The moment the final words of the binding faded into the cheer of the gathered crowds. Music began.
Eloise barely had time to draw breath before James was pulling her gently, urgently, away from the gathered voices and into the winding path beyond.
“James,” she laughed breathlessly, her hand clasped in his as they hurried through the trees, “what are ye doin’?”
He glanced back at her, his grin wild and boyish. “Claiming a moment that is ours alone,” he said. They reached the glen, that quiet, sacred place where the world seemed to pause just for them, and at last he slowed.
Eloise’s breath came quick, her cheeks flushed, her eyes bright as she turned to him.
“Ah, this special place again,” she teased softly. She searched his gaze, seeing no hesitation, no restraint left between them. “We are bound now,” she whispered.
“Aye,” he murmured, leaning closer, “bound in truth, in heart, and in soul.”
He kissed her then, and it was nothing like the stolen moments before, this was certain, unguarded, full of all the longing they had tried to deny.
“Ye couldnae wait?” she said.
“Nay, nae when I have waited this long,” he answered, his hands rising to frame her face.
Eloise melted into him, her hands gripping his shoulders as though he were the only solid thing in the world.
“James…” she breathed against his lips, her voice soft with wonder.
“I am here, lass,” he replied, his forehead resting against hers. “And I am yers, as I swore.” The wind stirred softly through the glen.
They sank together onto the grass, laughter mingling with quiet sighs, their closeness filled with both tenderness and fire.
“Do ye regret it?” he asked.
Eloise shook her head, her fingers brushing his cheek. “Never,” she said firmly. “I would choose ye again and again, in every life.”
And there, beneath the open sky, they gave themselves fully to the truth they had fought so long to deny, not just desire, but devotion.
James knelt beside her, his gaze lingering on her as though he still could not quite believe she was truly his.
“Ye are warm,” he murmured, his voice low and warm.
Eloise let out a soft, breathless laugh. “Can ye blame me?” she laughed.
“Everythin' has changed in the span of a single day.”
He smiled gently, reaching for her. “Then let me please ye, lass.”
His hands came to her shoulders, firm and warm, and the first press of his fingers sent a shiver through her.
“James…” she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed as he kissed slowly along her neck.
“Aye?” he asked softly, his breath brushing her ear.
“If ye continue so, I fear I shall forget how to stand at all,” she said, her voice laced with quiet laughter.
“Then I shall simply have to carry ye, wife.”
The word made her heart stutter, warmth blooming deep within her as his hands moved with deliberate care. He traced the curve of her shoulders, then down her chest, his touch making her feel heated with desire.
“I feel as though I have come alive beneath yer hands,” she whispered.
His breath caught faintly at her words, and for a moment his hands stilled before continuing to her breasts, slower now.
