“I am a virgin,” she replied softly. “I have no experience at all, Adam, but if that is what kissing is like, then I want to be kissed again and again.”
He smiled. “That is not all there is. Let me show you more,” he murmured. “I will not take your maidenhead away from you. That delight belongs to your husband, but if you trust me, I can show you other ways to be fulfilled.”
“Show me,” she said huskily. She thrust her hips up to meet his in a completely instinctive movement and felt his manhood against her. Then she felt his fingers touching her wetness and she moaned his name as he put a forefinger inside her and began to slide it in and out as his thumb rubbed the most sensitive place of all.
“Good?” he whispered teasingly, because he could see by her face just how good it was. “Tell me how good.”
Emilia could not speak, but as her eyes met his he smiled and she managed, “So good.”
Then he gently pushed her legs apart, lowered his head, and touched her with the tip of his tongue, flicking it back and forth along her most tender spot, driving her mad with pleasure. She surrendered to it, holding his head so that he could not move. A sensation so intense that she could not describe it was building up inside her, advancing and receding over and over again, becoming stronger each time. The pleasure was building and building till she could hardly bear it, then a wave of ecstasy crashed over her, making her body buck and shudder. She screamed with the force of it.
She lay recovering her breath while Adam watched her, a little smile playing on his lips. “It is all new to you,” he marveled. “Wait till—well, wait till you are married and your husband makes love to you. It is a miracle so beautiful I cannot describe it.”
“Promise me you will do it again,” she begged. He nodded and kissed her.
“Of course I will,” he replied, stroking her hair. He could not stop touching her.
“Can I do something for you?” Emilia felt selfish being the only one who was getting any pleasure, but he shook his head.
“I had enough satisfaction just watching you,” he replied, kissing her softly. “Your face looked so...astonished!”
“I have never felt the like in my life before!” she replied incredulously, then she turned into his arms and he wrapped them around her.
“Go to sleep,” he whispered.
She nestled her head on his chest and breathed in the musk of his skin, the smell that was just him, and closed her eyes. She had never felt so cherished.
She was right to feel that way, for all Adam wanted to do was look after her, keep her safe, and make love to her. If touching her was as far as they ever went, he would somehow manage to be content as long as she was lying by his side, but he wanted to lie there every night.
“I cannot sleep now,” she murmured. “I need to speak to you.”
He frowned. “About what?” he asked, puzzled.
“About Laird McElwee,” she replied. “Listen to me, Adam, for I am deadly serious. Father Gordon said he spoke to you about him, advised you to stay out of the way, but you chose to ignore him, and listened to Robert McElwee. You should not have done that. He is evil through and through, but Father Gordon is a good man. He has dedicated his life to God, whereas Robert McElwee has dedicated his to himself, and will stop at nothing to further his own ends.
“Can you imagine a man who would kill an innocent animal for no reason other than to watch it bleed to death? That is the kind of man we are dealing with. We need help. We need you; otherwise he will utterly destroy us.”
As he watched Emilia, he could see tears welling up in her eyes. She was absolutely desperate, and he reasoned that she spoke for the rest of the villagers too. There was no doubt that she and Agnes could run far away any time they liked, but he knew enough about Emilia by now to know that she would never abandon her people. He could not bear to see her pain.
“I love this place,” he said suddenly. “Even though it seems that it does not love me. I have no men at my command, or the means to find them and pay them. The gold which my uncle promised me seems to be a myth, but I will see if I can find some resources to help you.”
Emilia nodded in acceptance, and then smiled slightly. “I cannot believe I am lying here with an Englishman!” she whispered. “You are my sworn enemy.”
“I think what we just did proves I am not, Emilia.” His voice was a low gentle burr. “I think you should sleep first and worry later, or not at all. You are safe in my arms and nothing will harm you.”
She nestled more closely into his body. “I believe you.” She was drowsy. “Goodnight, Adam.”
“Goodnight, Emilia,” he whispered, kissing her hair. He was smiling as he closed his eyes.
10
In the morning they woke early, since the family was up at dawn to work in the fields, and Adam and Emilia had to make their way back. On the way out, Mara grabbed Adam by the leg and began to cry. Adam felt a bit like crying himself.
“Tell her I will be back to see her soon and I will bring her a surprise,” he told Emilia. She relayed the message as Adam kissed the little girl and gave her back to her mother. Emilia took ten shillings out of her purse and closed Ina’s fingers around it. “Thank you for your kindness,” she said, smiling. Ina looked at it, but could not speak, just nodded through her tears of gratitude.
This piece of news mollified Mara slightly, but she was still weeping as they rode away very slowly on Nannie with the injured Trojan limping along beside them. Emilia was riding in front holding Trojan’s reins while Adam sat behind her holding Nannie’s, his arms around her. Even though she had only known Adam a few days she felt not only safe, but cherished, as if she were precious to him.
“Do you regret what we did last night?” he asked suddenly, his voice husky.
