The touch, though simple and innocent, sent a shiver through Darragh. He stopped it short, but there was no hiding it. Being the source of that reaction sent a pleased, mischievous feeling up her spine. She didn’t bother holding back her smirk as she pressed more deliberately on the spot.
With a groan, he rested his forehead against hers. Deliberately, he cupped her cheek. In a show of control, of choice, he dipped his head, tilting it slightly to the side. She let out a little huff before she closed the gap, making her own choice just as clear.
Her hands slid into his hair, pulling him even closer. A soul-deep rightness spread through her limbs. When he pulled her closer, his arm was carefully positioned to keep from irritating her injuries. Even as the passion built, his gentleness never wavered.
Safe. He makes me feel safe.
He deepened the kiss, his tongue warm against the seam of her mouth. She opened up to him easily, her stomach swooping with almost unbearable pleasure when she felt it press against the roof of her mouth. The only thing that she could think as she kissed him back was that she’d never needed anything more than she needed him.
They broke away from each other for a moment, and Amelia threw her head back with soft laughter. Darragh took advantage of the opening, pressing his lips against her pulse point with a gentleness scored with desperation. Goosebumps erupted down her arms, leaving her breathless.
The way they reconnected felt brand new but also completely inevitable. From the moment she’d seen him in the tower, she knew that there was something special about him. It had simply taken her this long to see it.
As his hands roamed over her body as if he were mapping every inch of her, he walked her backward. She giggled again, seemingly unable to stop now that she had started. There was something so freeing about giving in and allowing herself to have something she truly wanted after so much suffering.
When he laid her down on the mattress, his movements careful to keep from jostling any of her injuries, her fingers traced over his strong shoulder blades. Another little thrill went through her, a rush of wetness accompanying it when she felt his length pressing against her thigh. She pressed her fingers firmeragainst his back, the thin fabric of his shirt suddenly feeling like too big a barrier.
In a burst of confidence that came from the way he groaned against her throat, she went for the hem. The garment climbed up his back deceptively easily, and his skin was hot when she indulged the desire to touch. The line she drew up his spine seemed to ignite something primal in him.
“Now that ye’re mine, I daenae have to hold meself back,” he growled, nipping at her neck before pulling away.
Her heart pounded in her chest as he hiked her dress up, controlled but fast. As he exposed inch after inch of her flesh, her hands greedily roamed the bare skin she’d exposed. His touch was feather-light, gaining confidence as he sought out the parts of her that weren’t purpled. When he reached her thighs, he pulled back with a wild look in his eye.
“I need ye out of this. Now.”
She wasn’t given time to respond before he turned her around and unlaced her gown. With the same quiet focus she’d seen him use on the battlefield, he stripped her of each of her layers. She found herself thanking the saints that she’d received no cut, that she wasn’t bandaged just yet. Then, when she was bare, her bruises and scars on display, he turned her around.
“Ye’re perfect,” Darragh said as his hands drifted up the flat of her stomach. When his hands found the swell of her breasts, hetook a nipple between his fingers and rolled it teasingly. “And now I’m goin’ to make sure ye never forget it.”
“Darragh,” she gasped, arching up into his touch. It took nearly all of her mind’s capabilities to get her next point across. “Please. Ye too…”
Her directive may not have been clear, but he understood. With graceful swiftness, he shucked his doublet away. Then, he got rid of his kilt with the same enthusiasm.
His body was gorgeous, all hard lines and sculpted muscle. She could see each hour that he’d spent training, each man he’d fought, each person he’d saved. Before she knew what she was doing, she reached forward, her fingers caressing the hard surface.
When she pulled her hand down, a slow and exploratory motion, his length twitched. Her eyes wide, she dropped her hand away, staring at his hardness. It was… “Big. I…”
“I willnae hurt ye, Amelia. I havenae yet,” he promised, repositioning himself over her once again. As he dipped down to capture her lips in another slow, indulgent kiss, holding himself up with a forearm, the dull head of his arousal nudged the softness of her inner thigh. “Do ye trust me, lass?”
“Aye,” she said, tangling her fingers in his light hair once more. “I trust ye more than anythin’. Please, Darragh.”
Her request was all it took. As he kissed her once more, he lined himself up with her center. She froze, taking in a sharp breath through her nostrils before tilting her hips upward.
“That’s a good lass,” he encouraged, rocking his hips forward, slow and teasing.
Less than an inch of him pressed inside her, but it was still enough to drive her wild. A ragged whine echoed between them as he plunged deeper with each thrust. She held onto him tighter, returning his kiss with wild passion.
Even though his thrusts were becoming harder, more deliberate as he found a rhythm that wouldn’t hurt the fresh aches, he was still handling her with utmost care. A single hand trailed down her body, stimulating sensitive parts while carefully avoiding the sore spots. Then, the next thrust of his hips hit so deep inside of her that she saw stars.
She whimpered against his lips as the sensation in her belly grew. It was so similar to the sensation from their last heated encounter, yet so much more intense now. The edge was within reach already, and it frustrated her to think that this could be over so quickly.
“Ye’re poutin’,” he said, chuckling incredulously.
“Nay,” she said, unable to challenge him as she normally would, the pleasure too overwhelming. She gulped down air, his hips slamming into her while he held her upper body still. “Just daenae want this to end.”
“I will claim ye as many times as I please,” Darragh said before pulling her into another kiss that was more tongue than lips. When they parted, he swallowed a groan. “Do ye really think that we cannae keep doin’ this? Over and over? I love ye, Amelia. I intend to spend the rest of me life makin’ sure ye understand that.”
The declaration and its intensity were all Amelia needed. She reached that sweet peak once more, her body tightening around Darragh’s length rhythmically. Her vision went white with pleasure, and her nails dug into his back.
