He stretched out his long legs and crossed his feet at the ankles. “My da and mum were verra happy together. She died from an infected foot when she accidentally cut herself with an axe. Da was verra upset at her, since he’d forbidden her to use the ax.” He shook his head. “She was a stubborn woman. Da was crushed when she died. I was about twelve years, and Alasdair only ten.”
“Do ye have any other brothers? Or sisters?”
“Nay. There were two wee lasses who died as infants. They were both born before me, so I never kenned them.”
Katie squealed as another flash of lightning lit up the room. She took a deep breath. “That was a close one.” Her voice shook, almost drowned out by the following clap of thunder.
Evan rested his chin on her head. “When I was a bairn, my mum told us that thunder was God playing with the angels on their bowling green up in heaven.”
Katie giggled. He smiled at the sound. ’Twas good to hear her laugh in the midst of her fright.
“Do ye think we will be able to leave soon?” She stared at him, the pulse in her neck jumping.
From what? Fear? Anticipation?
He studied her for a minute, not sure how she would take his words. “Nay. I dinnae think we’ll be able to leave until morning.”
She sucked in a deep breath, and her eyes grew wide. “In truth?”
“Aye.” He reached out and twirled one of the locks that had slipped from her topknot to her shoulder. “This is not familiar ground for either of us, and we passed a number of small ravines and creeks on our way here. Rapid water drowns more people than swimming in the lochs. ’Twill be dark soon and not at all safe to travel.”
He looked down at her, attempting to assess her reaction at his words. “I’m afraid we’re here for the night, lass.”
Chapter Eighteen
Katie’s heart sped up. Spend the night here…with Evan…just the two of us?
She studied his face and saw nothing to make her believe he had planned this. Which was, of course, stupid, since the man might be an arrogant and overbearing laird, but surely he could not control the weather and call up a storm.
“Verra well. At least we’ve had a decent meal.” She looked around the room which had grown smaller after Evan’s words. She glanced down at the worn mattress and one blanket he’d dragged out, and swallowed.
Evan reached out his hand and took hers. “Do not fash yerself, lass. Nothing will happen that ye dinnae want.”
Katie gave a very unladylike snort at that remark. Needless to say, she wanted Evan. What woman this side of the grave would not want to spend a night—alone—with this man? Just the thought of him placing his hands on her body. Her naked skin. She shuddered and shifted away from him, giving herself some room to breathe.
She raised her chin, hoping to seem unconcerned, and said, “What are the sleeping arrangements?”
He attempted to look serious but a slight smirk appeared. “There is only one mattress and one blanket, and not enough peat to burn through the night. We have to sleep together to conserve our warmth.”
She gave him a stiff nod. “There is yer tartan, also.”
“Aye.”
“I understand. We are two adults. We can certainly comport ourselves with honor.” She cringed at the stupidity of her words.
He placed his knuckle under her chin and raised her head. “Ye have nothing to fear from me, lass.”
“Of course not.” Despite her attempted bravado, suddenly the storm was not the most frightening thing in her mind. More frightening than what was going on outside the walls was what could happen inside the walls. Well, she was no squeamish miss. She could certainly keep her head around Evan. Even if they were sleeping side by side. She was strong and determined, and would not do something that she would regret in the morning.
Probably said at least once by every woman since Eve.
Katie rose from the sofa and wandered to the window, refusing to look at the mattress lying on the floor, beckoning her to throw caution to the winds. “It looks like the rain is easing up. Perhaps we can still make it back.” Just then, a bolt of lightning hit the tree outside the cottage, and the clap of thunder accompanying it made her jump back so far, she slammed into Evan, who had followed her.
He wrapped his arms around her. “Easy, lass.” He ran his hands up and down her arms, and she leaned back, into his warmth. “Come, sit on the sofa. If it pleases ye, I can sleep there, and ye take the mattress. I’ve slept in much worse conditions. I just dinnae want ye to go racing through the door into the storm. I will not touch ye inappropriately.”
“Nay?” She didn’t ken whether she was happy or insulted. Didn’t he feel the same stirrings as she did?
“Not unless ye want me to,” he added with a straight face. But his eyes said something very different.
Back to that again. Dinnae the man ken she wanted to experience what she thought would follow his lovely kisses, but giving her consent made her feel wicked? Not that she wished to be forced, and she kenned in her heart Evan was not the sort of man to force a woman.
Evan lit the two candles they’d found, which gave the room a soft glow. They continued to study the rain pouring down. Evan rested his arm across the back of the sofa and began to fiddle with her hair. He was slouched on the sofa, his legs stretched out before him, very much the image of a man at rest. Except she felt the tension in his body.
It matched her own.
“One kiss?”
She jumped at his words, being so caught up in her own worries. Although the words were whispered, she felt as though he had shouted it loud enough for those in the castle to hear. She licked her dry lips. “What?”
Evan leaned forward, staring directly at her lips. “One kiss?”
Nay! her brain cried. But before she could think on the matter, her lips parted and she breathed out the word, “Aye.”
Slowly and gently, he cupped her face and lowered his mouth. She stared at his lips until she couldn’t see them anymore, then closed her eyes. And told herself she would not be affected by this kiss. She would not lose her head. She would not enjoy it, even. She would let him kiss her, and then she would sit back and return to the fascinating pastime of watching the rain fall.
Her heart sped up, and her breathing increased. Goodness, his lips were warm. Full and soft. She began to count to keep her mind focused, since her body was already humming. After she reached thirteen, she forgot what came next when he nudged her lips and swept into her mouth with his wicked tongue.
Someone moaned. It might have been her. She felt his smile against her mouth as he pulled her closer. Should she allow that? Their bodies met when he crushed her breasts against his hard chest.
Another moan, and another smile. Where was she in her counting? Oh yes. Thirteen. Or was it twenty-three?
“Relax, lass.” Evan pulled away from her mouth and began to kiss her cheeks, jawline, and the very soft and sensitive skin under her ear. Her hands moved up to grip his shoulders, and she was quite certain she was pulling him toward her. Since they were already plastered against each other, there was nowhere for him to go. Except inside her.
Oh, goodness! Where did that thought come from? Quickly. She must push that idea to the back of her mind. Along with the mattress on the floor and how warm she’d grown from that wee fire in the grate.
“Stop thinking. I can hear yer brain talking,” Evan mumbled against her lips.
Thinking? She still couldn’t remember what number she was at to keep her mind focused. It seemed her brain had walked off and returned to the castle, which was where she should be right now. Away from this man and his temptation and behind the securely locked door of her bedchamber. With, perhaps, a chair pushed in front of it. Dressed in several layers of clothing.
It amazed her with how loud the storm had seemed such a short time ago that now all she coul
d hear was her heart thumping and the rapid breaths coming from both her and Evan.
“Ye need to remove yer coat, lass. ’Tis quite warm in here.”
“Aye. It has grown quite warm.” She repeated his words because she had forgotten most of her own vocabulary.
He helped her out of her coat. In a daze she watched him toss it on the arm of the sofa. Then he removed his tartan, which joined her coat. Next he removed his cravat to reveal the skin at his neck. Darker than hers. Her eyes moved down to the curly hair that rose from his linen shirt.
He grinned as he watched her watching him. “Aye. Ye like what ye see, lass?”
Her eyes flew up to his, but before she could offer a retort, he pulled her against him, his fingers linking at the base of her spine. “I hope ye like what ye see.” He smoothed the hair back from her forehead. “At least as much as I like what I see.” His head dipped and his mouth covered hers hungrily, his lips hard and searching.
His mouth left hers to nibble at her earlobe. “I love the taste of ye. The softness of yer skin.”
She soon found herself sprawled on top of him. When did he lie down?
Her hands roamed his shoulders, his sinewy muscles rippling under her touch. Even through his linen shirt, she could feel the warmth from his body. He returned once more to her mouth, and she quivered at the soft tenderness of his kiss. Unlike the others.
The room was growing warmer every minute, but all she could think about was this man, his lips, and how wonderful he made her feel. She hadn’t noticed his nimble fingers unfastening her frock until he pushed the bodice down, and he stared at her breasts through the almost invisible chemise, his lips curled in a slight smile. “Beautiful.”
She should be concerned. She should pull back, stop this nonsense right now, adjust her dress, and put an end to this. But why deny herself what he had her aching for? She would never marry, and at least this would give her something to hold onto once he left.
What number was she at again?
…
I should not be seducing the lass.
Evan had repeated the words to himself ever since he lowered his mouth to hers for the “one kiss.” He kenned as well as she that there would not be just one kiss.
His desire—and need—had reached the point where he just had to kiss the lass again. Of course, he could control himself if she truly said “nay,” but everything in her response to him screamed “aye.”
He moved back and viewed her breasts, which were nicely presented to him from the top of her stays. The thin chemise underneath covered nothing and only whetted his appetite to taste her. To feast on her breast, nibble on the dusky-rose nipple.
“What do ye say we make use of that mattress?” He tilted his head in the direction of the lumpy thing. ’Twas certainly not the place to take a woman for the first time, but he’d work with what he had. However little it was.
How he wished they were in his bedchamber at MacDuff Manor. Fine linen sheets, fresh smelling from blowing in the outdoor breeze. A warm counterpane to cover their chilling bodies when they were finished and cuddled up together, and fluffy pillows on which to rest their heads. She deserved as much, but with the temperature rising with their kisses and touches, the sorry mattress would have to do.
When she didn’t answer but merely nodded, he stood and scooped her into his arms. He walked the few steps to the mattress near the fireplace and gently laid her down. He came down alongside her and rested his head on his propped-up hand. With a slight smile, he slowly loosened the pink ribbon that held her chemise together. His shaky fingers made one final tug, and the two ribbon pieces separated. He took a deep breath as he moved the sides apart to reveal her perfect breasts.
“Ye are tempting, lass. So verra tempting.” He bent and took one rounded, plump breast into his mouth—suckling, teasing, and swirling around her nipple with his tongue.
Her hands fisted in his hair as she tugged him closer. “Aye. Oh, aye. That feels so good.” She threw her head back and softly moaned. He shifted to the other breast while his fingers continued to pluck on her other nipple.
She tasted like honey and smelled like a flower garden in full bloom. He pulled back and whipped his shirt over his head, tossing it in the direction of her discarded jacket. She whimpered her displeasure at his abandonment. “No worries, lass.”
Evan took her hand and placed it on his bare chest. “Touch me, mo chridhe; I want to feel yer hands on me.”
Not a shy miss, her hands roved over his chest, her fingers tugging on the curly hairs. “Yer so warm.”
“Aye. Ye make me warm, lass. Hot, even.” He pulled her against him for another searing kiss, his hands busy pushing down her frock. “Lift, darlin’.” She raised her hips, and he slid the dress, stays, and chemise down and off, leaving her in just her stockings and half boots. He studied her in the scant light from the candle.
She was a fine-looking lass, her skin as soft as silk as he ran his palm over her curves. But Katie was so much more than her pretty face and womanly form. She was smart, caring, strong, and the perfect woman for him. His desire for her was so powerful, he had to be careful not to spill himself like some untried youth but to make sure this was as pleasurable for her as it was for him.
He’d never bedded a virgin before, so he had to go slow, as much as he wanted to just plunge himself inside her and feel her moist warmth wrap around his very needy cock.
Tonight she would be his. Forever. He would not take the virtue of a gently reared lass and not offer marriage. He would work out all the details tomorrow. Now he wanted to feel her under him, moaning with passion, her heavy-lidded eyes watching him as she broke apart in his arms.
He allowed his hand to wander over her curves, where her body dipped at her waist, then rose over her hip. He covered her nicely plump bottom with his hand and pulled her against the proof of his desire for her. “Ach, lass. Do ye feel what ye do to me? How much I desire ye?”
Katie nodded, her own hands busy running over his chest, shoulders, and back. She kissed his neck and rubbed her face back and forth, inhaling deeply. “Ye smell like the hills of Scotland, the air filled with thistle and heather.”
“We need to get rid of the rest of these clothes,” Evan murmured. He sat up and was rewarded with the delightful sight of Katie lying on the mattress, her auburn hair spread around her head like a halo, the light from the fireplace bringing out the golden highlights. When she saw him studying her, she moved to cover her breasts and mons. He grabbed her hands and moved them to her sides. “Nay, lass. Ye’ve nothing to be ashamed of. Ye are beautiful.”
“But I am the only one undressed.” A slight blush rose to her lovely cheeks, raising his ardor even more.
He made quick work of removing her half boots and stockings, then his own stockings, boots, shirt, and trews. Settling alongside her, he pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth, cheeks, eyelids, and jawline with small kisses. “Ye taste like honey and sunshine.”
“Aye? Ye know what sunshine tastes like, then?”
He growled at her laughter and kissed her again. He’d never experienced such joy while sharing a bed with a lass. He could not imagine why he’d thought up until now that bedding was a serious business. With Katie he felt free, happy, and more content than he’d ever been in his life.
He moved from her mouth to the tops of her breasts, close to where they joined in the center. Despite her quips, she tasted sweet, and a bit salty from their day’s work. He fisted her hair in his fingers as he once again took her mouth while his hand wandered down her body. “Yer skin is so smooth, like the finest silk.”
“And yers is rough, like a warrior.”
“I am a warrior. And dinnae forget it.” He nibbled on her earlobe, his breath coming faster as the temperature in the room rose, and his craving for Katie continued to increase. Needing his release, but kenning hers should c
ome first, he moved his hand down to the curly hair between her legs. “Open yer legs, lass. Let me pleasure ye.”
She shifted, allowing his fingers to delve into her moistness. “Aye. Ye are ready for me.” He smiled with satisfaction at her slight gasp and the tightening of her fingers on his shoulders. “Do ye like that?”
“Aye. ’Tis mighty fine.” She began to move, her hips twitching, her legs straightening, then pushing her center hard against his hand. “Harder, Evan. I dinnae know what I want, but I feel like something is out there.”
“Just relax, mo chridhe. Let me do all the work.” He kissed her, his fingers continuing his assault, then he moved his lips to her breast and suckled deeply.
“Ach!” Her moan was soft as she moved her head back and forth, pressing against his hand.
“That’s it, lass. Enjoy it.”
Eventually, she collapsed against the mattress, her whole body shaking from the deep breaths she took. She opened her eyes. “Is that it?”
Evan’s bark of laughter bounced off the walls. “Nay, mo chridhe. ’Tis my turn.”
He moved over her, opening her legs with a nudge of his knees. “This will feel strange at first and maybe hurt a bit because it’s yer first time. But have no fear; the pain won’t last long.”
He eased into her, the heat and moistness from her release making the way easier. It took all his years of experience to keep from plunging into her warmth. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Inch by inch, he moved forward.
He stopped and opened his eyes. Katie licked her lips and he groaned. He could wait no longer. Resting his head near her ear, he whispered, “I’m so sorry, lass.” With one quick thrust he was completely inside her.
Her quick breath was all that told him she’d felt him break through her maidenhead. She was moist, warm, and soft. He stopped for a minute to allow her to adjust to him. When she nodded, silently telling him all was well, he wiped the lone tear that trickled down her cheek. “’Twill be all pleasure from now on. I promise.”
A Scot to Wed (Scottish Hearts) Page 13
