“Faith, I dinna ken where to begin”, he said in a harsh whisper. “I want to kiss every part of ye. I want to go slowly and make it last forever, yet I want to be inside ye, right now.”
“I want you inside me, Bren. I want you so close to me.”
He kissed her then, hard, fierce, as if he could pull her into himself and they could be one. His hands moved restlessly over her skin, touching every inch of her. He gripped and squeezed her breasts, then bent his head to take a nipple into his mouth. As he drew hard, she felt a pulse of pleasure all the way to her womb, and her hips arched up, instinctively wanting to meet his, wanting more. He drew her other breast into his mouth for a long moment before dragging kisses along her neck, pausing at a place just below her jaw that made her sigh and writhe against him in need. And then… then his mouth covered hers again, but his hand moved lower, skimming over her abdomen, gently parting her thighs. When he touched her, a shock of pleasure pulsed through her entire body, and her legs fell open farther, only wanting more. And more, and more…
“Ye want me”, he said between hot kisses. “Ye are so hot, so wet. Ah god, Faith! Ye will unman me.”
She reached for his belt, fumbling with the buckle as she desperately tried to remove the last barrier between them. “I want this off.”
He helped her with the buckle and pulled the kilt away, leaving them pressed together, skin to skin. He froze, still except for his ragged breathing and pounding heart. He looked downat her, holding her gaze with his. He had wanted to take much more time to ready her, to pleasure her, but his need for her was so strong… He shut his eyes for a moment and took several deep breaths, but it did not help.
“Open yer legs for me, because by God I think I will die if I dinna take ye right now.”
She did as he asked, and he pressed himself up against her very center, watching her face as he slowly but firmly thrust all the way inside. His breath came faster, and he closed his eyes in ecstasy. Sliding his hands beneath her bottom, he pulled her close against him, trembling, gently rocking their bodies together. She brought her legs up to lock around him, holding him to her more tightly. She made a small whimpering sound and thrust her hips harder against him. Bren gritted his teeth, his skin growing hot and wet with the effort to stay in control. He wanted to be tender, gentle, to make up for what had come before. But it felt too good, so damned good, and he knew he couldn’t last.
“Bren, please, more!”
The sound of his name on her lips was all it took. He let go of his restraint, thrusting harder and faster, unable to help himself anymore. He pounded into her, needing release, because there was just too much pleasure. She made a breathy sound beneath him, her body squeezing him tighter and tighter until she arched up taut against him and he felt her body shudder, a soft cry on her parted lips. He thrust harder, so close, so damn close… ah god! He threw his head back and squeezed his eyes shut as he spilled into her, pulsing again and again… the pleasure almost too intense to bear. He collapsed on top of her with a moan, and still inside of her, pulled her close to him as he rolled onto his side. He buried his face in her hair, taking in the scent of her, too blissfully happy and sated to talk or to move for a moment.
She turned her face up to his, a look of sated bliss soft on her features. He gave her a lazy smile and kissed her, less urgently now, but deeply and slowly before he broke away and looked down at her.
“Aye, lass. I’ve lost my very soul to ye this night. Already I canna imagine a life without ye. Being with ye, being inside ye, there are nay words to say what it is like for me, how verra good it is.” His fingers traced her cheek, her lips. “I hope ye are no’ too tired, because already I want ye again, and again after that… in fact I think I shall never have enough.”
His hand slid over her throat, and slowly down to her breast. He lifted his head, looking at his hand where it lay against her pale skin. He had forgotten. Now was not the time, but it was too important to save for later. “Faith… where is the Dragon Ring?”
She reached her hand up to cover his. “I don’t know. When I woke up in the cave, it was gone.” She felt his whole body tense suddenly. “I’m sorry Bren. I’m so sorry, I never meant to lose it. I know how important it is to you… to the whole clan. If only I hadn’t left my room… I…”
“Nay.” He bent to kiss her, cutting off her words. “Nay, it’s my fault. I never should have left ye alone, unguarded. No’ even for a moment, no’ even in yer father’s home. Because even then ye were mine already, mine to protect. Ye will always be mine. No one else’s.” As he spoke, his face hardened into a fierce look of possession. He held her arms, his grip tight with the powerful emotions filling him so completely. “I am yer lord, yer master, nay other. Ye will never leave me because I would never let ye. I will have ye here by my side, in my bed, for always.”
She smiled. “And you are mine, and mine alone. Mine to command.”
He grinned at her, wickedly. “Aye.”
He pulled her closer, kissing her forehead. “But we need to find the ring, before Mored can use it against us. That is what I fear. If he can unlock its magic, he will try to harm us.”
“We’ll find it; I’m sure we’ll find it.”
He nodded. “Aye, we must. I will no’ rest easy until it is back in Mac Coinnach hands. Until it is back locked safe in the chest where it belongs. Though I admit I would lose it a thousand times over if it meant having ye here in my arms.” He ran a thumb across her bottom lip, and she felt her heart speed up again.
A sudden thought occurred to her. “I am a Mac Coinnach now, too. You’ve made me one.”
“Aye, I have at that.” He regarded her for a moment, his expression changing again, this time to a smile laced with unmistakable pride. Then he grew serious, and took her by both arms, looking down at her with an intensity that was mildly alarming.
“I must wed ye to me, Faith, in my way, the way of my people, my clan. I want to wed ye by an ancient ceremony, and one with far more meaning to me than any words spoken by a priest.” He sat up, pulling her upright to sit next to him. “And far more binding, too.” He tore a thin strip of linen from the edge of the sheet, and holding the end in his fist, he took her left hand, turning it over to expose her wrist. Then he placed his own left wrist alongside hers. Before she knew what was happening, he had reached for a small dagger on the table next to the bed, and used it to slice a thin line across both of their wrists. Faith gasped and instinctively tried to pull away, but he held tight to her arm, quickly pressing the two gashes together and winding the linen tight around them, his hand clasping her arm.
Shaking a little, she grasped his arm as he did hers, and looked up into his eyes. She saw that he was watching her witha fiercely intent expression, as if daring her to deny him this moment, deny her own destiny, or what was between them. She didn’t. She clasped her hand tighter around his arm, and she could almost feel their blood mingling where the cut burned and throbbed on her wrist, making them forever part of one another. He began to speak, in a low tone, just above a whisper.
“I take ye, Faith, as my woman and my mate. I vow I will always place yer life above my own. I vow to protect ye as my most cherished wife, to see to yer happiness, as it will be my own. I give ye my heart, to take into yer keeping, and I give ye my body, to serve and to please ye. I give ye my seed, that we may make new life from our bond. And I give ye my soul, to walk forever beside ye.”
His last words trailed off into a soft moan as he leaned closer to capture her lips in his. The weight of his body pushed her back onto the bed, and he followed her down, lifting their bound wrists above her head as he kissed her with more feeling than he could put into words. Then he slid into her, joining their bodies as he had joined their hearts. He lifted his head and closed his eyes, breathing out a shuddering sigh of pleasure. After a moment he opened his eyes again and looked down at her, thrusting harder and faster.
“I…will…never…let…ye…go.”
Faith felt the pressure already building within her own body, making her back arch, making her try desperately to get even closer to him. He held her captive, one wrist bound to his, her other wrist clenched tight in his fist. Her breath came in little gasps and sobs, which seemed only to fuel Bren’s passion further. He was pounding into her now, and she was floating in a haze of pleasure, her body no longer her own. Then she fell, faster, faster, sparks of light all round, blinding rapture, enfolding warmth. Her mind her own once more, she could feelhim thicken within her, his muscles grow impossibly hard and taut. He began to shudder.
“Faith, oh God! Faith.” He collapsed down onto her, letting her feel his full weight for a moment before rolling slightly to the side and gathering her into his arms and kissing the top of her head. He would let her rest a little before he took her again.
***
