Page 20 of A Scottish Lord for Christmas
“No need to be nervous,” he teased as he reached for her chemise, the last bit of her clothes hiding her.
“Are all men as large as you?” she whispered, ducking her head to hide her flaming face.
“No,” he chuckled. “And you honor me with such a compliment.” He lifted the chemise off and tossed it to the floor. Then he pressed on her shoulders, urging her to lie on the bed again. She did so, but her entire body trembled. Quinn lay down beside her and propped his head on one hand as he gazed down at her.
“We have all night, and we won’t do anything until you’re ready,” he said, and then bent his head, kissing her.
It was the sort of kiss that made a woman lose herself in dreams of warm fires and happy memories of being…loved. There was nothing selfish in his kiss. He gave himself over to the passion and to her. The barriers she knew he tried to keep in place were down for the moment. She reached up and cupped his jaw. A faint scrape of a nightbeard was forming and she nearly smiled. It would be like this every night. He would come to bed and she would kiss him, just like this. He would briefly open his eyes and she would marvel at the way the gray of his irises would change in the glow of candlelight.
One of Quinn’s hands settled on her opposite hip, then slid slowly north, cupping her breast. When his thumb brushed over one nipple, she arched into the exciting caress. He rubbed her nipple in little teasing motions before gently squeezing. She moaned against his lips and flicked her tongue against his.
“My brave, bold lass.” He nuzzled her cheek, their faces touching nose to nose before he slid down her body to where his face was level with her breasts.
When he closed his lips around one sensitive peak, she sucked in a breath and tugged at his hair. The sensation of him sucking at her made her body melt inside and wet heat pooled between her thighs. He moved to her other breast, lavishing the same attentions upon it before he slid back up her body and used one of his knees to part her legs. She had to make herself relax as he settled between her thighs.
He kissed her once more, sweetly, as he lifted his hips and she felt his hand between their bodies. Then he pushed into her, hard. The flash of pain was unexpected but still sharp enough that it stole her breath. Quinn lowered himself fully on top of her.
“Easy,” he whispered in her ear. He nipped the lobe and she shivered, her inner walls tightening around him. He groaned in response.
“Did I hurt you?” she asked in a frantic whisper.
Quinn choked. “No, it feels good.Youfeel good.” He smiled and kissed her.
The passion between them flared anew and she let go of the pain and her fears and gave herself over to the moment. She only noticed that he had started to move again when her body began to hum with pleasure. His shaft stretched her, almost too tight, but when he withdrew, she wrapped her arms around his hips, urging him to thrust back in. He was gentle at first, but the more she raised her hips, the deeper he sank into her and the quicker he moved. Finally he began to pound into her and she threw her head back, stars dotting her vision as he claimed her completely. The harsh sound of their breaths, the slide and smack of skin, and the burst of glorious pleasure could have lasted forever. When it finally faded, Rowena sank back down onto the bed with a weary sigh. Her body was limp and loose. Quinn lay above her, like a heavy warm masculine blanket. Their breath mingled and their bodies were still fused together.
Heaven…being with Quinn had been an exquisite heaven she never could have thought existed.
“That was wonderful, Quinn, more wonderful than I could have ever imagined. Was it good for you too?” She brushed the backs of her fingers over his cheek. His lashes fluttered as he opened his eyes.
“’Twas wonderful,” he agreed solemnly.
He held on to her, his hands firm and tight as though she might vanish, but she wasn’t going to; she wanted to stay right here with him. Finally he lifted his head. When their gazes met, an anxious knot formed in Rowena’s stomach. Pain and hollowness were flashing in his eyes, like a lighthouse waving ships away from the shore.
“Quinn, what’s the matter?” She hated how her eyes burned with traitorous tears, but she knew something was wrong.
Her husband rolled off her and sat up on the side of the bed, burying his head in his hands, his shoulders slumped.
“You’d best get some sleep.” He reached behind him and flung a blanket toward her.
Startled, Rowena caught it and covered her suddenly chilly body.
Quinn stood and retrieved his smallclothes from the floor and put them on before he turned back to the bed. His focus was anywhere but on her as he extinguished the gas lamps and helped her under the blankets.
The bed was too small for them not to touch, and Rowena had to curl against him. As darkness settled around them, she felt tears rise in her eyes. Grateful he could not see, she buried her face in the softness of her pillow, soaking it with tears. She couldn’t let him know how much he’d hurt her by his sudden emotional distance. The stress and exhaustion from the day finally caught up with her and she surrendered to sleep, praying tomorrow would be a better day.
***
Quinn held his breath as he listened to Rowena cry herself to sleep. He felt the little tremors of her body and with the barest hint of moonlight from their room’s one window, he’d seen the tempting curve of one bare, feminine shoulder as it trembled.
She’d been charming, sweet, and all too seductive tonight. It was everything he loved in a woman, but after Maura had died, he’d vowed he wouldn’t allow himself to feel that way again. He could enjoy sex, but he didn’t want to fall in love and feel that pure sense of wonder at being connected so intimately with another person. His one joy in life aside from Blair was gone. He wasn’t allowed a second chance. Life was not so forgiving as that.
Hours later he was still awake when Rowena shifted in her sleep, a soft little whimper escaping her. The pitiful sound tore at his heart. He reached for her purely on instinct and tucked her body so it fit into the protective curve of his own. Her muscles relaxed and she sighed, rolling over to face him as she did so. The silken tendrils of her hair caressed one of his arms, enticing with its softness.
His heart was torn in half. One part of him wished that the woman in his arms were someone else, the one he’d lost. The other half of him knew he was warming up to this young Englishwoman who’d been brave enough to leave her world behind for his.
She was so unlike Maura. She was short where Maura had been tall, her hair light like Blair’s, whereas Maura’s had been a dark red-gold. They did have one thing in common, though. They were both brave.
Quinn could still see Maura’s pale face, tight with pain. The way she’d clutched his hand, the candles at her bedside fluttering in the dark as she struggled to breathe. Her last words were burned like a branding iron’s mark upon his soul.
