Неизвестный

by Kinley MacGregor

* * *

  Chapter 7

  « ^ »

  Ewan was dumbfounded by Nora's words. He had expected Nora to turn him away, not welcome him to her body.

  She wasn't supposed to want him.

  A decent man would pull away from her. But he wasn't decent.

  He was feral and hard. The kind of man who took what he wanted without thoughts about tomorrow.

  It was what had gotten him into trouble with Isobail. He had acted in the heat of passion and then paid dearly for it.

  Decorum and he were strangers.

  He'd never been that kind of man. He'd left manners and refinement to his brothers, while he had made his own way without those strict bindings that society and his mother would have placed on him.

  Now he wished he did know the words to tell Nora how much this moment meant to him.

  How much she meant to him.

  He'd been so long without the comfort. So long without the warmth of a tender caress.

  How could he walk away now? Especially since her sweet, precious taste was branded on his tongue. The silken heaven of her mouth was more than he could resist.

  He was a mere mortal, not some saint.

  Nay, he'd never been a saint.

  Ewan traced the curve of her swollen lips with his fingertip before he parted her lips and kissed her deeply.

  He closed his eyes and inhaled the sweetness of her breath as he let loose his tongue to dart against hers, to sweep up to the palate of her mouth until she moaned and writhed from it. Her supple body pressed against his while he loosened the stays of her chemise.

  "You should push me away," he said, pulling back from her kiss to stare down into her gentle, welcoming eyes.

  "Perhaps, but I oft do the opposite of what I should do."

  "Aye, lass, you do. And that is one of your more endearing qualities."

  "Are you mocking me?"

  "Nay, love, I would never mock you."

  Nora's heart fluttered as he offered her a real smile. It was unexpected and breathtaking.

  His eyes fair glowed in the faint moonlight. His heat surrounded her as his arms cushioned her from the cold, damp ground. The heat and strength of him surrounded her.

  And she wanted more.

  She actually purred as he returned to her lips to kiss her softly. She'd never been touched like this. Never thought a mere kiss could be such a wondrous experience.

  And when his warm, callused hand closed around her breast, she jumped in nervous excitement. Pain and pleasure stabbed through her body as heat pooled itself between her legs.

  What was this burning in her body? This strange ache that craved him?

  She didn't understand these foreign sensations. They were confusing and consuming.

  Electrifying. Tormenting. And they left her wanting more of him.

  Ewan left her lips to kiss a trail down her throat to the breast he cupped. Nora swallowed at the sight of his dark head at her breast, at the feel of his tongue teasing her taut nipple. His tongue was rough and hot, his lips soothing and tender.

  She clasped his head to her, and let the locks of his hair tease her fingers.

  He was so beautiful there, tasting her, teasing her. His beautiful face showed the pleasure he received just from touching her.

  She sighed in contentment and let the incredible earthy sensations sweep her away until she was nothing but an extension of the man holding her.

  Tonight she would be his.

  Ewan had never tasted anything like her body. She was so warm, so inviting. More so because he knew she was sharing with him what she had shared with no one else.

  He was her first.

  Why she would choose him, he couldn't imagine. He was so unworthy of what she offered. So unworthy of her, period.

  She was lightness and joy.

  He was darkness and sorrow.

  But he was glad that tonight, for this one moment and for whatever reason, she was with him.

  Nora tugged at his shirt.

  Eager to oblige her, he pulled it off, and his trewes followed soon after.

  She gasped audibly as she ran her hands over his tense arms. He clenched his teeth as his head reeled from pleasure.

  The things her touch did to him…

  It was incredible. Invigorating. It made him feel virile and wild.

  He was hard and aching. Most of all, he felt vulnerable to her.

  But he couldn't pull back. Nay, he needed more of her. Needed to touch every inch of her body and to claim it as his own.

  Nora felt a moment of panic as he removed her chemise from her. She was suddenly exposed to him.

  It was scary and strangely erotic. She couldn't recall ever being naked in front of another person. No one knew what she looked like bare.

  No one but Ewan.

  Her heart pounding, she stared at the large size of him and tried to imagine what it would feel like to take that into her body. Surely it would cleave her in two.

  "Will you hurt me?" she asked hesitantly.

  He stroked her cheek with his fingers. "I will do my best not to."

  She smiled up at him, trusting him completely even though she wasn't too sure he spoke honestly. How could that not hurt? It was huge.

  He lay down on top of her and gathered her into his arms. Her thoughts scattered at the glorious feeling of his skin against hers. Of his heavy weight that felt good instead of oppressive.

  Ewan took her hand into his and guided it back to him. "Don't be afraid of me, Nora," he whispered.

  Nora ran her hand down his shaft as the tip of it probed her maidenhead.

  "Tell me to stop and I will."

  She smiled up at him, knowing most men would not offer her that. It made her even more tender toward him. "Don't stop."

  He kissed her again, then drove himself deep inside her.

  She tensed at the burning pain of him filling her.

  Ewan whispered sweet encouragements in her ear while he used his tongue to toy with the tender flesh of her neck.

  She panted against the pain and tried to relax as he coaxed her. She had never imagined a man would feel like this, but she was glad it was Ewan who was inside her.

  Glad for the strength of his arms around her and the sound of his deep voice in her ear.

  She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face against his muscled neck and inhaled the warm scent of him. It gave her courage and strength not to push him away.

  She wanted this. She wanted to share her body with him and to have it be Ewan who filled her for the very first time.

  Ewan ached with want as he forced himself not to thrust even deeper into her.

  But it was hard.

  He wanted her in a way unimaginable. She surrounded him with heat, and her breath against his neck sent a thousand chills over him.

  She felt wonderful and he never wanted to let her go.

  "Relax, love," he said gently. "I promise I won't move until you're ready for it."

  He waited until her hold on him loosened. She looked up at him, her face trusting.

  He smiled at her courage and at the sight of her lying underneath him, her body bare and joined to his.

  It was the most incredible thing he'd ever seen. A wave of fierce possession tore through him then, especially when he looked down to see them joined.

  "You feel so strange inside me," she said.

  Ewan laughed at that. He'd never had a woman speak of such things. But then talking was what she did best, and he found her innate curiosity fascinating. She was completely uninhibited with her questions and comments.

  "How do I feel?" he asked.

  "Full and deep. I can feel you all the way to my core."

  He sucked his breath in at her words and the image they created. He liked to hear her speak of such things. "Can you now?"

  She nodded.

  He pulled back, then thrust his hips against hers.

  They moaned in unison.

  "Did that hurt?" he asked
.

  "Nay," she said breathlessly.

  Ewan moved slowly against her, driving himself in as deep as he dared.

  "Oh that feels so good." She sighed. "Is it supposed to be like this?"

  "Are you ever out of questions?"

  "Am I not supposed to talk?"

  Ewan rolled over with them still joined. He sat her on top of him and watched her in the moonlight.

  Her eyes widened even more. "Am I supposed to be up here like this?"

  He actually laughed at that. "Do you like it?"

  She bit her lip and nodded enthusiastically.

  "Then we're supposed to do it."

  Ewan showed her how to ride him slow and easy. He ran his hands down her thighs and watched the way the moonlight cut across her pale skin.

  "May I ask another question?"

  His mind was dazed from the feel of her naked body sliding against his, and it took a few seconds before he could respond. "By all means talk, my lady, if it gives you pleasure to do so. Tell me more about how I feel inside you."

  "You are so hard and strong. I can even feel you throbbing here." She pointed to her lower abdomen.

  She sight of her hand stroking her stomach almost shattered his control. He took her hand into his and led it away before he succumbed too early to the orgasm he longed for.

  Nora wiggled her bottom against him. "What am I supposed to do?"

  He lifted his hips up, driving himself deeper into her. "Whatever you want to do."

  She ground herself against him in a way so sublime that he growled in satisfaction.

  Nora felt so strangely free with him. She ran her hands over the hard muscles of his chest and abdomen. It was so odd to see him lying there under her, between her spread thighs.

  He held her hips in his hands and guided her movements. But what held her transfixed was the bliss on his face. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes dark and unfocused.

  She moaned as he ran his hands up from her hips, to her breasts, where he toyed with their swollen nipples.

  Had anyone ever told her she would sit on a man like this and enjoy it, she would have called him a liar, and yet here she sat with his thick hardness inside her.

  "What do I feel like to you, Ewan?"

  "Wet and soft."

  "Have you been with many women?"

  He stopped moving. "Nay, not many."

  She smiled at that. It made this moment all the more special to her. "I'm glad. I want this to be special between us."

  Ewan cupped her face in his hands. "Believe me, love, it is." He pulled her down and kissed her fiercely.

  Nora trembled at the passion she tasted, at the way he teased her lips with his and twined his tongue around hers. His muscles bulged around her, making her tremble.

  Ewan pulled back from the kiss, then rolled over with her and took control.

  Nora arched her back as he moved faster. Harder. It was as if he were racing for something.

  What was this wondrous sensation of him sliding in and out of her body?

  Every stroke brought more pleasure. Every kiss and touch reverberated through her.

  "Make me yours, Ewan."

  But in her heart, she knew he already had.

  He claimed her lips again as he slammed himself into her even deeper than he'd been before.

  She wrapped her legs around his hips and let his passion sweep her away.

  He lowered his head down to her shoulder and growled as he released himself inside her.

  She drew a ragged breath as he collapsed on top of her and held her tight.

  "Thank you, Nora," he whispered in her ear as he panted fiercely. Then he kissed her lips again in a tender caress that sent chills through her.

  He withdrew from her and rolled over onto his back and pulled her against his side.

  She assumed he was through with her, so it surprised her when he spread her legs and touched the most private place of her body.

  "What are you doing?" she asked.

  "I want you to have your pleasure."

  "I already had it."

  He smiled wickedly at that. "Nay, my innocent dove, you didn't."

  Nora swallowed as his long, lean fingers delved deep into her body. She tensed a bit as they burned the tender flesh of her nether lips.

  "Don't dry out on me, Nora."

  Confused as to what he meant, she frowned.

  Ewan pulled her plaid to him and used it to wipe her between her legs. She blushed at his actions.

  "What are you doing?"

  His eyes were warm. "Trust me. I promise you'll like this."

  He laid his body between her legs and spread her thighs wide.

  Nora's face flamed as she realized he was staring at the center of her body.

  He ran his long, tapered finger down her cleft. She shivered. Then he used his fingers to spread her open and dipped his head down.

  Nora jerked as his mouth covered her. Every nerve ending in her body sizzled as she cried out in surprise. He stroked her with his tongue and lips.

  She hissed and moaned as she cupped his head to her. No longer able to speak, all she could do was feel each and every luscious lick he gave her.

  Who could have imagined? His breath was hot against her bared flesh, and when he slid a finger deep inside her and rotated it, she thought she would die.

  She looked down to see him staring up at her while he tormented her with ecstasy.

  He pulled back, but left his finger inside her. A strange sensation of intimacy overwhelmed her.

  "Don't be embarrassed, dove," he whispered, then he returned to taunt her with his mouth.

  With a mind of its own, her body writhed to his touch and kisses.

  "Oh Ewan," she groaned.

  And as he continued, she found herself unable to speak anymore. Unable to do anything other than feel him. Feel his tongue sliding around her, his finger swirling.

  Her pleasure built to an unimaginable height, until she was sure that she would explode with the weight of it.

  Then, in the span of one heartbeat, she did explode. Her body splintered apart, and she cried out.

  Ewan didn't stop. He stayed there, licking and teasing until she'd come for him twice more.

  When he seemed content to tease her more, she begged him for mercy. "Please, Ewan," she whimpered. "If I do that one more time, I fear I shall die of it."

  He chuckled at her plea, then turned his face to suckle the tender flesh of her thigh.

  Nora lay there, completely spent and weak. She breathed raggedly as Ewan gathered her into his arms and held her close.

  "You weren't jesting," she said while her body slowly returned to normal. "I had no idea that existed."

  He kissed her brow and cradled her head with his hands. "Neither did I," he whispered softly.

  Nora smiled and snuggled into him, wanting to be as close as she could.

  This was the single best night of her life, and she was so glad that she had shared this with him. If tomorrow forced her to marry Ryan, at least she had known one night of true passion. A night of lying in the arms of a man who wanted and respected her.

  She would treasure it always.

  Ewan listened to Nora as she fell back asleep. Guilt and regret overwhelmed him.

  What he had done tonight was inexcusable. He had taken her virginity, something that was a husband's right, not his.

  Her father and betrothed would be furious when they found out.

  A fierce wave of rage swept through him at the thought of another man touching her as he had tonight.

  At the thought of her encouraging another man with her words.

  She was his!

  You've no right to her.

  Besides, what could you offer her?

  Ewan covered them with her plaid and ran his hands through her pale blond hair. He had nothing to offer her. All he knew was what he felt when he held her like this.

  The way he felt every time she looked at him.

  God help them
both, for they were bound to pay for this night. But he would make sure he paid the lion's share of it. No one would ever hurt the lady for what she had given him.

  He would make sure of it.

  Catarina rose just after dawn.

  Everyone was still abed, and she didn't notice that Nora wasn't in her pallet until she grabbed her bucket and headed for the stream for fresh water.

  Whistling the lullaby her mother had taught her, she found Ewan and Nora lying entwined underneath a plaid. Though they were mostly covered, it was still apparent they were both naked.

  And it didn't take a genius to figure out why the two of them were lying naked in the woods underneath a plaid.

  She smiled, then tiptoed silently backward so as not to disturb them.

  Against all Nora's protestations, the lady was enamored of the man.

  Catarina felt a momentary stab of jealousy. How she wished she could find a man of her own to love.

  Still, she wouldn't let that destroy the happiness she felt for Nora. Love was a beautiful thing, and everyone deserved to find her perfect mate.

  She believed in love at first sight. More than that, Cat believed in predestiny. There was someone out there for everyone; one day she would find a love of her own.

  But that would wait.

  Right now Ewan and Nora needed her help.

  "Oh, not that look."

  She turned to see Viktor sitting up in his pallet, looking at her.

  "What look is that?" she asked.

  "You've got mischief on your mind, cherie. Just please tell me it doesn't involve me this time."

  She laughed. "Nay, Viktor, you are safe."

  He let out a relieved breath. "Thanks be for that small favor. So who is the fish about to be snared by your hook?"

  " 'Tis no worry of yours."

  Viktor groaned. "You're planning on putting the two of them together, aren't you?"

  "And if I were?"

  "I think Ewan would rather we have poisoned him than drugged him."

  "Viktor! He loves the lady."

  "Cat," he said, his voice gruff. "I know you've got your mother in you. She let her heart lead her astray, and what did it get her? Other than you, all she's gotten for her wayward love is a broken heart. To this day she waits for your father's notice. Is that what you'd have for the two of them?"

  "My father had no choice of whom he married, but he loved my mother, you know that. Had he been anyone else, he would have married her."