Page 25 of Claiming His Scottish Duchess (Scottish Duchesses #2)

Chapter Twenty

“ A ’ bhiast as mutha ag ithe na beiste as lugha.” Big fish eat little fish.

“Those lovely curves of yours,” Richard said, helping her wash them with expert hands as the lakeside breeze caressed them both.

Since their return from the cottage, these nighttime swims were fast becoming a habit.

“Those were the first things I noticed about you, if I am being honest. I should say your face or your smile, but it was your incredible, curvaceous body. Even through the confines of your proper dress.” He grinned. “Even past the pistol in your hand.”

Catriona looked up at Richard, her eyes hungry as they roved lower, sneaking a view of his throbbing manhood through the water of the lake. She placed one of her hands on a nearby rock to steady herself as she finished washing her breasts during the nighttime swim that was becoming a habit.

He lowered his mouth to her right nipple, sucking lightly and playing with the other between his fingers. The sensation was overwhelming as the water sluiced over them.

“Dare I say, every part of you is perfect.”

“Dinnae start lyin’ now, I ken yer havin’ fun, but…” she said, casting her eyes down into the water.

“I mean every word. Here, let me show you,” he purred into her ear.

Unable to hold back, Catriona grabbed his chin and brought his lips to hers, kissing him with everything inside of her soul. She wrapped a leg around his waist and pulled him closer.

I want ye to ken how strong I am, how badly I want ye.

He groaned in her ear in return, licking it with a flick of his tongue and sending her into a spiral once more. She took a hand and wrapped it around his long hardness to stroke it. She went slowly at first, wanting to savor the sensation for as long as possible before picking up speed.

He took a hand and slipped it in between her legs, alternating between deep and gentle strokes.

It’s as if he kens every button to press, every move I make, what I need.

He suddenly took his hand away from her and lifted himself on top of the nearby rock. He placed a hand, firmly but gently, on her shoulder. He looked at her with fierce hunger as he glanced down at himself, needy and wanting.

She brought her mouth up to meet him, licking his length feverishly and sucking hard as she felt his body twitch in pleasure. Once or twice, she nearly choked on his length, and a twisted part of her wanted to.

Suddenly, he gently pulled her away.

“If you keep doing that, I’m not going to be able to do what I’d like to you,” he rasped. “And I need to right now.”

He lowered his body and pulled her up. Without giving her a chance to breathe, he rammed himself inside of her, filling her to the hilt. He continued with the motion as it flowed with the water around them, giving her as much as she could take and sending her over the edge.

It feels like it is forever. It feels like it is but a minute. There is only me and me duke.

They lingered like that, their bodies entwined and joined as one, as the water flowed over their bodies. The rhythm of their release was one with the lake around them.

After a few more moments of shared bliss, they made their way carefully to the shore.

Richard helped Catriona sit down on a blanket set by the sand, wrapping her tightly in another woolen blanket he had brought. They sat in silence, watching the water ebb and flow and savoring the tender embrace only a lover can provide.

“I understand why you and Lydia are so connected,” Richard said finally, breaking their silence. “You have such zest for life. I cannot imagine anyone reaching her like you have been able to.”

“Aye, give yerself some credit. I ken ye have done as best as ye can with her. Even when it is difficult,” she said gently as he held her closer.

“You see, I wasn’t always like this,” he began as he took a deep breath once, wrapping themselves more tightly in the woolen blankets as if bracing for the story ahead.

“My younger brother, John and I… we were close as boys. Close as close can be. There was this one time, a foolish game near a frozen river. It’s hard to remember the details now,” he said as he twirled her fingers around his.

“He fell straight through, and the ice cracked… it was terrifying.”

“Heavens!” Catriona gasped. “What happened then?”

Richard’s grip on her hand tightened as he continued. “I went in after him, of course. I was the older brother, stronger too. I pulled him out.”

Catriona’s eyes trailed over his arm, over the faint scars that marred his skin.

Slowly, she reached out to trace the lines with her fingers, her touch gentle.

“Is that how ye got those scars?” she asked softly, her voice laced with concern.

Richard’s gaze flickered to her hand, but he didn’t pull away. “Yes. The ice was sharp. It left its mark.”

“That was so brave of ye.”

Richard shrugged. “Our father didn’t think so. He didn’t see this as an act of sacrifice. All he ever saw was obligation,” he said, remembering his father’s eyes—all too similar to the chips of ice he’d carved his way through.

“He told me that as the heir, my most important duty was to protect the family,” he laughed bitterly, “nothing more. He didn’t even check on John.”

The words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of old wounds.

He’d never spoken them aloud before, but now, strangely, it felt almost…

freeing. There was something about the way Catriona looked at him—no judgment, just understanding—that made him feel less like the stoic figure he tried so hard to be.

It was cathartic, even if he’d never admit it out loud.

For a moment, they were silent, both picking up stones, the simple action grounding them in the present.

Finally, Catriona broke the silence, her voice soft but steady. “What was yer brother like?”

Richard paused for a second, the question pulling him back from the dark memories. His brother had always been a source of pride and pain, in equal measure. But now, for some reason, he felt more comfortable answering her than he ever had before.

“John…” Richard began, his voice quiet, almost contemplative.

“He was always different, you know? Not like Father or me. He was like a sunbeam to my shadow. He married for love; his wife was called Lady Anna. It seemed almost scandalous at the time, choosing happiness over what was… expected. I disapproved, kept my distance as much as I could without it being too obvious. Foolish, really. I thought they’d be fine. John was always so… resilient.”

A shadow crossed his face, and he stopped for a moment, his thoughts drifting.

“Before…” Richard paused, his voice thickening slightly.

“Before John and Anna died, everyone used to run after Lydia. Catch her before she ate a dirty plant or chased a duck. Always so full of life. To an infuriating point. Which is why we were never close before. I believe she once called me ‘the grumpy old man who lives in the big house.’”

Catriona couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Aye, well, sounds like she wasnae wrong.”

Richard’s lips twitched into a smile, though it was tinged with a touch of sadness. “She had a way of speaking the truth, that one. Straight to the point, no matter who it might offend. But since…”

He sighed, the words too heavy to utter.

“She will get there again,” she said, then frowned. “I hate to think of all she saw that day.”

He pulled her ever tighter and inhaled her scent, hints of lavender and vanilla filling his nostrils—if only he had a bottle to save it. To save this moment.

“There was an ambush. John and Anna… they perished. Lydia was so quiet and hid so far beneath the carriage seat that they never knew she was there.”

He sighed, his body rigid.

“And I—I failed my brother. Again,” he confessed.

He let the silence hang between them for a moment, his hand sliding to her waist, his fingers pressing into the fabric of her gown.

“The authorities found nothing. But I… I can’t let it go. I can’t accept that they’re gone. If I could just find who did this… bring them to justice… Maybe then this damn weight could finally be lifted. Maybe I could be the man I should be. The husband you deserve.”

Richard’s gaze turned toward Catriona, intense and vulnerable in a way he seldom allowed anyone to see.

Then, she wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek to his chest, offering what comfort she could without words.

And it worked. Better than any consoling word he’d been offered this past year.

A beat passed. They both took a breath, and then, with a final, reluctant sigh, Richard began to pull away.

“We should head back before anyone wonders where we’ve gone.”

Catriona nodded, letting him go as they both started to gather their clothing, the moment slipping away as mundane reality beckoned them.

But the heaviness in his heart lingered.

It wasn’t solved. Not yet.

But perhaps, just perhaps, with her…

He could find his way back to the man he used to be—or the man he could still be.