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Reminded that they weren't out in a clearing where no one would hear her, Saidh bit off the sound and closed her eyes as she sank into a boneless puddle on the bed. Her body was quivering, her heart still racing, her breath coming in heaving gasps, but her mind was floating in some far off land where pleasure reigned.
Saidh was vaguely aware of Greer moving, and a slight breeze replacing the heat of a moment ago between her legs and then something nudged at her opening before thrusting into her. This time it was something much larger than the finger she thought he must have been using earlier, something that sent pain screaming through her body, tearing away the gossamer wings of the pleasure she'd been enjoying. Saidh instinctively sat up with a roar and struck out defensively before he caught her hands to prevent further blows and she opened her eyes.
She stared at him, her chest heaving, her body aching where before it had known only pleasure, and Greer pulled her head against his chest and rubbed her back. "I'm sorry, sweetling. I thought it best to get it done in one push than to draw out the pain."
"What did ye stab me with?" she asked with confusion, not sure what had happened.
"Just me," he said solemnly and then eased his chest back a bit so that she could look down and see that they were joined, his body disappearing into hers.
"Oh," she said weakly. "I could ha'e sworn ye'd run me through with a sword."
Greer frowned. "I ha'e never taken a woman's innocence before. I had no' realized 'twould be that painful. Mayhap we should jest--"
"Nay," Saidh gasped, wrapping her legs around his hips to keep him in place when he started to withdraw, merely adding to her pain. "Just . . ." She closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. "Just stay put fer a minute."
"Saidh?"
She glanced sharply around at that call from what sounded like Lady MacDonnell out in the hall. The door rattled, but fortunately didn't open. Greer had dropped the bar, she saw. His forethought was impressive.
"Saidh, dear? Are ye all right?"
She squeezed her eyes briefly closed.
"Ye'd best answer or she'll ha'e the whole castle up here," Greer whispered by her ear.
Saidh nodded and forced her eyes open and called out, "Aye."
"Are ye sure? I thought I heard ye scream, lass. Should I--"
"I'm fine," Saidh said, forcing more conviction into her voice. "Truly, m'lady. I am sorry I disturbed ye. 'Twas jest . . . a nightmare," she finished wearily and leaned her forehead against Greer thinking that her words were not far from the truth. What had started out as a pleasant dream had certainly turned into a nightmare when Greer had thrust into her. Dear God, she'd heard that the first time could be painful, but this was--
"Would ye like to talk?" Lady MacDonnell asked now. "Mayhap 'twould help if ye told me about yer nightmare."
"Nay," Saidh said at once, turning to peer at the door with horror, almost afraid it would open any moment despite the bar across it.
Something brushed across one nipple and Saidh glanced down with surprise to see Greer's hand retreating. She followed it to his mouth where he licked the pad of his thumb, and then he lowered it again to brush it across the tip of the same nipple again. The warm wet, was quickly followed by cool as he brushed his thumb lazily back and forth, making the nub harden and rise and the aureole around it darken as it shrank and wrinkled, tightening in response.
Saidh swallowed as she watched, and then gasped as he did the same to the other breast, wetting his thumb and rubbing it lazily over her eager flesh. This time when she raised her face to peer at him, Greer lowered his head to kiss her, his tongue whipping out to continue to stir back to life the desire she'd thought had been killed by the joining.
"Would ye like a warm drink, mayhap? I could ha'e one o' the servants bring ye some mulled cider or spiced rum. Mayhap that would help."
"Nay," Saidh groaned when Greer broke their kiss.
"Did ye say nay or aye, dear? 'Tis hard to hear ye through the door."
Saidh gave her head a shake, trying to concentrate, and then sighed and called, "I'm so sorry I disturbed ye m'lady, and I appreciate yer kindness, but nay, I would jest rather get back to sleep."
"All right then, dear," Lady MacDonnell said and Saidh glanced sharply down again as Greer gave up on her breasts and reached between them to begin to caress the nub just above where they were joined.
Saidh bit back a gasp and clutched at his arms as he teased her passion quickly back to full life.
"But if ye change yer mind and need anything, I'm just up the hall, dear. And don't ye worry about waking me," Lady MacDonnell said through the door. "Ye just come see me if ye like. All right?"
"Oh, aye," Saidh gasped, raising her legs to wrap them around Greer's hips and dig her heels into his butt to give her leverage as she began to rock into his caresses.
"Very well then, good sleep, Saidh, dear. I'll see ye in the morn."
"Aye," Saidh almost cried the word as Greer eased himself out of her and then slid back in. There was surprisingly little pain this time, and much more pleasure as he continued to caress her and Saidh began to clench around his body, legs, arms and entire body tightening in an effort to keep him where it wanted him.
When Greer pressed her face to his chest, she turned her mouth to his skin, knowing he was offering her a way to stifle the sounds building up in her throat. Little whimpering gasps issued from her throat and were muffled by his skin as he continue to increase the pressure mounting in her, and then he suddenly withdrew his caressing hand, to clasp her hips and pull her hard into his last thrust. But Saidh was already tipping over the edge of the cliff into her own release, and she cried out against his chest even as he released a guttural sound that she suspected was a roar, murdered in its infancy.
Chapter 8
S aidh rolled onto her back and stretched lazily, but stopped the moment her body protested in several places. One of those places was not one where she generally experienced discomfort and it made her eyes shoot open as memory rushed through her of the night and what she'd done.
What they'd done, she corrected herself, and turned her head on the pillow to seek out Greer, only to find the space empty beside her.
Sitting up abruptly, Saidh glanced around the room, but every bit of evidence that the man had ever been there was now gone. His clothes no longer lay on the fur by the fireplace. Neither did the linen they'd left there last night. It was back on the bed, and covering her, she realized. But he'd also removed any evidence of the food and drink he'd gone down to fetch from the kitchens after their first time together. They'd eaten the food on the fu
r in front of the fireplace, or at least they'd started to, but had got somewhat sidetracked and had ended up with him tossing up her skirts on the fur . . . well, if she'd been wearing a skirt he'd have tossed it up, but she hadn't.
After that, they'd returned to the bed and Saidh had cuddled up against him and drifted off to sleep, only to wake some time later to his caressing her into a fever and then thrusting into her again.
Saidh dropped back on the bed with a little satisfied sigh. While the first time had been terrible--at least the breaching had--it had much improved after that. She'd still felt a twinge of pain a time or two as they'd mated, but Greer had driven her to such heights of passion before getting to that point that it had been easily ignored.
Just the memory of the things he'd done to her made a tingle burst to life at the apex of her thighs and Saidh closed her eyes on the bed coverings overhead, allowing herself to drown in the memories. After a moment, she slipped her fingers under the sheet and furs to touch herself tentatively, curious to know what he experienced when he did it.
It was actually the first time she'd ever touched herself there and Saidh was quite surprised at how soft and slippery she was. It didn't feel the same when she touched herself, though. She missed Greer's presence, the feel of his warm body against her, the intoxicating scent of him, the taste of him as he covered her mouth with his own.
Suddenly wondering where he was and what he was doing, Saidh withdrew her hand, and pushed the linens and furs aside to leap out of bed. She rushed to her trunk then, the only one she'd brought, and began to pull out and examine the few gowns she'd brought away with her from Sinclair, trying to decide what to wear. For the first time in her life what she wore mattered to her. She wanted to look pretty for Greer. Of course, that being the case, it would be a time when she'd left most of her gowns elsewhere.
She was muttering to herself with exasperation as she discarded gown after gown when a knock sounded at the door. Stilling, she glanced toward it with surprise, and then--thinking it might be Greer--she straightened and rushed to it, a smile breaking on her face. Fortunately, she retained enough good sense not to open the door wide, but to crack it open and peer around it, keeping her nudity hidden behind the wooden panel.
