Ida would have liked for her ma to be there with her on this special day, to give her sound advice on how to be a good wife to her laird. “Thank ye.”
“Are ye ready?” her uncle asked, holding out his arm. “Because yer husband is getting restless down there.”
They all shared a laugh and Ida took his arm, pressing her lips to his cheek and then to her other uncle’s. “Thank ye for being here for mah on this day.”
“Always lass,” the laird replied, patting her shoulder. “I am so verra proud of ye.”
He walked out and she and her uncle followed, the nerves starting to flutter in her stomach. She wasn’t nervous about marrying Ian. No that was the one thing that felt right to her.
She was more nervous about being the lady of his keep, his partner in their clan. There were so many things for her to learn, but Ida was ready to learn them.
They walked down the stairs and under the arch of beautiful flowers that led to the great hall, seeing all the people in attendance, standing on either side of the petal-strewn path. Ida lifted her chin and allowed uncle to lead her toward a grinning Ian, taking in his formal tartan and crown that was befitting for his station as laird. When their eyes met, she gave him a secret smile, feeling her heart respond in kind.
She had never been happier in all her days than she was at that moment.
After the ceremony and the chaste kiss that held the promise of later, Ian and Ida sat at the wedding table, flanked by their family and friends. “Tae peace!” the MacGregor laird announced, pushing back his chair to lift his golden goblet.“And tae a happiness between the two clans that will last for generations tae come!”
There was a chorus of ayes that followed, Ida gripping Ian’s hand. She knew that everyone in the room wanted the same thing. After the attack, both clans sent out warriors to ensure that there were no pockets of uprisings happening, apprehending clansmen on both sides. Their punishments had been to ban them from the clans and force them out, but Ian’s captain had seen the end of a noose for his involvement in nearly killing Ida, her uncle, and his own laird. It seemed that peace was going to be something that lasted for the rest of their lifetime at least and that was what Ida hoped for.
There were rounds of toasts and food and dancing that went well into the night. Finally, as they were approaching midnight, Ian pulled her close. “Are ye ready tae retire, mah wife?”
Ida snuggled against him, unable to believe that she was truly his wife now. “Aye, mah husband. I am.”
He pressed his lips to her temple before grasping her hand and pulling away from the revelry, sneaking up the stairs to the chamber that they had been given for the remainder of their stay. Once the door was firmly shut and locked, Ian turned toward her. “Ye are beautiful Ida.”
Ida fiddled with the clasp on her tartan. “So are ye Ian.”
He laughed. “Och, something must be wrong with yer eyes lass.”
She shook her head. “Perhaps I just need tae see it closer.” She couldn’t believe the words had left her lips, but she wanted to see him in the flesh. Ida was innocent in the ways of what went on in the marriage bed but only because she had never experienced them before.
There was little doubt about what she would experience tonight in Ian’s arms.
Ian stared at her before a slow smile crossed his face. “Then I can only oblige ye, Ida.” Ida’s breath caught as he released the clasp of his own tartan, allowing it to fall to the floor and bare him from the waist down, his tunic barely covering what was between his powerful thighs.
She simply forgot to breathe once the tunic went over his head and he stood there naked before her.
He was, well, simply lovely and she had no words about the powerful man who stood before her. “Yer turn,” he said softly, reaching for the clasp of her own tartan. Ida’s cheeks pinkened but she allowed him to undress her carefully, his lips finding the ridge of her jawline as he worked on the laces of her wedding gown. His fingers brushed over her bare collarbone and she gasped, eliciting a low chuckle from Ian. “Och lass ye do that and this is going tae be over before we get good and started.”
“Please,” she begged, helping him finish with the laces. “I want it off.”
“Yer wish is mah command,” he said against her skin, working the rest of her dress off until it was nothing more than a puddle on the floor. His fingers caught the edge of her shift as his lips met hers and Ida was lost to her husband’s kiss, the ale that she tasted on his lips.
When he broke the kiss, her entire body felt like it was on fire. “Take this off,” Ian said hoarsely, bringing her shift up to her waist and baring her lower half to him. “Please.”
Ida did as he asked and he stepped back, his eyes feasting on her bare form. “Yer lovely Ida,” he rasped as if words failed him. “Mah wife.”
“Touch mah, Ian,” she begged, wanting to feel his hands against her bare skin. “Show mah wot tae do.”
So he did. His hands drifted over her shoulders and down to her aching breasts, taking his time to cup them and press his lips on her taut nipples. Ida slid her hands into his hair and moanedloudly, urging him to take care of the burning need she felt low in her gut. When his hand slid down past her stomach and delved between the folds in the center of her thighs, Ida gasped.
“That’s it, love,” Ian murmured against her shoulder, his finger rubbing against the tight nub that had been hidden from any man’s touch. “Give yerself tae mah.”
Ida didn’t know what to do but she moved against his touch, feeling the flames of her passion stoke higher with each pass. Desire curled in her gut, tightening as tight as a bowstring and she rode his fingers harder, whimpering as it started to become unbearable.
Ian must have noticed for he pinched the nub and Ida’s world exploded around her, her body shaking with the force of what he had done to her. She was vaguely aware of him lifting her up in his strong arms and laying her on the bed, his own hard body covering hers. “Tis going tae be painful at first,” he told her in her ear as his cock probed her center. “I’m so verra sorry lass.”
She clutched at his shoulders and he slid into her, filling her with each careful movement. It wasn’t uncomfortable to Ida, but when he surged forward, a sharp prick shot through her. “Och,” Ian grumbled, his breathing harsh in her ear. “Give mah a moment lass.”
