Chapter 35
“Laird McFair,” Archer said as he stood before Thomas. “I ken this will sound… well, a little crazy, but I’m here to ask for yer sister’s hand in marriage.”
“Aye, that is a little crazy,” Thomas drawled.
Eileen was right. They could have left together and gotten married without asking for anyone’s permission, and everything would have been fine. But Archer couldn’t disregard her brother, especially when he had so much respect for her.
“Thomas,” she scolded. “It’s nae crazy at all. Each couple has their journey, and this journey is ours.”
“We’ve been through a lot together, yer sister and I. I have developed strong feelings for her, and she for me. We already spoke about a union between our clans, and it’ll only be stronger with a marriage.”
“Aye, ye’re right about that,” Thomas relented. “And ye have kept yer promise about the sword deliveries. From what I hear, O’Gunn will be ousted soon. These are good and peaceful times around here. Of course, I dinnae like that we left yer castle when ye could have done this there.”
“Thomas!” Eileen whined.
“Ye’re right,” Archer interjected.
He was getting a little annoyed that Thomas hadn’t given his permission yet, when he didn’t strictly need it. He wanted to leave the castle with Eileen and take her back to where she truly belonged.
“However, havin’ said all of that, I respect ye, Laird MacLennan,” Thomas continued. “Ye’ve done right by us, and I expect that ye’ll do right by me sister.”
“I will,” Archer vowed.
“Then ye have me blessin’,” Thomas said.
“Ooh! Thank ye, Thomas,” Eileen squealed, before hugging her brother.
“Aye, she’s been around here for far too long,” Reid piped up. “I thought I’d never get rid of her.”
“Och, Reid, why would ye say that?” Eileen moaned.
“Ye ken I love ye, Sister,” Reid said. “Ye’ll both make a fine couple. Do I have to travel all the way back to MacLennan Castle for the weddin’?”
“Reid!” Eileen hissed. “Why would ye say that?” She turned to Archer. “Are ye sure ye want to marry me when I have a family like this?”
He beamed. “With all me heart.”
Eileen lay awake in bed, listening to the familiar sounds of the castle. There was comfort in them, but she couldn’t wait to leave and start a new life with Archer.
And so she decided to sneak out to be with him after pining for him for so long. It had felt like her heart had been in a cage, and he’d brought the key to unlock it.
When she was sure the hallways were clear, she got out of her bed, put on her shawl, and tiptoed out of her room. She wouldn’t get into trouble for sneaking out of her room, but she might get into some trouble for sneaking into Archer’s.
She looked both ways down the passageway, then headed off in the direction of the room Archer was bunking in for the night. She wasn’t worried about seeing anyone except for Reid, who also had a habit of sneaking around at night.
When she reached the room, she knocked lightly and pushed the door open. She saw Archer’s figure in the darkness.
“I was hopin’ ye would come,” he rasped.
Eileen closed the door, dropped her shawl, and crawled into bed. She cuddled up to him and rested her head on his bare chest.
“Will ye say it again?” she demanded.
“I love ye,” he murmured.
Those three simple words sent a thrill through her chest, tickling her heart.
“Mmm,” she moaned. “I will never get tired of hearin’ that. Will we ride back in the morning, just the two of us?”
“Aye, if that’s what ye want,” Archer said. “We have all the time in the world. There’s nay rush. Ye’ll be the lady of the castle for real, and we’ll start a family.”
“Aye?”
“Aye.”
“How about we start now?” Eileen asked.
“Och, this is yer family’s home. Why do ye have to tease me like that, Eileen Kilmartin?”
“We dinnae have to be loud; I just want to feel ye inside me.”
“Aye, and that’s all I’ve been thinkin’ about when I saw ye again. Ye ken me body aches for ye.”
“Then put that body to good use,” Eileen urged.
Archer didn’t say anything. Instead, he flipped her under him and lowered himself between her thighs.
Eileen gasped and quickly clamped a hand over her mouth to stop anyone around from hearing. They were in the guest quarters, but still.
“Is this good enough for ye?” he asked.
“It’s a good start.”
Archer reached down and lifted her thigh. “How about now?”
“Gettin’ warmer,” she said.
Archer slid a finger to her entrance, holding it there for a second before brushing it over her nub.
Eileen shivered as he petted her, reveling in the sensations his fingertips could elicit.
He moved his hand over her midriff and rested it on her side. She reached up and cupped his face, pulling him down and kissing him ravenously.
She tried to stifle her moans, but she couldn’t anymore. Her tongue darted out to meet his, and she snaked her hand around the back of his neck, holding his lips to hers.
Archer reached down again and slid his fingers from her entrance to her nub a couple of times before withdrawing them.
She let out a frustrated groan this time, but he quickly swallowed it. She moved her other hand to his back, digging her nails into the hard flesh.
He teased her once more, rubbing circles over her nub, but then he plunged his fingers into her wetness and curled them.
“Aye,” Eileen moaned. “Nay, nae just yer fingers. Ye ken what I need.”
“Aye, I do,” Archer purred. “I love ye, Eileen Kilmartin.”
“Mmm. I love ye, too.”
Archer slid his other hand over her stomach, her side, her left breast, and then trailed it down to her mound. He shifted his hips, nudging her thighs further apart, and thrust into her.
Eileen felt her breath stutter in her lungs. Her mouth dropped open on a silent moan as he entered her fully.
She’d been in this position before, but not like this. Her heart didn't pound, but beat rhythmically as if to a drum, her skin prickled, the hair on her neck stood on end, and something within her reached out and into the Laird, where it was embraced and welcomed.
Archer gyrated his hips, thrusting in and out steadily, not going too fast, lest she make too much noise.
“Aye, that’s it,” she gasped. “That’s what I want.”
“Then that’s what I’ll give ye,” he groaned.
Eileen reached out her hands and fisted them in the sheets, twisting the fabric between her fingers as he moved in and out of her wet cavern. The pleasure swelled inside her, spreading through her limbs, making her toes tingle, and she tugged at the sheets.
She felt something shift inside her, and she looked up to find him staring down at her intently as he plowed her.
She smiled, and he laughed. It was a sound of pure joy, as if all previous laughs meant nothing. She didn’t need to ask to know that he was happy.
“I really love ye, Eileen,” he said tenderly.
“And I really do—ooooh!” She lost her train of thought as her body began to pulse. “Aye, give it all to me.”
She closed her eyes tightly, and he laughed again, the sound like liquid honey.
She gripped the sheets tighter as he slammed into her again and again, and their entire story unfolded before her eyes, from the moment they met in the tavern to the present.
“Aye,” she cried out.
He pressed a kiss to her neck as her body tensed up. She couldn’t control it. It belonged to him now. And he was doing a fine job of making her feel like she was in heaven.
He thrust into her again, and her walls rippled around him. His member pulsed, and her sex spasmed in response, until she didn’t know where she ended and he began.
And then there was just warmth. A moment of warmth frozen in time. She could only feel his skin on hers, the warmth of him, the shivers wracking her body, and the liquid warmth spurting from his member, filling her until they became two bodies and one soul.
She kept her eyes closed as she fell back onto the bed, completely spent. Her chest heaved as she tried to get her breathing under control. He trailed kisses down the valley between her breasts, sending tingles to her core.
“I love ye, Eileen,” she heard his voice say, as if he were somewhere far away.
“I love ye, too,” she murmured.