He took control then, increasing the fervor with which his lips slid against hers. She reached out for him, her lithe fingers finding his shoulder as she anchored herself. There was no deepening of their kiss, only the promise that there was more to come.
When they parted, Lucas rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed against the swell of affection. Each of them was breathing hard, the emotions taking a physical toll that he never wanted to stop. Then, she let out a breathless laugh.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, opening his eyes and smiling at the joy written so clearly across her features. “Daenae tell me ye’re laughin’ at me.”
“It’s nothin’,” she said, giggling again. “Just… yer beard tickles a wee bit.”
“Ye’re goin’ to have to get used to it,” he said, grinning and leaning back in, stopping just short of her mouth. “Because I want ye to marry me.”
She froze, sucking in a harsh gasp, but she didn’t pull away. Her voice shaky, she asked, “Ye do? Ye really want to spend the rest of yer life with someone like me?”
“Of course,” he said fiercely, not giving her any room to question just how much he wanted her. He leaned back just enough to see her entire face. “I wouldnae say I wanted to marry ye if I dinnae mean it. I want ye, Flora. I want every part of ye: the fighter that saved me niece and tried to hit me with a stone when I tried to rescue her, and the woman that couldnae speak until she felt safe.”
“Ye’re ridiculous,” she said, blushing all the way down to her chest, though her smile only widened.
“Ach, that’s because ye drive me mad,” Lucas said, rubbing his thumb over her cheekbone. After a moment of silence, he asked, “So, Flora, would ye do me the honor of marryin’ me? I think ye’d make a fine Lady McGowan.”
“I’d love to,” she said softly, quiet as though she were afraid that voicing her desire would make the offer disappear. “I’d be honored to be yer wife.”
Instead of replying, Lucas sealed their future with another lingering kiss. As he pulled away, he took a moment to admire her beauty once more. Then, he moved to stand, saying, “I should let ye rest. Ye’ve had a long day, and I’m sure ye’re exhausted.”
Flora caught his wrist, looking up at him bashfully. Without letting go, she murmured, “I’d like it if ye stay with me tonight. I… I think I’d sleep better if ye were here.”
“Of course, I’ll stay,” he promised instantly, settling next to her once again. “I’m never leavin’ ye again. Even when ye get sick of me.”
“I willnae get sick of ye,” she said with all the sincerity in the world. “I couldnae.”
Epilogue
Lucas watched as nearly everyone in Clan McGowan, as well as several lairds from other clans, mingled in the great hall. The music swelled, and the savory smell of enough food to feed everyone here for a week wafted through the air. None of that mattered as much as the woman on his arm, though.
“Ye’re thinkin’ too much,” Flora observed, looking up at him through her lashes, her hair pulled away from her face. The cut had healed nicely now, just leaving a light pink line that was only visible in direct sunlight. “I can hear it.”
“Ach, so ye can hear me thinkin’ about how much I love ye,” he said. Then, he leaned down, dropping his voice an octave lower. “And ye can hear how badly I want to get ye alone.”
“Lucas!” she squealed, only half-jokingly. She didn’t pull away from his touch, only leaning in closer.
Keeping his hands off of her during the last two weeks had been agony. The stolen moments between his investigation into the men who’d kidnapped her and Elizabeth and holding Flora as she drifted off to sleep were nothing more than a temporary balm to the biting lust he felt. He’d only made it through by reminding himself that their wedding was quickly approaching.
“I ken ye feel the same,” he said, his voice dipping low. “I can see the way ye look at me, Flora. Ye’re waitin’ for this ceilidh to end just as I am.”
She blushed a gorgeous shade of pink, the color in her cheeks making her dark eyes pop. Clearing her throat, she turned away from him, looking over the festivities. A bit amused and breathless, she said, “It seems Elizabeth is dragging Annabeth and Matthew over.”
Lucas followed her line of sight, grinning when he saw his overexcited niece trudging ahead. In each hand was one of her parents. The two were wearing equally giddy expressions, the same ones they’d donned when Lucas and Flora had told them about their engagement.
“There’s the happy couple,” Matthew said as soon as they were in earshot, speaking loudly to be heard over the ambient music. “And the reason that we’re finally havin’ another ceilidh.”
“Matthew,” Annabeth scolded, though she was laughing, “their weddin’ is more than the celebration.” She turned to Flora and Lucas then. “The ceremony was wonderful. And ye’re the bonniest bride I’ve ever seen, Flora.”
“Thank ye,” Flora replied, the hold she had on Lucas tightening. “And thank ye for bein’ here. I dinnae think I’d ever get married nor have such wonderful people in me life.”
“Well, Elizabeth was determined to have ye married,” Mathew laughed, resting his palm against his daughter’s shoulder. “She’s been tellin’ everyone that she’s the reason ye’re together.”
“But I am!” Elizabeth exclaimed, her enormous grin showing off the tooth she’d lost just a few days before. “If it werenae for me, they wouldnae have spent so much time together.”
Lucas furrowed his brow, caught somewhere between amusement and incredulousness. “Wait, Elizabeth. Are ye tellin’ me that ye asked us to stargaze kennin’ ye werenae goin’ to join us?”
“Of course,” she said as though that should have been obvious. “I could tell ye liked each other.”
