Page 32 of Healing the Highland Sinner (Tales of the Maxwell Lasses #7)
CHAPTER 32
H is fingers laced behind his head, Ellair was stretched out on the bed in his room staring at the ceiling. He had come to the inn with Rosalind and Ciar but had not supped with them in the common room. He didn’t think his presence would be welcomed by Rosalind. So, he’d taken his meal in his room and decided to spend the night resting. But sleep remained elusive.
His thoughts remained filled with Rosalind. His body tingled at the memories of her touch and the thought of her soft lips pressed to his ignited the fires of desire within him, along with the dark shadow of grief that came with the knowledge he would never feel them again.
The knock on his door made Ellair sit upright. He slipped the dagger out of the sheath on the bedside table as he got to his feet and crossed to the door on soft, silent feet. He paused and listened, his every sense tingling. The knock came again, more insistent this time.
“Who’s there?” he asked.
“’Tis me, ye idiot. Open the door.”
Ellair’ heart leaped into his throat at the sound of Rosalind’s voice coming from the other side. He quickly opened it and felt his stomach lurch. She stood in the doorway, a saddlebag over her shoulder, uncertainty etched into her features. Rosalind gnawed on her bottom lip as she stood there staring at him. Her eyes flicked to the dagger in his hand, her thin eyebrows shooting up, and he gave her a half-shrug.
“Ye can never be too sure,” he said.
Without waiting for an invitation, she barged into the room and dropped her saddlebag onto a chair. Ellair closed the door and turned around, curious what this visit was about, and at the same time tingling with the excitement of her seeking him out. He figured she was there to chew him out about one thing or another, so he braced himself to take the lashing without comment. He deserved whatever she was about to unleash on him.
Rosalind did not speak for a long moment. Instead, she stood on the other side of the room staring at him, into his soul. He felt the lump rise in his throat as his stomach fell into the pit of his belly. Ellair swallowed hard as he studied her back in silence. He noted the way she was dressed—not like she had just come back from a meal in the common room. Added to that, was the fact that she was carrying a saddlebag and the pieces fell together.
“Ye’re leavin’,” he said. “Ye’re nae plannin’ on waitin’ fer word from the king like Laird Gunn wants. Ye’re goin’ tae Sinclair’s stronghold tae rescue ye’re braither yerself.”
“Aye,” she replied softly. “I am.”
“I assume Ciar’s goin’ with ye?”
She shook her head. “I need him here tae deal with Laird Gunn. I ken I can trust him.”
The not-so-subtle dig sent another needle of pain through his heart and Ellair winced. As the fog of his hurt cleared though, a thought occurred to him.
“If ye’re nae takin’ Ciar, then why are ye here? Dae ye want me tae come with ye?”
She shook her head again. “Nay. I need somebody I can trust watchin’ me back. And since I dinnae have that, I’m goin’ alone.”
“Then what are ye daein’ here?”
She stood where she was, stiff and awkward, unspeaking for a long moment. But without warning, she crossed the room and slipped her hand around the back of Ellair’s neck, pulling him down to her. Rosalind’s kiss was so forceful and passionate that it took his breath away. He was so shocked that for a brief moment, Ellair didn’t react. He stood there as Rosalind’s tongue pushed past his teeth, stiff as a board.
The shock of being kissed by Rosalind quickly faded though as the heat of his arousal flared to life in his belly. Ellair melted into her, returning her kiss with a passion equal to hers. He raked his fingers through her hair, pulling her face closer to his, devouring her. Rosalind fumbled with his breeches, her desperation making her clumsy. He stepped back and stared her in the eye.
“Why?” he asked.
“I just… I want one night,” she said, her voice trembling. “One night fer me.”
It was then that Ellair understood she thought she wasn’t coming back. That she thought she very well might lose her life attempting to save her brother’s. It was why she was leaving Ciar behind—as a backup plan. If she failed, she wanted Ciar and Laird Gunn’s men to still have a chance to destroy Hugh Sinclair. Knowing that sent a stab of pain through him, but it also made Ellair keenly aware of the danger she was facing.
“Stop thinkin’,” she said. “Just give me this one moment.”
Rosalind quickly stripped out of her clothing, kicking her boots and breeches aside and Ellair’s breath caught in his throat. His heart raced as he drank her in. His eyes roamed Rosalind’s pale skin, taking in her generous curves, taut belly, and full breasts. She was exquisite. Rosalind was easily the most beautiful woman Ellair had ever laid eyes on, and every inch of his body ached to have her. To be inside of her. To consume her and make Rosalind his in every way.
He pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss, their tongues lashing one another as their hands roamed each other’s bodies. Rosalind gripped his staff through his breeches, drawing a breathy moan from his lips as she squeezed and stroked him. Ellair planted a line of kisses down her neck as he cupped and kneaded her round, full breasts, giving her pert nipples a firm pinch that made her gasp and shudder.
Ellair pushed her onto the bed then fell to his knees, pulling her to the edge as he parted her legs. Rosalind gasped, her entire body trembling as he dipped his tongue into her. He closed his eyes and groaned, savoring every drop of her sweet nectar. Rosalind grasped his locks and pulled his face closer to her, grinding her sex against his mouth. Ellair responded by driving his tongue deep into her, relishing the feel of her juices on his lips and chin.
He licked at her furiously, the taste and scent of her driving him into a frenzy. She moaned in pleasure as he grazed her button with his teeth then took it into his mouth, sucking on it as he plunged a pair of fingers deep into her center. Rosalind writhed, grinding herself against his hand, taking his digits even deeper into her. Slipping his fingers, slick and glistening with her juices out of her, Ellair buried his face between her thighs, desperately lapping at her center.
Rosalind pressed her head back against the bed, eyes squeezed shut tight, and yanked his hair viciously as a long, lusty cry burst from her throat. She squirmed and thrashed as she climaxed. Ellair continued lapping at her, savoring every drop of her arousal, her orgasm making him impossibly hard. He circled her button with his thumb, his tongue still buried deep within her, licking her wetness until her trembling ebbed.
Her breath shallow and ragged, Rosalind raised her head and looked at him, cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling with something like amazement on her face. Still gripping his hair, she pulled him up and kissed him hard. Ellair reached down and spread her legs, nestling the tip of his staff between her slick, warm folds. And as he pressed his mouth firmly against her, shoving his tongue past his teeth, he rolled his hips and plunged himself into her velvety depths.
She gasped, her eyes widening as he buried himself to the hilt inside of her. Rosalind locked her ankles behind his back and grabbed hold of his shoulders as he leaned forward, bracing himself on his hands above her and started to thrust his hips. Their bodies intertwined, they rolled together in a sinuous, sensual rhythm as he drove himself into her. Their eyes were fixed on each other as Ellair pumped his staff deep into her sex.
Rosalind’s fingernails dug deep into his shoulders making him wince as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Her moans of pleasure were long and trembling. As their bodies clapped together in a sensual rhythm, Ellair felt the pressure building inside of him. His groans blended with hers, filling the room around them with the sound of their erotic music.
His skin tingled, warming from the inside and he knew he wasn’t going to be able to hold off much longer. His staff was so snug inside of her, sliding along the slippery walls of her sex, he never wanted it to end. He wanted to relish the moment as long as he could. But when he saw Rosalind’s face, watched her eyes widen and her mouth fall open as another climax crashed down over her, he knew the cause was lost.
He felt her sex squeezing him tight, pulsing around his girth. The fit was tighter than a fist and with Rosalind’s cries of ecstasy ringing in his ears he grunted and thrust himself into her one last time. Ellair threw his head back as he reached the pinnacle and felt weightless as he erupted. He shook wildly as he pumped his warm, thick seed into her and together, they rode the currents of their shared climax.
Ellair hovered above her, gazing into the depths of her eyes, losing himself within them. She stared back at him, the moment heavy with the weight of their unsaid words. She leaned up and gave him a kiss, the moment between them growing thicker with charged emotion. He yearned to tell her how he felt. To share his heart with her. But as if she sensed the words forming in his chest, she shook her head and wriggled out from beneath him.
“I have tae go,” she said, ending the moment.
As he watched her dress and walk out of his room, Ellair sat on the edge of the bed and sighed, the weight of those still unsaid words so heavy, he thought he might be crushed beneath them.