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Deep down, she wanted him to say, outright, that he had developed an affection for her, and that everything had changed. She wanted him to sweep her up into his arms again, and kiss her fiercely, so she would know that hedidfeel something for her.
“Let us eat first.” He cut away some of the lamb and some of the pheasant, placing slices on her plate. Then, he served her some vegetables, seemingly at ease with the entire situation.
She envied him for that. Either he was very sure that she had forgiven him earlier, or he was about to tell her that this would be the way of things, going forward. After all, had he not once said that, once they were married, they could live as they both pleased?
I suppose I dinnae realize ye really meant it.She stabbed a fork into the pheasant as she held Felix’s gaze. His eyelids flickered for a moment, like he was alarmed by the gesture, before he went back to his own meal.
A moment later, he swallowed his mouthful and asked, “Have my sisters said what they are preparin’ for the weddin’ feast?”
“Similar fare.” Edwina would not give him the satisfaction of comfortable conversation.
“Have ye a weddin’ gown picked?” He took up his goblet of wine and sipped.
“Well, I wouldnae like to attend in the nude.”
He almost spluttered the wine all over the table. “Pardon?”
“I believe ye heard me.” She put on a sweet smile and continued to eat.
Without warning, he was on his feet, walking around to her side of the table. She grasped her knife tightly, worried by the dark look in his eyes.
“Ye cannae say things like that,” he warned, sinking to his knees in front of her. “I told ye once that I was hungry for ye, and that hasnae gone away. Ye’re all I’m hungry for, and… forget this feast. It was a foolish attempt to woo ye, and I daenae want to woo ye—I want ye to be mine.”
She swallowed thickly. “And what of ye? Will ye be mine, too?”
“For someone with a reasonable wit,” he replied, with a teasing smile, “ye can be dense as a stone, sometimes. Look around ye. Do ye think I’d almost set my Castle on fire for anyone? Do ye think I’d do that if I hadnae already decided to stand side by side with ye?”
It was not quite the confession she had been hoping for, but as he rose up on his haunches and caught her mouth with his, she forgot what it was she had wanted him to say. Her grip loosened on the knife handle as he crushed his lips against hers, sinking into the ebb and flow of his kiss and the heat of his closeness.
“But… what is the use?” Edwina gasped between his kisses. “Ye have nay reason to… try and win favor with… me, Felix. I believe I understand… the rules of our marriage. We have our weddin’, then we do as… we please, just as ye said. If we cannae exist peacefully… in the same Castle, I’ll take my… leave.”
“Ye willnae be goin’ anywhere,” he growled, dipping his head to rake his kiss along her neck. “This is doin’ what I please. Bein’ with ye.”
She moaned softly as his lips found the swell of her bosom. “I havenae… forgiven ye, yet.”
“Ye said ye wanted to,” he murmured, sliding his hands up her calves. The material of her skirts gathered upon his forearms as he caressed higher, pushing the hem all the way to her thighs.
“Aye, but that’s… nae forgiveness.” With every second, her resolve weakened.
He lowered his head to her thighs, kissing the soft, secret skin there. “Then, I’ll earn it,” he promised, lifting his gaze to hers for a moment, before resuming his tender affections.
She did not know what that meant or what that entailed, nor did she have the space in her mind to contemplate it as pleasure swirled, filling up every gap in her mind with a sweet fog. Indeed, she had no idea what to expect as he let his kiss run further along the insides of her thighs, making her shiver and tremble though the tower room was like being within the belly of a furnace.
She was still trying to figure out what he intended, when his fingertips unfastened the ribbon of her drawers and drew them down her legs. As he pulled them away, his lips returned to her thighs, his kiss moving higher and higher until his tongue flicked against a part of her that she had no knowledge of. The shock and the immediate jolt of pleasure nearly made her jump right off the chair. Instead, she gripped the edges, struggling to control the trembling of her limbs.
He tasted her again, slow and savoring, rolling his tongue in strokes that threatened to dissolve her into nothing but motes of bliss. She did not know if the rumors about Felix being the greatest lover in Scotland were true, but Edwina had an inkling that he was no amateur. Then again, she had nothing to compare him to, nor did she want anyone else.
“Is that… how ye’ll earn… my forgiveness?” she panted, wondering if she might faint from the intensity and the heat of the room.
He did not answer. Instead, he lavished that secret place with his tongue, as if she really was the feast and he really was ravenous for her.
Gasping for air, gripping the chair with all her might, an unusual sensation began to build inside her. A tightening of muscle and a tingling of skin that unnerved her as much as it thrilled her. At first, she feared it might be a fever or a sickness of some kind, brought on by the dinner, but as his tongue moved more swiftly, circling and flicking in places that made her entire body shake, she doubted something so glorious could be bad.
A few minutes later, her body released its tension in one sweeping rush that nearly knocked her off the chair. Her limbs seized and her stomach clenched, as a breath lodged in her throat.
“Felix… och, Felix!” she called his name, overcome by the sensation that claimed every speck of her, making her feel as if someone had lit a bonfire in every vein.
His tongue did not slow until she began to jolt unsteadily, the sensation too intense for her to bear. Only then did he draw away, kissing down her inner thighs as he peered up at her.
