“I am, and my deepest hope is that you are also.” He caught her right hand in his as he captured her gaze. His voice deep, he said solemnly, “I, Kai Douglas Ramsay, take thee, Signy Anne Matheson, to be my wedded wife, forsaking all others until death us do part, and thereto I plight thee my troth.”
Signy drew their joined hands up to her cheek. At first her voice was unsteady, but it became stronger as she spoke. “I, Signy Anne Matheson, take thee, Kai Douglas Ramsay, to be my wedded husband, forsaking all others until death us do part, and thereto I plight thee my troth.”
He caught her other hand and drew her against him for another kiss, this one a pledge of eternity. Her mouth opened under his, sweet and welcoming. He felt a melting tenderness, a need to protect her against all others even though she was less in need of protection than any women he’d ever known.
“I think it’s now time to consider the bed.” She stepped back and untied the sash of her robe, letting the garment slide off her shoulders to pool around her feet. Underneath she wore only a pale, translucent shift.
He caught his breath, awed by the simplicity of her acceptance and the loveliness of her body. “You are magnificent,” he breathed.
“And you are overdressed,” she said with a mischievous smile as she tugged on his sash and his robe fell open.
And in that moment, he knew beyond a shadow of doubt that this was the right time and the right woman, forever and ever, amen.
In the sunset light, she saw that he was golden and naked under the robe. Naked, beautiful, and very ready.
Her eyes shot open. “I see that you were very confident.”
“Not really,” he said wryly. “But I had hopes.”
“Obviously,” she said, wrenching her gaze upward. “Of seduction?”
“As I said, I wanted more than that,” he said in a steady voice. “And now we have more. Will you lie with me, my beautiful wife?”
“With delight and some trepidation,” she said honestly.
“Let’s start with the delight.”
As the sun set, the bedroom was filling with shadows. He reverently pulled the shift over her head. Then he stepped forward and encircled her waist with his arms, drawing her against him so that they were skin to skin.
She could barely breathe as the sheer eroticism of that touching scorched through her, annihilating all her doubts and questions. She stepped backward, pulling him down with her as she tumbled onto the bed.
He followed her down gladly, kissing and stroking as he stimulated every fiber in her body. Intoxicated, she wondered how she’d gone from adoring him when a child to despising him when he left, to accepting first his presence, then his friendship, and finally the absolute rightness of this mating.
“My husband,” she breathed into his ear as she moved to make it easier for him to touch her. He responded with his hot mouth and stroking fingers as he caressed, then probed, then found a hidden core of sensation that flared into shattering pleasure.
He held her close as she recovered. “You were indeed ready,” he whispered with laughter in his voice. “We were made for each other, Signy. Meant to be together. And damned if my grandfather didn’t know it!”
She laughed at that. “Despite all my resistance, he was right. We were meant to be mates.” Her hand began creeping down his belly until she clasped him. He jerked and turned rigid. “And there is more mating yet to do, for this is mutual seduction, is it not?”
“As mutual as man and woman can be,” he said raggedly as he moved between her legs, his deft fingers preparing her, then guiding himself into her as he watched her reactions intently.
They came together more easily than she expected. There was building pressure, then one short, sharp pang before he slid fully inside her. She was still for a moment, savoring the pulsing power and utter intimacy of their joining.
Then she began to move, exploring the dimensions of this mating. To her surprise, heat again began building inside her as they quickly found a rhythm that was intensely, mesmerizinglyright.
With a groan near agony, he poured himself into her. She met him with her own release as they culminated their joyous dance of life. Annihilation and rebirth, their souls as truly mated as their bodies.
When his breathing returned to normal, he half rolled to his side and pulled her close. “Thank you, wife,” he murmured before brushing a kiss on her temple.
“Thank you, husband,” she murmured with a soft laugh. She burrowed her fingertips into his fair hair and stroked the back of his neck playfully. “I’m not entirely sure that I believe this has happened.”
“Believe it, my love.” They lay still together for long moments of contentment. His voice changed. “Someone in this bed has fur.”
She raised her head. It was almost full dark, but she recognized the rounded shape. “Odin has curled up against your hip.”
His hand fumbled behind him until he felt the cat’s warm furry body, and got a swat for his pains. He rolled away and sat up. “At least Fiona isn’t here too.”
“She does take up more space.” Signy sat up and put her feet to the floor. “It occurs to me that we have a dinner we didn’t eat. I hope it tastes good cold.” The evening air was cool, so she collected her robe and donned it again, then tossed Kai’s robe to him.
