“Soft?” Kieran pretended offense. “There is no part of me that is soft when you’re nearby.”
“Shall we test that theory?”
They hurried to finish their bath. Then Kieran brushed Maude’s thick locks as they once more sat with Maude between Kieran’s thighs, this time surrounded by pillows on the floor in front of the fire. He spread her hair across her back and shoulders after wringing more water from it. He understood why she preferred to wear her hair up in the stifling heat of the royal castle’s Great Hall. Her hair was beautiful, but its weight surprised him. He regretted that the clan would expect her to wear her hair up now that she was married. His fingers massaged her scalp much as they had her shoulders before gliding down to rub the kinks from her neck. He could feel the hard bunches of muscle where she carried her stress. Her body grew heavy as she once more leaned against her bent legs.
“Do you wish to sleep, little one?”
“At some point, but not yet. Your hands are doing wonders for relaxing me, though. Continue and you’ll put me to sleep like a bairn.”
Kieran helped her to her feet before guiding her to their bed. When they reached the foot of it, Maude paused. She studied the carved posts at the foot of the bed and the forest scene etched into the headboard. She’d seen nothing like it.
“My father and I worked on it when I was four-and-ten. He was a master woodworker, and he enjoyed the hobby as a means to focus his attention on something other than clan business.”
“Do you enjoy carving, too?”
“Not as much as he did. He was a mon constantly in motion and needed something to do with his hands. I appreciate being able to read in solitude when I have a few free minutes.” When Maude nodded and tucked that piece of information away, Kieran corrected himself. “I used to enjoy escaping to my solar for time alone, but as I think aboot it, I find I’d rather enjoy your company in my free moments.”
“We all need time alone now and again. I’m not insulted that you might want to shut the door to the world, and that even includes me. I won’t live in your pocket, Kier. I’ll find my place here.” Maude moved to the chest that sat at the foot of their bed. It was small and contained items Maude knew she couldn’t wait for the wagon to bring. They had attached it to one of the pack horses. She knelt before it and lifted her Sutherland plaid out. She unfolded it in her lap and pulled a small wooden carving from the wool she’d used to protect it. “Da is a woodworker, too. He made four of these figurines. One for Mama, one for Lach, one for Blair, and one for me. He gave them to us the eve before Lachlan rode into his first battle.”
Maude held up a carving of five people standing arm-in-arm, and Kieran could see it was Maude’s family. They stood in a line with their arms around one another, and the detailing was exquisite. Hamish had captured the essence of each person’s build and expressions, and Kieran marveled that the man had made one so fine, let alone four. When Maude handed him her treasure, he ran his fingers over the grooves and felt a patch over Hamish and Amelia that had been rubbed smooth, as if Maude’s thumb had traveled over the wood countless times. He looked up to catch her observing him.
“I would carry it in my pocket whenever Da and Lachlan rode out, then I often had it with me during my early days at court. Feeling it against my leg was reassuring during uncertain times,” she explained. Kieran handed it back to her, and Maude walked to her side of the bed. She knew it was hers because at some point, Kieran’s sword had made it to their chamber and rested against the bedside table closer to the door. She placed the figurine on the table facing the bed. For years, it had been one of the last things she saw at night and often it was the first thing she saw in the morning. She knew she would rather Kieran be her first and last sight of the day, but having a small reminder of her family was fortifying, especially after the welcome she received. Kieran stepped behind her and kissed her crown.
“You’re a brave lass, Maude. For all the courage people claim men possess, women face far greater tests to their mettle. You’re expected to leave everything and everyone you ken when you marry into a new clan. You arrive at a new home, kenning no one. Often not even kenning the groom. In your case, you were taken to court and expected to navigate protocol along with the ugly underbelly of politics. And as though those aren’t great enough trials, you must carry and bear bairns. That feat surpasses even the bravest and most heroic on a battlefield. You bring forth new life.” Kieran turned Maude toward him and rested his forehead against hers. “I promise never to take for granted all you sacrifice to make a life with me.”
“I love you. It makes the challenges and inevitable struggles worth it to ken that at the end of each day, it will always be us, side-by-side.”
“I love you, buttercup.”
They joined in a tender kiss that communicated their pledges of love and devotion. As the kiss gained momentum and heat, they eased onto the bed where they once more surrendered to one another as Kieran sank into Maude. The rest of the night passed in bouts of lovemaking and sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Maude looked over her shoulder as she heard Kieran stir. The sun’s rays were making their first appearances over the horizon, but Maude was dressed and sat at the small dressing table as she braided her hair. She opted for two thick plaits; one she wrapped around her head, and the other she left to hang down her back.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.” She crossed the chamber and climbed onto the bed before dropping a kiss on Kieran’s nose. Before she pulled away, Kieran tugged her against his chest for a proper kiss.
“What are you doing awake so early? I assumed I would’ve exhausted you as much as you did me.”
“I confess I am tired, but the keep will wake soon, and I refuse to appear like a slug-a-bed on my first morning.”
“And if I don’t care to wake with a cold spot beside me?” Kieran grumbled.
“My place hasn’t grown cold yet,” Maude chided playfully. “But if you’re worried aboot that, you shouldn’t oversleep.” She attempted to scoot away, but Kieran hefted her across his chest.
“And if I had plans for how I wished to awake and start my day? Plans that didn’t include finding you dressed.” He began picking at the laces to Maude’s kirtle, but her hands swatted him away.
“I would like that, too, and I considered it, but Kieran, I want to make a better impression this morning. There will be plenty of other mornings when we can have a lying in.”
Kieran scowled, but knew that Maude was probably correct. Making an early appearance would improve people’s perception of her, even if they were newlyweds. He climbed from the bed and hurried to prepare for the day before strapping his sword to his back. Maude watched in awe as his muscles bunched and tightened, and his arms and chest flexed, while placing the claymore across his back. He realized that while at court, it was rare that he wore his sword. When he accompanied her to the abbey, he’d already been wearing it. He didn’t wear it at Sutherland and only carried it a few times since they were in their chamber most of their time there, and she’d been seeking privacy when he secured it while they traveled.
“Keep looking at me like that, and it’ll be another sennight of locking you in a bedchamber and having my way with you.”
Maude swallowed and nodded but didn’t look away. Kieran walked around the bed and slid his arms around her waist as she melted into his chest. Her kiss was hungry as her arms twined around his neck. He met each swipe of her tongue with one of his own. His hands moved to cup her ample backside, his cock twitching as the soft globes exceeded the breadth of his large hands. He would never tire of the feel of Maude’s voluptuous body as his hands kneaded her supple flesh. Maude’s hands glided over his chest and the ridges of his abdomen, making him suck in a sharp breath as he anticipated its destination. She pushed his sporran aside before lifting the material of his plaid. Her hand found what it sought, and she wrapped her fingers around his pulsing length. But moments later, Maude slipped from Kieran’s arms and looked at the bed before looking at the door. She bit her lower lip, and Kieran was certain he would spend himself just looking at her. She moved toward the bed but paused before looking back at him. He was behind her in an instant, his larger body wrapping around her.
A thought crossed her mind, more a memory of something she had seen several years earlier when she came across a footman and a maid in a passageway. She halted, and Kieran crashed into her. His arm slid around her, but she pressed her hips back against his. She felt his rod harden in an instant. She reached back to grip his backside as she rubbed hers against his cock.
“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” Kieran growled.
