by Jenna Stone
“Why are ye watchin’ me?” Rowan asked, green eyes glancing over his shoulder as he continued to kindle the fire.
“Because I like to,” Anna confessed.
Rowan smiled and returned his attention to the fire.
“And because you’re mine and I can’t believe my good fortune,” she continued.
Rowan sat back on his heels, eyes still looking into the fire. “And just how do ye believe that I am good fortune?” he asked without turning around, raking his hand through his hair.
“You are the best fortune that has ever befallen me. The absolute best,” Anna said firmly, seeking to assure Rowan.
“That’s no what it feels like tae me,” he confessed, refusing to turn to face her.
Anna crawled forward to where Rowan was sitting next to the fire.
“Rowan, look at me,” she demanded, reaching up and taking his chin between her fingers, forcing him to look into her eyes. “You are the best damn thing that has ever happened to me. I just know that we were meant to meet….it wasn’t just by chance that you saved me when the ship was sinking!”
“Then why do I feel like I am cheating ye out of the life that ye were born and bred into? Why do I feel like I’ve stolen ye away from the life that ye should have?” his eyes were intense, the pain of his feelings evident.
“I chose to be here, here with you, Rowan! I wanted you!” Anna argued, his unexpected words stinging her.
“And I’m afraid that I will always be questioning that decision, Anna. Ye ken that I want ye, that I want ye more than anything that I’ve ever wanted in my life, but I’m afraid that I should have let ye go, let ye go tae yer rightful place in Williamsburg.”
“You saved me Rowan, more than just from drowning in the ocean, you saved me from a miserable life! I would have been rich, rich with things, but the truth is, the only thing that I really want isn’t a thing at all. It’s you. I want you, Rowan,” she said, hazel eyes looking deeply into his green ones, imploring him to understand her feelings.
Anna reached up and put her had behind Rowan’s neck, drawing him closer. Her lips brushed tentatively across his, searching, prodding for a response. Rowan encircled her with his arms, and hovered mere millimeters from her lips, breathing heavily with his desire to claim her. Anna kissed him boldly, pulling him towards her, and opening her mouth wantonly in invitation. Rowan’s lips settled on hers, claiming her as his own, kissing her tenderly and savoring her sweet taste.
“I don’t ever want you to doubt that I choose you, Rowan. I love you,” her eyes were intense as they implored him to believe her statement. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life,” she confessed.
Rowan exhaled slowly, “I love ye so much that it pains me,” he whispered, resting his forehead against hers in defeat. “I just pray that I havena led ye intae danger,” he drawled, feeling guilty for asking Anna to give up so much at his expense.
“Look at me, Rowan,” Anna demanded, eyebrows scrunched together.
His eyes lifted to meet hers, questioning.
“I love you. I don’t want you to ever doubt that or ever feel that you are not worthy of my love. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me,” she said eyes intense as she regarded him, looking for her statement to register in his eyes.
“Oh, Anna,” he whispered as he brought the back of his hand up to caress her cheek. “I plan tae work every day tae be worthy of ye, tae give ye everything that I might, and tae make ye happy.”
“I am happy,” Anna assured him, smiling up at him reassuringly. “I’d follow you anywhere. I don’t care if we never have a place to live or a penny to our names. I just want you,” she confessed, reaching up on her tippy toes and capturing his lips in a seductive kiss.
“God how I love ye, woman,” he growled, kissing her back with fervor. His hands were on the laces of her gown, and he tugged them free, loosening her dress with his need to feel her skin beneath his fingers. “Will ye try out the loch with me?” he asked breathlessly, eyebrows raised in invitation.
Anna giggled shyly in response as she shrugged out of her dress and began to ruck Rowan’s shirt up over his head.
“I’ll take that as a yes?” he asked teasingly as he began to unlace his pants.
“Yes,” Anna giggled as she tossed his shirt to the ground and her fingers trailed deliciously over his flat stomach and taught abdominals.
Her fingers splayed across his massive chest, delighting in the feel of warm muscle beneath her fingertips. She bit her lower lip as her fingers moved up, exploring Rowan’s shoulders and his biceps. Oh how she wanted him, and color flushed her face as she thought about just how she wanted him, deep, deep inside of her.
Reading the desire that was evident on her face, Rowan kicked off his pants and backed away from Anna, stepping into the cool water of the pond. He arched an eyebrow in invitation, and Anna reached for his hand, following him into the chilly water of the pond. It was dusk now, and the water caused goose bumps to break out on her skin. Anna walked out into the water until it lapped at her waist, never breaking eye contact with her husband.
Seeing Anna’s pink nipples peak with the chill, hardening in response to the cool water, made Rowan’s erection ache with the need to be inside of her again. He wanted to kiss her breasts, taste them, and torment her perfect nipples with his mouth.
“I doona think that I’ll ever get my fill of ye,” he avowed as he pulled Anna against his chest and kissed her tenderly on the lips.
Her body felt warm in contrast to the chill of the pond water, and his erection pulsed against her belly as he drew her close.
Anna looked at him with love in her eyes, and traced the line of his jaw, then trailed her hand over the goose flesh that covered his chest. Her fingers flitted lightly over his abdominals and down his side to his buttocks beneath the water.
Rowan shuddered in response to her touch, wondering if his need for her would ever be satiated. He reached out his fingers and traced the line of her side, running up the gently curve of her belly to the swell of her full breasts. He brought his lips down to capture her nipple, and Anna melted against him as he took the rigid peak into his mouth. He cupped her bottom and pulled her against him as he suckled her breast, teasing her chilled nipple with the warmth of his mouth.
He broke away suddenly, wild with his desire to sheath himself inside of her.
Voice trembling, he held her at arms length and regarded her sternly. “Ye canna lie tae me, Anna. Tell me if ye are tae sore tae handle me again,” he asked tenderly, voice heavy with concern.
“I…um…I’ll be alright,” Anna said shyly, unwilling to hold his gaze.
“Are ye sore from last night?” Rowan insisted, eyebrows knit together with worry. “I’ll no abuse ye tae find my pleasure,” he insisted.
“I am a little sore,” Anna confessed, suddenly embarrassed.
“Aye, baby. I thought that ye might be, and I’m sorry for that,” he said sweetly. “There are other things that we might do, that won’t make ye hurt sae much,” he whispered, nuzzling her neck and biting playfully at her breast.
Anna felt the color flush her face as she remembered how Rowan had made love to her with his hand beneath the blanket in the forest, surrounded by his sleeping brothers. Her pulse hammered in her veins as she anticipated the pleasure that Rowan would surely give her and the heat at the junction of her thighs intensified.
Rowan lifted her in his arms, and walked from the pond. The chill of the early night air felt delicious on her skin, and she felt goose bumps spread across her flesh. Rowan laid her gently on the blanket next to the roaring fire, and he knelt beside her, watching her body warm before the fire.
He brushed back his hair and lowered his lips to her nipple, biting her softly and growling deeply in his throat.
“There are many other things that we can do, Anna,” he instructed, trailing kisses across her breasts and down her flat belly.
“Teach me,” Anna whisp
ered, running a hand through her wet hair as she relished the warmth of the fire and the light kisses of her husband on her skin.
“Gladly,” Rowan whispered, teasing her belly button with his tongue and kissing her just above the curls that shielded her woman hood. His fingers skid over her belly and flitted across the junction of her thighs, teasing her with his light caress. “Do ye want me tae touch ye?” he asked huskily, nipping at her belly as his fingers grazed just beyond the heat of her desire.
“Yes,” she moaned, arching her hips to meet his touch.
“Here?” he questioned haughtily, grazing his fingers lightly over her heat, but not lingering to satiate her desire.
“Yes!” she pleaded, arching against him. “Please touch me Rowan,” she begged, her voice insistent as she arched her hips upward to meet his touch.
Rowan growled with pleasure and parted her with his fingers, exposing her wetness. His lips hovered mere inches above the junction of her thighs, and she could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin. His finger lightly touched the bead of her desire, and she cried out in pleasure, aching with need for him to touch her.
“That feels good, doesn’t it, baby,” he coaxed as he began to play with her, to tantalize her with his fingers. He made delicious circles around the nub of her desire, and then stroked her with his expert fingers, causing her to writhe against his hand.
Rowan slowly slid a finger inside of her wet sheath, and he groaned with pleasure as he felt her tighten around him.
Anna gasped in response to his entrance, and she writhed against him, relishing the torment of his finger against her clitoris as he worked his other finger inside of her. His expert hands stroked her to the brink of climax, driving in and out of her slowly, gently as he worked her with his hands.
When Rowan’s tongue came down upon her clitoris, Anna nearly exploded with pleasure. She gasped in surprise as she felt the wetness of his tongue against her skin, and she shuddered as he licked her and played her with his skilled tongue.
“Ahhh!” she cried out, arching her hips to meet the sweet caress of his mouth.
He teased her expertly with his tongue, licking the bead of her desire, and thrusting gently into her heat with two fingers, stretching her deliciously. Rowan felt her quicken around his fingers, and he flicked his tongue against her clitoris, driving her into the throws of an Earth shattering orgasm. Her body quivered around him, and she came hard, falling apart in his arms as he coaxed wave after wave of pleasure.
When her spasms quieted, Rowan kissed her just above her curls and withdrew his fingers slowly. He crawled up to lie beside her, and cradled her against his chest, stroking her back as she recovered from the tremors of her orgasm. Her breathing was ragged, and Rowan smiled into her hair, knowing that he had caused her to lose all composure.
Anna’s fingers toyed lazily with Rowan’s chest, and after she regained the ability to speak, she asked tentatively, “Can I do that to you?”
Rowan’s breath hitched in his throat.
“Aye, but I doona think that I can stand it,” he confessed, unspent desire pulsing against the skin of her leg.
“Can I try? Will you teach me how to do that to you?” Anna asked boldly, wanting to give Rowan the same pleasure that he had gifted to her.
Rowan closed his eyes and fought to remain in control. His sweet innocent wife was asking if she could give him oral pleasure. Damn.
Anna lifted up and looked down at him, biting her lip as her long blonde hair trailed over his chest, tickling his sensitive skin. Her fingers grazed lightly over the skin of his chest and over his defined abdominal muscles as she held his intense stare.
“Show me, Rowan,” she whispered sensually as her fingers trailed lower still.
Rowan swallowed hard and closed his eyes as he fought to remain in control.
Her fingers went lower still, and she hesitated just short of touching his erection. His hand found hers, and he grasped her fingers, and then set her hand atop his pulsing erection. He in took a breath sharply as her fingers gripped his manhood, unsure of how to proceed. Gritting his teeth, he grasped her hand and showed her how to hold him, how to move her hand up and down his shaft to pleasure him.
His hand moved away, and Anna mimicked his movement, gripping his erection firmly and moving her hand up and down the length of him.
He arched in response to her, and groaned deeply as he relished the feeling of her hand around his cock.
When her lips came down unexpectedly on the tip of his arousal, he almost spilled his seed.
“Anna…ye canna!” he called out, aching with desire to feel her sweet wet mouth on his erection, but knowing that such torment would cause him to spill his seed into her mouth.
She stopped, suddenly embarrassed at her boldness, thinking that she had done something wrong. Her eyes flashed to his.
“I thought that I could…that I could do to you what you did to me…sorry…”she trailed off, embarrassed.
“Ye can,” he growled, “And what ye were doing was perfect,” he gritted between clenched teeth as he fought to remain in control. “But I’m going tae come, and I doona want tae scare ye,” he confessed.
“So what I was doing was alright?” Anna asked innocently, hand still wrapped firmly around his shaft.
“Aye, more than alright,” he panted, struggling to speak. “It was heavenly.”
“Really?” she asked breathlessly, and she renewed the rhythm of her hand and tasted the tip of his erection with her tongue. He tasted salty and masculine. She was emboldened by his efforts to remain in control.
Again, her mouth settled on his erection, and her hand continued to mimic the action that he had taught her just moments ago. Her tongue twirled around the tip of his arousal, and he groaned deeply as he bucked against her touch. Anna took him fully into her mouth, and Rowan’s hands ran through her hair as he thrust gently against her mouth.
He arched his back against her, and she continued to work him with her fingers and her mouth, relishing the taste of him, and the power that she felt as he came undone beneath her touch.
Rowan cried out and withdrew swiftly from her mouth, and she held him as he quivered beneath her hand and spilled his seed in climax. His body shook with the thrill of his release, and Anna laid her head on his stomach as his body quieted.
***
Rowan’s hands reached up and covered Anna’s eyes, catching her by surprise.
“Are ye ready?” he asked, voice giddy with enthusiasm.
“Ready for what?” Anna giggled, enjoying the light, playful mood of her husband. She was so happy to see that he was no longer consumed with worry, worry that Jonathan would find them.
“Tae see yer new home…what else?” he said, hands still covering his wife’s eyes. “Ye ken that it’s too late tae turn and run…we’re marrit after all.”
Anna giggled and placed her hands over his, trying to eagerly pry them from her eyes so that she could see.
“Alright, sae eager!” he said playfully, and removed his hands from his wife’s eyes, heart in his throat as he anticipated her response.
Anna stood stock still and squinted her eyes into the valley below them, trying to get a good first glimpse of her new home. Her fingers intertwined with Rowan’s and he stood still as a post behind her. She could make out two small cabins amidst a cluster of small patchwork fields.
“I love it!” she exclaimed, turning in Rowan’s arms and reaching up on her tippy toes to kiss her husband.
Rowan let out the breath that he had been holding and smiled down at his wife.
“How do ye ken that ye love it when ye can barely see it?” he asked, laughing softly as his fingers traced his wife’s lovely, full lower lip.
“I love it because it’s our home,” Anna said softly, gazing up at Rowan.
“We’ve plenty of work tae do,” Rowan warned as his mind flooded with all of the chores and projects that would need to be completed to get the place ready for winter.
The small farm had been abandoned, and the Murray brothers had purchased it at a fraction of what it was probably worth.
“Are Malcolm and Quinn there?” Anna asked hopefully, turning away from Rowan and squinting down into the valley again.
“Aye, they are. They won’t expect tae be seeing ye,” Rowan revealed.
“You didn’t tell them why you were going to find me?” Anna asked eyes suddenly intense.
“Nay, I didna tell them,” he confessed.
“Why?”
“I just wanted tae see ye one more time. I never intended tae…I didna expect tae ask ye tae marry me.”
“You didn’t?” Anna asked eyes wide.
“No.”
“Then why…why did you?” Anna asked, looking up at him with tears beginning to well in her eyes.
“Because it was what I had wanted…wanted more than anything in the world. I just hadn’t dared tae hope that ye might say yes. I was afraid that ye would say no,” he revealed, eyes downcast as he bared his heart to his wife.
“Rowan,” Anna whispered. “I’m so glad that you did. My heart died when I had to leave you, when I had to go with him.”
Rowan’s mood darkened at her mention of Arbor. He knew that the bastard would look for her, and he hoped that his preparations would be enough to keep them hidden here.
“Malcolm will be beside himself when he sees ye…let’s go surprise him,” Rowan said, seeking to lighten the mood of their homecoming. When Arbor crept into his thoughts, he was consumed with worry for protecting his wife.
“Let’s go!” Anna said, dropping Rowan’s hand and running joyfully down the hill to meet the rest of the Murray’s.
***
“Thank God ye marrit Rowan!” Malcolm exclaimed as he took another bite of the stew that Anna had prepared for dinner, chewing appreciatively. “We might have starved tae death if ye wouldna have had him.”