Ailsa felt profound relief at finally being married to Lucas, knowing nothing could change that. And the way he had kissed her after Father pronounced them married left her hungry for more.

So she was relieved when Father Giles showed them to the abbey’s guest cottage “I suspect the two of ye have had little to eat on yer hurried trip up here, so I’ve had some victuals and a jug of our mead put in the cottage for ye.”

“Thank ye, Father,” said Lucas. “We are very grateful for everything.”

The old priest beamed. “’Twas my pleasure.”

“Just out of curiosity,” said Ailsa, “do a lot of newly married couples spend the night here?”

Father Giles chuckled.

Ailsa’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, good heavens, that sounded terrible. I just meant…”

“I know what ye meant, my child. And, while hurried weddings are rare, when they occur, it isn’t uncommon for the couple to shelter here for the night. Now, it’s almost time for compline so I’ll wish ye both a goodnight.” Father Giles gave them a small nod and walked back towards the main buildings of the abbey.

Lucas immediately picked Ailsa up. He pushed the cottage door open with his hip and carried her inside, standing her on the floor in front of him.

Ailsa stood on her tiptoes, put her arms around his neck and kissed him. When she pulled away, she felt a warm blush rise in her cheeks. “I…uh…well, I wanted to…uh…”

“Kiss me? Aye, sweetling, that was obvious and I quite enjoyed it.”

If anything, her blush deepened. “I’m glad,” she frowned. She didn’t know what to do or say now.

“Is something amiss?”

She shook her head slightly. “It’s just…uh…ye see, I…uh…well, I’ve only just realized…” How was she going to say this? She arrived at “I don’t exactly know how to be married.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “Are ye saying ye don’t know how a man and woman…couple?”

“Aye. I mean, I have a general idea. I suppose Gillian might have intended to tell me more about it before our wedding…”

“I expect so.”

“But since she didn’t…well, I don’t really know what to do.”

“Then, my sweet bride, it’s a good thing I have a bit of experience at it.”

Her frown deepened. “Ye do?”

“Aye, does that shock ye?”

She nodded. “A little.”

He grinned. “Well, I’d say it’s a rare bit of luck that I do, seeing as how ye don’t. We might have been fumbling all night if neither one of us had a clue.”

“I suppose so,” she said.

“Instead, we can do this.” He leaned down and kissed her again. “And this.”

He planted small kisses along her jaw to the back of her ear. His warm lips felt heavenly.  She tilted her head back and he kissed down the column of her throat. “Mmmm.”

“Ye like my kisses?”

“Aye, I do. But I can’t think straight when ye kiss me like that.”

“Well, lass, leave the thinking to me for now. You just feel.”

Her “Aye” sounded breathless and needy.

Before she realized what was happening, her plaid lay on the ground…with her léine…and her shift.

And exactly how had she ended up on the bed?

His lips and his hands caressed her everywhere. Everywhere. Part of her befuddled brain suggested that this might be wicked and perhaps she should stop him. But a much bigger part of her brain had joined her body as a writhing mass of pure sensation and she just gave in to it.

A gnawing ache built at her core. The more it built, the more desperate she became.

“Lucas…I…”

“Wheesht, Ailsa, let it go.”

His voice in her ear caused something in her to shatter into a million pieces of bright light. She could almost see it sparkle around her. Before her head cleared, he laid down beside her—naked. When had that happened?

Ye’d think she’d have noticed that.

But how could she notice anything with him touching her like that? And now he was doing it again, causing the same desperate, wonderful tension to build in her core. Just as it had before it reached the point where she had but one desire—to quench this burning need. She became aware of the fact that he knelt between her legs, his hands still working their magic.

As she reached the pinnacle and began to shatter again, he moved his hand to her hips, lifted them and entered her. The pain was sharp, but somehow it melded with her pleasure becoming so much more. His movements in her only caused the sensations to build once again—stronger and somehow deeper.

“Let it go, Ailsa,” he whispered again.

And she soared, her body awash in pleasure.

He groaned and she felt a rush of heat at her core.

After a few moments, he withdrew from her and laid next to her. He stroked her body gently, effectively drawing her back from whatever bit of heaven she had just discovered.

She blinked up at him. In awe.

He flashed a devilish grin. “I’d ask if ye were all right, but by the expression on yer face and yer cries of pleasure, I’m willing to guess ye are.”

She chuckled. “Aye. Is that what it’s always like?”

“It shouldn’t hurt like that again.”

“But the rest of it? The bright lights and the…the…whatever that was?”

“Aye, when a man takes time. And you looked so incredibly beautiful as ye reached that, whatever that was,” he winked at her, “I’ll be sure to take my time.”

She gave him a cheeky smile. “Can we do it again?”

He laughed. “I think we both need a bit of rest. But after that, aye, we can do it again.” He pulled her close, curving his body around hers. He kissed her head. “I love ye, Ailsa Grant.”

“Mmmmm,” she snuggled into him. “I like that name. And I love ye too.”

She must have fallen asleep instantly but woke before dawn to find him kissing and stroking her again. They made love again languidly. He brought her to that dizzying peak and held her there until she thought she would lose her mind with need. And, if anything, the release, when it came, was stronger than before.

As she basked in the warm fuzziness that surrounded her once more, he held her close and she drifted into sleep again.

~ * ~

Lucas woke the next morning as sunlight poured through the windows. He raised up on his elbow and watched her sleep. He’d done that once before, on the night she’d tried to pick blackberries. He had been worried that night and stayed awake, watching, to make certain she was safe.

That night she wore his overlarge clothes. This morning she was gloriously naked, her brown hair a riot of sleep tousled curls. She might have been a wood nymph, or a fairy. But she wasn’t. She was his own sweet Ailsa. She was his wife, and that was really the only thing that mattered to him.

She woke to find him still looking at her. A languorous smile spread across her lips. “Good morning, husband.”

He kissed her. “Good morning, my lovely wife.”

She reached up and caressed his cheek. “Can we…uh…do that again?”

He laughed. “I’d love to. But I fear ye might be a bit sore today.”

She stretched rolling her hips as she had the night before, seeking her release. “I am a bit sore. But it isn’t…unpleasant.”

He grinned. His sweet little wife couldn’t be farther from the cold, stiffly proper noblewoman he hadn’t wanted to marry. She was warm and responsive…and honest. He reckoned a lifetime teaching her all the delightful things men and women do would be anything but boring. “While I’m thrilled to hear that the soreness ye feel isn’t unpleasant, with such a long ride ahead of us today, let’s make certain it stays that way.”

She heaved a sigh. “All right. But I was just thinking. Maybe we don’t have to go the whole way today.”

“Not quite ready to face yer family, sweetling?”

“Honestly, I don’t care. They never stay mad long. But, I thought another night in yer arms before we face them might be nice.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea, sweetling.”

After they had cleaned up, eaten part of the food Father Giles had left them the night before, and packed up the rest for the trip back to Brathanead, they were ready to leave.

Father Giles must have been watching for them, for they were no sooner to the stable, than he arrived to bid them farewell.

He chatted with them briefly while Lucas saddled Captain. Just before they were ready to leave, Ailsa went quiet. Her furrowed brow a sure sign that something was on her mind.

Father Giles must have noticed it too because he asked, “Ailsa, what has ye looking so pensive?”

“I was just wondering about something.”

“What is it, child?”

“Well, Father, perhaps this is impertinent of me to ask, but why did ye wear these rings around yer neck for so long?”

The old priest smiled warmly. “Impertinent or not, I’ll tell ye the story. Many years ago, when I was a young man, I was betrothed to a lass I had adored for ages. We were to be married. But less than a sennight before our wedding day, she had an accident. She was going down a set of stairs and something happened that caused her to trip. She lost her balance and, fell forward, striking her head on the wall before tumbling down the stairs. Her neck was broken. She died instantly. Those are the rings that I had bought for our wedding. I slipped them on the cord the day I bought them, so I wouldn’t risk misplacing them. I never quite got over that loss. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to love another woman, so I poured all of my love into God’s Holy Church.”

“Oh my,” said Ailsa, resting a hand on his arm. “Why did ye give them to us?”

The old priest smiled again, his eyes bright. “When ye arrived and even after we’d talked, I had no intention of marrying ye. I saw no pressing need. Ye were betrothed and would be married eventually, even if not quite as soon as ye wanted to be. Patience is a valuable lesson. But when I asked Lucas what he’d have me tell yer lairds, he spoke of how love is all too rare in our world. He said, ‘when ye find it, ye don’t want to waste a moment’ and that ‘none of us are promised tomorrow’. I remembered my sweet bride. We weren’t even able to start our lifetime together. And I realized all ye were asking for was perhaps only moments or days…together. If ye’re very lucky, those moments will stretch into many, many years, but I have no way of knowing. So I decided to give ye the lifetime that I lost on that terrible day. Use it well. And I pray that the Lord sees fit to give ye an eternity together.”