Page 38 of Bound to a Scot (Sins in a Kilt #2)
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
“ W e shouldnae be out here,” Emmeline said with a quiver of fear in her voice. “This is madness, Maddox. Dae ye ken what will happen if we’re caught?”
“Burchard is out of the castle,” Maddox replied. “I watched him leave meself.”
“He could come back.”
“He was packed as if he willnae be back for a couple of days.”
Emmeline suppressed the shudder that passed through her, doing her best to quell her fear. She was torn between wanting this time alone with him and the terror that rushed through her as she pictured Burchard storming back and catching them together. Especially after the scene in the sparring yard earlier that day. Her husband had looked like he wanted to kill Maddox. Worse, he’d looked at the both of them like he knew what they had been up to.
When Maddox had slipped her a note earlier telling her to meet him at the spring, she knew it was the height of foolishness. But she couldn’t suppress her desire to see him. His presence brought her comfort, a sense of joy in her otherwise bleak and unhappy life. And she was powerless to deny herself the opportunity to be with him. She gave herself a small shake, doing her best to push away her unease and fear.
Emmeline looked out over the surface of the spring. It was as smooth as glass and tendrils of steam curled off the surface and rose into the darkened sky. Thick, dark clouds blotted out the moonlight, leaving the land around them bathed in shadow, and save for the soft call of the few nightbirds in the branches of the trees all around them, the world was silent. It was eerie yet beautiful.
“What are we doin’ out here?” she asked.
“I told ye I’d help ye get over yer fear of water, didnae I?”
She pulled a face. “Ye cannae be serious.”
“I’m very serious.”
She looked back at the water and imagined herself in it and shuddered. The fear inside her rose like a malevolent tide as she recalled nearly being drowned by the men outside the village. As if sensing her fear, Maddox put a hand gently on her shoulder then lightly grasped her chin and turned her face to him.
“’Tis all right, lass,” he said. “Naethin’ is goin’ tae hurt ye. I promise.”
She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, trying to find a sense of peace and comfort in his words. She couldn’t. But she did find it in his presence. In the warmth of his body and the strength of his arms. She opened her eyes again as a sickly, shaky smile touched her lips.
“All right,” she said.
“Good,” he replied. “Now, strip down.”
“I will nae.”
He grinned at her. “Are ye plannin’ on swimmin’ in that dress then?”
“Maddox.”
“’Tis nae like I’ve nae seen ye naked already,” he replied. “Trust me, Emmeline. Everythin’ is goin’ tae be fine.”
Her cheeks flushing and her body trembling, Emmeline couldn’t believe that she was actually doing as he’d asked and stripped out of her clothing. Maddox followed suit and her eyes fixed onto his taut, toned body. The heat between her thighs flared as her belly churned and her body ached with desire. She swallowed the lump in her throat and turned away.
“All right,” Maddox said. “Are ye ready?”
“Nay. I’m nae.”
He chuckled and took her hand. Moving slowly, he guided her into the water. Her heart racing, Emmeline drew a deep, shuddering breath as the water rose past her ankles, then to her knees, then to the middle of her thighs. Maddox held onto her hand, slipping his other one down to her waist and guided her deeper still. As the water rose to the middle of her chest, she turned to him.
“I cannae?—”
“Ye can,” he said gently. “I’m right here with ye.”
The water rose to Emmeline’s chin, and she felt herself teetering on the verge of panic, but Maddox held onto her, his presence calming. She found herself floating, unable to touch the soft, silty ground of the spring, but Maddox kept his hands beneath her as he laid her on her back. Her heart racing, she stretched her arms out and found herself staring up at the cloud-choked sky above her.
The world around her was quiet. Peaceful. And much to her own surprise, as she floated in the water, Emmeline found herself awash in a sense of calm she’d seldom felt, and a smile stretched across her lips. The fear had ebbed and the feeling of simply floating was freeing. She let the hot water of the spring soothe her muscles. Her thoughts drifted away with the ribbons of steam that curled toward the heavens and for the first time in a very long time, the noise in her mind fell silent.
From the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed that Maddox was standing several feet away, his hands no longer beneath her. She was floating alone and no longer safe. Fear came crashing down on her and she found herself splashing in the water, coughing and sputtering. She flailed in the water and went under, panic gripping her in its iron fist. For a moment, she felt as if she couldn’t breathe. She was sure she was about to die.
But then Maddox was there, pulling her up again and Emmeline drew a long, shuddering breath. He scooped her up in his arms and offered her a gentle smile. The fear began to retreat but her heart continued to race wildly, feeling as if it might burst in her chest.
“Easy, lass,” Maddox said softly. “Ye did well.”
“I almost died.”
He laughed. “Ye were fine. I was nae goin’ tae let anythin’ happen tae ye,” he said. “Ye did it though. Didnae it feel nice?”
A small smile touched her lips. “It did,” she admitted. “Until it didnae.”
“Well, fer a first time, ye did well. It will take a little longer before ye’re comfortable in the water, but ye did well. I’m proud of ye.”
As he carried her out of the spring and laid her gently on a blanket nestled within a patch of high grass, Emmeline smiled, taking comfort in his words. She’d never had somebody tell her they were proud of her before, and it felt good. Once he’d laid her down, Maddox turned and reached for his clothes, but Emmeline grabbed his hand and pulled him down to her. His vibrant green eyes sparkled, and he looked at her with a hunger that stole her breath.
Their mouths crashed together, their tongues entwining. Emmeline kissed him fiercely, her hands roaming the hard planes of his body. She was immediately burning with need, her thighs slick with her desire. Desperate to have him deep inside of her, she spread her legs as Maddox climbed on top of her. Emmeline knew this was mad, that anybody could walk up and see them. But her mind spun, and her body tingled. In that moment, she didn’t care about what people might see. She simply needed him.
“I need ye inside of me,” she whispered urgently.
His face dark and his eyes glistening with the same desperate hunger she felt, Maddox nestled the tip of his staff between her slick, warm folds. He kissed her again, swallowing her cry as he thrust his hips, plunging deep into her. Emmeline clung to him, her fingers pressing hard into the flesh of his upper arms as he drove himself into her with a frenzied passion that filled her soul with joy. Her skin tingled and fire flowed through her veins as she pressed her head back into the blanket, a long, breathy moan bursting from her mouth.
Their bodies moved in a sinuous rhythm and every thrust of his staff sending fresh bolts of lightning coursing through her veins. His green eyes glittered, and a smile curled the corners of his mouth. He was focused on her pleasure. She squeezed her eyes shut, losing herself in the waves that washed over her. She’d never hoped to feel this way again. She knew it was a forbidden pleasure, but Maddox held sway over her, and she didn’t want to imagine her life without that feeling. Without him.
Emmeline’s heart and stomach both lurched and her eyes flew open as she felt like she was falling from a great height. She felt weightless and cried out as her climax crashed down over her like a mighty wave. Maddox pressed his mouth to hers, his tongue swirling languidly around her own as he swallowed her cries of pleasure to keep them from ringing out through the night. Her body trembled and her sex tightened around his long, thick staff, pulsing and throbbing wildly.
She was breathless, her head spinning, but a quivering smile crossed her lips as she stared up into Maddox’s face. He looked at her with such affection, even love, that it took what little breath she had left in her lungs. His smile was warm and seductive as he moved within her, sending a wave of goosebumps across her skin and making her entire body tingle.
“’Tis yer turn,” she said, her voice a breathy whisper.
Maddox kissed her again and plunged himself into her, his movements slow and deliberate. The sensations coursing through her were so intense, Emmeline’s eyes rolled back in her head and a quavering smile stretched across her lips. She felt his staff swelling inside of her and knew he was close. She tightened her grip on his arms and thrust herself upward, meeting his downward plunges, taking him into her even deeper.
Maddox’s face tightened and the veins in his neck stood out, an expression of pure rapture etched into his features. He seemed to be trying to hold back but a devilish grin crossed Emmeline’s lips as she rolled her hips, taking him even deeper. Her eyes widened and mouth fell open as he buried himself to the hilt within her. She trembled and writhed beneath him, groaning softly.
“I want tae feel yer seed in me,” she gasped.
“I—I cannae.”
He pulled himself out of her and with a long, rumbling growl, erupted. Thick ropes of his seed, white and thick, sprayed onto her thighs. His breathing ragged and a trembling grin upon his lips, Maddox flopped onto his back and pulled her to him. Emmeline laid her head on his chest, feeling a sense of comfort from the steady thump of his heart.
Maddox stroked her hair then lightly trailed his fingertips across her back, sending a wave of pleasant shivers through her. She smiled and nuzzled closer to him. Although she knew she should be terrified of being discovered, all she could feel in that moment was contentment. Peace. More than anything though, lying in Maddox’s arms, she felt safe.