Page 77 of Bound to a Scot
He pulled himself out and exploded, grunting and groaning as he shot his seed, thick and warm, all over her thighs and her sex. His breath was ragged, and his heart raced as a hard shudder passed through his body. Maddox had never climaxed that hard before and his head spun. Her arms still around the back of his neck, Emmeline leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. But then she pulled back and held his gaze for a moment, curiosity on her face.
“Ye ken ye can finish inside of me?” she asked.
He looked down at the dusty floorboards beneath his feet. It was a fair question, he knew, and one he should have expected. She deserved an answer. He finally met her gaze again, his lips a tight line across his face. She laid a hand gently upon his cheek.
“’Tis all right,” she said quietly. “What is it?”
Maddox drew a deep breath. “I ken it wasnae me child, but I thought it was… and after losin’ that child, I dinnae ever want tae feel that pain again. I cannae.”
His voice was thick with emotion and understanding blended with compassion crossed Emmeline’s face. She pulled him to her, letting him lay his head on her shoulder as she stroked his hair. He had said it between the lines when he had told her what had happened, but he had never shared that in actual words with anybody before. He never really spoke about his emotions. That just wasn’t his way. But something about Emmeline encouraged him to be more open. Something about her made him want to share. Something about her made him feel safe and that whatever he felt was okay. It was something he’d never felt before. It confused and scared him but on a deeper level within him, it felt right.
In the dim, dusty gloom of the shack they were sheltering in, clinging together tightly, Maddox wanted that moment to last forever. He wanted to be with Emmeline forever. He wasn’t sure how he was going to make that happen but, in that moment, he knew he never wanted to be without her again.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
“I’m tired of waitin’,” Maddox growled. “Why have we nae heard from Adair yet?”
Emmeline gave him a patient smile. “Getting a response from the king takes time.”
“Time we may nae have,” he countered.
“But time we’re goin’ tae have tae wait anyway, so it’s best if we settle down,” Lorn said.
Maddox huffed. “I think I should confront Macfie?—”
Emmeline shook her head. “We’ve talked about this. We cannae. Ye cannae take this intae yer own hands, Maddox.”
“She’s right. Ye cannae. Nae if we hope tae get out from under him with the king’s blessin’. Only King James can grant usthe authority tae act,” Lorn said. “If ye act before we’ve got royal sanction, ye’re nae just riskin’ yer own life, but the lives of Emmeline and Cecilia as well. Or did ye think Burchard wouldnae take his anger out on them?”
Emmeline looked to Lorn and gave him a nod, silently thanking him for being the voice of reason. After returning from the port town, they had gathered in Burchard’s salon to talk although keeping Maddox calm seemed to be taking up most of their time. He was in a state, and she understood. Half of her wanted to bury a dagger in Burchard’s heart herself. But she also knew acting rashly would have consequences. She wasn’t as fearful about what might happen to her as she was about what would happen to Cecilia if they went about things the wrong way.
While in the port town, they had learned that Burchard was indeed assembling a group of assassins to do away with Maddox after the wedding and a band of mercenaries to subdue his lands after the deed was done. Lorn’s contacts within the port town had told them they had overheard the plans being made in taverns with men who were known to kill for money.
Maddox took a swallow of the mead in his cup, his face twisted with anger. “It seems tae me that if they’re goin’ tae kill me, they’ll likely kill Cecilia too,” he said. “If we dinnae have an heir, me lands then revert tae Burchard.”
“Aye. The thought crossed me mind as well. And as much as I’d like tae believe he’d never hurt his own daughter, I ken him too well tae believe otherwise,” Lorn said.
Lorn’s words sent a cold chill washing through Emmeline and a lump rose in her throat. She swallowed hard and tried to force away her emotions, knowing they needed cold logic to get through this with everybody safe and intact.
“We need tae dae somethin’,” Maddox said.
“Aye. We dae,” Lorn said. “But we need tae dae it the right way. We cannae afford tae go off halfcocked and bollocks it all up. If we act without royal sanction, we’re goin’ tae meet the headsman’s axe and Burchard wins anyway.”
Maddox stared down into his cup and muttered darkly. He didn’t understand the man’s pettiness or his vindictiveness. Nor did he know the man’s viciousness. He’d gotten glimpses of it now and then in his time at Castle Macfie, but he didn’t truly understand it like she did. Burchard could be a truly terrifying man. Yes, they had to act, but Lorn was right. They had to do things the right way for everybody’s protection.
“Ye need tae calm yerself,” Lorn said. “We’ve got the proof on our side.”
“What proof?” Maddox asked.
“We’ve got the correspondence between Burchard and his mercenaries. We’ve got people willin’ tae testify that he is hirin’ assassins—that he already tried tae have Emmeline murdered by those assassins,” he said. “All that will make a very compellin’ case tae put before the king.”
“’Twas once a day when the only compellin’ case tae be made was with me blade.”
“Well, those days are long behind us,” Emmeline said.
Before Maddox could say anything more, the door to the salon was thrown open. It crashed into the wall behind it with a loud bang that nearly made her jump out of her skin. Burchard strode into the room, his gaze cold and imperious, the corners of his mouth pulled down in a frown as he took them all in. Emmeline’s heart jumped into her throat and a numbing cold formed in her belly. She let out a quiet breath and tried to steady herself.
“And what is this?” he asked.
