His Conquest (19 page)

“But you took me in your mouth,” Linet said. “Do you not want me to taste you as well?”

Her innocent question loosed an avalanche of erotic images, of her naked, kneeling before him, of her tasting him, sating her own desires as well as his. The vivid scenes stormed his mind, threatening to break his hard-won control.

“If once we are done, you wish to explore my body, then you may.” And he would die with her innocent touch, but he’d go a happy man.

“That seems fair.”

He chuckled, a half-pained sound.

“That is funny?”

Seathan shook his head. “Nay, far from it.”

“Then—”

“No more talk.”

The heat in Seathan’s eyes erased any doubt of his intent. He rolled her over, his body caging her beneath. Awareness shivered through her, her body still quivering from her previous release.

“Do not be afraid,” he whispered.

And she wasn’t. She’d given herself to him body, heart, and soul, though he would never know that. His kiss was hard and deep, but Linet savored it, matched his intensity. With her body sensitized, on fire wherever they touched, she wanted him to experience the same—with her.

He nibbled on her ear.

“Seathan?”

“Aye,” he said between nips.

“Are you sure I cannot taste you now?”

A growl rumbled from his throat. He rolled, pulling her to sit on top of him.

The oddness of her position, with him lying naked beneath her, set off a myriad of emotions. “What are you doing?” she asked as she wondered what to do next.

“My lady, ’twould seem you wish to be in control, so that I give you.”

She frowned. “How am I in control?”

A pained smile creased his mouth. “I assure you, you are.”

“But you are stronger, a warrior who could easily take me if you chose.”

He released a long, rough sigh. “We are making love. The power I give you is of choice. I will not touch you unless you ask, taste you unless you beg.”

“Beg?”

Mischief twinkled in his eyes. “Beg.”

Memories of his mouth on her most private place sent another wash of heat through her. Yes, she would beg. “And what else?” Her voice wavered.

“Anything but taste me.”

She frowned. “You said I was in charge.”

“Not of that.”

“I was not aware there were rules.”

“Do you always talk this much?”

“When I am nervous.”

He caught her hands, placed them upon his chest. “Except for tasting me, I give you full control.”

Anticipation rippled through her. “Truly?”

Seathan nodded.

Her every fantasy whirled through her, the whispers of women she’d overheard spawning new, decadent thoughts. Did she dare to do that?

“Linet?”

“Yes?” Nervousness made her voice waver.

“You can begin anytime.”

He was laughing at her! Fine then. With her knees straddling his wonderfully male body, she leaned down and kissed the strong column of his neck.

He groaned but didn’t touch her.

A smile curved her lips, and her doubts fell away. As she touched him, tasted him, she let her hands roam his hard planes, slide through the luxurious matt of hair rippling across his chest. Curiosity had her inching down.

She flicked the tip of her tongue upon his nipple.

Seathan sucked in his breath.

“You like that?”

“Aye.”

He sounded in pain. Still, he said it pleased him. Linet lowered her mouth, suckled, remembering too well the sensations of his mouth upon her. Enjoying her newfound freedom, she mimicked his action and caught his other nipple between her thumb and forefinger; he groaned louder. Thrilled this pleased him, that he enjoyed her touch, she applied herself, his musky taste wondrous. The thick hardness of him pressed against her woman’s place was exciting in itself.

Her body hummed, his hard length fueling the ache deep within. Wanting more, she pressed herself against him. She slowly rocked, savoring the intimate bond.

Without warning, Seathan caught her, flipped her on her back, and poised himself at her entrance, looking more the warrior than her lover.

“What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly.

“Reclaiming sanity.” He nudged her with his hard tip.

Her folds, slick from his lovemaking, tingled with pleasure as he slipped within. Her body throbbed. She arched against him.

He pushed deeper—halted.

Linet frowned up at him.

Concern edged his brow. “When I take you, it will hurt.”

The care, the seriousness of his tone, made her love him all the more. “I know, but I want you.”
Always
, she finished in her mind.

Seathan pulled back. With his eyes fixed on her, he drove deep.

Pain lanced through her, and she cried out.

He drew her against him. “I am sorry. If I could, I would spare you the pain, but it is over. Now, you will feel naught but pleasure.”

He wouldn’t understand that her tears were for the sanctity of this moment, not for the loss of her virginity.

“Make love to me, Seathan.”

He kissed her, stroked her until she forgot the pain, teased her until her body again throbbed with need. Only after she arched against him did he move, slow, deep strokes that had her body trembling, spinning out of control. At her groan, he increased the pace. A wave of emotion hit her, harder than before, tossing her up, his next stroke taking her higher. Her body stiffened.

“Let go,” he urged, driving faster, if possible, deeper.

And she gave him her all.

Shimmering lights exploded in her mind, bursts of red, purple, and white. The warmth of his seed spilling into her as he found his release tossed her on a higher plane and left her floating in a pool of ultimate bliss.

With her body shaking with pleasure, he drew her against him, pressed kisses upon her jaw, along the line of her chin. “And to think, we have only begun.” With slow movements, he began to roam down her body, kissing her, teasing her in her most sensitive places.

Linet gave a sated smile. “I will die if you continue.”

“Aye, most likely.” He winked at her. “I have been known to cause a casualty or two.” Then he applied himself, erasing any coherent thought.

Happily, Linet closed her eyes and soared.

Feet braced, hands on hips, Seathan stood upon the ridge, the slash of hills and roll of trees captured within dawn’s purple-gray light. Pockets of stubborn snow clung within crevices, nooks that with a warm day would melt.

He should savor the beauty of the sunrise, look forward to soon having Dauid in his grasp. Instead his thoughts remained on Linet. He rubbed his brow and turned toward where she slept.

They’d made love most of the night, and he had little regret. Yet he’d taken her virginity, a choice that held its own consequences.

Damn him, well he understood the rules they lived by. She was not a commoner. She was a noblewoman, and now, thanks to their impulsiveness, no longer a maiden. However wrong his actions last night, if again given the choice, he would make love with her.

Which said damnable little for his character.

That Linet had sought his bed mattered not. She was an innocent; her lack of knowledge when it came to desire skewed her full understanding of her actions. He was an earl, wielded immense responsibly daily, had taken many lovers over the years and well knew the pull of desire and the responsibility of decisions made. Though she’d uttered the words, in the end ’twas his decision to accept. Now, it would be his decision what to do next.

Should he escort her to the Highlands to live with her mother’s clan? Rationally, a wise choice. After Wallace’s slaying the Sheriff of Lanark and with the next rebel attack on the English planned in but a few months, he needed to focus on their strategy, not on a woman who made his blood hot, a woman who’d learned quickly and excelled in the intimacies of lovemaking or a woman who shattered his willpower and dragged unpredictability into his life.

A thought hit him, an idea so foreign he’d never allowed it to flourish until this moment. What if Linet carried his child? What if after their night of lovemaking, his heir grew within her womb?

They’d spent but one night together. The chance of her being with child was slight. The image of her round with his son seized his mind, conjured images of her holding their babe with a look so pure, so loving, his heart ached.

He stared at her. Was it possible he wanted her to have his child? A ludicrous thought, a foolish notion to even ponder. Each had their own path, hers in the Highlands and his focused on war. Except, the image of her nursing their babe wove through his mind, the glow upon her face, the way she’d lift her eyes to look at him with love.

Throat tight, he stared over the forest-swept land, brittle beneath the tip of the ascending sun. The glaze of fog sifted through the treetops as if a spell.

“Seathan?”

At the whisper of Linet’s sleep-thickened voice, he willed away his dangerous musings, thoughts that presented yet another reason why he should keep his distance.

He strode over. The slowness of her movements as she pushed herself up to sit had him kneeling before her. “You are hurting?” He never should have touched her after the first time. She’d been a virgin, unused to the demands of love play, however gentle.

A sexy smile softened her mouth. “Not at all.”

Her throaty words wrapped around him with lust-instilling accuracy. She reached out to him, and he found himself taking her hand, against common sense, against all of the reasons he’d just compiled as to why he should leave her alone.

“I still need you.”

His blood pounded hot as he gazed upon her. The first rays of sunlight spilled over her amber-gold hair, framing her creamy skin in a shimmering wash, illuminating eyes wide and vulnerable. The contradiction of this sultry female and the stubborn woman who always challenged him, aroused his passions to a dangerous level, and left him wanting her, aching to possess her with his every breath.

“You must be sore.” What was he doing lingering? Each moment he stayed weakened his willpower further.

She knelt before him, and the blanket tumbled away, exposing her supple body to his view, the fullness of her breasts but a whisper away. The curve of her hips lured his gaze to her woman’s place.

Linet leaned forward to slide her body against his. “I feel naught but desire for you.”

He shuddered. She was magnificent. The reasons to leave her untouched clouded, smothered by her taste still lingering on his lips, her woman’s scent filling his every breath.

He willed himself to maintain control. “We have but a few hours to rest.”

She scanned the waning darkness. “We will leave this day?” Her voice trembled, a reminder of all that stood between them.

“On the morrow.” Though he believed her reasons for freeing him, he’d not reveal that his guards had sighted her brother and his men to the west. In another day, Tearlach would have traveled far enough away and they could safely begin their journey to catch Dauid.

Her eyes clouded as if in deep thought, then cleared. Full lips curved upward in blatant invitation. “So we still have a few hours…to rest?”

God in heaven, he wasn’t a saint.

Seathan caught Linet’s jaw, lifted her face to meet his, and a shiver of anticipation ripped through her.

“Just what is it my lady wishes?”

The sensual purr of his voice ignited memories of their lovemaking, of the erotic acts he’d performed upon her, intimacies she’d never had any idea existed. But now she knew.

And wanted more.

Memories to treasure once he’d left her.

She willed away the painful thoughts of their parting. They had another day, time she would make count.

As she had fantasized, Seathan lowered her to the blanket. Slowly, his body covered her, inch by amazing inch. As the thick tip of him caressed her most intimate place, she arched to meet him, but he caught her hands, pressed her back, and slowly licked the inner skin of her palm while his eyes never left hers.

She shivered at the rush of desire.

“Never hurry the taking.”

“You are tormenting me,” she whispered, her body already wet for him, aching for him to touch her everywhere.

Male satisfaction shimmered on his face. “’Tis a pleasing way to suffer.”

She laughed, a rough, wanting sound, amazed at the layers that made up this man, his ability to care, his thoughtfulness on every level, and his painstaking attention to every detail. The latter she especially appreciated.

With a wicked look in his eyes, he stroked her, skimmed his fingers over her sensitized flesh until she moaned with his every touch. Instead of filling her, he used his tongue and mouth, driving her insane. Finally, with her body on fire, when she thought she’d die from pleasure, he rose, sank deep inside her, then stilled.

Her body clenched around him. She gasped. “Seathan—”

“Steady, lass.” He nibbled the soft skin of her neck, teased her with his tongue. “The more you rush, the slower I’ll decide how best to proceed in seducing every inch of you.”

Her body trembled with anticipation. “You are a braggart.”

He gave a husky laugh, bent, and suckled her breast. Through thick black lashes, he watched her. “Your moans throughout the night said different.”

Heat stroked her cheeks. “You are shameless.”

“Aye.” He withdrew, and then drove deep. Seathan covered her lips, taking, demanding, making love to her with his tongue as his body followed suit. He offered no quarter, his slow pace increasing with each entry until his quick thrusts had her panting, her body quaking. When she thought she couldn’t take more, he pressed the palm of his hand against her sensitized flesh and rubbed.

She shattered.

Waves of light exploded before her, magnificent bursts of white, orange, and yellow, then an explosion of green as she felt the warmth of his release.

Sated, her body quivering from passion and still joined to his in the most intimate way, she lay there not wanting to move as emotions churned within her. The storm of feelings was unlike any she’d ever weathered. Her hopes and dreams combined into a passionate wash. This moment with Seathan was perfect, amazing, everything she’d ever prayed for and more. It was as if nothing else existed but him, perfection in his every breath.

With him wedged deep inside her, she stared past his naked outline into the night. The last few stars shimmered in the sky as if a magical dust. Warmth swept through her. She’d thought herself in love with Seathan before, but those feelings paled compared to the emotions churning inside.

Drowsy, happy beyond belief, she inhaled his wonderful male scent, closed her eyes, and stroked her fingers across his chest. “I love you.”

Seathan stiffened.

Sweet Mary, she’d not meant to say the words aloud. Her eyes flew open. His face shuttered to an emotionless mask, he began to pull away; panic infused her.

“Stay.” And she prayed he would.

“I cannot.” He withdrew and began to dress.

Frantic, her body warm from her release, at odds with the icy restraint of his actions, she reached over and touched his arm.

Seathan stilled, watched her.

“I…” Did baring her soul to him mean nothing? She hadn’t meant to tell him she loved him, but she had. Linet struggled for composure, but how could she regain her poise when the person she loved was pushing her away?

He stood, his body rigid, the face of her lover of moments before now hard, distant, like the warrior she’d first met. No, not like the dangerous man caged within Fulke’s cell. Too much had happened between them. Even though Seathan now believed her innocent of conspiring with her brother, he obviously didn’t fully trust her or plan to keep her close.

“Seathan—”

He stood. “Do not say more.”

She shoved to her feet, raising her hand for him to stay back when he started toward her. Her heart shattered, splintered into fragments. What had she expected? Never had he indicated that he wanted more than having her in his bed. The hurt was hers to bear, pain she’d invited by allowing her emotions to rule her decisions.

His eyes scoured her nakedness with a lover’s awareness, then he turned away.

Embarrassment swept through her. Furious that he could cheapen the beauty of the hours they’d spent together, she stepped before him, lifted her chin with defiance. “I said naught more than I feel.”

He remained silent.

She waited, willed him to speak, to give her some indication of what thoughts ran through his mind. After a long moment, his hard expression softened.

Aching, Linet stepped closer. “I care not that you are an earl, nor for your wealth. ’Tis you that is important. But I want naught more than you would give me freely.”

His mouth tightened into a hard grimace.

Her composure broke. “Damn you, Seathan, we made love. I ask naught except for you to speak to me, to tell me what you are thinking. Do not push me away. We must talk about this.”

“What we did was wrong.”

She shook her head. “No. Never in my life have I felt anything more right. Tell me, did you not feel the bond when we joined, the touching of our souls? It was special, magical, as if it was meant to be.”

“We felt naught but lust.”

Linet started to say more, then paused. Odd. Through his bluster, she caught the hint of apprehension. Mayhap his pushing her away had to do with the woman he’d spoken of before, the one who had hurt him? It made sense. Not that in his state he would agree or admit such. But she had to try to make him understand.

“It was special to me,” she said.

His face softened further. “You were a virgin. The first time is always special.”

“Memorable perhaps, but not special. I have spoken with other women of the gentry”—she pushed on when he made to speak—“women who warned me of what to expect on my wedding night. The brutality, the pain. They advised me to smile as if the act brought me pleasure. With you, I never had to pretend. It was real.”

“For you.”

“And you felt naught?” she challenged, daring him to deny the pleasure he’d found.

He glanced at the rising sun, strain harsh on his face. “My feelings for you have no bearing on the battles ahead of me.”

“I do not understand.”

“Because you are not a warrior,” he said quietly, “with a warrior’s worries for those he leaves behind.”

Tears glittered in her eyes at what he didn’t say, wouldn’t say, and she loved him all the more. “You are trying to spare me hurt?”

He stared at her long and hard. “With all that stands between you and me, nothing more can exist between us. I will not lie to you, nor pretend otherwise.”

She ignored his dismissal. “When we made love, you felt it as well, the magic in our joining?”

He tensed at her words, but didn’t deny them. “The magic we gave to each other. Physically. Nothing more.”

She remembered the gemstone hanging beneath his tunic, and how earlier, the matching half she carried had warmed. “But you felt it,” she insisted.

“Linet.”

She stepped to a hand’s breath before him, determined to prove what he refused to admit, that more existed between them than a heated romp. She loved him. Whatever happened, she would love him until the end. She may have been innocent, but she recognized love. If he was fool enough to insist that what they shared was merely physical, by God, she’d show him otherwise.

After last night, aware of what he enjoyed, she knelt before him.

He scowled at her. “What are you doing?”

“Finding my pleasure.” Before he could stop her, she took him in her hands, claimed him with her mouth.

“A sword’s wrath.”

She thrilled that she excited him, that within her mouth, he hardened to slick steel. She closed her eyes, savored the salty male taste of him.

A low rumble sounded in his throat; his body shook.

Without warning, he caught her, hauled her to him, his face raw with passion. He backed her against the ledge, and with the moss-slicked rock cool against her, poised himself at her slick entry, then drove deep. She gasped as he impaled her over and again, his every thrust taking her higher. As she touched the stars, Seathan spilled his seed into her fertile warmth.

Seathan laid his head against her neck, his breathing hard. “Scotland is torn by war. I can offer you no promises.”

Linet’s hand caressed his cheek as hope bloomed. It wasn’t a declaration of love, but it was enough. “I ask for none.”