She wanted a lifetime of promises fulfilled.
“Callum, I cannae…” she began weakly, but found herself melting again when he gently pushed her back against a tree and placed one hand beside her head.
“Ye cannae what, lass? Because I cannae go on if I daenae ken how ye are feelin’. I have been driven mad this past day when I wasnae able to be at yer side. If ye daenae feel the same, tell me now so that I may end me misery and send ye on yer way.” His voice was thick with emotion as he dipped his head and brought his lips closer to hers.
Eleanor’s eyes widened as her breathing stopped.
Does he care for me?
Her words failed her as her chest began to rise and fall in rapid succession with each inhalation. It did not seem real to her that somethin’ akin to a confession was leaving his lips.
Swearing under his breath, Callum shook his head before looking up again. “Say somethin’ lass, I cannae go on if ye daenae tell me how ye feel! Ye are burned to me very soul, and I need to ken if I must sever that connection and move on with me life!” He sounded almost desperate as his eyes bore into hers.
“Callum, I want…” Her words had barely passed her lips when his kiss seared them to silence.
Eleanor could hardly breathe as his lips lingered on hers, soft and tender at first, drawing a moan of pleasure from her throat. Her hands moved up, feeling the muscles of his chest through his shirt, until his tongue parted her lips and began to search the warm depths of her mouth.
Moving her arms up his chest, she snaked her fingers over his neck and drew him closer, savoring the kiss that burned all the way down to her core.
His body moved closer to hers, heating her skin through the fabric of her dress while his hands slid up her sides, slowly cupping her hips and kneading her flesh.
I need him.
Eleanor almost gasped the words out loud as his lips moved from hers, making their way to the line of her jaw and down to the tender flesh of her neck.
He kissed and nibbled at her throat, moaning in pleasure when she tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled him closer. “Ye drive me insane, lass,” he growled against her skin before using his hands to lift her buttocks against the tree.
Moving instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist and gasped.
Callum buried his head between her breasts as he took a deep breath and pressed a kiss in the cleft. “Tell me if I must stop, lass. Ye need only say the words, and ye never have to see me again…” His voice was softer and far more tender than she had ever heard it before.
She leaned forward and placed her head on his, breathing in the scent of his hair. “Callum, I want ye… nay, I need ye…” She yearned to have his head between her thighs like he had done on that night in her chambers, but she knew that more needed to be said. “I…”
Callum suddenly caught her off guard as his hand moved between her thighs, seeking her warmth as his fingers explored her core. “How much do ye need me, lass? Show me just how badly ye yearn for me touch…” His voice was hot this time, dripping with the longing that she felt in her heart.
Moaning with pleasure, she shut her eyes and leaned her head back against the tree. Every breath came out in a stutter when the tips of his fingers found the bud at the apex of her sex. Thrusting her hips forward, she moaned when he pushed his body further into hers and cupped her breast with his free hand.
Her body was pinned between his solid chest and the tree when he dipped his head and kissed a path over the tops of her breasts. She was almost delirious with pleasure when he picked up the pace and caressed her toward the apex of her pleasure that was quickly building in her core. Her legs began to tremble as she clung to him for dear life, digging her fingers into his back as she whimpered for more.
Callum nipped at the tender skin of her breasts, making her pleasure burst from within as she cried out in pleasure and gave in to the wave of ecstasy that spread through her core.
Her breathing came rapidly as her eyes refused to open in the wake of her pleasure. The world around her no longer seemed to matter anymore as Callum wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her shoulder, holding her tight until her legs stopped trembling.
Breathing in deeply, Eleanor allowed herself to be lowered to the ground, but clung on tightly as her legs still felt weak.
“I care for ye, macree,” he whispered in her ear before pressing gentle kisses to her neck.
Me heart.
Eleanor felt as if she would burst as she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life. “I care for ye too, Callum. I didnae think that ye did, but…”
Pulling away from her, Callum released her arms from around his neck and brought her hands forward, pressing a kiss into each palm, before meeting her gaze. “How could I nae care for ye, macree?”
The words made her legs buckle again, as if she were living a dream.
“Ye fought so bravely by me side, and ye were willin’ to offer up yer life for yer brother. How could a man nae care for a woman as brave and beautiful as ye?” His voice was hoarse with affection as he slipped his fingers through hers. “I want ye to stay by me side, but I willnae force ye if it isnae what ye wish.”
Eleanor swallowed hard again, feeling the lump in her throat threatening to burst. “But what of the arrangement? What will ye tell the clan?”
