Page 54 of Saved By the Cruel Highlander
Holly chuckled in return, her laughter like the songbird in the far-off trees. Her laughter reflected pure joy, and his chest swelled with pride. He did not doubt his ability to pleasure a woman, but to see his betrothed lying beneath him, satisfied and content, was extremely pleasurable. And how he felt about wanting to make love to her suggested that their marriage would not be altogether unpleasant.
She was tall and slender, but her hips and thighs were still full, the creaminess of them visible above her partially undone breeches. The same was true of her ample bosom. The curve of her neck drew his eyes up to her swollen lips and her half-lidded eyes.
Her red hair was like fire, highlighted in contrast to her milky skin. He couldn’t resist her soft lips and bent down to kiss her again. She responded by pressing her lips to his. He wanted to explore her again with his tongue, but that would only excite him more, and then he would need to satisfy his carnal craving.
Elias pulled back, smirking when he saw the smile on her lips. He could not ease the pressure in his trousers, but there was another option.
He withdrew one hand, then the other. She murmured something as she lay with her eyes closed. He had always thought her an attractive woman, but under the pale light of the nearing-noon sky, her soft features became sharper. Everything was heightened.
All that mattered was that he could appreciate the goodness of the woman who would be his wife and would eventually give him a family. That would satisfy the clan, but what would satisfy him would happen in the bedchambers.
His hand reached out to take her breast again, to squeeze it and then ravage the rest of her body, but he held himself still for a second before taking her blouse and pulling it over her exposed flesh.
He moved some things out of the way and then pulled the blanket over her. Holly responded by taking the top of the blanket and pulling it up to her chin. The smile on her lips widened, and a small, satisfied moan escaped her lips. The sound ran right through him, and he still heard in his mind the moans she made when his fingers had played with her pink bud.
His manhood throbbed again, aching for the soft, wet pinkness his fingers had explored.
Elias got up from the blanket, towering over her languid form. Then, spurred on by the strain below, he took off running toward the loch. His desire for her consumed him, and he wanted to ravage her. He could take what he wanted, but he chose not to take her where she lay.
A cold dip was just what he needed to cool his desire.
He ran down the small mound of earth that jutted out into the loch, and when he reached the end, he leaped from it, soaring through the air like a bird.
Then,crash!He hit the water, and the cold pierced through him. His head went under, and not only his troubles but everything else disappeared from his mind. He opened his eyes and looked through the cloudy water of the loch, seeing nothing. For the briefest moment, he was all alone in the world.
He kicked his legs and propelled himself to the surface, breaking free. A sound echoed across the loch, but he couldn’t quite place it. He moved his arms about to balance himself on the surface, the cold refreshing him like nothing else. He ran one hand through his hair to move it back from his face and kicked his legs to float.
He realized what the noise was. Holly was sitting up, still wrapped in the blanket, her head thrown back in laughter at seeing him plunge into the water.
He raised a hand and waved it. “Ye find this funny? Should I come over there and hoist ye up and toss ye into the water?”
“No!” Holly shrieked. She held the blanket tight with one hand and waved back with the other. “Ye’ve left me so hot that I would make the water boil if I jumped in.”
“Ye’re doin’ yerself nay favors,” Elias called. “That’s a sight I’d like to see.”
And the sight of her in wet clothes is a sight I’d like to see.
She shook her head when she was done laughing and lay back down, pulling the blanket tight as if it would prevent any attack.
Elias couldn’t be sure if it was their pleasurable interlude, the way she had looked at him, her lilting laughter, or the clarity that had come from the cold plunge, but words and a plan came to his mind.
He had been angry. Angry that she had asked about his brother and angry at the mention of her ex-fiancé. He was not angry that she had been promised to another; he didn’t care a whit about that, and she was his now, always. What he did care about was the threat to poison her and take her money.
He understood why she had come to him and offered marriage, and he should have been angry about that, but he wasn’t. He was angry at himself. He didn’t know her when the threat had been made, but he knew her now, and he was her protector. They would be wed, and he would ensure she was safe and unharmed.
The throbbing in his trousers had ceased, but there was a new throbbing in his chest. Felix had meant to harm her, and she had been taken from him. It was an embarrassment that was likely festering. If he had planned to poison his own wife to take her money, what must be running through his mind now?
Elias could not take the chance. He would take matters into his own hands and ensure that Felix could not hurt his wife.
Not ever.
Three days later, Elias was in the Great Hall, poring over maps of the region. He scanned the regions that would not touch them in war, but he could never be too careful when it came to matters of the heart. To the south, the English were contained behind a border that would not stop anyone going in either direction, and in the north, the Highlanders had been known to want more than their share.
He picked up the wooden carvings and placed them on the map, showing the previous war that had ravaged the area. The wooden carvings, each a different shade and shape, represented the clans. He moved them into position, simulating how the next war might be fought and what he could learn from previous battles.
“The Battle of Cullflod,” a voice said from the doorway.
Elias turned to face the man he had summoned three days ago. When their eyes met, the man stepped into the room.
