Bound by Wish and Mistletoe (Highland Legends #1.5)(41)
He raked his hand through his unbound hair and took a deep breath to calm his rising nerves. The corridor leading to the castle’s ancillary rooms had never looked so desolate.
A tankard of ale appeared before his face. “Doona fret about the lasses. All problems with women have a way of workin’ themselves out. Trust me.”
He glanced at Iain and took the offered drink. After half a dozen hearty swallows, he took another calming breath and nodded. “I’ve never had to handle a woman before,” he admitted.
Iain roared in laughter. “You’ve handled plenty, my friend. But this is the one who sets your head spinnin’ and your heart racin’, and handlin’ her requires care and patience.”
Robert snorted. “Aye.”
Susanna suddenly appeared at the far side of the room, accompanied by her newfound friends. They all looked stronger than they had when they’d left, and three more bonnie lasses he’d never seen. Isobel walked on the left with her wavy blond hair; Brigid on the right with her wild red curls; and in the middle, with an arm looped into each of theirs, was Susanna, her raven locks gently framing a most angelic face.
Susanna caught his gaze and smiled, which made her all the more stunning. His chest ached, as if her look of happiness had taken hold of his heart and squeezed. He strode across the room, unable to stop himself. The women beside her each brushed a kiss to Susanna’s cheeks and drifted away from her side, into the crowded room.
He tried to still his shaking hands as he took her delicate fingers in them, lifted them to his mouth, and placed a gentle kiss on each. “Susanna. I worried when you’d run off. There are many things I need to tell you, to explain to you.”
Her smile widened, and she lifted a finger, placing it on his lips. “Not tonight, Robert. Take me to bed.”
He kissed the tip of her finger. “With great pleasure, wife,” he replied, his voice husky.
Goodbyes and well wishes were shouted at their backs with laughter as he hoisted Susanna into his arms and raced up the stone steps. He paused halfway down the corridor, breathless, only to have her wind her hands around his neck and kiss him with body-melting heat. They passionately explored each other’s mouths as he continued down the hall, a renewed urgency pumping through his veins.
Unable to see the latch to the door, he fumbled with the iron lever until it released, sending the heavy oak barrier flying open from their weight against it. He kicked a foot behind him, slamming the door shut with a loud thud.
They broke the kiss together, breathless and gazing deep into the other’s eyes. Susanna knew him better than any other. He knew her better than he knew himself. Two lost souls, drifting through life, had collided, becoming one. He’d never felt more blessed.
With a shaky inhalation, he carefully placed her on her feet as they stood on the far side of the carved bed in front of the open window. Someone had tied back the bedchamber’s tapestry, but the hearth’s blazing fire sent ample warmth into the large room.
In gentle worship, he removed the delicate white layers of fabric from her body as she trembled beneath his fingers. Her gaze fell to the floor, and she blushed as if he hadn’t touched her before. As his hands skimmed over her smooth curves, the silken chemise she’d worn beneath her gown drifted to the ground.
Her porcelain skin shimmered in the moonlight, luminous. When a burst of cool air danced bumps across her arms and chest, she shivered. He impulsively lifted his arms to warm her, but she grasped his forearms, staying his action.
“’Tis my turn.” Her words were soft, but they held a tone of command.
He smiled and dropped his hand. “Aye. My body is yours.”
Susanna tilted her head, a faraway look appearing in her eyes before she focused on him again. She lifted her fingers to the pin fastening his plaid and released the silver clasp with a tug. The woolen fabric unraveled, falling to the ground. With her sparkling eyes locked onto his, she pulled up his linen shirt, and he raised his arms in assistance as she dragged the material over his head.
Her soft hands fluttered over his chest and drifted down over his abdomen. Each of his muscles tensed in reaction to her warm touch no matter how he tried to relax. She paused in her descent, placing a gentle kiss over the linen bandage covering his wound.
His heart hammered dents into the backside of his ribs as her fingertips drifted lower and teased across each of his hips. His cock twitched, throbbing and aching for her touch. Deep breaths and tremendous focus were the only things that kept him standing—and his hands and mouth restrained.
Her soft words purred heat over skin already on fire. “Aye, and what a fine body you have, Robert.”
She sat down upon the bed, perched on the edge, as her eyes locked onto his bobbing shaft. He watched her in rapt fascination, unable to move. He swallowed hard, finding it difficult to breathe.
“I’m free to do anythin’ I like?” she asked, her gaze flicking up to his.
He tried to answer, but his throat had locked up. A gravelly croak managed to break free. “Aye.”
The woman actually smirked at him. Her gaze drifted back down his body to land on what stood at proud attention to her. For her.
“Any way I like?” She licked her lips.
“Aye,” he whispered.
She extended her tongue. He stared down with held breath as she licked the underside of the tip. He hissed, sucking air in between his teeth.