Chapter 14
The doors to her bedchamber closed behind her and she hurried into the depths of her room, her breathing ragged and her hands shaking.
Her irrational mind blamed the bodice, believing it to be too tight and restricting her air.
As she fumbled with the ties and cursed under her breath, tears broke through her resolve.
She was sobbing and tugging at her lace bodice and feeling completely hopeless.
Kira Galbraith had just been ushered into the world and already she served no purpose.
She couldn’t even undo her own bloody bodice with how much her hands trembled.
The doors opened and shut once again. Turning around, she gaped with wide eyes at Hunter standing there.
She knew it wouldn’t go unnoticed by him that she had left, but she hadn’t expected him to follow.
She quickly pivoted to hide her face from him, wiping at it vigorously to rid herself of the tears.
“Ye left the celebration,” he stated. It wasn’t accusatory or angry but simply a statement.
“Clearly,” she grumbled and sniffled. She didn’t deserve to feel embarrassed in a moment like that, but she couldn’t help it. There she was, trying to have a vulnerable moment alone, and she was confronted by the very man who caused it.
“Why?” he asked. His voice was much too gentle and her walls went up in response. She wasn’t going to be deceived by his sweet ways simply for him to fulfill his lustful desires.
“What’s there to celebrate?” she snapped.
“That ye’ve spared my life and nae sent me back to my faither?
Well, ye have my thanks for that but I’ll forgo any more dancing and merriment over our nuptials.
Ye have appearances to uphold by partaking, and I understand that. I, on the other hand, do nae.”
“Ye do, as my wife,” he challenged, though his tone was gentle.
It was strange to hear him call her that. Wife… But she shook away the thought and paced away from him.
“Yer wife is a social pariah, dinnae think she should trouble herself much with the perception of others,” she muttered.
Sitting on the foot of her bed, she removed her shoes and kicked them to the side. Before she could do anything else to busy herself, she noticed him stalking toward her. Instinctively, she shot up and backed away from him.
She rounded the side of the bed and he was within a stride away from her. His eyes darkened and his face hardened. “Ye’ve been crying,” he said, finally able to get a good look at her.
When he reached out for her face, however, she moved away. He sighed and grabbed her wrist, but she shook him off. “Talk to me,” he urged.
She jutted a finger in his face then, rage and hurt consuming her body and taking control.
“Ye dinnae get to do this, Hunter. Ye dinnae get to act like we are husband and wife when we are in name alone. We will never share the same closeness, the same intimacy as any other couple might aspire to because ye’ll always hate me.
” Her chest was heaving from emotion and tears stung at her eyes, but she held them back as she glared coldly at him.
“Yer loyalty to yer clan is the only thing ye’ll ever hold more dear than yer contempt for me. ”
Hunter was silent, but he took steps forward. With each one he made, she retreated. They didn’t stop until she was backed against the wall next to the bed and he towered overhead, his hands placed on the wall on each side of her head to completely close her in.
“I cannae say ye’re wrong… but ye’re nae right either,” he said softly.
“I no longer despise ye, Kira. Ye’ve willed it from me with a grace only known by Heaven and with strength I’ve only ever seen on the battlefield.
But… to speak on my feelings more than that would be to lie.
I dinnae ken what they are. I’ve spent many years now, hollowed out by vengeance and reshaped by wrath. ”
There was a pause, his hazel eyes searching hers for a long moment. There were depths to those discs of forest hues that she was getting a glimpse at for the first time. The vulnerable man hid behind the armor he had built around himself.
“I no longer ken what love feels like. I… dinnae ken if I’m even capable of it anymore. But what I will give ye now and always hereafter is honesty. I will nae hide what I feel for ye, even if it’s uncomfortable for me.”
Kira swallowed hard and tried to still her heart. She hadn’t expected all that from him, but he was proving day by day that she needed to drop all expectations of his behavior.
“Then what did ye mean earlier, that yer vows are nae a promise of the present?” she asked, her voice a little meek at repeating the exact words that had gutted her so.
“They’re a declaration of what I shall strive to be in the future. Every day.”
At that, Kira swooned. She wasn’t sure she had ever before, but she did right then. She felt light and dizzy and surged with hope all in the same breath.
“I see,” she breathed. “Then… Ye’ve offered me honesty and in return, I offer ye patience. I will wait for ye to get there in time.”
“Thank ye, wife,” he murmured. “We shall learn to navigate this life of ours together.”
And then, he brought his lips to hers. At first, it was only a brush of contact, like a token of appreciation for hearing him out.
It was so sweet, so light… Completely unlike the Hunter she knew.
And that evermore familiar feeling of hope found its way back to her chest, making her heart flutter and body feel alive once again.
It was almost pitiful the way her entire being came to life from the littlest morsel of tenderness from him. Any glance behind the mask of the cold, stern Laird made her feel lucky and chosen and alive.
It was she, this time, that turned the gentle affection into something more.
She reached for his face and grabbed it firmly, molding her lips to the contours of his mouth.
Hunter responded in an instant, his hands dropping from the wall to her waist. There was no more overthinking, no more running herself in maddening circles as she analyzed and dissected every glare and whisper.
It was the rush of his skin, the vibration of her heart against the walls of her chest, and the essence of Hunter’s affection washing over her.
Kira’s arms snaked around his neck and hugged him close so that they were chest to chest. A groan sounded from the back of Hunter’s throat and his touch moved to the front of her bodice. He moved back a fraction of an inch to murmur, “Allow me to finally assist with this.”
The words brought a smile to both of their faces and a little bit of rouge to her cheeks.
So, he had seen her fighting with the garment when he first walked into the room.
And with a single tug on the lace, the tie was undone and he took the two sides of the fabric in each hand and pulled.
The urgency in the way he pulled and tugged at her until it was finally tossed to the floor filled her with a desire that felt primal.
To be wanted was to be a woman in that world, but to be desired by Hunter Galbraith was all her own.
Their mouths crashed together in voracious blows, tongues licking and teeth grazing as their hands busied with undressing the other.
His sash’s brooch clattered to the floor along with his sporran, and his clothing discarded until he stood before her in only his kilt.
His muscles were bathed in light, their defined edges casted in dramatic shadows in contrast to the warm glow of light.
She, too, was stripped until she was only in her shift, and when his hands rested on her shoulders to push down the fabric, she placed a hand on his chest.
“Shouldn’t we get under the covers?” she murmured.
Hunter chuckled darkly, the vibrations of it tickling her lips. “Nae chance, wife.” He let his face lower so that his nose could trace the outline of her jaw. “Leave yer modesty and shame behind with yer maiden name. I intend to have all of ye, Kira.”
The words deepened her longing. She couldn’t believe that he wanted her at all, let alone in such intimate ways. Lust was about the end goal, about the release—but this was more. He wanted to see her, to savor the moment.
After she gave a nod of confirmation, he pulled down the straps and shimmied the fabric down.
She watched as he took in her form as it was revealed moment by moment.
Her breasts, her waist, her wide hips and small tummy and then the chemise was on the floor.
There was nowhere left to hide, no more secrets to reveal.
Kira stood before him, heart and body bare.
He stood back, not even attempting to hide the way he ogled her.
And then, without a word, he pulled her away from the wall and guided her to the bed until she was lying on her back and he was hovering over her.
His mouth was on her, but that time, not her lips.
Hunter kissed his way down her neck, across her collarbones, and down the center of her chest. Warm, rough hands took hold of her breasts, massaging them eagerly while he made his way to one side and took a nipple into his mouth.
A gasp escaped her and her hips instinctively rolled toward his.
She could feel the firmness of his manhood beneath the wool of his kilt and excitement that made the night before pale in comparison rushed through her.
And then his hand was between her legs again, petting her heavily as he sucked and bit and massaged her breasts.
“Hunter,” she breathed. “Ye’re making me lightheaded.”
“Good,” he whispered.
His thumb found the sensitive patch of nerves between her legs and began rubbing intricate circles into its slick surface.
Kira could hardly think around the hot waves of arousal coursing through her, but she knew she didn’t want to just lie there and take it.
She wanted him to feel as good as she did.
Lifting his face back to hers, she pressed her tongue into his mouth and used the slight change in position to grab hold of the buckle of his kilt.
When it was undone and the fabric parted, she felt the tip of his member spring free and poke against her inner thigh.
And then she reached for it, her heart racing and her eyes staring into the depths of his to fully gauge his reaction to the sudden embrace.
It was warm and firm in her hand, and it throbbed underneath her touch.
Hunter’s eyes were hazy, his lips parted slightly. “It’s my turn to be lightheaded,” he purred.
Kira smiled. “Good.” She could feel him smile back against her mouth and she found herself thinking how there had never been a better sensation. No fur as soft, no cake as sweet, no water as refreshing.
She stroked him slowly, carefully, not sure what amount of pressure would hurt him, all the while trying to get a sense of the size and shape. Her hand reached the hilt and was halfway back up when he grabbed her wrist.
“I fear ye’ll be the death of me if I wait any longer,” he whispered as he brought his lips to her neck.
Her knees hitched to his hips and she braced herself as he whispered sweet nothings in her ear and brought himself to her center.
Her body went rigid as he pressed into her core.
His manhood felt hot and large, though at first it mostly just felt like pressure.
But he was careful and kind, ensuring that she wasn’t in any pain.
It was intense, all-consuming, and different, but pain never came.
Within no time at all, her body adjusted to him and the moment that a pleasurable sigh escaped her, Hunter came alive.
His hips thrusted into hers with vigor, and his hands were all over her.
Kira’s nails scratched at his back and her tongue danced across his as their breathing shallowed.
Kira hadn’t ever been one to give sex much thought and idle gossip of other ladies and servants only made her feel embarrassed.
She hadn’t any idea that it could feel this good.
It was like their bodies were sculpted to go together and each time his piece slid into place, pure euphoria cascaded over all her senses.
She kissed his neck and felt his growl from within his throat.
Her lips peppered along the side of it and when she heard him groan at a specific spot, she nibbled at it and traced her tongue in nonsensical shapes.
It felt good to please him, to know that her efforts had results, and that next time would be even better because she would know these little spots of his that made him moan and clutch her hips harder.
With confidence growing by the moment, Kira started to move with him, pushing her hips into his each time he moved against her.
It made the sensations deeper and angled in such a way that each time he reached his hilt, a jolt of ecstasy would rush through her.
Each breath was a moan and her arms were snaked tight around him.
“Kira,” he breathed into her hair.
“M’Laird,” she replied, gripping him. That pressure from the night before was starting to mount in her core.
“Call me by my name,” he urged.
Before she could get it out, his hands pressed to the backs of her thighs and brought her knees toward the bed. His mouth hovered over hers, panting, as he pounded into her fast and hard. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but lie there and moan as he ravished her.
“Say it, Kira,” he said again.
For a moment, she was too lost to make sense of the command.
Once she found her bearings, however, she pressed her hands to his lower back, urging him deeper as she cried out his name.
His movements were feral, violent, all-consuming—and she soaked in every second of it.
As pleasure ripped through her and shook her body beneath his, she could feel him stiffen against her.
His movements became jagged and his breathing shallowed further.
And then, they collapsed into one another. His face pressed to the crook of her neck and her fingers combed through his hair idly as she caught her breath.
“Ye ken, it used to be lost on me but I’m starting to understand why some couples have ten or more children,” she muttered.
Hunter chuckled and slid his hand down her side, groping at her curves. “Is that so?” he queried.
She loved the sound of his laughter, breathy, throaty, joyful. And she doubted a day would come where she would tire of it. When his hand reached her hip, it dipped between her legs and took hold of her inner thigh. “That is good to hear,” he said.
And then he moved away from her neck and positioned himself between her legs, his face at her groin.
She sat up, startled, staring down at him, ready to ask what in the world he was doing.
His hazel eye flashed a dangerous, playful gleam up at her before he said, “Because we’re only just getting started, wife. ”
His tongue lapped at her seam and a ripple of need rolled through her achy, spent body. But for Hunter, it would come alive again. Endlessly.