“What aboot in the lists this morn? I noticed you there. How did people act?”
“They stared. I think many waited for me to make an arse of myself.”
“But you didn’t. Alex,” Caitlyn puffed a breath, “I know Brice is large too, like Papa and Tavin. But do you truly not realize just how imposing you are?”
Alex shrugged with one shoulder, mindful not to move his left. “What good does the size do me now?”
Caitlyn’s lips flattened as she closed her eyes. “Blessed saints, one of these days I will keep my mind from falling in the gutter, but it seems today is not that day.”
“Caitlyn!”
“What? I’m not allowed to appreciate what I discovered last night? What I’ve wondered aboot foryears.” Caitlyn’s tone was unabashed as she swept her gaze over Alex, appreciating what she found. “Before I completely distract myself, the point I was trying to make is that you are still a colossus. That you have lost the use of one arm but still fight like the devil doesn’t go unnoticed. I think you will find men fear and respect you even more for it.”
“I just don’t see it that way.”
“Because you refuse to look in the right places. Do their opinions mean that much to you? You’ve proven you’re still a warrior who can fight and win. You feared that wasn’t the case and that would be a danger to your clan. Now we know. You know how I feel aboot you, Alex. You know what I want. What I don’t want is to marry someone I don’t love who will barely tolerate me. What I don’t want is to bear a mon children he will despise. Did I seem doubtful or disgusted at all last night?”
“No, but you couldn’t see.”
“The only part of you I couldn’t see that I haven’t seen before is the part of you I liked best.” Caitlyn grinned and waggled her eyebrows. “I’ve seen your shoulder and arm before. I look at your face every day. I haven’t run into the mountains yet. I’m certain you have other scars, but the ones that trouble you the most don’t trouble me at all. You’re still the most attractive mon I have ever seen.”
“I drank myself into a stupor today because I can’t bear the idea that you’ll marry someone else. That thought hurts more than my arm or face ever has. You came here because you trust me. You trust me even when I have no confidence in myself.” Alex glanced away, embarrassed for a moment, before his eyes locked with Caitlyn’s. “I love you. This may be the most selfish and reckless decision I’ve ever made, but it’s the only one I can live with. I’m not letting you go. You are not marrying someone else.”
“What’re you saying, Alex?” Caitlyn’s heart was in her throat. She didn’t want to discover he meant something other than what she hoped, but she had to know.
“Before I answer that, I need you to believe I’m not drunk. I’m saying this clearheaded, even after I drank as much as I did. I need you to not fear that I will wake up tomorrow and change my mind.”
“I can hear it in your voice, Alex. I know you’re sober.”
“Will you marry me, Caitlyn?” Alex held his breath, which whooshed out of him when Caitlyn knocked him backwards onto the bed. He wrapped his arm around her hips as she smattered kisses across his face. Alex chuckled. “Will you not tell me?”
“Aye. I’ll marry you.” Caitlyn brought her mouth to his. The kiss was tender and sweet, with a lifetime of love poured into it.
“I’m certain God made me to love you. I’ve been a fool to think I know better than Him. I will spend my life cherishing you, Caity, whether it’s in a castle or a croft. I love you. I want to make your dreams come true. I pray the ones I’ve had of us as a family come true, too.”
“You can make one of my dreams come true.” Caitlyn flicked her tongue against Alex’s lips until he parted them and slipped his tongue into her mouth. She sucked lightly on it and pressed the length of her body against his, feeling his rod caught between them. “Alex, I want to marry you more than I want aught else.”
Alex caught Caitlyn’s hand and placed it over his heart. “You only need to say it once more for it to be so.” The couple gazed at one another. Caitlyn understood Alex meant that by stating three times that she wished to marry him, they would be married by consent. While not appreciated by the church, and while there should have been a witness, it was more binding than even a handfast. There would be nothing temporary about the commitment.
“I want to marry you this very moment.”
Alex exhaled a shuddering sigh. “Wife.”
“Husband.” Caitlyn closed her eyes. “I’ve never said a finer word.”
“Naught has ever sounded finer.”
“Not true. I’m partial to hearing you call me ‘wife.’”
“Every day for the rest of our lives.”
They rose and undressed one another before climbing into bed. Alex kissed a moist trail along her neck to her collarbone, nipping at the protrusion. He slid his tongue over her right nipple and swirled it until the skin drew into a tight dart that he suckled. His right hand kneaded her other breast before his mouth sought it. He alternated until Caitlyn’s heaving breaths pushed her chest toward him. She moaned in frustration when he pulled away and inched down the bed. He drew her left leg over his right shoulder, glancing up at her. She understood what he asked silently, but she didn’t understand why. She hooked her right leg over his left shoulder but ensured her foot bore its weight on the mattress.
Caitlyn gasped with the first swipe of Alex’s tongue along her seam. It flicked out and tapped her nub. The needy pulse that shot through her core urged her to lift her hips in offering to him. He laved her entrance over and over while his thumb rubbed at the pearl that appeared from within its hood. Caitlyn moaned as the need for more grew. She ran her fingers through his hair and didn’t realize she tugged as he drew her bud into his mouth and sucked. She shifted and sat up partially to find his other hand.
Tentatively, she reached for his left hand as she watched him. He nodded, and she eased his arm upward until she could entwine their fingers together while she laid back. Alex’s fingers flexed, giving her hand a squeeze before he turned his attention back to her sheath. It wasn’t long before Caitlyn’s body tensed as waves of release rolled over her.
“Please, Alex.”
