Page 65 of How to Be a Scottish Mistress

“Fiona, my love,” he groaned, sinking deeper.

My love?His gentle words brought tears to her eyes. He doesn’t mean it, she reprimanded herself sternly. He is merely caught in the pleasure of it all, lost in a moment of passion.

Still, the words surrounded her heart as strongly as his body surrounded her flesh. The empty yearning inside her eased, the protective shell she tried so hard to maintain began to splinter and crack. Here and now, in this moment of sheer honesty, she let herself embrace her deepest feelings without restraint, allowed herself to experience what she had never believed possible.

He kissed her hard, pushing himself deeper inside. She flexed her inner muscles, pulling him closer, holding him tighter. Every inch of her throbbed at the feel of him. The tenderness in his eyes seared her heart, scorched her soul.

She parted her thighs to try and bring him deeper, lifting her hips to follow his rhythm. The gesture drove him wild. Gavin moved faster and faster, pounding his flesh against hers, willing her sensitive flesh to crest, to explode. Claiming her mouth once again, he slipped his fingers between their bodies, caressing the delicate flesh where they were joined.

Fiona felt herself responding immediately, her body shattering, crashing. She let out a thin, high cry of exhilaration as the pleasure broke and oblivion claimed her.

The final pulses of pleasure were still rippling through her body when she felt Gavin’s urgent, violent shudders begin. It rippled through her body and she felt herself responding, losing herself in the wonder of knowing in this moment he was utterly and completely hers.

It slowed, then stopped, yet Fiona continued to hold Gavin tightly. She could feel his forehead resting against hers. Finally, she managed to open her eyes and found Gavin staring into them, the intensity of his emotions nearly overwhelming. For a long moment she became lost in his gaze, linked to him beyond the physical, beyond the emotional.

Time stilled.

The passionate fire was still evident in the depths of his blue eyes, but it was overshadowed by tenderness. Fiona pressed her face into the solid wall of his shoulder, inhaling the familiar musky scent. The ancients might have developed a method to create perfume, but this was a fragrance that she would pay any price to have within her reach.

Burrowing closer, she basked in the sweet afterglow of pleasure, savoring the protective, loving feeling pouring through her, shutting her mind to any thoughts of the future.

This is, she decided,a most perfect moment. And she was determined to catch and hold it tight for as long as possible. Secure and comforted, Fiona dozed, the smile on her lips still evident when she awoke.

Yet as she watched Gavin dress, it was impossible not to reflect on what had just happened between them. What she shared with Gavin was stronger than anything she had ever known. The way he made her feel, the kindness she saw hiding behind his rough command, the tenderness beneath his tough exterior. Fiona closed her eyes, overcome with emotions that gripped her from deep inside.

In that bittersweet moment Fiona admitted what she had long suspected. Despite her best efforts to remain immune, to hold fast to her defenses, it had happened.

I love him.

The revelation made her feel light-headed and she nearly stumbled and lost her footing.

“Careful, Fiona.”

His deep voice rang out at the same time his strong arms reached out. To hold her. To steady her. To prevent her from coming to harm.

But for how long? Fiona shivered as the cold, cruel hand of reality closed around her heart.

Chapter 14

The smell of roasting meat drew Ewan’s attention to the crackling fire. He had trapped two hares early this morning and the skinned pair were now being slowly turned on a spit over the flames. It would provide a fine afternoon meal for him and his companion, once William returned from the village.

Information was critical for the survival of Ewan and his men and William was his best informant. Not many paid attention to the skinny youth who slid unobtrusively throughout the village, his ears attuned to any and all gossip. With summer coming to a close, it was essential that they learn when the various crops were being harvested and where the yield was going to be stored.

Like any good provider, Ewan was very aware that he needed to start laying in stores for the winter for himself, his mother, the men who followed him, and their families. Since they had no large fields to grow any food for themselves, it was necessary toacquirewhatever they needed. And just like honest men who toiled in the fields, it was necessary to start planning and storing these goods away as soon as they were able.

A strong wind shifted through the leafy trees, but both the fire and Ewan were well protected. He heard the swallows chirping, but his mind was occupied with more important matters than the singing birds.

A rustling in the brush had Ewan reaching for his sword. William emerged from the woods, a smug expression on his face.

“It smells grand.” Licking his lips, the young man sat down on a low boulder across from Ewan. “Is it ready?”

Ewan smiled, remembering well his own ravenous hunger when he was William’s age. “Have a care not to burn yer fingers or yer tongue,” he warned as he hacked off a quarter of the hare and passed it over.

William bit into the charred meat with relish, wiping the meat juices that trickled down his chin with his shirtsleeve.

“I did as ye bid and stayed away from the shops, but it grew harder when my belly started to growl.” William wiped the last bit of meat juice off his chin, then gazed hopefully at Ewan.

Damn, the lad could eat the legs off a table. Silently, Ewan sliced off another large portion of the rabbit and placed it in William’s eagerly outstretched hands.

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