Black Raven's Lady: Highland Lairds Trilogy (21 page)

Chapter 17

R
AINE WAS B
ARELY
conscious of Keir’s movements, basking in the pulsating afterglow of orgasm. She gradually realized that he stood above her, watching her with a gaze of undiluted tenderness. When he abruptly left the bedside, she thought he was going to go back on deck, leaving her alone in his bed. She scrambled to her knees on the soft mattress.

“Keir,” she called breathlessly, “please, stay with me a while longer.”

“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart,” he assured her with a deep laugh. Moving to his sea chest, he lifted the carved wooden lid, reached inside and pulled out a small, blue glass jar.

“What are you doing?” she asked with unabashed curiosity.

“You’re nay the only one who has magical remedies,” he told her, his even white teeth flashing in a grin. Returning to the bed, he placed the jar on the coverlet beside her.

“Tell me what it’s for,” Raine insisted. She picked it up, but didn’t open it, too unsure of herself when it came to amorous games to hazard a guess. One thing she was certain of—she didn’t want to be restrained again. She wanted her hands free to touch him, just as he’d touched her.

“In a minute,” he answered, his deep baritone reassuring. His eyes sparkled with a wicked playfulness. He took the mysterious jar and replaced it on the bed. “Try for a wee more patience, lass,” he chided, his words filled with amusement.

Still on her knees on the bed, Raine rested her hands on Keir’s shoulders, silently urging him to come even closer. He immediately complied. She ran her fingers lightly across the saffron material that covered his chest and his powerful upper arms. Pulling the tail of his shirt out from under his belt, she slid her hands beneath to explore the feel of his marvelous male body. She brushed her palms across his scarred skin. He tensed reflexively when she buried her fingertips in his chest hair and caressed his flat nipples till they tightened and pebbled. Clasping the holy medal he wore on a silver chain around his strong neck, she tugged him nearer yet.

“Take your shirt off,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t be the only one without a stitch of clothing on.”

Keir jerked the garment over his head and let it drop to the floor. “Aye, lass,” he said, placing his hands on her waist. “Now that you’re starting to pet me instead of threatening to kick me,” he added with a chuckle, “I’ll be happy to accommodate your every wish.”

She giggled at the thought that she could tame this invincible warrior. “I want to hear you purr, Laird MacNeil,” she declared, wrinkling her nose impudently, “just like my pretty tabby at home.”

“Oh, I’ll purr for you,” he said, a wicked grin lighting up his blunt, scarred features. “You just keep petting me, my wee sprite, and I’ll rub my big hairy body against yours, begging for more.”

Raine leaned forward and kissed the battle wounds running across his chest, pleased to hear his surprised intake of air. She grabbed both of his side-braids and gently pulled his lips close to hers. Their open mouths met, their tongues dueling in frantic possession.

Bracing her forehead against his chin, Raine reached down and fumbled at the belt that held his kilt. Her hands fumbled in her excitement, making her progress far too slow. Keir gently pushed her hands aside and released the buckle. Belt and tartan fell to the floor at his feet. He slipped off his brogues, rolled down his checkered short hose and kicked them away.

Raine sank back on the bed to look at the fearsome Highland chief, her pulse pounding erratically. Until the morning she’d interrupted him dressing, she had never seen an unclothed adult male. And she’d only caught sight of his muscular backside with the
Black Raven
inked across his shoulder blades before he’d pulled on his breeches and turned to face her. She stared now in mute captivation, caught up in the sheer, predatory beauty of the man standing before her.

Stark naked, Keir seemed even taller, larger and far more formidable. Here was lethal male aggression held in abeyance only by his wish to please her. Majestic in his strength, he was broad shouldered, all hard flesh and long limbs. The inverted triangle of hair on his deep chest, crisscrossed with the scars of past battles, trailed downward across an abdomen ridged with muscle. His engorged sex surged outward from the black mat covering his groin.

The sight of him sent an ache of desire spreading through Raine’s belly and thighs to pool in her still swollen tissues. The thought that this fierce privateer had used his lips and tongue to gently fondle her most intimate parts sent a thrill of exhilaration spiraling through her.

Raine raised her admiring eyes to meet his, and the intensity of his gaze seemed to scorch her. Her breath stalled in her chest as she realized how much he enjoyed having her look at him—completely without shame, naked and magnificent in all his male glory—just as he’d studied her nude female body without a trace of compunction.

Keir lifted the jar and removed the lid, then handed it to her. “Put it on me, darling,” he urged hoarsely.

At his words Raine’s heart raced, pumping the blood through her veins and spreading the hunger of desire through every inch of her body. “What is it?” she asked breathlessly, taking the small blue container from him.

“ ’Tis a balsam used in Turkish harems,” he explained. A corner of his mouth turned up in a wry half smile. “But I believe the recipe originated in the Orient.”

“Turkish harems?” She gaped at him in astonishment. “Have you been inside a harem?”

He shook his head, his deep laughter filling the room. “Nay, love. In my voyages to the Mediterranean, ’twas quite easy to find such an exotic treasure in one of the many bazaars.”

Raine dipped two fingers in the oil scented with almond and mint. She rubbed her fingertips against the pad of her thumb. “What’s it for?” she asked dubiously.

Raine had no knowledge of sexual interplay between a man and a woman. Being raised around horses and other livestock, she understood the basic physical act of procreation. But little more.

“ ’Tis used to enhance our pleasure,” he told her softly, “while making my entry easier for both of us. Do you remember when I put my finger inside you?”

Feeling the heat of a blush on her cheeks, Raine stared at him, curiosity overriding her shyness. A haze of sexual arousal seemed to engulf her. She nodded, afraid to trust her own voice.

“You felt so tight,” he explained with unruffled calm, as though such conversations took place every day. “I could tell that I would need something to ease my penetration, should we couple. Do you understand what I’m saying, Raine?”

She gazed into his eyes, the intensity in their green depths rocking her to her core. “I do,” she whispered.

His next words held the promise of unimaginable pleasures. “And do you wish to couple with me?”

“Oh, I do,” Raine answered without a moment’s hesitation. “We are meant for each other.”

At her naïve, innocent words, Keir’s battered moral compass struggled to regain control of his unbridled lust. He was taking advantage of Raine’s foolish belief in magic and faery enchantments. She was certain the Tuatha De Danann had bound them together for all eternity at the standing stones of Calanais. In her mind there was no need for the reading of banns at Sunday Mass. Nor the marriage contract signed and witnessed before the priest. Nor the vows spoken to each other in front of their families and friends.

But he knew better.

Keir had no right to take Raine without the explicit permission of her guardian. If he continued in this seduction, he risked the condemnation of the few people who loved him—his mother and brothers and uncles.

Consumed with overpowering sexual desire, Keir wrestled his caustic, berating conscience to the ground. Every bone, every fiber, every drop of blood in his veins called out that Raine belonged to him.

That she’d always belonged to him.

That he should take her now.

Now, before she realized her belief in magical spells was nothing more than superstitious nonsense.

Now, before he was left a brooding, empty shell of a man.

“Aye, darling sprite,” he agreed, his voice raw and hoarse in his aching throat, “we are meant for each other.”

She tilted her head to one side and frowned thoughtfully. “Though we probably should wait till we return home and tell my mother and uncle.”

“Our waiting is over, sweetheart,” Keir said, deliberately stomping on the remaining shreds of his black, tortured soul. He’d rather burn in hell than give Raine up. Nor would anyone expect more from the spawn of the Black Beast of Barra.

Looking down at the jar in her hand, Raine swirled two fingertips in its smooth, aromatic liquid, unsure what to do next. The thought of touching this predatory male so intimately sent a wild, nearly frantic thrill of excitement coursing through her. Seeing her hesitation, Keir took her hand and guided it to him, showing her how to smooth the oil along the hard length of his erection.

Raine glanced up to find him watching from under shuttered lids as she lightly spread the balsam around the warm, firm velvet of his manhood. “Am I doing this right?” she whispered.

His deep baritone seemed to reverberate with a rapacious sexual longing. “Aye, darling lass, this couldn’t be more right.”

Raine’s fingers were shaking so badly, she was afraid she’d spill the oil. She sighed in relief when Keir gently pried the jar from her and set it safely on the floor. He caught her waist in his large hands, lifted her up with ease and laid her on the coverlet. Stretching out next to her, he moved Raine onto her side to face him. He cupped her breasts in his palms, lowered his head and suckled her nipples, already swollen and cherry-red from his previous kisses.

Raine responded to his touch, the longing building inside her once again. An unfamiliar energy raced through her veins, making every muscle tighten with a mysterious tension. She boldly met Keir’s eyes as he lifted her thigh over his, opening her to him. His hand slipped between her legs to caress her, his fingertips lightly fondling her sensitive tissues.

“Keep looking at me, Rainey, love,” he said gruffly. “I want to see the need for me reflected in your beautiful eyes.”

Raine drew in a deep breath as Keir inserted his finger inside her. Slowly, surely, he built a throbbing rhythm till she grew moist and slick once more. Sexual desire swamped her, an all-consuming hunger to feel, once again, the marvelous convulsions deep in her female core.

She clutched his upper arms, brushing her sensitive nipples against his solid chest. A shiver of anticipation rippled through her as she breathed in his musky male scent. “Keir,” she panted, “I want , , , I need . . .”

He seemed to understand exactly what she longed for. Easing her onto her back, he spread her legs and moved between them. He rose up on his knees and his massive physique loomed above her, the long, hard contours of his bones outlined beneath the firm unyielding flesh. Placing his hands on either side of her head, Keir positioned himself over her, his erection heavy and thick between their naked bodies. Strength, vitality, and sexual prowess emanated from him in waves of heat, and Raine felt overwhelmed by his primal masculinity.

“Touch me, darling,” he whispered hoarsely. “Bring me to you.”

Raine reached out to cup and stroke him, his thickened shaft slick and smooth with the scented balsam. He groaned with pleasure deep in his chest as she guided him to her entrance. She smiled at Keir’s response to her caress.

He’d been right.

He purred beneath her touch.

Keir’s heart felt ready to explode with the rush of blood surging through it. He eased his turgid sex inside Raine’s soft, welcoming warmth, finding the tightness he’d already been prepared for. The almond oil provided the lubricant he needed, along with the tantalizing tingle of wintergreen. She was so incredibly tight. He’d never experienced such mind-numbing pleasure. He inched slowly inside her, the cooling balm easing his way.

Keir gathered her long gleaming locks in his hands and braced his forearms on either side of her head. Resting his weight on his arms, he bent over her nubile body. Bit by bit, he moved carefully inside her until the sensitive tip of his engorged sex bumped gently against her maidenhead. His entire frame tensed in the effort to slow down, to remain in control and wait for her slight female form to accommodate his large erection.

“Rainey, love,” he said huskily, “I’m going to take you for my own now.”

She met his gaze, complete trust shining in her luminous, thick-lashed eyes. “And I’m going to take you for my own, Keir,” she whispered.

He smiled tenderly at her innocent words. With one quick thrust of his hips, he broke through the fragile barrier, taking her virginity and giving his entire being, body and soul, in return. She drew in a startled breath as his shaft touched her womb.

“ ’Tis all right,” he assured her. “I knew I couldn’t bury myself to the hilt.” He nuzzled her neck as he continued softly, “We’ll wait for a moment to let our bodies get used to being joined together. Try to relax, sweetheart, and accept me inside you. I know I’m big, but I’m not too big, for I’m already there and the hardest part is behind us.”

The moment Keir felt Raine begin to relax and her slender body accept his invasion, he started to move his hips in slow, steady, rhythmic strokes. With practiced expertise, he built the tension to a peak, then allowed it to diminish, only to rebuild it once again. Bracing his large body above her, he lifted his hard shaft up inside her, giving her all the pleasure possible.

Raine wrapped her legs around Keir’s hips as the throbbing passion built within her once more. The overwhelming feeling of fullness seemed to ignite a fire inside, while the cool, tingling sensations of the wintergreen awakened every inch of her female core. She could feel the pressure of his powerful flanks between her thighs and the heavy maleness of him buried deep within her. The increasing rhythm as he thrust and withdrew brought her to an ever higher level of sexual fervor.

“Come with me, Raine,” he murmured, his lips close to her ear. “Let’s explore the constellations together. Give yourself over to me, darling sprite, and we’ll sail among the stars.”