by Jenna Stone
Anna melted into his chest, kissing him back with equal fervor. Her mouth opened for him, and she slid her tongue hungrily into his mouth, wanting to taste him. Her nails scored his chest, his back and his neck, scraping her imprint onto his body, claiming him beneath her fingers.
Rowan let loose a low growl in his throat, succumbing to the intense pleasure of tasting Anna’s sweet mouth.
“I never thought I’d see you again,” Anna’s voice trembled with the weight of her emotions.
He drew away slightly and released a choppy breath, feeling Anna’s body quake beneath his touch. Regaining some of his composure, he kissed her now softly, tenderly, yet no less passionately. Anna moaned softly against him and he just about came undone. He kissed her neck, the tops of her breasts, the fine line of her exposed collarbones. Anna arched back in pleasure and Rowan supported her in his arms, continuing his love play, deepening his torment. It felt so good, so right to have her in his arms again, to be able to do all of the things to her that he had been dreaming of since she had been taken from him.
Well, maybe not all of the things that he had been dreaming about.
Rowan placed a light kiss in the hollow right beneath Anna’s ear, delighting in her sweet feminine scent and feeling how quickly her pulse hammered beneath the touch of his lips. It aroused him further to know that her heart had gone wild just from his kisses, his touches.
“Anna,” he whispered, drawing slightly away from her, but still holding her firmly in his arms. He never wanted to let her go. “I came here tonight because there’s something that I need tae tell ye. I just had tae see ye one more time…” he stammered, looking into her eyes and working hard to get the words out just right. “I had tae see ye one more time before yer marrit…” he swallowed hard, hating the feel of the words on his tongue, “so that I could tell ye what I should have told ye on that day when he came tae take ye away from me.”
‘What do you need to tell me, Rowan?” she asked softly, fitting her arms tightly around his neck and stroking the small hairs as the base of his queue.
Rowan took a deep breath and looked into her eyes, reaching up to touch her cheek ever so lightly. “I need tae tell ye that I love you too,” he whispered, voice tender as he caressed her face. “I tried tae forget ye, tae leave ye be, but I couldna. I just needed tae tell ye.”
Anna smiled slightly, thinking that her heart was about to burst with joy after hearing Rowan’s words.
He loves me.
She reached up on her tippy toes and gently, tenderly kissed Rowan on the lips. “I love you, Rowan,” she whispered against his lips, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. “I tried to move on, tried to push you out of my thoughts, but…”
“Doona cry, love,” Rowan said, using his thumbs to brush away her tears.
“But…when he touches me, it doesn’t feel like that…” Anna stammered, shaken by the feelings that Rowan had so easily aroused within her.
Rowan took a deep breath and looked up into the night sky, saying a silent prayer for strength and guidance before he spoke again. His voice came forth stronger now, firm and assured. “I canna let ye go through with this,” he said, heart torn apart at the idea of losing Anna again, of letting another man marry her. Of letting another man kiss her, touch her, make love to her. He hated knowing that Jonathan had touched her, had kissed her.
Rowan knew in his soul and he was the right man for Anna, that he was the only one that should be doing all of those wonderful things to her. So what if he hadn’t a penny to his name or a means to provide for her. He’d figure that part out later.
“I have to do it, Rowan. You know that I have to,” she said, voice ringing with hurt as she looked up at him. “I signed that contract and if I don’t, my family will be ruined.”
“To hell with that contract!” he raged, body now tense with emotion. “Ye ken as well as I do that he’s not the man that ye should be marrying!”
Fresh tears welled in Anna’s eyes because she knew that Rowan was right. She did not want to marry Jonathan Arbor.
She watched in disbelief as Rowan took her hand into both of his and slowly knelt down onto the forest floor in front of her.
“Choose me, Anna,” he spoke softly, “Marry me.”
***
Rowan pounded on the door of the small chapel, his fist sounding like thunder as it struck the heavy wooden door. After a few minutes a relentless, incessant pounding, they heard the bolt being released on the other side of the door.
A small gray haired man peeked through the crack in the door, trying to use it as a shield to protect himself from the massive intruder that stood glaring down at him.
Rowan used his arm to push open the door, and the small man cowered, still dressed in his sleeping gown and cap. Rowan stepped into the dark chapel, pulling Anna behind him.
“I’m no going tae hurt ye,” he said, seeking to quell the man’s obvious fear. “Are ye a priest?”
“Yes, sir,” the man said most respectfully. “I am a priest.”
“Would ye mind goin’ tae change out of yer night clothes? I want tae make sure that this is most official,” Rowan nodded confidently, looking over at Anna. “We have a present need tae be marrit. Right now.”
“Why right now?” The priest ventured cautiously.
“We don’t have time for questions. Right now,” Rowan demanded, gritting his teeth together in annoyance, challenging the priest to argue with him further.
The small man’s eyes darted over at Anna. “Is this situation agreeable to you, miss? I won’t do it if he’s forcing you,” the man said nervously, having been quite brave to challenge Rowan’s aggressive demands.
“It’s quite agreeable to me,” Anna smiled and looked up at Rowan, patting his arm in an effort to calm him down.
“Well then, let me go change into my robe,” the man said eyes darting from Anna and back to Rowan. “It appears as though I’ll be conducting an impromptu midnight marriage ceremony.”
***
Rowan stood, clasping Anna’s hands in his own, looking at his bride to be. He brushed his thumbs reassuringly over the backs of her small hands, and she smiled up at him in response. Her hazel eyes locked with his, and he felt his heart swell with pride and love as he admired the woman that was to be his wife. Her honey blonde hair fell loosely around her shoulders, and although she was dressed in a simple grey cotton dress, he had never seen a more beautiful woman in all his life.
Damn, she’s so beautiful. I don’t deserve her.
She looked nervous. Hell, he was nervous too.
Rowan leaned down and kissed his bride on the cheek, nuzzled her hair and whispered, “I love ye, Anna. I ken that this is right. We are right.”
“I know. I love you too,” she blushed and squeezed his hands reassuringly.
Rowan nodded to the priest, who cleared his throat and began to read the rights of the marriage ceremony from a small leather bound bible.
Anna’s knees felt weak as she contemplated the journey that she and Rowan were about to embark on. Never had she felt so sure of anything in her life; Rowan was the man that she wanted to marry. She loved this beautiful, stubborn man more than her life. Tuning out the words of the priest, Anna had eyes only for her soon to be husband. She smiled up at him, and Rowan rewarded her with her favorite lop sided grin.
Oh how I’ve missed you!
He wore a white homespun linen shirt that was unbuttoned at the neck, giving her a glimpse of his sun tanned skin and muscled chest. His hair was loosely tied back, but a few of the chestnut strands had escaped from their restraint and he had tucked them haphazardly behind his ear, lending him a rugged look.
Oh how she loved this man.
“Will you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?” the priest asked, snapping Anna back to the present.
Her heart thundered in her chest.
“Aye, I will,” Rowan said, beaming as he looked down at Anna with love in his eyes.
&nb
sp; Anna smiled sweetly and felt her face flush with color.
“And will you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I will,” Anna said, unable to contain the smile that spread from ear to ear as she looked into Rowan’s sparkling green eyes.
Rowan growled low in his throat and used Anna’s hands to pull her into his embrace, settling his lips over hers possessively and kissing his wife soundly.
Anna moved her fingers up his chest and settled her hands behind his neck, leaning into her husband as he kissed her senseless.
“You may kiss the bride,” the priest said quietly.
“That’s precisely what I’m doing,” Rowan paused, smiling against his wife’s lips before he claimed her once again, sliding his tongue into her mouth, possessing her completely.
He reluctantly ended the kiss, and placed one more tender kiss on Anna’s soft lips.
“I love ye,” he whispered, holding his wife against his chest and smiling down at her, eyes filled with happiness. “My wife.”
“I love you too, husband,” Anna said, leaning her head into his chest and squeezing him tightly.
The priest cleared his throat, reminding the happy couple of his presence.
“I’ve a small croft behind the church if you…if you are in need of a place to stay the night. It’s late, and…” he trailed off, wishing to be hospitable, but uncomfortable about the intricacies of relationships between men and women.
“That’s very generous of ye,” Rowan said, still holding Anna contently in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and regarded the priest. “But we need tae be moving on.”
Anna was suddenly glad that Rowan wasn’t looking at her because she knew that her face was a very unattractive shade of crimson. The priest was asking if they needed a place to consummate their marriage!
“I’d like to stay!” Anna said, surprising herself.
“Would ye now?” Rowan asked quizzically, pulling Anna slightly away from his chest and looking down at her. Her face was flushed, and his brave girl wouldn’t make eye contact with him.
She’s nervous.
“Alright, we’ll stay then. Thank ye for the generous offer,” Rowan said as he swooped Anna into his arms and elicited a surprised giggled from his wife.
Chapter Eleven
Rowan slid the key into the lock on the door of the croft behind the chapel. Tucking the key into his pocket, he turned around and whisked Anna into his arms, sealing her protest with a kiss as he stepped over the threshold.
“Ye ken that I’m nothing if not traditional,” he chuckled as he set Anna lightly onto her feet in the dark room. “And its supposed tae be good luck tae carry yer bride over the threshold. We need all the luck that we can get at this point, Anna,” he said eyes stern, alluding to the consequences that they would soon have to face.
Anna stood in the middle of the small room, rubbing her hands over her arms in an effort to get warm. Rowan knelt down at the hearth, and expertly kindled a few sparks into a roaring fire. The fire cast an inviting glow on the small room, revealing gray stone walls and a simple four poster bed covered with a white muslin quilt.
Anna followed Rowan’s gaze and turned to look around the room, eyes settling on the bed and face flushing with color when she thought about what was about to happen in that bed. The room pleased her, it was quaint and cozy, and she was glad that they would not have to spend their wedding night out in the cold, dark forest.
“Come here, love,” Rowan said, extending up his hand towards her. He pulled her gently down onto his lap in front of the fire. “Let’s get you warm,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling at her neck. It felt so good to hold her, so right to have her safely in his arms. Safe for now, he reminded himself.
He placed light kisses across her delicate collar bone, and worked his way slowly up her neck. Liquid fire coursed through Anna’s blood as his lips touched her skin. She reached her arms up behind his neck and held on tightly, as she was afraid that her knees might give out in response to his sweet torment. Rowan drew away and looked down at his wife, eyes clouded with passion. He placed a finger on her full bottom lip, and when she parted her lips willingly in response, he settled his mouth gently atop hers.
Rowan kissed her slowly and tenderly, savoring her silky lips beneath his own. She tasted like sunshine and honey, and as he slid his tongue into her mouth to fully taste her, he thought that he might die from the sheer pleasure. Anna met his kiss with enthusiasm, and she spurred him on with her insistent tongue. She moaned softly against him and leaned into the kiss, driving him wild with desire. Rowan broke away from her, and rested his forehead against hers before placing a chaste kiss on her lips and standing to his full height.
“Ye canna imagine how many times I’ve dreamed of that since we’ve been apart. Ye feel so damn good, and I canna believe that yer mine…” Rowan trailed off, flooded with emotion.
“Stop talking and kiss me again, husband,” Anna said impatiently as she grabbed his queue and pulled his mouth down atop hers.
Rowan growled again and obliged his wife’s request. He kissed her with all of the pent up passion and frustration that he had been harboring since she was taken from him. He claimed her mouth, tasted her sweet tongue and caused her knees to buckle with the passion of his kiss. When rational thought returned to his mind, he broke the kiss, and breathing heavily, looked down at his beautiful bride. He was determined to make this night perfect.
She stared up at him, lips ruddy from his kisses and hazel eyes clouded with passion from his touch.
Rowan had never wanted something so badly in his entire life.
Slowly, Rowan reached out and spun Anna so that her back was to his front. He kissed a trail down her graceful neck and ran his hands across her breasts and over her belly. Anna melted against him, and reached up her hand behind his neck to toy with the small hairs at the base of his skull. She felt his desire pressing against her buttocks, and she pushed against him, eliciting a groan of pleasure from Rowan.
He ran his fingers over her breasts and cupped them through the fabric of her dress. Anna’s nipples stood in response to his touch, and he flicked his thumbs playfully across them. His fingers traced the line of her narrow waist and found the laces at the back of her dress, fumbling to untie them. Her dress finally gave way and he pulled the bodice away from her torso, sliding it inch by inch down her body and over her hips until it lay in a pool around them on the floor.
“Let me look at ye, Anna,” he whispered into her hair as he spun her slowly around to face him.
She was clad now only in her silk chemise, lace rimmed edges cresting the tops of her breasts and thighs. The fabric was so delicate that Rowan could see her up thrust nipples and the blonde hairs shielding her womanhood nestled between her supple thighs. She was exquisite, and his cock pulsed in the restraint of his pants in response to her body.
Anna bit her bottom lip and boldly took the thin fabric of her chemise between her fingers. She slid one arm out of the straps and then the other, clutching the cool fabric to her breasts for a moment as she held Rowan’s gaze. She slid the silky fabric over her breasts and down her body, pushing it over her hips and allowing it to fall to the floor. She stood unashamed and naked in front of her husband.
Rowan stood as still as a statue, eyes burning across the naked skin of his wife. He knew that she was beautiful, but to see her in her full glory took his breath away. Her skin was golden in the firelight, and her long blonde hair cascaded down her back, disheveled from his fingers running through it. Her breasts were full and crowned with taut pink nipples that Rowan knew ached for his touch. The skin of her belly was firm and tapered into a V of curls that shielded her intimate feminine parts, surrounded on either side by perfectly proportioned curvy hips. She was heaven on Earth, and she belonged to him.
Rowan reached out slowly and traced the delicate curve of her side, causing goose flesh to break out on her skin. She took a step towa
rds him and began unbuttoning his shirt, taking her time as she did so. When the last button was undone, she ran her fingers lightly across his chest, brushing his sensitive nipples as she did so, causing him to shiver in response to her touch.
Anna felt powerful as she dropped his shirt to the ground, knowing that her lightest touch could evoke such a strong reaction in such a huge man. Her confidence bolstered by his reaction, she slid her fingers slowly down his chest and beneath the fabric of his pants, pulling them away from his body as she unbuttoned them.
When her fingers faltered with the buttons, Rowan took over, and with her hands atop his, they removed his pants.
Anna gasped involuntarily when she saw his erection break free from the confines of his pants. She took a step back, and her eyes now held a look of fear.
Rowan chuckled softly at her response to him. “Ye were made tae fit me, Anna. Doona fash yerself, I promise…ye were made for me,” he whispered honeyed words in an effort to revive the passion in her eyes.
“I don’t think…” she trailed off, eyes wild with disbelief and unable to find the right words to tell Rowan that there was no way that this could possibly work.
Rowan pulled her towards his chest and wrapped her in his arms, shivering from feeling the expanse of her naked body against the length of his own. “If it makes ye feel any better…this is my first time too,” Rowan revealed his secret, the fact that he was also a virgin.
“How is that supposed to make me feel better? I thought you said that you knew that it would fit!” Anna fretted, now alarmed.
Rowan’s chest shook beneath her cheek as he worked hard to suppress his laughter. “It will, baby, I promise. And it will fell sae good that ye’ll be begging me for it next time,” he vowed, secretly hoping that he wouldn’t hurt Anna. He was a large man, and because her body was petite and fine boned, Rowan knew that he would need to be careful and controlled when he entered her for the first time. He would need to give her time to adjust to him, and he only hoped that his willpower would be sufficient to restrain his instinctual movement.
