Her grin turned wide and she nodded vigorously. Then she tapped her chest and placed her hand on his now limp shaft.
“You like touching me?”
Again she nodded vigorously.
He kissed her gently. “I love the way you touch me and I give you permission to touch me whenever you like.”
Her smile was interrupted by a yawn.
“You need sleep after such strenuous activity,” he teased and she cuddled against him. He kissed the top of her head as his arms tightened around her. “You belong to me, Dawn, always remember that.”
She could not argue with that; she did belong to him… but did he belong to her?
Chapter Thirty
Cree woke with the first light of day, Dawn curled around him. Damn, but he loved her there in his arms, in bed with her and damn if he didn’t want to make love to her again. His lust was insatiable when it came to her. He couldn’t remember wanting any woman with the voraciousness that he wanted her.
Your seed will grow in her soon enough. The thought startled him and concerned him. It would not be good to get her with child. He would not only worry over her but for the child as well. He would not want a son or daughter to suffer as she had. And being his mistress and not his wife would make it all the more difficult for any child born of their union. He shook his head. He needed her to talk with Elsa so that he did not have to worry that his seed would take root.
If only things were different… but they weren’t. He expected to hear from Roland Gerwan any day now. The King no doubt had cautioned him to react wisely to his new circumstances and obey his command or suffer the consequences.
Cree had been more concerned with Colum than Roland Gerwan. Colum had seen an opportunity and had taken advantage of it. Gerwan was old, too old to tend his lands as well as he should. Colum had ingratiated himself with Gerwan and had convinced him to appoint him liege lord, with intentions of gaining more and more control.
However Colum had not known that the King had other plans for Gerwan’s land and he wasn’t part of those plans. As long as Colum didn’t convince Gerwan to lodge an attack against Cree, a foolish move, then all would go smoothly. It was the reason the King sent an immediate message to Gerwan telling him that Cree was now the new Earl of Carrick and that his daughter was to be his bride sealing the title.
The plan had been flawless… that was until Dawn.
He glanced down at the sleeping woman in his arms and wondered what magic she had worked on him, for he could not comprehend his maddening desire for her.
Love. He grew annoyed at the foolish thought. He promised himself many years ago that he would never fall in love. He had no time for such folly. He had committed himself to forging a future, a good future for himself, his sister and his men. He could let nothing stand in the way… not even love.
That he should even think that he could love Dawn was surprising. He had turned his heart so silent that he hadn’t thought himself capable of loving. Had she proved him wrong?
She certainly had made him view things differently of late. That she had forgiven Dorrie and helped her, that she had seen that Flanna had gotten a new position, had protected Old Mary, and had made certain that her friend Lila did not suffer because of her, all had made him aware of her forgiving and generous heart.
Had her heart stirred his? Had she awakened it to feelings he had long kept buried? Those were questions he was not sure he was ready to answer.
She stretched herself awake beside him, her arms reaching above her head and her toes bent as she stretched her legs. She rolled on her back and Cree threw the covers off them so that he could watch her body unfurl like a flower greeting the morning sun.
She was beautiful, long limbs, soft flesh and pert breasts that tempted him to taste… and of course he did.
Her fingers wound their way in his hair pulling him closer and her legs wrapped around him drawing him against her.
Cree didn’t hesitate. He slipped over and into her knowing she’d be wet and ready for him… and she was.
~~~
Dawn remained abed when Cree left. She hadn’t wanted him to leave and she thought that he felt the same, though perhaps that was wishful thinking. He was the new Earl of Carrick and had responsibilities to attend to. He could not linger in his mistress’s bed all day, though a wife’s bed would be different, for many would expect him to produce an heir as soon as possible.