“I really dinna ken,mo ghaol. But I think this salve will help. Slather it on. Be generous and use it everywhere that I found dark spots and around yer waist.”
“I love ye, Saoirse. Thank ye for taking care of me.”
Saoirse assumed Siùsan was the only other person he’d ever said that to. She cupped his cheeks and smiled. “I love ye. I’ll always take care of ye.”
They moved into the room’s shadows, knowing they risked discovery. But this time the illicitness only added to the excitement of once more being in one another’s arms. Saoirse was careful where she rested her hands, avoiding his waist. She glided them over his ribs, then over his chest, before draping her arms around his neck. Without the same need to be careful where he touched, Magnus’s hands roamed her body. He squeezed her backside as she pushed his sporran out of the way. The feel of his rod against her mons overheated her. His kisses along her neck made her breasts feel heavy. When his hand kneaded her right one, she arched into it. His thumb swept over her nipple until it hardened. His other hand slipped her left sleeve over her shoulder until he could free her breast. As he massaged the right one, he suckled from the left.
Saoirse constantly glanced toward the door. She feared someone noticing, but she longed for Magnus’s touch more. Their physical need grew alongside their emotional connection. She wouldn’t have minded being caught if it meant they could marry immediately. She wondered if they could slip away like they had to the cave, or if they could have a late-night tryst again.
Magnus’s continued to lick and suck her nipple as he gathered her skirts. She felt the cooler air on her left leg, and she knew Magnus’s destination. Her core ached for his attention, and when it finally received it, she melted against him. He slid his finger along her entrance before dipping between her netherlips. She rubbed her mound against his rod, unsatisfied with their clothes keeping her from what she desired. She drew her skirts higher and bared her left hip. Magnus’s fingers bit into her buttocks while his other hand worked her sheath. She reached between them and drew up his plaid.
When she wrapped her hand around his cock, Magnus thought he would come undone without a single stroke. But when her damp folds touched his turgid length, he clung to his fading control. He backed her two steps until she hit the wall. His hips thrust and trapped her pelvis between him and the stones. He rubbed her pearl with his sword, and she tilted her hips in encouragement.
“Saoirse, we shouldnae.”
“I ken.”
“I dinna want to stop.”
“Neither do I. Magnus, we’ve already agreed to handfast, and we’re betrothed. Ye have the right.”
“I’m never taking from ye,mo ghaol. It will never be aboot what ma rights are or arenae. If ye ever dinna want to, then ye tell me. I will always respect that. If ye do want to make love, then ye need only tell me that.”
“I want to.”
Magnus chuckled. There hadn’t been a moment’s hesitation. She might have even started talking before he finished. “Soon, wee one. But our first time together will nae be hurried and where anyone could find us. I will strip ye bare and worship every inch of ye. One day, I will take ye against a wall, and show ye how ye demolish ma self-control. But it willna be yer first time.”
It was Saoirse’s turn to chuckle. “Ye said ye’d never take from me, then ye say ye’ll take me against a wall. What happens ifIwish to takeyeagainst a wall?”
Magnus’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Ye ken they dinna mean the same. And once we’re truly handfasted, ye may take me wherever ye wish.”
He covered her mouth with his as his hands held her hips in place. He thrusted faster, rubbing his rod along her mons until her nails bit into his shoulders. He flexed his hips, keeping hers against the wall. He felt her tremble as her release claimed her. A moment later, he gave into the need for his own release. He pulled back, letting his plaid drop over his cock. He fisted himself beneath it as he continued to devour her lips.
Their tryst left them breathless as they exchanged short, soft kisses. Saoirse realized she’d forgotten to watch the door. It was just short of a miracle that no one interrupted them. She prayed no one saw them as they passed by. The gossip would be far worse than when they returned from the cave.
“I canna linger here any longer. I ken ye have yer work, and I—” Lightheadedness swept over Magnus, and he had to take four deep breaths to clear the fuzziness.
“Magnus?”
“I’m all right.”
“Mayhap ye should rest. We came in here because ye’re nae well.”
“I didna feel poorly a moment ago. Mayhap ye are the cure.” He pressed a kiss to her mouth before moving away from her. She settled her skirts and smoothed back her hair. Magnus crossed the room and hurried to dress before they returned to the keep. They tried to remain circumspect during the evening meal, but they stole glances. The hunger in Magnus’s eyes made Saoirse’s core ache. Each deep breath she took as she responded to his knowing stare only fueled Magnus’s desire. Her breasts strained against the fabric, and he longed to have them in his mouth once more. They’d opened Pandora’s Box, and there was no shutting their need back into it.
Everyone was retiring when the riders returned from assessing the damages. They knew there would be no late-night tryst. They hadn’t agreed to anything, but they knew implicitly that they’d planned to meet again. Magnus greeted the men, who were filthy and exhausted. He wished to ask Alex if they could hold the handfast the next day, but he could tell his soon-to-be father-by-marriage was too exhausted for Magnus to bother him. Morning would be soon enough.
CHAPTER14
The headache Magnus awoke to threatened to send him back to the chamber pot. The last thing he wanted was to vomit again since his throat felt like he’d drunk molten steel. He shut his eyes as he laid back against his pillows. The moment he did, he sneezed. Not once, not thrice, but six times. It rattled his head, making him groan, which made him wince. He sucked in a deep breath before forcing himself out of his bed. His hand went to his chest when he felt like he couldn’t catch his breath. A tickle at the base of his throat caused him to cough. He flinched as pain radiated from his chest to his head and down to his toes. Before he could draw another breath, a coughing fit began. He struggled to inhale deeply, but he forced himself to the table with the ewer. He cared not that the water wasn’t fresh. He lifted the carafe to his mouth and drank. It soothed his throat momentarily, but then he spluttered as a new round of coughing began.
“Óg?” Siùsan stood in the doorway, knocking after she opened it.
“Aye,” Magnus rasped.
“Are ye ill? I heard ye coughing.”
“I think I’ve caught something. I havenae been ill in ages. Nae since the sickness first started going around the clan. Do others have the ague too?”
