses, and she gasped as he entered her, yet again.
The chatter of magpies, the trill of songbirds, and the deep cries of gulls woke her. The bedcovers lay twisted at their feet and the morning sun was already radiating through the arched window. The scent of the morning freshness filled her nostrils as she lay watching him sleep.
He was a grand form of a man. His body, firm and muscular; his chest expansive, his arms filled with unquestionable strength. If only they could remain here together, live out their lives in this place so dear to him.
He stirred beside her, but did not wake. She knew they must leave soon to ensure they reached Castle O’Brien before nightfall, but she feared the wrath of Hugh O’Brien when he learned she had not lived up to his demands. And she could only imagine Killian’s reaction if he learned of her true parentage or what had transpired between her and his uncle.
Her mind once more went to Mary MacDonald. She was a likeable young woman, and she truly meant her no disrespect or humiliation. Her eyes trailed down Killian’s uncovered body and fell upon that part of him she was often too unnerved to look at. That part of him, even when not in a state of arousal, was no less impressive or grand. His thighs were long and as powerful as any sculptured warrior. His skin was golden brown and much darker than her own pale complexion.
She looked down at her own body. The bruises on her breasts were only barely noticeable. Killian had not mentioned them. She tried to detect if her body had begun to change in accommodation of the child that grew within her. Her belly was still flat enough. Once again, she felt him move within her and smiled.
A boy child. She instantly knew she carried Killian’s son. Her breasts were larger and tender. She dared wonder how many days her wee son would be allowed to suckle at her breast before being taken by Mara’s curse, if he was allowed to take breath at all. She shivered and moved closer to Killian’s warmth.
Her hand traced the long white scar upon his chest, and she sensed his body become firm as he pressed closer to her. His eyes opened.
“It must have been a sensual dream you were engaged in,” she murmured.
A smile crossed his broad lips, and his eyes revealed his contentment.
“ ’Tis not uncommon for men to awake in a state of arousal, but the fact I awaken in the company of a goddess might contribute to my present condition.”
His hands slid down her back, and her skin tingled at his touch. He grasped her buttocks firmly and thrust himself toward her as she most willingly arched her hips to meet him. “Killian O’Brien, I will be incapable of walking if you continue with your present actions.” The hands caressing her inner thighs and the soft mound above her womanhood, stilled.
“I have hurt you then, Lainna. You should have warned me for I forget myself with you. You always return my passion so unquestionably. ’Tis rare for a woman to require the coupling as much as a man. But, you must alert me if it is too frequently, or too intense.”
“You haven’t hurt me, Killian. My womanly parts are tender, to be certain, but I am not damaged in any manner. Although I admit ’tis a powerful and mighty asset you possess.”
His cheeks colored at her mention of the proportions of his manhood. Her hand went to it and fondled the object of their conversation. He moved from her touch.
“You must not continue this if I cannot have you. It leaves a man in an unenviable state, and in truth it is not only uncomfortable but actually most painful.”
“It hurts you to be aroused?” she appeared taken aback by this.
“Aye, if there is no release, there is a great discomfort and a fierce aching below.”
“Ah.” Her hand moved from his swollen manhood to the firm objects beneath. “ ’Tis your ballocks that ache so fiercely, then?”
He moaned in pain and pleasure.
“Christ, Alainn, I am most serious, ’tis a cruelty to keep touching me if I’ve no way to relieve my mounting need.”
“And if I were not here, how would that need be relieved? Would you find a servant girl to accommodate you?”
“No, perhaps at one time,” he rasped in a passion-filled tone, “but not since I have come to love you so entirely, certainly not since we have become intimate.” He moaned. “Alainn, ’tis quite enough.” He half-heartedly attempted to move her hand away again, but she only continued more fervently.
He moaned loudly, and she felt him tremble beneath her touch. She continued until he was still. His handsome face was ruddy with embarrassment.
“Why do you feel shame in this, Killian?”
“ ’Tis not a proud way to behave with the woman I love. You control my body so entirely. It appears it is not within my capabilities to contain my lust for you.”
“And I would much rather pleasure you in this manner than have you seek out services elsewhere.”
“I suppose you have the answer to your question. ’Tis only by my own hand the deed is achieved when my need is so great and I am unable to be with you.”
“Even if the priests do consider it to be a sin, Morag always insisted it is a most common practice among most men used to relieving their primal male urges. It does not offend me, Killian.”
“You are a rare woman, Lainna. I have always been able to discuss any subject with you. That is as important to me as the physical love w
e share.”
“Aye, to me as well,” she whispered and kissed his lips. A disconcerting look crossed his face, and she stopped. “Something disturbs you, Killian. I can see it in your eyes. There is an uncommon intensity within those deep green eyes that I know so well.”
“You have spoken of the jealousy you feel toward me, but I must tell you,” he said, staring into her eyes, “I feel it as well. For after what we have shared, the very thought of you ever being with another man like this, disturbs and enrages me so I cannot bear it. I know how you thrill to my touch and demand to be pleasured as well. Because you have only ever been with me, I suppose I dwell on whether another man could make you feel what you feel with me. You have an extremely rare affinity for physical love, Alainn. ’Tis not common. I swear, if I ever learned you had been intimate with another man, I would kill him without question, perhaps you as well.”
“You...do not... trust me, Killian? You could actually believe because I take great pleasure in the act of physical love that one day I might be driven to be unfaithful to you?”
“ ’Tis not that. Truly, ’tis not that I do not trust you. I should not have spoken of this. It was wrong of me to speak of this with you.”
She moved away from him, pulling the blanket around her as she rose to go within the water closet. He noticed the wounded look she wore and wanted to flay himself for revealing his insecurities.
The sun’s position through the window told him they had tarried long enough. They would need to make haste to arrive at his uncle’s castle before the celebrations began. He dressed and fastened the belt that held his sword and scabbard. When she still had not come out of the tiny chamber, he went to the door and called to her.
“Alainn, please come speak with me. I must apologize to you for it was most certainly not my intention to make you think I doubt your fidelity.”
When she finally stepped out, her blue eyes flashed with anger. She raised her chin as she always did when she was about to lay a tongue-lashing on him.
“Let me have it then, Alainn, for I deserve it.”
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