Page 53 of Highlander of Steel
The storm was inside her, beginning as a rumble of pleasure somewhere on the edges of her consciousness, a flash of blissful lightning in the distance, exquisite but in the realms of manageable ecstasy.
But with each minute of his gifted tongue teasing her and driving her into a frenzy, she knew she was hurtling straight into the swells and cresting waves of something ferocious. In the best possible way.
Killian seemed to sense the change in her, listening to her frantic, ragged gasps and her impassioned moans. His tongue moved to the rhythm of what stirred her the most, and as it did, she was tossed into the wildness of that storm.
“Oh!” she cried out. “Oh… Oh, Killian!”
The pleasure became an almighty wave that had been steadily rising higher without her knowledge—or rather, without her understanding of what it was. And as Killian’s tongue continued to glide over that secret source of untold euphoria, that tidal wave finally crested.
It was the current that had tried to drag her out to sea, but there was nothing to be afraid of here as it pummeled through her veins. So fierce and overpowering that she doubted she would ever be the same again, as it swept along every limb and nerve and muscle, holding her rigid, her back arched and her eyes closed tight.
A pleasure so powerful that she wondered if she had caused the roll of thunder outside the cave. And when lightning flashed a few moments later, she didn’t know if it came from within her or from the world outside.
Killian didn’t stop, though he slowed the caress of his tongue as that delicious and fearsome wave continued to rush through her, heading toward an unknown shore.
But it was as if he knew that her ecstasy wouldn’t last, the crashing wave finally hitting the cliffs of its end. The intensity slowly receded, and her body began to relax onto the fleece and blankets, the current of pleasure releasing its hold on her bit by bit.
Eventually, only a few pulsing wavelets of pleasure remained, each gentle lap relaxing her further. Only then did Killian stop, turning his head to kiss the sensitive skin of her inner thighs.
She glanced down at him, watching him continue to savor her as he rose on his knees and kissed his way back up her body, following the beacon of her eager mouth that awaited his kiss.
When he reached her lips, he grazed a slow, tender kiss that she returned almost sleepily. What he had just done had left her so relaxed, so comfortable, so at peace that she could have curled up and dozed for a week.
“Are ye warm now?” he asked, a smile in his eyes if not on his lips.
She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Toohot, almost.”
“Aye, and that’s how ye should stay,” he told her, pulling himself onto the flat expanse of rock that, now that Ailis thought about it, rather resembled a bed.
He eased the fleece out from under her limp body and slid in beside her. With care, he draped it across them both before slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her into him, her back against his front.
“Ye’ll boil me,” she teased, laughing. “Ye’re as hot as that fire.”
He curved his body around her even more, and with his chin resting on the crown of her head, he whispered, “Get used to it. I’m goin’ nowhere, and if ye boil, at least ye willnae be shiverin’.”
She smiled and wiggled her backside a little, pretending to make herself comfortable.
“Daenae do that, or else ye’ll never get any rest,” he warned, though his voice carried a note of humor.
She settled and closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his arm around her and his solid form behind her, keeping her safe and warm.
Despite it being nothing more than a sea cave, it was the coziest place she had ever been, between the crackling fire, the patter of the rain pouring outside, and the soft whisper of Killian’s breath.
And as he tenderly kissed her hair, she prayed that she wouldn’t awaken from her rest to find that it had all been the most wonderful dream. Indeed, that would be worse than any nightmare.
21
Killian awoke slowly to the cry of seagulls, disoriented at first. It took him a second to remember that he was in the sea cave and that the warm, soft body in his arms was his bride.
Ailis slept soundly, no hint of a nightmare making her squirm or furrow her brow.
He smiled and pressed his lips gently to her hair.
“What are ye doin’?”a voice whispered in the back of his head, and his smile faded.
Whatwashe doing?
Carefully pulling away from Ailis, he sat up and glared out at the cave mouth. The sky outside had turned inky with dawn, the shriek of the seagulls now sounding like a warning.
