Latharn grabbed her wrists, enclosing her in his arms as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. “I did warn ye and told ye to trust me. Do ye not remember? There wasna any time to go into specifics. There was no other way for me to get to her soul. She had nearly made herself immortal with all her protection spells. I had to convince her to pledge her soul to me. I swear to ye, Nessa, it was the only way.”
Nessa folded her arms and scowled up at him through a haze of jealous tears. “Well, a certain part of you sure seemed to enjoy it entirely too much. And it’s not like it was the first time you’d ever been with her.”
“Nessa.” Latharn’s voice dropped to a chiding whisper as he nuzzled at her cheek. “A man’s cock can grow hard by a slight rub of his plaid. When I made the mistake of lying with that woman hundreds of years ago, it left me feeling as though I needed a verra hot bath. I felt tainted for days just from a few moments by her side. Her heart was as cold as a Highland winter and my body deadened to her touch. She couldna even give me a good hard rising back then much less bring me to spill my seed. How do ye think I figured out how to take down her defenses? She thought she had been able to capture my heart when I promised to seed her womb.”
“So, she was lying about how she’d been able to please you? The fact that she couldn’t make you…come…was why she’d cursed you to the witch’s ball?” Nessa sniffed back her tears as the realization of his words sank in. She trembled a smile as it all made sense. She snuggled deeper into his arms, a contented warmth seeping through her body.
Latharn scooped her up into his arms and arched a quizzical brow. “Apparently, the fact that she couldna successfully start or finish the task didna set well with her pride. But enough of her, she will bother us no more. We need to get ye back to the castle. Food and a warm bed are waiting in our room. I fear ye will become ill from all ye have suffered.”
Nessa yawned and cradled her head against his shoulder. She rubbed her nose with the back of her grimy hand. “Food and bed sound really great, but a hot bath would be so much better. I think I smell like a filthy goat.”
His laughter rumbled beneath her head as Latharn cuddled her even closer against his chest. “I canna remember when ye have ever smelled better. Ye are as sweet in my arms as a meadow after a fresh spring rain.”
Latharn passed the relieved faces of Trish, Brodie, and Fiona as he walked into the hall with Nessa in his arms. He didn’t pause but continued toward the winding staircase that led to the laird’s private rooms. “If ye’ll excuse us, Nessa desires a hot bath, food, and bed. We shall be back down in a little while.”
“In a little while, my ass,” Trish observed with a snort. “We’ll be lucky if we see them in a week.”
ChapterTwenty-Nine
“Mmm.” Nessa hummed with contentment as she leaned back into his cradling embrace. The steaming water relieved her aching bones like a tonic easing the chill from her body. The lavender-scented vapor soothed her weary mind, while the heat from the pulsating jets relaxed her knotted muscles. Her eyes closed, and she smiled with a sigh as Latharn soaped her breasts. He nibbled at the tip of her ear as his hands circled to more enticing parts below.
“Feeling better?” he breathed into her hair as he lathered and massaged her body.
“This is heaven,” Nessa purred, turning to float against his chest. His hardened body nudged against her belly as she wriggled her soapy torso against his most inviting feature.
“I never imagined a Jacuzzi tub this big in a castle as old as MacKay keep.” As she slid her slippery body against his, Nessa hummed and nibbled against his throat.
“Aye,” Latharn groaned, guiding her body over his and burying himself into her welcoming depths. “The clan did well to keep the place up with the times. I’ll try to remember to tell them how well they’ve done.”
Nessa ground her hips to settle him well and arched her back as she moaned with pleasure. She relished in his satisfying ability to fill her so nicely and hit all the right spots along the way.
Latharn ran his hands up her body to cup her slippery breasts. He thumbed and teased her dusky nipples until they perked in demanding pebbles. Rising to suckle these tempting treats, he ground his hips to delve even deeper. He groaned in satisfaction as her body clutched around him and he brought her to her peak.
He moved to her mouth and restoked her passions. Beneath the water, he cupped her hips. Latharn spread her legs with his hands and with tantalizing slowness, slid his body in and out. The jets of water surged in with him, vibrating his body with every slow and deliberate thrust.
Rising out of the water, his body still buried in her depths, Latharn carried her to the rug in front of the hearth. He spread her out among the piles of inviting pillows, growling as he pounded into her delicious heat. It was time. He could wait no more. He needed to take her with every emotion he’d ever felt. He’d come too close to losing her.
She was his. They were finally where they belonged. Nothing would ever separate them again. As Nessa shuddered with release, she called out to him, Latharn’s husky growl echoed with her cries. Their heat flowed together. He gave and she took as their essences combined.
They snuggled together before the crackling fire, a warm throw pulled around their bodies. Latharn smiled down into Nessa’s satisfied gaze and kissed the tip of her nose.
“Now ye know ye’re about to marry a verra selfish man. I shouldha let ye eat and rest before I claimed your pleasures once more.”
His face growing serious, Latharn brushed a kiss across her forehead. “But I needed to be inside ye. I needed to fill ye again, to mark ye as my own. We were meant to be this way, Nessa. We’re a single soul, and when I thought I’d lost ye, I couldna stand it.”
Nessa snuggled deeper into his arms. She sighed. Her heart swelled with emotions too deep for words. “I needed you to take me. I needed to feel you, to know you’re still real and I’m not just having another dream. When I thought I’d never see you again I nearly gave up. I can’t imagine life without you.”
She traced a fingertip across his chest and stared into the flames. Then Nessa remembered this day was supposed to be the night of her rather unorthodox wedding. She released a shuddering sigh as she worried with the hair on his chest.
“We’ve missed the autumnal equinox. Is there any way your ancestors and the Auld One can attend our wedding if we have it on a regular full moon?”
Latharn stretched and lifted a cup of rich steaming broth down, from the table, holding it to Nessa’s lips. “This day is not done. The sun is just now setting and the moon has yet to reach its zenith. If ye have the strength, we could still speak our vows to each other upon this very night.”
Nessa grew quiet and avoided Latharn’s gaze as she peered down into the steaming mug. “It’s just…I wanted tonight to be special. I wanted to dress up for you. Now it’ll just be plain old me.”
“Nessa,” Latharn chided as he cupped her chin in his palm and lifted her face to his. “There is no such thing as ‘plain old you.’ All I see before me is my beautiful bride. Ye shine in body as well as in soul.”
He waved his hand over her body as he grazed her lips with his mouth. Latharn raised his head and watched her. He waited for her reaction as she became aware of the gown, he’d summoned for her.
