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He shifted position slightly to slip his hand beneath her gown and caressed her foot, then encircled her calf, and spread an adoring trail up the length of her thigh. Oriana remained hesitant to go any further, but when Egan was moving so slowly, and enticing such delicious sensations, she swallowed her protests and kissed him again. He slipped his fingers between her legs to tease her with sweet, fluttering strokes that made her ache for more, but even as her breathing quickened, she relaxed to allow him to set the pace.
Egan enjoyed going slowly with Oriana. He was thrilled to have such a responsive bride, and that her slender body held so many tantalizing curves and inviting crevices provided him with nearly endless inspiration. He used her own wetness to smooth his fingertips and traced the same intimate patterns he had once savored with his tongue.
When she began to gasp, he took a firm hold on her waist to lift her across his lap, and with no further complaints of inexperience, she freed him from his soft woolen pants and guided him into her core. She rolled her hips to take him deep, but she felt so hot and tight, he held her still to prolong the glorious sensation.
He wound his hands in her hair to pull her mouth back to his and kissed her, his thrusts deepening as she tensed her inner muscles around him. He was in no pain at all and risked dropping his hands to her hips to raise her slightly and then lowered her in an easy twisting motion that pleasured them both. He had never restrained himself with another woman, but moving with such deliberate care heightened each exquisite sensation.
Balanced on her knees, Oriana rose up, and then again took him deep. She had such delicacy and grace, and yet a hunger that matched his own. She coaxed the response he fought to withhold, and all too soon a consuming desire outstripped his restraint.
Egan smothered an exultant cry in her curls and felt her responding joy shudder through them both. He kept her locked in an embrace until his arms began to ache with the effort, but even then, he was reluctant to let her go.
“If this is a curse,” he whispered, “then I welcome it without a trace of dread.”
Oriana rolled her hips against his and felt him again swell within her. She moved with a graceful dip to ease the tantalizing ache. Then, fearing pleasure this great would surely cost them dearly, she lost herself in his kiss rather than weep for a future they might not live to share.
Chapter Nineteen
Early the next morning, Albyn rode out to the forest with Yowan and his sons. Yowan had been eager to describe their progress and waved his arms in elaborate gestures, but Albyn needed to actually see the wing for himself. The men had hoisted it into the branches of a tall oak to disguise it from view, and the younger and more nimble of Yowan’s lads scrambled up the tree to carefully handle the rope and lower it.
The lightweight frame was lashed together with sinews. It was larger than Albyn had expected, but beautiful in its simplicity. He walked the length of it, and noted how the sides duplicated the bone structure of a bird’s wings. Thicker branches reinforced the center, from which Egan would be suspended.
He nodded thoughtfully. “What will you use to cover it?”
Yowan exchanged an anxious glance with his sons. “We’ve been debating our choices. A good stout linen should carry a man, but we’re not satisfied with merely getting Egan aloft.”
“Neither am I,” Albyn agreed. “I’ll get whatever you need.”
Yowan raised a hand. “Leave it to us. We’re thinking we’ll stretch calfskin taut as though we were making a drum. The wind rushing up Mount Royal is as unpredictable as a woman’s heart. Using skins will add a bit of weight to the wing, but the necessary strength is what we’re after.”
Yowan continued to study his handiwork before looking up. “How is Egan faring?” he asked. “Is his side on the mend?”
Albyn could only voice his hopes. “I believe so.”
“Good. When we have the covering in place, I’ll fashion a leather harness to suspend him from the wing, but he’ll need to be agile enough to shift his weight to control it in the wind.” He gestured with surprising grace to suggest a dipping and gliding motion.
Albyn was impressed not only with Yowan’s accomplishments thus far, but also with his vision. “There will be little, if any, opportunity for practice.”
“We’re moving with all possible haste, my lads and I, but I’d not want Kieran to glimpse our wing and improve upon his own design.”
“Then how will Egan practice? He has to try the wing before the eve of Samhain. He can’t just strap on the harness and leap off Mount Royal.”
“I’m afraid he’ll have to,” Yowan’s eldest son said. “But Kieran will have no advantage. His men are copying the tapestry, and while the shape is accurate, it’s too small. He’ll plummet straight into the side of the mountain and bounce on down like a handful of pebbles.”
Albyn brushed aside that gloomy prediction. “Kieran has invited whatever disaster befalls him. Now I’ll delay your work no longer. If you encounter any unforeseen difficulty, summon me immediately.”
“Aye, that we’ll do,” Yowan replied, and he and his sons bent down beside their fanciful creation to make certain the bindings were secure.
As Albyn returned to the fortress, he worried a healthy man would have trouble handling a wing on his first flight. One with a weakened left side would be at a severe disadvantage. There was no point in sharing his apprehensions with Egan, however, and he fixed on an encouraging smile before knocking on Adelaine’s door.
When Oriana welcomed him into the room with a charming smile that lit her eyes with a bright sparkle, he knew instinctively what had caused the great improvement in her mood. He felt a momentary flash of jealousy, but promptly smothered it with gratitude that Egan felt well enough to make love to his bride.
Egan had been pacing the chamber to build his strength, but he welcomed Albyn’s interruption and sat down on the end of the bed. “What have you found?” he asked.
“Yowan does indeed know how to construct a wing, and he and his sons are well on their way to completing it. I would like for you to practice though, and it will be difficult to arrange without Kieran benefiting as greatly as you.”
Egan winked at Oriana, but he wished she had somewhere to go to allow him to converse freely with Albyn. During the day, female guests usually gathered in the great hall to embroider or to simply exchange gossip with Ula, but that would be the last place Oriana would feel at ease. He had not considered how her lack of family and friends would limit her activities and deeply regretted the oversight.
With Albyn shifting his weight uncomfortably from foot to foot, and Egan eyeing her with a preoccupied frown, Oriana quickly grasped what neither wished to say. “From what I can glimpse through the narrow windows, it appears to be a pleasant morning. If you’ll excuse me, I believe I’ll venture out for a stroll along the bluff.”
