“I needed fresh air,” she said, grabbing her boots. She looked behind him, and saw a honey-colored rock to sit on.
“We should probably eat some oatcakes before we head back tae your castle,” he said.
“Aye,” she agreed, but she made no attempt to get up from her seat. Letting out a loud sigh she said, “I dinnae want tae leave this place, Duncan. It reminds me of a fae hideaway. Can we nae stay a while longer?” Her gaze slid past his shoulder as she drank in the lovely scenery.
“Perhaps we can stay a wee bit longer.”
She gave him a bright smile. “When I was young, I used tae stare out of my window, and wonder where the fae folk lived. Unfortunately my mother frowned at imaginative lassies traipsing through the woods.” She tilted her head, and her smile turned mischievous. “However I still found a way tae get out of the castle grounds and hunt for them.”
“I wonder what ye would have done if ye encountered abean nighe.” He turned his head, and lazily studied the waterfall as if he was allowing himself to be lulled by the rhythmic sounds. He bent down, picked up a pebble and tossed it into the water. When he turned back to her, he appeared relaxed and almost friendly. “Perhaps you would have run at meeting the washer woman at the ford.”
“Och?”
“Aye,” he said, the corners of his lips quivering. “Apparently she’s in possession of one nostril, and a large protruding tooth. Her feet are webbed, and her breasts hang low to her waist.”
“How do ye ken sae much about this fae creature?” she stared at him, uncertain what to make of him. He was a logical, calculating man, yet he seemed versed in the lore of the forest.
“My sister Kila is knowledgeable about these things,” he said, shrugging. “She also makes certain that I’m as informed as she.”
Then the expression on his features changed, becoming more serious. “’Tis curious though,” he said. He went to stand between her legs, nudging her legs apart. With his large hand, he brushed her hair to the side and hooked the loose tendril behind her ear.
“What’s curious?” she asked, the heat of his hand burning her where he touched.
“Why I dinnae want tae leave this place either.” His hand moved up and traced the outline of her jaw. “What makes me want tae forget all my troubles, and stay here with ye forever?”
“Ye must be imagining things,” she said.
He let out a low chuckle. Then with his other hand, he dragged her closer until she was flushed against him. Her eyes widened with shock. Even through the thick plaid, she could feel the unmistakable hardness nestled between her thighs.
With his gaze locked onto hers, he bent her backward until she lay flat on the rock. His hand slid to the back of her head, gently cradling it. “Tell me why I cannae resist ye?” His deep brogue rolled over her. “And why are ye sae fascinating tae me?” he continued, his breath brushing over her lips.
Her eyes fluttered closed. Later was the time for rational thought. Next day Duncan would return her home, and they would go their separate ways. Today she would just revel in her lover’s embrace.
But then she was stuck with the startling realization that she had encountered this scenario once before. Adrina opened one eye, and sure enough there was a shadow circling high in the sky. Turning her regard downward, the light from the clear water deflected into her pupils, making her abruptly close her eyelids.
When she opened her eyes again, she found Duncan gazing down at her with primal hunger in his emerald depths.
Through their own accord, her arms encircled his neck. And before she lost her courage, she pressed her lips to his. He tensed for a split second as if he was taken by surprise, but then he leaned his weight into her.
At first his lips bruised hers, but he gentled the kiss, tracing the seam of her upper lip with his skilled tongue. The soft gesture caused a small sigh to escape from her lips. It was as if he waited for this moment, and he seized the opportunity. Using his hot velvety tongue, he boldly plunged into her mouth. His passion inflamed, and finally unleashed, he moved with a crazed, desperate need. The scorching touch caused every coherent thought to fly from her mind, and all she could do was center her entire being on this magnificent male.
A searing intensity blazed a path all the way down to her toes, and then traveled quickly back up to her chest. Suddenly her heart was filled with joy, and at any moment now, it was ready to burst. Just when she marveled over the sensation, the feelings that were trapped inside her body exploded.
His warm hands glided across her legs as he pushed aside her gown. Then with the obstruction gone, his callused fingers inched higher and higher toward her sex. When he reached her woman’s mound, he cupped her lightly with his hand. And before she realized what was happening, he dipped a thick, questing finger inside of her.
A groan tore through his chest as he found her slick and ready for him. But his ardent rumble affected her as well. The sound thrummed throughout her body, settling inside her core. When she thought that she couldn’t possibly experience any more pleasure, he deepened his kiss, darting his tongue in and out, moving at the same speed and rhythm as his seeking finger.
“I need ye, lass,” he rasped.
As if to convince her of his words, he took her hand, and slipped it underneath his kilt. His iron-hot flesh shocked her. With one hand covering hers, he guided her movements, slowly massaging the velvety hardness of his shaft. A moment later, he released her hand, allowing her to explore him on her own accord. At her tentative caresses, his engorged arousal jumped repeatedly until finally he let out a long hiss.
“All right, ye have had your fun,” he said, his voice sounding anguished. Brushing aside her hand, he grabbed the hem of her gown. And before she could blink, she felt a small breeze sweeping across her heated skin, and the material of her kirtle was bunched to her waist.
Duncan started to pull away, but she blindly reached to draw him back to her. However he had plans of his own. At first he started kissing the tender spot at the back of her knee. Then extending his tongue, he scraped it along her inner thigh, moving higher, his target evident.
“What are ye —?” she gasped as she pushed herself up on her elbows to see what he was doing. But the last of her words became swallowed up as he lifted her hips, and drove his searing tongue into her moistened folds.
Her eyes shut abruptly, and she threw her head back as euphoria rippled through her entire frame. Using slow, lush strokes, he circled her clitoris with his tongue until she was panting and whimpering uncontrollably. Unable to take any more of the exquisite torture, Adrina squirmed backward.
