He trailed a path of kisses down to her stomach, lowering her to the ground.
‘I’ve waited for this,’ she said. ‘I’ve wanted you for a long time.’
By the gods, though he knew it was wrong to take her this way, his resistance was gone. With his tongue, he tasted her honeyed femininity. Spasms of fierce need made her body shudder. He watched her body seize with pleasure while he tasted, nipped at her until waves of release stole her breath.
‘Enough,’ she begged, and turned him on to his back. Her hair spilled over his chest, soft and sensual. His erection was excruciatingly hard, but he wanted to make this moment special for her.
When she lowered herself on top of him, he closed his eyes to fight the release urge. She moved slowly, driving every inch of him deep inside her. Her tight well squeezed him, and he reached up to take her breasts in his hands.
Past and present merged, and he remembered every moment of Bealtaine. Sweet gods, but the last time he’d felt such intense pleasure was when he was barely a man.
He grabbed her waist, increasing the tempo until her body slammed against him. Desire roared through him, and he rolled her onto her back, lifting her knees to allow him to go deeper.
With each thrust, he claimed her as his own. Her breathing was fast now, her body shuddering and clenching with release. It wasn’t enough for him. Faster. Deeper. Stronger.
Aileen had lain in his arms that night. He was sure of it.
‘Bealtaine,’ he gritted out. ‘It was you, wasn’t it? That’s what you wanted to tell me.’
She lifted her hips, opening her eyes to meet his. ‘I took Lianna’s place.’
Her confession twisted at his heart. He should be relieved to learn that it had not been Lianna who had turned against him. But somehow, the new knowledge invaded his trust in Aileen.
He increased the speed, until she sobbed out in pleasure. At last, he spilled himself deep within her womb.
He stayed inside, her legs wrapped around his waist. Burying his face against her neck, he fought the confused feelings of betrayal.
‘Connor?’ she whispered, kissing his cheek. He withdrew from her, still shaken by her admission.
He pulled on his trews, no longer blinded by desire. Though his body was sated, questions filled his mind. Why had she lied to him? Was it simply a night of stolen lovemaking?
‘I want to know exactly what happened that night.’
Aileen pulled on herléine, suddenly self-conscious of her nakedness. Inside the hut, the fire had died down to muted coals.
‘Lianna was not a virgin.’ She closed her eyes, reliving that night so long ago. ‘She asked me to lie with you, and I agreed. In the darkness, we thought you would not know.’
‘You played me for a fool.’
The edge of his voice cut her like a blade. Aileen tried to hide her feelings. It hadn’t been that way at all. But how could he understand the yearnings of a girl only sixteen years of age? She’d been so afraid, but she’d done what she thought was right.
‘I believed if she fulfilled her part, the harvest would suffer. It would—’
‘You played her part because you wanted to lie with me.’
She could not deny it. ‘Yes.’
Beneath his accusing eyes, she struggled to maintain her composure. Tonight, she had cast aside every inhibition, anything to avoid the grief threatening to suffocate her. She’d needed him so badly.
But now, he looked at her as though she’d betrayed him. The angry glare of a warrior bore into her, of a man who didn’t like being used.
‘Tell me this, Aileen.’ He imprisoned her wrist. ‘What else did you wish to reveal about Bealtaine?’ The glint in his eyes robbed her of breath.
‘N-nothing.’
‘Rhiannon is my child, isn’t she?’
Aileen couldn’t answer. It didn’t matter what she said, for already he knew the truth. Her skin turned numb with fear. A tear rolled down her face, granting him the answer he sought.
