His Highland Pledge (The Clan Sinclair Book 4) Page 8

  “Tell me what to do,” she breathed. “I want to make ye feel like I do.”

  “St. Columbo’s bones, ye are. I will spill ma seed if ye dinna stop.”

  “Would that make ye feel good?”

  Her naïve question had Magnus pausing from his exploration. He looked down into eyes that opened. The innocence laced with lust was his undoing.

  “Aye, it would feel vera good to find ma release from ye. Stroke up and down, Deir. It willna take long, but I willna finish before I bring ye to yer own release.”

  His hand slid around to her backside, and he pressed her hips forward, so his thrusting fingers could go deeper while still mindful not to tear her barrier. He growled as her hand started working him.

  “So hard but so smooth. Magnus, I want to see it. See ye.”

  He barely nodded his head, his senses consumed by the feel, smell, taste, sight, and sounds coming from his woman.

  She is mine. She will be ma wife one day, and I will bask in the pleasure of her body as she does mine. I willna let her go. Dear God, how she kens how to hold me. I feel her uncertainty, and it’s driving me to the brink even faster. I ken I am the only one she has ever touched. The only one she ever will. She’s mine.

  Magnus was racing towards his finish and was desperate to bring Deirdre pleasure before his own. He took her breast into his mouth again and suckled as hard as he could while his fingers and thumb continued to dance against her core, his free hand pressing her close.

  Deirdre managed to look down. She saw Magnus’s dark head bent over her breasts, her hand hidden by his plaid, and his hand which disappeared under her gown. She hesitated for a breath before lifting Magnus’s plaid to his waist. She caught sight of the enormous sword that jutted from his hips and that her hand could barely enclose. She watched her hand move as a milky liquid leaked from his tip. She brushed her thumb over it and caught the dew. She had a sudden urge to taste it, to taste him. She squeezed gingerly again and picked up her pace as she felt her own body contracting around his hands.

  “Oh, God. What’s happening, Magnus? I ache for ye, and ma body feels like it’s being licked by flames.”

  “We’re both close to release. Dinna stop stroking me, please.” He was begging by the time he finished speaking.

  Deirdre felt her core tighten as a wave of pleasure and relief coursed through her. She held her breath as she trembled and could only pant from the aftershocks that rippled long after the intensity eased. She felt Magnus’s entire body stiffen before the sticky liquid she had encountered earlier coated her hand.

  “Good God, lass. It hasnae ever been that good before.”

  Magnus gulped as he realized that he admitted to one woman that he had been with others, and they had just finished their loveplay seconds earlier.

  Deirdre smiled like the cat that got the cream.

  “Good. Dinna forget that when other lasses are offering ye the same or more than I did.”

  “What other lasses? There are none.” Magnus brushed his lips across hers before brushing his nose against hers.

  “Deirdre, there arenae any others. There havenae been since before the gathering at the Grahams. I canna even look at any other women cause all I can think of is ye and how I want to marry ye. I want to do this every day for the rest of our lives. I want to watch as I make ye come apart around me and on me. One day it willna just be ma hand buried deep inside ye. I hope ye feel the same. I hope ye dinna want anyone else when I canna be near.”

  Deirdre heard the uncertainty and almost fear in Magnus’s voice, and his vulnerability shocked her.

  “Magnus, I dinna take what we did or how we feel for granted. I pined for ye for a year, and nay other lad or mon caught ma eye. I canna imagine letting any other mon touch me as ye do. I dinna like that idea at all. I, too, want all of ye. I want to learn from ye what making love is aboot.”

  “With ye.”

  “Huh?”

  “I want to learn with ye, nae from ye. This is new to me, too. I havenae ever had feelings for a woman before. I canna get ye out of ma mind or ma heart, and I dinna want to. Our missives from the past six moons have sustained me when I couldnae see ye, touch ye, or speak to ye. I long for our discussions and yer easy laughter, but I crave this too. There isnae ever a need or want for anyone else. It’s ye I dream aboot every night, and it’s ye I picture when I take maself in hand. Yer name is on ma lips when I finish.”

  “What’re you saying? Do ye—” Deirdre trailed off. She would not be the first one to say it even if she was asking him.

  “Aye, mo eun beag. I love ye. Deeply.”

  “I love ye, too, mo fhuamhaire.”

  “Yer giant? I amnae that big.”

  “Och, ye are. All over.” Deirdre’s grin was far more seductive than she could have imagined. Magnus felt his cock hardening again.

  “And all of it is mine. I dinna share, ever.”

  Her claim of possession brought Magnus fully erect. He pressed her back against the tree again. This time his kiss was savage and rough. There was no tenderness or finesse. He consumed her mouth as his tongue parried with hers. As forceful as he was, she met him and gave no quarter. She growled as she pushed his sporran aside and ground her mound against his shaft. He lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around him, rocking and creating the friction they both desired.

  “I am yers. Always. And dinna think for even a moment I will ever share ye. Dinna underestimate what I will do or how far I will go to keep ye.”

  Deirdre exploded as he thrust against his plaid and her gown, and she felt his release as his cock beat against her core.

  ~~~

  “Lady Deirdre, are ye awake? Dee, it’s Beth. Ye must awake or we’ll be late.”

  Deirdre came back to the present as she noticed her cousin’s light rapping on her door. She rose and rubbed her sore knees before crossing the room and opening the door.

  “Thank heavens, you are dressed and ready. We must hurry. You missed matins, and the queen noticed.”

  “I was at ma prie-dieu and lost track of the time.”

  There. That sounds good, and it’s true. Nay body need ken I wasna preying at all, though I probably need to go to confession now.

  Deirdre’s skin heated again as the scene in the woods flashed once more before her eyes.

  “Are you not well? You’re rather flushed.”

  Deirdre gave her cousin a blank stare before she thought about what she heard.

  “I am vera well. I just didna sleep that much.”

  “Because of Magnus.” Her cousin stated rather than asked.

  “Sshh! Dinna say his name so loudly. I dinna want any of the other lasses to hear, and these walls tell ma parents secrets.”

  “Dee, your voice. Your burr is back again. You have been with him.”

  “Aye. Yes.” Deirdre was close to Elizabeth and often thought of her more as a sister than a cousin. She was her best friend and often felt she was her only friend at court, but she would not share the intimacies between her and Magnus to anyone. It was theirs only.

  “When?”

  “When I left the Great Hall, Lord Archibald followed me and cornered me into an alcove. Magnus saw him pushing me through the door into the passageway, so he followed. He found us right before Archibald tried to rape me.”

  “He rescued you? Lord Archibald tried to molest you?”

  “It was more than molest, and he told me as much. He warned he would send me to his remotest keep and leave me there, only bedding me when and how he wanted until I produced the heir and spare.”

  “Did Magnus hear any of that?”

  “He must have. I thought he would kill Archibald. I wanted to let him, to be honest, but I could nae trade Magnus’s safety for mine. He would be in the oubliette now if he had. I willna risk that.”

  “You still love him.”

  Deirdre stopped and looked straight at Elizabeth.

  “Ye ken I never stopped. Ye’re one of the few that ken he’s ma h
usband. I do love him and always will. I just hadnae remembered the intensity, that’s all.” Deirdre’s voice was a hoarse whisper.

  “But he isn’t your husband. That ended a year and a day after your handfast. If you were honest with yourself, you would admit it ended the day you left that gathering and your father declared he was sending you to court.”

  “That may be what everyone else thinks, but it isnae what Magnus and I think.”

  “So, you would commit bigamy? Married to both Magnus and Lord Archibald?”

  “I amnae ever marrying Lord Archibald Hay. I wouldnae even if Magnus hadnae shown up.”

  “You think you have a choice? This is the most ridiculous thing you have ever thought, and I have heard plenty of far-fetched notions from you since we were children.” Elizabeth hissed as they both tried to keep their voices inaudible to anyone else who might be near.

  “I didna say I would be given a choice, but I most certainly do have one. I will go to a convent and commit maself to God before I open ma mouth to say vows to anyone other than Magnus. We are still in Scotland, and a priest canna marry an unwilling bride nae matter what the arrangement may be between the father and the groom.”

  Elizabeth took her by the arm and walked them towards the gardens.

  “You are treading dangerous grounds. Neither your father nor Lord Archibald will stand for being made a fool. Archibald has already threatened and manhandled you. What do you think he will be like if you’re awkward at the wedding? And what of your father? He loves you, but he’s a politician first nowadays.”

  “Och, I ken that all too well. He and Mother came to my chamber last night to question me aboot Archibald’s claim that Magnus attacked him. I told him what Archibald did and said, and ma father practically gave him permission to accost me. I also saw that ma mother is even more grasping and ambitious than ma father. I will nae find sanctuary from them. I am on ma own with Magnus, but I swear to ye now, I willnae ever marry anyone else but Magnus. It’s a convent or the cliffs.”

  Elizabeth stared horrified at her cousin but had no opportunity to say more as they stepped into the gardens. Other young women who looked for any chance to gossip and do harm if it would elevate their position with the queen surrounded them. Deirdre was a favorite of the king and queen because she was precisely the opposite. She sought no favors and asked for none. It was not a strategy but true indifference. There was nothing, short of marrying Magnus, that she ever wanted from the royal couple. She petitioned them when she first arrived at court but they refused her separately and jointly then informed her parents. When they denied her and told her parents of her request, she vowed to trust no one at court and to never rely on anyone else. She had stuck with that until Magnus arrived. He was the only one she put her faith in. She even kept Elizabeth at some distance.

  “There ye are, ladies. We were beginning to believe you ran off with a stableboy.” The queen crowed. The other ladies-in-waiting twittered at the queen’s poor attempt at humor.

  “I was at my prie-dieu and lost track of time, Your Grace. I thank you for sending Elizabeth to summon me.” Watch yer brogue. Watch your speech.

  “Very well. A morning spent in prayer does the soul good.” The queen floated away as the older ladies followed her.

  They left Deirdre and Elizabeth with a swarm that was closer to their own age. They walked through the gardens for some time. Deirdre stopped to look at various flowers and the small bird baths, but her mind was still not in the present. She tried but could not stop her reminiscences.

  ~~~

  “Did ye see me in the foot race? Or swimming? Mayhap the caber toss?”

  “How could I nae? Ye won the swimming and the caber toss, and I dinna ken how the four of ye did it, but ye and yer brothers all tied in the foot race. There wasna any chance for someone else to win. There was a Sinclair mountain in the way.”

  Deirdre giggled as she and Magnus walked towards the loch where his swimming event had only finished an hour ago. Water still dripped from the ends of Magnus’s hair. She longed to run her fingers through it, but there were still people nearby. She contented herself in knowing they were to have a picnic together. They each convinced their families they were continuing their discussion of “Heimskringla”, the tale of Norse kings, that they had corresponded about. No one seemed to notice that for once, Deirdre had no scrolls with her. Unlike at the McKinnon hunt where they snuck off to the woods, Magnus insisted people see them walking out together while they held the gathering at the Campbells. He knew his own father’s suspicions grew. He believed no one would question them if they did not appear to have anything to hide.

  “Did ye see me in the archery competition? Aye, ye ken I snuck over to the women’s pavilion to see ye compete. Ye are far better than any of the lads I ken. I wish ye could be a competitor against the other lads. Ye would trounce them all. Might do some of them some good to learn a little humility.”

  “And would that include ye when I trounce ye too?” Deirdre sprinted forward, her curls bouncing as she looked back over her shoulder at Magnus. She picked up her skirts and ran towards the loch. It took only a few strides for Magnus to catch up to her. The basket in one hand and the other arm wrapped around her middle, he carried both to a shady spot near the shore.

  “When will ye ever learn that ye may run, but I will always chase? Ye may scamper, but I will always catch ma prey.”

  “I dinna scamper!” Deirdre looked indignant. “I amnae a squirrel.”

  “But ye climb trees like one.” He tickled her ribs and listened to her laughter that reminded him of fairy bells.

  Deirdre looked at him for a moment before her face turned beet red. She looked him up and down, and Magnus could not miss the lust that sparked there.

  “I can think of one tree trunk I would like to climb.”

  Magnus froze. He could not believe his sprite of a sweetheart said something so risqué. He rather liked it. He pulled her in and dropped the basket to the ground. His lips stopped just short of her mouth.

  “I can think of something I’d like ye to climb on.”

  Deirdre lifted her chin and pressed her mouth to his. She initiated the kiss, and Magnus let her control it. She darted her tongue out and licked the seam of his lips. He parted them for her, and she thrust hers into his warm mouth. She swept hers around before drawing him into her mouth. She sucked lustily on it, and Magnus growled. Both of his hands pulled at her laces. It was only when cool air hit the middle of her back that Deirdre drew back. She looked around and shook her head.

  “We canna do this here, Magnus. We’ll be seen.”

  Magnus took her hand and led her to a secluded spot that sat tucked between a large maple tree and some boulders. He pulled a plaid from the basket and laid it out. He helped Deirdre down and was prepared to set out their lunch though he was not interested in their food. He was unprepared for her to launch herself at him. He caught her as they fell back, and she stretched across his chest. She spread her hands growing accustomed to how it was yet again broader and harder than the last time she saw him. She dove in for a kiss, and his fingers knotted into her hair, turning her head slightly, so he could deepen the kiss. She pushed his sporran out of the way and wriggled into between his legs. Magnus groaned as her weight shifted onto his swollen cock.

  “Did I hurt ye?”

  “Nay,” he ground out.

  “I dinna believe ye.”

  Deirdre tried to lift her weight off him, but he pinned her back down.

  “It will hurt far more if ye abandon me.”

  “I amnae going anywhere. I do want to be able to reach though.”

  She shifted again and slid her hand up his thigh. She felt his muscles bunch under her fingers, and a tremble passed over him as her fingertips brushed against his rod.

  “Will ye ever stop growing?”

  Magnus’s eyes flew open, and he choked on his own laughter.

  “Ye ken what I mean. I didna mean this,” she stroked him,
“I meant that ye are taller and broader yet again, but I havenae grown any in over a year. I’m tiny compared to ye, mo fhuamhaire.”

  “Are ye worried that I will crush ye?”

  “Nay. I never thought of that actually. I just dinna want to look ridiculous next to ye. Ye look like a mon at eight and ten summers, and I am naught but a lass at five and ten summers”

  Magnus separated her laces enough to pull the neckline down and free her breasts.

  “There is definitely naught aboot ye that makes me think of ye as a lass anymore. Ye are a woman, and I like every wee bit of it.”

  Magnus did not understand why she drew back and scrambled off him. She yanked her gown up as she backed away, but she did not turn in time to avoid him seeing the tears in her eyes.

  Magnus rushed to get to his feet and stepped behind her. He placed his hands tentatively on her shoulders and tried to turn her to face him, but she refused.

  “What has made ye so distraught?” Magnus knew she disliked that word and hoped it would distract her enough to prevent tears from falling.

  “Ye ken I dinna get distraught. Dinna try to get a rise out of me.”

  “I would say the same to ye, but it’s a little late, dinna ye think?” He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him. She could feel his cock pressing against her backside. “Deir, what is it? What did I say to upset ye? Ye ken I wouldnae do that on purpose.”

  “Ye think I am ‘wee.’ So, I do have the body of a lass and nae a woman. What mon wants a girl when he can have a proper woman?”

  “I dinna ken what ye mean by a proper woman, but I ken vera well I want the woman who is in ma arms. Mo chridhe, ye are wee only because I amnae a proper size maself. Do ye really want a mon who doesnae fit in most chairs, who can barely fit through a doorway without either banging ma head or ma shoulders, or that most people assume is dimwitted?”