Every thrust filled her to the top—thick, hard, and perfect. She could barely think or make a sound over him pounding her so hard that raw heat spread from her belly.
She gasped, her head falling back against the pillow and her nails digging into his back. They raked down his sweaty skin, desperately in search of something to hold her in place.
“Alex—” she whimpered, feeling her body clench even tighter.
“I ken,” he panted in her ear, barely holding it together.
His damp hair covered almost all of his face, and sweat dropped from his forehead to hers, as her hips bucked to meet each thrust.
Then climax hit her and slid across her body like waves of unimaginable pleasure.
Alex let out a strangled groan and bit her shoulder. It wasn’t enough to hurt her, but it was enough to make her cry out and arch beneath him. He whispered something unintelligible in her ear, and for a brief moment, she wondered if it was in Gaelic. Then he pulled back again and thrust even deeper.
For a moment, none of them moved.All Erica could see was the ceiling, and all she could smell was sweat and the fragrance of the flowers.
This is what bliss smells like.
EPILOGUE
ONE MONTH LATER
The chapel wasfull as sunlight fell through narrow windows and turned the dust to gold. Flowers lined the aisle in layered abundance as Bettie and Katie took their time with the petals.
Erica stood outside the chapel doors, listening in.
“He seems excited to be here. Does he ken it’s a wedding?” one of the guests, perhaps a clansman, asked.
“Who cares? The dog is enjoying the occasion. This wedding will only take place once, after all,” Grandmamma’s unmistakable voice replied.
Erica bit back a smile. She knew the old woman would do anything to ensure it.
It felt almost bizarre to think that a day like this would never come. It had felt so distant back when they had planned it. Shecould still hear Alex’s voice when he spoke to her about it for the first time.
“We need to pick a date.Reallypick a date.”
Erica remembered laughing at how determined he had been to pick the perfect day. He had consulted people who studied the weather to determine what kind of day it was going to be.
“I am certain it will be a perfect day, nay matter what happens,” she remembered telling him at some point.
“I would rather have some control over that day than consolation,” he had responded.
Now the day was here.
Erica continued to watch the twins scatter petals down the aisle. The sight made something in her chest swell, but she swallowed it, deciding to keep it for later.
The girls scattered more petals, then raced each other to the bowl and scooped more. The puppy forgot every instruction at once. He bounded after the flying petals.
Laughter rose through the murmurs and settled everyone. A guard reached down to catch the pup, but it slipped away and raced down the aisle with a petal stuck to its nose.
Erica stood in the doorway, wearing a pristine green gown that shimmered in the afternoon light. There was no crowd to hide behind. No charade to carry out. Only a room of witnesses and a choice she had already made.
Her mother smoothed a strand of hair and stepped back.“Ye look breathtaking, me dear.”
Leah squeezed her fingers once and stepped to the side. Evander stood among the lairds, a proud smile on his face. He lifted his chin to her.She lifted hers back.
She walked alone, and the chapel breathed with her. People turned and smiled. Some bowed. Some looked content.
“She looks bonny.”
