Chapter 28

28

T he feast at MacNiall Castle was a grand affair, and Adam's mother had spared no expense with the decorations.

Merry banners lined the walls, and a group of players strummed a lively tune in one corner. Long tables had been placed in a horseshoe design all around the room, and there was a happy atmosphere. Wine flowed freely, and the guests were merry.

Adam did not drink any wine at all, but by contrast, Laird MacGordon appeared to believe the danger had passed and was enjoying himself a great deal. His brooding expression never faded, but Emily thought she saw him smile at one point.

Emily watched the room with a sense of amazement, her mind still reeling from what had taken place that day.

It doesnae seem real. I am married now.

Walking down the aisle had brought back unpleasant memories. Every step she took had felt like it was bringing her closer to her doom.

Adam's face had been all she could focus on. He was so huge and strong, it felt like nothing could touch her in his presence. So far, that had proved correct.

But he hasnae spoken a word to me since we returned to the castle.

Adam's eyes were fixed on the edges of the room. He looked at every guest as though they were a threat.

"He cannae get inside, surely," Emily said in a low voice.

Adam clenched his fist around his fork and shook his head. "I dinnae ken. I dinnae understand what he is playin' at."

Adam always believed the weddin' wouldnae take place. Perhaps that was what he was hopin' for, and now he is disappointed.

She sat back in her chair, feeling dejected. Looking around at the revelry, she couldn't muster any of the energy and happiness her guests seemed to possess.

The feast passed in a blur, with many clan members approaching the high table to congratulate them, and even Lady MacNiall was laughing and joking with everyone.

Emily felt numb to it all, and by the time she escaped to her bedchamber, she was glad of the silence.

Olivia helped her out of her dress and placed everything carefully back in the wardrobe. Emily watched as the sash and brooch were folded and put into a drawer.

I am married, she mused in astonishment. Adam is me husband.

It was alarming how little the idea upset her.

After getting into her nightgown and robe, she sat before the fire as Olivia removed all the pins from her hair and laid everything to the side.

Emily wondered why James Stewart had not attempted anything that day.

Perhaps the news of the wedding had never reached him, and he would find out about it after the fact. She could only imagine his wrath if that were the case.

As she continued to mull over different scenarios, there was a gentle knock at the door, and Olivia went to answer it. When she did not return, Emily turned to find Adam had entered the room.

She stood up hurriedly, brushing her fingers over her nightgown and feeling suddenly shy.

"Evenin', wife," Adam said darkly.

Emily felt the same shiver of anticipation rush through her.

Does he expect us to have a real weddin' night?

The thought was not unappealing.

"Why do ye think he didnae come?" she asked.

Adam shook his head. "I dinnae ken," he said, his eyes scanning the room as though there might be an assassin waiting behind the curtains to lunge at them. "Perhaps he doesnae care anymore and has left us to our own devices."

Emily scoffed. "I doubt that. Besides, we have to find Laura—that was the whole reason for the weddin' in the first place."

Adam walked further into the room. Emily could feel the warmth of the fire at her back, but Adam burned like a furnace in front of her. Her skin was tingling from his proximity. Images of their night in the hunting lodge flashed through her mind, unbidden.

And this is a far more comfortable room…

The tension seemed to increase with every step he took, and finally, Adam stopped before her, towering above her.

"Doughall has reminded me that I owe ye a great deal for agreein' to this weddin' in the first place."

"Och, I kenned I liked Laird MacGordon."

She yelped in surprise as Adam's hands shot out and crushed her against his body, his eyes dark with need.

"Ye like Laird MacGordon, is that right?" he asked, the heat of his body making her shiver.

"Aye, he is far more accommodatin' than ye."

Adam growled low in his throat, his fingers tightening around her waist. "Maybe ye should have married him," he muttered, his lips hovering over her neck but not touching her.

She could feel the slow burn of desire moving up her spine, desperate for him to touch her again. "Do ye think he would have me?"

Adam bit her neck, making her hunch a shoulder in pleasure. "It doesnae matter what he would or wouldnae do—ye are mine now. I own ye, and I shallnae let another man look at ye for as long as ye live."

He rocked his hips against hers, and she felt his hard length beneath his trews. She trembled as he pushed her back against the wall beside the fireplace and stared down at her wantonly.

"Ye ken, I havenae been able to think of anythin' but ye in me shirt all this time," he said darkly, his voice a rumble of desire. "I want to see ye in it again."

She took a shuddering breath, her stomach quivering with need. "I dinnae have a léine to wear now—ye'll have to make do with me nightgown."

With a wicked smile, Adam stepped back from her. She immediately missed the warmth of his body and his woodsy scent.

She watched hungrily as he began to undress, her body rigid against the wall, unable to move or take her eyes off all that golden flesh as it was bared to her.

"Do ye like what ye see, lass? Or are ye still of a mind that I cannae touch ye?"

Her eyes ran over the scars on his arms as he removed his jacket and léine. His trews remained on, but he held his shirt out to her with a harsh need in his eyes that made her throat dry.

"Strip," he commanded, "and put this on."

Emily's back was pressed against the wall as she panted before him, trying to regain her composure. She had never been so aroused by a single word before, and the way he stood still, waiting for her to obey him, filled her with all-consuming need.

With shaking hands, she untied the sash around her robe and slid it off her shoulders. Adam came up to her, holding out his other hand for it, and she handed it to him.

She hesitated, knowing that if she removed her nightgown, she would be completely naked in front of him.

"I told ye to take it off. I willnae ask again."

His voice rippled across the space between them, enveloping her in a warm blanket of lust as she pulled the nightgown up and over her head, handing it to him and standing naked before him in the glow of the firelight.

His eyes roamed over her for a long time, the shirt held loosely in his hands as his tongue darted out to wet his lips.

She thought that he would simply throw his shirt aside and pull her to him, but instead, he handed it to her with a slow smile, and she pulled it hurriedly over her head.

His hand came up, and he placed his finger beneath her chin, tilting her face up toward his.

"Will ye beg me now, wife?" he asked. "I would have ye plead with me like ye did before."

"Never," she said firmly, and he gave her an answering smile.

She let out a cry of alarm as he lifted her into his arms and lowered her in front of the fireplace. She stood before the flames, frowning at him.

He proceeded to remove his trews. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the evidence of his desire quite plainly. Her lips parted as she watched it bob, long and proud just like the man himself. She imagined taking hold of it, and desire shot through her.

He was unashamed, and he took his time running his eyes over her before he stepped back and sat in the chair, utterly naked. His eyebrows rose as he looked at her impatiently.

"Come here," he said sternly, and Emily went. The bottom of his shirt brushed the tops of her thighs, and his eyes never left it. "Will ye let me touch ye, lass?" he asked.

Emily's body was trembling now, and she sucked in a breath as his fingers ghosted over her thigh toward the hem of the shirt, not quite touching her skin.

"I will have ye ask for this," he said, pulling her slowly toward him. "I will watch ye come apart for me, one plea at a time."

His fingers skimmed over her inner thigh, and she could not help the moan that broke free.

"Beg me, lass."

"Please," she whispered.

"Please what?"

"Touch me," she begged.

He pulled her forward, taking her mouth in a vicious kiss as she moaned against him.

His tongue thrust into her mouth, and he tasted her. His fingers moved up her inner thigh and touched her most intimate flesh, even as she was bent over him, her hands resting on his naked chest.

He pushed her back, and his fingers rubbed against her. She was standing before the fire, being pleasured by her husband, and it was a wonderful feeling. She was surprised at how eager she was for the night to progress.

His hand rested on her hips to keep her steady, and then his fingers began pushing forward and up into her body. She groaned as he kicked her legs further apart and then plunged inside her.

She let out a low cry as her hand came down to grip his wrist, holding herself against him, quivering with pleasure as he began to push his finger into her.

"Ye are beautiful like this, lass," he said, sitting forward and looking up at her as he continued to make her come apart for him. "Just think how it'll feel when I take ye."

Emily's head fell back as she bucked her hips again and again. Any shame she had felt was obliterated by pleasure as he kept his finger moving and slowly added a second one. She moved her legs further apart and felt him reach into her to the knuckle.

Her hand on his wrist guided him, and she began to push down against him wantonly.

Adam's breathing was harsh and unsteady as he took himself in his hand and began to stroke, his eyes dark and desperate.

"Let me," she begged.

He gently removed his hand from her body and sat back in his chair. Emily placed her hand on his heated flesh and stroked him as best she could.

His eyes closed as his hips rocked upward to meet her, and she could hardly bear the absence of his fingers inside her. She felt empty. How long until he touched her again?

"Take off the shirt," he commanded.

She pulled his shirt over her head as his hands gripped her thighs, pulling her roughly forward so she had no choice but to straddle him, her knees oneither side of his thighs.

She returned her hand to his length and quickened her strokes even as he groaned beneath her.

His hands smoothed over her stomach and cupped her breasts, and he leaned forward and sucked each nipple into his mouth. She threw her head back as he gently bit her sensitive peaks, and her hips lowered involuntarily, brushing against the tip of his member as he gasped against her.

Pushing her hand aside, he ran his fingers over her inner thigh again, moving her back so she was leaning away from him as his fingers entered her body for a second time. His eyes were black with lust as they both watched his fingers disappear inside her over and over again.

"I want ye," he bit out, his teeth bared as he fought against his intense desire. "I want ye more than I can say."

She cried out as he curled his fingers inside her, her hips bucking against him as she almost reached her peak.

Their bodies were so close now that she could feel his hard length brushing against her at every thrust. It would take only a tiny movement to have him push inside her, and then they would be joined together forever.

He pulled her against him, his mouth finding her breast again as she knelt above him, his hand working her flesh until she was crying out with every thrust.

She felt her peak beginning even as he lapped at her skin, and then, with a scream of agonized pleasure, she climaxed. Adam made a contented sound beneath her as she clenched around his fingers, the wave of release washing over her like a flood.

She collapsed against him, her hips lowering to his thighs as he held her gently in his arms. He pulled free, holding her against his heated skin and stroking her back.

Emily could feel the evidence of his release between them, and she shuddered again at the memory of what she had hoped he would do. She wanted them to be together that way more than anything.

She pulled back with a lazy smile, opening her mouth to speak, when suddenly there was a knock at the door.

Both of them froze, and Adam snarled.

"We are busy!" he shouted.

"M'Laird, I am sorry, but it is urgent!"

Adam looked up at Emily, and the concern on his face was immediate. "Theo."