Page 79 of Highland Slayer
Lifting her hands, weak as they were, Anaxandra pulled his face to hers once again, kissing him with what remaining strength she had. Those words, and that moment, were something she would remember for the rest of her life.
My destiny is you.
On the necklace he’d bought her in Dumfries, the one she wore until the end of her life, those exact words were inscribed.
They were words to last a lifetime.
And they did.
EPILOGUE
Hollee Castle
Scottish Borderlands
Year of Our Lord 1359
“All I wantis a son, lass,” Estevan whispered. “That’s all I ask of ye. Just one son.”
He was delivering his plea in between heated kisses. But Anaxandra didn’t want talk—she wanted action. They were in the small solar of Hollee Castle, a small outpost north of Ashkirk Castle that Lares had given to Estevan when he and Anaxandra were married. The castle itself had a large curtain wall, a vast bailey, a big hall, but a keep that was only six chambers over three stories and not very large at that. Still, it was their home, where they were raising their family.
Four loud, beautiful, delightful, and loving little girls.
Hence the reason Estevan was begging for a son.
“But I am already with child,” Anaxandra said, trying to breathe in between his sensual onslaught. “It is already a boy or a girl. Begging me for a son at this moment will not change that.”
Estevan didn’t happen to think she was right.
In order to entice his wife to breed him a child of the male persuasion, he’d had to be clever. He knew what she liked. Pulling her tightly against him, he moved his mouth over her collarbone. She was unbelievably sweet and soft, and he could feel his temperature rise. The woman always had that effect on him and had since the first time he’d touched her. When his seeking mouth came to her neck, she threw her head back andhe feasted on her throat. He was still sitting in his chair, as he’d trapped her against his worktable when she came in to ask him a question, but now she ended up on his lap, her head hanging back as he devoured the flesh. When he reached her earlobes and suckled tenderly, she lifted her head and slanted her mouth hungrily over his.
Hot, passionate kisses followed. Estevan’s hands were in her hair, on her shoulders, stroking her back before moving to her chest. He couldn’t control himself and pulled the neckline of her garment down, exposing a plump breast. When he clamped down on a tender nipple and suckled, she cried out softly.
“Upstairs,” she breathed. “To our chamber.”
“No time,” he replied, his mouth against her breast.
The table was behind them, and it presented a perfect opportunity. Estevan cleaned it off with one sweep of his hand, clearing a path for his wife. Grasping her by the buttocks, he lifted her up and put her on the table, carefully laying her down.
Clothes were coming off or being pushed aside. Anaxandra only had her skirts to lift, and she did, pulling them up as Estevan yanked off his tunic. He probably didn’t need to disrobe, given the situation, but he did anyway. As he was doing that, Anaxandra fumbled with the tie of his breeches. He was still pulling his arms out of his tunic when she scooted off the table, pulled his breeches to his knees, and put her mouth on his throbbing, engorged manhood.
Estevan nearly lost his mind.
“Christ,” he hissed as her mouth worked him. “This is going tae be over before it starts if ye keep that up.”
He put a hand down to stop her, but her response was to move that hand to her hair. She liked it when he pulled her hair, something the years of sexual discovery between them had revealed. His repressed, isolated wife had grown into an adventurous woman who would try anything in bed, or let himdo anything he pleased. He’d taught her how to pleasure him with her mouth, and she did it so well that Estevan was dizzy with it. His hands were in her hair as her mouth plunged down on him, again and again.
But he could only take so much. He could feel himself quickly building to a release, so he stopped her, firmly this time, and lifted her onto the table again, wedging his muscular body between her legs. Anaxandra’s arms went around his neck, her mouth seeking his, and he kissed her deeply while his hands moved to intimate places. He stroked her thighs, experiencing their soft texture, before his fingers moved to the fluff of blonde curls between her legs. He discovered, with pleasure, that she was hot and ready for him.
Estevan didn’t make her wait.
Pulling her hips to the edge of the table, he mounted her and thrust deep, her slick body closing in around him. He continued to thrust into her, listening to her grunts of pleasure as his hands loved her up. Every coupling was like the first time, only better, which was why they’d had four children in six years. He was hers, she was his, and they couldn’t get enough of one another.
But this time, he really did want a son.
Anaxandra’s orgasm came with swift pants and a stiffening body, and he prolonged her pleasure as he suckled her breasts. Unable to hold it back any longer, Estevan thrust hard and released himself deep into her body, feeling every last spasm, every last ripple. He simply held her buttocks against his groin, plunged as deep as he could go, and ground his hips against hers because he knew that if he did it enough, she would climax again. She was very sensitive at this point in their lovemaking, and, as predicted, she experienced her pleasure once more as he continued to rub against her.
When it was finally over, he pulled her up from the table, still joined to her, and held her tightly. Anaxandra’s legs werewrapped around his hips, holding her against him, her head on his chest as she slowed her breathing. He was just about to say something to her when there was a knock on the solar door.
