“Aye, loving, I ken it.” He settled himself between her legs. “I am sorry, love, but it is going to hurt some.”
She was just thinking how unfair that was when the pain struck. As quickly as it came it was gone, save for a slight sting, and all she felt was an unusual fullness. He lifted her legs and silently prompted her to put them around his hips. Mora hugged him tightly with arms and legs, then he began to thrust inside her. Gybbon watched her for a while, but she finally had to just close her eyes and feel.
Soon Gybbon felt her body rise to meet his every thrust. He gave himself over to the pleasure of it, trying very hard to make sure she felt some pleasure as well. As he bent his head to her breasts and sucked, he knew he was reaching the end and he really wanted her to be there with him. Then her heels dug into his back and he knew. He was right there with her when she arched and made a strange little sound that was half moan, half cry. He thrust into her a few more times and felt her body clench around him as he spilled himself inside her. Once done, he tried to get out of her quickly and managed in time to collapse beside her instead of on top of her.
“Aye,” Mora said suddenly, after several moments of lying with him while they both gasped to catch their breath, “it wouldnae have been a good idea to do that in the garden.”
Gybbon looked at her, saw the faint smile on her face, and rolling over to hug her, started laughing. “Nay, it wouldnae have been,” was all he managed to gasp out before laughing some more.
A few moments passed and he realized she had gone to sleep. He glanced around and found Freya curled up at the end of the bed, staring at him. When he felt the heat of a blush on his cheeks, he cursed. He got up to dampen a cloth, cleaned himself, then rinsed it and went to clean off Mora, ignoring her blushes when she woke enough to realize what he was doing. Freya watched him the whole way. He did not like what she eyed with interest and covered himself with his hand as he went back to bed.
“’Tis but a cursed cat,” he grumbled as he curled himself around Mora, her back hard up against his front.
He then closed his eyes. His body was hinting at interest in going another round, but he ignored it. She had been a virgin, and the door had required a good battering to open, so he expected there would be some tenderness in the morning. Despite his wants and needs, he was determined to be a gentleman.
As he forced his body to relax, he thought on what needed to be done about Robert. Instinct told him Robert was not a man one could reason with, could probably not even be tortured into seeing reason. He was going to have to kill the fool but, unless he got the old laird to see it as a needed justice, that could cause a lot of trouble for his family, Sigimor’s as well. This area was an odd cluster of clan holdings, and what affected one could all too easily affect another. All he could do was hope someone else would do it. The man had to have a lot of enemies.
Robert could be dealt with, Gybbon decided, determined to push the problem aside for now. No matter how the problem was settled, there would be trouble. He was feeling too satisfied and content to worry about that now.
* * *
The sun was breaking over the horizon when Gybbon woke and he slipped out of bed. He gathered up his clothes and stepped behind the privacy screen, to relieve himself, wash up, and then dress. When done he walked out and moved over to the bed.
He was just contemplating kissing Mora awake when he heard the door open. His brother Harcourt stood there with a half smile on his face and crooked his finger in a gesture to tell him to come along. Gybbon sighed and went.
“Are ye sure that was wise?” Harcourt asked as they started down the stairs.
“Did someone ask ye that?”
“Nay.” Harcourt laughed, but it was not a happy sound. “Sometimes I wish they had, but then I realize if they had, and I had listened, there would be no Benet.”
“Aye, and ye cannae want that. Weel, it probably wasnae wise, but I find I simply dinnae care.” He frowned. “Unless she frets o’er it.”
“Weel, ye were sneaky enough last night that Annys was shocked to find ye were gone from your bedchamber. She woke me up to ask if ye had told me ye were leaving. So ye lost me a nice sleep and some morning time with Annys.”
“Since I didnae get any morning time, I dinnae think I can work up any sorrow for ye.”
“All that roaming ye have done has made your heart cold, brother.” He grinned when Gybbon laughed. “Are ye done with it?”
“I am thinking I might be. Will have to see how matters go.”
“Ah, so she has ye thinking of staying in one place.”
Gybbon shook his head. “I just started thinking on it and have made no decision. Just wondered while doing it, if she was why I suddenly started thinking on it. One usually needs a reason to stop and settle in one spot. But then I would have that silly cat.”
“Roban is up with Annys, so we dinnae have to worry about Freya.”
Gybbon looked down to see the cat strutting along with them. “I didnae e’en see her get out.”
“She slipped out the moment I opened the door. She has seen Roban but then ran up the stairs and disappeared. I just dinnae want her getting hurt by the bigger cat.”
“Oh, nay. Mora adores the fool cat.”
“The moment a woman or a child names an animal, it becomes important and sometimes a great pet.”
“Like Roberta, who is not for the pot.”
“Exactly, although the stupid beast is near full grown now.” He walked into the hall and hailed Nicolas, who moved to the head table to sit next to Harcourt while Gybbon sat on his other side.
