Page 44 of Bride Takes a Charmer
“I know we are.” Shaw turned her and leaned close. His mouth was a scant distance from hers and he smiled. He gave her a quick peck on the lips and then yelled, “I see ye, Henny. Ye should get back to your duties.”
His soldier bellowed a laugh and shouted, “Bollocks. Ye are getting better, Laird, at detecting me, aye.” Henny marched off and left them.
Sorsha folded her arms around Shaw and pressed her cheek to his tunic. He held her there on the lane and tilted back her head with a gentle hand. She waited for him to kiss her, but his eyes shone with mirth.
“Come, we will seek some privacy where I can snog ye properly. Many eyes are watching.” He clasped her hand and led her to the gate.
Clovis called out. “Milady received a missive, Laird.” He scurried forth and presented a sealed parchment to her.
Sorsha thanked him and peered at the message, suspecting that it was from the king’s chamberlain. It had been some time since she’d written to Edmund for information about Luthor’s parents. She prayed that his news was of a good variety.
But Shaw gently pulled her forward and they ambled over the bridge. Through the woods, they walked and continued for a good distance until they came to a densely wooded area. Shaw held back some of the bushes for her to get through without being caught or scraped by the prickly branches. A clearing appeared and beyond, a loch of pristine beauty shimmered in the afternoon sun.
“Oho, what a beautiful place,” she said in awe.
“Aye, my da used to bring me here and we would swim all day.”
“’Tis a shame it is not warm enough to swim this day. Will you bring me back when it is? I would love to swim in the loch. Perhaps we can bring the children too?”
“Ye have my promise to and we will invite others too.” Shaw neared a thick pine whose lower branches had long since fallen away. Beneath the needled branches, he removed his upper tartan and placed it on the ground. “Come, love, and let us rest here.”
Sorsha knelt and then sat facing the water. Shaw took up the space next to her. The solitude of the place relaxed her and all the aggression she’d felt that morning dissipated. How could anyone be ireful or tense at such a beautiful place?
She raised the missive that she still held in her hand and began opening it. Shaw stopped her and he pressed his hand upon hers.
“Do not read it now, Sorsha. Whatever it is can wait. I would rather kiss ye and have ye naked in my arms.” Shaw took the missive from her and shoved it beneath the edge of the tartan they sat upon. He gripped his tunic and pulled it over his body until he was free of it.
Sorsha marveled at the sight of his skin, muscles, and the sparse hair on his chest. She leaned close and placed her hand on the hard musculature that covered his heart. His heart raced as much as hers did and she smiled to herself knowing he was just as excited. She scooted closer to him and pressed her body to his side.
“I want nothing more than to be naked in your arms.”
He chuckled low and set his mouth on her neck. His lips pressed there and he continued kissing her while he shifted her garments from her shoulders. Sorsha pulled away and hastily removed the layers of her overdress and chemise. The cool breeze brought a shiver over her but she ignored it and lay back.
Shaw discarded his lower tartan and sat next to her. His hooded eyes stayed on hers as he caressed his hand along the length of her bared leg and upward. Excitement surged through her at the thought of being with him.
“I cannot wait to be inside ye,” he said with a hoarse voice.
Sorsha pulled him forward and he kissed her, twirling his cool tongue around hers. Shaw withdrew from her and sat back against the tree trunk. He patted his thigh and gave her a wily look as if he was up to mischief. His eyes shone and he nodded.
She sat on his lap with her legs flanking his thighs and set her hands on his shoulders, taking the strands of his hair between her fingers. He was so handsome, strong, and utterly affecting. His hands settled on her waist and he smoothed themaround her until they stopped at the base of her back. Sorsha felt his need beneath her bottom and gasped when he yanked her forward.
“Ye have me maddened,” he said and pressed another kiss on her lips. Shaw lifted her and she helped him find the way to enter her.
The exquisite sensation of him gliding within her almost sent her reeling. She huffed at the pleasure. With each of his movements, desire surged through her and twinged her womb with the promise of the euphoria she’d now learned to expect from joining with her husband. Sorsha focused on his face and the intensity of his frown. He closed his eyes and gripped her tightly, moving vigorously to pleasure her. She fell against him and moaned as the first twinges of her culmination caused her to tighten her legs.
Shaw held the back of her head with his large hand and pulled her forward. He kissed her fervently and kept up the passionate torment. She fell apart in his arms, rasping, moaning, and calling his name. He joined her a moment later and mimicked her reaction with a groan and by saying her name with a whisper on his lips.
Sorsha clung to him and didn’t want the sensations to subside, but as they diminished, she sighed with the delight of it. Shaw kept his arms around her and he leaned his head on her shoulder. His warm breath played over her skin and he seemed content to stay that way. They didn’t move for a long moment.
“Ye do me in, lass.” Shaw kissed her cheek and he brushed his knuckles along her jaw.
“As you do me. I wish we did not have to return to the keep yet.”
“Who says we do? Let us enjoy more time here before we go.”
When she moved off Shaw’s lap, she reached for her garments. The breeze had picked up slightly and she had growncold. Quickly, she donned her clothing and waited for him to dress. When he finished, he sat back and didn’t seem to be in a rush to hurry back to the fief.
Sorsha reached for the missive beneath the tartan and held it. Whatever news was contained within, she needed to find out. Hopefully, Edmund had found Luthor’s parents and they would be freed soon. Better, perhaps they would be reunited with their son. She cracked the seal on the outside of the parchment and unfolded it. Her eyes scanned the words and as she did so, tears sprang unbidden to her eyes.