IntoEternity (29 page)

His mouth found hers. The kiss was long and sweet and when
he pulled back she whimpered.

“No. Don’t leave.”

“Hush, Gusty. I am going nowhere.”

He stretched out beside her on the bed and drew her into the
shelter of his body. He held her as if he would never let her go and she
burrowed into him, clutching at him, needing the reassurance that what she
touched was real and not some fantasy dreamed up in the darkness of the night.
Hands moved frantically, caressing, exploring. She sighed as he stroked every
part of her body with loving hands.

Gusty’s nightdress disappeared, along with his clothing.
They lay together, naked, hot flesh against hot flesh. They moved sensuously
against each other in a dance of erotic need. The length and breadth of his
hard, muscular body covered her as he moved over her. With one knee he eased
her thighs wide and settled between them. The velvety tip of his hard shaft
touched her flesh and he rubbed himself against her, drawing a whimper of need
from her.

“Do you know how much I want you, sweet selkie? I have
craved the taste and feel of you for weeks, months…as a near-starved man does a
nourishing meal. More so! Sweet Lord, you are even more beautiful than I
remembered. Loving you has been the only thing that has kept me going these
past months. I have lived for this moment, when you are back in my arms and I
make you mine once again. Every night I prayed to live long enough to return to
you so I could hold you in my arms, cover your lips with mine as I drink the
nectar of your sweet mouth.”

His words washed over her body in a wave of pleasure and she
flushed.

“Oh God, Alexander! Kiss me, love me now!”

Alexander needed no further invitation. He lowered his head
and covered her soft lips with his in a gentle kiss. He stroked her lips with
his tongue, demanding entrance. She opened for him and he thrust deeply,
tasting her, teasing her until she returned his kisses just as passionately.
Alexander finally pulled back and gazed down at her swollen, dewy mouth with
satisfaction. She was a very passionate woman and held nothing back.

“You are mine, little selkie, you have always been mine.”

Leaving her lips looking bee-stung, he moved his mouth to
her neck and nipped and sucked his way down to her breasts. He moved to
readjust their positions in order to show her how much he loved her but a light
knock sounded at the door.

Gusty scrambled up and glanced at the adjoining doorway. “Oh
God! I forgot about Violet. Where are the covers?“

She grabbed the quilt Alexander offered her and dragged it
over her naked body just as Violet entered without waiting for permission,
carrying a goblet of steaming refreshment. Her eyes widened as she looked
toward the bed but she merely smiled. Her approval apparent in her expression,
she moved silently to place the drink on the table beside the bed. The only
sign she was flustered by walking in on such an intimate scene was the slight
flush on her cheeks. Eyes lowered, she hurried from the room, closing the door
quietly.

Alexander glanced down at Gusty. Her cheeks were just as
rosy as her maidservant’s had been. He chuckled deeply and gave her a fast,
hard kiss on the mouth before he bounded off the bed.

“I think we will have a little more privacy if I bolt this.”
He moved to the door and slid home the bolt. He then retrieved the goblet Violet
left for Gusty. He sniffed the contents and made a face at the odd smell. “What
brew is this? Is she trying to poison you?”

“No. Of course not! She brings me a cup of elixir at
nighttime, but clearly we both forgot about it earlier.”

“And you actually drink it?” He raised the cup to his lips,
took a small sip and grimaced at the taste.

“Yes. It helps settle my upset stomach.”

The foul-tasting liquid immediately forgotten, Alexander focused
his attention on his wife. He gave her a close, scrutinizing look, frowning
with worry. She did not look ill. In fact there was a glow about her and she
looked lovelier than ever. He sat down on the bed beside her and pulled her
toward him.

“Have you been ill?”

“No. Well yes. Sometimes. But it is nothing serious.” She smoothed
her small, soft hand across his brow. “It is a condition that will pass.”

“You must take care of yourself, Gusty. People fall ill and
die, sometimes from little cause. What is it that ails you? I shall send for
your mother!”

She took his hand and placed it over her abdomen. “My
affliction is only a temporary one.”

He glanced down at his hand and frowned. There was a slight
distention of her belly. He pressed a bit as he concentrated on what he was
feeling under his fingers and then nodded.

“Aye I can tell that your stomach is swollen a bit. You must
see your mother about this malady—she might have something in her store of
potions and brews that will cure you.”

“She has already prescribed this one. But it is not a remedy
for what ails me. It just helps to ease some of the discomfort it brings.”

The worry in Alexander’s eyes nearly had Gusty laughing out
loud. She thought he might have figured this out on his own. He was a smart man
and it wouldn’t take him much longer, she wagered.

Alexander grabbed the goblet he had placed on the table and
gave it to her. “Drink,” he ordered in a voice she was sure he used on his men
on the battlefield.

Dutifully she obeyed him. She’d grown accustomed to the
honey-flavored potion after having drunk it for several months. The vile liquid
worked to ease her stomach, which is why she had left a standing order for a
cup of it every night at bedtime and again just before she rose from her bed
each morning. She handed the goblet back to Alexander and smiled as she wiped the
corners of her mouth with her fingers. She could tell his anxiety had not
abated as of yet. He was too concerned about her well- being to think clearly
so she took his hand again and placed it on her slightly swollen abdomen.

“Stop worrying, Alexander, my love. This is a condition a
woman has for at least nine months before she gets over it. I have only a few
more months to go. You’ll just have to live with me getting sick every once in
a while and making numerous trips to the garderobe during the coming nights and
days. Of course you will also have to live with my stomach growing quite a bit
larger. I will be as round as a melon before long.”

An entire five seconds passed before the meaning of her
words sank in and a slow, wolfish grin spread across his face.

“I ought to strangle you for scaring me like that. You are
fortunate you carry my child, wife, or else I would have to teach you a proper
lesson in how a woman should respect and obey her husband.”

“But I am not your wife, Laird Highlander, at least not yet.
If I was a meek, obedient wife—and I put special emphasis on that title—you
would be bored to tears. You love me just the way I am, admit it.”

He placed his long fingers under her chin, tipped up her
head and his mouth covered hers in a tender kiss that left her breathless.

“Thank you for my child, sweet wife. And you are quite
right. I do love you the way you are.”

Then there were no more words for a while. Their lips and
bodies did the communicating for them. The physical bond they shared was an extension
of the love they felt for each other, deep and passionate.

A short while later they lay exhausted and sated. They
talked into the early hours of the morning, holding each other close in the
warm, private haven of their bed. But the conversation eventually turned to
Black Bart and Gusty groaned.

“I’m sorry, Alexander, the man may be your uncle but I
cannot stand him.”

“On that we are in accord. The man is a lazy bastard who
thrives on the good name of the Sutherlands. He always has. We need not worry
about him coming home with us. He knows he is not welcome there.”

“He is here at court right now, you know.”

“Aye, I saw him on my way up. He was passed out drunk on the
floor of the hall. Duncan was throwing bits of food on him. By morning he will be
sleeping with the hounds.” Alexander’s hand drifted down to settle over the
round firmness of her belly. “Why did you not send word?”

Gusty didn’t need to ask what he meant. She turned in his
arms and took his face between her hands and kissed his chin, making her way to
the corner of his mouth. She kissed him sweetly on the mouth and then pulled
back.

“I honestly didn’t think you’d be gone so long. I thought
you would return at any time but the days drifted by and then I didn’t know if
I should let you know. I didn’t want to send the news by messenger or note. I
thought it might distract you when your mind should be set on more important
things…like staying alive. You needed your senses clear and sharp not clouded
with thoughts of me and my condition.”

“You are a clever woman, Gusty. Even if you had sent word, I
would not have been able to return and so I would have spent all my time
thinking of nothing else but you and your condition.” He placed his fingers
about her wrists and moved her hands up and around his neck as he drew her
close. “I love you, my beautiful selkie.” He breathed against her brow.

“And I you, my Highland laird. Only you.”

He gathered her close and rocked her in his strong embrace.
His large hand trembled as he brushed back the hair from her face and kissed
her tenderly. They lay there in silence, absorbing the sweet satisfaction of
just touching each other. Time stood still, the only sounds around them those
of their breathing and the warm fire crackling in the hearth.

Gusty finally stirred and looked up, thinking she had heard
Alexander murmur something. In the faint light that filled the room she found
his silver eyes smoldered with unrequited need. She opened her mouth to ask him
if he had said something to her but his head dipped and he captured her lips in
a kiss that took full possession of her senses. He caught her sigh in his mouth
as he seared her with his lips, his tongue and his teeth, burning her with his
caresses until she felt as if she were melting.

He kissed a trail of fire across her face to her neck and
lower. Unwitting tears filled her eyes and trailed down her cheeks as Gusty
turned her head to give Alexander better access to her neck. All the pent-up
fear and frustration of the last several months came flooding over her. She had
not realized until now just how scared she had been that he would never return
to her.

“Dearest one, do not weep.” Alexander’s voice was hoarse
when he finally broke their kiss and spoke. “Do you have any idea how much I
have missed you? We are together now. I will always return to you. Never fear
that I will not. I am a strong warrior and the chieftain of my clan. There is
no stronger man in the Highlands and I protect what is mine…always.”

He pulled her within the protective circle of his arms and
cradled her head against his chest, letting her weep until she was finished. Soon
the tears subsided and Gusty only had the occasional hiccup.

“You are all wet.” She pulled away from him, noting for the
first time that she had drenched his chest with her tears.

“A few tears won’t hurt me.”

His crooked smile made Gusty blush. What a fool she must
have looked like. He was so handsome her heart skipped a beat every time she
looked at him. How could such a fierce warrior and leader, such a strong and ferocious
man be so gentle and tender with her?

“I don’t know what came over me.”

“Don’t apologize, Gusty. I find great joy in holding you in
my arms no matter that you weep.” He squeezed her a little tighter.

Gusty reached up and ran her hands through Alexander’s long
black hair, pulling his face down to hers. Their lips met in a ravishing kiss
filled with sweetness and yearning. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she
moved sensually against him, letting him know what she needed.

“I want you, Alexander. I want you inside me now.” She
couldn’t believe she had actually spoken such bold words. It was not at all
like her but she would not want to take the words back even if she were able to
do so.

Alexander’s body responded to the soft, undulating pressure
of her moving against his already aroused manhood. Her words destroyed the last
shred of control he had on his full-blown lust. He ravaged the silken skin of
her neck with his lips, his tongue and his teeth, burning a path down to the
sweet, tempting valley between her full breasts. He stroked the length of her
body, caressing her satiny flesh, then moved his hands back up to cup her
breasts. He breathed in the scent of her and when he finally drew one taut
nipple into his mouth he tasted her sweetness. Gusty arched into him with a
moan. Alexander growled, the sound a low rumbling in his chest, and she
clutched at his hair and writhed beneath him.

“So sweet,” Alexander said. He moved his mouth to take
possession of her other breast, giving it as much attention as he had the
first. He ran one hand down over the swell of her abdomen, over her mound and
between her legs.

She opened for him and he fondled her until she begged him
to come into her. His composure broke as he lost himself in her honeyed warmth
with a swift, deep thrust. He caught her passionate cry in his mouth. Moving with
long, even strokes, he took her to the heights of passion and beyond until their
cries of fulfillment echoed and they each found their release.

Bart was a man in need as he made his way down the long
hallway to his mistress’ chambers. The darkened corridor was sparsely lit with
only one torch on either end. His steps echoed on the cold stone floor as he
hurried along. He was a little leery of the reception he would receive from her.
The last time he had seen her she was very angry with him. She had caught him
in a compromising position with another woman, the daughter of a minor nobleman
who had little chance of ever obtaining a husband of any standing. Later he had
tried to coax Brigitte out of her ill-tempered disposition but the little minx
had refused to forgive him for the small indiscretion. Not that it mattered. He
took any woman who attracted him at the time, regardless of what his latest
mistress might say or think. But right now he did not care if Brigitte gave him
the cold shoulder or that she no longer invited him into her bed. He needed
advice from her at the moment, not to ease between her lovely white thighs.