by K. E. Saxon
She nodded. Daniel lifted her bare hips and brought the girdle around them. He took his time closing the clasp, his fingers softly caressing the hot skin just above the hair that covered her pubic bone.
She shivered.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, as, with avid interest, he artfully arranged the ornament to his liking. The heat of her skin contrasted sharply with the coolness of the metal and goose bumps spread over her skin, making his mouth water for another taste of her. The need to fulfill her overrode all of his previous chaste plans and with barely a nod to the warning bells clanging in his head, he gave in to his desire. He dipped his head and suckled first one, and then the other of her hardened nipples before making a nibbling path down her torso to where the silver clasp lay cradled between her pelvic bones.
“Daniel!” She gasped, her stomach aquiver.
“Mmmm,” he moaned. He stroked his tongue along her skin, following the outline of the girdle. Spreading her thighs, he moved between them and rubbed his nose and mouth through the soft, humid hair he so admired, breathing deeply. “You smell like honeysuckle and sex. I know you’re tender, but I want to taste you,” he said before beginning his long siege and greedy feast.
She came within the first few strokes.
Gratified by his wife’s passionate nature, but not yet near satiated, he continued his assault, devoting his attentions to the crenelated lips and acutely sensitive hooded nub of her desire. Mindful of Maryn’s tender tissues, Daniel did not delve too deeply, instead, softly stroking his tongue along the entrance of her canal to drink eagerly of her love juices.
She came twice more, and Daniel was beginning a fourth sensual assault when she cried out breathlessly, “Nay, no more, I beg you. I’m too weak.”
Rolling to his back, he obliged his wife, though he was quickly becoming addicted to giving her orgasms. Unfortunately, it would be a while before he’d have another himself, as he now desired only to be fulfilled by her. Sighing, and knowing he’d played with fire that morn, he decided they’d best rise and start their day. “I’ve lain abed too long this morn. I must get to the training field.”
*
Maryn was still recovering from her husband’s sensual assault. She lay on her side facing him, but her eyes refused to open. “I wish you would forego your duties today. After all, last night was our much-delayed wedding night,” she said. “Will you not stay here with me instead—just for a while at least?
Tipping his head to his visibly throbbing manhood, he said, “There is naught I would like to do more, as you can see,” he said, “but I fear if I stay, you will be crippled for life by my manly attentions. Nay, the best course of action is for your tempting body to remain out of my wicked sight, at least until this eve. Now, do me the favor of clothing yourself before I renege on my good intentions.” With a sound pat on her behind he rolled her towards the side of the bed and forced her to rise.
Her wobbly legs would not support her weight. She lost her balance, falling ignominiously back on the bed.
He howled with mirth, so Maryn poked his steely abdomen with her elbow. “‘Tis entirely your fault, know you this well!”
Clearly more entertained by her outburst than remorseful, he laughed even louder and grabbed her by the waist, hauling her under him. Before she had time to react, he took both her wrists in one of his and held them high above her head while he tickled her ribs with the other. “Now you shall taste my swift reprisal for your offense, my lovely,” he said, his voice filled with evil mischief.
She screamed and tried to twist away from his devil-hands. “Daniel,” she gasped out between fits of giggles, “stop, or you shall make me wet myself!”
With a wicked grin he answered, “I shall stop when you tell me I am your master and that my wish is your command!”
“Nev-ha-ha-Never!”
When this only made him cackle with glee, she tried to buck him off of her and he went rigid, giving out a guttural groan. His erection surged against her, making her suddenly and keenly aware of the fact that he was now snugly cradled between her thighs. His hand stilled on her puffing rib cage, cradled just under her bosom, and before she knew his purpose, his thumb stroked one of the tight, sensitive peaks. The dark centers of his eyes grew large and his nostrils flared. “Daniel….” Her voice sounded shaky, unsure even to her own ears.
Jerking away and rolling onto his back, he threw his arm over his eyes. His breathing labored, he gritted his teeth and ground out, “Cover yourself, I beg you, while I still have strength enough to control my actions.”
Maryn knew her body was not yet ready to take him inside again, yet she wanted to relieve the agony of his unsatisfied desire, but knew not how to go about it. She’d only allowed herself a few glimpses of his manhood after her first awe-struck sight of it the night before, because she had simply been too embarrassed and afraid that he might catch her staring at it to study it more closely. She was fascinated by it, however. And she had been a bit apprehensive in the beginning after he’d undressed. After all, his size matched his build. But his gentle and thorough loving of her had quickly overcome her anxieties and after the pain of his initial entry, they’d fit together perfectly.
Now, she looked her fill, taking advantage of the fact that her husband had his eyes covered. His manhood was blatantly displayed, rising up like an incarnadine monolith from its nest of dark auburn hair. The rounded sacks nestling beneath the muscular column were a curiosity to her as well. An overwhelming desire to stroke its length, to cradle and caress the ruddy pouches in her hand brought a flush to her cheeks.
All at once she knew what she wanted to do: put it in her mouth and taste him as he’d tasted her. A thrill of excitement and daring ran down her spine. Surely, as his lips had pleasured her, so, too, might her own bring him a like pleasure? Not allowing herself time to be vanquished by timidity, she leaned over her husband and lifted the heavy, thick shaft into her mouth, sucking lightly, as he had done to her sensitive sex earlier.
*
“Aaahhhhhhhh,” Daniel bellowed and bucked, flinging his arm away from his face as a jolt of hot and cold delight convulsed through him. His heart slammed against his rib cage as he splayed the fingers of both hands through her silken bronze curls, now lusciously tickling his abdomen and inner thighs. Surprised and enchanted by his almost-chaste wife’s generous loving, he held her head as the gentle suction of her warm, wet mouth made goose bumps along his legs and arms, and sent his scrotum high against the base of his erection.
“Your lips are pure magic,” he said, his voice strangled. Swallowing hard, his head flew back of it’s own volition. “Ahhh!” He sucked air threw tightly clenched teeth as a feeling of rapture swept through him. With each protracted moment of undiluted bliss, his need for release grew higher and higher, until he at last frantically instructed, “Grip…your hand…ah!…around me and …oh, God!…move your mouth…up and down,”
She lifted her head and caught his enraptured gaze. Even through the haze of his desire, he saw the twinkle in her eye as she quipped, “You are my master, your wish is my command.”
Daniel’s laugh was more a gasp.
And then, bless her, she did exactly as he requested.
In a silent plea for her to take more of him, he put pressure on the back of her head. A delighted moan erupted from his throat when she slid another length of him into her mouth. With sights seized by her avid ministrations, he ground out, “That feels so good.” Blood of Christ! It looked and felt just as he’d fantasized. Those gorgeous lips of hers circling his phallus, enjoying him as she’d done the mutton the day they were wed. God, how he loved this woman.
*
Maryn savored her husband for a few long minutes more, learning by his eager reactions and agitated breathing what pleased him most. When she tried the tactic that he’d used on her, circling the sensitive head of his erection with her tongue until she’d at last come back around to the crease of skin on the underside of it, and then stroked he
r tongue up and down that seam while she sucked him, he came so hard he nearly jerked out of her mouth. The hot, salty seed splashed the back of her throat, causing her to swallow convulsively, and the remainder trailed down onto her hands as she continued milking him. When he at last relaxed, his eyes closed and his lungs blowing, she released her hold. While he was still drugged from the euphoria of release, she left the bed and rinsed her hands and face, bringing back a cool, damp cloth, in replication of his own ministrations the eve before.
“Arghh! That’s cold!” He shot up into a half-sitting position. “Do you try to unman me, woman?” He grabbed the cloth, threw it aside and collapsed back to the bed.
Crushed, Maryn’s eyes misted.
His expression immediately softened. “Pray, pardon me, love.” He drew her down to him and held her against his chest, resting her head under his chin. “I know you meant well, but my skin is still too hot from your incredibly skilled attentions.” He tipped her head up, looking into her eyes as he murmured, “I must say, I am awed and humbled, and deliriously gratified by your generous loving my sweet, sweet, sweet, Maryn,” and then he kissed her.
When he moved away to nuzzle the hollow of her neck, she teased, “So, I suppose you are telling me that I did not gobble you too quickly?”
“Nay.” She felt him grin against her ear. “In fact there were moments when I felt you were not gobbling quickly enough.”
They both laughed.
Filled with a sense of contentment at the newfound intimacy they shared, Maryn was also quite pleased when Daniel did not again mention his duties.
*
When they arrived in the great hall later, they found Lady Maclean busily directing the maids in their duties. She gave the two of them a knowing look and asked if they’d like for her to call for some food to be laid out. She laughed when they both enthusiastically endorsed the idea and gave instructions to a passing servant to give to the cook.
“You are looking in good health this morn, Grandmother Maclean,” Maryn said to fill the awkward silence.
“Aye, I’m feeling right as a fiddle now that you’ve returned back where you belong, lass.”
Maryn felt a pang of guilt, she had not thought of the way Grandmother Maclean would feel at her departure and now realized that the older woman had likely believed she’d been deserted as well. Maryn did not know how to begin to apologize for her actions; she had not even had “the discussion” yet with her husband. Glancing at him, she realized he’d just thought of the same thing. Damn! Now she’d be forced to listen to a lecture while she ate.
She saw him give his grandmother a stern look and in the next instant, Lady Maclean said, “I just remembered: I must tell the spinners not to use all the crimson woolen thread for the solar’s window covering, as I’ve need of it for a new cloak as well.” She scurried from the chamber.
“My, ‘tis quite warm in here of a sudden, is it not?” Maryn said, her voice strained from the breath lodged in her chest. “I wonder if the fire has been stoked too high.” Rushing over to the hearth, she affected a great interest in the size of the flames. Her nerves became more frayed with each passing second of her husband’s continued silence, but she refused to look at him. Instead, she roamed the chamber, casually inspecting the tapestries that hung upon the walls.
She felt the weight of his gaze as he followed her jittery movements and it made her palms sweat. Stopping before the last of the woven wallcoverings, which depicted a forest dell, Maryn pretended a deep curiosity in it—until she realized a very bare-breasted maiden lay in the center, her musician lover playing a tune on his harp. Momentarily agog, her eyes remained fastened on the lewd scene until heat rushed up her body from toe to head. She swirled away from the sensual display and her nose slammed into her husband’s chest. She sneezed. How had he come up to her so silently?
He chuckled, lifting his arms to steady her and pulling her close, he caressed her shoulders. Bending his head down, he nuzzled her ear and murmured low, “After the wonton way I was taken by you this morn, I’m a bit surprised that you can still embarrass so easily over a bit of erotic needlework. I admit, it excites me immeasurably.”
The voluptuous sensation of Daniel’s lips and breath against her ear caused a delicious tremor to zing! from that sensitive appendage, down her neck, and directly into her limbs. The vibration of his voice moving through her hearing canal made her sex throb. Locking her arms around his waist, she held tight, enjoying the warmth of him.
When he returned the embrace and rested his chin on the top of her head, an immense feeling of safety and joyful ease filled her. After a moment of contented silence, she said softly, “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Then, sighing loudly, he gave her waist a small squeeze and said less gently, “But I’ve serious worries about your careless disregard for your own safety, Maryn.”
Her shoulders sagged, but she nodded in understanding, knowing she could delay the discussion no longer.
A servant arrived with the trenchers just then and Daniel stepped back a bit. Taking her hand in his, he led her to the table. After they were both seated and had begun their meal, he said, “What on earth possessed you to run off with no escort and no weapon with which to protect yourself?”
Bristling at the severity of his tone, Maryn opened her mouth to answer him.
“Nay, allow me to finish,” he said. “Do not even attempt to give me the excuse that you and I were at sixes and sevens; that is no justification for slipping away in the manner you did.” He slammed his fist down on the table, causing it to quake. “Do you not know the danger you placed yourself in? When I think of the countless ways you could have been maimed, or… worse….”
Her husband’s agitated state stifled the irritation Maryn felt at his overbearing manner. All at once, she understood that his attitude sprung from fear for her safety—and not the need to dominate her will, as she’d at first believed. Taking hold of his fist, she held it in both of hers and softly soothed it open with gentle strokes. “I was a fool; I see that now. What might I do to calm your fears? If I pledge to you that I shall never act so rashly again, will you accept it? If you will, I most fervently give that pledge to you now.” Lifting his calloused palm to her mouth, she gave it a gentle, loving kiss. “In my defense, you should know that I did have a weapon. I keep a dirk hidden in the lining of my cloak. ‘Twas with me that day. And, forget not, I am quite familiar with the land between here and my father’s holding. ‘Tis truth that I took the safest, quickest route.”
He brought his hand to her face, capturing her gaze. “I shall accept your pledge and the sincerity behind it, for, I confess, I would get no rest if I believed that you might take it into your head to tear around the countryside alone again.”
Maryn smiled and tucked her cheek more snugly into his open palm, pressing it affectionately against her face. “My thanks.”
The remainder of the meal was spent in good-humored companionship. They discussed the course Daniel planned on taking with the clan and Maryn was struck once more by his natural leadership ability. She believed the Macleans had been very fortunate to make a contract for her husband’s lairdship. They would benefit greatly over the two years of his tenure and she was proud that she would be here to witness it.
As the trenchers were being taken away, Daniel sat forward and placed his hand on her cheek, lightly tracing her bottom lip with the rough pad of his thumb. “I hope, after all that has happened between us in the past two days, that you at last understand with whom my heart and desire dwells.” He lifted his eyes from her mouth to gaze directly into hers. “You gave me your pledge, and here is mine: From this moment forward, I shall take your word above all others.”
Maryn was filled with joy at Daniel’s solemn oath. She rose from her seat, sank into his lap, and planted the deepest, sexiest kiss she could manage on his enthusiastic lips.
Long minutes later, he broke the embrace, saying gruffly, “I must now attend to my duties
and meet with my lieutenant.”
Maryn leaned into him and dragged his head down for another blazing kiss, but he only gave her a quick peck on her mouth, before turning his face away. “Nay, no more, love.”
“Truly? You cannot spare a quarter-hour more for your newly-initiated wife?” Maryn asked.
“Nay, my love, I cannot. For one more kiss will surely break my will, I trow. I would no doubt toss you over my shoulder and take you back to our chamber to kiss you in more intimate places.”
Maryn’s blood rushed, but she sighed and nodded in understanding. “All right.”
With long strides, her husband hurried out the arched doorway of the great hall without another word.
Maryn rushed to follow. “Farewell, my love!” she called to him as he swung the door to the keep open.
He halted and turned back to her, waiting as she sped toward him. When she stood before him once more, he smiled and said, “Farewell, sweetheart,” and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before trotting down the steps and jogging toward the outer bailey.
Maryn sighed and leaned against the doorframe, pressing her hot cheek against the cool wood. She looked longingly at her retreating husband. She had duties awaiting her as well, but there was an overwhelming need inside her to be near him. When he’d at last vanished from view, she turned, intent now on going about her own daily tasks. But the rest of the day, her thoughts remained divided between banal occupations and sizzling reveries featuring her naked husband.
*
Prior to supper two days later, Maryn walked to Jesslyn’s cottage in the hope of bringing about a truce. She held great affection for Alleck and wanted him to be included at the evening meals again as it seemed shameful to punish the bairn for the actions of his elders.
She took a deep breath and knocked on the door, hoping she would not meet with instant enmity. But to her surprise, the woman who answered looked more beaten and wearied than hostile, which served to soften Maryn’s feelings toward her.
