by Raina Wilde
“Absolutely not.” Skye stared at Aiden in shock. “I’m not taking my clothes off with you standing here watching.”
“I won’t watch then.” He laughed at her discomfort. “If you don’t want.”
“Go stand over there.” She pointed to the other side of the clearing.
“Then how will your clothes get dry?”
“I’ll hang them.” She pushed against his back. “Now go over there and don’t turn around until I say.”
“Alright.” He crossed to the far side of the spring. “But just so you know, I’ll need to wash as well.” Aiden shot a devilish look over his shoulder that had Skye blushing to her toes. “Don’t worry, the water’s not all that clear. If you stay below the surface I will not see a thing.”
“We can take turns.” Skye cried in panic.
“Not if you want to be back to the castle before sundown, we can’t.” He had a point. If they waited for her clothes to dry, before rinsing his, that process would take all day. With a resigned sigh she began unlacing her vest. At least the leather would rinse clean and dry quickly.
She shuffled back and forth from the spring to a nearby tree. Every few steps she checked to see if Aiden was peeking. True to his word, his gaze remained firmly in the opposite direction. When she finally scuttled back to the spring, her body bare as the day she was born, Skye slipped into the water with a sigh of relief.
Aiden waited a few moments before turning around. Skye crouched a little lower, sinking her shoulders below the milky surface. Aiden smiled and made a motion with his hand that instructed her to turn around and she spun in the water to face the high stone wall from which the water trickled into the pool.
Skye tried to distract herself by scrubbing her face and arms, but every time she heard Aiden at the water’s edge she had to fight the urge to turn and watch him. She untied her hair and released the long braid into the water. She dipped her head beneath the surface and smoothed her hair back from her face. The action had turned her face slightly away from the wall. She caught a glimpse of Aiden, in her peripheral vision, walking away to hang up his kilt. She snuck a quick look at his backside before turning resolutely to face the wall once more.
It was as if the image had been branded in her mind. Aiden’s back was carved with strong muscles that flexed as he moved. A smile crept across her face at the glaring paleness of his buttocks. While much of the rest of him was tanned from the summer sun, that was one place that was not. She heard him slip into the spring behind her and turned to face him, a hint of the smile still on her face.
“You looked.” Aiden accused with a laugh.
“I did not!” She denied. Skye knew that she would deny that glance to her grave if she must. She would not give Aiden the satisfaction of knowing that she had glanced when he had not.
“It’s alright. I don’t mind.” He smiled knowingly.
Skye pushed a spray of water toward him but it fell short. “I did not.” She repeated with less conviction this time.
They sat in silence for a few moments, enjoying the soothing tendrils of the hot water.
“I wanted to thank you for coming to my rescue.” Skye finally spoke.
Aiden shrugged and turned to cross his arms along the ledge at his chest. He rested his chin on his arms before responding. “You didn’t look like you needed much saving.”
Skye’s heart dropped to her stomach. This was exactly the issue her father said men would have with her hunting skills. A man doesn’t want a woman who can save herself and him alongside her. A husband needs to feel needed not inferior to the skills of his wife.
“I’m sorry.” Skye did not know what to say. Should she have waited, helplessly, in that tree until he had come to rescue her? She did not want to image Aiden against five angry wolves. She did not know what was worse, letting him risk his life to save her, or disappointing his opinion of her as a woman.
“You’re sorry?” Aiden stared at her with furrowed eyebrows.
Skye crept through the water to stand beside Aiden at the edge of the pool. She mirrored his position, crossing her arms along the ledge and facing out into the clearing. It was a surprisingly modest way to stand. Her breasts were entirely covered beneath the surface, against the ledge, and the only part of her body that he had direct view of were her arms and shoulders.
She shrugged. “I’m sorry for…” She could not find the words. She was not sorry that she had killed the wolves. She was not sorry for being in the woods. She was only sorry for… being herself. The sentence that she had left hanging told him everything that he needed to know.
Aiden turned toward her with a shocked expression.
“Skye, you can’t be serious,” He brushed her wet hair from her face. “I couldn’t be more happy that you are able to take care of yourself. If anything, I’ve realized how frightening it would have been if you couldn’t. All these thoughts keep running through my mind… What if you couldn’t climb that tree because you were wearing a gown? What if you were stuck up there for days because you did not have your bow, or if your quiver had emptied?” He ran a hand over his face. “If you were any other woman, you’d be dead. If…”
“If I were any other woman I would not have been out there.” She cut him off, her head hung low with shame.
Aiden grasped her by the shoulders and turned him toward her. Instinctively her arms moved to cover her breasts beneath the water.
“A lot of women venture into the forest, most of them, at some point. Look at Cat, she would have died from those very same wolves if Greum hadn’t been there, and there aren’t many of us that can take three grown wolves alone.” His hand beneath her chin forced Skye to look at him. “I’m glad that you are safe in the forest. It’s only that I’ve realized how much it would matter to me if something had happened to you.”
Never before would Skye have thought that she would hear such words. Never, would she have expected such a level of understanding and care. Skye moved her hands from where they covered her body and placed them on Aiden’s chest. She stepped forward in the warm water until her body pressed against his. Not once did either of them look away. It was as if neither could move, or blink, their gazed locked on one another for fear that this might be a hoax.
Skye felt the soft tissue of her breasts come to rest against the firm muscles of Aiden’s chest. She could tell that he was waiting, in shock, to see what she intended by this move. Skye had never been more certain of anything in her life. She wanted Aiden, all of Aiden. For the first time she realized that there did exist a man who could make her a happy wife, a man who could appreciate her wild nature, while enjoying her moments of feminine beauty as well. Skye was his. She knew this deep in her soul. She would belong to him until her dying day, and she wanted to start now.
Skye slid her hands around his shoulders, using the leverage to pull herself against him. She could hear the shallow breaths that he was trying to control as her pelvis came into contact with his manhood. Skye felt the pulse of his reaction against her.
She brought her lips to the hollow of his neck. Aiden remained still, the effort of restraint taking all of his focus.
She trailed her kisses up his neck, over the sharp ridge of his chin, and across his cheek.
“Aiden, I want you to make love to me.” She whispered into his ear.
Aiden arms straightened and he held her away from him. “Skye…”He looked at her with a warning glance. Despite his protest she could see the desire burning in his eyes, especially since the movement had raised her body slightly higher in the water. She grinned with satisfaction when his gaze flickered momentarily to her exposed breasts.
“Aiden,” she repeated, “Are you going to make me ask again?”
His muffled, No was swallowed by the force of their kiss. Aiden’s arms wrapped around her waist and he lifted her against him with one swift motion. The water suddenly felt cold compared to the heat of their skin against each other. Skye gasped as she felt the full effect of his hardness against her. S
he reveled in the sensation of his hands brushing over her bare skin. Her own hands wandered their own paths along his body, exploring every inch within reach as if they had a mind of their own.
When her hand closed around him, Aiden’s groan of pleasure gave Skye a confidence that she had not known existed. She allowed her fingers to play along the length of him until he pulled her hand away, and lifted her against him, wrapping her legs in a firm grasp around his waist.
Aiden’s mouth plied her with vigor. His hands cupped her bottom as he moved to press her back against the far stone wall. The fall of water landed a few feet away but neither of them took note. They were lost in a world of sensation, each moment seeming to last an eternity, and yet, never quite long enough.
When he finally began to ease himself inside of her it was with a slow pressure that made Skye want to thrust her hips against his. When he came to rest against the tenuous barrier that was her virginity, Skye felt only a moment’s sharp pain before the pleasure of Aiden inside of her returned. His movements were slow, and steady. The patience with which he built her orgasm was saintly. Aiden had Skye veritably begging for mercy before he brought them both to the brink of ecstasy. Skye’s legs tightened around him and she threw her head back and cried out with pleasure. Aiden, who had one hand on the wall beside her head, and the other cupping her hip and guiding her movements, pressed himself so fully against her that Skye thought that she might be crushed into the wall.
They remained in that position for a long while before either was willing to move. When they finally separated, Skye moved tentatively around the pool, testing her sore body. After a few moments she smiled shyly at Aiden, who was watching her with a look of pure happiness across his face.
He glided over to her and held her face in his damp hands.
“I’m completely in love with you, Skye Laramie.” His eyes watched her own happy expression roll over her face.
“And I you, Aiden MacConaill.” She laughed with pure joy against his kiss.
It was nearing midday when they finally returned to the castle. Skye hid her clothing, once again, under the cloak before sneaking through the deserted corridors to her chambers. She wondered where everyone was and, dressing quickly, was determined to make sure that they had not been missed.
As it turned out, Teirnan had in fact been looking for her for a short while. Skye said a word of thanks that it had not been long enough for him to suspect her absence. One of her brother’s men met Skye in the great hall and instructed her to join the others in the courtyard.
When Skye entered the courtyard she was surprised to see a large caravan of travel-ready horses waiting in a line. She stepped tentatively into the sunlight, her brain trying to process the situation at hand. They had not planned to leave for another fortnight, she reminded herself. Perhaps Teirnan was merely sending a supply of goods to the estate ahead of their party to make better time.
She looked up to see Aiden standing beside his brothers, a look a pure anxiety on his face.
Skye lifted her skirts and stepped quickly down the staircase. She adjusted the shawl over her shoulders to mask the pale marks that had been left from the stone wall in the spring. She skin stung as the fabric slid across it.
Though she walked toward her brother, her eyes never left Aiden’s. It was clear that he already had an idea of what was going on in the courtyard.
“Skye…” Teirnan spoke tentatively. “I’m sending you home with the supplies, and you must go without argument.”
Her eyes snapped to her brother’s face; the serious look on it told her that there was no hope of persuading him otherwise. Had she and Aiden been seen? Had her brother found out about their indiscretions? Skye felt bile rise in her throat. Had they been witnessed at the spring?
She could not formulate a response. Instead, Skye stood there in silence, trying to make sense of why she and Aiden would be such a terrible issue. It was a match her father could not complain of in the least.
Teirnan continued, “Father’s made you a match and he requests your presence immediately.”
The news washed over Skye like a tidal wave. If she had been asked later, she would have claimed that the entire earth shook beneath her.
Her eyes brimmed with tears that she refused to let spill. She blinked them back and looked proudly at her brother.
“I won’t go.” She argued.
Teirnan’s arms wrapped around her and from over his shoulder Skye could see Aiden taking deep, measured breaths. Deirdre’s face was turning between the two of them before she eventually clapped her hand over her mouth with a gasp of sadness.
“I’m sorry, Skye.” Her brother tried to soothe her. “You’ve been promised. I thought you’d have more time as well but father has made his decision. Your things are being packed as we speak.”
At that very moment the tanner’s son skipped into the courtyard carrying the wolf pelts from that morning. Skye had nearly forgotten about that debacle until she watched the beautiful furs being laid out before The MacConaill. The lad explained how they were to be gifts to the Laird once they had been properly cured and cleaned. Skye realized that Aiden must have left them with the tanner to cover their involvement in the event.
“Yes. Yes.” The Laird said distractedly, still focusing on Skye’s sudden departure. His mouth was set in a thin line as if he did not like the idea himself. “Have them prepared and wrapped in pairs. It’ll be two for Kenzie’s future wife and two for Aiden’s. Have the spare one made into something nice for Deirdre” The MacConaill had made the statement in an offhand way, clearly valuing the fair distribution considering that Greum’s wife had recently received two of her own. Upon his words, though, Aiden’s jaw dropped in an impeccable representation of pure agony. Deirdre gasped aloud this time, before pulling her visibly shaken brother forcibly out of the courtyard.
Skye watched the young boy exit through the gates toward the village. Two for Aiden’s wife. The words rang in her head like a never-ending chorus. She knew that the Laird had been referring to some distant match, but Skye’s mind was already imagining Aiden with a wife beside him. It was not her.
Skye took a deep breath to collect herself. She walked through the crowd, saying her goodbyes with as much conviction as the situation would allow. She was glad that Deirdre had taken Aiden away. Skye could not imagine saying a farewell to him. With one last look at the castle, one final imagining of what her life might have been like here, she allowed herself to be lifted onto the seat of the cart and driven away toward her demise.
***
On the eve of her wedding, one week later, Skye stood alone in her mother’s chambers. In the morning she was to marry some nameless, faceless man whom her father had chosen. Her father had tried to share information about her groom, but Skye was not interested in listening. She vaguely remembered that he had the largest flock of sheep on MacConaill land. He was probably a hundred years old, she guessed. Well, at least there would be no need for fur pelts with a surplus of wool, she thought with a dejected tone.
Skye sipped the glass of wine in her hand. She stared deeply into the fire and saw… nothing.
It was as if her entire future had ceased to exist. Everything that she had planned and imagined was now swept away into this life that her father had created for her. Skye turned to face her mother’s gown, which hung with prominence on the far wall.
“Is this what you’d want for me?” she asked the empty room. “I don’t think you would.” She whispered.
There was a loud rap on the door and, when Skye did not answer, it opened.
“Oh, Mistress!” the serving maid exclaimed. “Why are you not below for the celebration? The guests have begun to arrive.”
Skye drained her wineglass and stared at the woman out of the corner of her eye.
“If you married my bridegroom, he wouldn’t know the difference.” She spoke in a blunt voice.
“No, maybe not.” The maid laughed. “But he sure does seem excited to be
here. Maybe you can put on a similar face?”
Skye revealed a comical grimace as she miserably feigned excitement.
“Well, mayhaps this will cheer you up.” The maid opened the door and two men carried a chest into her chamber. “It’s full of gifts from your groom. They said there was a coverlet in here. I was going to put it on your bridal bed while you were away.”
Skye made a motion for the maid to do as she pleased. The idea of her wedding night held no appeal after giving herself to Aiden. She wondered if the knowledge that she was not a virgin would bother her future husband. Skye found that she did not care.
She heard the lock of the chest click open and the maid’s gasp as she raised the lid.
“How beautiful!” The woman exclaimed. Skye could not find the desire to turn and look at whatever beautiful gifts lay inside. “Look.” The maid appeared at her side with something large draped over her arm. Skye cast a sideways glance and saw a monstrous wolf pelt stretched out beside her. The glass dropped from her hands and shattered on the floor at her feet.
“Mistress!” the maid exclaimed, moving to clear away the pieces that lay on the floor.
Skye was not paying attention; she had snatched the wolf pelt from her arm and was examining it with care. She rushed over to the chest and saw another, smaller pelt laying among the items.
“That one isn’t as nice,” the maid explained, “it’s a little tattered, but we’ll turn it into something beautiful.
“It’s from bear claws.” Skye spoke as if the torn furs were the most highly prized treasure. “Bear claws do this.”
“Hmph.” The maid grunted. “Well it’s a shame you won’t be hunting anymore because…”
But Skye never heard the rest of that sentence because she was already rushing out the door and down the staircase, the tattered scrap of fur clutched to her chest as her hopes soared through the ceiling.
When she skidded to a halt in the dining hall, she knew that she looked as frazzled as she felt. She was panting and staring through the crowd as she scanned face after face in hope that she might see Aiden amongst them.
