Chapter 19
Sleep didn’t come easily for Margaret that night. Nor had it the night before when sharing a bed with the Laird had kept her too tense to rest. Yet tonight, it was a different kind of energy that kept slumber out of reach.
For the first time since arriving at the castle, Margaret felt like she truly had something to look forward to.
The young deer that she’d met earlier in the day was such a welcome surprise, and the fact that Ryan knew of a place where they congregated was exciting.
She was giddy like a child the night before her birthday.
She held her breath, turning to her side.
Her eyes refused to stay closed. As she sucked in air, she tried to ignore the twinge in her shoulder.
For nearly an hour now, she’d been rolling from one side to the other.
If she could only stay still, she might have some hope of successfully succumbing to sleep.
Her resolve to keep herself in her current position lasted only a few more minutes. As slowly as she could, she shifted onto her back. Burrowing deeper into the mattress, she stared at the ceiling.
“What’s got ye movin’ around like that?” Ryan asked, his voice thick with exhaustion and tinged with annoyance. “Why are ye nae sleepin’?”
“My apologies,” Margaret said, feeling a bit chastised.
Sharing a bed is such a bother. I was trying so hard not to bother him, yet he knew I was awake anyway.
“Ye daenae need to apologize,” he said, scrubbing a hand over his face. “But ye didnae tell me why ye arenae sleepin’.”
“There’s no real reason,” she admitted, rolling onto her side to face him. “It’s just… well, I suppose I’m not all that tired. I keep thinking about the clearing you told me about and the deer that are there.”
“Ye’ve really taken a likin’ to them, havenae ye?” he sighed, clearly not expecting a reply.
“Perhaps since I can’t sleep, I should go back to my chambers,” she suggested, already scooting to the edge of the mattress. “I wouldn’t want to bother you.”
“Nay,” Ryan growled, grabbing onto her wrist. His grip was firm but surprisingly gentle. “I already told ye we were to share a room.”
“Then, what—”
“I’ll make ye tired, then,” he decided, pulling her across the bed.
She landed on the other side, stumbling slightly. If it weren’t for Ryan’s hold, she thought she might have fallen. When she regained her balance, she looked up at the Laird.
His expression was unreadable. While she feared what he had in store for her, she reminded herself that he’d yet to pose a threat to her. So, when he tugged her toward the door, she didn’t fight it.
“We’ll have to be quiet,” Ryan said, his eyes scanning the corridor as he stepped out. “I daenae want to get caught. Especially since ye arenae dressed.”
Margaret glanced down at herself, regretting the fact that she hadn’t stopped him long enough to drape a cloak over her body. It was too late now. They were already traversing the castle halls.
“Where are we going?” Margaret whispered, her eyes straining in the stilted darkness.
“It’s a surprise,” he said, glancing around a corner before guiding her along with him. “I promise ye it’ll tire ye out though.”
She frowned and considered demanding he tell her everything, but a part of her told her that she needed to trust him more, and she was unable to deny that sneaking around the castle with him was fun.
I can’t remember the last time I felt like this. It must have been when Eva and I were still girls, sneaking sweets from the kitchen after my aunt and uncle retired to their room.
Instead of slipping through the front doors of the castle, Ryan led her through the great hall and into the kitchen. There was no one there; all the cooks had already retired for the evening. Then, they snuck through a small door and stepped into the moonlight.
“Stay close to me, aye?” Ryan said, stopping abruptly to turn toward her. Their eyes met. “We’re tryin’ to avoid me guards. I ken their patrol schedule.”
“All right,” Margaret agreed, the giddiness from early returning with full force.
With a nod, Ryan held tight to her and began crossing the grounds. They made it a few paces before he pulled her behind a shed, putting a finger to her mouth. She waited with wide eyes, and a few seconds later, she heard footsteps passing by.
“Now’s our moment,” Ryan told her once they’d faded into the distance. “We’re runnin’. Keep up.”
That was all the warning Margaret got before she was dragged away from their hiding spot. For a moment, she was sure she was going to trip over her own feet then she fell into step.
As they ran, her lungs burned with excitement. It didn’t matter what their destination was; she was enjoying the journey. Somehow, she thought that she wouldn’t enjoy this as much if she were escaping with anyone else.
I think I like this side of him. He seems more… human, somehow.
Once they successfully got through the gates, he pulled her against the wall and said, “I’m impressed with ye. I didnae think ye’d be able to keep up.”
“I didn’t have a choice,” Margaret replied breathlessly. “Besides, I’d like to see whatever your surprise is.”
“It’s nae too far from here,” he said, glancing around the area before he took off again.
Their pace was steady, and Margaret still had to jog to keep up. She didn’t mind, though. Her anticipation built with each passing second.
Several minutes later, Ryan came to a stop and released her. She gasped when she saw where they were. Beside her, Ryan adjusted his clothing. Then, he took off.
Moonlight reflected off the loch. The water was still and inviting. When Ryan dove forward, ripples spread through the liquid, making the entire scene feel dreamlike.
“Come now, Sassenach,” he called when his head breached the surface.
She giggled as she approached. For a moment, she considered complaining that she wasn’t dressed for swimming, but the call of the loch was too strong to ignore.
Margaret waded in slowly, stopping when the water was waist deep. Ryan approached her with a devious look on his face. She didn’t get a chance to chastise him before he grabbed hold of her and dunked her below the surface.
“You beast,” she laughed when the two emerged. As she pushed hair from her face, she said, “Perhaps I didn’t want to be submerged.”
“Ach,” Ryan said, sounding a little farther away. His eyes were focused on the places her chemise clung to her body. “But that’s the only way for ye to get the full experience.”
Her breath caught in her throat as his hands tightened around her waist. It was like he couldn’t take his eyes off her, and when she chanced a look down, she realized that the drenched fabric left nothing to the imagination.
She itched to cover herself, but something about the fire in the Laird’s eyes stopped her.
“Ye are temptin’ as sin,” he growled, the pitch of his voice settling low in Margaret’s belly.
Heat licked at her insides as Ryan leaned down. As if her body were moving on its own, she met him in the middle. All the breath was stolen from her lungs when their mouths met.
It took her a moment before she returned the gesture. Her mind reeled then went blank of everything but Ryan. He consumed all of her senses and lit up every nerve in her body.
After a few seconds of a reserved dance, a push and pull of their lips, she felt the press of his tongue against her mouth. As if on instinct, she opened up to him. Ryan took advantage of it, accepting her invitation and licking her tongue.
The sensation was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. The heat in her belly, the feeling that had been haunting her since she met Ryan, grew to a fever-pitch. The only thing she could think of was that she wanted more.
She pressed closer to him, her chest flush against his. Each breath he took reverberated through her. Her heart pounded in time with his, and she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck.
Ryan growled into her mouth, his fingertips tightening on her hips. She needed to be closer. Without realizing what she was doing, she lifted her legs, letting them find their hold against his waist.
He cursed into her mouth, nipping at her bottom lip before he started to walk them out of the loch.
His mouth never left Margaret’s. His sheer strength stoked the fire inside of her. And when he lowered her to the ground, she felt a twinge of disappointment.
“Ryan,” she whispered, holding onto him tightly as he carefully guided them onto the soft grass.
“Margaret,” he said, one of his hands sliding slowly up her side.
Goosebumps erupted on her arms, not from the chill but from intense pleasure. Then, when Ryan grabbed onto the hem of her chemise, she gasped. Her hand shot down, gripping his wrist.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her chest rising and falling with each of her ragged breaths.
“Ye trust me, aye?” he responded, giving her another chaste kiss.
“I do.”
“Good,” Ryan said as he started pushing the fabric further up her thighs. “I told ye I was goin’ to tire ye out, did I nae?”
Margaret didn’t get the chance to respond. She was exposed before she knew it. She watched, her lips parted as he positioned himself between her legs. His mouth was level with her center, and when she tried to tighten her knees and cover herself, he pushed them apart.
“Nay, Margaret,” he growled, his voice dripping with what could only be lust. “Ye are beautiful. Let me look at ye. Let me make ye feel incredible.”
“Oh, I… Yes. Please,” she said, realizing that she couldn’t deny him anything right now.
He can do whatever he wants to me right now. I want him to.
As soon as he got permission, Ryan kissed the soft inner skin of her thigh. His hands slipped under the wet fabric, fingertips dancing over her stomach. They stopped below the swell of her breasts, tracing their circumference before he covered them with his palms.
Steadily, his mouth moved closer to where she wanted him most. He stopped short, his breath hot over the wetness between her legs. He stared up at her, a wildfire in his eyes.
Margaret whimpered, her hips twitching slightly. When he tightened his hand over her breast, she gasped. Then, he took the pebbled nub of her nipple and rolled it between two fingers.
A high-pitched cry escaped her mouth. She smacked her hand over her lips, trying to keep herself quiet. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to come upon them while she was in such a compromising situation.
“Ach,” Ryan said, extracting one hand from beneath her chemise to expose her lips. “I want to hear ye. Daenae cover yer mouth.”
He waited until she nodded in understanding before he continued. Teasingly, he flicked his tongue through the wetness of her center. Sparks of delight raced through her blood, and she moaned, loud and unrestrained.
Encouraged by her reaction, Ryan kissed her opening. Then, he dragged the flat of his tongue from the bottom up to the top. There, he circled the bundle of nerves that made Margaret dizzy with pleasure.
Heat pooled heavily in her belly. Her thighs shook with each minute movement he made. She reached down, threading her fingers through his damp hair. As he dove in deeper, her hold tightened, not to pull him away but to keep herself steady.
“Ry—Ryan,” she choked out.
He hummed, and she felt it all the way down to the soles of her feet. He tweaked her nipple, intensifying the sensations that were undulating through her. She whimpered and whined, something coiling in her gut.
She tried her best to maintain eye contact with him, but eventually, she became too overwhelmed. His mouth kept working though. Even when she rested her head against the grass with her eyes closed, Ryan’s tongue continued to twirl around the bundle of nerves.
The sounds coming out of her mouth grew higher and higher in pitch. Blood pounded in her ears, dulling the noises surrounding her. All of her senses narrowed down to Ryan and the heat that was radiating off him.
“I—” Margaret started, her voice cut off by a moan.
The coil in her stomach grew tighter and tighter. It felt as though she were on the edge of something. And as Ryan’s ministrations became more and more insistent, she realized that he knew she was too.
“Ryan!” she moaned as he pinched her nipple once again, the stimulation enough to hurt.
The bit of pain was the push her body needed. She clamped her thighs around his head as pleasure washed through her. It bloomed from her center, from the place where Ryan was still flicking his tongue through her wetness, and spread all the way to the tips of her toes and fingers.
She gulped in air, whining with each exhale. Each of her muscles contracted harshly, and flames licked through her being, penetrating her all the way to her soul. But Ryan never stopped, his mouth sending more and more waves of delight over her skin.
Eventually, the pleasure began to morph, becoming sharp. Weakly, Margaret tugged at Ryan’s hair, unable to get her mouth to work. She didn’t need words though. He pulled away from her slowly, his lips and chin glistening with the evidence of her delight.
“Ye taste so sweet,” Ryan growled, his voice dipping into a dangerously low register.
“I… That was…”
“Ye daenae need to talk,” he said, moving up the length of her body to kiss her sweetly. When he leaned back, he ran a hand through her hair tenderly. Softly, he asked, “Are ye tired out now?”
She giggled softly, her eyes feeling heavy with exhaustion, then she nodded. Ryan smirked, grabbing hold of her and helping her to her feet.
“It seems it’s time to get ye back to bed,” he said, lacing their fingers together as he pulled her chemise back down to cover her body. “If ye’re not ready to run again, I may just have to carry ye.”
Margaret found that she wouldn’t mind if Ryan carried her. In fact, she was looking forward to the mad dash back to the castle as long as she was in his arms.