He filled her further, his teeth catching her bottom lip between his teeth as his own climax slammed into him. The experience felt almost religious, as though they were both being offered salvation by the very act of their coupling. She pulled him closer, her legs tightening around his hips instinctively as though she was trying to keep him in place for the rest of time.
As the final echoes of pleasure washed over them, Liam collapsed beside her. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her close against his chest. She easily rested her ear on his bare chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.
“I’ve never felt like this before,” she whispered, the confession quiet but no less true.
“I havenae either,” Liam replied, his large hand coming up to stroke the back of her head. “Ye are special, Katherine. One of the most incredible women I have ever had the pleasure of meetin’.”
“And ye are endlessly frustratin’ beyond belief,” she replied, earning herself a honey-warm laugh that she felt in every part of her body. When his chuckle subsided, she continued, “But I wouldnae want ye any other way. That’s what makes ye who ye are. I believe I’ve gotten fairly skilled at dealin’ with ye.”
“Aye, ye have,” Liam said, his forefinger coming below her chin and tilting her head up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “But I have found a way to keep me peace, now.”
“Ye have?” she murmured, her breath catching when his eyes darted down to her mouth.
“Aye,” he confirmed, pulling her into another kiss.
This one was much softer than the kisses they’d shared earlier in the night, but it was no less intense. He devoured her the way a man might eat a decadent meal. Each shift of his lips and swipe of his tongue was long and lingering, like he was indulging in something sacred and determined to make every single moment of it last.
When he finally broke the kiss, letting Katherine lean back to suck in a long breath, he said, “Ye are me peace, Katherine. It only took nearly losin’ ye for me to realize it.”
Overwhelmed by emotion so intense that she couldn’t speak, she crawled onto his chest more decisively. Slowly, she dipped her head down, kissing him again, hoping that it conveyed the full scope of her contentment here. There was nowhere else that she’d rather be.
As she pulled back, Liam murmured, “I love ye, Katherine MacDougal.”
“And I love ye, Liam MacDougal,” she replied, letting him pull her back in for another indulgent kiss.
Epilogue
Four Months Later
Katherine giggled as Liam spun her. The music swelled, louder than the crowd around them. Her dress, a faithful recreation of the gown the pirates had ruined, flared around her ankles.
“And ye said ye didnae think ye’d be able to dance in this,” Liam said, pulling her against his chest, his mouth against the shell of her ear.
“If it were only me, I wouldnae,” Katherine retorted, letting him lead her in a tight circle, carefully avoiding the other couples swaying next to them. “I’m only as good as me partner.”
“Ach, but I could say the same thing,” he countered with a chuckle.
They’d finally found the time to reorganize the ceilidh to celebrate their wedding. It didn’t matter to Katherine that theyhad been married for nearly half a year. She couldn’t have imagined a better time for the gathering to be held.
“If ye are too sweet to me in front of our guests, ye may ruin yer reputation,” she teased, a flutter of laughter spilling from her lips when he spun her again.
Beside them, Agnes giggled. She was holding onto Elspeth’s hands tightly, letting the woman guide her through each of the steps. When Katherine caught their eye, Elspeth spun Agnes in the same way that Liam had spun Katherine. Their maneuver wasn’t quite as smooth, and the two stumbled. Agnes scoffed, but she was still wearing a wide grin, not caring that the two weren’t as skilled as Liam and Katherine.
“To hell with me reputation,” he said, his eyes never leaving Katherine’s face. “Makin’ ye laugh, seein’ yer smile, that’s far more important to me than me reputation.” He leaned in close again, his mouth inches from hers. “They can think what they want of me. Me enemies ken nae to underestimate me. Our people ken that I will protect them nae matter what.”
She huffed, an amused sound. Then, she closed the distance between them, giving him a fast, chaste peck. Pulling away, she raised an eyebrow at him, a playful challenge that she knew he would rise to.
“We will settle this when we leave the ceilidh,” he said, his voice dropping to a low, teasing tone that made her stomach swoop with excitement. “Now, I need a drink if I’m to continue to stayhere and socialize. It is too early in the evenin’ for me to take ye away from the gatherin’.”
“I’ve been thinkin’ about a cool glass of punch,” Katherine hummed, letting him pull her off the dance floor and over to the table of refreshments. “I’ve nae had anythin’ quite as good as this.”
As a servant ladled out a cup of punch for her and poured a glass of whiskey for Liam, Cillian approached the two of them. When Liam turned toward him, he said, “Daenae tell me ye’re here to start givin’ toasts again.”
“Nay,” Cillian laughed, clapping his hand on Liam’s shoulder kindly. “But I am here to extend me congratulations.”
“Ye speak as if ye daenae see us every day,” Katherine said, sipping her drink and grinning at the way Liam rolled his shoulders to get Cillian’s hand off.
“Aye, but it is nae every day that we have all of our people and most of our allies here to celebrate,” Cillian said, gesturing at the crowd that was still dancing and laughing.
