Highland Master (39 page)

Catriona stared up at him, wondering what he meant by those last, ill-omened words. But she could not deny the feelings he stirred in her.

Her body had come alive and clamored for his attention.

He inched lower to kiss her breasts, and as he did, his body and his tunic set new nerves aflame wherever either one touched her. “You smell good,” he said, as he laved a nipple with the tip of his tongue. Both of her breasts swelled in response.

Gasping at the sensations that raced from that nipple to other parts of her body, she stammered, “ ’Tis Grandame’s French s-soap. Ailvie f-found it.”

“I like its scent. You must ask Lady Annis where she purchased it.” Attending still to her nipples, and without releasing her hands, he shifted his knees lower.

Knowing that she could not escape him unless he allowed it stirred new feelings in her, stronger than before. She felt helpless, as if she were his captive. But as long as he went on as he was, she had no wish to be free. He slipped one knee and then the other between her legs, easing them far apart.

Laying a trail of warm breath and kisses along her belly as his head moved lower, he nipped her skin between his lips and even now and again, gently, with his teeth. So focused was she on what he might do next that she failed to notice that he was shifting her hands lower, too, until they were nearer her waist than her head.

“What are you doing?” she demanded when his breath tickled the curls at the juncture of her legs.

“Shhh,” he said, and she trembled when his breath sent a rush of heat through her most private parts.

Her hands were even with her hips now, and still he held them. The things he was doing affected her senses so that she wanted to cry out and tell him to stop. But the torment was too pleasurable, and the last thing she wanted was for Ewan to pound on the door and demand to know what was going on, or even break it down.

It was a near thing, though, when Fin touched her with his tongue, and nearer still when his tongue invaded her most secret places, caressing the spot that had sent her soaring that morning. His tongue’s touch was softer, more engaging, and far more stimulating. Her body heaved, encouraging him of its own accord to do as he pleased. The sensations increased, sending her higher and higher until he stopped.

“Oh, prithee, don’t stop,” she breathed. “That feels wonderful, and it was beginning to seem as if something even more were about to happen. ’Twas the strangest, most wonderful sensation that I have yet felt, and gey promising, withal.”

“But recall that I had a long swim, sweetheart, so I’m hungry for food now, and
you
said you wanted your supper,” he added with a teasing smile. “We can continue this later if you like. As your grandfather said only this morning, we’ll enjoy it more if we have sustenance first.”

She nearly shrieked, “What! But why did you begin if—?”

“Now, lass, we must rejoin Ewan,” he interjected. “He must fear by now that we’ve forgotten all about him.”

“But, surely, if he has waited this long, he will wait a few minutes longer.”

“Mayhap he would, but I don’t want just a few minutes more with you. I want to take my time and enjoy every minute.”

“God-a-mercy, when you let me up, Fin Cameron, you had better take care!”

“There is no need for me to let you up at all,” he said, grinning now. “I might command you to stay here and wait for me instead, just as you are.”

Glowering, she said, “Very well, sir. But do
not
think I will forget this.”

“Sweetheart, I mean to make certain of that—right after supper.”

Still smiling, albeit with more difficulty than she knew, Fin released her and picked up his mantle. He was achingly aware that at least one body part meant to let him know that in punishing her, he was likewise punishing himself considerably.

After he arranged his mantle, he helped her dress, noting with delight that every time his fingers brushed her skin, she reacted. As he urged her back into the hall, he swore to himself that if Ewan had dawdled, the man would go hungry.

But Ewan was on the dais, examining the baskets and platters of food already on the table. Looking at Fin, he shook his head. “Ye took your time, lad.”

“Not nearly enough of it,” Fin said, grinning again and more easily. “I mean to desert you again right after supper, so you must entertain yourself this evening.”

Chuckling, Ewan said, “Since it
is
your wedding night, I expect I’ll manage. But do not think that ye’ll keep to yon bed all morning. I want to hear about all of your adventures these past four years, and I warrant that will take some time.”

“You may have me until midday if you like, because I mean for my lady to be so tired that she will sleep the whole morning away.”

Glancing at Catriona, he saw that her cheeks were as red as fire. Her eyes flashed, though, and her rosy lips formed a straight line, indicating that she ached to tell him what she thought of his tactics. They seemed to be working, though.

Catching her gaze, holding it, and noting that her breath caught audibly when he did, he knew that her heat had not ebbed in the slightest.

When she did not speak, he devoted his conversation to Ewan until they had finished the meal, the entire time as aware of her presence beside him as he knew she was of his. Only once or twice did he move a hand to touch her warm thigh, or let his leg brush against her. Her reaction each time encouraged him to believe that even if she had harbored the slightest lingering fear that she might again suffer the painful ache she had described that morning, she was
not
thinking about that now.

Catriona had begun the meal with a strong urge to kill Fin for exciting her senses to such a point and then stopping too soon. But so aware was she of every move he made and every time he inadvertently touched her that long before the meal ended, it was Ewan she wanted to murder for having such a healthy appetite.

At first, Fin offered him more and more food, as if he were still teasing her. But she had noticed in the past quarter-hour that he had not only stopped offering but was barely replying civilly to his brother’s comments.

At last, Ewan pushed his trencher away. But when the gillie picked it up, the fiendish man ordered another jug of wine. Catriona gritted her teeth, then sighed aloud when Fin got up, saying, “If you will excuse us, we’ll bid you goodnight.”

“Aye, I thought ye might,” Ewan said, grinning at him.

Catriona could have sworn that she heard Fin growl, but her thoughts swiftly flew ahead to what would happen in the bedchamber. She had no time to think long though, because when he’d shut the door, he wasted no time disrobing her.

Fire spread through her everywhere he touched her, but when she reached to put her arms around him, he stopped her as he had earlier. Then he scooped her up and carried her to the neatly turned-down bed, laying her naked upon it.

When she reached to pull up the covers, he said, “Nay, sweetheart, leave them. ’Tis warm enough in here, and I want to think of you lying as you are whilst I stir up the fire and light more cressets. Then I want to look at you.”

F
in attended quickly to the fire and the cressets, but the image of Catriona as he had left her stirred him to even more haste in doffing his clothing. It occurred to him as he did that a tunic and mantle were much more convenient in such situations than a man’s doublet, shirt, braies, nether hose, and shoes or boots.

“The two of you said naught to me or to each other about your talk,” she murmured as she watched him fling off his tunic. “What did Ewan say to you?”

“Not enough, since he clearly thought that I still needed some of my own sauce served to me at supper,” he said as he moved to join her in the bed. “But we are not going to talk about Ewan. Where were we before we stopped?”

“
We
did not stop,” she muttered, only to gasp when he recalled what he had been doing and reached to see if she was still as ready as she had been then.

She was nearly so, and he noted how eagerly she welcomed his touch.

Knowing that his control was limited due to his earlier tactics, he forced himself to disregard a nearly overwhelming urge to take her hard and swiftly.

She was already moaning at his slightest touch and
arcing against him. So he gently kneed her legs apart and positioned himself. Easing himself into her silken sheath, he waited to see if she might reveal any sign of lingering discomfort.

Instead, she rose to meet him as if to aid and encourage him.

Instinct took over, and the result for him came swiftly. Aware that she had neared her own climax, he stroked her until she, too, gained release.

Afterward, lying beside him with the coverlet over them, his arm around her, and her head resting in the hollow of his shoulder, she sighed and said, “Grandame said that it could be pleasurable. And you promised earlier that I would not forget it. But I had no idea what either of you meant.”

He chuckled. “Do you think that you might like this aspect of our marriage?”

“I do, aye, although it did last but a short time. And
you
said—”

“Sakes, lass, we’ve only just begun,” he said, still smiling.

They lay quietly for a time before he pushed the coverlet away with his free hand and began to caress her again. The cressets still cast a golden glow over the room; so rising onto an elbow, he delighted in watching her reactions for a time while his hands sought to memorize the wondrous planes and curves of her body.

Moving purposefully, he made slow, sensuous love to her until she squirmed with pleasure beneath him, gasping his name, and begging him for release.

Midway through the night, he took her again. And then, in the gray dawn light, she reached for him. Afterward, as
they lay beside each other, sated, he knew that God had spoken at last and all was well.

As he had promised, he spent the morning with Ewan, while Catriona slept. But she was up before midday to rejoin them and beg to hear their reminiscences of their years together at Tor Castle. She listened raptly, too, as Fin recounted more of his adventures with Rothesay and others.

They retired early again that night and spent Thursday in much the same way. Shortly after midday on Friday, Tadhg arrived, big with news.

“Himself said ye’re tae return at once, Sir Fin,” he said as he ran across the hall to the dais, where they were sitting down to their midday meal.