If that were the case, maybe now that Ailith was at Drumoak, the woman would not have to add Ailith to her worries.
Lifting her cup from the table, Ailith gave Mairi the warmest smile she could muster and bowed her head at her sister-in-law.Mairi lifted her chalice in return.Her smile widened but did not quite reach her eyes.
Ailith and William finally were able to sit and rest for a bit, surveying the guests, until William turned and placed his hand on her thigh.Her eyes widened at his bold gesture in front of everyone.
“Ye rival a goddess in that gown,” he said as he leaned into her, his breath full of wine and desire.“The green makes your eyes shine, and your hair is so bright, I canna wait to wrap it in my hands as I ride ye.”
A hot flush coursed over her, and despite herself, she moved closer to him.“William, our guests ...”
“I’m done with them.I’ve only just started with ye,” he said, kissing her cheek, a heated kiss that scorched her skin.Why was it so hot in this hall?So hot near William?
Her lips curled to the side, and she pressed her palm against his warm cheek.He had shaved, so his cheek was smooth to her touch, the sharp edge of his jaw cupped in her hand.
His skin burned as hot as hers.
“And I with ye.Let us depart.”
She didn’t have to ask twice.Without a second breath, he stood and helped her rise.Then he bowed slightly to Cormag and Seocan.
“Pardon us.‘Tis time for us to take our leave.”
Cormag’s mouth dropped open.“William!‘Tis early!We have guests!”
Bernard placed his hand on Cormag’s arm.“Let them go.Do ye no’ recall your wedding night?And these guests will be here for several days, I promise.As long as ye keep theuisge-beathaflowing.”Bernard drank from his cup to prove his point.
Cormag shook his head, but a light chuckle shook his chest.He didn’t answer but waved his hand to William.
Again, with no hesitation, William swept Ailith past the head table to the hallway, followed by the table pounding and ribald cheers.
Then they were alone.
***
William couldn’t get Ailith to their chambers quickly enough.While he appreciated his kin, clan, and fellow Highlanders coming to Drumoak to celebrate his wedding, William was finished with other people.He wanted, nay,neededto have Ailith all to himself.
As he raced with her down the hall, he couldn’t stop looking at her.Half of her hair was plaited in a complex crown around her head, but the rest fell in soft crimson curls around her shoulders and down her back.She held up the front of her long skirts as they rushed through the narrow hallway to the stairs that led to his chambers.
Nay,theirchambers.
The green gown was something from a dream, a deep emerald that matched the brooch his father had insisted he wear that morning.The fabric had been so finely hewn that even in the dim hallway torchlight, the gown seemed to shimmer as she moved.The detailed Celtic knot stitching across her breast and down her back only drew his eyes to her ample breasts all the more, and during their entire wedding, all he wanted to do was tug her neckline down so he could suckle on her luscious breasts.
He had reached his breaking point dancing with her.The verdant intensity of her eyes had remained fixed on him, and he lost all control under her commanding gaze.
William might be a Highland warrior, but he was completely helpless under her brilliant eyes, made more brilliant by the complementary green of her dress.He was sweating, and his blood pulsed through his entire body, making his cock throb under his tunic.
He needed her, and he needed her now.
Swiftly, he swept her into his arms as he opened their chamber door.The sounds of the revelry followed them into the room, but once the door was closed, the room was silent.
He lay her on the bed and kissed the undercurve of her jaw, his hand pressed against her breast over her gown.
William was ready to tear the garment from her body when she pushed against his chest.He stepped backward, his face tense with confusion.
Why had she pushed him away?
A sly smile crossed her lips, and her eyes sparkled in the low candlelight.
She was up to something, and his cock flexed again in anticipation.
