Page 90 of Cottage in the Mist
His hands ran down the length of her arms, his fingers feathering against her skin until they settled on the curve of her hips. He pulled her closer still, and she could feel the hard length of him as he pressed against her. With a soft sigh, she relished the proof that she wasn’t alone in her desire. Her hands skimmed across the breadth of his chest, and then dropped lower to his taut stomach and then lower still to trace the hard line of his burgeoning heat. He shuddered at her caress, groaning against her lips.
“Ach, lass, I canna breathe when you touch me like that.”
“Then let me touch you skin to skin,” she whispered, her body trembling now with need. “Please, Bram. Love me, now.”
He groaned again, and with a flick of his hand removed his plaid, laying it down upon the ground at their feet. Then he pulled her until they knelt face to face upon the soft woolen blanket, his crystalline blue gaze meeting hers. “Are you sure this is what you want? I’m afraid I’ve naught to offer you but the man you see before you.”
“What I see is more than I ever could have wished for.”
He reached for her hands, their fingers lacing together by their sides. “And you meant what you said? That you’ll always choose me?”
She nodded, emotion clogging her throat. “Always.”
“And there will ne’er be anyone for me but you. This I swear.”
“Bram?” She swallowed, tears filling her eyes. “Are you… are we…” A vague memory of the notion of handfasting flitted through her brain.
“Aye.” He nodded, uncertainty chasing across his face. “If you’re willing. I know ’tis no’ the perfect time. But I canna?—“
She reached up and covered his lips again with her fingers. “Yes. Yes, Bram, I will marry you. Here. Now. I promise you my life and my loyalty. I am yours, for all time, if that is what you wish.”
“I’ve never wanted anything more.”
She nodded, pulling the fine silver chain from around her neck and releasing the clasp to free the ring. “I’ve no idea how this is done, but it seems this is a good place to start.” She waited, her heart in her throat, her gaze still locked with his.
He covered her hand with his, the silver ring warm between their palms. It seemed to Lily that the world had shrunk to include only the two of them and the soft sound of the river flowing by.
“From this day on it shall be only your name I cry out in the night and into your eyes that I smile each morning. I will cherish and honor you through this life and into the next,” Bram said, his voice hoarse with emotion.
“I too give you my body and my heart. Forever and a day. I love you.”
“And I you,mo ghràidh.”
The words seemed to wrap around them like a warm cocoon, protecting them from all that threatened their happiness. Ormaybe it was their love. Lily wasn’t sure of anything more than the fact that this was where she was meant to be. In this time. With this man.
With shaking fingers, she slid the ring onto Bram’s finger, the silver gleaming in the moonlight. “It’s done then.”
“Aye, you belong to me.”
She smiled then. “And you belong to me.”
“But I have no ring for you.”
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t need a reminder. Not when you’re right here in front of me.”
A shadow passed across his face, and she knew he was thinking about the looming confrontation with his uncle. But this wasn’t the time. This moment belonged only to the two of them.
She stroked his cheek, the warmth of his skin sending heat spiraling through her. “And when you’re not with me, I’ll have you here.” She touched her chest. “In my heart. See? Your father’s pin guards the way.” The little silver cat winked up at them.
Their gazes held for another moment, as the power of their pledge flowed through them both, and then Bram leaned forward to kiss her, his touch gentle and reverent. For a moment, Lily savored the feel of his lips against hers, and then with a shiver of anticipation she opened her mouth and with a groan, she felt his control shatter.
His hands cradled her face as his mouth slanted over hers, their tongues dancing together—thrusting and parrying, advancing and retreating. And she wondered if she could ever possibly get enough of him.
As if he read her thoughts, his mouth lifted in a slow crooked grin and he bent his head, leaving hot, open-mouthed kisses along the soft line of her throat, pausing to kiss the angry mark Frazier’s blade had left.
“I’ll no’ let anyone else hurt you, Lily,” he growled softly, nipping at her earlobe. “You belong to me now. You’re mine.”
And then his fingers found her breast through the thin material of her borrowed shirt, first caressing and then teasing her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, the resulting sensation sending heat pooling between her legs. With an economy of motion, he removed her plaid and her shirt, cupping both breasts with his hands.
