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She placed her lips around him and then let every inch of him slip inside her. She looked up and watched the unbelievable pleasure twist on his face. Her wet hair draped against his thighs as she brought her head up and down, loving the feeling of him in her mouth. She left a glistening trail along the shaft of him and was breathless when she brought her mouth away. He tasted bitter and sweet and all kinds of wonderful, and she wanted more. But as she descended upon him again, Douglas caught her neck and pulled her up to a deep kiss. They lay parallel to each other, their tongues dancing as they shared this primal glory. Their hands were all over each other, and their clothes had long been tossed away in an unwanted pile. The heat that exuded from their body scorched them, but they could not tear themselves away from each other.

Douglas twisted her body around so that she could pleasure him with her mouth again but did so in such a way that he could use his mouth as well. She felt his tongue lapping against her, tasting her, and she had never known that such a thing was possible. She winced and braced herself against the pleasure that coursed through her body. It came in relentless waves, crashing over her and through her again and again like an endless tide. It left her breathless and trembling, and she wondered if she was ever going to recover from it. Somehow, she managed to continue sucking him, swirling her tongue around his thick shaft and bringing him all the way to the back of her throat. She could feel the tension building up inside of him. It was as though she was in control of all his body from just this one part. The heat was blistering, and she wanted to feel him shudder.

Douglas pulled her away again. They were more like beasts now, unable to form coherent words, only to grunt and groan and act on instinct. She found herself on her back, sinking into the moss. His arms ran around her, cocooning her in his masculine bliss. His body was hard and aching; each muscle throbbed as it pressed against her. She placed her hand against his hip and adjusted her body slightly, feeling the slight pinch and the burst of pain that soon gave way to ecstasy. It was as though floodgates had been opened, and a warm stream of pleasure flowed through her, as powerful as any stream she had ever encountered, as hot as the fiercest summer she had ever known. Her mind exploded, and the screams that burst from her mouth became more and more violent, sharper, and anguished as she fought to cope with these new sensations. It was as though a new world had been opened to her, and leading her toward it was Douglas.

His body was hot and slick with sweat. His muscles pounded against her, his hips crashed, and his kisses were hot as he pressed his mouth against hers. Their breath swirled as they lost themselves, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if they made the entire island shake. Her skin was flushed, and his hands gripped her hair, fingers sliding through the wet strands, utterly impossible to tell where she ended, and he began. There were moments when she peered through the blurred, veiled vision into the shadows of their bodies, and she saw him sliding in and out. It was glorious and new and a little scary all at the same time, but she was with him, and she knew that he would not lead her anywhere she wasn’t supposed to be.

All thoughts were drummed out of her mind as the pounding rhythm thrummed through her. Their hearts beat rapidly, crashing like thunder, and her mind was chaos. She lay locked between her husband and the moss beneath her, pinned into this hot cacophony of lust, and there was nowhere she would rather be. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her hands on his undulating back, feeling all the sinews tighten, all the muscles heaving as he gave her everything he had. His breaths were heavy, his moans terse, and she loved every second of it. She could feel the release of emotion within him. For so long, he had been a prisoner—not just his body but his mind as well—and now she was helping free him.

There was something being liberated from her body as well, something that had clung to her from the day she was born and could only be taken by a husband. The innocence, the virtue, it all fled her body with every thrust as Douglas plunged into her, pounding her over and over again. Her body shook and shuddered, Douglas caught her lips into his and tried to kiss her, but she was breathless and was desperately gasping for air to such an extent that she couldn’t kiss him back. But even so, she breathed him in. Every writhing scent of him she inhaled, wanting to absorb as much of him as possible, wanting to drink in every drop of sweat and every bead of saliva. She clung to him tightly, digging her nails into his flesh, needing him.

She could feel the same sense of yearning within him as well. It was in every thrust, every gasp, every twitch. He cradled her body in his strong arms, biceps swelling, enveloping her in this cocoon of lust as he surged into her. She could feel the cascade of his emotion rolling toward her like a boulder. His tempo increased and the screaming, shrieking climax she felt rushed through her in a torrent before she was filled with warmth, as though he breathed fire into her. He trembled and slumped toward her, his entire body gripping her in one glorious moment, for one glorious purpose.

His heaving breaths crashed against her, and he buried his head against the nape of her neck, drained of all his vigor. She lay with her head lolling back, her arms draped across him, gazing up at the roof in disbelief, stunned and delirious and dreamy.

It took them a good while to regain their senses. They remained naked, laying together as the water lapped at their feet, cuddling close to each other. Douglas wrapped his arms around her while she brought hers into her chest, nestling against him as though he would always keep her safe.

“Well, I hae tae say I didnae expect that tae happen when I first washed up on shore,” he said in a low voice, chuckling. As he did so, his body shook again, and Brenda welcomed the tremors. She brushed flecks of sweat off the hairs on his chest and planted a soft kiss, tasting his musk.

“That’s because you weren’t an optimist,” she teased.

He grinned and stroked her curls of hair, which were still damp, although from sweat as well as the water.

“Maybe nae, maybe nae,” he agreed.

Then the smile fell from his face, and a glaze came over him again as he drifted into the past. Brenda had seen this many times by now. At first, she had thought it was something distant and cold, but now she knew it as fear.

“There were times when I never thought I would hold a woman again. I used tae dream of being married, ye know? When I went tae Norway with Erik, I thought that I’d find myself a wife when I returned, that it was about time.”

“Well, that did happen; it just took a little longer than you expected,” Brenda said softly. “I know it must have been hard for you. I just hope I’m worth the wait.”

“Oh, ye are, lass. In fact, ye are the only thing that makes me think my capture was worth anything,” he said. “I couldnae imagine being with anyone aside from ye. Ye are…ye are everything tae me. I dinnae think anyone would be sae understanding. After everything I’ve done, for ye tae accept my proposal and be my wife…I cannae believe it.”

Brenda stroked his beard and kissed him again. “You weren’t yourself. Gorm played with your mind. Just because you went through all that doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve a life. Anyway, tell me about this life that you used to dream about?”

Douglas smiled and searched far back in his memory to the thoughts that he had quashed, as they had been too painful to think about. For so long, he had to train himself not to hope or dream as it only reminded him of his sorrow.

“I wanted a wife and to settle in a small village somewhere, hanging up my sword tae tend tae the fields, or perhaps set up an inn somewhere.”

“An inn?”

“Oh, aye, I used tae love a tavern when I was wee. Da used tae take us around, and we’d stop and there would be all kinds of people sitting there—merchants, bards, soldiers. It was one of those places where anything could happen, and I always thought tae myself that I would like one. And then there was my wife, beautiful she would be, bouncing a wee boy on her knee.”

“Oh, a child too?” Brenda cocked an eyebrow.

“Ye asked,” Douglas said.

“No, it’s fine. I just don’t want you to get ahead of yourself,” she laughed.

“Aye, it would hae been a fine life. It’s been a while since I’ve thought of that.”

“Do you still want a tavern now?”

“Right now, I’d settle for anything. I know what it’s like to have nothing.”

“But you can have anything, Douglas. I understand you’re grateful for the chance to live again, but I don’t want you to simply settle for the things in your life. I want you to know that you can have anything you want. I’ve been thinking about it and thinking about the future… I want to go wherever you want to go. If you want to live with Erik again, we can do that, or if you want to go and live with your clan, we can do that as well. I’ve been on one adventure with you, and I’d like to go on countless more,” she said.

Douglas thought about it for a moment. “Ye know, I think I’ve been on enough adventures for a while. The thing is that I used to think I’d take over from Da and lead the clan, but Lucas is daeing a fine job, and if he died, I’m sure Seamus would be better suited. As for living with Erik, well, as much as I like the man and as much time as I spent there, I think I’d prefer somewhere a wee bit quieter. Somewhere like this,” he said, looking around the lagoon.