Highlander Medieval 06 - Her Highland Hero (25 page)

He suddenly realized he should have asked how she was feeling now. The way she was kissing him back, her tongue teasing his lips and tongue, the way her fingers stroked his sides and back, he suspected she was perfectly fine.

He didn’t want to stop kissing her or molding his body to hers, feeling her soft skin and curves, smelling her sweetness, wanting to dive deep and claim her again and again. He swept his hand upward to cup one of her heavenly breasts before he moved his mouth lower to feast on one and then the other, tonguing her taut nipples, caressing her.

She moaned and moved against him, urging him on. He wasn’t sure she would be healed up enough, but he wanted to make love to her as long as she did also.

He dipped a finger and then a second deep inside her wet sheath. She was ready for him. Then he began to stroke her swollen nub and poked his tongue into her mouth, enjoying the honeyed mead they had shared on the journey here. He was so ready for her, barely able to contain himself, the way she had aroused him, starting with him bathing her, and then her dropping her towel and washing him.

She arched against him and barely breathed, and he believed she was just about there.

He stroked her harder and she gripped his hips tightly, her eyes closed, her lips parted, but before she cried out, he kissed her, muffling her cry of pleasure. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

It was time. He couldn’t hold back a moment longer and spread her legs further. “Tell me if you are sore and I will stop.” Even though it would nearly kill him.

“I am fine.”

He centered himself between her legs and plunged his staff in deep, felt her shifting a little underneath him, and he worried that she was uncomfortable. “Are—”

She pulled him down for a kiss, silencing his question, and then he began to pump into her, needing this joining, sharing the closeness—the love that their coupling meant. He still couldn’t believe that Isobel was truly his and he thanked God that it was so.

He continued to drive home, kissing her, loving her, enjoying this intimacy that he’d wanted to share with her for so long.

Until he could not hold back any further, no matter how hard he tried, the torturous pleasure filling him with a need so great, he had to release, filling her with his seed. Her face flushed with heat, she fairly glowed as she smiled up at him.

He chuckled. “Did you finally warm up enough, lass?”

“Aye. If you had done this earlier, I would have been completely warm.”

“In the crannog?” He laughed. As shy as she was around other men about wearing only a blanket in the enclosure, he could not imagine her being willing to make love with him there. “How are you feeling?”

“Wonderful.” She snuggled against Marcus’s chest, and he caressed her back as he listened to all the happy bantering in the great hall.

The noise in the great hall grew louder, and Marcus swore his people wanted him to know just how wondrous a time they were having, despite his not being there. But he was just where he wanted to be—with his ladylove, like this.

“So tell me, what was it that you thought of me after I left you at Torrent Castle?” He’d been curious about it ever since she had brought it up. Of course,
he’d
thought of what it would be like to see her naked, to kiss her, and bed her. But he’d never suspected her thoughts would have turned in that direction. And he was more than interested in knowing.

She began running her tantalizing, soft fingertips over his chest. “Kissing, first and foremost. I had seen men stealing kisses from maids near the stables and once in the gardens. I saw the way a man wished to touch a woman’s breasts, and how after he rubbed the maid’s breast with his eager hand, they both worked to pull her
léine
down so he could press his hand against her soft flesh. I had never seen a man kiss a woman’s breast, or take her into his mouth.”

Marcus chuckled. “You saw way too much as it was, lassie.”

She smiled so wickedly at him, he wished he could have shown her all that he had much earlier. “I wished to know what it would be like with you. I could imagine all sorts of things, but never what it would truly be like. I would hug my goose-down pillow to my body, imagining you…tupping me,” she finally said. “Only not from behind, like a ram and a ewe.”

Marcus couldn’t help the way her words made his staff rise.

“What about you, Marcus? You had already been with a woman, aye? So you knew what it would be like. Did you ever think how it would be with me?”

“You dinna know the half of it, lass. I always imagined what it would be like to kiss you and… more. I could barely ride after we kissed at the loch.”

“I loved the way you kissed me there, and I will cherish those moments always. I loved how you felt against me when we were sharing that special time.”

He chuckled. “I was ready to take you into the woods and have my wicked way with you, claim you for my wife right then and there, and dispense with waiting for your da to agree.”

“I would have gone with you willingly.” She sighed. “Even if you could have managed when you were wounded. Anything to encourage my father to capitulate.” Then she frowned at Marcus. “Did the same thing happen to you while we were dancing?”

“Lass, all you have to do is breathe in the same space as me.”

She smiled and kissed him soundly. “I love you, Highlander.”

“My bonny lass, you are my greatest treasure.” He kissed her again, then closed his eyes, wanting to cherish this time with his lovely wife, resting together in his bed, holding her sweet body against his, safe from any danger.

“And you mine.” Isobel was glad she had felt nothing but pleasure with their joining this time as she luxuriated in the feel of her braw warrior. She listened to his heart thumping and the noise down below, amused at just how raucous his people were getting. “I think they are getting louder, if that is at all possible.”

He smiled and tightened his hold on her. “I think they are getting closer.”

She laughed. “You mean they are bringing the celebration to us?”

“In case we might have fallen asleep.”

She shook her head at the notion. “Let us join them then.”

He groaned and kissed her forehead. “And retire early.”

“Aye.” She was all for that and climbed off him, but then realized she had nothing to wear.

“I will send up a maid with some clothes.” Marcus hurried to get dressed while Isobel covered herself in his furs.

When he opened the door, he found garments for Isobel to wear.

“My staff has brought you clothes.” He shut the door and carried the items to the bed.

She thought that he would leave her to her dressing, but he didn’t.

He seemed to take great pleasure in helping her to dress in the dark blue wool gown. She smiled when she noticed he was becoming aroused again immediately after pulling her chemise over her breasts. She loved how he said just breathing in the same space with her could do that to him.

“Aye, lass, I told you. I canna see you naked, help you to dress or undress, or hold you close without my body reacting to yours.”

She loved him because of it for it made her feel adored, just as much as she appreciated his beautiful form. When she was ready, he opened the door, and they heard the sound of footfalls hurrying down the stairs.

“Was someone spying on us, do you think?” she asked, surprised.

“Aye, warning the others that we are coming down.”

That gave her chill bumps. She knew as soon as they walked into the great hall, the whole place would grow quiet, in part, out of respect for their laird, and in part, because they would be curious about her. Would they be pleased that she was the lady of the manor now? Or resentful that she was a Norman earl’s daughter and not all Highlander after all?

Before Isobel and Marcus even reached the great hall, the place turned deathly quiet. Except for a few chuckles, a few clinks of tankards against the wooden trestle tables, the scurry of claws against the stone floor, there was no conversation whatsoever and Isobel knew then that someone had indeed warned everyone that she and Marcus were coming down to join them.

Suddenly, two deerhounds raced out of the great hall to greet them. Her father’s deerhounds were grayer in color, whereas these wore beautiful red fawn coats. Their ears were semi-erect with excitement and the bristly-haired dogs nearly smiled as they saw Marcus and her and headed their way. Normally gentle dogs, they were also extremely friendly, and she loved them already.

Isobel braced for the impact while Marcus tried to intercept them. “Down,” he ordered, but they were unruly young dogs and were jumping and licking them all over.

Laughing and greeting them back, Isobel hugged each of them before they settled down.

“They are adorable.” She considered the two of them. “Male and female. When will they have pups?”

Marcus laughed and shook his head. “You will want to be mothering them.”

“Aye. I am ready. I helped raise pups at my father’s keep. He even gave one to King Henry. Though the man who was to raise them for hunting was supposed to keep me from playing with them and ruining them for the hunt.”

“Did he?”

“Nay. I always have my way. Well, almost always. And the dogs were still great hunters. See, all you need is a bright smile and a cheerful disposition and it will make all the difference in the world in getting your way.”

“I will have to remember that,” he said, smiling down at her.

“You always get your own way. You are a laird in your own right.”

“No’ where it mattered the most. No’ with you until the end.”

She sighed. “Aye, ‘tis true.”

“But it all turned out well. That is all that matters.” He escorted her into the great hall where she felt warm all over again as everyone rose from their benches and watched her walk with Marcus to the dais. The dogs hurried alongside them as if they were to sit at the high table as well.

It looked as though it was killing everyone to hold their tongues as they smiled broadly at them until Marcus took his seat alongside Isobel and gave the word to allow the festivities to continue.

He raised his tankard that a servant hastily had filled. “To my bonny wife.”

“May you have dozens of bairns,” Angus called out.

Everyone laughed and cheered.

Isobel felt she had been slaving over the fire all day long, her skin was so hot. Marcus leaned down and kissed her cheek, then whispered in her ear, “We will have to retire early and make it come true.”

She laughed. “I am already burning up from embarrassment, husband.”

“May we always have peace with the…English,” Niall shouted out, raising his tankard in the direction of Lord Wynfield.

Everyone was getting loud again, whistling and whooping it up, having the time of their lives.

“Are your celebrations always this cheerful?” At least this Highland clan gathering seemed so much more boisterous and earthier.

“Aye.”

They had begun to eat, though many had finished their meals by the time she and Marcus had arrived, but she noted their food was already set out on the table in anticipation of their arrival. The hounds were waiting for scraps from their plates, which made her think that was why they were sitting by them, and not entirely because they were devoted to Marcus.

“What are their names?”

“Crevan, for fox for his red coloring and his tendency to steal food if he can manage, and Oona, the female, meaning one. She is the first female deerhound the clan has owned.”

“They are beautiful and I will enjoy playing with their pups when they get here.” She ate some of the wild boar from her plate, but was curious about a discussion from their travels here. “Earlier you mentioned something I have wondered about—the woman who was your ward and you were trying to convince one of your cousins to wed her.”

“Aye, her da had been gravely ill and he asked me to find her a husband. Someone I knew who would be good for her. Immediately, I thought of my cousins and wanted them to meet and get to know her. But her uncle stole her away when she was visiting one of her cousins. So I havena had any success in getting her back since he is her relation and I am no’.”

“Why did you no’ marry her?”

Marcus looked down at Isobel, his brows elevated. “I canna believe you would ask me such a question. She is like a sister to me. And you are the only one I have ever wanted to wed.” He glanced at the Chattan brothers. “Among all the brothers, surely one will be the right man for her. I had hoped that while she stayed with me, they would visit and one of them would appeal. Then they were incarcerated in a dungeon, and well, by the time they were set free and arrived at Lochaven, she was gone.”

“And you wanted me to meet her.”

“Aye. She could use a friend, someone who would be like a sister to her.”

“I can be that. I will pray she is returned to us and I will do anything to help.” Isobel glanced at the Chattan brothers, seeing them anew. They were protective and good fighters, but coming to stay with Marcus as suitors for the lass when they didn’t know her, well, that was more than chivalrous. “Which one would be best suited to her?”

Marcus laughed. “That is something that will have to be decided between one of them and the lass. Though it doesna mean that any of them would suit. Only that they are some of my favorite cousins, and I would love to see her wed to one of them. They are good men. And I believe any of them would make suitable husbands. Though…Drummond, the youngest, might take a little longer before he is ready for a wife.”

“What about your friend Gunnolf?”

Marcus considered him as he tossed a scrap of boar to one of the dogs. “Aye, he would be an acceptable husband for the lass, though he has declared he willna marry any time soon.”

She nodded, but then considered another matter that had been troubling her. “Marcus, we still have not discovered who the man was who orchestrated the killing of the men escorting me, nor who ordered the men to murder you. I had thought the one in charge was the same man who had nearly murdered my father. But that was John, and well, you do not think he was responsible for both of the other ambushes.”