Elayne didn’t need to ask for any clarification on that part. She was already wet. She could feel it, slickness gathering between her thighs, and she knew precisely what Dunn meant.
She wanted him more than anything. She wanted him inside her, doing everything he was narrating, everything he would be doing if they were truly husband and wife.
“How many lasses have ye bedded?” asked Elayne, though she didn’t know if she wanted to know the answer.
Dunn laughed once more, shrugging a shoulder. “I’m afraid I’ve lost count.”
That was certainly not the answer Elayne wanted, but it was what she had expected to hear. She had always known that men bedded several women before they married—sometimes even after, as they weren’t expected to stay faithful to their wives like women were expected to remain faithful to their husbands. But the contrast between their experiences was so apparent to her in that moment that Elayne felt almost inadequate. Dunn must have been with many women who had given the kind of pleasure Elayne had only just found out existed. He had no reason to be with someone who needed so much guidance, who had no experience on such matters.
“Dae ye think ye can tell yer friend all this?” Dunn asked, his voice still carrying that gravely quality that shot a jolt of desire through Elayne. She nodded silently and Dunn smiled softly at her. “Good lass.”
They had come closer once more, sharing the air between them. Without thinking, Elayne raised her fingers to Dunn’s scar, tracing the jagged line by his temple. In that moment, she could have sworn that she felt him shiver, as if her touch affected him like his words had affected her.
“I’ve always been fascinated by this,” she mumbled. It was just for her to hear, but Dunn must have heard her, as he gave her a curious smile, tilting his head to the side.
“Me scar?” he asked.
Elayne hummed in agreement. “It makes ye… mysterious, in a way. But it also shows ye’re a survivor. It’s me favorite thing about ye.”
It was only when the words were already past her lips that Elayne realized what she had just said, and she pulled her hand back as though she had been burned, her eyes widening with embarrassment.
“I cannae believe a sweet lass like yerself has never been kissed,” Dunn whispered, their lips almost brushing against each other. Elayne forced herself to remain still. As much as it unsettled her to be this close to him, she didn’t want to pull back. She wanted to stretch this moment out for as long as she could.
“I have been kissed,” she reminded him. “Ye kissed me that day in the forest.”
“Ach, that wasnae a real kiss.”
“What is a real kiss, then?”
Dunn grinned, the gesture almost predatory. “If ye ask me fer one, I shall give it.”
Elayne knew exactly what Dunn was doing. That night at the inn, he had promised her that he would make her beg him for a kiss and now he was making good on that promise. Elayne ached to kiss him, to see what a real kiss was like according to him, and if she were honest with herself, she didn’t mind begging for it—not now, not when she was finally so close to getting what she wanted.
“Please,” she said, her eyes falling shut with a sigh. “Please, Dunn… kiss me.”
Dunn wasted no time before he grabbed her and pressed his lips against her own. This time, it was much more than a mere brush, the soft press of them soon turning insistent, his tongue pressing against the seam of her lips and slipping past them when she parted them. When he deepened the kiss, Elayne couldn’t help but moan, the sensation better and more arousing that she would have ever imagined.
Dunn’s hands were everywhere on her, grabbing her hips, caressing her back and shoulders, fingers sliding into her hair. Elayne wrapped her arms around his neck to keep him close, her body craving him, her desire pulling her towards him like magnet. It wasn’t long before she straddled his hips, pressingtheir bodies together. In response, Dunn thrust up against her, the sensation drawing a choked-off moan from her.
Suddenly, Dunn pulled back, putting a stop to it. He was flushed and panting, the hunger still lingering in his gaze, but he shook his head.
“We shouldnae dae this,” he said, not unkindly. Elayne, mortified by her own lack of control, rushed to get off his lap and all but ran to the other side of the room, trying to catch her breath. “Forgive me, I—we shouldnae.”
“Nay. Nay, yer right,” said Elayne, nodding furiously. This would be a terrible mistake. As much as she wanted him, she had to remember that all this was nothing more than a ruse. Perhaps one day, she would find a man she truly wished to marry, and she wanted to be pure for him. She couldn’t give this to Dunn.
Dunn didn’t even want it.
After a while spent in an uncomfortable silence, they had both recovered, physically, at least, if not mentally. Elayne was still terribly embarrassed, the lingering redness on her cheeks and her chest betraying it. Dunn seemed more composed, but he hadn’t quite returned to his usual, aloof self.
“I still havenae forgiven ye fer puttin’ us in this danger,” Dunn said, and though he didn’t sound too upset about it, Elayne was flooded with shame. He was right, of course. How could he forgive her after that dinner?
“I understand,” she said. “An’ I cannae ask ye tae forgive me.”
“Ach, I’m sure I will,” he said. “Ye’re too sweet fer me tae hold a grudge on ye.”
Despite herself, Elayne couldn’t stop the smile that spread over her lips.
After that, they were quiet as they prepared for bed, but when Dunn began to remove his clothes, Elayne quickly averted her gaze, turning her back to him. “I think we should sleep clothed,” she said in a squeak that she found rather undignified.
