Page 45 of Bound to a Scot (Sins in a Kilt #2)

SIX MONTHS LATER…

E mmeline stood at the window and smiled as she watched the sun crest the horizon, casting the patches of clouds in the sky above in vivid shades of red and gold, as it began its ascent heavenward. It looked as if it would be a beautiful day. It had been six months since the battle on the birlinn and the official mourning period the king had instituted in its wake expired that morning. She turned to the bed behind her.

“Are ye goin’ tae sleep the mornin’ away?” she asked.

The form beneath the bed covers stirred and groaned. Laughing, Emmeline jumped onto the bed and pulled the blanket back and looked into Maddox’s dazzling green eyes. She leaned down and planted a quick kiss on his lips. She had come so close to losing him that even thinking about it now put a stitch in her heart. It had been a long road back to healing from his wounds, but he grew stronger each and every day. For that, she thanked God daily.

“Get up, ye donkey.”

“’Tis barely mornin’,” he said.

“’Tis mornin’ enough,” she replied. “Ye ken what today is, dinnae ye?”

“How could I forget?” he replied, his smile warm and fond.

“All right, smart guy, what is today?”

Maddox sat up and leaned against the headboard behind him. Emmeline’s eyes traveled to the scars on his chest and side, wounds gifted to him by Burchard and his man Laith, when he’d been trying to save her. He’d almost died that day. If he had, Emmeline didn’t know what she would have done. She knew she never could have forgiven herself. But as he’d recovered, he’d told her that just as she couldn’t let harm come to Cecilia, he never could have let harm come to her.

She reached out and, as she’d done a thousand times, she traced his scars with the tips of her fingers. Maddox took her hand gently in his and placed a soft kiss on the back of it. He held her gaze steadily, a small smile playing across his lips.

“Today is the dae the king’s mournin’ period runs out,” he replied.

“Aye. We’re free tae marry.”

“’Tis a happy day,” he said.

She nodded. “’Tis a very happy day.”

After the battle and Burchard’s death, the king’s counsel had intervened, expressing their concern about Cecilia inheriting her father’s lairdship—not only was she a woman, but she was very young. But because she was Burchard’s only living heir, they could not, by right, deny her claim. To contrast her young age though, they had installed Maddox as steward of the Macfie clan since he was already a laird and had fought to protect the clan from the nefarious machinations of her father. He'd earned the king’s trust.

As the steward, Maddox’s job was to oversee the clan, helping to secure it financially and militarily, until Cecilia was of age and ready to ascend. While he was handling affairs for Clan Macfie, Maddox had sent Adair back to his lands to see to the affairs there, as well as to help strengthen the bonds between the two clans. It would become especially important now that they were free to wed and he was helping to shape Cecilia’s eventual ascension.

Her ascendency though, was tied to her own marriage. On that front, Maddox and Emmeline had been working diligently behind the scenes to secure a match for her that would not only preserve her own autonomy but add benefit to the clan she would eventually rule. And of course, they were seeking Cecilia’s opinions, since they both wanted her to be not just satisfied with the match, but happy with the man who would be her husband.

They wanted her to marry for love. They wanted her to wake up every day with joy in her heart. And they wanted her to marry a man who would not be threatened by her being in charge. It was a difficult balance but one they hoped they could strike.

“There are many important things on the horizon for us,” Emmeline said.

Maddox nodded. “Aye. ‘Tis true.”

“Ye still want tae marry me, right?” She asked.

Maddox pulled a face. “Can I think about it?”

Emmeline laughed and slapped him playfully on the arm. “Ye’re a beast.”

She squealed as Maddox grabbed hold of her and spun her onto her back. He climbed on top of her, bracing himself on his arms and smiled down at her. Emmeline’s heart swelled at the gleam of love in his eyes and when he leaned down and kissed her, it began to race. His tongue swirled languidly in her mouth filling her veins with fire. Maddox pulled back and looked her in the eye, his expression serious yet still playful.

“I love ye. I love ye with everythin’ in me,” he said. “And it’d be the greatest honor of me life tae be yer husband. Of course, I still want tae marry ye.”

She pulled him down into another kiss and felt the now familiar warmth growing between her thighs. Emmeline spread her legs, allowing Maddox to nestle inside her. As the length of his manhood slid along her warm inner walls, Emmeline gasped, her eyes rolling back in her head as waves of ecstasy washed over her. The feeling of having him inside of her, filling her up completely, was something she would never grow tired of.

Maddox began to roll his hips, their bodies moving together in a slow, sensual rhythm. He held her gaze intently, his direct eye contact only serving to heighten the intensity of the sensations coursing through her. She clung to him tightly as he moved within her, their gazes never breaking. He leaned down and kissed her mouth then planted a line of soft, delicate kisses along her neck, drawing a soft sigh and a smile from Emmeline.

She bit her bottom lip as she stared up at him, then giggled as she pushed him off. Maddox flopped onto his back and grabbed hold of her hips as she climbed on top of him. Reaching down, Emmeline gripped his swollen staff and looked him in the eye as she stroked it. A breathy groan passed his lips as she stroked her button with the tip. Her body tingled and she shuddered with the sensations coursing through her.

Emmeline positioned herself on top of his manhood then slowly wiggled her hips and began to slide down onto him. She took him into her sex inch by inch and when she was seated fully on top of him, Emmeline threw her head back and groaned with utter delight. Maddox’s hands slid up her thighs and he gently cupped her breasts before sitting up and flicking his tongue across her stiff nipples. She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, letting him lick and suck and caress her full breasts with a blissful exhale of breath.

“That feels so good,” she whispered.

Moving slowly, Emmeline began to roll her hips. Still in a sitting position, Maddox looked into her eyes as she rose and fell, his face a mirror of the ecstasy she felt coursing through her body. They clung together, their bodies moving as one as Emmeline raised her hips then sunk onto his staff again, over and over. Maddox was gentle, tender, and she could feel his love with every movement. The emotions he stirred within her were almost overwhelming and she felt her eyes well with tears of the purest joy she’d ever felt.

Emmeline sank down onto him, fully sheathing him inside of her and threw her head back, a long, loud cry bursting from her mouth as her climax crashed down over her. Maddox held her close, planting soft kisses on her neck and chest as she trembled and writhed on top of him. His eyes gleamed with the same love and joy that filled her heart.

As her climax eased, Maddox continued holding her close. She leaned down and kissed him gently as she rolled her hips, riding him with a sinuousness that made him grunt and groan. Gripping his shoulders, Emmeline leaned back a bit so she could stare him in the eye, picking up her pace as she moved on top of him. Maddox clenched his jaw and the veins in his neck stood out as he tried to hold back, wanting to extend the pleasure that consumed them both.

Emmeline felt him swelling inside of her and smiled knowing she had brought him to the brink of ecstasy. But when she started to climb off, intending to finish him with her hand as she always did, he stopped her.

“Nay,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “Stay where ye are.”

A smile creeping across her lips, Emmeline did as he asked and remained seated on him. She rose and fell on his shaft, feeling him begin to throb. He pressed his head back against the wall behind them, a mighty roar bursting from his mouth as he erupted inside of her. Emmeline’s eyes widened and she gasped as she felt his seed flooding her. Together, they quivered and pulsed, riding the waves of pleasure that washed over them.

His breathing ragged, he pulled her close again. Emmeline laid her cheek against the top of his head, reveling in the warmth and tenderness of his embrace. It was the first time he had ever finished inside of her and she enjoyed the feeling more than she thought she would. He turned his face up to her and smiled.

“I love ye. With everythin’ inside of me, I love ye,” he said. “And if we’re tae be married, I think maybe it’s time we start thinkin’ about startin’ our own family.”

Emmeline wrapped her arms around him and squealed with delight. She hugged him tightly, the love she felt for him so immense, she felt like her heart might actually burst. It seemed that the final wall that remained between them had finally crumbled, and she knew that not only did he trust her, but that his love was unconditional. The thought of starting their own family together brought her more happiness than she was able to say. Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks.

“And I love ye,” she said. “With everythin’ in me.”

But there’s more…