Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
T he kiss began tentatively, a hesitant exploration of each other’s lips. Isla’s doubts and worries immediately melted away at the touch of Ewan’s warm, firm mouth on hers. As if in wonder at what they had started, they briefly pulled back, their faces barely an inch apart, and stared into each other’s eyes for a few intense moments. The song her body was singing drove all else away. She forgot the war, Gregory, Allan, the siege, everything. Everything except him.
Her fingertips trailed down the strong column of his throat where his shirt lay open, careful to avoid his bandages. She felt her insides turning to water at the feel of his skin, and the naked hunger in his dark eyes. Her heart was pounding, her chest rising and falling rapidly as the breath fled her lungs beneath the intensity of his gaze.
When their mouths met again, his covering hers, a fire inside her belly sprang to life. She was suddenly consumed by the same hunger she saw reflected in his eyes, the hunger of wanting, which she had been holding back for so long.
Unleashing it from the depths of her being, she threw herself into the kiss with luxurious abandon, meeting his desire with her own, reveling in the taste and touch feel of him as they explored each other’s mouths, bringing forth a fiery passion she never had never known she possessed.
“Ye make me want ye so much, I never kent I could feel like this,” she breathed against his lips, greedy for more of him. She held back a little as he pressed against her, mindful of hurting him, but he seemed oblivious of any pain from his wound, for he grasped her around her waist and pinned her to his chest, one hand cradling her head as his mouth explored hers.
The kiss grew in intensity, making her so dizzy, she felt almost drunk with pleasure. She melted into his arms, wanting it never to stop. She weaved her arms around his muscular neck and tangled her fingers in the dark laces of his hair, entwining her tongue with his in a frantic dance of pent-up desire.
As though sensing her heightened need, Ewan’s arms tightened around her, his lips plundering her mouth with redoubled passion. Isla moaned into his mouth as heat swept over her, giving herself up to the intoxicating sensation of his large, warm hands moving surely over every part of her.
Without breaking the kiss, she pushed aside his shirt and allowed her hands to roam across his broad, muscular shoulders. Her breathing quickened as her curious fingers traced the blue patterns etched there amid the battle scars, and she reveled in the power that seemed to ooze from his very bones.
“Ewan, what about yer wound? Ye must be careful,” Isla warned him gently.
“Let me worry about that,” he told her. “Annie, yer lips are so soft,” he added, his voice low and hoarse as he leaned forward and closed the gap between them, his lips seeking hers once more.
The flames of the fire he had ignited within her rose higher. She needed more of him. She hardly knew what possessed her, but she suddenly wanted them naked, their bodies pressed together, skin on skin.
“Ewan, let’s take off our clothes. I want tae feel ye against me,” she murmured against his lips. “I ken I’ve seen ye without yer clothes on already, but I wantae ken ye… every inch of ye.”
He chuckled deep in his throat. The vibration rumbled through Isla, a sensation so provocatively sensual, she gasped to feel heat pooling between her thighs.
“I couldnae agree more,” he murmured, grinning as he pulled away from her lips long enough to reach down and, taking hold of the hem of his shirt, pulled it off over his head with her help and a small grimace. The bandage over the wound glowed stark white against his skin.
“Och, me God, Ewan, ye’re… gorgeous,” she whispered, her nipples hardening into stiff points at the sight of his huge, muscle-packed body in front of her, a mere hairsbreadth away. She licked her lips as her eyes ran over him, her gaze devouring him.
Then, his eyes hot upon hers, he gripped the hem of her shift, and she raised her arms for him to rip it from her body and toss it aside. Pleasure shot through her to hear his gasp of delight and see the greedy way he grinned at her naked breasts as they swung free. They paused as though to savor the moment, staring at each other with expressions of wonder, smiling intently into each other’s eyes.
His eyes never leaving hers, snatching kisses all the while, he deftly unfastened his trews and pushed them down over his hips. Excited beyond reason, Isla helped to slide them down over his thick, powerful thighs and down his legs until he kicked them off and to the floor. Now, both completely naked, they knelt upon the bed, face to face, each in thrall to the other.
Ewan spread her long tresses out over her shoulders, running his fingers through the golden lengths with a look of awe, while Isla’s belly tightened with excitement as she stared in curious amazement at his erect manhood. “Ye’re so big, I… I never imagined anything like it.”
Ewan chuckled and wiggled his hips playfully, making her laugh delightedly. “Och, he’s mighty glad tae see ye. Ye have nae idea how much he’s been dreamin’ of this.” He lowered his voice and added thickly, “This is what ye dae tae me, Annie. Ye’ve got me wantin’ ye so bad.”
“Me? I did that?” She was filled with happy wonder at the thought of having such power.
“Och, aye, did ye nae ken that?”
“How would I? I’m still a maid. I’ve never seen a man without his clothes afore ye. Ye must think me very ignorant.” She felt suddenly shy at her inexperience.
He shook his head and smiled into her eyes. “Nay, nay, ye have it all wrong, ’Tis the other way around. ’Tis better this way, fer I can teach ye everythin’ I ken about givin’ each other pleasure. And I have an awful lot tae teach ye.” He grinned at her wickedly, wiggling his eyebrows.
She giggled, coming out of her attack of bashfulness, grateful for him trying to put her at her ease. “Is that so? Well, I’m lookin’ forward tae me lessons then,” she replied, thrusting her breasts at him wantonly.
“Why waste any more time?” he asked, giving her a smile that twisted her insides and sent a wave of heat washing over her skin. He sighed and gazed at her, his eyes traveling slowly across her body. “D’ye have any idea how beautiful ye are?” he whispered, gazing at her with awe.
“Nay, I’ve never thought about it until I met ye, Ewan. Nay one’s ever told me that before, except ye when ye were drunk that time. D’ye remember?” She did not expect he would. But, as he had a habit of doing, he surprised her.
He reached over and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, sending thrills racing through her. She pressed her cheek into his hand, nuzzling it. “Of course, I remember. Maybe I wasnae as drunk as I seemed, eh?” he replied, his tone teasing. “And every word I said then, I meant.”
“Did ye? What did ye say then?” she asked, touched by his admission but feeling the urge to tease him back and prolong the delicious moment.
“Well, let me see.” His fingers travelled down her cheek, to her ears, her neck, her throat, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. “I believe I said I wanted tae kiss ye, but ye refused me. I was very hurt.” He stuck out his bottom lip, pretending to look wounded.
Enjoying the game, Isla said, “Wheesht! That was just the whisky talkin’.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Was it? How can ye be so sure?”
She had no answer, so she asked, “And what else did ye say tae me that night, if ye claim tae remember so much?”
“I said ‘Annie, ye’re so beautiful, ye smell beautiful, and ye taste exquisite’…” His fingertips traced her skin, until she closed her eyes and sighed, caught in a pleasurable trance.
“And?” she breathed.
“I said ye have the most beautiful hair I’ve ever laid eyes on.” He stroked it admiringly to emphasize his point.
She opened her eyes and smiled at him, delighted. “Ye dae remember.”
“Aye, and then I asked ye if ye ever thought about what happened at the pond. D’ye remember that?”
“Aye.” She smiled, her bashfulness returning a little.
“I told ye I thought about it often, but ye didnae answer me. Will ye answer me now?” His voice was deep and low, beguiling.
Her heart overflowing with emotion, she leaned forward and rested her forehead against his. “Aye, I will. I thought about it all the time, every day, but mostly at night, when I was pressed up so close tae ye in that wee cot,” she confessed in a whisper.
He chuckled. “That’s what I hoped ye’d say.”
Slowly, he leaned back a little way and reached out for her. With an expression of deep concentration on his handsome face, he ran both hands over her belly, the indent of her waist, the rounded curves of her hips, then cupped her behind, squeezing her buttocks.
“Beautiful, just beautiful,” he exclaimed softly.
“Och, dear Lord!” Isla breathed, swaying slightly as pleasure rippled through her from head to toe at his lustful explorations. She shivered in anticipation as his hands moved upwards, his fingertips tracing a path to her breasts. The hunger in his gaze as he cupped them fanned the flames of her desire even higher.
“They fit just right, like they were made fer me, just like I kent they would,” he murmured, his voice hoarse. “Mmmm, so soft and warm.” She watched him through slitted eyes, her own passion heightened by his grinning enjoyment as he filled his hands with her flesh, rolling and squeezing her breasts, his thumbs flicking teasingly across her already rock-hard nipples. Fresh waves of desire shot through her like quicksilver, and she felt herself growing moist and hot between her legs.
“Och, Ewan, aye, that’s so good, I never kent it could feel this way between a woman and a man,” Isla whispered, resting her hands on his brawny shoulders and arching her back, yearning for more of his magical touch. “Ah! Ah!” Small moans slipped from lips, and shivers of delight shot through her body when he bent his head and, squeezing her breasts close together, took one nipple and then the other in his mouth.
Unable to help herself, filled with curiosity and desire, Isla gently took his length gently in one hand. “Och, it grows in me hand!” she gasped in wonder.
“Aye, and it’ll grow even more if ye keep doin’ that,” Ewan said hoarsely, putting his hand over hers and guiding caresses.
“So, ye like it if I dae this?” she asked, watching his face. His eyes turned to liquid slits, and he groaned in reply as she became more practiced in her movements and increased the rhythm of her hand. The fever inside her rose higher to see him so completely in her power. “And what happens if I dae this?” She bent and softly peppered his shaft with kisses, tracing her tongue along its length.
To her great satisfaction, Ewan groaned deep in his throat and buried his hands in her hair. Excited by seeing him throw his head back and close his eyes at her touch, she dared to experiment, tasting him, teasing him ever more daringly with her lips and tongue.
“Annie, och, Annie,” he groaned, gently pulling himself from her grasp with obvious reluctance.
Immediately worried, she looked up at him, her palms on his chest. “What is it, Ewan? Are ye hurtin’? Did I dae somethin’ wrong? D’ye nae like it?”
“Nay, nay, I just havetae stop ye there fer the moment, nae because I wantae, but because I like it too much,” he confessed, his dark eyes twinkling with humor as he pressed a tender kiss to her lips. “And if ye keep on like that, lookin’ like ye dae, I’ll get too excited too quickly, and it’ll end too quickly.”
“Och, I see!” Isla was instantly relieved, marveling at her ability to excite him.
“I’ve waited a long time for this moment, and I’m nae gonnae waste it by rushin’ ahead. I wantae explore ye, tae touch ye,” he told her. Isla gasped to feel him prizing her legs apart and slipping his large fingers between her legs, gently stroking the secret folds that were burning for his touch. “I wantae tae give ye pleasure.”
She soon forgot everything as Ewan caressed her breasts with his hands, whilst trailing tiny kisses down her face, her throat, breasts, and down across her belly with tantalizing slowness, until he reached the hinge of her thighs.
Caught in a daze of pleasure, Isla was not sure what was happening when he shifted his position, lifting her legs and resting them on his shoulders before kneeling between them, using his muscular legs to open them wider.
“Och, Ewan,” Isla moaned, realizing what was about to happen as he grinned wickedly at her whilst running his hands slowly up and down the whole length of her legs. He kissed and nibbled at the soft insides and backs of her thighs, sending thrills racing through her. She let out a little shriek when he suddenly gripped her by the hips and pulled her towards him.
“Naethin’ would give me greater pleasure,” he whispered back huskily. The fever in his eyes drove Isla to open herself wider to him, like a wanton.
The look on his face as he gazed down on her so utterly exposed made Isla shiver almost uncontrollably as she lay back. A series of small moans fell from her lips as, breathing raggedly now, Ewan used his thumbs to divide her hidden folds, and then explored them slowly with his tongue and fingers, delving into every part of her as if he would eat her up.
“Ewan, what are ye doin’ tae me,” she moaned, opening her legs wider and raising her hips to him.
“Och, this is only the start,” he promised huskily, lowering his dark head between her legs once more. “There’s much more than this.”
“Och, me God!” she cried, her back arching when his lips closed around the stiffened nub at the head of her sex. Pleasure shook her as he sucked on it luxuriously, grazing it with his teeth, his tongue swirling and toying with her until she was in such a frenzy, her hand reflexively caught in his hair, and pressed him into her. His hot tongue trailed tantalizingly close to her entrance.
“Ewan,” she cried out as he thrust his tongue deep inside her again and again, his thumb toying rhythmically with her stiffened rosebud all the while, until she was writhing helplessly beneath him, weak with desire.
“I want tae touch ye too,” she begged him, reaching for his swollen manhood, which was bobbing close to her face. Needing no further encouragement, Ewan positioned himself so that he could continue devouring Isla’s exposed sex, while she grasped his shaft in her hands and began stroking it in time to his caresses, kissing and licking his length again in the way she had quickly learned he liked.
He hardened further in her hand, adding to her sense of blissful abandon when she felt his fingers entering her, one, gently probing at first, then two, then three, pushing into her more urgently, widening their exploration, opening her up in ways she had never dreamed of. It spurred her to speed up her own quest to take him to the same heights as he was taking her.
Together, they gave themselves up to their mutual exploration, greedily drinking each other in, until Isla was swept away by intoxicating waves of an ecstasy she had never known existed. The waves traveled inexorably up her body as Ewan buried his fingers and tongue inside her.
“Harder, Ewan, harder, please,” she moaned, her excitement reaching an uncharted peak of ecstasy as she frantically rode his hand.
“Mmm, ye taste so sweet,” he gasped, his voice muffled by her hot flesh as he plunged his fingers rhythmically into her. Just as the waves threatened to crash over her, she felt his body stiffen too, his member like steel in her hand. His rapid movements echoed hers as the rising energy became impossible to resist and sent them both tumbling over the edge in a shattering, shared climax.