A seductive smile played about her lips as she gazed at him boldly, his words filling her with daring. She wound her arms about his neck. “Yer bride is willing and awaits yer pleasure,” she said saucily, pressing her mouth to his.
Garrett groaned against her lips, his arms tightening around her like strong bands. For a long time they were lost in the glory of their shared kiss, and it was with great reluctance that he pulled away from her and stood up. His movements were impatient as he kicked off his boots and worked at the buttons on his shirt.
Madeleine rose to her knees, staying his hands. “No, husband, allow me,” she insisted brazenly, smiling at his startled expression. “Come.” She drew him down to kneel in front of her.
One by one she slowly undid the buttons, revealing his bronzed chest with its sprinkling of blond curls. She gently pushed the shirt from his broad shoulders, her hands caressing and exploring the rugged breadth of him, as if touching him for the first time.
“Never before was a man as beautiful as ye, Garrett,” she whispered, her desire making her even bolder. She wanted to please him, wanted desperately to make up for everything that had gone before.
She reveled in the hard strength of the muscles that bulged as his arms reached out for her. She ran her hands down his chest, delighting in the sinewy power beneath her fingertips and the smooth, supple texture of his skin. Her hands strayed lower, over a taut abdomen ridged with muscle, until her fingers found his leather belt.
“You’re a wanton lass,” Garrett said, his eyes searing into hers as he allowed her to unbuckle the belt and slide it from his waist.
“Only with ye, my love,” Madeleine replied, tossing the belt aside. Her fingers wandered to the vertical row of buttons at the front of his breeches. Garrett moaned and caught her hand. “Would ye have me stop, then, husband?” she asked, taunting him provocatively. When he did not answer, she undid the first three buttons, blushing when she encountered the hard swelling beneath the fabric. Anticipation streaked through her, her skin dimpling with goosebumps, and she dared to caress him.
“Enough!” Garrett commanded thickly, rising and yanking off his breeches.
Madeleine had barely an instant to feast her eyes on his glorious nakedness before he was pushing her down on the soft blankets. He stretched his long length atop her, supporting his weight with his elbows.
“It’s my turn to play the wanton, my lady wife,” he said, his narrowed eyes glinting with heat and fire. He traced his finger along her lace-edged bodice, just grazing the lush curve of her breasts. “Though I promise I will not dally as long as you.”
Garrett drew himself up and knelt over her, his powerful thighs straddling her hips. He deftly untied the sash securing her gown. “I like these wrapping gowns best of all,” he murmured, chuckling deep in his throat as the lustrous silk fell away from her body. “I’ll see that you have dozens. They reveal your hidden treasures so easily.” He slid his hand under the hem of her chemise. “And as for this,” he whispered roguishly, “the seamstresses shall be kept busy stitching these as well.”
Madeleine cried out in surprise when a tearing sound suddenly rent the air as her chemise ripped in two. She felt her exposed nipples grow taut, and she arched her back when Garrett bent over her suddenly and captured a rosy peak in his mouth.
She moaned aloud, thrusting her fingers through his hair as he suckled hungrily and lightly nipped the swollen nubs with his teeth. She was so lost in the dizzying sensations she scarcely realized he had divested her of the last of her clothing, revealing her lithe body.
“There’s never been a woman fashioned more beautifully than you, Madeleine,” Garrett said thickly, echoing her words to him. His lips found hers, drawing jagged breaths from her as he kissed her with impassioned fervor, a kiss that claimed her once and for all as his own.
His hands, his mouth, and his tongue raced up her writhing body and down again, caressing, teasing, as if he had to touch every inch of her and savor every silken secret she possessed. She opened herself to him, freely, gladly, urging him on with frantic whispers and pleading sighs.
Madeleine heard herself cry out his name as he entered her at last, sheathing himself within the softness and warmth of her body. She eagerly arched her hips to meet his thrusts and wrapped her arms tightly around his back. She rejoiced in the wondrous sensation of his desire throbbing within her, the friction of their skin like a searing mantle of flame between them.
She hurtled wildly toward rapture, oblivious to all else but panting breaths, frenzied kisses, and Garrett’s ragged whispers, urging her on.
Suddenly he seized her tightly and rolled over onto his back, carrying her with him. She was astride him now, bracing her hands against his glistening chest as she met the urgent fierceness of his movements, his strong hands grasping her hips as they strove to become one.
“Come with me, Maddie,” Garrett demanded huskily. His eyes blazed into hers, his powerful body shaking with passion. “Come with me—now!”
He pulled her to him, capturing her in his arms, his body driving upward within her even as she cried out her piercing pleasure; she, a part of him, he, a part of her…one at last in the blinding rapture surrounding them.
***
Late in the night Madeleine awoke to the dull thud of a charred log falling through the grate. She rose slightly from the bed and glanced drowsily at the hearth. Only faintly glowing embers remained of the roaring fire Garrett had stoked there earlier.
She sighed, pulling the blanket up to her chin and snuggling closer against his warm length. She marveled at how well they fit together, as if the contours of their bodies were especially made for each other. One of his arms was hugging her protectively, and she marveled at that, too, how he held her so closely even in sleep.
She peeked at him over her shoulder. His handsome features were lost in shadow, but his beloved face was etched forever in her mind. She rested her head on the pillow, smiling softly to herself as she thought back on their long night of passion. She could hardly wait for the morning, when they might love again.
Desirous warmth flooded her body as she blushed at her newfound wantonness. It was Garrett, after all, who had teased her just before they slept by whispering that he planned to keep her in bed with him throughout the next day. He had claimed a wedding night was hardly enough to satisfy him. He wanted a wedding week, a wedding month!
Madeleine shivered at the provocative thought. She had to admit that the notion thrilled her.
A darker thought suddenly pressed in on her, clutching at her heart. Glenis’s dire warning echoed in her mind, and it chilled her despite the comforting warmth of Garrett’s body.
No, tomorrow she would not be able to spend the day in bed. Glenis had judged her well. She’d done a terrible thing, and only she could set it to rights. Tomorrow she would go into Farraline and speak with her kinsmen, alone. She only hoped Garrett would understand and not insist on accompanying her.
It was going to be hard enough to admit to him the accusations she had spread throughout the valley, even though she had believed it was the truth at the time. To have to tell Garrett she had endangered his life was a most unsettling prospect. She would rather die herself than have anything happen to him!
