Shipwrecked (18 page)

A moment of
silence fell between them, and Anna’s fingers traced lazily up Rowan’s chest,
causing goose bumps to rise in their wake. 

Rowan brushed his
fingers up her belly, spreading his palm out to cup her full breast and toying
with her nipple using his thumb.

“Can we do it
again…so soon?” Anna asked tentatively, her husband’s touch stirring a new wave
of desire deep within her belly.

“Aye,” Rowan
whispered huskily as he rose above her and claimed her lips in a passionate
kiss.  “As we’re both new tae this, I think that we’ll be needing lots of
practice tae get it just right,” he said, smiling against his wife’s eager
lips.

Chapter Twelve

Anna’s unabashed
joy at the miracle of their love making was threatened as she watched the
shadow of concern overtake Rowan’s rugged face.  Her hazel eyes studied him
quietly from her nest in the ravished bed, color flushing her face as she
surveyed the aftermath of their lovemaking.  The quilt was on the floor and the
sheets were barely clinging to the feather mattress, and there was a bright red
spot of blood that stood out in sharp contrast to the linen sheets.  It was the
last reminder of her virginity, and of Rowan’s.  Their act of love now sealed
them together as man and wife.

Rowan shrugged on
his shirt, and raked his hair into a semblance of order, retying the queue at
the base of his neck.  Worry was evident on his face, and his movements were
swift and methodical, his eyebrows knitted together in a concentrated scowl. 
He felt Anna’s eyes linger on him, and he forced a smile for her benefit,
gracing her with a lazy, lopsided grin.

“You’re worried,”
Anna fretted, pulling herself from the warmth of the quilts and padding towards
where her dress lay in a heap on the floor.

“Aye,” Rowan
affirmed, knowing better than to lie to Anna.  “We need tae get moving,” he
said as he sat in the chair next to the hearth and pulled on his boots.

“Do you think that
they’re looking for me yet?” Anna asked restlessly as she pulled on her dress
and secured the lacings behind her back.

“Nay, it’s the
middle of the night still, they willna ken that yer gone yet,” he assured her,
hating to see the worry take over her lovely face.

Anna went to him,
needing to feel the comfort of his strong arms around her, needing to assure
herself that they would both be safe.  She curled up in his lap and he wrapped
his arms around her.  He rested his chin atop her head as they both looked into
the fire.

Emboldened by
their close bodily contact, and the feeling of safety that Rowan exuded, Anna
slid her hand under his shirt and playfully teased his sensitive nipple.

Rowan giggled at
her unexpected touch and pinned her arms to her sides with his hands so that
she could no longer touch him.

“What do ye think yer
doing?” he demanded, eyes sparkling mischievously as he held Anna’s arms
securely to her sides.

“Provoking you,”
Anna confessed, smiling naughtily up at her husband.

“If ye’ll
remember, I’m a fair bit stronger than ye are…” Rowan trailed off as he teased
her and nipped playfully at her neck.  He slid the tip of his tongue down her
neck and elicited a squeal of delight from Anna.

He trailed kisses
down her neck, and continued to torment her by restraining her arms.  His teeth
tore playfully at the neckline of her gown, and Anna giggled softly, falling
against his chest.  He released her arms, and at once they were around his
neck.

“And if you’ll
remember, husband, I’m quite cunning when provoked,” she whispered suggestively
into his ear and bit his earlobe in invitation.

Rowan growled
deeply in his throat, promptly forgetting about his haste to get on the road. 

“I suppose we’ve
got a little more time before they’ll discover…before they realize that yer
missing…” he trailed off, breath ragged now as he kissed her just beneath her
ear, sending shivers down Anna’s spine.

“We’re newlyweds
after all,” Anna giggled and arched against him, relishing his sweet torment. 
“And it is still the middle of the night…”

“Aye, it is.  Doona
worry about them coming after us now, love.  Be here with me, here in this
moment,” his honeyed words were smooth and began to make Anna forget
everything, all of their worries, all of her fears were replaced with his
touch.

  His lips slanted
over hers, claiming her, demanding that she yield to him.  He rose from the
chair next to the hearth and laid her carefully on rug in front of the
diminishing fire.  His hand slid up under the confines of her dress and his
fingers danced lazily over her thigh.

“I want ye sae
badly, baby,” Rowan whispered as he nipped at her breasts where they rose above
the neckline of her dress.  His eyes met hers in the firelight, and he traced
the line of her jaw, drinking in her beauty as she lay before him.  “I doona
think that I’ll ever be able tae get enough of ye, enough of being with ye like
this,” he exhaled slowly and studied his wife.

“I want you too,”
she whispered, an attractive flush spreading over her cheeks as she thought
about what they were going to do
again.

She smiled up at
him and he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her slowly, passionately.  His
hand slid up her leg, and his fingers brushed across the junction of her
thighs, exploring to see if she was ready for him. 

Anna moaned softly
and spread her legs further, welcoming his touch.  His fingers parted her, and
he groaned in ecstasy when he discovered that she was already wet, ready for
him.

Swiftly unlacing
his pants, he settled between her thighs and pushed her dress up and out of the
way.  Anna gazed up at him, fire dancing across her skin, lust smoldering in
her hazel eyes.  Oh how she wanted him.

“Ye’ll be sore
tomorrow, baby,” he whispered guiltily.  “And I’m verra sorry for that, but I canna…”
he trailed off, unable to focus on speaking when she was splayed before him, so
ready and willing.

“I’ll manage,” she
whispered reassuringly.

Taking his cock
firmly in his hand, he settled himself at the entrance to her slick, wet heat,
and as he closed his eyes, he slid ever so slowly inside her.  He shuddered and
goose bumps broke out on his flesh as he sank inch by inch deeper until he was
sheathed to the hilt.

Anna gasped at the
fullness, the stretching sensation as he filled her.  Her eyes had closed
involuntarily, expecting pain.  She lifted her knees as Rowan had instructed
last time, and sensations of pleasure flooded her body. 

“Rowan!” she cried
out as he withdrew slowly from her.  She grabbed his butt and pulled him back
inside of her, eliciting a growl of approval from deep in his throat.

“I will no abuse
ye sae, we need tae do this slow and gentle…” he insisted, setting his rhythm
and withdrawing from her almost completely before sinking himself deep within
her again.

His finger reached
down between them and he made slow circles around the heat of her desire, coaxing
her, teasing her with his expert fingers.

She cried out
against him, and her hips found his rhythm, rising to meet his gentle thrusts
as he stroked her to the brink of madness. Her fingernails scored his back
through the fabric of her shirt.  She was frantic with her need for release.

Rowan felt her
quicken beneath him, and he groaned as her sheath began to quiver with the
first waves of her orgasm. The rhythm of his fingers increased in response, and
he tormented her nub of desire, playing her harder until she came undone around
him. 

Anna moaned deeply
and gave herself willingly into the throws of her orgasm.  Her muscles
tightened and she felt as though her body had shattered into a million tiny
pieces.

Rowan withdrew
almost completely, and then drove forcefully into her, spilling his seed and
succumbing to the waves of pleasure from his own release.  He was shaken by the
power that his wife yielded over him, shaken by the way that she caused him to
lose all control.

“How do ye do that
tae me?” he panted, pushing himself up on his elbows so that he could look down
at his wife.

Her cheeks were
flushed and her lips were ruddy from his kisses.  Her blonde hair spilled out
beneath her on the rug and her eyes were misty with the after waves of her release.

“How do you do
that to
me?”
she asked, grinning up at him.  “I had no idea that such a
thing was possible until I met you,” her eyes flitted away as she brushed the
hair back from her face.

“Neither did I,”
he smiled down at her and kissed her nose.  “I love ye, Anna,” he whispered,
kissing her gently.

“I love you too,”
she responded, feeling like her heart would burst with the joy of loving her
husband.

“We really need
tae get going now, ye’ve dallied long enough,” Rowan teased, standing up and pulling
her to her feet.

Color flushed
Anna’s face, and yet she was not embarrassed by her husband’s teasing.  She
knew that Rowan had wanted to make love to her just as much as she had wanted
him.

Anna smoothed the
skirts of her dress and began to tidy her hair.  She smiled deliciously at her
husband, loving how he could so easily unnerve her and rattle her thoughts.

“Where exactly are
we going?” she asked, curiosity piqued.

Rowan’s heart
thundered as he hoped that she would approve.  He hoped that she wouldn’t be
disappointed.

“How would ye feel
about being a farmer’s wife?” he asked, eyebrows raised, breath hitching as he
anticipated her answer.

***

As dusk settled
after a long day of travel on foot, Rowan led Anna through the forest, holding
her hand gently as he pulled her along behind him.  He looked into the nooks
and crannies formed by fallen trees, searching for the perfect place for them
to take shelter for the night. 

“Let’s go check
down by the water,” he said, eyes glancing back at Anna to make sure that she
wasn’t too tired to keep searching for the perfect protected location.  “If no,
we’ll come back here, this tree might be alright in a pinch,” he said,
surveying the large fallen tree behind them.

He wanted to be
completely hidden from view, knowing that they were not far enough away from
the relentless pursuit of Arbor’s men.  He did not want Anna to know how
fearful he was that they might be discovered, and he maintained a casual
attitude, refusing to let his wife be consumed with worry.  Rowan would die
protecting Anna, he just hoped that such a sacrifice would not be necessary.

They walked down
towards the sound of the rushing water, and entered a small clearing that
surrounded a breathtaking waterfall.

“Wow!” exclaimed
Anna as she took in the small pool of water at the base of the waterfall.  It
looked like heaven.  “Can we stay here?” she asked, eyes sparkling as she
looked up at Rowan.

“It’s perfect, is
it no?” he asked, holding Anna’s hand as he helped her down the rocky slope to
the edge of the pool.

“Absolutely
perfect,” she agreed.

There was a large
stone cliff surrounding the pool, and there was an indented crevice that would
serve as perfect shelter for two people for the night. 

Rowan went about
the business of gathering sticks to build a fire in the small alcove, and Anna
busied herself with setting up their rudimentary camp.  She unrolled Rowan’s
woolen blanket next to the growing fire, and sat back and watched him work.         Rowan’s
chestnut hair fell forward as he kindled the fire, patiently blowing on the
embers to get the flames to take hold.  As he crouched in front of her, she
admired his graceful form, muscled and sinewy; there was not an ounce of fat on
the man.  She was a lucky woman to be able to claim Rowan as her own.

“Why are ye watchin’
me?” Rowan asked, green eyes glancing over his shoulder as he continued to
kindle the fire.

“Because I like
to,” Anna confessed.

Rowan smiled and
returned his attention to the fire.

“And because
you’re mine and I can’t believe my good fortune,” she continued.

Rowan sat back on
his heels, eyes still looking into the fire.  “And just how do ye believe that
I am good fortune?” he asked without turning around, raking his hand through
his hair.

“You are the best
fortune that has ever befallen me.  The absolute best,” Anna said firmly,
seeking to assure Rowan.

“That’s no what it
feels like tae me,” he confessed, refusing to turn to face her.

Anna crawled
forward to where Rowan was sitting next to the fire. 

“Rowan, look at
me,” she demanded, reaching up and taking his chin between her fingers, forcing
him to look into her eyes.  “You are the best damn thing that has
ever
happened to me.  I just know that we were meant to meet….it wasn’t just by
chance that you saved me when the ship was sinking!”

“Then why do I
feel like I am cheating ye out of the life that ye were born and bred into? 
Why do I feel like I’ve stolen ye away from the life that ye should have?” his
eyes were intense, the pain of his feelings evident.

“I chose to be
here, here with you, Rowan!  I wanted you!”  Anna argued, his unexpected words
stinging her.

“And I’m afraid
that I will always be questioning that decision, Anna.  Ye ken that I want ye,
that I want ye more than anything that I’ve ever wanted in my life, but I’m
afraid that I should have let ye go, let ye go tae yer rightful place in Williamsburg.”

“You saved me
Rowan, more than just from drowning in the ocean, you saved me from a miserable
life!  I would have been rich, rich with things, but the truth is, the only thing
that I really want isn’t a thing at all.  It’s you.  I want you, Rowan,” she
said, hazel eyes looking deeply into his green ones, imploring him to
understand her feelings.