"I dance terribly," Maeve laughed in response. "But never mind. It's yer feet that'll hurt from me steppin' on them."
"Worth every ache," Cailean told her, and grabbed her hands, swinging her in a circle as the music began again. Maeve shrieked with laughter, and they spun around, lost in each other's arms, simply having fun just as Breana had said. Just as they should have been doing all along.
Other pairs and couples joined the dancing too — Ferda, dancing with one of her young cousins who was tripping over his feet even more than Maeve was, Fergus, awkwardly dancing with a young woman from the healers, and the young cook, Ben, dwarfed and laughing as he swung around with Patty. Darren seemed to be trying to dance with every woman at the party, making everyone laugh with his dramatic flirtations, his easygoing manner adding light to an already high-spirited evening.
"Look," Cailean told her as they stopped once more between songs. Eoin was joining the dancing circle, and he stood opposite Breana, who looked nervous but eager to join in the fun.
Maeve beamed to see Eoin able to keep his spirits up despite how troubled he must have been inside over the death of his father — a loss, but a victory too. She hadn't had a chance to speak to him yet, and she was glad he seemed to be working through it. Breana, too, needed the levity for the first time in her life, and Maeve hoped this was the first step in both of these broken people finding healing amongst the rebels — amongst the family — just as she had.
"Another dance?" Maeve asked.
Cailean hesitated. "We can," he said. "Though, I was thinkin' maybe we could sneak off. Maybe we could have a moment alone. What do ye think?"
"I think…" Maeve said, "That sounds wonderful."
Cailean grabbed her hand, and Maeve let out a little laugh. As the music started up again, they headed off together into the night. Into the future.
EPILOGUE
"I can't believe they gave ye such a big room. What are ye, a king or somethin'?" Maeve teased as Cailean led her into his rooms. Though they were grand, she was thoroughly relieved to discover that he had not taken the main laird's bedchambers for himself — the chambers where both Malcolm and Kyle had met their ends. Instead, it was another room, one she believed was often used for important guests.
"Somethin' like that," Cailean replied with a shrug. He closed the door behind them, and Maeve's heart leapt in her chest with the realization that they were truly, completely alone, perhaps for the first time ever.
Silence fell, comfortable but somehow anticipatory. Cailean didn't look at her right away. Instead, he walked over to the window, staring out of it and gazing out at the grounds below. She moved to his side after a moment, but although she looked out of the window too, she could barely focus on what she could see of the grounds in the darkness of night. Her whole being seemed focused instead on the heat of his body standing next to hers, and the awareness of how close together they were right now. It was like there was static between them, drawing them closer together with every breath, crackling with the need to close even the smallest gap that existed there.
When Cailean spoke again, his voice sounded almost too quiet, though she was sure he spoke at a normal volume — he was simply drowned out by the sound of her own racing heartbeat. She swallowed and forced herself to focus. "I did tell them I didnae need all of this; a cot would have been fine for me as well." He shrugged, then turned to face her. His gray eyes were intense, and he stared at her now with an unfamiliar yet desperately appealing look on his face. "But, well, I suppose havin' this room does have its advantages."
"Advantages?" Maeve asked, the word coming out in one heavy breath.
Cailean's arms slipped around her, his hands resting on the small of her back. She could feel their heat even through the silk of her dress, and when he pulled her a little closer so that their bodies brushed together, her whole body pulsed. She rested her hands on his chest, staring right back up at him.
When he swept down to kiss her, their lips melted against each other. They surrendered to each other's embrace, holding each other close, taking their time to allow all the love and passion they felt to echo through them. Their tongues met and their lips moved, and they lost themselves in the moment.
When they pulled back for a breath, Cailean rested his forehead against Maeve's.
"I adore ye," he murmured. He kissed her cheek next, his voice vibrating pleasantly as he whispered in her ear. "Without ye, none of this would be possible." He nipped playfully at her earlobe with his teeth. "I love ye with all me heart."
"Cailean…"
"Let me finish," Cailean told her. He pushed gently, and Maeve stumbled back, finding herself half-seated on the stone window seat in front of him while he held her. One of his hands slid up her back, curling in her hair, while the other stayed at her side. "I want ye tae marry me, Maeve. I want ye by me side for all of it — better and worse. I want ye tae be me queen."
His lips moved down now, his head bowed as he kissed her neck. Maeve rolled her head back, closing her eyes and enjoying the sensation. "Mmm. I love ye as well, more than anythin', Cailean. And I'd marry ye tomorrow if we were able. But I'm nae queen."
"Ye are a queen with or without me," Cailean told her. His hand crept down her left, finding the hem of her skirt, and he slowly lifted it up her leg, inch by inch. "And ye deserve tae be worshiped."
When his hand found her thigh, she gasped, and her hands grabbed his face, pulling him up for another deep kiss. As their mouths found each other, his fingers moved higher, and when they found her sweet spot, Maeve gasped out with a pleasure she'd never known.
"Hold on tae me," Cailean murmured in her ear.
She did, and his hand moved, working her sensitive spots, the rolling physical ecstasy that pulsed through her body matched only by the new sensations and joy in her heart and soul. She writhed against him, losing herself in the feeling, as he kissed her lips, her face, her neck, whispering her name over and over again. Then, all at once, came a sudden crash of indescribable pleasure. Her whole body seemed to tense, shuddering with an unbelievable heat and an intense thrill unlike anything she'd ever experienced. Then all at once, her muscles relaxed and her body sagged against his, caught in his arms.
When she came back to herself, Cailean pressed his lips against her forehead. "Ye're so bonny," he murmured.
"Cailean…" she breathed. "That was the most wonderful feelin'." And yet something in her body still pulsed with need, something still longed to be even closer. An unexpected shyness fell upon her as she whispered, "I want tae feel that way together."
Cailean moved back, his eyes meeting hers. She saw hunger there, true desire, but also a self-restraint that made her love him all the more. "Are ye sure?" he asked. "I ken it's nae been easy for ye…"
"I want ye," Maeve told him simply. "All of ye."
