Chapter Nineteen
Tavish steered them in that direction and hoped against hope that Ceit was right and not overestimating her steed. They came to the rise only a few furlongs ahead of the three men who rode to their left. Whisky took to the slope sure footed and agile. He broke his stride as he galloped up and over the rocks, straining against his bridle and bit. Tavish loosened his hold on the reins and gave the horse his head. Whisky surged forward and picked his own path until he reached the summit. Tavish and Ceit looked around and found that the horizon held more hills that were tiny mountains. It would be easy for them to become lost within the peeks, with only the moon and stars to guide them, and that was what they wanted to do in that moment. Tavish looked back to see their pursuers were still making progress, albeit slowly. The bowman had his bow poised with an arrow nocked. Tavish pushed Whisky forward just in time to avoid an arrow through his shoulder. The horse cantered down the far side of the hill, and Tavish led him through a winding crevice between the hills before nudging him up another long incline. The horse’s gait impressed Tavish as he and Ceit held on, trusting the horse rather than guiding him. When they crested the summit, Tavish once again looked back. The men were still following them, moonlight reflecting off their horses’ harnesses, but their horses were not as prepared for the climb as Whisky.
“Is there aught this horse canna do? He runs and handles like a warhorse on flat ground and moves like a goat in the hills.”
Ceit patted her horse’s neck.
“Do ye hear that, lad? High praise from a Highland warrior. I kenned ye were the best horse when I insisted upon bringing ye to court. Ye shall have all the treats yer belly can hold once we are safe.”
They continued to plod along at a steady pace, but even though Whisky was hardy and nimble, he was carrying the weight of two people and slowed as his mouth and withers lathered.
“We canna keep going much longer if we dinna want him to drop. There has to be a cave or hidey hole somewhere in these hills we can duck into.” Tavish kept scanning the hills, searching for any irregular shading or dips in the moon’s shadows. His head was on a swivel looking for a place for them to hide while trying to keep a sense of where the five men were.
“Do ye see aught? If ye do, willna those men see it too?”
“They may, but they dinna ken what to look for. The ones who spoke have a burr, but they arenae Highlanders. Nae real ones. I would venture they may hail from the Midland Valley near the Highlands. If that’s the case, they arenae used to traversing land like this. They willna ken, most likely, how to read the hills. It’s why they dinna ken how to guide their horses, and the horses arenae making as much progress.”
As though his words needed confirmation, there was a wild scream that only belonged to an injured animal. Whisky nickered and sidestepped but kept moving. Tavish looked back to see an empty saddle and a horse laying on its side. He shook his head with remorse for the injured horse but relief that there was one less man after them.
Ceit and Tavish continued weaving their way through the hills in search of a place to hide. Tavish realized Ceit had to be growing cold as they climbed higher into the hills. His own skin had goosebumps since most of his chest and back were bare. He unpinned his extra length of plaid and pulled it to cover his back before pulling Ceit against his chest to allow him to wrap her into the wool. He pressed his lips to the cold skin of her cheeks. They needed to hurry, and his sense of urgency grew when Ceit slumped against him. He sensed her exhaustion from the fear and the physical strain.
They continued to ride in silence, Tavish periodically looking back. Their pace was a walk now, and Whisky’s head hung low as he plodded along. It was late into the night, and Tavish needed to make a decision soon. He was ready to dismount and lead Whisky by the bridle, saving the horse his extra weight and allowing Ceit to sit more in the saddle. He would find them somewhere to hide within the hills even if not in a cave.
“Is that something over there?” Ceit said through chattering teeth as she raised a finger to point. Tavish noticed her blue fingernail before following her finger. He was not sure if what she saw was a cave since the moon was obscured by a cloud. He dismounted and led Whisky over a series of hillocks within the larger range. He wanted to whoop with glee when they found the entrance. He stopped Whisky and looked up at Ceit who looked half asleep and half frozen.
“Wait here. Dinna come in until I say it’s safe but keep a look out. If there is anything within, I need ye prepared to ride. The men might catch up soon, but there may be a wildcat or wolves within.”
“Then I dinna want ye to go in alone.” Ceit scrambled from her horse’s back, but Tavish’s hand landed across her backside.
“Can ye nae just listen for once? Must ye always have yer way? Ceit, I willna bend on this. Stay on the bluidy horse, or I really will skelp yer beautiful arse.”
Ceit interpreted the unbending resolution in his voice and chose not to test him. She pulled herself back into the saddle and nodded.
“Tav, just be careful please. Dinna leave me alone.” Tavish inferred she meant more than the few minutes it would take for him to inspect the cave. “Ye are stuck with me for life, lass. I already warned ye as much.”
He hurried to the entrance and found a large stone. He tossed it in, aiming for the interior wall. It banged against the rock surface, and the sound echoed within. Tavish was poised with his dirk in case anything emerged. When no sound came back, and nothing came forward, he found three more stones and threw them into the dark center of the cave in quick succession. There was still no response, so he entered the darkness and scraped the blade of his dirk along the wall. The high-pitched grating sound of his blade sent a shiver along his spine, but it would alert anything lurking in the cave to his arrival. He continued back, using one hand to drag his blade while the other swept back and forth to protect himself from walking into any walls. It did not take him long to make his way to the end of the cave, and since nothing stirred, he was confident it was safe to bring Ceit and Whisky inside. He returned to Ceit and helped her down. He looked around once more before leading them in. He did not see nor hear anyone or anything coming from the direction which they traveled. He was unsure if the men had given up and retreated down the hills or if they stopped for the night too. He was uncertain if they all still lived or if anyone else perished.
“I canna take Whisky’s saddle off in case we must flee, but I will look to see if I can find grassy tufts to bring back for him. I’m afraid there isnae any water for any of us. I will look for any saplings with dry enough branches to light a small fire in the vera back. Ye can stay by the entrance, so ye have light, but dinna leave.”
Ceit was too tired and still too scared to argue. She nodded her head. Tavish took a step away but turned back to her. He opened his arms, and she rushed into them. He kissed the crown of her head and ran his hands up and down her back before he settled for just holding her. She clung to him, but she did not tremble. It scared Tavish more that she barely moved. Her chest rose and fell, but her breaths were shallow. If he did not need to care for their only means of safe travel and did not need to warm them, he never would have let go. He led her to the wall and pressed her shoulders to lower her to the ground.
“I willna go far, and I willna be long, but call for me if ye need aught. Dinna worry aboot alerting anyone. If ye need me, call for me.”
Ceit’s distant look and tiny nod scared him more than the men pursuing them. He made quick work of scouring the ground for anything to feed Whisky. He brought back small tufts of wild grass and then hurried to find branches from the scraggly trees that grew near the cave. He brought them inside and moved towards the back of the cave. He realized it would not allow the smoke to ventilate well, but he did not want it or the light from the flames to give away their hideout. He dumped the wood and arranged it to build the fire. He struck his flint kept in his sporran and blew on the tinder he had brought with the wood. The spark grew into a small fire, and with the light, he looked around the cave for the first time. He spotted a few rocks scattered about and moved them to encircle the fire. He brought Ceit to the warmth, and she reached out her hands but soon snatched them away as the blood flowing back into her fingers stung like tens of needles pricking her skin from the inside out. Tavish took her hands in his and blew on them before chafing them together. He pulled her back into his embrace and once again wrapped his plaid around them both. They stood beside the fire, both watching the flames lick the branches that hissed and popped. Ceit rested her head against Tavish’s broad chest.
“It is a mighty good thing ye are so braw,” her hushed voice echoing in the small space, “because ye are carrying the weight of the world for us both.”
Tavish looked down at her, and his chest tightened when he saw how small she seemed leaning against him. She appeared younger than Tavish had ever seen her before, and he did not like the defeated tone in her voice. It worried him she was ready to give up. Exhaustion coupled with fear and hunger were enough in this clime to put her to sleep never to awake. Tavish sank to the ground and pulled her into his lap.
“Ye think me braw, do ye? What else do ye think of ma charms?” He attempted to sound playful, but Ceit did not respond. She leaned against his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his waist still mindful of his injuries.
“I think ye far too handsome for yer own good or mine at that. I think yer charm has gotten ye far too much already. And I think I couldnae ask for a better mon to care for me if I must be stuck in such a place.”
“A fire burns in ye, does it? Is it in yer loins?” He chuckled as she leaned back to look at him. He would do anything to perk her up.
“Ma loins? I amnae a side of pork. I dinna have loins.”
“We all have loins, and mine are harder than a pike with ye sitting in ma lap.” To prove his point, he pushed his sporran out of the way and pulled one of her hands free to cup his cock. “It’s the only warm part of me. And ye still havenae told me where the fire burns within ye.”
Ceit squeezed his rod through his plaid, and his responding groan made her more brazen.
“I burn for ye deep between ma thighs just where ye should sheath this sword.”
“Ye sound mighty fierce for such a wee sprite.”
Ceit snorted. “Ye ken there is naught wee aboot me. I am too tall for a woman.”
Tavish’s hands moved to her breast and her backside and squeezed each.
“Definitely nae wee after all.”
Ceit made another unladylike sound as she twisted to straddle Tavish.
“I am serious, Tav, aboot what I said earlier. I willna ever share.”
“Ye would be ma protector, ma defender, then? I was so sure it was the other way around. I was yer ‘mo dhìonair’.”
“Of sorts. I will be ruthless.”
“Do ye promise?” Tavish smiled down and laughed when she snarled. “I rather like the notion of ye fighting for me. I dinna condone violence, mind ye, but I rather like the image of ye defending ma honor.”
“Defending yer honor? Aye, yer honor need nae fear. I will protect it and every other bit from anyone who would take ye from me, be it by force or seduction.”
Tavish tilted her head back and kissed her with a gentleness that belied his growing need. His hands kneaded the flesh that over flowed from his palms, and Ceit stroked him again.
“I dinna want to shock ye with ma cold hands, but I will as soon as they are warmer,” Ceit murmured when they stopped for a breath.
“Ceity,” Tavish breathed as he nibbled a path along her jaw until he found her neck. He pulled her earlobe into his mouth, alternating sucking, nipping, and flicking it with his tongue. Ceit writhed in his arms as she tried to press her hips closer to his.
“What’s yer full name?”
Tavish pulled back, his brow furrowed.
“What?”
“What’s yer full name? Ye are the only one to call me Ceity, and ye do it only in moments like this. We already agreed I canna call ye Tavvy, and I dinna want to. But I want a name that is only mine to call ye. So, what is yer full name?”
“Tavish Brodie Eòin Sinclair. I have a nephew with the middle name Brodie but nay one ever uses it. Do ye prefer that or Eoin?”
“Brodie. Ma brother’s name is Eòin.”
“Brodie it is then, Ceity.”
“Mmm,” Ceit agreed as she made it her turn to kiss his neck and then attach her mouth to his earlobe. She ran her tongue around the shell of his ear making Tavish groan. “Ye like that, Brodie?”
“Aye. Vera much. Lass, what is yer middle name?”
“Eithne.”
Their mouths found one another again, tongues dueling not to dominate but to arouse. Tavish groaned again when Ceit sucked his tongue into her mouth. She mimicked the rhythm she used on his cock only a few nights earlier.
“Mo ghaol, I shall come undone if ye keep doing that.”
“That’s what I intend,” she pressed her mouth back to his, and he surrendered his tongue to her.
Tavish pushed her skirts up high enough to slide his hands under but not enough to cause them to grow cold. His hands slid under her buttocks, and he pulled her mound against his straining cock. He longed to push that fabric aside too and dip the tip of his cock into her entrance. It would never be enough once his sword touched her sheath.
“Dinna keep making us wait.” Ceit spoke her desires aloud.
“We arenae wed yet. The king and ma da may have signed the betrothal agreement, but we havenae. We arenae even officially bound to marry yet.”
“Is a sheet of parchment that important to ye?”
“It isnae the parchment. It is the vows we havenae exchanged. I willna take the rights of a husband without being yer husband.”
Ceit huffed in irritation.
“Yer honor is becoming quite a burden. I am nearly certain it’s rather overrated,” she grumbled. “I am taking ye to the first kirk I find. I dinna care where it is.”
Tavish laughed and chucked her bottom lip as it stuck out in a pout.
“Would ye agree to a handfast, Ceity? It isnae sanctioned by the church like saying our vows before a priest, but we both ken it is a true marriage in the Highlands.”
“Would we still wed in a kirk? Do ye consider this to be a trial?”
“Aye and nay. We will wed in a kirk, but this is nay trial. There will be nay repudiating by either of us. If we do this, then it is forever, lass. There will be nay backing out. Whether we consummate the marriage or just exchange the vows, there will be no ending the bond.”
“I would do it right this moment then. I amnae willing to wait.”
Tavish pulled his hands free of her skirts, wrapped his plaid around their wrists and entwined his fingers with hers. They leaned forward so their hands rested against their hearts, their fingertips touching the other’s heart, forehead to forehead.
“I love ye, Cathryn Eithne Comyn.”
“I love ye, Tavish Brodie Eòin Sinclair.”
“I take ye to be ma wife and ma spouse, and I pledge to ye the faith of ma body, that I will be faithful to ye and loyal with ma body and ma goods, and that I will keep ye in sickness and in health and in whatever condition it will please the Lord to place ye, and that I shall nae exchange ye for better or worse until the end. To ye, I doth plight ma troth.”
“As our hands are bound, so are our lives now bound with all our hopes for a new life together. With these vows, we tie all the desires, dreams, love, and happiness wished here in this place to our lives for as long as love shall last. I pledge to bind ma life with yers, to love and honor ye with ma body, mind, and soul, to remain ever faithful and forever by yer side nay matter what the future holds. I shall cleave to ye and nae exchange ye for better or worse until the end. To ye, I doth plight ma troth.”
They imbued their kiss with all the love that grew so fast but so deeply in the brief time they knew each other. A sense of peace fell over Ceit for the first time since her clan came under the harsh retribution of the king, and a rightness settled within Tavish’s chest that had not been there since before his mother passed away.
When they both needed to breathe, Ceit settled her head against Tavish’s chest. A physical longing existed for them both, but in that moment, the melding of their hearts was what they most desired. They sat in silence holding one another.
“Mo bhean-phòsta.” My bride.
Ceit smiled against Tavish’s chest as her hands ran up and down his back.
“Mo bhean-bainnse.” My bridegroom. “I rather like that idea. Rather, a lot.”
Tavish kissed her forehead before pressing her shouldesr away, so he could look at her.
“I would make ye ma wife now, but if ye arenae ready, if ye dinna want to do it on the ground of a cave, then we shall wait until ye wish it.”
“How could ye think I wouldnae want to make ye ma husband in truth? I dinna care if we are in a cave or the royal chambers. I care aboot being with ye.”
Tavish looked into her eyes and nodded his head.
“Tav, I wonder aboot yer ribs and yer arm. Can ye--?” Ceit trailed off because she did want not to insult him or question his prowess, but she worried he would come to harm if they were too impetuous.
“I can, but there is a way that would make it easier for me and allow ye control of how we come together.”
“There is? It isnae like when we were by the river, is it?”
Tavish smiled at her innocent question. He saw curiosity lurking in the depths of her hazel eyes.
“Nay, nae that way. That might vera well do me in. Though I plan to teach ye that in good time. Mayhap tomorrow.” He winked at her. “Nay. I mean for ye to be on top of me. I shall lie down, and ye can ease me into ye as ye like. Then ye can set the pace and find the rhythm and motions that ye decide.”
Ceit nodded, “But I dinna want it to just please me.”
“Mo ghaol, being joined to ye will please me. Any other way, and I would finish before ye even got started. I desire ye in a way I didna ken was possible. I am sure I wouldnae maintain control if I led our first love making.”
“And ye would say I have that much control?”
“Mo sheillean beag, ye have more control over me than ye may ever ken.” He stroked her cheek and kissed her.
Ceit nodded her head. Such an admission did not come lightly from a man like Tavish. To admit as much was a treasure in and of itself. She reached behind her and undid her laces. He helped pull them loose before she rose to her feet and slipped out of her kirtle and chemise. Tavish stood too and unfastened his belt. He spread his plaid onto the ground and toed off his boots as he watched her slip off her stockings and boots. Tavish watched the fire’s reflection flicker across her pale skin. Her raspberry nipples called to him like the mythical sirens. He ran his hands from her shoulders down her arms, moving to her waist then up her ribs to cup her breasts. He lowered his head and breathed in her rosemary and thyme scent that mixed with her own unique musk. It was more potent than the strongest uisge beatha, or water of life, as whisky was known in the Highlands. He was drunk off the taste on his tongue when he swept it over her tightened nipples. They puckered further when he blew cool air after sucking them into his hot mouth. Ceit tipped back her head and arched her back. She braced her hands on his shoulders. The ripple of muscle below his blazing flesh made her look down. His ability to contain such strength when he was with her put her in awe. Her body responded not only to his mouth’s ministrations, but the sight of his body poised over hers. She craved him under her fingertips and her palms. She ran her hands over every inch she reached while he continued to worship her breasts. Tavish kissed a streak of passion from her breast down her belly until he dropped to his knees before her. He kissed the inside of her thighs as he nudged his shoulders between them. He lifted one leg over his shoulder and wrapped his good arm around her backside to anchor her. His fingers and mouth did not await an invitation. They dove in and feasted on her core. He slid two then three fingers into her and hooked them to tease the front wall of her core. His thumb worked her hidden button, and her hips swayed forward as once again her head dropped back, too heavy to hold up. Her hair tickled his arm as it hung past her hips. He looked up and saw rapture on her face unlike anything he had ever seen on a previous partner.
This is what it means to make love. To connect with someone so deeply that ye would take them into yer own skin to be one with them. There is naught I wouldnae do for this woman. Holy Father, Ye have so blessed me with the privilege and duty of loving and caring for this woman. I willna disappoint Ye or her. Thank Ye, Heavenly Father.
Tavish returned his full attention to the curves that tantalized him since the moment he spotted her across the Great Hall. His tongue darted into her and swept across skin that was softer than a peach, her moans driving him on. His hand that gripped her bottom drifted to the division and his fingertips ran the length, the muscles clenching before her hips rocked, struggling to decide which touch it craved, his hand or his tongue. Tavish marveled at her natural curiosity and passion. He continued to work his fingers and tongue within her while his other fingers inched between her bottom cheeks and grazed her most sacred entry. Tavish would not pursue that option tonight, but he held his own curiosity about whether she would shy away from such intrusion or welcome the increased intimacy. He looked up to see her watching him, her mouth parted as she panted. He pulled his hand away from her puckered rosebud, but her hand flew back and pressed it firmly to where it was. He saw a moment of doubt flash across her face, and he pulled back from her sheath, waiting.
“I like that. But should I? Does it make me—Would ye respect me less?”
“I will never respect ye less for anything we share in private. I would have ye comfortable asking me or showing me what ye desire, just as I hope I can do the same. There is naught we canna at least talk aboot, and if there is aught that ye would like to try, ye need only tell me.”
“I didna ken that was a place that would make me as aroused as when ye touch ma--”
Ceit felt nervous trying to articulate all the new sensations or parts of her body that were previously too taboo to discuss. Her cheeks, already flushed with passion, grew a deeper shade of pink.
“Do ye ken what our parts are called, mo ghaol? Dinna be embarrassed if ye dinna and dinna be embarrassed to use them if ye do.”
“I ken ye have a cock or a rod, and I have breasts or tits, but I dinna ken what to call--” She waved her hand where Tavish’s head still was.
Tavish slid his fingers free from her and ran them along her swollen flesh.
“These are yer lips,” he dipped his fingers into her entrance, “this can be called several things, but most often yer sheath or yer cunny.”
His thumb swept over the apex and her hips jerked forward, making him smile and her moan.
“This,” he rubbed the aroused bud in circles as he pressed against her. “This is called yer pleasure button, yer nub, yer bud, yer pearl. It is the secret to unleashing yer deepest pleasure.”
Tavish leaned in and sucked the sensitive bud into his mouth, applying pressure as his tongue flicked back and forth. The sensations overwhelmed Ceit, and she gripped Tavish’s shoulders, but it was not enough when her knees went weak. She sank down to straddle Tavish as he continued to kneel. They crushed her breasts between them as her mound rubbed against his satin covered steel. She ground her newly named pearl against his hardness as she craved the friction his fingers and mouth gave her. Tavish’s hands explored her body, learning the new treasures and secrets clothing kept hidden. His mouth roamed an uncharted course over her collar bone, shoulders, throat, and breasts. Anything he sought received worship from his lips, tongue, and even teeth. His hands once again sought her backside as he settled himself to sit on the ground.
“Brodie,” Ceit tried out the name that would be theirs to share during times of love making. He growled as he suckled her breast harder, showing his pleasure at her use of his middle name. “I ache again. It’s so fierce that it nearly burns through ma belly and makes ma, ma cunny tingle. It’s almost more than I can bear.”
Tavish looked up and saw a mixture of passion and what he would describe as near anguish. Their time for foreplay was over. Ceit was growing restless, and he would not tease her beyond her limits their first time. Besides, his own cock strained painfully to find its home within her. His cods ached just as she described her own body’s reaction to its need. He lifted her hips, so his cock stood erect, pointing towards her.
“It kens where it needs to be. Guide it there. Go slowly and take it into ye. Ye dinna need to rush. Take yer time getting used to me within ye.”
Tavish forced words he did not feel to pass between his lips. He wanted nothing more than to thrust into her and drive himself into oblivion, but there was no way he would do such a thing to his wife the first time they made love. He would save that until at least the third time. He gritted his teeth as the head of his rod eased past her swollen lips to the warmth of skin unlike anywhere else on her body. He sucked in air through his nostrils as he tried to control his body’s reaction to joining with Ceit at last. His hips tried to arch forward of their own volition, but his willpower still held.
Ceit was stunned at how the sensation of Tavish entering her body nearly surpassed her previous climaxes. She lowered herself onto him, her body sucking him deeper until the tip hit her maidenhead. She looked up at Tavish.
“Aye, mo sheillean beag. It will hurt when I breach that, but we will wait until the pain passes.” Even if I expire trying. “Sink onto me when ye are ready. Ye will need to let yer body drop, or I will need to thrust up.”
Please let me thrust. Merciful saints preserve me. I dinna ken how I can last much longer without spilling or guiding her to ride me.
“Canna we both do it?” Ceit asked.
Tavish stilled for a moment. As much as his body screamed to take her, his mind screamed to be gentle.
“What’s wrong?” Her uncertainty made his chest tighten.
“Ma body is telling me to thrust, to take ye, to drive into ye over and over until I canna say ma own name, but ma mind is telling me to go slowly. I dinna like kenning I will cause ye pain. I can only say once the pain leaves, I can ensure yer pleasure unlike aught we have done so far.”
Ceit nodded and adjusted her position to open her legs wider.
“Brodie, help me. I would do this as one.”
Tavish wrapped his good arm around her hips as he cupped her jaw. When their mouths met, he thrust his tongue into her mouth and as she sucked, he thrust his hips up as he pushed her weight down. Ceit drew in a breath that almost pulled Tavish’s tongue loose. She was seated to his hilt, and her nails bit into his shoulders. He welcomed the pain if it allowed him to suffer as she did. He held still, waiting for her to lead. It was only a few breaths later that her fingers released their talon hold on him and ran over the smarting skin.
“I’m sorry.”
“Dinna apologize, lass. It is I who would apologize for causing ye such pain.”
“It is passing. It was more like a sting, but I couldnae have been prepared for it. Now I am full, and I canna describe it any other way, but I would stay like this forever.”
Tavish stroked back the hair from her temples and then her neck. He nuzzled kisses as her body continued to adjust. His all-consuming desire to buck into her was now overridden by the necessity to hold her close to him and enjoy the intimacy of their connected bodies.
“Ceity, I would stay just as we are forever too. I love ye. Ye stir ma emotions in a way I didna understand before meeting ye, even before this moment. I ken now why ma brothers and brother by marriage so defend and would do aught for their wives. We are one now in a way that surpasses ma understanding. I ken nothing has ever been righter and more natural than joining ma body, ma soul, with yers.”
“Brodie, it is the same for me. It isnae just the physical pleasure that ye bring me, and this is better than aught else ever has been, but it is how ma heart beats for ye that overwhelms me. I am connected to ye more than through ma body alone.”
“We are one now, Ceity. There is nay dividing us or separating us. Ye are ma wife just as I am yer husband. I will always stand with ye.”
Ceit brushed a lock back from his forehead as she looked at a face more precious to her than anything she had ever held. She longed to merge their bodies, so they never need part.
“I adore ye, Brodie.”
They were the words that lit the fire between them. Their kiss was a conflagration of desire, need, and devotion. Their loins rocked as their arms fused their bodies in a rhythm of giving and receiving. Tavish thrust harder than he meant to but spurred on by Ceit’s insistent grinding of her pelvis against his. Her head fell back as he laved kisses along her throat. It was not long before the spasms wracked her core, and Ceit squeezed her internal muscles in an effort to lock Tavish with in. Their cries of release came as one and echoed through the cave.
“Ceity!”
“Brodie!”
Their spent bodies clung. Their chest heaving to catch their breath and sweat slipping down their bodies making their skin slide together. They rested forehead to forehead and absent-mindedly ran calming hands over each other. When Tavish was sure he had control of his descent without falling backwards, he reclined, their bodies still joined, and wrapped them in his plaid. Ceit stretched her now cramped legs as she settled her head against his chest, but just as she was about to relax, her body jerked back.
“What am I doing? I must be crushing yer ribs. Dear merciful God, I must have squeezed ye horribly.” The look of horror only made Tavish grin.
“Aye, ye squeezed me, but there was naught horrible aboot it. Ye squeezed me so well, in fact, that ye made me spill ma seed much faster than I ever have. I intended to go much slower yer first time, but it was like the first time for me too. I couldnae keep maself from exploding within ye.” Tavish pulled on her upper arms. “Now, settle back just as ye were. I would keep our bodies against each other from top to tail.”
Ceit was hesitant and bit her top lip before shaking her head.
“Disobeying me already, wife?”
“I dinna recall agreeing to obey, husband.”
“That is the right of it. I dinna ken if ye can, and I dinna ken if I want to expect it of ye.”
Ceit’s brow furrowed as she considered what Tavish was trying to say.
“Ceity, I amnae saying aught is wrong. I like that ye challenge me. If ye were meek, I wouldnae have fallen for ye. I like yer pluck.” He tweaked her nipple as he spoke his last words.
She ground her hips against his, igniting another wave of arousal within her core.
“And I like yer unbending hardness.”
Tavish growled as he rolled them over so that Ceit’s back rested on the plaid. Tavish was hard again and ready to indulge her taunting. He tested his ribs with a few short hard thrusts, and when they did not rebel too loudly, he set a punishing rhythm that Ceit was eager to meet. She drove her hips up as she pressed her heels into the ground. Her pace increased, causing them to both lose control. Where their first time making love was a melding of their souls, this was a joining of their bodies. It was rough and without finesse as they pushed themselves to work as one.
“Ceity, ye are so damn tight. I canna slow down. I want to take ye hard, but I dinna want to hurt ye. I just canna stop.”
“Dinna ye dare stop now. Nae until ye give me ma release. Good God, harder, Brodie. Take me as ye want. I need it too.”
Ceit’s head tilted back, and Tavish watched her throat work as she tried to breathe through her pants. The graceful sinews called to him, and he feasted on her neck and throat, peppering kisses over her as his cock plunged into her over and over. She was sure the tip of his cock touched her womb. The wave began deep within her belly as she ground her nub against his pubis, and his cock stroked her from within. She wrapped her legs over his and pushed up once more before she exploded. Her heels dug into the small of his back as her entirety contracted around him. He plunged into her once more before the hot jets of seed filled her channel. They were both practically insensate by the end. Tavish rolled them onto his good side and pulled her leg over his hip, so they remained joined. Ceit burrowed her head into the crook of his shoulder as they clung to one another. There were no words left for what they experienced in each other’s arms. They drifted off to sleep wrapped up in one another and Tavish’s plaid.