Twenty-Three
Maddie woke up sore the next morning. She looked over to her right side and found it cold and empty. She remembered all that transpired the night before and her cheeks flushed as a smile spread on her face.
She was married to Connor.
Euphoria swept through her.
What time of the day was it?
As she got up to dress, Connor came in. She turned abruptly and held the dress to her chest. He lifted an eyebrow in amusement.
“No need to be bashful with me,” he said, his voice thick as he looked her over. Her cheeks flamed to a redder hue.
“I was just thinking to myself that you rose early this morning,” she said, bravely raising her eyes to his. She lost her bravery and looked down again.
Connor couldn’t resist moving towards her anymore than he could stop breathing. He took hold of her chin and brought her face up to his.
“It isna early, Maddie,” he said huskily.
Confusion registered in her eyes.
“It is well passed half the day,” he said and smiled at her reaction.
Maddie hastily tried to put her dress on but Connor stopped her.
“What? Why are you stopping me?”
“Because I’d only have to take it off again.”
She didn’t understand.
“Are ye sore?”
Maddie understood that. Her porcelain cheeks heated again. She slowly nodded her head.
“Are ye too sore?”
“Somewhat. Why are you asking these intimate questions of me?”
“Nothing is too intimate or private between a husband and wife.”
She looked up at him.
“I want ye, Maddie. Yer passion flows in my veins as hot as the blood that runs through me,” he said thickly.
Maddie looked into his eyes and brought a hand to cup the side of his face. She let the dress drop and moved into his arms. Connor growled. His head came down and kissed her, as he lifted her to the bed.
“Are ye too sore?” he asked again, passion igniting the fire in his blue gaze.
“No, Connor,” she said, looking up at his face as he hovered over her. “Love me,” she whispered.
Connor kissed her fully on the mouth and moved down to her neck. She lurched upwards, and he was once again reminded that this was her sweet spot. He sucked there and nibbled on her skin.
Connor pulled back to see her face. It was flushed and her eyes were barely open. Her lips had parted and she was breathing shallowly. Seeing the passionate state she was in made his own need grow into pain. He was hard and throbbing. He couldn’t take the wait. He moved to lick and suck on her breasts, as he brought a hand down to her. Maddie moaned as he kissed her breasts. He inserted a finger and found her wet. He groaned and she moaned in pleasure.
“Connor…” she breathed, wanting him.
He took his clothes off in haste. He savored the feel of her smooth and soft skin touching his.
“Connor…” she said, more insistently.
He chuckled. “Aye, Maddie. I hear ye calling to me and I’m helpless to resist.”
Connor owned her mouth again in a scorching kiss. Tongues fought and played. He tugged hers and she sucked on his. Their passion grew to a frenzy. Maddie broke the kiss and began kissing his neck. She bit him along his nape, causing his breath to hitch and cock throb harder. Her moans were driving him mad. He moved to her neck and began licking and sucking. Maddie quickly bit his neck again and he let out a loud groan. She sucked on him as her nails scored his back. Connor moved over her and swiftly possessed her.
She let out a cry.
Connor stilled, breathing hard in her ear.
“Are ye alright? Did I hurt ye again?”
She was panting and whimpering. After a couple of minutes, she found her voice.
“Nay. It hurt a little but now the pain recedes. Make love to me,” and she kissed him fully on the mouth.
Connor withdrew and slammed into her. His breath was hard to catch, but what did it matter? Breathing wasn’t important, Maddie was. He began to lick and suck her breasts. She moaned his name in reverence, making him heady. His thrusts were wild and untamed, and hi grunts were a side effect. He was mindless. Thoughts scattered and disappeared as soon as they came.
The bed squeaked with his thrusts.
Connor felt himself slipping into ecstasy and slid a hand down to where they were joined. He brought her close to the cliff where he was hovering. A few more hard thrusts brought them to the clouds of bliss. He let out a bellow of possession, over her own vow of love for him. Connor collapsed gently on her. He barely heard her breathing over the sound of his own heart.
“Am I crushing ye?” he asked when he was able to speak.
“Nay. Your weight comforts me.”
He brought himself up on his elbows and looked down at her. The intensity of their gazes made his heart thump even harder.
She was his and she loved him.
It made him feel invincible but it still scared him.
Connor had wanted to stay away from her after last night, after the feelings she elicited in him. He’d thought better of it. Connor found he couldn’t keep himself away from her. He felt a pull towards Maddie that he was helpless to resist. The pull had brought him back to their chambers and when he saw her, the heat in his blood kept him there. If he was being honest, she scared him. She’d become his everything. Maddie had his heart and soul in her tiny hands, and he didn’t know what to do. One thing was for certain, he was never letting her go. He was going to hold onto her forever.
Without her, Connor couldn’t even imagine how dark and desolate his skies would be after having beheld the purest light of the brightest star he’d ever seen.
Later that day, Connor came in for a respite with Iain and Hugh. They heard clamoring and cacophony coming from the great room and rushed there.
“But Maddie, the laird would be angry if he found ye perched up there!”
“Nay, Aimee, he will not find out. Now hand me the moist cloth,” Maddie said.
Aimee handed her the cloth and stepped back, or rather, into Connor. She gasped and turned around to his murderous, pale face. Connor just pointed to the open doorway and Aimee left.
“What’s the matter, Aimee? I heard you gasp. Honestly, this will be fine. This family shield needs a good dusting. Don’t fret so. Connor won’t find out. Besides, although I don’t clean as much as I used to, I still won’t allow disarray to overcome the home. He’ll just have to adjust,” she said and paused to survey her work. She nearly fell off the mantle’s ledge. Thinking nothing of it, she mumbled to herself.
“Aimee, hand me another clean cloth. A couple more good swipes and it will be spotless,” Maddie said, handing down the dirty cloth and grabbing the clean one. She paused, noticing the difference in the feel of the hands. She shrugged and continued.
Connor looked up at her, waiting for her to notice that Aimee had long been dismissed. He had nearly fallen over when he saw his delicate wife perched on top of the mantle over the fireplace.
The mantle.
The mantle reached him at shoulder height.
Connor had wanted to shout when he’d first seen her there but was afraid that it would distract her, make her fall, and he wouldn’t be able to catch her in time. As he stood by looking up at her, he began to calm a bit.
But only a bit.
Iain, as usual, couldn’t control his laughter.
Forgetting for the moment that strong hands had handed her a cloth instead of soft ones from a woman, Maddie continued.
“This isn’t the time for laughter, Aimee. We must be done before Connor comes in,” Maddie said and looked down. She almost fell off but caught her balance quickly when she noticed Connor preparing to catch her.
“Come down, Maddie,” Connor said with a quiet calm that didn’t fool her for a minute.
“I’m not finished, Connor,” she said nonchalantly.
“Oh, yes, ye are quite finished, Madeleine,” Connor said, using her given name for effect.
She sighed and turned suddenly on the narrow mantle. Connor’s heart stopped. Didn’t she realize how high off the floor she was? The only thing that calmed him was that he was now near enough to catch her if she fell, something he hadn’t been when he had first seen her up there.
Maddie looked disgruntled and utterly beautiful to Connor. If concern for her safety hadn’t ignited his anger, he would have laughed.
“Get down. Now.”
“Honestly, Connor. Don’t be hampering me with your lectures of what I’m not supposed to do. It needed cleaning and no, I’m not obsessing.”
“Madeleine! Come down!”
“Oh, alright, don’t be so grumpy. No need to scream, my hearing is just fine, thank you. Honestly!” Maddie said and she kept grumbling under her breath.
Her next action both pleased and angered Connor. She just stepped off the mantle and let herself fall to the ground into Connor’s arms.
She was sure that he would catch her.
He hugged her tightly, finally able to breathe. He gently placed her on her feet.
“Doona do that again, Maddie,” he said pulling back slightly.
“But, Connor, the shield-”
“I doona care! Ye will not do anything that will jeopardize your safety!” he said, his eyes turning a deep blue.
Her eyes glowed golden rays with green chips. “Ye have my word that I will not do anything that I believe endangers my safety.”
Looking down at her, and appeased for the moment, he nodded and brushed his lips against hers. Giving her one last long look, he left the great room.
He heard her mumbling as he left and it brought a smile to his face.