Page 32 of Highlander’s Sloth

He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, but not before sliding his arm around her trim waist and pulling her closer to him.

It was the most intimate they had been for weeks. What with all the stress of having the baron exposed as a cheat and a fraud and their long imprisonment in the manor bedchamber, Kirsty and Callum had not given much thought to how things had gone so wrong between them after she had discovered her husband’s propensity for gaming and placing bets.

It might have been thought the young couple would have found the time to reappraise their relationship while stuck within the manor confines, but it had not proved to be the best place to do it. At any time of the day or night, the drunken baron was apt to pound his hand on the door and barge in on them. It had been the least romantic setting a pair of newlyweds could have ever been left in. And now, their closeness seemed as brand new to them as it had been on their wedding night.

All of a sudden, Kirsty felt shy. It had been such a long time since her husband had held her with amorous intent, she had forgotten how flustered and warm it made her feel. She could sense the strength in the hand he had placed around her waist, and the way his fingers were stroking her side made her remember their first time together at the beddan; how he had taken the pains to open her up like a delicate flower, kissing and stroking every part of her body until she had bloomed like a rosebud after a long, cold winter.

Instinctively, she turned toward him, giving Callum a full view of her provocatively beautiful heart-shaped face.

Her lashes were so thick and lustrous, for a moment, it seemed to Callum as though her eyelids were closed, but then he saw her peek up at him from under the dark lashes. It was a tempting sight, and having his wife flirt with him was an entirely new experience for him. Callum was charmed once more by the enigmatic woman he had married, and he was drawn to pulling her close enough so he might plant a chaste kiss on her full pink lips.

The effect of this was electric. Kirsty gave a soft moan, “Cal…it’s been so long, I thought ye had forgotten how divine this could be.”

He gave a deep laugh. “Forget how delightful kissing me wife could be? Never! It is only that I thought I had rendered meself odious to ye after all me neglect and gaming and laziness.”

Kirsty gave a tiny chuckle. “Ye have listed such a catalog of vices, I’m amazed ye’re no’ too ashamed to hold up yer head! The thing is, darling Cal, vices have a way of takin’ over when there’s too much time and money on one’s hands, don’ ye agree?”

He was enchanted. “Ye wee witch! Ye wanted me to admit me wrongdoings for many days gone. And not that I have any, but let’s promise each other to have no more secrets...for how can I have secrets from someone I love and adore?”

He tilted up her chin using one hand, and his other hand pulled her hips closer to him. Then his mouth pressed hard against her lips, forcing them to open willingly underneath the intense pressure. For one moment, Kirsty forgot all about the laziness, the gaming, and the threat of the baron and Laird Duncombe. All she could think about was how glorious it had been during the early days of her marriage, when Callum would come to her bed and they would spend hour after hour with one another, exploring each other’s bodies and discovering what delighted the other the most.

It was this kiss that made her realize it was possible to start over again and pretend there had never been a falling out and that Callum had never forsaken her for the lure of the gaming table. Forgiving and forgetting were made so much easier when the man’s mouth was kissing her into a flame of desire.

He broke off, saying to her huskily, “Ye’ve made the scales fall from me eyes, lass. I want to fight for ye and work hard to create a grand home for us, and...and have bairns with ye. And I’m sorry if I ever made ye think otherwise.”

She smiled. “Then we’ll have no more secrets from each other, Cal. Not even the secret of how to make the Macanroy whisky! Because I love ye too.”