“Are ye?” she returned, her fingers curling around his.
He answered by leaning in.
His mouth brushed hers, gentle at first, careful as if this kiss were a promise he was not worthy to make. It deepened.
Her hand slid up to his shoulder. His arm wrapped around her waist and drew her closer until there was no space between them.
They broke apart for breath, and he rested his forehead against hers. “If ye want me to stop, say it now,” he murmured. “I will.”
“I have waited five years for ye to touch me like a wife,” she whispered. “I am done stopping ye.”
Something raw and tender flickered in his eyes. They went to the flat stone and the soft grass beside it, then slowly undressed each other. Fingers fumbled with laces, and Neil paused often, searching her face. She nodded every time, giving permission.
He learned her body with careful hands and reverent kisses. He listened to every sound she made, and made sure her first time was comfortable and pleasurable.
For Kristen, it was a new thing. A newchosenthing.
He lowered himself on top of her, trailing kisses across her chest, down her stomach, around her navel, making sure not to leave an inch untouched. When he finally settled in the space between her thighs, she felt the stars above almost disappear.
His hands roamed over her body as his tongue teased and licked her. She ran a hand through his hair, her eyes closed, her body aching for more.
He rose above her, his broad shoulders silhouetted by the dappled light. In one swift move, he drove into her, and her walls clamped around him at once, eliciting soft moans from them both.
His hand settled on her hip as he pulled out and then drove back in. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and he leaned down, cupping her face in his free hand.
He thrust in and out of her, finding a rhythm that almost made her go mad. Her hands curled at his lower back, not pushing or pulling him away. They just stayed there, like an anchor.
His mouth soon found the hollow at the base of her throat. His lips were warm and soft, a sharp contrast to the cold air.
He kissed her till her lips became puffy and her skin grew sensitive.
His pace quickened, and pressure built in her core. Her walls fluttered around him as each thrust pushed her closer to the edge.Then, almost as if he knew what she needed, he thrust in one last time and buried himself to the hilt.
A sharp cry escaped her lips as pleasure crashed over her. He let out a groan, feeling her walls clamping down on him, and spilled his seed inside her.
He collapsed on top of her, and for a minute, they could hear nothing but the whisper of the evening air and their ragged breaths.
They lay tangled in the grass, with his cloak pulled over them, the sky wide and pale above the reeds. Her hair spilled across his chest, and his hand rested warm on the small of her back, as if to keep her from drifting away.
“I cannae believe I missed out on this for years,” she muttered against his skin. “All that nonsense about rules and towers and ye wanting peace.”
He huffed a laugh that vibrated under her cheek. “I am a fool.Wasa fool.”
She lifted her head to look at him. “Good. Remember that the next time ye feel like brooding in a cabin for five years.”
His fingers brushed her jaw. “I am never going away again.”
She searched his face and found no lie. Relief washed over her anew.
“I want to have a big family,” he murmured. “If ye still want that. A castle full of bairns shouting and running and disturbing me peace. Nae only the ones life dropped on our doorstep, but also our own.”
Her throat tightened. “Aye,” she croaked. “That is all I’ve ever wanted. As long as it is with ye.”
He smiled and pulled her up for another kiss. He pressed his lips against hers, then to her cheek, then to the sensitive spot below her ear.
“I love ye,” he whispered.
She cupped his face in both hands and held his gaze. “I love ye too.”
