Chapter 33
The last time there had been peace between their clans, Killian had often ventured to the beaches in Ainsley.
There was one in particular that he remembered with such detail that he could still feel the way the fine, white sand had brushed against the soles of his feet and crunched between his toes.
“Ye could have just said that ye were takin’ me to the same place I was goin’,” Ailis said with a wry smile, still holding tight to his hand.
He frowned down at her. “Ye were goin’ to the beach?”
“Aye,” she replied. “If I learned one thing from almost drownin’ at yer beach, it’s that nothin’ clears a troubled mind as quickly as viciously cold water. When I thought ye’d gone back with yer braither, me mind was troubled.”
A smile curved his lips. “And now?”
“Still stormy up here,” she said, tapping the side of her head. “But… there’s somethin’ soothin’ about ye too.”
He nearly laughed, imagining what his brother and Peter would have said if they had heard her describe him as ‘soothing.’
A pang of sadness caught him in the chest, thinking of his man-at-arms. Yet, there was something about Ailis’s presence that was also soothing, staving off the worst of any sorrow.
Forgive me, Peter. I cannae be sad when I have me beloved at me side.
“There are always calm waters after a storm,” he told her, giving her hand a squeeze.
It was the most perfect autumn morning, the air crisp but not so cold as to seep into the bones, the sun hanging low in the sky, turning the world golden.
The moorland they were crossing was rich with its seasonal palette of russets and mossy greens and swathes of dusky purple, tinged with yellows and browns.
Meanwhile, the woodland that sprang up in tufts along their route was already braced for the coming winter, sparse of leaves and stark in its beauty.
Seagulls were the first sign that the coast wasn’t far, the sleek gray and white birds wheeling and squawking their shrill welcome. Killian squinted at the near horizon, noting where the ground began to slope and the sea glittered.
“How do ye feel?” he asked, leading Ailis onward. “Nervous? Dizzy?”
She shook her head. “A little weary, a little sore, but… I feel calm. I cannae say if it’s because I figured out me nightmare or if it’s all the time I spent at yer castle hearin’ the sound of it, but it doesnae affect me the same way anymore.”
On the walk from Castle Ainsley, she had recounted the same story she had told Murdock, filling in the parts that Killian had missed while he had been waiting outside the doors. He hadn’t intended to eavesdrop; he had simply been respecting Murdock’s wish to speak with his sister alone.
Still, hearing Ailis’s tragic history from her own mouth instead of from behind a stone wall had been intimate and affirming. A sure sign that she trusted him.
“After hearin’ that, do ye really nae resent me?” she had asked a while back.
“After hearin’ that, I’m more in awe of how ye’ve survived, and gladder still that ye did,” he had replied, meaning it. “But if I ever hear ye tryin’ to blame yerself again, I’ll have to take firm measures to ensure ye understand that nothin’ is yer fault.”
He had seen her smile at that, his heart swelling at the precious sight. Not so long ago, he had wondered if he would ever see her smile or laugh again, and knew that this was the beginning of her healing the wounds of her past.
A short while later, they met the faintly worn path that led down to the beach. Unlike the steep steps to the cove, this was a mild slope, the moorland transforming slowly from greenery to the muted gold of dunes that undulated across the landscape.
Tufts of marram grass swayed in the chilly breeze, the fronds trying to brush against their legs as they made their way up the dunes.
At the top, Ailis stopped, her hand shielding her eyes from the sun’s glare as she stared outward.
“It’s beautiful,” she said quietly.
Killian, who preferred a different view, nodded. “Aye, it is.”
“How can it be so different from the cove, when it’s all part of the same coast?”
He shrugged. “The sea does what it does, shapin’ everythin’ as it sees fit.” He paused, leaning down to press a kiss to her hair. “Any sickness?”
“None,” she replied almost triumphantly, looking up at him. “Race ye.”
“What?”
He barely had time to get the word out before Ailis had broken free of him, running like a wild thing down the rather steep dune.
Like a wolf spotting the movement of a rabbit in the bushes, he took off after her, the sand sliding and slipping under his feet. He heard her giddiness as he caught up to her, her sweet laughter filling him with joy and desire.
Here was a woman who knew she was free; it soothed him more than any tonic could ever have.
“I won,” she said, breathless.
Smirking, he slowed his pace and wrapped his arms around her from behind, dipping his head to kiss her shoulder.
“I’ll let ye have this one victory,” he replied, swaying gently with her as she continued to admire the glittering sea, her body relaxed in his embrace. No sign whatsoever of the fear that used to overwhelm her.
It was a victory, indeed.
“In fact,” he purred against her skin, “I’d say ye deserve a reward for yer triumph.”
“Oh?” she said in a sultry voice. “What sort of reward can I expect?”
He smiled. “I have a few things in mind.”
She melted into him as he kissed her neck, his fingertips deftly unlacing the ties that held the back of her dress closed.
It wasn’t difficult, considering he had already started to unlace them in her bedchamber at Castle MacNairn.
Rather, he was just picking up where he had left off, in more ways than one.
Slowly, deliberately, he slid his hands into the opening of her dress and pulled the beautiful fabric over her shoulders. She shivered at the friction of his palm against her bare skin, for she wore no shift beneath.
The realization stirred his loins, making his blood burn hotter.
“Be gentle,” she murmured.
He smiled against her neck, kissing down the nape to the bare skin just below. “I will, love.”
“With the dress, I mean,” she said with a breathy chuckle.
“Aye, that too,” he assured, taking his time to peel the gown from her divine figure as if unwrapping the most exquisite gift.
He almost lamented being behind her as he pulled the dress downward, the neckline lowering… lowering… lowering until her stays were bared, her large bosom heaving with the strain of her desire. But he couldn’t rush; he needed to savor this moment, this encounter, for as long as he could.
Freeing her arms from the gown, he sank down to his knees behind her and tugged the fabric over her narrow waist, her round hips, and pulled the garment down her supple thighs until it dropped of its own accord.
The rich red material pooled at her feet, but nothing, no matter how bright, could have distracted him from the sight of her creamy, smooth skin.
Perfection. Utter perfection.
A moan rumbled in the back of his throat as he suppressed the sudden urge to bite her exquisite backside, so full and soft that his hands itched to grab those pert, perfect mounds.
Instead, he leaned forward and kissed the small of her back as he slid his hand between her thighs.
She was already hot and slick with desire, her legs trembling as his fingertips brushed her bundle of nerves, circling slowly.
All the while, his other hand tugged the laces of her stays open, until they too dropped to the sand.
Savoring every inch of her smooth skin, he kissed up the curve of her spine, turned his head to trace his tongue over the dip of her waist and the swell of her hips, relishing every gasp and shiver that she graced him with.
“What if… we’re seen?” she gasped, her voice catching in a whimper of bliss as he continued to strum her swollen bud.
He stopped and stood up, moving around until he faced her. “Nay one will,” he told her. “Ye have me body to keep ye protected, to shield ye.”
She peered up at him, her eyes dark with want.
Her gaze wandered over the length and breadth of him, as if measuring how much of her body was concealed behind his.
Evidently satisfied that he could indeed shield her, she flashed him a sly smile and reached for his shirt, tugging it free of his belt.
With the same teasing slowness that he had seductively tormented her with, she eased his shirt up and over his head.
Her eyes widened slightly, biting her lip as she ran her hands over his hard chest, her fingertips tracing lines across his bare skin. Almost hesitantly, she let her hands wander lower until they settled on his belt.
She was already breathing hard, her chest heaving, her erect nipples begging for the warmth of his mouth. By some unknown grace, he managed to restrain himself, letting her take her time to bolster her confidence before he claimed her.
With a shaky breath, Ailis unfastened his belt, a light gasp escaping her plump lips as his plaid dropped to the sand.
“Oh…” she murmured, looking down. “Oh… goodness.”