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She sighed. “My mother had her faults. She was not a saint. I have always known this,” she said. “She is a human, not unlike myself, and as such, we are prone to our… foibles. I cannot judge her for what she did with the Duke. I will not. To me, although she was not perfect, she was a good mother. She did the best that she was able.”
“I daenae get that impression that yer braither shares that view of her.”
A rueful smile touched her lips. “My brother thinks she was a saint. Perhaps it was because she was soft where her father was hard, but to Castor, our mother did no wrong,” she said softly. “He blames her death on Duke Hamilton and does not hold her responsible in any way at all.”
“Even though she-”
Ivy nodded. “Even though she took her own life,” she said. “Yes. In Castor’s eyes, it was all Duke Hamilton’s doing.”
They both fell silent, and Ivy cuddled closer to him, stealing more of his body heat. Fin drew his cloak around her, trying to keep her warm. They sat like that for a good, long while, and she relished the feel of his body pressed to hers. Eventually, the sounds of the night grew louder. The night birds in the boughs overhead sang, crickets chirped, and frogs near the river let out their throaty croaks.
They exchanged a look and a quiet laugh together. Ivy smiled and reveled in the feeling of comfort and ease between them. She marveled at just how close and comfortable to him she felt. They did not even need to speak for her to be drawn further into him.
That she was finally able to admit to him, to his face, that she was in love with him, was like a key that unlocked a door inside of her. And once that door was opened, all of her emotions came tumbling out and washed over her. Ivy had never realized a love like this could exist, let alone that she would feel it for somebody. But she could not deny the love for Fin that was thick and deep and filled her with an amazing feeling of lightness and joy.
At the same time, though, although it brought her more happiness than she thought possible, it also brought with it a feeling of intense insecurity. She felt exposed and vulnerable. She had put her heart out there, and although he had reciprocated, there was some small voice in her that remained unconvinced.
He gently stroked her hair, sending pleasant chills washing through her. She looked up at him and smiled and tried to quiet that skeptical voice inside of her.
“Did you mean it?” she asked.
“Mean what?”
“When you said you loved me?
Fin sat up, forcing her to move as well. He turned to her and took Ivy’s hands in his own. He looked at her, holding her gaze as he caressed her knuckles with his thumbs.
“I need ye tae listen to me good,” he said, his voice firm. “Are ye listenin’?”
Ivy nodded. “I am.”
“I love ye, Ivy Welton,” he said. “I love ye with everythin’ in me. With all ma heart.”
Ivy’s vision blurred, and the voice in the back of her mind grew even quieter as she was filled with the purest joy and deepest love she thought possible. Her cheeks flushed, and her heart thundered so hard in her chest, she was certain Fin could hear it over the sounds of the night around them.
She leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his. Fin slid his hand behind her neck and pulled her toward him, his kiss so intense, it nearly stole her breath. Their tongues swirled around one another, and Ivy felt a ball of warmth spring to life in her belly. The warmth spread through her body quickly, and it was not long before she felt like she was on fire.
Ivy let out a soft yelp of surprise when Fin picked her up and set her down on his lap. She laughed softly as she sat astride him, running her hands through his hair as they kissed harder, their passion more electric than a lightning strike. Fin’s hands slid down her back, and she moaned softly as he cupped her backside and pulled her forward, letting her feel his rigid length.
His fingers pressed hard into her flesh, and she rolled her hips, grinding herself against his engorged staff. Ivy leaned her head back, groaning as he planted a line of kisses down her neck and teased the hollow of her throat with the tip of his tongue.
She rose and fell on his lap, the hard length of his staff rubbing against her swollen bud, sending sharp shocks of pleasure coursing through her body. Ivy moved her hips, grinding herself against him harder, feeling that pressure low in her core growing more intense by the second. She knew she had gone too far to stop, and as the bubble inside of her burst, sending a flood of euphoria through her wildly trembling body, she leaned forward and sunk her teeth into Fin’s shoulder.
He drew a sharp breath, and the pressure of his fingers pressing into her backside grew harder, but he held her close. Ivy’s sharp, stuttering cries were muffled against his tunic, but her body felt out of control as she writhed atop him. She was overwhelmed by a feeling of absolute bliss. She felt enveloped by a glow of incredible pleasure, and at that moment, she was sure she could have died happy.
As the moments passed, the trembling in her body eased, and her breathing slowed. Although the feeling of ecstasy dimmed, it did not fade entirely away. She looked down at him as a salacious smile touched her lips.
“The things you do to me - I cannot even begin to describe how good they feel.”
Fin grinned and gave her a wink. “And we’re just gettin’ started.”
