She could feel drops of sweat falling on her skin from his forehead, and knowing what she was doing to him only increased her greedy longing for more of him. The waves of pleasure shook her once more, and when Ewan let out a throatygroan, stiffening inside her, they reached a blissful climax at exactly the same moment.
Laughing happily, he turned her about and seized her in his arms, hugging and kissing her, whispering in her ear, “I love ye so much, Ann– Isla, every part of ye, there’s nae woman in the world for me but ye, me beautiful bonny lassie. Say ye’re mine forever.”
Isla, in seventh heaven, clung to him, her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms about his neck. “I love ye body and soul, please never stop calling me that” she whispered back, tears of tenderness in her eyes as she looked into his. “Ye’re me very own strong, braw man, I’ll never get enough of yer lovin’, and I belong tae ye… always.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“So, are ye still goin’ tae attack the castle tonight?” Isla asked Ewan as they sat at the table eating their supper later that evening.
“I’m nae sure. With all that’s happened between us, I need some time tae think about what is best tae dae. I’ll wait until I find an answer,” he replied.
Isla put a hand to her chest and sighed with relief. “Thank ye Ewan,” she said with feeling, sensing their bond was now sealed by a love so strong, nothing could ever break it, not even death.
That night, they lay in the cot, contentedly wrapped in each other’s arms, telling little secrets, and waking in the wee small hours to make love again, slowly, tenderly this time, lip to lip, skin to skin, until, happily sated, they fell asleep again, limbs tangled, foreheads pressed together like babes in the wood.
The next morning, they reluctantly rose and dressed, eating breakfast together, preparing with few words for the unknown challenges of the day ahead. Isla’s heart ached in her chest as she tucked her hair beneath her old cap, knowing she was going to have to leave Ewan again.
“I havetae go back tae the castle, Ewan,” she told him, her hands resting on his forearms as they shared an embrace.
“What fer?” he asked, his eyes darkening with worry. “I’d rather ye stayed here. I dinnae want ye tae get caught up in the fightin’ durin’ me attack.”
“I want ye tae postpone the attack until I’ve had another chance tae try tae change Gregory’s mind. I cannae give up, I’ll nae give up until the very end, nae with so much at stake,” she replied, looking anxiously into his eyes. “Will ye wait fer me tae come back?”
“Aye, I’ll wait. But be very careful, Isla. I dinnae ken what I’ll dae if anythin’ happens tae ye.”
“Naethin’ will, I promise.” She kissed him and said, “But before I go back, there’s somethin’ I want tae tell ye, just in case.”
“Aye, what is it?”
“I want tae tell ye the way intae the castle by the secret route, so that if anythin’ happens and ye need tae find me, ye’ll ken how tae get tae me chambers without alerting anyone.” Sheproceeded to draw a little map for him on a piece of paper, explaining about the entrance to the tunnels in the woods and which way to go to come out through the secret passage leading to her rooms. “Ye’ll be quite safe there until I come,” she told him at last, handing him the map.
“Thank ye, Isla, I’ll keep it safe,” he promised tucking it into the inside pocket of his jerkin.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Wish me luck.”
“I wish ye love,” he said simply, releasing her as she pulled away from him. They exchanged a final, loving glance as she left the tent.
Back at the castle, Isla went immediately to find Gregory, but each time she tracked him down and tried to speak with him, he would find some reason to brush her off and hurry away. It soon became obvious to her that he was trying to avoid her, citing his preoccupation with the preparations for the arrival of the reinforcements, clearly unwilling to revisit the troubling argument with her about changing his loyalties.
But with the lives of the two people she loved most in the world riding on her ability to convince him to abandon Allan, she stubbornly refused to give up while she still had time. Somehow, she would find the right words tae break through his defenses, she vowed to herself silently as he slipped from her grasp yet again.I havetae.
When Gregory evaded her on her fourth attempt to capture his attention, she decided to return to her chambers for a while and regroup. She had to come up with a new argument, one so convincing, it would finally change his mind and clinch his agreement to ditch Allan and combine his forces against the corrupt laird with Ewan’s. What that might be, she was wracking her brains to pin down, when she opened the door to her chambers and stepped inside, completely unprepared for what she found there. Or rather, who.
“Ewan!” Isla exclaimed softly, checking the hallway behind her was empty before entering and locking the door. He was sitting on her bed, propped against her pillows, his arms behind his head, his long legs crossed. As soon as she went in, he sat up.
“Ah, there ye are at last,” he said, relief noticeable in his voice as he swung his legs off the bed and went to greet her, casting an admiring glance over her. “And wearin’ a gown too! Ye look a proper lady.”
Shocked to see him there, Isla hardly took in his remark. She was frozen to the spot, her heart starting to pound with fear, “Why have ye come so soon? Has somethin’ happened?” she asked anxiously as he approached her and took her in his arms.
“Nay,” he replied, looking down at her, a mixture of tension and yearning on his face. “But I couldnae stop thinkin’ about ye. I had tae come and make sure ye’re all right.”
Isla scrutinized his expression and found a hunt of deception there. The truth suddenly dawned on her. “That’s nae it at all,” she said slowly, stepping out of his arms, feeling a surge of defensiveness. “Ye came… because ye dinnae trust me.”
“Nay, Isla, nay, of course I trust ye. It was just that…” His voice trailed off, and she glimpsed a flash of guilt in his eyes.
“Ye still have doubts about me,” she said accusingly, hurt by his distrust after they had shared so much and been so intimate. “There’s nay other reason ye would come like this. Ye came tae see if I was tellin’ ye the truth.”
“Well, all right, but can ye blame me fer still havin’ a few reservations about trustin’ ye after all the lies ye’ve told me?”
