He lay atop her, heaving for breath. She dragged air into her lungs, but they burned with the effort. She simply couldn’t process what had just happened. Was this normal? Was this what happened every time a man and woman indulged in loving? Surely it couldn’t be, otherwise no one would ever get out of bed.
Alaric rolled them both to the side so that his weight was off her but she was still clasped tightly to his body. She felt his shaft pulsing against her belly and could feel sticky warmth on her skin.
It finally dawned on her what had occurred, and she was both grateful and sad all at the same time. He’d taken care not to leave her with child. She wouldn’t have to bear the shame of an illegitimate child while he married another and bore legitimate issue.
Yet the idea of having a part of him, his precious child, was bittersweet. She’d never take another man to her bed after Alaric. She’d never bear children.
She sighed and snuggled into his embrace. Perhaps ’Twas too dramatic to be thinking such thoughts, and perhaps once Alaric was long gone, she’d think differently about another man. A lifetime of loneliness was hardly a balm for a broken heart. But those matters were for another time. For now, she couldn’t even think of ever being so intimate with another.
Alaric gathered her close and kissed her forehead. “Did it hurt over much, love?”
She shook her head against his chest. “Nay, warrior. You were true to your word. You were gentle, and I felt hardly a pinch when you pushed inside me.”
“I’m glad. The last thing I ever want to do is cause you pain.”
Her heart ached just a bit at his words, for she knew that eventually, despite his best intentions, his marriage would cause her pain.
Determined not to allow the future to cast a pall over the present, she laid her head on his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his hard muscles.
“Tell me, warrior, how soon can we do this again?”
He tensed against her and then tucked a finger under her chin, forcing her gaze upward. His eyes gleamed with anticipation, and the heat in his gaze made her heart pound faster.
“As soon as you tell me aye.”
“Aye,” she whispered.
Chapter 19
Alaric rose on his elbow, blinking away the sleep, and stared across the chamber to the hearth where Keeley had placed another log on the fire. She sat back on the bench, her nude body silhouetted by the orange glow, and for a long moment she stared into the flames just as he stared at her.
She was beautiful. Feminine and yet strong. She was soft and silken, but she had an inner thread of strength that astonished him in light of her past.
Not many lasses could have survived on their own after being cast out of their clan. Many would have adopted the very life she’d been accused of. There weren’t many ways for a woman to survive on her own and yet Keeley had done so.
She flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned her head to look in Alaric’s direction. Her eyes widened in surprise for a moment before she broke into a shy smile.
He could barely swallow. She was so incredibly lovely that his teeth ached.
“Come here,” he said as he held a hand out to her.
She rose and awkwardly covered her br**sts in an effort to maintain her modesty. She looked adorably shy as she slid onto the bed next to him.
He pulled her into his arms, loving how easily she fit. “How are you feeling?”
She nuzzled against his neck and pressed a kiss to the column of his throat. “Much better now.”
“And you say I have a honeyed tongue.”
She tilted her head and smiled. “Aye, you do. There’s no doubt after earlier.”
“I’m glad I pleased my lady.”
“Aye, you please me, warrior. You please me well.”
He leaned in to kiss her. He meant for it to be a brief embrace, but he couldn’t pull himself away. Their lips made a soft smooching sound in the room. Their tongues met and dueled. This time she was more confident and much more passionate, willing to meet him halfway and demand her due.
“We have a few hours before dawn. Come back to bed with me, Keeley. Let’s not waste the time we have left.”
Her smile lit up the entire room. Then her eyes glinted and her smile turned mischievous. She put her hands to his shoulders and pushed until he reclined on the bed.
“Granted I have no experience with these matters, but it seems to me that ’twould be just as easy for me to do the loving as it is for you.”
He lifted an eyebrow but his eyes gleamed devilishly. “That’s an arrogant statement, lass. Seems to me you have to back up that statement with action.”
Her hair fell in a curtain over her shoulder as she straddled his naked body with her own. His approval of her arrogance was evident in his straining arousal. The idea of her covering him with her softness and of taking the initiative in loving tested the bounds of his discipline and control.
He was a patient man, but at the moment he felt the insane urge to tumble her over and drive between her thighs until it was all either of them knew or could feel.
He glanced up her body as she sat astride him, following the line over her flat belly to her full br**sts and then back down to the slim curve of her waist to her fuller hips.
His c**k strained upward, thrusting against her soft curls nestled at his base. His breath caught and wheezed out in a strangled gasp when she lowered her hands to grasp his cock.
Her expression was one of wonder as she gently caressed his length. Up and down, she drew the skin tight and then rolled it back down until the blunt crest had widened and blood had rushed to the tip.
It was nearly painful. Each touch drove him more daft by the minute. She was exquisitely gentle, almost as if she feared hurting him.