by Eliza Knight
He skimmed his mouth to her other breast, paying it equal attention and receiving as much pleasure as he was giving. Cora laced her fingers in his hair, crying out as he continued to lave at her breast.
The way she was responding to him sent shivers coursing over his flesh and filled him with a fierce desire that nearly had him trembling. He wanted, nay needed, to lay her out on the bed and taste every inch of her. So, he stood, lifted her up in his arms, swallowing her laugh of surprise with his kiss as he carried her to the bed, swept aside the coverlets and laid her on the soft linen sheets.
She was so beautiful, spread out before him like a feast. He devoured her with his gaze, his chest tightening, his cock rock hard with need.
“I want to make love to ye, Cora,” he said huskily. “Will ye allow me the honor?”
Cora’s lips curled prettily, and she nodded. “Oh, aye, I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”
“Me too, love. Me too.” Good God, but he was in love with her. Loved how eager she was, how she responded to him, how kind and clever she was.
Liam lay down beside her and trailed his fingers over her skin as he claimed her mouth once more in a kiss that rivaled all others. Their lips slanted over each other’s again and again, tongues entwined, arms and legs tangled.
A light touch fluttered at his shoulder, and then there was a tug at the pin holding his plaid in place. “I don’t want to be the only one…naked,” she murmured.
He’d never heard sweeter words. Liam leapt from the bed and stripped himself bare, grinning at the way her eyes hungrily raked over his form.
“You are beautiful,” she murmured, biting her lower lip, her hand languidly drawing over her hip.
Did she even realize what she was doing? Saints… How was he going to ever survive this? He was done for. Liam chuckled lightly, the sound scraping over his throat, when all he wanted to do was groan and slide between her thighs. “A warrior, beautiful?”
Cora gave a slow nod, her gaze sliding down the length of his body again. “Yes. Stunning.” Her words and the expression of appreciation on her face melted his insides into a blazing inferno. “Are all men so…well endowed?”
Her gaze on his arousal where it jutted thick from his body made him grow harder, thicker. If he didn’t bury himself soon, he might spend.
“Not all, sweetling.” He was luckier than most in that department, and well pleased that his wife was fascinated rather than scared by his larger than average cock.
“It’s very…large.”
He tried not to laugh, knowing exactly where she was going with her line of talk. Captivated by his erection or not, she was still a maid and would wonder at the possibilities. “I promise we’ll fit together perfectly.”
A relieved smile filled her face, and he slid back onto the bed beside her, exactly where he belonged. “Good.”
The heat of Liam’s body beside her own made her want to draw him closer. Cora rolled onto her side to face him where he lay. She liked the way he looked, the way he was warm all the time. She wanted to feel his skin against her own. With a hand that trembled a little from nerves—for she was nervous, though she wasn’t scared—she trailed a path over his shoulder toward his chest. His skin was softer than it looked, but not as soft as her own, and beneath the surface was hard with corded muscle that flexed with her touch.
A sprinkling of light hair covered the center of his chest, but everywhere else was smooth, save for where a trail picked up just beneath his navel leading toward his… Cora sucked in a breath when she got a better look at him up close. Their bodies were so incredibly different; it fascinated her. And looking at the shaft jutting from the thatch of hair the color of summer wheat made strange things happen to her body. Tingling and shivers and…something more than that pulsed deep inside.
“Feel what your touch does to me.” Liam pressed her hand flat over the center of his chest where his heart beat faster than it normally did.
Why did knowing how she affected him fill her with satisfaction? Cora leaned closer and pressed her lips to his chest, trailing up and down his neck, listening to his hiss of breath.
“I canna take more of your torment,” he said with a little laugh, rolling on top of her and pinning her to the bed. He trailed his hands along her thighs, hooking his hands behind her knees and shifting them to spread around his hips. The move was swift and sensual, his arousal touching the most intimate part of her, and she gasped at the feel of it.
This was really happening… Her stomach flipped with eager anticipation, and she gazed up at his heavily lidded eyes, potent desire written in every line of his beautiful face.
Cora waited for him to make his entry, for the pain she knew would come along with it, but he didn’t do so just yet. Instead, he kissed her, nuzzled against her neck and then teased her nipple with the tip of his tongue. As he did so, he slid the hard velvet of his arousal against her folds, made slick with desire, sending rippling sensations of pleasure coursing through her.
This was deliciously wicked, and she wanted more of it. All of it. She spread her thighs wider, lifted her hips with each gyration of his hips to increase the breathtaking pressure of his pelvis against hers.
Liam’s mouth connected with hers in a hungry, demanding kiss, his tongue searching out hers for a blissful duel. His fingers danced between their bodies, stroking over the sensitive nub between her folds, sending shuddering frissons and causing her desire to heighten, until her legs shook, and she was crying out with an earth-shattering release. Before her body had a chance to come back down from the clouds, he pressed the head of his shaft to her entrance and thrust forward, breaking through a barrier that he’d claimed thirteen years before in a vow before God.
Cora cried out at the pain of it, and Liam stilled. The sensations she’d experienced felt far away in the wake of the unpleasantness. And yet, with each breath, the ache eased.
Liam kissed her mouth, peppered her face and neck with kisses and teased the shell of her ear with his tongue.
“Are ye all right?” he asked. “I wish I didna have to hurt ye. I promise it will be the only time. Every time from now on will be pleasure only.”
Cora nodded, shifting beneath him and feeling a delicious frisson scurry its way from somewhere deep inside her. Pleasure? No more pain?
“It doesn’t hurt anymore,” she said, the surprise evident in her tone.
“Good.” Liam shifted his hips, sliding out and then slowly driving back inside of her. “How about that?”
Good God, it was magnificent. She let out a purring noise. “That was…lovely.”
“Ye’re lovely.” He claimed her mouth once more, a hand moving over her breast and then slipping between their bodies to once more tease that special nub, until all she could think about was pleasure and movement and reaching toward that pinnacle moment again.
Liam thrust inside her, over her, took control of both their bodies. His mouth and tongue mimicked his hips and erection, taking her higher. She could feel it as her body pulsed, wanting that shattering rapture to take hold of her once more. Cora clung to him, massaged at his shoulders as her feet tucked around his hips.
“How do ye feel?” Liam’s voice was gravelly and tight, and he groaned with pleasure.
“So good.” Cora gasped as he thrust deep. “And you?”
“Damn good.”
Cora smiled against his mouth as he kissed her again. His pace increased, and she held on, riding the waves as they crested on her shore once more. Liam cried out, thrusting harder, his body shuddering over hers, his mouth capturing hers in a kiss that left her mindless.
“You felt the same thing as me,” she murmured. “Just now, at the end.”
“Aye. A climax.” He nuzzled her neck. “And it was so good, love.”
Cora curled her arms around his neck and trailed kisses along his jaw. “I liked it. A lot.”
He chuckled, kissing her softly, and stroking her cheek, green eyes meeting hers. “I liked it a l
ot.”
“Can we do it again?” she asked shyly.
Liam flashed her a wicked look and whispered against her ear, “Over and over…”
Chapter 20
The following morning, Liam was officially titled of Earl of Ross, and all the lands and the castle that came along with it, by order of King Robert the Bruce. As an official wedding gift, Cora was given one of the king’s prized mares, and the amber stone, a symbol of his appreciation in her part for apprehending two of his enemies.
Shortly after that, with his mission complete, Liam was ready to set out on the road with his bride to his new castle, with the king’s blessing.
Two messengers had been sent ahead to Dunrobin to inform their family of his good news, and to announce a feast at Castle Ross upon Liam’s arrival—the brave lad who’d saved Cora, and was now officially a Sutherland, along with one of Liam’s men. He hoped to introduce his wife to his brother and sisters, and most especially his mother.
His father had already given his blessing. He was quite taken with Cora, and she with him, which made Liam excessively proud. The secret vow he’d kept hidden away for years could finally be shared, and it was a tremendous weight off his shoulders.
Because of the rain and thunderstorms that made the roads thick with mud, it took them six days to arrive at their new castle. Along the way, they mostly stayed at traveling inns, save for two nights they’d had to make camp in the forest, which Liam regretted immensely given Cora’s mother’s penchant for dramatics.
Unbeknownst to the women, a messenger had also been dispatched to Baron Mowbray, asking him to bring the wee Segrave lads for a visit to the Highlands. The baron was always looking for an excuse to visit his family, and given he was fostering Cora’s brothers, what better excuse than to come and visit the Sutherlands once more. On his return home, he would return Lady Segrave to her castle, with her sons, where the oldest lad would take over his duties as lord. Cora was surprised to learn that Baron Mowbray was Liam’s grandfather—father to his mother, Arbella. Neither one of them had ever put that information together, for neither had ever addressed him by name to the other. And, thankfully, there was no blood relation between herself and her husband.
To know that her brothers were in the care of a man that Liam esteemed so much made her exceedingly happy, and he couldn’t have been more pleased as well.
Liam worried over what would happen when they arrived at Castle Ross, and how the people would take to him as their new leader. Often times within clans, the chieftain was selected by the elders from amongst those in the clan. But Liam had been appointed by the king—whom the Ross Clan had often not followed.
To them, the enemy was infiltrating them, as it were. This would be a new era, and likely a difficult one. There would be those who deserted, and likely plots against him. They would not treat Cora with kindness either, knowing that her father had been an enemy of Ughtred and Ina’s. But both Liam and Cora were prepared to succeed. They would work to gain the respect of the clan, and they would flourish.
Cora would make a good mistress too, he was certain. Already his warriors were eating out of her hands. She was generous and kind but also didn’t let anyone take advantage of her, save for the occasions she allowed it of her mother, who tried in most things.
However, even that seemed to be changing a wee bit after Cora had saved them from Wuller’s attack.
On the afternoon of the sixth day, they crossed over the lowered bridge of the castle and were greeted not only by Sutherlands, but by Ross men, women and children, too. Those who’d run away before had returned, and to Liam’s surprise, they welcomed him, though he wasn’t certain how long their excitement would last. He would work his arse off to prove to them he was worthy of being their laird and chieftain, and the earl to their lands. Nay, his lands.
From that moment on, he had to remember that. This was no longer only Ross country, but Sutherland lands as well.
The courtyard erupted in cheers of excitement from some very familiar faces. His mother leapt into his father’s arms, neither of them caring about their display. Magnus Sutherland pressed his lips to Lady Arbella’s, giving proof that their love was more passionate now than it had ever been. Liam could only hope that he and Cora would be as happy as his parents were thirty years from now.
Also, within the line were his siblings beaming at him. His brother Strath had a mischievous grin upon his face and clapped him on the back hard before bowing low over Cora’s hand. His wife, Eva, fawned over Cora. As it turned out, the two of them had met several years prior in England, and both were exceedingly happy to have a friend they could now call family.
His sister Bella and her husband, Niall, congratulated him heartily. Bella appeared to be swollen with child yet again, their wee bairn born only half a year before. His youngest sister, Blair, hugged him as sweetly as ever and then took Cora’s hand in her own and beamed up at her with awe. Now if only they could get sweet Blair to come out of her shell. Liam feared that the man she’d find herself attached to would break her tender spirit.
But the one he was most excited to see, his favorite of all his siblings—though he would never tell anyone that—was Greer. The look of laughter in her gaze was enough to set him chuckling, and then she punched him hard in the chest.
“Liar,” she whispered before tossing her arms around him. He hugged her back with as much force, swinging her through the air. Greer was a troublemaker to be sure, but she always had his back—even when she was setting up some plot to get him in trouble. Beside her, her husband, Roderick, beamed with happiness. The man had been the epitome of grim before, even called that by anyone who knew him, and now he looked ready to break out in song.
Marriage had done them all good. And pride swelled within Liam’s chest. To be welcomed so warmly into his new home and position, to have his wife accepted and loved so easily, was enough to bring a man to tears. Well, silent and unnoticeable tears. He was a warrior, after all, and to have eyes prickling with wetness would be mortifying. All the same, he felt the shine in his eyes, and so he closed them and dipped to kiss his wife on her warm cheek.
“I love ye,” he whispered against her ear, as the crowd sent up a cheer and begged him to kiss her again. Liam wrapped his arms around Cora, dipped her back as she squealed with delight, and in no uncertain terms, gave her a kiss that showed them all how much he loved and adored her.
When he was finished, his mother came forward and wrapped her arms around Cora and introduced herself to Lady Segrave, who had already been informed that Arbella’s father had been in charge of her two boys and was exceedingly kind.
“Come inside! Rest, and then we shall talk,” Lady Arbella said, taking Cora’s hand from his and leading her inside.
The clans, both old and new, melted together and entered the castle side by side. How odd that not a month before, they’d been at war. It was amazing what could happen when a bad apple was removed from power; how two opposing sides could actually get along with one another.
The Sutherland warriors who’d remained behind had indeed done well with their duties of keeping the peace, and the steward, who wished to impress his new laird, had stripped the castle of any remaining symbols of Ina and Ughtred and had reestablished it with tapestries showing the Sutherland crest, a few of which he recognized from his youth.
He recognized one in particular that hung above the hearth in the great hall. It had come from the great hall at Dunrobin Castle. Beside it, was a beautifully woven crest of Ross—for though Liam was a Sutherland, he was now also the Earl of Ross. This one looked to be new.
“The women of the castle worked day and night to create this for ye,” the steward said. “Something new to celebrate a new era of leadership.”
Liam was grateful they’d gone to such lengths. “My gratitude to ye all for welcoming us this way. My wife and I are eager to begin our lives among ye, with ye. We’ll be a strong clan, a clan of peace, but also of loyalty to our king.”
/> Cheers went up in the great hall, giving him hope that mayhap it wouldn’t be as hard a transition as he’d worried over.
Liam grinned, taking Cora’s hand in his and bringing it to his lips as he gazed down at her. “Welcome home, my lady, Countess of Ross.”
“Welcome home, husband, Earl of Ross.”
“Should either of ye require anything, anything at all, it would be my great honor to see it done,” the steward said and bowed down before them.
“We thank ye for your service,” Liam said, then he leaned to whisper to Cora. “Do ye need to rest, a bath perhaps, before the feast begins?”
She started to shake her head no, but he wiggled his brows at her, and she pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. “Yes, my husband, it would seem I am in need of freshening up a bit.”
His mother clapped her hands in delight, clearly eavesdropping on their conversation. “Good! I brought you some of my soaps.”
Cora looked perplexed, shifting her gaze from his mother and back to him.
“A hobby of mine I’ve come to enjoy very much. I make soaps with the most delectable scents, you will love them.” Lady Arbella fairly gushed over it.
Cora smiled with pleasure and excitement and took Lady Arbella’s hand in her own. “Thank you so very much for thinking of us.”
Liam started to lead her toward the stairs, but they were stopped at least twenty more times by people greeting them. Each minute kept him from his true intent, which was to get his wife completely naked. The more impatient he grew, the more he wondered if they were all stopping him on purpose to keep the two of them in agony. They’d not gotten a moment together on the road with her mother never more than a foot away, and their one night together as man and wife had not been nearly enough.
“To hell with it,” he grumbled, lifting Cora up into the air. He announced to the entire great hall, “We shall see ye soon. Dinna come knocking. And please, start the feast!”
Cora gasped, her pretty cheeks turning red as Liam whisked her from the room and took the stairs two at a time toward the chamber that would be theirs as man and wife. The chamber was well appointed with rich furnishings, tapestries and furs over the windows. The hearth was blazing, and on a table before the covered window was a tray crowded with wine and sweets.
