Chapter 13
She was surprised and delighted when, after a few minutes of walking, they emerged into a beautiful grassy glen sheltered beneath ancient oaks and elms.
It was about twelve feet in circumference, vaguely bowl-shaped, and completely secluded. The light from above penetrated the canopy of leaves and dappled the lush greenery. Plump cushions of bright green moss covered a series of large, flat rocks that looked perfect for sitting on.
“Why, what a magical place,” Olivia breathed, looking around her in wonder. “It looks like the sort of spot where the fae would dwell.”
“Aye, they probably do, so keep yer eyes open,” Edan said drily, putting the saddlebags on one of the boulders before shaking out the blanket and spreading it on the soft turf beneath their feet. “Will ye sit, Me Lady?” he asked, gesturing grandly in invitation.
Wondering at his unexpected humor, Olivia bobbed a little curtsey.
“Aye, thank ye, Me Laird. I dinnae mind if I do.” She sat down, folding her legs beneath her and tucking in her skirt.
Curious as to why he had brought her there, she said, “This is truly a beautiful spot, Edan, but ’tis a bit off the beaten track. How d’ye ken about this place?”
“Well, ’tis on me land, for a start, and I ken every inch of that,” he replied with a touch of pride that made her smile.
“But this place is special to me, ye see. Only me family kens about it. We used to come here for picnics and spend time together when I was younger, when me maither and faither were still alive. It holds many happy memories for me.”
“Then I feel honored that ye’ve brought me here,” Olivia said softly, deeply touched that he would want to share this spot with her.
He sighed as he sat down beside her on the blanket. “Unfortunately, we all have to grow up, eh? I havenae been back here for years.”
“Oh. Why nae, if it is so special to ye?” Olivia asked.
“Well, there wasnae much chance for it. As soon as I was old enough to go to battle, me faither took me off to fight alongside him against the O’Brians.
” He paused thoughtfully for a moment before adding, “The war went on for many years before we secured a decisive victory and ended it, so I was often away from home, and there was nay time for such pleasant distractions.”
Olivia’s heart went out to him, realizing that he had spent most of his life on the front, which clearly explained his scars.
“I feel sad for ye,” she told him softly. “To have spent most of yer life fightin’ like that—it is almost as though yer life was stolen from ye.”
He gave her a look she could not interpret, but at least he did not seem angry at her observation, and he was sharing more about himself than she could ever have wished for.
“Even though we won that war, conflict broke out again between the McCallums and the O’Brians a year ago. That was the reason why I had to leave ye on our weddin’ night,” he continued, looking her right in the eye. “Nae because I wanted to.”
Olivia’s heart clenched at his admission.
She held his gaze for a few moments before saying, “Thank ye for tellin’ me that, Edan.
It matters to me to ken that ye felt that way.
It was a shock when ye left like that, but Greta explained to me the history of the conflict, so I understood why ye were obligated to go and fight again. ” Even if I didnae want ye to go.
He nodded and looked away, idly pulling at a tuft of grass. “But bein’ the Laird comes with many responsibilities as well. It takes up a lot of me time, so I still dinnae get much chance to get away from it all and do what I want.”
He spoke matter-of-factly, without a shred of self-pity, yet Olivia was sure she glimpsed sorrow in his eyes as he glanced around at their fairytale surroundings.
“This is the first time I’ve been back here since…” He hesitated for a moment. “Since me faither died.”
Realizing it had cost him something to mention his father, she decided not to pursue the subject despite all the questions she had for him.
Instead, she said lightly, “Well, life cannae be all about business, Edan. One must have some fun as well. I hope, now that I’m here, ye’ll be able to carve out more time for leisure. ”
In fact, ye can be sure of it.
He gave an uncharacteristic chuckle and immediately seemed less tense. “To be truthful, after a year of bein’ away, I’ve almost forgotten what that is.” Again, he looked around the glen, his expression softer. “Ye ken, Olivia, even though I’ve nae been here for years, it’s hardly changed at all.”
When his gaze returned to her, she asked curiously, “So, why have ye brought me to such a special place today for our date?”
“Well, is that nae obvious? Ye said ye wanted time to learn more about me. That’s why I agreed to go on these dates with ye in the first place.”
“Aye, but that still doesnae explain what we’re doin’ here.”
“Well, ye said ye want me to open up to ye, that a husband should tell his wife things, remember?”
“Aye, I remember.”
As if I’d ever forget.
“Well, ’tis hard for me to trust enough to open up to anyone.”
She smiled. “Aye, ye dinnae have to tell me that.”
“But ye are me wife, and ye do have a right to be privy to things, I can see that.”
Olivia was deeply moved to discover that far from brushing her off, as she had expected, he had taken her plea to heart. He suddenly placed his hand over hers and moved closer to her, looking deeply into her eyes.
“Well, this is me openin’ up,” he said softly. “This place is a big part of who I am, Olivia. Ye’re the only person I’ve ever brought here. I thought that by showin’ it to ye, ye could maybe feel that ye ken me better.”
For a moment, her emotions almost got the better of her. But eventually, she managed to say, “Ye dinnae ken how much it means to me to hear ye say that, Edan.” She squeezed his fingers in gratitude. “Thank ye for trustin’ me enough to bring me here.”
He nodded, his eyes full of sincerity. “I ken that things have been difficult for ye, what with me havin’ to leave ye alone for so long.
And then, when I did come home and found the council conspirin’ to replace me with Nurkirk, him aimin’ to steal away me clan and me wife…
well, it hasnae been easy for me to trust anyone. ”
“Of course, I understand. But I had nay part in it, and I’m still angry with the council for tryin’ to use me like that,” Olivia said. “But ye ken, I would never have married that man. If ye hadnae come home, I would have gone back to me family.”
“Would ye?” He seemed unsure whether to believe it or not.
“Of course, I would. I’ve already had one arranged marriage. I wasnae about to have another. Besides, I’d rather die than marry a man like him.” She squeezed his hand again, her heart full of affection. “I hope ye ken by now, Edan, that I only ever wanted to be a good wife to ye.”
He did not reply to that. Instead, he bent his head towards hers, and she knew he was going to kiss her again. With a fluttering heart, she moved forward to meet his lips with her own, knowing it was what she wanted most in the world at that moment.
“Edan,” Olivia breathed into his mouth.
Hearing his name on her lips stirred his desire. He felt her melt against him, and a wave of lust swept through him. He fought to suppress it, wanting to take things slow and enjoy their closeness.
Gently, he continued to kiss her, afraid she would get spooked if he went too fast. But soon, his rising need for her meant he could not resist opening her lips a little wider and sliding his tongue inside. Tentatively, he explored her mouth, caressing her tongue with his own.
Suddenly, he felt her mouth answer his, her lips opening wider to admit him, her tongue gently sliding over his, tangling with it in a gentle dance.
Edan could not help himself—he had to reveal some of the passion he felt for her.
He increased the pressure of his mouth on hers, his lips more forceful, deepening the kiss.
Warmth filled him when she responded by slipping her hands over his shoulders, clearly wanting more. Her tongue became bolder, matching his questing exploration, allowing him to draw her closer with a willingness that both surprised and delighted him.
Their mouths broke apart, and they stared at each other.
The sight of Olivia’s lips so swollen and red from his kisses, of her chest rising and falling so rapidly, almost drove him to distraction, but he fought down his desire.
He groaned when she looped her arms around his neck and seemed eager to deepen their intimacy, her exploration of his mouth growing ever bolder.
A small moan escaped her lips, and he was in no doubt that she felt the same desire for him as he did for her.
Deeply gratified as well as excited, he slowly allowed his hands to wander over the curves of her waist and hips, trailing tiny, hot kisses down her chin, her throat, and the delicate skin of her decolletage, down to the neckline of her dress, where her breasts were now straining against the material in a way that made him burn to liberate them. But still, he held himself back.
He ventured to fondle her breast, causing her to stiffen slightly in his arms. But he took care to do nothing more than cup it gently, feeling its fullness filling his hand as he massaged and caressed it, wanting her to understand that he would do only as much as she would allow.
Soon, to his satisfaction, she moaned low into his mouth, stoking his excitement further as she pressed her breasts into his hand.
Somehow, though his manhood was throbbing almost painfully against his trews, Edan managed to hold himself back, wanting to make the sensations rushing through him last for as long as he could, wanting above all things to give her pleasure.
Olivia pressed herself against Edan’s chest, giving in to his kisses and the incredible sensations his touch was stirring inside her. Desire such as she had never known shot through her like wildfire, a desperate need for more of him, a yearning for it never to stop.
His kisses were making her hot, and she found she liked it when he ran his hands over her body, and even when she suddenly felt his hand on her breast. She had tensed up then, an instinctive reaction, a flash of maidenly nervousness.
But he soon calmed her, gently cupping and massaging her breast, his mouth hot against her throat, until she could feel both breasts straining against her dress.
She thrust them towards him, wanting him to touch and kiss them.
“Ye like that?” he whispered, slowly tugging the neckline of her dress down.
She answered him with a moan as she wriggled to help him, suddenly needing his mouth on her burning skin.
When she felt his lips close around the stiff peaks, felt his teeth and tongue teasing them, she could do nothing more than twine her fingers in his hair, arch her back, and moan in pleasure, silently begging him not to stop.
His hands strayed slowly down the length of her body, and she felt him pushing her skirts up.
She grew mildly alarmed at the feeling of being exposed as warm air kissed her naked legs.
But when his large, rough palms glided up and down her legs slowly, and he made a sound low in his throat as if in appreciation, the flames of her desire roared higher.
When he slid lower, taking the top of her dress with him, his lips hot on her breasts then trailing down her belly, and finally brushing the top of her now exposed thighs, she knew she was undone.
She lay back on the blanket, allowing him to gently part her thighs, her fingers entwined in his hair, and gave herself over to this unknown pleasure.
She felt his warm breath on her secret place, shivering and moaning as his tongue parted her soft curls and flicked repeatedly against the sensitive bud at the apex of her sex. He sucked on it and toyed with it until she thought she would scream.
At the same time, his fingers parted her legs further and delved into her hot, secret folds, exploring them intimately in a way she had never imagined possible, making her gasp with pleasure. She ground her sex against him wantonly, all her inhibitions thrown to the wind.
Her head rolled back, and she gasped when she felt him slide a finger inside her. She glanced down to find him looking up at her, and though he had his face buried between her legs, his eyes were smiling.
It made her even bolder, and she pulled him closer so he could pleasure her further. He added another finger, and she moaned as they dived in and out of her rhythmically, gently at first, then harder and faster, spreading her lips wider.
Jolts of intense pleasure turned into a wave of irresistible compulsion the likes of which she had never felt before.
It rose from her melting core and pulsed upward, shaking her entire body, making her thrash her head and writhe beneath Edan’s questing mouth and roving fingers, which were playing her like a musical instrument.
Helplessly, in the grip of something she could not name, Olivia rode the wave as it grew in intensity, bucking against Edan’s touch until, finally, she reached the top of a precipice.
And then, reaching the top, she allowed herself to fall into an intoxicating pleasure she had never imagined could exist between a man and a woman.