Page 73 of Bound to a Scot
“I cannae?—”
“Ye can,” he said gently. “I’m right here with ye.”
The water rose to Emmeline’s chin, and she felt herself teetering on the verge of panic, but Maddox held onto her, his presence calming. She found herself floating, unable to touch the soft, silty ground of the spring, but Maddox kept his hands beneath her as he laid her on her back. Her heart racing, she stretched her arms out and found herself staring up at the cloud-choked sky above her.
The world around her was quiet. Peaceful. And much to her own surprise, as she floated in the water, Emmeline found herselfawash in a sense of calm she’d seldom felt, and a smile stretched across her lips. The fear had ebbed and the feeling of simply floating was freeing. She let the hot water of the spring soothe her muscles. Her thoughts drifted away with the ribbons of steam that curled toward the heavens and for the first time in a very long time, the noise in her mind fell silent.
From the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed that Maddox was standing several feet away, his hands no longer beneath her. She was floating alone and no longer safe. Fear came crashing down on her and she found herself splashing in the water, coughing and sputtering. She flailed in the water and went under, panic gripping her in its iron fist. For a moment, she felt as if she couldn’t breathe. She was sure she was about to die.
But then Maddox was there, pulling her up again and Emmeline drew a long, shuddering breath. He scooped her up in his arms and offered her a gentle smile. The fear began to retreat but her heart continued to race wildly, feeling as if it might burst in her chest.
“Easy, lass,” Maddox said softly. “Ye did well.”
“I almost died.”
He laughed. “Ye were fine. I was nae goin’ tae let anythin’ happen tae ye,” he said. “Ye did it though. Didnae it feel nice?”
A small smile touched her lips. “It did,” she admitted. “Until it didnae.”
“Well, fer a first time, ye did well. It will take a little longer before ye’re comfortable in the water, but ye did well. I’m proud of ye.”
As he carried her out of the spring and laid her gently on a blanket nestled within a patch of high grass, Emmeline smiled, taking comfort in his words. She’d never had somebody tell her they were proud of her before, and it felt good. Once he’d laid her down, Maddox turned and reached for his clothes, but Emmeline grabbed his hand and pulled him down to her. His vibrant green eyes sparkled, and he looked at her with a hunger that stole her breath.
Their mouths crashed together, their tongues entwining. Emmeline kissed him fiercely, her hands roaming the hard planes of his body. She was immediately burning with need, her thighs slick with her desire. Desperate to have him deep inside of her, she spread her legs as Maddox climbed on top of her. Emmeline knew this was mad, that anybody could walk up and see them. But her mind spun, and her body tingled. In that moment, she didn’t care about what people might see. She simply needed him.
“I need ye inside of me,” she whispered urgently.
His face dark and his eyes glistening with the same desperate hunger she felt, Maddox nestled the tip of his staff between her slick, warm folds. He kissed her again, swallowing her cry as he thrust his hips, plunging deep into her. Emmeline clung to him, her fingers pressing hard into the flesh of his upper arms as he drove himself into her with a frenzied passion that filled her soul with joy. Her skin tingled and fire flowed through her veins asshe pressed her head back into the blanket, a long, breathy moan bursting from her mouth.
Their bodies moved in a sinuous rhythm and every thrust of his staff sending fresh bolts of lightning coursing through her veins. His green eyes glittered, and a smile curled the corners of his mouth. He was focused on her pleasure. She squeezed her eyes shut, losing herself in the waves that washed over her. She’d never hoped to feel this way again. She knew it was a forbidden pleasure, but Maddox held sway over her, and she didn’t want to imagine her life without that feeling. Without him.
Emmeline’s heart and stomach both lurched and her eyes flew open as she felt like she was falling from a great height. She felt weightless and cried out as her climax crashed down over her like a mighty wave. Maddox pressed his mouth to hers, his tongue swirling languidly around her own as he swallowed her cries of pleasure to keep them from ringing out through the night. Her body trembled and her sex tightened around his long, thick staff, pulsing and throbbing wildly.
She was breathless, her head spinning, but a quivering smile crossed her lips as she stared up into Maddox’s face. He looked at her with such affection, even love, that it took what little breath she had left in her lungs. His smile was warm and seductive as he moved within her, sending a wave of goosebumps across her skin and making her entire body tingle.
“’Tis yer turn,” she said, her voice a breathy whisper.
Maddox kissed her again and plunged himself into her, his movements slow and deliberate. The sensations coursing through her were so intense, Emmeline’s eyes rolled back in her head and a quavering smile stretched across her lips. She felt his staff swelling inside of her and knew he was close. She tightened her grip on his arms and thrust herself upward, meeting his downward plunges, taking him into her even deeper.
Maddox’s face tightened and the veins in his neck stood out, an expression of pure rapture etched into his features. He seemed to be trying to hold back but a devilish grin crossed Emmeline’s lips as she rolled her hips, taking him even deeper. Her eyes widened and mouth fell open as he buried himself to the hilt within her. She trembled and writhed beneath him, groaning softly.
“I want tae feel yer seed in me,” she gasped.
“I—I cannae.”
He pulled himself out of her and with a long, rumbling growl, erupted. Thick ropes of his seed, white and thick, sprayed onto her thighs. His breathing ragged and a trembling grin upon his lips, Maddox flopped onto his back and pulled her to him. Emmeline laid her head on his chest, feeling a sense of comfort from the steady thump of his heart.
Maddox stroked her hair then lightly trailed his fingertips across her back, sending a wave of pleasant shivers through her. She smiled and nuzzled closer to him. Although she knew she should be terrified of being discovered, all she could feel in that momentwas contentment. Peace. More than anything though, lying in Maddox’s arms, she felt safe.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Emmeline, with Cecilia in tow, had gathered them all together in the salon on some urgent business. The look on her face the moment he’d seen her told Maddox that whatever was happening, it was serious. Together with Lorn and Adair, they huddled around the papers Cecilia had brought to them. Maddox was immediately suspicious, wondering if this was one of Macfie’s gambits, but the confusion and fear on Cecilia’s face told him this was genuine.
“What were ye doin’ in yer faither’s study in the first place?” Maddox asked.
“I—I was lookin’ through his papers like I always dae,” Cecilia stammered. “
“What is it ye were lookin’ fer, lass?” Emmeline asked.
