Her in-laws were making their way downstairs when Caroline stepped out of the bedroom a short time later. Mary was fiddling with the top button of her gown. Hugh’s cravat was in his hand. In the light from the wall sconce, Caroline caught the red glow on her sister-in-law’s cheeks.
The only place they could have been coming from was the ramparts. And from the look of it, they hadn’t been outside just to take in the night view.
Oh, no. What did Ewan disturb?
She gave Hugh an apologetic smile. “Sorry if your time was cut short.”
“It’s not a problem. We were just leaving. I know how tough it can be finding somewhere away from the clan at this time of the year.”
“Goodnight,” said Mary, who had a knowing grin on her face. Hugh took his wife by the hand, and they disappeared down the steps.
Their giggles were still echoing off the stones as Caroline rounded the next turn in the climb. Reaching the door to the ramparts, she gave a quick check left and right before pushing it open. She pulled the key out of the lock and secured it from the outside. Anyone who wandered up the long stairs with the idea of taking a late-night stroll along the castle ramparts would find the door bolted fast.
The wind greeted her with its icy fingers, slapping them hard against her face. The snowy chill from the top of Strathmore Mountain took her breath away.
Her steps were easy, but she kept them deliberately slow. Caroline knew her way about the top of the castle, but it was fun to torment her husband. Ewan would have heard the door and be waiting in the dark with heated anticipation for her arrival.
Make him wait. Let the beast be tugging against its chains.
A little way along the walk was a small alcove. It had originally been a place for soldiers to shelter in and escape from the inclement weather during the long years when the castle had been a military fortress. But over time, its purpose had changed. It had now become a secret place for lovers to rendezvous and hideaway.
Unfortunately, with the number of adult family members currently in residence, it wasn’t as secret or as private as it usually was.
Reaching the alcove, Caroline caught a gruff, “We should sell tickets to this place. It would give the dark gardens of Vauxhall a run for their money.”
Ewan’s hands settled about her waist, and he drew her to him. The dim light from the crested moon barely broke through the darkness, but she sensed her husband would have no problem in finding his way around her body. He knew her only too well.
She paused for a moment and took a deep breath, inhaling his manly scent of spice and smoke with the hint of salty tang. The essence of Ewan sent a thrill of sexual need racing through her core.
“As I recall, you have never encountered a problem in finding a secluded spot in the amusement gardens,” she purred.
The memory of being bent over a table by her husband in the back of a dimly lit supper box, while at the same time listening to other patrons making polite conversation close by, had her biting down on her bottom lip. It had been wicked. Thrilling. If they had been caught, it would have been scandalous.
And I would have been the envy of all the other wives of the ton.
He nipped at her earlobe. “It’s been a while since Itookyou across the river. Perhaps we should make plans to do it again.”
Caroline swallowed. The saucy Ewan had been deliberate in his choice of words. In the early years of their marriage, he had made a point of taking her to public places and then finding somewhere that they could enjoy a sexual encounter. She had been well and trulytakenby her husband at some of the finest social occasions in London.
“I am a respectable matron of theton. About to become a grandmother. My days of illicit sexual encounters should be well behind me,” she replied.
Fingers drifted under the front of her cloak, and she gasped at the warmth of his touch through the thin fabric. “I like it when you play prim and proper. And yet, the ribbons of your gown are already unfastened. Tell me, wife, was that an oversight on your part? Or is it that you know full well you have many nights of sating my appetite still ahead of you?”
Caroline shook her head, refusing to meet his eyes; she wasn’t going to admit to anything. Her little game was a deliberate tease. As was the mysterious disappearance of her stays and undergarments. The only thing between Ewan’s searching hands and her naked skin was her gown and cloak.
He bent and set his lips to hers. As he did, his thumb and forefinger settled either side of her left nipple and gave it a gentle squeeze. Caroline yielded to the kiss, arching her back as Ewan firmed his grip on her tight bud. He knew her all too well. This never failed to get her hot and bothered.
And wet.
“I want you,” he murmured.
“How?” She was willing to do as he ordered, ready to obey his every wish.
Releasing his hold on her breast, Ewan stepped back. He sat on the stone flagging and motioned for Caroline to join him. She knelt and faced her husband. They were out of the wind and in near total darkness. Touch and sound reigned in this place.
Gripping her hand, he placed it on the placket of his trousers. Her fingers brushed against the wool. The fabric might have been soft, but beneath it, Ewan was as hard as iron. He did want her. “Ride me,” he commanded.
Her knees and back were still stiff from the long coach trip, but there would be no refusing him. Caroline bunched her skirts up, gasping as the cold night air kissed her thighs. Legs open wide either side of his, she settled onto his lap.
