Page 64 of The Wrong Highlander (Highland Brides 7)

Evina’s heart was still pounding a rapid tattoo, her breathing still labored, when she opened her eyes and realized that Conran had shifted up next to her on the bed. She was now lying with her head on his chest, his arms around her and his hands moving soothingly over her back and side. She had absolutely no recollection of his moving, or of how she’d got where she was, and she just didn’t care. Her body was still pulsing with the pleasure he’d given her, and Evina closed her eyes and decided she’d simply enjoy the afterglow while her body calmed.

That never really happened though. Just when Evina was starting to be able to breathe normally again, Conran’s hand stopped its soothing movements and slid up to cup her breast. When he began to palm and caress again, she moaned and tilted her head up. He immediately claimed her mouth in a kiss that told her he wasn’t done yet.

Evina stilled briefly, confusion sliding through her. The last two times he’d shown her pleasure, Conran had left her immediately afterward. This time he was stirring her passions again, his tongue thrusting and his hands beginning to move over her body, stoking the fires that had just been banked.

Groaning, Evina stretched against him, her body shifting and arching as it prepared itself for a second round. This time Conran never stopped kissing her. He continued to plunder her mouth even as his hands made quick work of removing the gown and tunic that had gathered around her waist, dragging both down over her hips and then off. Once he’d tossed them aside, his hands were free to slide over her body unhindered, and they did, seeming to find and caress every patch of skin they could before one delved between her legs so that his fingers could dance over her eager flesh. This time when Evina instinctively tried to close her legs, Conran shifted over her, one arm bracing his weight and keeping him from crushing her as his hips lowered to keep her legs from closing so that his fingers could continue their sweet torture unhindered.

Evina instinctively wrapped her legs around his hips, her heels pressing into his behind as she shifted her hips into his touch. When he began to press into her, she knew it wasn’t his fingers. They were still dancing around the nub of her excitement and driving her crazy, but it felt so good she didn’t protest. Instead, she shifted her hips, pressing up and egging him on until he filled her fully.

Conran stopped then, and started to break their kiss, but Evina caught her hands in his hair and refused to let him. She didn’t want this to stop.

After a brief hesitation, Conran gave in to her demand and began to move again, withdrawing from her clinging body and then sliding into her again. Evina never noticed when his fingers stopped caressing, and it was instead his staff rubbing against her as he slid in and out. She was too caught up in chasing the pleasure just out of reach, and when she grew frustrated by how slow his strokes were, she unhooked her legs from around his hips, drew her knees up, pressed her feet to the bed and took over the motion, thrusting her hips up into him at the pace she wanted.

Much to Evina’s relief, Conran didn’t try to stop her or make her go at his pace. He held himself still, and continued to kiss her as she used him to get where she wanted to go. And then she was there. Pleasure crashed down over her and she was crying out into his mouth as her body began to shudder and shake, her muscles involuntarily clasping and squeezing him.

Evina was vaguely aware when Conran stiffened a moment later, his hips bucking so that he thrust into her hard and stayed there buried deep. She felt him twitch inside her and a spreading warmth as he spilled his seed, but she was still riding the waves she’d created, and merely clung to him. When he collapsed a moment later and rolled to the side, he took her with him, dragging her to her side so that they lay cuddled together, panting and trembling chest to chest, their injured sides up.

Evina was just starting to catch her breath again when Conran suddenly released her and rolled away to sit up on the side of the bed and then stand. Eyes opening, she peered at him with concern, wondering if she’d done something wrong as he crossed quickly to the table. Her worry eased though, and became curiosity instead, when she saw him pick up one of the clean scraps of linen Rory had left behind and dip it in the water pitcher there. When he then used it to clean himself up, Evina was suddenly aware of the cooling liquid seeping out between her legs.

She was just considering joining him at the table to clean up as well when he rinsed out the cloth, wrung it again and then started back toward the bed. Evina watched him approach, her eyes dropping over his body with appreciation. He was a gorgeous man, his body strong and hard, his muscles beautiful in movement. And then he was climbing back into bed next to her and kissing her.

Evina smiled against his mouth and then kissed him in return, only to gasp in surprise and pull back when he slid the cold damp cloth between her legs.

Conran grinned at her startled expression, but continued what he was doing and quickly and gently cleaned away the liquid gathered there.

“Are ye hungry?” he asked as he finished and dropped the used scrap of cloth on the floor next to the bed.

“Aye,” Evina admitted, shifting to sit up next to him.

Conran’s eyes slid down over her breasts as she did, drinking in the naked flesh on view. It was enough to almost make her pull the fur up to cover herself, but Evina resisted the urge. He was completely naked. Besides, he’d touched and licked nearly every patch of skin presently on display. It seemed silly to try to hide it now.

“Do ye want to eat here in bed, at the table or on the fur by the fireplace?” he asked, lifting his gaze back to her face.

“The fur,” Evina decided at once. She didn’t want to get crumbs in the bed, and eating at the table meant shifting everything that was presently on it. The fur would be comfortable and easy, she thought.

“The fur it is, then,” Conran said lightly, and stood to find and don his shirt. Evina watched the material drop to cover all that male beauty, and then sighed and slid out of bed to look for her tunic as he collected the tray from the bedside table. Spotting the thin gown in a pile on the floor, she snatched it up and donned it as she followed him slowly to the furs.

“Are ye warm enough? Or should I make a fire?” Conran asked as they settled on the fur with the tray between them.

“I’m fine,” she said a little breathlessly. “’Tis actually warm tonight.”

“Aye,” he murmured, and turned his attention to the food on the tray.

Evina glanced down at the offerings. There were cold capon pasties and crisps, and two trenchers filled with cold roasted chicken, and cheese. There were also a couple of peaches for after that looked ripe and sweet.

After all day without food and their activities, they were both hungry and ate in a comfortable silence, gobbling up every bite of food that had been provided. When she was left with just the peach, Evina picked it up, but then glanced toward the table and the tray that sat there. She knew the food Tildy had brought up earlier was probably no good after sitting out all day, but wondered if there was more fruit on that tray and got to her feet to go look.

Evina bit into her peach as she surveyed the missed meal the maid had brought up, and then stilled and glanced down. The peach was definitely ripe; its sweet juices had rushed out and run down her chin and neck to her chest the minute she bit into it. Chewing and swallowing the piece in her mouth, she reached toward the trail making its way down her chest between her breasts, only to glance up with surprise when Conran was suddenly there, catching her hand.

“Allow me,” he murmured, and bent to catch the rolling liquid with his tongue just before it disappeared beneath the neckline of her tunic. He didn’t stop there, however, but then licked his way back up the trail, cleaning her neck, her chin and then her lips before he gave her a quick, hard kiss.

“Sweet,” Conran murmured, lifting his head and watching her through sleepy eyes as he clasped her hips and drew her forward to rest her lower body against his.

She could feel the effect his actions had on him when his hardness rubbed against her through her tunic and his shirt. Evina wasn’t surprised. Having his tongue rasp its way across her skin to her lips had affected her as well. Her nipples were now tingling and hard, and a dampness was pooling low in her belly, and seeping lower to prepare her for the invasion it hoped was coming.

But Conran didn’t do anything more at first. He merely stood still, watching her, their bodies pressed together, letting her know that he wanted her, but not doing anything to satisfy the need mounting between them. It was Evina who finally made the first move. She offered him her peach.

Conran blinked when she held it up to him, and then his eyebrows rose and he accepted it. The moment he raised it to his mouth to take a bite, Evina reached for the loose neckline of her tunic and tugged it down off first one shoulder and then the other and let it slide off her arms. It didn’t fall to the floor, but caught just below her waist where their bodies touched, but it was enough. She was bare from the waist up and the sight made Conran’s eyes widen and burn. It also made his erection harden further between them, she noted, and then was distracted when Conran lowered the peach and rubbed the juicy fruit over the nipple of her now-bare, uninjured breast.

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