Epilogue A New Start
Epilogue
A New Start
Alice pulled her hand up to her mouth and had to bite the top of her knuckle. Her shoulders were shaking as she tried to suppress herself.
“Alice,” Evander whispered. “Please, I—”
“You silly man,” Alice suddenly laughed. She reached up, taking his face into her hands. Evander blinked, confused.
“What—?”
“You spent all this time hurting me because ye didn’t think that ye could love me? And then through sheer refusal tae speak, we made the perfect storm for me tae believe ye were havin’ an affair?” She asked. “We are ridiculous…”
“Alice,” he said softly, leaning into her touch.
“I am not forgivin’ ye,” she said firmly. “I am allowed tae believe that ye are a foolish man and laugh, and also still be furious with ye,” she added. “But the reasons ye see yerself as less than are so silly. Evander, ye have caused yerself more problems than ye have fixed.”
“I am aware,” he grumbled, leaning into her touch.
“Evander,” she said softly. “Ye are nae less a laird because yer brother ran off with another woman. Ye are nae less a good man because ye have been hurt. What has made ye infuriating has nae been yer goodness. Ye have shown me ye can be a wonderful man, in spite of yer past. Ye have cared for me. Honored me. Protected me. I have been so hurt because ye have been so good and then pushed me away.”
He nodded, holding her tighter.
“And I want ye to ken,” she whispered in her best Scottish accent, pulling his face closer to her. “If love is a delusion? I would happily live, deluded forever at ye side.”
“Alice—”
Before he could say anything, Alice pulled him down toward her, kissing him eagerly. Evander’s eyes went wide, and then he sank into the kiss with her. His hand knotted in her hair, pulling her closer as their tongues found each other.
“I love ye, lass,” he said breathlessly between kisses. “And I swear, I will honor ye, and love ye, and I will never hide anythin’ from ye again.”
“Good,” she said breathlessly.
He nodded and walked her backward until she was pressed against the wall.
“Evander—”
“I have much tae make up for,” he said, leaning down to kiss her neck. She gasped, her head fuzzing over slightly from the sensations.
“Evander,” she whimpered.
“I have been a fool,” he said as he nipped her earlobe. “I pushed you away. I was cruel. And worst of all? I said the best night of my life was a mistake.”
“The best?” she whispered as his hands ran up and down her sides before resting on her hips.
“The best,” he affirmed. “I never want anyone else. Only you. Always you.”
“But—”
“I ken,” he said, his hands gripping her hips. “I ken what I said. I ken that I was foolish. I am tellin’ ye the truth now. That I love ye. And I want ye. Please.”
“Please?” she asked. “Ye are beggin’?”
“I am,” he said, before falling to the floor in front of her. “Let me make it up to ye, let me be the man and husband ye deserve.”
Her cheeks flushed and all she could do was nod dumbly.
Evander reached up, pushing her skirts up until he could get to her underthings. He started kissing up her thighs.
“Thank ye, wife,” he murmured against her skin. “I will never make ye regret this.”
His breath was hot against her skin. She swallowed hard, her heart racing in her chest. She reached down, gently threading her fingers into his hair.
He let out a soft groan, moving his hand to push her underthings to the side.
His tongue met the bundle of sensitive nerves.
Alice gasped, the sensations of heat flooding her body.
His tongue moved in slow circles. He looked up at her from under the bunched-up fabric of her skirts.
His eyelids were half-lidded, focused entirely on her.
Eventually, his tongue moved from her nerves to inside of her, pushing into the slick heat.
She gasped, her fingers tightening in his hair.
Soon, her hips started rocking against him, pushing his tongue deeper and deeper.
He couldn’t help but moan, gripping her skirts and hips harder to help her find the perfect angle.
She rocked harder and faster against him, gasping and whimpering.
“Evander,” she whimpered. “I— ah! I cannot hold on much more…”
In response, Evander pushed himself deeper into her, his nose nuzzling against her nerves.
Alice’s eyes rolled back in her head and she released all at once.
She screamed and whimpered in pleasure. Evander licked her through the heights of her pleasure before pulling back.
He was breathless as he looked up at her, his chin soaked.
Alice leaned down, gently whipping his chin with her thumb.
“I made a mess,” she said, breathless.
“Ye did,” he said with a grin. “I am not done yet.”
“What do ye—?”
Evander scooped her up and put her onto his bed, pushing the drawer of letters onto the floor, the parchment scattering, the meaning completely forgotten to the both of them.
Alice’s hands started frantically working to pull his clothes off.
Evander worked with her, pulling her dress off.
As soon as Alice’s dress was on the floor, he began kissing every inch of exposed skin.
Alice finally got to take his belt off. Evander sat back on his heels, shimmying off his breeches before finally pulling his shirt off.
He leaned down, kissing her neck again. He grabbed at her undergarments.
Alice went to sit up but stopped at the sound of fabric ripping.
She gasped as he pulled apart her undergarments before leaning down, his mouth latching onto her nipple.
She gasped, arching into him. He reached between them, his finger entering her. She gasped and groaned.
“I am already ready for ye,” she whimpered. His mouth detached from her nipple.
“Who said that was for yer benefit?” he asked, breathless. He pulled his fingers out, making her whimper at the loss. Evander rubbed his manhood, spreading the slickness over the shaft. He then leaned down, teasing her bundle of nerves with it. Alice gasped.
“I— Evander— Ah!” she cried out.
Slowly, Evander moved it down and slid his manhood inside of her. Alice’s eyes rolled back in her head as she felt the pressure increasing. Evander moaned, kissing her neck and cheeks.
“Breathe for me,” he panted. Alice nodded, attempting to take deep breaths, but her breath kept being stolen by moans and cries.
Evander started slow but picked up the pace quickly.
He was trying to be gentle, he did not want to overwhelm her, but the sight of her so lost in pleasure under him and the noises she was making, all of it was driving him mad.
He moved faster, moving an arm to hook under her thigh, making sure he could hit the deeper angles.
Alice gasped, tears of pleasure in her eyes.
“Evander—” she managed to cry out. He kissed her like he was trying to taste his name on her lips.
“Ye are doin’ so well,” he murmured against her lips. “Fall apart for me, wife. I want to feel your pleasure,” he said as he kissed her again.
She gasped and fell apart on him. The feeling of her gripping him and crying out for him was enough to send him over the edge with her. His vision blurred, just as stars exploded behind her eyelids.
After a moment, Evander fell onto the bed, wrapping his arms around her to keep them connected. Alice immediately cuddled into him, her lungs unable to bring in enough air. Evander panted with her, gently kissing her forehead and cheeks.
“Ye are so good,” he murmured. “I have been a fool. I will never do that again.”
“I will hold you to that,” she whispered.
“I would expect nothin’ less of ye,” he chuckled and kissed her nose and then her lips.
The pair of them stayed like that for the rest of the night, holding each other, exchanging little whispers of comfort and affection. Evander had never realized how much he had needed to feel something like this.
And for Alice?
It was everything she had ever wanted.
Morning came slowly, the light creeping through the half-closed windows of their chambers.
Gold light crept over Alice’s face. She blinked awake, disoriented for a moment by the unfamiliar weight of an arm slung heavy across her waist, before the memory of the night before settled over her like a second blanket.
She smiled against the pillow, focusing on Evander sleeping next to her.
His face was soft in a way she never got to see when he was awake.
No furrowed brow. No tension pulling at his jaw.
She studied him for a long moment, tracing the line of his profile with her eyes.
Some part of her was terrified that he would awaken and realize that he needed to leave if she disturbed him.
Or worse, that last night would be proven to be some kind of a dream brought on by delirium.
She glanced down at the floor, where the drawer of letters lay overturned.
Parchment was scattered across the floor in a haphazard fan.
She thought about how carefully he must have kept them before, folding and refolding the same worn creases.
Unable to burn them. Unable to answer them.
Now, they lay abandoned, soon to be trodden underfoot.
She eased herself up onto one elbow, careful not to wake him. She reached over to pick up a few of the pages and gather them closer, if only to keep them from being lost under the bed. As she did, Evander stirred. His arm tightened around her reflexively before his eyes opened.
“Where are ye goin’?” he mumbled, his voice still rough with sleep. He tugged her back down against him.
“Nowhere,” she giggled softly as she allowed herself to be pulled. She immediately snuggled into his warmth. “I was rescuing yer brother’s letters from being trampled.”
He looked over her shoulder at the scattered pages on the floor. He rolled his eyes and buried his head into her neck.
“Leave them,” he murmured. “They shall keep till later. I have somethin’ far more important tae attend tae first.”