Never Love a Highlander (20 page)

He kissed her neck, sucking wetly at her pulse before nibbling a path to her ear.

“You’re an unselfish lass. Willing to do much to please me. I’ve never had a woman willing to put my pleasure before hers.”

She thumped him on the chest and scowled. “Now ’tis not the time to speak of other women. Even if I compare more favorably.”

He chuckled and lowered his mouth to her breast. ’Twas her turn to groan as he sucked at one nipple. He teased it over and over, sucking and nipping, alternating until she writhed beneath him and begged him to cease his torment.

“I’ve considered the next way you may please me, wife.”

She regarded him suspiciously.

He toyed with her breasts, touching the plump swells and then tracing lines around her nipples.

“You have beautiful breasts. So very beautiful. I wager they’re the most perfect breasts I’ve ever seen.”

“Again with the comparisons,” she growled. “ ’Twould seem you’re destined to bring harm to that portion of your anatomy you love so.”

He grinned and then rolled, bringing her atop him. She sprawled rather indelicately across his body, her hair spilling over his chest.

“I am trying to pay homage to your beauty.”

“Perhaps you could just say I am beautiful and that my breasts are incomparable and that my face is worthy of a bard’s poem. No need to bring other women into it.”

“You are beautiful. Your breasts are incomparable. Truly, truly incomparable …”

She thumped him on the chest and broke into laughter. “Enough. Now tell me this way you mentioned to please you.”

“ ’Tis a simple enough thing,” he murmured as he curled his fingers around her hips. He lifted and positioned her so that his erection was tucked against her opening. Her eyes went wide as she caught on to his intention. “You simply ease down … here …” he breathed as he slid inside her. “And then you ride me.”

She braced her palms on his shoulders, her entire body rigid as she adjusted to the unfamiliar position.

“Surely such a thing is not done,” she whispered as she stared down into his eyes that were cloudy with pleasure.

“I care not if such a thing is not done. ’Tis done here.”

“Some might consider me a wanton for indulging in such activities,” she said primly.

He groaned and closed his eyes when she clenched down on his cock. “I care not what others think. Only what I think. And what I think is that you astride me is the most desirable thing I’ve ever encountered in my life.”

“Oh very good,” she murmured as she leaned forward. “See? You didn’t ruin it by saying that me astride you was better than the other women you’ve had astride you.”

His body shook with laughter and he wrapped his arms around her to pull her down to his chest. “ ’Tis an easy omission since you’re the only lass to ever have me between her knees thus.”

“Then I must make the experience a memorable one.”

“Aye, indeed. By all means.”

“I mean to have you insensible,” she warned as she took his mouth with hers. She kissed him, tangling her tongue wetly with his.

“Lass, if you make me any more insensible, I’ll be a blithering idiot.”

Mimicking his earlier attentions, she grazed his neck with her teeth and kissed her way up to his ear. He went even more rigid inside her, stretching her until she was unbearably tight around him. Such delicious friction. She moved the tiniest bit and they both let out sighs as she tugged relentlessly at his length.

His arms felt so strong around her. She felt safe. Protected. Cherished even. ’Twas a wondrous sensation. One she didn’t want to end.

Astride her warrior, she didn’t feel small and insignificant. The look in his eyes, the tight coiling of his body told her that he enjoyed her wanton seduction. And in this moment, ’twas all she desired. To please him and make him want her more than he’d ever wanted another woman.

If she had her way, he’d never even consider another female. Forgotten would be the one he used to love, the one who had betrayed him. Rionna would prove to Caelen that she was fierce and loyal and that she’d never waver.

He would love her. It was a vow she made herself.

She would give him every reason to love her. She would fight beside him to make their clan strong, but she’d also be a proper wife, as proper a wife as she knew how to be in the privacy of their chambers. She’d even temper her demeanor outside the bedroom, if ’twas a more submissive wife he wanted.

“How close are you to your woman’s pleasure, wife?”

“ ’Tis not important,” she whispered against his mouth. “ ’Tis your pleasure that is important this night.”

“Your pleasure
is
my pleasure,” he murmured back.

Oh, but the man knew exactly how to pierce a woman’s heart.

“Then ’tis not long I think. ’Tis the truth each time I move I feel as though I’m going to tumble down a steep mountain.”

“Then let go, lass, because I already have one foot over that peak.”

She fused her mouth to his as his arms tightened around her. She rocked forward and then back, moaning into his mouth as bliss flooded her veins, warm and whispering to her of deeper, darker pleasures to be had.

He gripped her hips, and his fingers dug into her buttocks. She was sure she’d wear his marks tomorrow, and it only heightened her excitement.

He took over, pulling her downward as he bucked upward into her body. Hot and slick. The sharp slap of flesh meeting flesh echoed through the chamber. Their low sighs and moans rose erotically and danced in time with the flames from the fire.

He slammed her back down and held her tightly, so tightly she felt stretched in places he’d never reached before. His large hand splayed over the swell of her behind and he squeezed and caressed, his touch firm and possessive.

Unable to keep still, she bucked and writhed over him, squirming, undulating until she knew not what she did.

When she finally regained awareness, she was sprawled limply over her husband’s chest, her hair covering her face as he ran one hand idly up and down her back in a soothing, caressing motion.

They were still tightly joined. Indeed, he was still hard within her, even though the sticky feel between them told her that he’d found his release as well.

He kissed the top of her head and gently smoothed the hair from her face. “I find I like this submissive side of you, wife. ’Tis pleasing when you obey my every command.”

She snorted at the amusement in his voice, but she was too sated and tired to move a muscle.

“And you make a fine pillow, husband. I plan to sleep here tonight.”

His hold tightened around her and his cock pulsed once again deep inside her.

“ ’Tis a good thing, because I have no plans for you to move.”

C
HAPTER
21

Rionna woke to hands at her hips and a rigid cock sliding deep into her sheath. She gasped and came more fully awake, blinking as pleasure sizzled through her body.

She was belly down on the bed, face turned sideways with her legs over the side. Her behind was perched high in the air, held up by his firm grip.

Caelen stood behind her, mounted over her, tucked deep inside her body. He uttered not a single word as he pushed into her again and again.

His silent intensity only spurred her excitement to greater heights. He was firm, unyielding. The thoughtful, careful lover of before had been replaced by a fierce warrior intent on slaking his own desire.

Her release, when it came, shocked her. It happened so fast, and was so sharp, it took her breath away, leaving her panting and sagging against the bed.

Still, he hauled her up higher, supporting her as he continued to drive into her, over and over. Pleasure stirred within her once more, rising and tightening her body all over again.

He leaned over her until she could feel the ripple of each and every muscle. Tension whipped through his body and bled into hers. Then he let go of her hips and planted his hands on either side of her shoulders. She fell forward and he came with her, still thrusting deeply.

A shudder rolled through him and then he stilled, deep inside her. He pulsed and warmth flooded her, easing his passage. She went slick around him and uttered a soft moan as he strained against her.

Then he raised himself just enough that he pressed a gentle kiss to the center of her back.

“Sleep now,” he whispered. “ ’Tis too early for you to rise yet.”

He eased out of her and returned a moment later with a damp cloth and cleansed her. When he was done, he positioned her properly in the bed and tucked the heavy furs around her.

She listened as he dressed in the dark. He added more logs to the fire and stoked it until the flames burned brightly. Then he quietly left the chamber, leaving her to sleep once more.

She snuggled deeper into the warmth, her body still tingling from his masterful possession. This time when she drifted back to sleep, a smile curved her lips.

“You’re up late this morn, Caelen,” Ewan said when Caelen entered the hall.

Caelen eyed his brother, who sat by the fire breaking his fast. “I was detained.”

Ewan smothered a grin and nodded. “Aye, ’tis interesting how that happens when a man is married, is it not?”

“Shut the hell up,” Caelen growled.

Ewan sobered when Caelen took his seat and motioned for his goblet to be filled. “I’ll not tarry long, Caelen. I want to reach Neamh Álainn as soon as possible. Cameron would use this opportunity to attack us as we travel. We departed McCabe land in the middle of the night and traveled straight through without stopping. I plan to do the same tonight.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

Ewan shook his head. “Nay, you have much to do here. How goes it thus far? How does Rionna fair after her attack?”

Caelen frowned. “The lass was badly beaten. ’Twas a coward’s attack meant to anger me into foolhardy action. Cameron seeks to lure me to him. He has no desire to launch an attack in winter. He remains behind the walls of his keep, warm and sated with food while he has hired mercenaries to do his cowardly deeds for him.”

“Have you any luck in training the McDonald soldiers?”

Caelen sighed. “They work hard and are diligent in their efforts. ’Tis not that they aren’t worthy soldiers. They’ve just not had proper training until now. ’Tis hard to correct years’ worth of inefficiency in a few week’s time.”

Ewan clapped his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “If anyone can do it, you can. I have every faith in your ability to fashion your men into a formidable army of warriors.”

“How does Alaric fare?”

“He’s taken over the duties of laird as if he were born to the position. The clan is in good hands. He will be a good laird and Keeley will be a credit to him.”

“ ’Tis good that he is happy,” Caelen murmured.

Ewan glanced sharply at his younger brother. “And you, Caelen? Are you well satisfied with your marriage and your position as laird?”

Caelen thought for a moment. He hadn’t stopped to analyze whether or not he was well content with his new wife and clan. There had been too much to tend to. Was he happy? Before, his happiness hadn’t come into the picture. It mattered not whether he was happy. It only mattered that the alliance would be kept and that he would be able to aid his brother in the fight against Duncan Cameron.

Happy?

He frowned.

“ ’Twas not a trick question I was putting to you,” Ewan said dryly.

“It matters not if I’m happy. What matters is that we have the might to destroy Cameron. I have more reason than ever to want his blood.”

“Aye, you do,” Ewan agreed. “We all do. He’s brought much harm to our clans. To our wives.”

“He killed our father.”

Ewan sighed. “You cannot still blame yourself for that, Caelen.”

“ ’Tis not a martyr I make of myself. I was young and foolish and we all paid the price. The signs were there for me to see but I purposely blinded myself to them. Our clan paid the price. We lost our father and you lost your wife. Crispen lost his mother.”

“I have never blamed you,” Ewan said in a low voice. “Not once. If Elsepeth hadn’t done the deed, Cameron would have found another way.”

Impatient with recounting the past, Caelen waved his hand dismissively. He didn’t like to dwell on just how young and stupid he’d been. Elsepeth had found an easy mark in him. She’d turned his head, seduced him, and kept him under her spell. He would have done anything for her.

He’d loved her.

He still winced when he made that admission, but he made it freely to remind himself of his past sins. It was a mistake he wouldn’t make again. Dealing with a woman required a clear head, one unclouded by emotions.

“Are you up for a little exercise, or has marriage and fatherhood made you soft?” Caelen challenged.

Ewan’s eyes glittered. “Are you prepared to be humiliated in front of your men?”

Caelen snorted. “You can certainly try, old man.”

Rionna stretched languidly and smiled even before she opened her eyes. ’Twas a wonderful morning. Her feet were toasty warm and she had no desire to get up from bed.

Then she opened her eyes and blinked sleepily as she gave another lazy stretch. She turned on her side and her gaze rested on a pair of leather boots on the floor next to the bed.

She blinked more rapidly and sat up, clutching the covers to her breasts.

New boots. Not just newly fashioned, but fur-lined.

And beside them, was a neatly folded fur-lined cloak with a hood.

Her feet hit the floor and she dove toward the treasures. She grabbed one boot and turned it over and over, inspecting the fine stitching and craftsmanship. Then she plunged her hand inside and sighed at the luxurious feel of the warm fur.

With a delighted squeal, she clutched the boots and the cloak to her chest and danced around the room.

She stopped in front of the fire and buried her face in the soft fur. What a wonderful, wonderful thing for Caelen to do. How had he laid hands on such fine things?

Not able to wait a minute longer to try them on, she hurriedly donned her gown and then sat on the bed as she pulled her boots on.