Epilogue #2
Elspeth looked up, noting the stars embroidered on the canopy of the four-poster bed. She picked one and made a wish.
May it always feel like this.
Hugo lowered himself on top of her with a tender, desperate slowness and slid his hands up and down her sides, each touch a reassurance. He trailed his lips along her jaw and neck, each kiss a whispered promise.
“There are no more walls, no more ghosts,” he said, brushing her cheek. “There is only us.”
He leaned to the side and plucked a lily from the bouquet on the bedside table. His hands trailed up and down her naked body, tracing her full curves with the soft petals. She shivered at the contact, moaned at the sensation.
He then moved to her nipples, stroking them with the petals before planting his full lips on her right breast. He kissed the mound, tracing every inch before sucking her erect nipple into his mouth. He massaged it with his tongue, pulled at it with his lips.
“Do you like that, Duchess?” He nipped it gently. “You do not need to answer that.”
He dropped the flower by her head on the pillow, the scent pleasant. He then moved his fingers to her left breast, kneading it while kissing down her belly to the inside of her thighs. He slid his fingers up and down her thighs, and she bucked her hips, desperate for his touch.
“Not yet, angel,” he said as he sucked on her nipple. “This is where I am in control, and you will obey. Hold still while I tease you, Elspeth.”
He continued sliding his fingers up and down her thighs, and she felt his thick, hard cock prodding her leg. She grew wetter with each passing moment until, finally, he thrust two fingers inside her. He slid them in and out with a steady rhythm, massaging her sensitive bud with his thumb.
How large is his hand that he can do—ahh, do this?
He ground his hips against her leg, and she began to wonder just how big other parts of him were. Against her will, her mind began to wander further.
How will it fit? Will I be able to walk after this?
“I know you are nervous, Elspeth,” he said, brushing his lips against her ear. “I will make sure you are good and ready for me, that every moment sends you into oblivion. Are you ready for me, Duchess?”
“Aye.” She gulped, her eyes squeezed shut in anticipation. “I am ready.”
“Look at me, Elspeth.”
She looked up at him, his wide blue eyes and his genuine smile.
I have nothin’ to fear.
“Take me, Hugo,” she breathed, wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling him closer.
He held his hard length between her legs, rubbing it up and down her slick folds. That sensation alone was enough to make her breath hitch, her vision starry with bliss.
She had never known that it could feel like this, that the mere contact would be so perfect. She felt as if they were made for each other, that his very essence was a part of her being.
“I know you are ready for me, my perfect angel,” he purred, slowly pushing himself inside her. “Relax. You were made for me.”
“I am yers, Hugo,” she murmured, her hips already bucking, seeking to pull him deeper. “I need more.”
“Such a needy wife,” he rasped. “If that is how you want it, then that is how you will have it.”
He thrust inside her, his pace increasing steadily. She could feel herself relax, her body accepting him as he pushed her over the edge. His cock was so big and so hard, she could feel it in her belly.
She was impossibly full and aroused.
“I know this is your first time, my love,” Hugo groaned, his breathing heavily. “I am trying to go gentle, but I want—”
“Ye can do anythin’ to me, Hugo,” she moaned. “Ye ken what me body wants more than I do.”
Without another word, he pulled out of her and flipped her onto her belly. She could hear him rub himself as he looked down at her behind. He moaned as he grabbed a buttcheek and kneaded the other.
“You are so beautiful. I adore every curve,” he said as he thrust back into her. “I will not last long at this angle, Elspeth.”
“I want to feel you finish inside me,” Elspeth begged. In that position, it felt as if he were pushing a pleasure button inside her over and over and over. “I feel like I am burstin’ from the inside out. Even me toes are on fire.”
“Elspeth,” Hugo groaned, and she felt his hot seed spill inside her, filling her in a way she could not describe if she tried.
All she knew was that she needed more, a lot more.
After a few long moments, as they lay tangled in the sheets, Hugo ran a hand through her hair. He drew her closer, resting his chin atop her head as he pulled the eiderdown over them.
“Elspeth,” he said softly.
She stirred, nestling into his side. “Mmm?”
“Already asleep? Do I have that effect on you?”
“I am spent, me husband. Please daenae tell me ye already want to do this again. A duchess needs her sleep, ye ken.”
“I will let you sleep. For now.”
“Oh, good.” She let out a laugh as she rolled over, her emerald-green eyes sparkling in the dwindling firelight.
“I know we have just gotten married,” he said, his words carefully chosen. “But I want you to know that I would like to start a family with you. As soon as you are ready.”
Elspeth bolted upright. She looked at him in the low light, her smile wide with joy.
She knew in her heart that he was not just offering a title or a home. He was offering a lifetime, a shared future, of their imagination.
She hugged him tightly, a soft, happy laugh bubbling up her chest as she held him, her husband, the man who had found his way back to her.
“I think we are off to a great start, me love,” she said as she lay back down.
Home. It is an unfamiliar feelin’ even in London.
Yet, somethin’ about this man pulls at my heart in a way I cannae understand.
It is almost otherworldly, the way I feel a tug at my very soul.
Home is nae a building or a place, home is a feelin’ or a state of mind.
Aye, I ken it in me bones. Hugo is home.
The sun streamed through the window, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air. Hugo was still asleep beside her, one arm slung over her waist, a peaceful look on his face.
Elspeth allowed herself a moment to simply look at him, to appreciate the strong line of his jaw, the dark lashes resting on his cheeks. She loved the way his hair, usually neatly combed, was endearingly mussed from sleep, and their nocturnal activities.
I am his. This man, who had once been a stranger, a formidable obstacle that dragged me away from Scotland, is now me husband. And I have found perfect peace in England.
Who would have thought? What would Maither say if she could see me now?
She slid out of bed carefully, not wanting to wake him. She slowly made her way to the window, pulling back the heavy drapes to look out over the sprawling estate.
The morning mist was lifting off the grounds, revealing a landscape of rolling green hills and ancient oaks. It was a view she had only seen in passing, but now it was hers.
Perhaps it was not quite so different from Scotland in some ways, yet her heart yearned for the Highlands all the same.
Perhaps, in time, I can convince him to spend more time at Inverhall.
A knock on the door interrupted her reverie.
“Comin’,” she said softly, wrapping a silk robe around herself as she walked to the door.
Abby stood there, her eyes a bit teary but a wide smile on her face.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” she greeted, the words sounding new and strange on her tongue. “I am most happy for you.”
“Oh, Abby,” Elspeth said, her voice full of affection yet careful to remain quiet so as not to wake Hugo. She reached out and hugged the young woman who had become more a friend than a servant. “I am so happy. I cannae even put me happiness into words.”
“I can see that.” Abby softly patted her on the back. “The whole house can. His Grace is a changed man, they say downstairs. And you, Your Grace, you look like a queen.”
Elspeth laughed. “Nae a queen, Abby. Just me. Just Elspeth.”
“You have never been just Elspeth,” Abby said with a chuckle, holding out a tray with a cup of tea and a light breakfast. “I had thought for you to savor breakfast in your quarters.”
“What a grand idea, but I cannae wake his grace. Please hand it to me, and I thank ye for yer thoughtfulness.”
When Hugo finally woke up, he saw Elspeth sitting by the window, her hair pulled in a loose braid, a peaceful smile on her face. He watched her for a moment, a wave of profound emotion washing over him.
He had never imagined this. Never dreamed that his life could be so full, so complete. He had always thought himself a man of duty, a man of responsibility. He had never considered himself a man of love.
But here he was, staring at his wife, a woman who had taught him what it meant to truly feel. And it felt wonderful.
“Good morning, wife,” he said, his voice a low rumble as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
Elspeth turned, her face lighting up. “Good mornin’, husband.”
She rose and walked to him, her movements languid and sweet, and his mouth began to water. When she finally made it to the bed, he pulled her into his arms, and for a moment, they simply held each other.
“I was just thinkin’ about everythin’,” she said, her voice muffled against his chest. “About how we met, about the competition, about all the arguments we had.” She laughed softly. “Quite a story.”
“We were,” Hugo agreed, a small smile on his face. “But I would not change a moment of it. Every fight, every moment of frustration, every near-kiss. It all led us here.”
Elspeth pulled back, her eyes shimmering with tears. “I ken,” she whispered. “I ken.”
He lowered his head and kissed her, for all the words left unsaid, for all the moments they had almost lost each other.
“Imagine the stories we will tell our bairns,” Elspeth said with a wink. “Speakin’ of which, I think ye said somethin’ about how eager ye are to—”
“Say no more,” Hugo purred, flipping her over and kissing her neck. “We are going to have a large, healthy family and a long, happy life.”
The End?