Hetore his mouth from hers, his breath coming hard and fast. Sorcha realized thatshe, too, was breathing as if she were running a hard race. She tilted her headback as he slid his mouth over her throat. The strength of her desire robbedher of all modesty and hesitancy. When he touched a kiss to the tingling crestof her breasts, she arched toward his mouth. A soft guttural cry of delightescaped her as he lathed the hardened tips with his tongue. When he began tosuckle, she lost the last vestiges of clear thought. Each pull of his mouthtugged at an ache deep within her, drawing it to a height that was nearlypainful.
Shesmoothed her hands over his taut body, squirming beneath the increasinglyintimate strokes of his hands. He was muttering broken flatteries against herskin as he kissed her midriff, then her stomach, but she did not have the witleft to make sense of his words. All she was aware of was how good his mouth,his tongue, and his heated breath felt against her skin. The sensationssweeping through her were only briefly checked by shock when he slid his handup her inner thigh. She gasped, then shuddered, with the force of the feelingshis intimate touch invoked.
Asoft kiss on the inside of each of her thighs was her reward as she opened tohis touch. He covered her stomach and legs with kisses as he stroked her untilshe feared she would shake apart from the force of the desire that hadcompletely conquered her body and her senses. When he replaced his hand withhis lips, she gave only one inarticulate cry of denial. He stopped her fromclosing her legs against such a shocking intrusion and, with but a few strokesof his tongue, stole away all of her resistance.
Despitea faint, faraway voice within her head that cried out in mortification andoutrage, she soon greedily arched into his caress. She could not gather theclarity of mind to understand his words of encouragement and praise, but thetone of his voice was enough to foster her boldness. She tried to reach him toreturn some of his caresses, but cried out in frustration when he proved to bebeyond her grasp. Then suddenly he was there, leaving a trail of feverishly hotkisses up her body as he returned to her arms. She quickly took advantage ofhis nearness, wrapping her limbs around him and covering his strong throat withkisses.
“SweetMary, lass, there is more fire in ye than even I had guessed,” he said in athick, unsteady voice.
“Aye,I am so hot I fear I will soon catch afire and burn to a cinder right here onthis bed.” She took his face in her hands and kissed him, finding his kiss asfeverish as her own.
“Weel,dinnae go up in flames yet, dearling,” he said as he ended the kiss. “I wantthat fire to help us take the next step with as little pain and urgency aspossible.”
“Iken that there will be a little pain.” She found speaking a difficult task andhoped her words were coherent, for she wished to reassure him. “Ye need notfear that I shall retreat from it.”
Sorchadoubted that she had the will to retreat no matter how much it hurt. Her wholebody cried out for the union still to come. Knowing that it would mean far moreto her than it would for him was not even enough to make her hesitate.
“Good,for, by God’s toenails, I am so in heat I fear I will be deaf to any nay yegive now,” he muttered against the curve of her breast, “and I have no wish tobecome a rapist.”
Heronly reply was a soft moan of pleasure as he drew the hard tip of her breastinto his mouth. For a moment she was only vaguely aware of his positioninghimself to enter her. As he began to ease into her, all her thoughts andfeelings centered upon the spot where their bodies were slowly being joined.
Shewrapped her legs around his trim hips as she looked up at his taut face. Her eyesslowly closed as he filled her. A sudden, sharp, searing pain briefly dimmedher passion, and she gripped his broad shoulders so tightly she felt her nailscut into his skin. He grew still, gently stroking her body, as she grewaccustomed to their oneness.
Whenher desire returned, Ruari still did not move. She glanced at his face. Hiseyes were closed, and he looked painfully strained. Cautiously she archedtoward him, rippling with delight as his body sank deeper into hers.
Alow, almost feral groan escaped Ruari, but Sorcha did not find it frightening.She released a soft cry of welcome as he began to move, wrapping her lithe bodytightly around his in silent encouragement. His movements quickly grew fiercer,and she met and gladly equaled that increasing ferocity.
Onesmall flicker of concern broke through the haze in her mind when the feelingssweeping through her began to grow frighteningly intense. Her passion provedtoo strong, easily pushing that fear aside as something within her seemed tobreak. She cried out Ruari’s name as her release crashed over her. Part of herdazed mind loudly rejoiced when she heard him call out her name as he joinedher in sweet oblivion. As he collapsed in her arms, Sorcha was surprised thatshe still had the strength to hold him close.
Asthe haze gradually cleared from her mind, Sorcha looked down at the mansprawled in her arms. He lifted his head from her breasts and smiled. Shesmiled back, but inwardly heaved a heavy sigh. She was in serious trouble.
Thepassion she and Ruari shared was heady and fulfilled every untutored dream shehad ever indulged in. She knew that was because, unlike Ruari, she gave morethan her body when they made love. Her heart had been thoroughly captured bythe dark-haired knight resting comfortably in her arms. She knew she wouldnever fully regret becoming his lover no matter how short-lived the interlude,but she now knew she would pay dearly for it. She loved him and she suspectedthe devil would be needing a fine wool cloak in hell before Ruari returned herlove.
Chapter Nine
Aftera long, languorous stretch, Ruari looked at the door and wondered when Sorchawould return to their bed. For two days they had spent every possible momentthey could steal curled up in each other’s arms and making love. His greed forher surprised and faintly alarmed him. He had thought that once he hadthoroughly enjoyed her favors his interest in her would begin to fade. Insteadit grew stronger, as did his need for the sweet passion they shared. The voiceof caution in his head told him he should draw back, but he ignored it. Hewould return to Gartmhor soon, and that would cure him, especially if he beganhis search for an appropriate wife with more vigor than he had employed in thepast. Once he had a woman in his bed every night, his unwise attraction toSorcha Hay would wane. He might even find a passion to equal the one theyshared, he mused, and stoutly ignored the scornful laugh that echoed in hishead.
Thedoor to the room opened, and Ruari sat up, tense and eager, only to flop backdown with a curse when Beatham entered the room. “What do ye want?” he demandedand frowned when Beatham stood at the end of the bed and stared at him with asolemnity that looked odd on his boyishly pretty face.
“Ibelieve someone needs to have a stern word with you, Cousin,” Beatham said.
“Oh,aye? And ye think ye can do that?”
“Thereis no one else. True, I am but a lowly squire, and ye are my laird upon whom Iam dependent. Howbeit, your actions affect all Kerrs, and thus I feel thatgives me leave to voice my opinion of how ye are behaving.”
“Ishould give ye a sound cuffing for your impudence.”
Beathamignored that and continued. “Sorcha Hay is a weelbred lady and was undoubtedlya virgin.”
“Undoubtedlyshewas.” Ruari crossed his arms behind his head and studied his youngcousin, impressed by the youth’s daring even though annoyed by the interferencein his personal affairs.
“Yeshouldnothave lured her into your bed. That was ungallant of you. ‘Tisthe act of a rogue.”
“Arogue, am I? Ye do grow bold.”
“Areye going to wed her?”
“Nay.What a foolish question. The lass has taken us captive for ransom, speaks tothe spirits, and has a crowd of kinswomen who are quite mad. Those arenaequalities I look for in a wife.”
