"I'm here,"she said, her voice cracking with emotion. She fought the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. "I'll be all right. How long was I out before?"
Aaron looked up at her.He tried to control his lower lip from quivering as he spoke. "Two weeks ye've been in and out."
"I don't understand,"Izzy said, rubbing her temples as she tried to piece together what happened.
"It might be best that way,"he replied as he could no longer hide the pity in his voice. Aaron's fingers curled around her arm. His hand felt like a warm rock heated by the summer sun against her skin. She glanced at his hand and admired the way it engulfed so much of her arm. But it wasn't his hand that made the biggest impression. Jagged marks raked down her arm. She pushed Aaron's hand away as bits of the memory came back to her.
Her heart skipped.
"Caiden poisoned the blade."
"As he didthe whiskey in me study," Aaron answered. "I thought for a minute there, I was goin' to lose ye."
"Was I really that close?"
"Aye,"Aaron answered as he swallowed hard. The air grew thick around Izzy as Aaron leaned to her and pressed his forehead to hers. "But ye're here now. Ye've come back to me."
"I'm sorry,"Izzy said as she noticed the tears falling on the sheets weren't hers. She cupped her hand to Aaron's face. Tilting her head, she tried to catch his eye. Tears trickled from his lashes. There was no room for words, nothing Izzy could ever say would be able to fill the space between or make him understand what he meant to her.
"This was nae yer fault."
"And it's toobig for you to carry on your own."
Izzy's skintingled as she gazed deep into Aaron's eyes. She was safe there, tucked away in his embrace. The air seeped out of the room as Izzy watched Aaron. He cupped his hands around her face and drew his lips to hers.
Aaron's lipswere softer than the wings of a hummingbird. Yet, the kiss seeped into her like a fog coming in from the harbor. Izzy's hands slipped from Aaron's face and roamed over his torsoas she deepened her kiss. There wasn't a part of her that didn't crave or long for him. And no matter how hungrily she kissed him, it felt as if she would never be able to get enough.
"We should probably…"Aaron started as his fingers tangled in her hair. The hunger and need festering in his gaze matched Izzy's. It was as if the longing and yearning could never be quenched or satisfied. Grabbing Aaron's hand, she pressed it to her bosom and savored the tingling in her hardened nipples under his touch.
"I want you,"she whispered in his ear as she let her teeth graze over his skin. The way his body quaked under her only added to her desperation.
"I cannae takeadvantage of an injured woman. Yer head is still burnin', and ye've been on the brink of death for so long."
"All the more reason to seize themoment while I can. I would hate to die not ever knowing what it was like to truly have you."
Aaron's eyes widened."But ye do have me. Ye've always had me. Or did ye nae ken what ye do to me every time I saw ye?"
The air wasthick as Izzy shifted into the pillows, ensuring that her gaze remained locked on Aaron as she shifted. With her heart fluttering out of her control, she guided Aaron's hand from her breast to her knee. She didn't say a word as she hiked the fabric of her shift up over her knees.
"Isabella."Her name lingered between them. There was no hiding the eagerness and longing tainting her name. She shivered as Aaron's fingers slipped under the hem of her shift and drifted like feathers over her inner thighs. Izzy kept her eyes on Aaron. It didn't matter to her what he was going to do, as long it was with the man she loved.
"Me Laird,"she replied as she pushed his fingers into her. The air whistled through her parted lips. Aaron's shoulders slumped with defeat as he shifted and moved his fingers slowly around, exploring her body from the inside.
"Ye're so warm,"he whispered as the need and hunger took over. "Do ye have any idea how temptin' ye are? This is torture."
"It'sonly torture if you don't give in," she said as her hips rocked every which way. She wanted him to go deeper. The pleasure he gave her made her forget about the scars covering her arms, but it wasn't enough. She stopped and stared at him. He pumped his fingers in and out of her, refusing to let her stop.
"More,"she pleaded. A smile pulled at the corners of Aaron's lips.
"But ye've been sick,and I daenae think—" Aaron started only to be silenced by Izzy's firm grip around the shaft of his cock. She squeezed and marveled at the way he throbbed in her hands. "Easy. Ye've got to be gentle."
"I want this,"she said, batting her eyes as she followed the rhythm of his hand as he guided her down his shaft and back up it again.
"It's yers, Me Lady,"Aaron answered as he shifted. The sound of his kilt hitting the floor was like thunder against the hills. She glanced to the door, expecting someone to come charging in.
When she realizedno one was coming, she turned her attention back to Aaron. He smiled as he positioned her like a doll and put her underneath him. Izzy chewed on her lip as she felt the tip of his manhood pressing against the opening of her body. For a moment, she wondered if maybe she might have made a mistake. Surely something the size of an axle spoke couldn't fit anywhere in her.
"Relax,"Aaron whispered as he hovered over her. His voice was sultry in her ear. Izzy's body tensed as Aaron pushed into her, filling her in ways she wasn't expecting. The pressure grew from deep within her. "Are ye all right? I'll nae move till ye tell me."
