Page 75 of Loched in Love

“Then we’ll have to find a different mode of travel.”

“Would you be okay if we tried a plane again? Only this time a bigger one? Surely we can find one with enough leg room right? And we won’t fly commercial at all. We can try first class, or maybe just rent a private plane if that’s even a thing?”

“We’ll be fine, and I’m sure I know several females that won’t mind helping you find the perfect plane.” I press one final, deeply tender kiss to her forehead, where the crown had just been and lean back to pull her to my chest.

She curls into my side and lets out a sweet and soft breath of contentment that has my lips and heart grinning with happiness. I kiss at her temple, filling my nostrils full with the scent of her hair as she lets out a soft, unladylike snore.

“Sleep now, Elena. We’ll conquer metal birds and travel plans tomorrow.” I whisper, falling hard and fast asleep.

Chapter 30

LACHLAN MACBETH

Iwake up a few hours later and reach out an arm across the sheets to find only cold emptiness in the center of the bed.

The heavy furs are pushed aside, and the captain’s quarters are silent save for the slight creaking of the ancient galleon’s timbers. Panic doesn’t hit me as our mate bond is too calm for that. But a low, possessive ache pulls at my chest.

I close my eyes, reaching out with my senses and find her distinct sweet scent through the wood of the ship.

I roll out of the bed and stride naked onto the deck, stepping down the gangplank onto the smooth cavern floor. The cavern air is cool on my skin, and as I follow her trail toward the deeper recesses of the cavern, a frown creases my brow.

I wonder what’s caught her attention at this hour.

As I round the rocky corner, the soft ethereal green glow of the moss gives way to a blinding and lustrous reflection, and I pause in the shadows, my breath hitching in my throat.

My heart thuds hard and heavy in my chest at the sight before me.

She’s raided my trunk of human clothes, wearing nothing but a loose oversized white cotton shirt that drapes off one succulent shoulder, showcasing everything I want to kiss and leaving her legs completely bare against the mountain of gold doubloons. Resting proudly on her head, gleaming in the cavern light, is the incredibly thick heavy gold crown.

She looks like a beautiful Celtic pirate queen lording over a kingdom of gold and old relics, my realest dream come to life.

This is how I used to dream of her, before I even knew what she looked like.

She turns her head as I approach, the massive gold hoop shifting slightly, anchoring her with its weight. A brilliant, breathless smile lights up her face. “I couldn’t sleep,” she says, her voice laced with intense, intoxicating heat that sparks a sudden fire in my veins. “The gold was calling to me, or maybe it was just the crown.”

“You look breathtaking, my flower,” I rumble aloud, my voice thick and rough with sleep as I step onto the edge of the hoard. The ancient gold coins clink softly beneath my bare feet. “But a queen should not be a sitting alone in the cold.”

Before I can even process the thought, Elena moves, her arms reaching out for me. She scrambles across the gold hoard, the coins cascading around her, a loud complaint of metallic clinks chiming like sharp bells as she throws herself directly into my lap.

She climbs over me, her bare thighs bracketing my hips as she sits astride me, right there on the edge of the gold mountain.

The loose cotton of her shirt shifts and brushes against my chest, but it’s the rampant urgency in her eyes that has me paralyzed and frozen in place.

She looks down at me, her small hands gripping my shoulders to steady herself as the heavy gold crown tilts precariously on her head, demanding she keep her posture straight and upright and adding a dangerous regal edge.

The hunger rolling off her through our bond is as intense as it is erotic, and sends shock spiraling through me.

“I really need you now, Lachlan,” she says, her breath already a heavy rasp thick with lust. “Please. Right here, like before, I want you now.”

The absolute dominance in her tone ignites my senses, and a sharp purr begins to roll from my chest as I reach out, my large hands anchoring firmly at her waist as she pulls me flush against her. A deep, primal growl rips from my chest, yielding entirely to her fierce urging as the pile of gold shifts and groans beneath us.

I move to wedge my quickly growing cock between our bodies as she bends and takes my lips with hers, and let out an uneven exhale as my hands quickly move to steady her. The warmth of her against my palms feels like an anchor grounding me to the spot and I can feel the bond flare up with intensity and desire.

She trembles in my arms as the kiss deepens, turning soft, then hard, then soft again as our breaths turn into pants, and passion spreads like a palpable force. She ravages my mouth with hers, and my grip tightens when she sucks lightly on my tongue, sending lust racing through me like a crashing wave.

I open my gaze and find hers wide and bright with a raw and unprotected vulnerability. She looks completely undone by the level of desire and yearning that seems to eclipse every other emotion passing through our bond.

“My sweet flower,” I murmur, my voice a low rumble. I try to offer her what comfort and reassurance I can, gutted by how fragile she suddenly seems. “I’m right here, for you. Take what you want of me, I’m yours Elena.”