Page 57 of Bound to a Highland Beast
But neither of them had had the presence of mind to think about a fire when they had seen the bubbling waters. All they had wanted was to drink and wash off.
“Go, get out o’ the water,” Tiernan urged her once she was scrubbed clean. “Stay in the sun, it’ll warm ye.”
Isabeau glanced up at the sky to find it dim and cloudy. No matter where she went, there were no sun rays to keep her warm, but at least she wouldn’t be in the freezing waters. With some difficulty, her feet slipping over the muddy bank, she managed to get out of the creek, her arms wrapping around her body in an attempt to not only hide herself, but also remain warm.
It was a little too late for both those things, she supposed.
Tiernan didn’t take long to wash off, his movements much more hurried and much less gentle than they had been when he had helped Isabeau. By the time he was done, his lips had taken on a blue tint and his teeth were chattering as he rubbed his arms furiously to get some warmth back to them.
“I’ll light a fire,” he said, moving quickly to gather some twigs and some larger pieces of wood. Isabeau tried to help, but Tiernan was quick to shake his head, waving a hand dismissively.
“Stay there,” he said. “I’ve got this.”
And so, Isabeau stood where she was, just outside the shadow of a tree as she tried to soak up what little sun she could, watching Tiernan start the fire. At the first sight of flames, she let out a sigh of relief and rushed to the fire, sitting down on the cloak Tiernan had laid on the ground—the one garment he had on him that wasn’t entirely covered in blood.
“We must wash the clothes, too,” Isabeau pointed out.
“In a moment,” said Tiernan as he sat down next to her and pulled her close, nestling her between his legs and draping himself around her like a blanket. Ever so slowly, the warmth of the fire and that of Tiernan’s body chased the chill away until she was almost comfortable once again—almost, as she was terribly aware of how close and how naked they both were.
There was nothing sexual about the way Tiernan was holding her. If anything, it seemed to her that he had dozed off with his head on her shoulder. But the proximity and the thought that she had almost lost him several times that night ignited a spark within her that she couldn’t ignore. Her brush with death had made her eager to taste more of life and her fear that she would lose Tiernan made her want to reassure herself he was right there, real and solid and as loving as he always was.
With a soft sigh, she shifted against him, glancing back at him only to find him watching her instead of dozing off as she had thought. That tender gaze, those inviting lips with the slight smile upon their eyes meeting—it all drew her in closer until she was pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. Shifting slightly, Tiernan kissed her properly, their lips parting to deepen it, his tongue brushing against hers with the softest of touches.
And yet, his hands remained firmly on her arms, simply holding her. No matter how much Isabeau squirmed, no matter how much she tried to imply what she wanted, Tiernan didn’t seem to get it; not until she wrapped her fingers around his wrist and brought his hand to her breast, making him close it around the swell of it.
Against her lips, Tiernan chuckled, his thumb and forefinger immediately closing around her nipple to tug at it and tease. Isabeau gasped against his lips, back arching to chase the touch, that by-then familiar, mindless fog descending upon her once more.
This was what she wanted. She didn’t want to think. She didn’t want to remember what had happened. She wanted to forget everything, to lose herself in the sensations of Tiernan’s touch.
“I’m right here,” Tiernan assured her, as if reading her mind. And perhaps, she thought, he knew exactly why she needed this, why she was asking him for it. He had been in his fair share of battles, after all, and it was more than likely that he had felt this himself, too, that he had chased the same high. “Dae ye want me tae touch ye?”
Isabeau nodded fervently, back arching a little more in invitation. “Please.”
“Alright,” said Tiernan and Isabeau couldn’t see his smile, but she could feel it against her neck, where he pressed a kiss. “Alright, me love. Spread yer legs fer me.”
As he spoke, Tiernan ran both hands over her thighs, smoothing his fingers over her soft skin. Then he gripped them and guided Isabeau to spread them wider, hooking each knee over his own thighs. Immediately, the blood rushed to her head, her face and chest painted a deep, embarrassed crimson and she was quick to cover herself once more, but Tiernan stopped her before she could, holding her hands away from her mound firmly.
“Let me see ye,” he said, bringing one of her hands to his lips to press a kiss to her knuckles. “Dinnae hide from me. Ye’re so bonnie.”
If it was even possible, Isabeau flushed an even deeper red at Tiernan’s words, but she forced herself not to hide, her hands holding onto his thighs instead, as he explored her body. His touch was feather-light, barely felt as he skimmed his fingers up her thighs once more, then her stomach, her chest, only to come back down and trace the curve of her breasts. It was maddening, the soft touch a stark contrast to the ever-growing hardness that pressed against her lower back, proof that Tiernan wanted this as much as she did, but had much more self-control than her.
Isabeau trembled in his arms, but this time from the force of her desire rather than the cold. She sighed and writhed against Tiernan, the anticipation drawing more of her wetness from her core with every gasping breath.
When Tiernan finally dragged his hand down to her mound and firmly laid his fingers over her most sensitive spot, rubbing small circles right over the nub, she was already so far gone, so aroused that a loud, shattered moan tumbled past her lips, her entire body jerking in Tiernan’s grasp.
“Easy,” Tiernan said, as if trying to calm a spooked animal, but his touch never changed, remaining firm and slow, the pleasure of it almost overwhelming. Isabeau had no choice but to surrender to it, hurtling towards her climax too fast, without a moment to catch her breath. “Relax fer me… relax.”
Isabeau tried, drawing in a deep breath just as Tiernan shifted, rubbing his fingers down the length of her folds and back up, the movement just as unhurried, almost hypnotic in its repetition. Though now the pleasure he was giving her wasn’t as direct, as overwhelming, she couldn’t stop trembling, her climax snatched from her before she could reach it.
Slowly, she managed to relax, body melting against Tiernan’s chest. The tension drained out of her, her muscles going lax as she gave in to her pleasure, and it was then that Tiernan moved back up to that spot over the seam of her folds, his slick fingers pressing intently against it.
Only this time, his other hand joined his efforts as well, snaking down her body to push against her entrance, two of his fingers slipping inside her with ease. The sudden intrusion had Isabeau’s toes curling in pleasure, her core pulsing, that familiar pressure in her stomach growing with every thrust of his fingers. She moaned in abandon, her own fingers digging into Tiernan’s thighs as she looked for purchase, her hips rocking ever so slightly as she tried to take him deeper inside her.
“That’s it,” Tiernan praised her, his lips closing around the sensitive skin of her neck. “Let go… I’ve got ye.”
It didn’t take long after that for Isabeau to do just that, finally reaching her peak with a shout of Tiernan’s name, hips lifting off the ground as her walls clenched tightly around him. Tiernan didn’t stop, working her through her orgasm until she finally collapsed against him, utterly drained.
“Good lass,” Tiernan whispered in her ear, leaning over to kiss her, Isabeau parting her lips mindlessly as one last wave of pleasure shook her. For a few moments, she simply lay there, enjoying the afterglow of her orgasm, before she remembered that Tiernan was still unfulfilled, his hard length still pressing against her lower back.
