Highland Wolf (Highland Brides, #10)(57)
“I’m thinking so,” Conall said with a smile.
Grinning, Claray threw her arms around him in a spontaneous hug. He hadn’t solved every one of the problems she’d moaned about, but he’d solved a hell of a lot of them. She would find a way to deal with the rest. She’d talk to Lady Mac—Aunt Annabel, she corrected herself. She’d talk to her for some ideas on how to find servants to help with the cleanup and day to day. She’d figure out something, she thought, and pulled back to beam a smile at her husband.
“Ye’re a wonderful man fer taking the time to soothe me worries,” she told him. “And I’m a lucky woman to have ye to husband.”
Conall stared at her silently, his gaze intense, and then he kissed her. It started out slow and sweet, his lips nipping and plucking and sucking at hers, and then his tongue ran along the seam of her lips and pushed between them. Moaning, Claray tried to edge closer, but his hands were between them. His knuckles brushed and rubbed against her breasts, but she was too wrapped up in his kisses to realize he was undoing her dress until he caught her hands and lowered them out of the way.
Claray shivered as the cloth of her gown slid down her arms, and when he released her hands to claim her breasts through her chemise, she tried to put her arms around his neck, but found the cloth caught at her wrists, hampering her. She didn’t even think, just pulled her hands free of the material and then clutched at his shoulders as Conall kneaded her breasts and thrust his tongue into her mouth. When Claray moaned in response and pressed closer, her head tilting to a better angle, his hands left her breasts to push her gown off over her hips, sending another shiver through her body as a light breeze caressed her naked legs and arms.
Caught in the web of his kisses, Claray felt his knuckles brush her belly and the muscles there quivered in response. She only realized he had been removing his belt when she heard a soft thud and broke their kiss in surprise to glance down. The belt and sword were now on the ground beside them. He undid the pin at his shoulder then, and his heavy plaid slithered to the ground to join her gown.
Conall started to remove his shirt then, pulling it up and over his head, and Claray started to raise her eyes again, but her gaze got caught on the appendage jutting out from between his legs. It looked much bigger than she remembered it being when she’d seen him bathing in the lake, she thought as he tossed his shirt aside.
Claray glanced up quickly when he caught her hand in his. Conall didn’t say anything, just gave her a gentle kiss, his lips brushing fleetingly over hers. Then he straightened and drew her along the edge of the pond to a large low boulder. It wasn’t until they got to it that she noticed that it jutted out into the water. There were three small steps hewn into the side that faced land, and several more leading down into the water.
Claray followed when he led her up onto the boulder and then down the steps into the pond. She was surprised to find the water was cool, but not ice cold as it lapped over her ankles, knees, hips. A little gasp slid from her lips when it crested her breasts as she followed him off the last step and Conall turned to her, a smile crossing his lips briefly as he took in the now transparent cloth clinging to the round globes. When he then released her hand to brush his knuckles over one hard nipple pushing at the damp material, Claray gasped and curled her toes into the soft bottom of the pond.
Much to her disappointment though, that’s all he did before bending to press a quick kiss to her lips. Then he turned away to dive under the water.
Claray gaped after him briefly with surprise, but then forced her mouth closed and told herself she should be glad. After all, he hadn’t ordered her to enjoy his kisses and she didn’t want to go to hell, so it was better he hadn’t done more than kiss her.
Sighing, because she really would have rather he’d done more, Claray moved further out into the water. It dropped off quickly away from the stairs, but only another foot and a half or two she found when she dove under to reach the bottom. Coming back up a moment later, she treaded water and raised one hand to wipe the liquid off her face, only to gasp with surprise and nearly go under when Conall suddenly surged to the surface in front of her.
“Oh, ye startled me,” she gasped, splashing out at him.
Chuckling, Conall caught her hand mid-splash and drew her against his chest for a kiss. A more proper one this time, but she’d barely begun to respond to it when he broke their kiss and began to run his mouth down her throat instead, raising a rash of little tingles there that seemed to flow through her body. When he clasped her waist and lifted her out of the water far enough that he could nuzzle and nip at her breasts, Claray moaned and then shook her head and gasped, “Husband?”
“Hmm?” he murmured, tugging at her nipple through her wet shift.
Biting her lip, she tried to organize her thoughts, but it was impossible with him doing what he was doing. Fortunately, when she didn’t say anything, he stopped toying with her nipple and lifted his head to look up at her in question.
“Do ye want me to enjoy the bedding?” Claray blurted the question quickly before she could lose her nerve.
When he stared at her as if she had lost her mind, she moaned in misery and explained, “Father Cameron says only sinners enjoy the bedding and sinners go to hell, but Lady MacKay said as how if ye were giving me pleasure it must be because ye want me to enjoy it, and as I’ve promised to obey ye I should because that was a vow before God and all. But ye have no’ ordered me to enjoy it, so I was wondering did ye want me to? Or should I try no’ to enjoy it? To save me soul.”