he cupped one breast, palming it so the pale globe plumped upward. her nipple contracted and beaded so tight that it sent tiny shards of lightning through her belly.

then he bent and flicked his tongue over the erect nub, and her knees promptly buckled. she landed on the bed with a soft bounce, and he chuckled lightly as he followed her down.

with a gentle nudge, he had her on her back and he loomed over her, so big and strong. he stared so unabashedly at her nakedness that she reached for the covers, something, anything, to make her not feel so vulnerable.

he stayed her hand with his, his gaze tender as he met hers. 0em"y, don't cover yourself, lass. you're an exquisite sight. unrivaled by any woman i've ever seen." he trailed a finger over the curve of her waist to her hip and then back up again until he rubbed over her taut nipples. "you're skin is as soft as the finest silk. and your breasts ... they remind me of ripe melons just waiting to be tasted."

she tried to suck in air but her lungs burned from the effort. each breath felt tight. she panted shallowly, feeling more light-headed by the minute.

he backed away from the bed, and for a moment, she panicked. where was he going? but he began shedding his clothing in a much more impatient manner than he'd divested her of hers. he kicked off his boots and then ripped off his tunic and trews, tossing them across the room.

looking at him was inevitable. she couldn't have glanced away if she wanted. there was something intensely mesmerizing about the rugged, work-honed contours of his body. scars, some old, some much newer, traced paths over his flesh. there wasn't a single bit of spare flesh to be seen. muscles tightened his chest and even his abdomen, where so many men went soft with age. not her warrior. this was a man honed in the fires of battle.

with a nervous swallow, she dropped her gaze to the juncture of his legs, curious to see the part of him that had caused her such pain before. her eyes widened at the sight of him jutting so hard and ... big. she began backing up toward the bed before she even realized what she was doing.

"don't be frightened," he murmured, as he lowered himself over her. "i won't hurt you this time, mairin."

"you won't?"

he smiled. "i won't. you're going to like it."

"i will?"

"aye, lass, you will."

"all right," she whispered.

he kissed her lips, warm and so tender. it was a ridiculous notion, but he made her feel so very protected and cherished. she now had two very conflicting views on loving because this ... this was very nice.

he continued to kiss her, sliding his mouth down the line of her jaw and then lower to her neck and the tender flesh just below her ear. he paused a moment and sucked wetly before grazing his teeth over her pulse point.

"oh!"

she felt him smile against her neck, but he never removed his mouth. instead he trailed lower to her chest until he was precariously close to her breasts. remembering her reaction when he put his tongue on her nipple, she found herself arching into him.

he didn't tease, and for that she was thankful. she was strung so tight that she feared what was going to happen to her. his lips closed around one nipple and he sucked hard. her back bowed and her hands flew to grip his hair. oh saints, but this was a wondrous sensation.

he suckled, in turns hard, and then gentle and rhythmic. his tongue circled sensitive flesh, and his teeth nipped ever so lightly, coaxing the bud to an even harder point.

"sweet. so sweet," he said, as he moved his mouth to her other breast.

she sighed, though the sound came out more as a garbled utterance than a breathy exclamation. the chill of the chamber no longer bothered her. she felt rather like she'd been lying in a meadow on a warm summer day, allowing the sun's rays to melt her to her bones.

aye, boneless was an apt description.

as he suckled at her breast, his fingers glided down her belly, caressing for a moment before he carefully worked his way down to the juncture of her thighs. the moment his finger slid through her folds, she tensed.

"shhh, lass. relax. i'm only going to bring you pleasure."

his finger found a particularly sensitive spot and he began to rub lightly and then rotate in a circular motion. she gasped and then squeezed her eyes shut as she was bombarded by the most intense pleasure. just as he'd promised.

there was a curious tightening as her body drew up. her muscles clenched. precarious. that's how she felt. like she was about to fall off a very high peak.

"ewan!"

his name fell from her lips, and in the recesses of her blurry mind, she realized this was the first time she'd used it.

he released her nipple and her hand tightened in his hair. the she realized she was still clutching his head with a death grip. she let go and let her hands fall to the bed. but she needed to grab something.

he pressed his tongue to her midline and slowly worked a damp trail to her belly. her stomach heaved as her breaths came faster. he traced a lazy trail around her navel and then to her utter shock, he went lower, moving his body down the bed as he worked ever closer to the place where his fingers had caressed.

he wouldn't. surely such a thing wasn't at all decent.

oh, but he did....

his mouth found her heat in a lusty, carnal kiss that made every muscle in her body twitch and convulse as if she'd been struck by lightning.

she should tell him he shouldn't. she should tell him he couldn't. she should offer instruction on the proper way to do things, but dear heaven, she couldn't think anything at all beyond don't stop.

please don't stop.

"i won't, lass," he murmured against her most intimate flesh.

her legs had gone stiff and unyielding around him, and he gently forced them back apart.

"relax."

she tried. oh, but she tried, but his mouth was making her daft. and then his tongue found her, so hot and erotic. a wash of indescribable pleasure soared through her belly as he lapped at her entrance. her vision blurred and she twisted her fingers into the covers until they were bloodless and all sensation fled.

she had no control of her body any longer. she arched mindlessly, and her legs shook, the tremors working to her thighs until she was a mass of quaking flesh.

"ah, you're ready for me, lass."

his voice deepened to a hoarse, almost desperate tone. she chanced a look down to see him staring at her, his eyes bright and savage looking.

"i am?" she breathed.

"aye, you are."

he moved up her body with speed that surprised her. he cupped her bottom with one hand and settled his body between her legs. she could feel him, hot and unbelievably hard, nestled against her opening.

then he leaned down and fused his mouth to hers. this time she didn't hesitate, nor did she think to instruct him on the proper way of kissing. she opened her mouth and devoured him before he ever had the opportunity to demand she did so.

"hold on to me," he rasped out between hot, open-mouthed kisses.

she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and dug her fingers into his back. she kissed him. she tasted him. she absorbed him, breathing him in with each gasp for air.

before she even realized he had moved, he had lifted his hips and slid inside her the barest of inches. she stretched to accommodate him and then wondered how she'd been able to do so.

he kissed her again and then rested his forehead to hers, their eyes so close, all she could see was the thin ring of green that surrounded the dark pupils.

"relax," he said again. "i won't hurt you."

she raised her lips to meet his. this time their mouths met in a delicate dance, the tenderest of touches. "i know."

and she did know. somehow, she knew that this was different. there was no rush. no unpleasant shock to her senses. her body melded to his, surrendering to his power and his need. to her need.

his hips moved forward with infinitesimal slowness. she opened around him as he slid deeper. the fullness overwhelmed her, but it wasn't pain or surprise that rocked her body.

"almost there," he whispered.

her eyes widened as he went even farther and then he stopped, lodged so deeply within her that she couldn't breathe. he surrounded her, gathering her in his arms, holding her close as he began moving, a slow, seductive rhythm that had her mad with want.

the muscles in his back rippled and bulged. her fingers danced across his flesh in a fr, seducc pattern as she sought purchase. something to anchor herself with when she was adrift in a storm.

his movements increased, faster and more forceful. their sighs caught and mingled in the air heavy with the scent of their loving.

"wrap your legs around me," he directed. "hold me tight, lass."

she wrapped her entire body around him until she was sure they were so inexorably entwined that they'd never come apart.

the burning sensation increased until she stirred restlessly, frantic for ... release. breathing hurt, so she didn't, and her chest protested, but she held on, reaching for something she had no sense of.

and then she came apart, unraveling like the threads in an unfinished tapestry. she screamed, or tried to, but ewan's mouth closed over hers, and he swallowed her frantic cry.

she had no control of her body. she couldn't think. could only feel, helpless to do anything but lie in ewan's arms as he murmured soft words against her ears.

utterly bewildered by what had occurred, she fixed unfocused eyes on her husband as an expression of agony creased his face. he gave one more mighty thrust, seating himself deeply within her body. then he slumped over her, pressing her into the mattress as he gave her his seed.

she nestled her face into the hollow of his throat, so sated and completely boneless that she considered staying in bed for the next year. ewan rested over her for a long moment before finally easing his weight from her and rolling to the side.

he gathered her into his arms and stroked her hair. then he pressed a kiss to her temple and let his cheek rest against the side of her head.

her befuddled mind couldn't make sense of what had just happened. only one thing struck strongly in her mind.

"ewan?" she whispered.

it took him a moment to respond. "aye, lass?"

"i was wrong."

he stirred, rubbing his face against her cheek. "what were you wrong about?"

"you're very skilled at loving."

he chuckled and then hugged her tighter to him. yawning broadly, she snuggled deeper into his arms and closed her eyes.

chapter 16

when mairin awoke, she was momentarily disoriented. she blinked away the fuzziness. her head still felt muggy but her body, while only a little stiff and sore from her bruises, was surprisingly warm and sated. limp, like she'd enjoyed a prolonged soak in a steaming tub of water.

light perced through the window that no longer had the fur covering it, and the sun's height told her she'd slept far later than she'd intended.

gertie wouldn't be pleased, and mairin would have to wait for the noon meal. for that matter, it might be noon already.

the night came back to her in a rush. heat centered low in her abdomen and scorched higher until her cheeks were flaming. she sat up, then realized she was completely nude. she grabbed the bed coverings and clutched them to her chin, then dropped them in disgust.

she was alone in the bedchamber. no one was going to see her. still, she scrambled from the bed and hastily donned her clothing.

her hair was in disarray and a quick feel of her cheeks told of the flush that was still there. she probably looked like a hot coal.

she'd actually told the laird that he wasn't skilled at loving. aye, he'd showed her differently. he'd done things that she hadn't imagined two people ever doing. his mouth ... and his tongue.

she flushed all over again and closed her eyes in mortification. how could she ever face him again?

mairin adored mother serenity. she trusted her above all others. the abbess had been good to mairin. and patient. aye, she'd had the patience of job when it came to instructing mairin and answering all the questions mairin had plied her with. but it was becoming increasingly clear that perhaps the abbess had left out a lot about loving. and kissing.

mairin frowned as she pondered just how different the teachings of the older woman had been from the startling reality of bedding. if the abbess had been wrong about kissing ... and loving ... what else could she be wrong about? mairin felt suddenly ignorant and woefully uninformed.

never one to stew in her own ignorance, she decided that she would just have to seek out instruction on the matter. christina ... well, she was too young. and unmarried. gertie frightened mairin with her sharp retorts. besides, she'd probably just laugh at mairin and shoo her out of the kitchens. which left maddie. she was older and certainly more worldly. plus, she had a husband, so surely she could offer insight into loving and who had the wrong of it.

feeling better about her plan, she brushed the tangles out of her hair and braided it so she didn't look like she'd just spent the night indulging in loving. then she headed out of her chamber and descended the stairs.