* * *
Ellie felt a sharp pain and stiffened. Then as quickly as the pain hit, it was replaced with pleasure as Aidam began to move inside her. She moved her body in rhythm with his as he began to thrust in and out gently. The sensation overwhelmed her. She was both full and needed more of him at the same time. She gripped his shoulders and pulled him closer to her before reaching up to meet his lips with her own.
He began to move faster inside her, and Ellie threw her head back, absorbing the feeling of their bodies connecting. She had not known she could experience such a closeness with another soul. It was as if the heavens opened up just for them, and the rest of the world faded away to nothing.
The white heat of her pleasure began to build with each thrust and stroke, and she could not deny she was about to come apart beneath him.
He, too, seemed close to something. She briefly opened her eyes to find him watching her with affection and pleasure. She smiled and kissed him again right as her world exploded into a million fragments of light and pleasure surrounded her. She could feel Aidam join her as they floated over the edge of the abyss. He moaned her name, and she wrapped her arms around his. If this was love, Ellie knew she wanted to stay in love forever.
* * *
Aidam woke to dusk falling and knew they made a mistake.
“Ellie, love, ye must wake up.” He nudged the sleeping angel beside him, and his heart tore into pieces. She was his world now. The way their bodies joined together was unlike anything he had experienced. He had claimed her, but she had claimed him as well. As soon as they were safe from his uncle, he intended to make Ellie his bride. He knew love, and she was his undying love. “Ellie, wake up.” He kissed her nose, her cheeks, her forehead, any part of her he could reach to get her out of bed. She groaned and tried to bury herself deeper into him.
If Aidam had to guess, he would think the lass had not slept in weeks. She had been carrying the weight of her situation alone for so long. He wished he could let her sleep, but one look out the window, and he knew their absence had been noticed.
If the cottage weren’t the first place his uncle would look, it would be close to it. They had to get dressed and leave.
“Ellie, you must awake.”
“Aye,” she said, groggy. “What time is it?”
“The sun is low. It must be close to dark. We have to dress and leave.”
She sat bolt upright. “Oh no,” she said. “We are going to be caught for sure.” She jumped out of bed and quickly began to dress. Aidam followed suit.
“Try not to worry, lass.” He tried not to betray his own concerns.
“Surely, they have realized we are gone. Yer uncle will kill us both.”
“Aye, mayhap. But he hasn’t come to the cottage yet, and I am sure this is the first place he would look, so we may have more time than we realize.”
As if on cue, there was a rapping at the kitchen door.Odd,Aidam thought.No one uses that door.He looked at a terrified Ellie and put a finger to his lips, bading her to be silent. “I’ll see,” he whispered. She nodded, eyes full of fear.
He grabbed a cooking paddle from the hearth and approached the door. Again the knock sounded more insistent this time.
“Och, Aidam, I ken yer in there. We haven’t much time, ye bodger. Open the door.”
Aidam opened the door and came face to face with Damon. He let out the breath he was holding. While he knew the news wasn’t good, to bring his friend to the cottage at this hour, at least he didn’t have to fight his way out of a bad situation.
“Damon, what news?”
“Is the lass here?”
“Aye,” he replied. It was no use to lie to his friend. Wynne had always said her husband could smell a lie from six miles away, and she was right.
“Well, ye best get her gone. Sinclair is on his way. He kens ye stole the lass, and he is ready for blood. I dae nae think being family will save yer hide on this one, but if he sees the lass, it might make it even worse.”
“How the hell did me uncle learn she was with me?”
“Are ye daft? Ye been gone all day. Lady Jemina tried to get him to think ye were nay together, but with two horses gone from the stables and Duncan telling the Laird he had his suspicions, and the Laird has his own. Yer nay so stealth as ye think, mate. I told ye this lass would be the death of ye.”
“Och, how do ye ken all this?” Aidam replied, waving his hand.
“Mate, my lady wife is a kitchen maid. Do ye think anything happens in the keep that Wynne would not get wind of?”
Aidam could not help but smile. Wynne was always looking out for him. “I’ll nay let him take her, Damon.”
