He could hear her breath growing faster now, every part of her narrowing to this sensation of the two of them coming together over and over again.
“Give it to me, Innes. Come for me.”
He listened as the heat of her desire overwhelmed her and her body sank into the pleasure at last.
“Oh,” she groaned against his lips, her voice cracking around the edges as her body tensed around him.
He savored it, the feeling of her gifting him with that pleasure. “I shall always cherish this with you.”
He wished he could burn it into his memory, the sensation of her like this, the sounds she made as she gave in to what they found when they were alone together.
But a moment later, he felt himself tip over the edge as well, any attempt to hang on to control lost as his body spasmed against hers.
“I love ye, Lachlan.”
He drove himself into her one last time and felt himself stiffen as the pulsations of pleasure poured through him like rain into a river, coming together with the flow till there was nothing left but the way she made him feel.
He clasped his hands around her back, holding her steady as she caught her breath. By the time that she drew back, her cheeks were flushed and her body was trembling from the sheer extent of their shared passion.
But it did not last long, as a knock sounded at the door that nearly sent her jumping out of her skin. Lachlan drew her off him gently, draping the covers around her so she would not be exposed, and called out.
“Aye?”
“Laird Fraser?” Keith’s voice filtered through the door. He seemed to have the good sense to keep his distance, given what he had no doubt heard from within upon his approach.
“The envoy fae Inverness has arrived in the village,” he called out. “If you want those trading papers signed by the end of the day, ye’ll have to attend to him now.”
Innes sat up, clutching the sheets around her, her bottom lip slightly extended in a playful pout. His certainty wavered; as much as he knew he had his duties to attend to, it was hard for him to think of anything else when she looked at him like that.
“The lady could attend too, if ye’d like,” Keith continued from outside the door, probably sensing what might be taking him so long to respond. “There’s a flower market in the village today, perhaps she’d like to visit.”
Lachlan pushed a hand through his hair, muttering a curse beneath his breath. He wanted her there, where he could keep an eye on her to make sure she wouldn’t get herself into any trouble. But when he saw the look on her face, her hands clasped against her chest, he knew that he would not get away with such an excuse.
“Please, Lachlan?” she asked, biting her lip. “I promise I’ll behave.”
He shook his head, grinning slightly. He knew he had already lost the battle.
“I’ll hold ye to that, ye ken.”
And, as he closed the distance between them for another kiss, he knew that there was nobody he would rather have had at his side than her.
The ride to the village was swift and bright.
The sunshine poured through the trees around them and dappled the road as the horses picked their way across the well-trodden path. Innes, her arms wrapped around Lachlan, was glad to be able to take in the beauty of the scenery that surrounded them. On her ride there the night before, she had been so distracted by the thought of what Lachlan might have been doing, how Isobel might have already convinced him to give up on her, that she had hardly had a chance to drink it in.
But now, she knew he loved her.
As hard as it had been for her to believe when she had heard the words coming out of his mouth, he loved her. He truly did. She could think of nothing more important in the world than that, than how it made her feel.
As he helped her down from the horse, the scent of him filled her senses for a moment, and she was almost dizzy with the thrill of it, of knowing he was hers.
“You should go to the market,” he told her, nodding to the handful of stalls that had been set up at the far end of the street. “I must meet wi’ the envoy, I willnae be long.”
“I’ll see you soon.” She dropped a kiss on his cheek.
He eyed her for a moment, and she raised her eyebrows at him.
“Do you truly no’ trust me?” she laughed. “Go! I told ye, I’ll keep myself out of trouble.”
