How ironic, she could not help but think, that she likely would not have believed him if he had told her himself. She had needed to hear him say it to someone else, as a statement of fact, before she could accept the deep emotional impact of such a sentiment.
He drew back, pressing his forehead to hers.
“How much did you hear?”
“Everything. And that… that scares me, Lachlan. I cannae keep myself from thinking of all the ways that I could hurt you, all the ways that I could lose yer love, all the ways?—”
He kissed her again, quieting her, stilling something within her that she had hardly known could be stilled.
“Say it again, Innes.”
“Say what?”
He grinned. “That you love me.”
And, before she could speak, he kissed her, a wild kiss that quieted every inch of doubt that had been clinging to her yet.
Chapter Fifteen
Lachlan lay on his back, half-asleep, running his hand idly along Innes’ bare shoulders as she dozed beside him. He had woken a few moments earlier, and, while he knew well that the Keep should be tended to, it was hard for him to muster any enthusiasm for the task when her sweet, soft body rested so peacefully against his.
“Good morning, my Laird,” Innes murmured sleepily, lifting her head from his chest and tracing her fingertips over his jaw.
He grinned. The two of them had scarcely been able to contain themselves on the ride back to the Keep, but it had been worth the wait; the two of them tumbled into bed together and practically tore at each other’s clothes as soon as they had the chance. They had slept peacefully, tangled in one another, her pressed to his chest as though he never wanted to let her go.
“Good morning,” he responded, as he let his hand stray a little lower on her body, dipping beneath the covers playfully.
She smirked slightly, propping her chin in her hand as she watched him.
“Perhaps I could tempt you to forget about yer duties today,” she said hopefully. “We could spend the day in yer chambers.”
“Hmm,” he pondered. “As tempting as it is, dear wife, the matters of the Keep will not attend to themselves.”
“So I suppose I’d have to be very convincing in my argument, then.” Her eyes flickered with excitement.
“I suppose you would.”
She slid on top of him, her soft, warm shape in the morning light near angelic. He ran his hands along her waist and to her hips, guiding her so that she was straddling him. The two were still naked from the night before, and when the covers fell back from her, he could feel himself stirring once again.
“Does this do anything to convince ye?” she asked, her voice low and sultry as she took his hands and guided them towards her breasts.
He groaned as he felt her soft flesh give beneath his fingertips and drew her down for a kiss as his manhood rose against the crease of her thigh.
She tangled her hands in his hair as they kissed, and he could feel the grin on her face, a sure sign of how much she was enjoying his attentions. He could think of little better than waking to find his wife so willing and ready to distract him; she circled her hips against him playfully, sending a wash of want through his body as he responded to her elegant ministrations.
Pulling back, she reached between her legs to guide him towards her. Neither could wait long till they came together like this, their bodies aching for one another in ways that defied reason and sense. When they were apart, everything else felt distant, like it belonged to another life entirely. He watched as she pressed him to her warmth, and then, with a slight gasp, she lowered herself down on top of him to envelop him entirely.
He breathed in deeply, gripping her hips to keep her in place so he could savor the sensation of her body against his. Her nails raked at his chest as he sank back to the bed, and a small smile tugged at her lips as she watched his reaction. She clearlyenjoyed these moments, these moments where she had such complete and utter control of him, as few and far between as they were.
And, slowly, he guided her hips against him; first in circles and then back and forth, feeling every inch of her most intimate place as she rocked herself against him.
“I could nae take my eyes off ye if even I wanted tae, Innes.”
Not just her face, but every inch of her body and how it responded to such pleasure. It seemed she could scarcely contend with it, the way it made her feel, her eyes growing hazy as her hands raked against him.
He began to move up and inside her, thrusting deeper with every motion, needing her in ways that he could not put into words and so had to show in any way he could.
“Lachlan, please…”
