Page 29 of The Beast of the Highlands
She nodded, her eyes closed in bliss. “I am… in unparalleled ecstasy.”
“Ye’ve nay pain?”
“A bit, but the pleasure is greater,” she replied, drawing her hips back, unsheathing him.
His teeth grazed his lower lip as he pushed back inside her. “Och, lass… I cannae even speak such pretty words.”
At first, they could not settle into a rhythm, prompting him to rest his hands on the swell of her buttocks so he could guide them backward and forward. Soon enough, they were moving as one, his hips rising to meet hers. And as she gripped onto his shoulders for purchase, rocking back and forth, he drew his fingers back around to her sensitive nub and began to strum.
“Mmmm… oh yes, Flynn. Yes!” she called, moving quicker, matching the pace of his fingers.
A minute later, her body stilled, and he felt her muscles clench around his manhood, pulsing as if they were trying to coax him to his own conclusion. It almost did, but he wanted to enjoy their coupling a while longer.
Wrapping an arm around her waist, he tilted forward and lay her down upon the furs. Still inside her to the hilt, it was easy to maneuver himself between her legs, which she bent at an angle on either side of his hips. The sensation felt different, as every position did, and he could not wait to explore them all with her.
Then, as her hands came down to his buttocks, urging him deeper inside her, he found he could hold back no longer. His thrusts quickened with the sound of his breath, his hips rolling to spark pleasure against her bud, until he felt the build of his conclusion gathering inside his loins.
“Och… och, lass…” Reaching his moment of absolute ecstasy, he drew his hips back and stilled above her, moaning her name. “Och, Autumn… Sweet, sweet Autumn.”
Her arms wrapped around him and he collapsed on top of her, enveloped in her warmth and her comfort. And though he had taken those measures to avoid spilling his seed inside her, he regretted it somewhat. For a child with Autumn would have been a wondrous thing indeed.
But maybe that was only a dream he could have in this library, in their secret world. Beyond that door, such a child would be nothing but a threat, with a target painted upon their back.
18
Autumn awoke with a start, momentarily disoriented. Above her curved the stone ceiling of the library caverns, instead of the familiar rafters of her bedchamber. Soft breath tickled the top of her head, and a muscular arm lay draped across her waist.
It was not my imagination.
A smile played upon her well-kissed lips, as she glanced sideways at the naked man who had wrapped himself around her. The fire in the grate had long gone out, but with his body so close, she felt no chill.
Do I feel different? Should I feel different?
In truth, she had never been more relaxed, her muscles loose and her mind uncharacteristically quiet. As though there was nothing her thoughts could add to the contentment of her body.
“I love you,” she whispered to the sleeping figure of Flynn.
He stirred slightly, his arm pulling her closer. “I love ye, an’ all.”
She had just nestled into him, when panic struck her, splintering through her peaceful calm. How long had they slept? Was it morning already? With no windows to let in the light, she had no way of telling.
“We fell asleep,” she urged, nudging Flynn.
His eyes opened. “Aye, we did. I have to say, I like wakin’ up beside ye.”
“No, no, no! I am supposed to be departing this morning!” She sat up quickly, severing the warm embrace. “Mary is coming to dress me, and to escort me to the stables. If she sees my bed, she will know I did not sleep there. What if she begins to suspect something?”
Flynn tried to tug her back down into his arms. “We’ve nae slept so long, lass. An hour at most.”
But the dread in Autumn’s stomach said otherwise. Planting a rushed kiss upon his lips, she jumped to her feet and grabbed her garments. Throwing the shift and petticoats on, she struggled to fasten her bodice as she exited the library.
Hurtling through the maze of corridors, making the flames whip wildly in their sconces as she raced by, she finally emerged into the main body of the castle. Breathless and sweating with the exertion, and the fear that gathered within her, she continued on through the hallways, using the narrow, curving stairwells to reach the upper floors.
“No… Oh goodness, no.” Her eyes flew wide as she passed a window, and saw the pink and orange shards of dawn, piercing through the purplish haze.
Mary will arrive soon. Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no…
She ran on, ducking into doorways and recesses every time she heard footsteps approaching. The castle servants had likely been awake for at least an hour, going about their daily business… which just so happened to be in Autumn’s way.
