Chapter 24
Rhea knew. Of course, she knew.
What other choice did Callum have other than going after Laird Barclay? If everything that had happened was truly his fault, then he wouldn’t stop, not until he had what he wanted—or until the clan was decimated, brought to its knees by the constant attacks.
It was the people for whom Rhea worried the most. The castle had its defenses. It had an army, however small, to protect it. But that fire in the village had been the first attack in what would surely be many.
There was nothing to be done about it. Callum had to go. He had to eliminate the threat before Laird Barclay managed to destroy them.
But that didn’t mean Rhea wanted to discuss it.
She didn’t want to hear about it. She didn’t want to argue.
She didn’t want to do anything other than hold him and be held by him, feel his body against hers for what could be the only time.
And so the kiss was her way of ending the conversation before it could even begin, forcing him to forget all about it, at least for a short while.
Callum’s lips were dry, a little chapped against her own. His short, neat beard scraped her sensitive skin as they kissed, heightening the sensations. His palms, when he cupped her cheeks to draw her closer to him, were calloused, roughened by years of training.
Everything about him was rough, rugged. Every part of him had been forged by hardship. And yet, when he touched her, when he kissed her, he was nothing but gentle, careful, treating her with what she could only describe as reverence.
There were no words exchanged between them.
The only sounds in the room were their sighs, soft and tender, and the rustle of sheets as their bodies writhed on the bed.
There was nothing for them to say that could speak more of their desire for each other than the slow dance of their bodies, than the brush of their lips and the exchange of breath as they kissed.
Rhea was lost in the sensations. She could not have spoken a single word if she tried.
When Callum pulled back and his hands found the laces of her petticoat, her breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening in the dim light.
Her cheeks heated, the blush traveling all the way down to her chest with every labored breath.
It was as if her entire body had been plunged into liquid fire, Callum’s touch enough to incinerate her.
The first garment to go was her petticoat, falling into a pool on the floor next to the bed. Callum’s hands traced a path over her shoulders, down her arms, before they came to settle on her waist like an anchor, keeping her grounded in the moment.
When she looked up at him, she found him staring, his lips parted ever so slightly as he drew breath. There was something softer about him now, something gentle in the way he looked at her, and her heart sped up, thundering in her chest.
No one had ever looked at her like this. She hadn’t even thought it possible that someone could ever look at her with such tenderness, such softness as Callum did now, as if she was the only thing in the world that mattered.
But how can he leave if I’m the only thing in the world that matters?
The truth was, there were plenty of other important things in the world.
She was nothing but another face, another soul in a sea of thousands who would suffer if Callum did nothing to help them.
She was his wife, and whatever feelings he had for her—though he had not expressed them—had driven him to give her this time, this month of his life just as she had requested.
But he could not give her more than that, or else too many would suffer.
Rhea closed her eyes and tried to shove those thoughts in the deepest crevices of her mind, where they wouldn’t bother her anymore—at least for now. She wanted to focus on the moment. She wanted to remember everything about it, in case it was her only chance.
Ever so slowly, Callum undressed her layer by layer, until she was fully naked beneath him. The contrast between them wasn’t lost on her—she, fully naked, and he, still in his shirt and trews.
She couldn’t help but tremble under his gaze, hungry as it was. She felt the urge to cover herself, to place her hands over her breasts, but Callum was quick to shake his head.
“Daenae hide,” he murmured. “Nae from me. I wish to see ye.”
Her blush deepened, her skin turning a bright pink. But that only made her want to hide even more from him, to conceal her embarrassment, to pretend that she was not as affected as she truly was.
“I… I’ve never…”
“I ken,” he soothed. “I willnae claim ye. Nae today.”
Rhea looked up at him, her brow furrowing in confusion. “What? Why?”
“Because the month isnae over yet,” he said. “And I promised ye a month.”
“But—”
He pressed a finger against her lips, silencing her. “I will claim ye at the one-month mark. But until then, there are other ways I can show ye pleasure.”
His words alone were enough to send a shiver down her spine. He spoke them like a promise, like there was no other option for him than to deliver on it.
Callum kissed her again, this time with more heat, with more passion than before.
The tip of his tongue dragged over the seam of her lips, seeking entrance, and she parted them to let him taste her.
He sighed into her mouth, the sound reverberating through her as she tightly wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close.
“Please,” she gasped against him.
He gave her a mischievous look, the corner of his mouth curving into a small smirk as he stared down at her. Then he lowered his lips to her collarbone.
Rhea’s breathing quickened. She watched as he moved lower, kissing down the ample swell of her breasts before sucking a nipple into his mouth, groaning as if he was the one receiving the pleasure. Her back arched off the bed, and she let out a loud moan.
Callum then released her nipple and moved lower, settling between her legs.
He wrapped his hands around her thighs and pushed them apart.
Rhea knew what to anticipate, and yet she still shuddered when he buried his face between her legs.
The moment his tongue touched her sensitive flesh, she almost bowed off the mattress, pleasure shooting through her.
Once again, he looked up at her with a smirk, obviously pleased by her reaction, though he said nothing, even when she expected him to tease her. Instead, he lowered his head again, his fingers digging into the flesh of her thighs as he pleasured her.
Again and again, he dragged the flat of his tongue over her slit, then flicked the tip over a spot that made stars explode behind her eyelids. Her entire body trembled with pleasure, his hands the only thing still anchoring her as her hips bucked of their own accord, chasing her pleasure.
Then he licked into her, pushing over the edge. Climax ripped through her, and she shook and moaned, a gentle warmth spreading from her core to her limbs, as she tried to catch her breath.
Sweat covered her body, and she couldn’t help but convulse through the aftershocks as Callum lapped up her release. He only pulled back when she did, oversensitive, every part of her feeling as if it was on fire. He lowered himself next to her, pulling her in for a kiss.
It took her several moments to come back to herself, a tingle coursing through her as she tried to catch her breath. But then, her eyes fell on Callum… and on the bulge that tented the front of his trews.
Following her gaze, he chuckled as he reached down and gave the bulge a squeeze. Rhea swallowed past a dry throat, watching him, her cheeks heating once more.
She was uncertain, as she always was when it came to such things. But she was also his wife now, and just as he had pleasured her, she wanted to pleasure him.
“How… how can I…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence, but Callum seemed to understand. He watched her with dark eyes as he began to undress, tossing his clothes carelessly to the other side of the room until he, too, was fully naked before her.
She couldn’t help but stare. It was as if he was carved from marble, pale skin stretching over taut muscles.
His abdomen rippled with every movement, the muscles of his arms flexing as he leaned over her.
Silvery scars marked most of his body, some smaller and some larger, some newer and some older.
He was forged from war and battle, a hero of old tales come to life.
Then her gaze traveled lower, all the way to the thick shaft that bobbed between his thighs. Once again, she swallowed past a dry throat, her eyes going wide.
Callum let out another chuckle, pleased by her reaction, as he reached down and took her hand.
“I’ll show ye,” he said, guiding her hand to his manhood, showing her how to wrap her fingers around him.
Rhea couldn’t tear her gaze off him as he moved her hand, stroking himself with her fingers. He settled down next to her and pulled her into a kiss, moaning into her mouth as she drew his pleasure out of him.
She could listen to him make those sounds forever, she thought as she stroked him, feeling the velvety skin under the pads of her fingers. He guided her through it all, tightening her fist, thrusting into it again and again in desperation, before shouting her name in climax.
Afterwards, they lay side by side, staring at the ceiling. The grand tapestry behind the headboard fluttered in the wind that blew in through the windows. Rhea looked at its pattern, at the embroidered leaves that seemed to flutter ever so gently.
A part of her was desperate to discuss what was to come, to say everything that was on her mind, but she kept her mouth firmly shut as they rested there, side by side, nothing but their arms touching as they breathed.
She wanted some reassurance. She wanted him to tell her once more that he would return to her.
But what reassurance could he give her? No matter what he told her, she didn’t know if she would believe it. Her fear was much bigger than any assurance she could get, looming over her head like a dark cloud that followed her everywhere.
The same thoughts plagued her mind every single moment—what if something happened to him? What if he was fatally wounded? What if he returned but was forever changed from what he had seen and experienced?
It wouldn’t be the first time, after all. The man who had left after their wedding night was not the same man who had returned to her.
When Rhea turned to face him, he was already fast asleep. His expression had smoothed out, his lips parted as he breathed through them. She rolled onto her side to face him fully, her gaze searching for something that even she couldn’t quite identify.
And there, in the quiet of his chambers, a strange sensation gripped her—a tightness in her chest, a sting in her eyes, as if she was about to release a torrent of tears.
I love him.
It was the plain truth, something that had followed her for a while now but she had not dared name it.
The past few weeks had been a whirlwind for her, what with his return and his dedication to pursuing her, and also everything that had happened between them.
She had been struggling with her conflicting emotions.
Only now did her love for him shine brighter than anything else, demanding to be named, demanding to be acknowledged.
She couldn’t hide from her feelings anymore. She couldn’t hide from the truth, and so the only thing left for her to do was to accept it.
She didn’t want him to go to another war because she loved him, but because if he didn’t return to her this time, she didn’t know how she could go on living. And yet because she loved him, she couldn’t ask him to stay.
What will I do without ye? Will ye come back to me?
Rolling onto her back, Rhea turned her gaze to the ceiling once more, tears stinging her eyes. Her only consolation was that they still had some time, however short. But that was as much a blessing as it was a curse.
Because she knew that the more time she spent with him, the more her love for him would blossom.