Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
“Cheers to Laird MacDougal!” Cillian announced, the drink seeming to make his tongue even looser. “If it werenae for his quick thinkin’ today, we wouldnae be havin’ this celebration!”
“Cheers!” the room shouted, all raising their glasses before taking long drinks.
“Ye’ve already done that four times this evenin’,” Liam said, walking across the room with Katherine in tow. “Ye’re beginnin’ to sound a bit possessed.”
“I wasnae aware that yer people’s appreciation grated on yer nerves so badly,” Cillian said, smirking the same way he did when they were both boys. It was the kind of expression that often preceded mischief.
“Watch yerself,” Liam said, unable to keep his cadence completely serious.
The hall’s energy was infectious. After everyone had been informed of the fight in the glens, they’d been keen on continuing their drinking and eating.
It was as if a sigh of relief went through the entire castle.
He hadn’t been the only one here who had been living with the constant worry that the pirates would arrive at any moment.
“Ach, Liam,” Katherine tutted, her hand tightening where it was resting in the crook of his arm. “He’s simply joinin’ in the festivities. Let them cheer for ye.”
“I’m nae sayin’ that they cannae cheer,” Liam scoffed, looking down at the woman.
Her cheeks were flushed from the drink, and there seemed to be a permanent smile on her face.
“I’m tellin’ Cillian that he has said the same thing four times this evenin’.
The least he could do is come up with somethin’ else. ”
“I’m thinkin’ about doin’ it a fifth time,” Cillian teased, taking a long drink of his whiskey. “Me favorite number is five after all.”
“Ye ken, I think that we have celebrated enough,” Liam said, earning a giggle from Katherine. “Me wife has had quite a long day. I’m sure she’d like to retire.”
“The healer did advise I rest,” she said, leaning more heavily against him. “So I suppose we will have to miss yer next toast.”
“I’ll be sure to drink enough for the both of ye, then,” Cillian said, giving Liam a knowing look.
If I werenae in such a good mood, I’d chastise him for that.
“Daenae overdo it,” Liam warned, giving his friend a final nod before turning to leave the room, his free hand coming up to cover Katherine’s. As they wove through the crowd, he leaned down and whispered, “I will be joinin’ ye in our chambers this evenin’.”
A shiver ran through her, and breathlessly, she said, “I would like that very much.”
His own desire spiked, and the memories of each kiss they’d shared came back to him unbidden. It was as if he’d already memorized the curve of her mouth. Now, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her again, to claim her in every single way that he could.
As they made their way through the corridors, both of them moved faster. The anticipation had reached a fever pitch. Even without words, they’d come to the understanding of what would happen next.
Liam scooped up Katherine as they rounded the corner of the hallway leading to their chambers.
She laughed, holding onto him and hiding her face in the crook of his neck.
When he reached the door, he practically kicked it open.
As they stepped inside, he slammed his heel into it, forcing the latch to catch.
Placing her onto the floor next to the mattress, he said, “This is yer one and only chance to ask me to leave. If ye daenae, I cannae promise I will be able to stop meself.”
“I daenae want ye to leave,” Katherine said, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “And I daenae want ye to stop yerself.”
That was all the permission Liam needed.
Pulling her close with one hand on her waist and the other on her cheek, he kissed her with everything he had.
It was a mix of his own desperate desire, an apology for what he must have done to her heart, and a promise that he would keep her happy in every way she could imagine.
Katherine responded in kind, her arms coming up around his shoulders, anchoring herself to the moment. He could feel the relief at finally getting what he’d denied her as well as her own restrained need. It was everything, yet it still wasn’t enough.
As he probed the seam of her lips with his tongue, his hands slid over her form. His fingertips mapped the curve of her hip, the softness right over her middle. When his touch ghosted over the swell of her breast, she gasped into his mouth.
“Liam,” she whispered, her voice urgent as she pressed further into him. “Please.”
“Ye daenae even ken what ye’re askin’ for,” he groaned, his hand tightening on her chest.
“Then show me,” she said, sounding as though she were on the edge of begging.
With a growl that sounded more animalistic than human, Liam kissed her once more. His hands found the buttons on the back of her gown, and he undid them as he claimed her mouth with his tongue. She pressed against him harder, her breasts against his chiseled front.
When he pulled back to slide the gown from her shoulders, Katherine’s mouth chased his. She let him push the fabric down her arms, stepping out of it when it pooled around her feet. Then, her hands shot out, grabbing onto his doublet and pulling it free from his kilt.
“Aye, aye,” he said, tearing the garment over his head. “Now, let me see all of ye.”
Without giving her a chance to respond, he quickly unfastened her corset and stays. Stripping her completely bare, a growl escaped from his chest. He’d dreamed of this moment, of just how beautiful she would be entirely uncovered for him.
He took a step back, taking in the swell of her breasts. Her nipples were already pebbled with her desire, dusty pink and absolutely beautiful against her pale skin. Reaching forward, he took one between his thumb and forefinger, rolling it gently.
Katherine moaned, the sound echoing off the walls of the chambers and going straight to his cock. Her lips were parted, and her lashes were fanned against her rosy cheeks. He didn’t think that there was anything more beautiful than this image of her.
“You next,” she managed, breathless and needy. “Please. I need?—”
He cut her off with a sharp pinch. Her back arched, and her knees went wobbly. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her against him and claimed her mouth once more. He pressed his arousal into her, letting her feel exactly what she’d done to him.
“I’m nay holdin’ back anymore,” he said to her, rewriting the vow that had defined the last six years of his life. “I’m makin’ every single part of ye mine.”
He let go of her, his hands flying to the front of his kilt. When he threw it to the side, revealing his hard, thick length, Katherine’s breathing stopped for a full second. Then, hesitantly, her hand reached forward.
“Can I…?” she trailed off, glancing up at him once before wrapping her lithe fingers around him.
He groaned, throwing his head back as her palm slid along him. When she tightened her hand experimentally, his hips jerked forward. Grabbing onto her hips, he started walking her back toward the mattress.
“Ye will have all the time in the world to explore,” he said when her knees hit the edge of the bed. “But for now, I’m goin’ to make ye me wife. Properly.”
* * *
When Katherine’s back hit the quilt, she felt as if all the air had left her lungs. Liam was on top of her in an instant, his cock hanging heavily between his legs. Then, just as she was catching her breath, his mouth was on hers again.
His full attention was unlike anything she could have imagined. Now, as his hands seemed to find every single inch of her, she understood why he’d held himself back. It was like he turned into a wild beast.
It made the fire between her legs burn even hotter.
“Liam,” she gasped, his name feeling like the only word she knew.
Nothing else mattered. The world had always been about the two of them, even before she knew it. His body on hers felt right; his mouth on hers was like a revelation.
“Ye’re mine, Katherine,” he told her as he forced her legs apart.
A shiver of need ran through her at his blatant possessiveness. She liked being his. She was proud to be his.
Positioning himself between her legs, he captured her mouth again. It was less of a kiss and more of a deliberate claim. He owned all of her, all the way down to the breath from her lungs. She was glad to give him everything.
When the hot, dull head of his cock nudged against her opening, she threw her head back against the pillows. Her body tensed, and he slowed himself just enough to lean down, his mouth by her ear.
“I’ve wanted ye badly, Katherine,” he rasped, his lips brushing against her lobe. “I’ve thought about takin’ ye like this since the night of our handfastin’. Before, even.”
“I would have let ye,” Katherine whined, her hips lifting up and pressing against his sex. “Saints, I would have let ye.”
“Daenae say that,” he groaned, the first inch of his length sliding in slowly. “I may lose control of meself.”
She couldn’t speak, not when Liam was pressing himself further forward. Her body stretched to accommodate him. As her toes curled with pleasure, she grabbed onto his shoulders, her nails digging into the strong flesh there.
“Mm,” she hummed, her mouth trying to form words.
There was no reason for her to be speaking, yet she couldn’t seem to stop noises from coming out. He reached parts of her she didn’t even know existed. It was as though every single nerve ending was on fire.
“Ach, ye feel so good,” Liam groaned as he bottomed out, his hips flush against hers. “Ye’re all mine. Do ye understand, Katherine? Ye’re mine.”
“I’m yers,” she confirmed, forcing her eyes open.
He looked more handsome than ever. His pupils were dilated, and he wore a focused expression that made her whine. The sound seemed to motivate him, and he pulled his hips back before thrusting forward.
A choked noise escaped her, and Liam kissed her once more. It distracted her from the overwhelming pressure, and by the time he pulled back for air, it had morphed into pure pleasure. She felt as though she were drunk on the sensation.
His pace increased steadily. He pulled out nearly all the way before sliding back in. His eyes never left her face, seeming to watch each expression she made, gauging her reactions and filing away what made her go crazy.
“I kent that ye would look so bonnie like this,” he growled, his strokes becoming more and more wild.
Something warm and heavy began gathering in Katherine’s belly. She felt as though she were a pot about to boil over, and Liam’s relentless efforts only sent her further toward the point of bursting. Then, he changed the angle of his hips, and Katherine saw stars.
“That’s it,” he said as she moaned, loud and unbidden. “Yer body kens it’s mine. Go on; feel it, Katherine.”
She forgot everything that wasn’t Liam, even her own name felt like a word spoken in another language. Her mouth fell open as her climax ripped through her. No sound came out, no thoughts crossed her mind. The only thing she knew was that he was the conductor of her pleasure.
“Ach, Katherine,” he growled before capturing her lips in a bruising kiss.
His rhythm faltered. The way his mouth moved against hers was sloppy, desperate. Then an animalistic sound emanated between them, and she was treated to a brand-new sensation.
He filled her further, his teeth catching her bottom lip between his teeth as his own climax slammed into him.
The experience felt almost religious, as though they were both being offered salvation by the very act of their coupling.
She pulled him closer, her legs tightening around his hips instinctively as though she was trying to keep him in place for the rest of time.
As the final echoes of pleasure washed over them, Liam collapsed beside her. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her close against his chest. She easily rested her ear on his bare chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.
“I’ve never felt like this before,” she whispered, the confession quiet but no less true.
“I havenae either,” Liam replied, his large hand coming up to stroke the back of her head. “Ye are special, Katherine. One of the most incredible women I have ever had the pleasure of meetin’.”
“And ye are endlessly frustratin’ beyond belief,” she replied, earning herself a honey-warm laugh that she felt in every part of her body.
When his chuckle subsided, she continued, “But I wouldnae want ye any other way. That’s what makes ye who ye are.
I believe I’ve gotten fairly skilled at dealin’ with ye. ”
“Aye, ye have,” Liam said, his forefinger coming below her chin and tilting her head up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “But I have found a way to keep me peace, now.”
“Ye have?” she murmured, her breath catching when his eyes darted down to her mouth.
“Aye,” he confirmed, pulling her into another kiss.
This one was much softer than the kisses they’d shared earlier in the night, but it was no less intense.
He devoured her the way a man might eat a decadent meal.
Each shift of his lips and swipe of his tongue was long and lingering, like he was indulging in something sacred and determined to make every single moment of it last.
When he finally broke the kiss, letting Katherine lean back to suck in a long breath, he said, “Ye are me peace, Katherine. It only took nearly losin’ ye for me to realize it.”
Overwhelmed by emotion so intense that she couldn’t speak, she crawled onto his chest more decisively. Slowly, she dipped her head down, kissing him again, hoping that it conveyed the full scope of her contentment here. There was nowhere else that she’d rather be.
As she pulled back, Liam murmured, “I love ye, Katherine MacDougal.”
“And I love ye, Liam MacDougal,” she replied, letting him pull her back in for another indulgent kiss.