Page 18 of It Began With A Kiss
“That sounds lovely. Shall we?” she asked.
He nodded and led her toward the turret stairs. At her bedchamber, he opened the door for her, and he waited whilst she went into the trunk at the foot of her bed and pulled out a woolen cloak. She quickly placed it around her shoulders but fumbled with the clasp.
“May I be of assistance?” he inquired with a grin, as he easily fastened the clap.
“Thank you, my laird.”
Several doors down, they stopped at his own chamber door. “I will be but a moment.” He, too, entered the room and went toward a chair where he had earlier left his cloak. Once donned, he left his bedchamber and took Iona’s hand, leading her back to the turret. They climbed the remainder of the stairs and, as he opened the final door, a blast of cold ocean air met them. He saw Iona shiver and he placed his arm around her to keep her warm.
She turned her face upward and gave him an enchanting smile and his own face brightened that she did not protest being brought close to his side. They began to walk the battlements until they reached the part of the wall facing most of the moon lit ocean. He nodded his head toward the guards who were nearby. They took the hint and disappeared further along the walkway, leaving him and Iona in privacy.
He took Iona’s hand and brought it to his lips. “I am glad you wished to join me here this eve, Iona,” Aiden stated honestly and with an open heart. “You give me hope for a future together.”
She turned her face upward again to stare at him with those wonderous blue eyes. A man could get lost in such a look. “I am still uncertain if this will work out between us, Aiden,” she whispered.
“Do you fear me?” he asked hoping that this was not the cause of her apprehension.
“Nay, I do not, nor do I fear any man,” she replied, jutting out her chin, “even when ye tied me tae that chair.”
“’Twas a necessity, I assure you, and now highly regretted on my part. Can you forgive me?” Her bravery was to be applauded and was most likely the reason he was drawn to her. A woman who could stand up to him and share her thoughts was appealing to Aiden. He would never be able to stand a wife who cowered down to him for the rest of their lives.
“Mayhap… I suppose this is why I am here, is it not? Tae show a common accord for our people but also tae listen…” Her words faded away and she stared out into the distant horizon shining in the moonlight. Aiden could only wonder where her thoughts had wandered to.
“Listen to what, Iona?’ he finally asked. He took his hand to her chin, so she had no option but to stare back at him.
She gave a heavy sigh. “Sometimes ye need tae listen when yer heart begins tae sing elsewise ye deny a part of yerself.”
Aiden smiled as she confessed her inner most thoughts. “Your heart sings… a lovely analogy, Iona, as my heart is also singing just for you, if you care to listen hard enough.”
“Ye are not jesting with me?”
He ran his finger down her cheek. “Nay! Never.”
Her own smile crept across her face, and she placed her hand over his heart. “’Tis a bit of a predicament I am entering if I give my heart tae ye, my laird. If I trust ye with its keeping, will ye be crushing my spirits at some later point in time?”
“’Twould never be my intention to hurt you, Iona.”
“Then perchance all will work out between us,” she whispered, taking a step closer.
His arm wound itself around her waist bringing them just a breath away from being chest to chest. That she did not make any attempt to disentangle herself was another good sign, Aiden thought. He would take a leap of faith and, as he leaned forward, his lips were but inches from her own. He waited, holding his breath until Iona took that final step forward. She wound her arm around his neck and gently pushed the back of his head allowing their lips to meet in a gentle first kiss.
’Twas brief and Aiden rested his forehead upon Iona’s whilst his heart raced at this first intimate meeting between them. He wanted more but did not wish to rush her. Afraid she might bolt if given the opportunity, or come to regret their kiss, Aiden again waited to see if she, too, wished for their kiss to continue.
Iona’s breathing was as labored as his own and mayhap this was his answer. Her fingers playfully lingered in the edges of his hair until one hand came down over his shoulder to his chest to rest once more over his heart. Blue eyes met violet and, with a smile of encouragement from the lady, Aiden once more dipped his head down to kiss those waiting lips. There was nothing gentle about this encounter when Iona all but molded herself into his body. Aiden pulled the woman as close as he could whilst their kiss continued. His tongue swept over the crease of her lips and when she opened her mouth to him ’twas as though a winter rose blossomed in the spring air. A low moan escaped her, and Aiden knew she was as affected by their kiss as he was. ’Twas as though he all but claimed her… nay… they claimed each other, if he read all of Iona’s reactions correctly. His heart soared at the thought she might one day be his completely.
With thoughts of Iona coming to care for him, his hands ran through the red tresses flowing down her back until he knew he was taking this a mite farther than he had originally intended. The reason? A part of him rose in anticipation of what could happen with but a simple word from the lady. He could possibly ask her to join him in his bedchamber. But he had the notion that this would only put a wedge between them and threaten what could possibly be perfect. He must needs be patient only long enough to allow Iona to come to terms with how their relationship might progress. He was not looking for some woman to warm his bed for a night or two. Nay! He wanted Iona and he wanted her as his wife for all time.
Such a revelation gave Aiden the strength to pull back and put an end to a kiss that begged to become more but could undo all his plans if he followed his baser urges. Her face reflected her disappointment, so there was some sense of satisfaction she felt the same way. He brushed her hair from her temple before placing a small kiss there.
“You must be cold, and the hour grows late,” he said wishing he could keep her near.
“Aye. I should see tae Gregor and ensure he is abed.” Her hand lifted to his cheek, and she kept it there whilst smiling into his eyes. “I have enjoyed the eve with ye, Aiden.”
“As I have enjoyed our time together as well, Iona. Let me escort you down to your son’s chamber and then to your own so you might take your ease.”
Aiden took her hand, and they made their way to the turret stairs, but not before he made a motion to the nearby guards to begin their patrol once more. He was still wary of what Broden Ferguson was up to. Until the scoundrel was once more captured, Aiden would continue to be on guard.
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