He kissed her again, and it set something on fire between them. Suddenly, his hands were everywhere - her breasts, her backside, her thighs - all those parts of her that no man had ever touched before. He caught her nipples through the fabric of her shirt, then nibbled and suckled one of them, while twisting the other between his forefinger and thumb before changing sides. She should have been shocked, but instead she was squirming and moaning with pleasure.
Minna had never experienced anything like the sweet anguish he was putting her through, and now there was more as he unbuttoned the front of her breeches and slid his hand inside.
Gowan smiled triumphantly as he felt the slickness of her arousal under his fingers, but searched for another few seconds until he found what he was looking for. He reached for the little nub of hard flesh that he knew was her most sensitive spot, the one that would give her most pleasure, and saw her eyes fly open as she felt his touch.
Minna squealed as a jet of delight shot through her from her center to every other nerve in her body. She looked at Gowan, who was grinning as he moved his finger around and over her nub, sometimes pinching it until she felt herself explode into a thousand tingling needles of pleasure.
When Gowan knew she was satisfied, he pulled her into his arms again until she had calmed down, and she rested her head comfortably on his chest again.
“I never want to move,” she murmured, snuggling closer. “Is that what I will feel like when you make love to me?”
“No,” he replied, chuckling. “It will be better.”
“Nothing could be better than that.” she stated firmly.
“We shall see.” Gowan said, kissing her again.
“What about you?” Minna asked. “Do you not need some satisfaction too?”
“I wanted you to be first,” he replied, smiling fondly at her. “I will take care of myself later.”
Minna had no idea what he meant, but she did not feel like discussing it any more.
They lay in comfortable silence for a while, then Minna yawned and sat up. “I have a hundred things to do,” she told him. “And among them is finding you some clothes!”
“Good luck!” Gowan laughed. “I am bigger than anyone else I know. It can be a problem.”
“Not to me.” Minna said softly. “There is more of you to love.”
* * *
Lorna was very skeptical when Minna told her about her upcoming marriage.
“Are ye sure this is a good idea, hen?” she asked doubtfully. “Ye have known him for such a short time, an’ he is your enemy.”
“Not any more, Lorna,” Minna answered. She was climbing into her bath and as she settled down into the warm, lavender-scented water she smiled with pure contentment. “And with our marriage, we will forge an alliance so that there will be peace between our two families after all this time. My family destroyed that peace, and now Gowan and I are restoring it.”
“But that is no’ the only reason ye are marryin’ him, is it?” Lorna asked slyly as she sluiced water over Minna’s hair.
“No. I am marrying him because I love him, and because he makes me feel like the most special woman in the world. I belong to him, Lorna, and he belongs to me.”
Lorna looked at her fondly. “Aye, well, hen, I know that feelin’, an’ he seems like a good man. I think he would have killed Jamie for ye today.”
“I would do the same for him,” Minna murmured, smiling as the image of Gowan’s face floated before her eyes. “Ten times over.”
* * *
When Andrew Darroch heard the news he was delighted. “Now our two clans can discuss forming an alliance,” he cried jubilantly.
He laughed as he looked at the two of them. Minna and Gowan were sitting beside each other with his arm around her shoulder, and she was leaning her head against his chest. “I knew there was something between you two! ‘Just good friends’ indeed!”
“You are, of course, invited to the wedding,” Gowan said graciously.
Andrew Darroch bowed. “Thank you, M’Laird,” he replied, grinning. “Flora, my wife, will be delighted, but a little disappointed. I think she has a wee crush on you!”
“And you don’t mind?” Minna asked, astonished.
Andrew shook his head, laughing. “She always comes home with me. We have been together for twenty years, and neither of us is inclined to look elsewhere.”