“I am so sorry,” Emily whispered to Iain.
“Nay, lass.” He brushed a kiss over her mouth and grimaced at the cheers from the people all around them. “He is doing what most family would do. I just am nay in the mood for it. I have a lot better things to do and think about,” he added in a whisper.
Emily tried hard not to blush but knew she was not fully successful when Maggie winked at her. She was so happy to see her grandfather although she worried that such a journey would have been hard on a man his age. Surreptitiously she looked him over carefully. He did not look weary or ill so she told herself to stop worrying.
A lot of time passed with so many people to speak to and the abundance of laughter but finally Iain stood up and started to lead her out of the room. Everyone leapt to their feet and the women got in front of them to pelt them with seeds. Emily laughed because they were only going to the room the brothers had added, one that was large and private on the far side of the house. Emily took the time to speak to Mrs. O’Neal and make sure her grandfather and his men were seen to before Iain dragged her away. She wanted to go with him but she also wanted to visit with her grandfather.
“Ye can visit with him tomorrow,” Iain said as he led her into their room. “Tonight is mine. Look at what I have made for us.”
Emily shed her veil and looked around. It was a very good-sized room with a sitting room attached and a small room for a bath and the close-stool. One could still smell the freshness of the wood. On the floor were beautifully woven carpets and over the fireplace in the bedroom was a picture of the spot on the trail she had so loved. Then he led her to yet another room and let her look around.
“This is for when we have a bairn.”
“This was a lot to add in just a few weeks, Iain. I had not expected it to be all finished.”
“Still a wee bit of finishing needed but we got the wood and such a while back so that saved time.”
“What do you mean ‘a while back’?”
He reached up to take the hair clips from her hair. “I told myself it was time to add something to the house, a place where I could get away from the crowd and all that. But not long after I met ye I think I kenned exactly what I was making. A place where ye and I can get away together.”
“A little house within a house.”
“Aye, now let us go and christen our new bed.”
“Matthew’s work?” she asked as she stared at the big bed made of a dark wood.
“Aye.” He started to undo her gown. “He has some finishing work to do on it as well.”
“It is beautiful.” She noticed he had taken his jacket off and reached out to undo the buttons on his shirt. “Do we have to go back outside to get into the main house?”
“Nay. There is a door into the kitchen in the sitting room.”
He gently pushed her back toward the bed until the edge hit the back of her knees and she sat down. Iain tugged off her gown then knelt to remove her shoes and stockings. By the time he had her stripped to her shift, he noticed his hands were shaking. This time, he thought, was so much more important to him.
Knowing how she still suffered from modesty he left her shift on her as he pushed her down on to the bed. He began to shed his clothes, loving the way she watched him, her eyes growing warmer with each piece of clothing he tossed aside. Iain had never given much thought to his body, but she made him think he might be handsome. He was in her eyes and that was all he cared about.
Once on the bed with her he kissed her and slowly undid her shift. Emily was stroking his chest and back as he stripped the shift off her leaving her beautifully naked before him. He kissed her throat, savoring the taste of her soft skin, and then began to move slowly down to her breasts. The soft cries she gave as he kissed her there and then took a nipple deep into his mouth had him grow even more in need of her. She arched into his kiss and thrust her fingers in his hair.
Emily murmured her regret as he kissed his way down her body because he moved out of her reach. She liked stroking the warm skin of his back, even daringly moving her hands over his taut backside. She shivered as he stroked and kissed her legs. When he moved his kisses back up and began to love her with his mouth, she clutched his head but was not sure if she was trying to push him away or hold him close.
Then she began to feel that tightening she now recognized and tried to tug him back into her arms. He neatly avoided her attempts until she was so caught up in the desire flooding her body she did not even care to try. Then the tautness inside her snapped and pleasure flooded her. She cried out his name as he surged up and over her and drove himself inside her. That made the pleasure linger and wash over her a second time but this time he went with her.
As the fierce wave of passion ebbed, she clung to him and tried to catch her breath. She could feel the heat of his own ragged breathing against her neck. Then a strange banging noise startled her and she tightened her grip on him.
“What is that?”
“Our guests having some fun tormenting the new bride and groom. I am nay sure what it is supposed to accomplish except make sure ye stay awake to keep at it.” He smiled against her breast when she giggled.
“Are you supposed to do anything?”
He shrugged even as he stood up to tug on his pants and throw on his shirt. “Your grandfather is going to think all Americans are mad,” he said as he walked to the window and opened it to stick his head out. “Are ye finished?”
That brought more risqué comments than he wanted but they moved away. Iain yelled after them that they better not drink all his liquor, shut the window, and then walked back to the bed. Emily was sitting up and clutching the sheet to her chest.
“Saying that will probably just encourage them to try to do it,” she said.
He stripped off his clothes, crawled back into bed, and then tugged her into his arms. “I ken it but it will mean they are too drunk to come and bother us.”
