Her eyes wide, they seemed to be taking in every aspect of him, as if to commit it to memory. “Be a fool no longer and accept what I offer ye.”
He dipped his head into the curve at her neck, afraid she’d see the tears. Tears of pure joy.Thiswoman was what he wanted, what he’d been searching for without even knowing it. She moved against him, her legs widening to accommodate him.
“Easy now,” he whispered into her ear, her breath gentle on his cheek. “I dinna want ye to have any pain.”
When she stiffened beneath him, he nibbled her lips. “Trust me.”
Brave words when he’d no experience with an untried lass. Could he breach her without pain? He wasn’t certain. Her willingness, however, would go a long way. One thing he could count on from his own experience was that he could make her even more willing. And he set about doing just that, using everything he’d ever learned about lovemaking to increase her desire for him.
With long, sweeping strokes he caressed her side. Shifting and tugging at her gown, but being thwarted at her waist.
“I need to see all of ye, Ethne,” he said, surprised at how needy he sounded.
She smiled and sat up. He took the opportunity to spread the wool out for her to lay upon. When he turned about, he was stilled at the sight of her, the way she doffed herléine. His breath caught at her exquisite form, her skin pale and soft, her breasts calling for his touch.
“Ah, Ethne, ye are lovely.”
He dropped his head, not willing to disappoint such perfection, and suckled her. A timid hand around the back of his head held him there, encouraging him. A boon for certain, and he realized how much that meant to him.
Despite his many encounters with other females, this moment, with her, was taking on a whole new meaning. She was a virgin. The importance of her first time had every nerve taut as a bow string. He listened to every breath, some that sounded suspiciously like quiet sighs. A hand at the side of her neck and he knew the speed of her racing heart. When she finally stretched out alongside him, she pressed closer to him. Surely, he had died and gone to heaven. An angel in his arms. It felt like he’d spent his entire life waiting for this. Seeing to her pleasure felt like a matter of life and death.
With the utmost care, his fingertips glided down her bare side. Definitely a sigh. Grasping her, a hand on either side of her waist, he slid lower, dropping kisses along her belly and hips. So attuned to her, he knew the moment she tensed. He looked up at her as he moved lower, holding her gaze that widened but a moment, then quickly closed when he found his mark, wet and ready for him.
She groaned, shifting against him. He moved his fingers to where his mouth had been, exploring her further. He covered her—bare chest to bare chest—and was filled with a sudden sense of inadequacy. It gripped him, making him momentarily unable to move. When she opened her eyes, he saw such a look of…love, he set aside his fear.
Sliding his hand up along her generous curves to cup the back of her neck, he held her there with his mouth close to her ear. In his last offer for her to end this, he whispered, “Tell me now if ye want me to stop.”
She groaned, “Do not stop, Lachlann.”
Relief flooded him right before he obeyed, entering her in one swift movement. Her maidenhead was breached. Sheathed in her tightness, he held himself back despite a near overwhelming urge to move inside her. Her pleasure was his only priority.
“Are ye…fine?”
When she didn’t answer immediately, regret flooded him, and he wanted to kick himself for taking her in such a manner and in such a place. She deserved much better, and now, there would be no other first time—
“Fine, indeed.” She said the words on a sigh.
Searching her face, he couldn’t hold back his smile. There was no fear, no regret, no shame. Without further delay, he dropped his mouth to hers and moved into her, setting the speed to match her racing heart, until his thrusts were met with her needy response. When she pulsed around his length, her sigh of pleasure set off his own. This was where he belonged. He’d never been so sure of anything in all his life.
* * *
Lachlann had been dreaming about Ethne, about making love to her, about taking her virginity for days it seemed. Ever since he’d been forgotten in this dark, wet cave, fearing he would die here. When he’d opened his eyes and saw her there, he wanted nothing more than to sate himself with her.
Now, she’d fallen asleep in his arms, her head on his chest. Well sated. She was an absolute delight, and he’d been fooling himself when he denied what Niall had said. Lachlann was most certainly enamored of her. Even more than enamored. Her quiet breathing and the weight of her in his arms gave him great peace. She felt right, as if she belonged there, and he was convinced that was true. He couldn’t just let this end, not when he’d found the one woman he wanted. He dropped a kiss on her head.
“Rest now, sweet Ethne. We’ve plans to make come morning.”
Chapter 22
Lachlann stood in the pit they’d imprisoned him and stretched his arms high overhead. With Ethne here, it seemed much less imposing. The ladder was right there for him to climb, but he wasn’t convinced he wanted to give up this time with her. He wanted to make love to her again. Now. Before they left this place. Even though he should feel well sated since she’d not held herself back from him all night, even initiating the last time just as dawn was lighting the sky.
“Is ought amiss?” Ethne glowed, or was that his imagination? No, she definitely glowed.
“I…no, all ’tis fine.” He sat down beside her, an arm around her shoulders. “Is there pain?”
“A tiny bit sore. Nothing more.”
She grinned, and he couldn’t stop himself from kissing her again, full on the mouth. Her immediate response was difficult to ignore. He wasn’t prepared for her to wrap her arms around his middle, or to pull herself close enough to crawl onto his lap. So willing. But he’d heed her words and give her body time to rest. He broke the kiss.
