Extended Epilogue

Six Months Later

"If that is the last of the business, then the meetin' is concluded," Adam said loudly from the head of the table.

Emily hid a smile—if they let Lucas continue speaking, they would be there all night.

Slowly, the men around them shuffled their papers together and rose from their chairs. Adam caught her eye, and she had to fight even harder not to laugh.

Adam remained seated as the men all left the room, and Emily frowned at him, feeling a tension in the air that had not been there before.

"What are ye thinkin' of, husband?" she asked gently.

Adam's brow was furrowed, and he drummed his fingers on the table thoughtfully. Emily waited, knowing that he would voice whatever was troubling him when he was ready.

"I am goin' to get Laura back," he said finally.

Emily nodded. "I wondered whether it had to do with that. She is still refusin' to return?"

"She is. But I want me sister back here with me. It has been so many months. I worry that she isnae well but is sayin' she is so we dinnae worry."

"It seems that the healer is caring for her, and she has taught her the craft. That is a useful skill."

Adam frowned further. "Laura is a lady of Clan MacNiall—she doesnae need to learn a craft."

"It isnae about need, but about usefulness, and havin' someone skilled in healin' is always good for a clan."

"Maybe ye are right. I just hope she will agree to return with me," he replied apprehensively.

"How long will it take?" Emily asked, her worry rising as she thought of how far he would have to travel.

"I would think about a month," Adam said carefully. He met her gaze, his eyes guilty and sad. "That is a long time to be gone from… me clan."

Emily chuckled. "I kenned they would be the priority, nae me."

She let out a dramatic sigh, and Adam rose to his feet, pulling her up from her chair.

"I havenae been apart from ye for more than a week since we got married."

"I can imagine ye must be very tired of me then," she replied gaily. "Maybe a month away from each other will be a good thing. Perhaps I shall invite Doughall to stay."

Adam growled low in his throat, and she yelped as he lifted her and kissed her fiercely, her feet dangling a foot above the floor. When he put her down, she was breathless and flustered.

"Dinnae joke about that, or I shall tie ye to the bed for the entire month so ye cannae leave."

"Ye always say ye will, but ye never have," she said casually but didn't like the twinkle in his eyes. She sobered quickly, however, when she thought of the reality of what he had said. "A month is a long time."

"Aye, I wouldnae do it if I had any other choice, but I need to ken she is alright. The letters arenae enough."

"I understand," Emily said gently, putting her arms around his big body. "When will ye leave?"

"In a couple of days, I would expect. I will take Theo with me. He has been itchin' for a journey longer than a few miles. He loves sleepin' under the stars. Strange fellow."

Emily pulled away, about to leave the room and head to dinner when his arms tightened around her.

"Before I go, I have somethin' to show ye," he said cryptically.

Emily frowned, looking up at him in confusion. "What do ye mean?"

"Come, I was goin' to save it for another time, but now is as good as any."

He took her hand in his and walked out of the council chambers and up the back stairs.

***

"Whatever are we doin' here?" Emily asked as they emerged into the beige corridor with the tapestries all over the walls.

"Ye will see," he said, looking back at her and pulling her toward the passage door.

"Are ye taking me to me death again?" she asked suspiciously as he chuckled.

He led her toward the torchlight behind the walls and down the many winding paths to their final destination.

It had taken many months to prepare it, and he only hoped that she loved it as much as he did.

"This is a room that hasnae been used for a long time," he said as they reached a small oak door with a snake carved into the wood. "It is where me grandfaither had a study many years ago, away from prying eyes and ears."

"Have ye brought me here to do paperwork?" Emily asked.

"See for yerself," he said, excitement bubbling in his chest as she opened the door and the room was revealed to her.

"Oh, Adam," she breathed. "It is beautiful."

As they entered, Adam was pleased to see everything was just as he had planned. Two glasses of wine were waiting for them, and a thick rug had been laid before the fireplace. Two armchairs were on either side of it, and banners adorned the walls.

It was a small space but extremely cozy, and Emily walked around, enraptured and exclaiming how much she loved everything he had placed within it.

"I thought it could be our little haven away from everyone if we ever need space to ourselves," he continued. "This is just for us. There are two keys to the door. Yers and mine."

Emily spun around on the spot, her arms outstretched as she looked around. "It's wonderful," she said with a grin.

She squeaked as he pulled her into his arms, throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her to the fireplace, just as he had done on their first wedding night.

He lowered her to the ground, holding her tightly against him. "I am afraid, as yer Laird, I will command ye to bid me farewell before I leave."

"Are ye goin' to put me in yer léine again?"

"Nae this time, lass. All of yer clothes are comin' off."

He proceeded to make good on that promise, peeling all of the layers of clothing and the endless yards of fabric off her.

Emily stood before him, her curvaceous form silhouetted in the firelight, and Adam began removing his clothes.

He loved the way she watched him so hungrily as he took them off and discarded them carelessly on the floor.

"Lie on the rug," he commanded, feeling a thrill as she did so without question. "Ye are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Emily let out a sigh as she settled on the rug. "This floor is freezin'," she complained, and he lowered himself over her, straddling her hips just to watch her tremble for him.

"Well, I shall warm ye up, then," he replied, his hands running down her legs, pushing her thighs apart.

He hissed as her cold fingers encircled his hard length, and she laughed.

"See? I told ye it was cold."

"Damn ye, woman," he protested. "Ye can do that as long as ye like if it'll make ye warm."

She sat up, stroking him until he groaned, his fingers moving between her legs in turn and pleasuring her as she pleasured him.

Finally, he could stand it no longer and pushed her hand aside.

"Hands above yer head. I made ye a promise, remember?"

She complied but frowned at him. "What promise was that?"

He rose and walked to a cabinet at the back of the room, returning with some thick ribbon that he had placed there for this very moment.

"I told ye I would tie ye up for a month. I have half a mind to leave ye here so I can come back and have me way with ye whenever I please." Emily's eyes went wide with need. "Aye, I thought ye'd like that."

He tied the ribbon around her wrists and then secured it against the chair leg above her head. She pulled on it experimentally, but it didn't move.

"Alright?" he asked, and she nodded, looking desperate.

He lowered himself to the floor, watching her eyes follow him all the way down between her legs. She groaned as he began lapping at her folds, beginning to writhe beneath him already.

"We are a long way from the rest of the castle, wife of mine. I want to hear ye scream."

As he probed with his tongue and pushed his thumb inside, Emily writhed beneath him, cries of pleasure falling from her mouth, loud and unrestrained.

Adam pushed two fingers inside her next, and she grunted as he began to thrust, wishing he was already seated inside her, stroking himself as he stared down at her.

Finally, Adam pushed up onto his knees, positioning himself between her legs. She looked down at him and opened them wider as he pushed home with a grunt of satisfaction.

Emily did scream then, pulling against the ribbon that secured her hands as he lowered himself over her and took her mouth. He played with her tongue at the same rhythm as his hips, and she groaned and shuddered beneath him.

"Ye will remember this when I am away from ye," he said fiercely, with a vicious thrust that made her wild with pleasure. "Ye will think of me through the nights alone, and by the time I return, I will spend days inside ye, remindin' ye of what ye have missed."

"Yes!" Emily cried, her hands clenching above her head as his mouth moved to her breasts, sucking on the stiff peaks as she screamed her release into the world.

A few short thrusts later, he found his own climax, groaning as the pleasure flooded through him. He collapsed on top of her, the warmth of the fire heating them as they lay there together.

For a long time, Emily lay beneath him, running her fingers through his hair, but Adam could tell that she had something on her mind.

"What is it?" he asked, gently rolling away from her and pulling a woolen blanket over them.

"What if I were to accompany ye?" Emily asked eventually. "I dinnae want to be alone for so long."

Adam nuzzled her neck, kissing the length of it. "And what of the clan?" he asked.

"Yer maither could manage the council. She always did when yer faither was absent. We could have an adventure together."

"We will be sleepin' outside in the cold," Adam said, reverently running a hand over her belly. "Are ye sure ye would wish to do that?"

"If ye are there, I would."

Adam grinned. "Well," he said thoughtfully, "I shall have to let all the lasses on the road ken that I am spoken for."

She hit him on the chest, none too gently. "Do they nae ken that already?"

He chuckled and pulled her into his arms. "What lasses?" he whispered, and she rolled her eyes at him.

"I love ye," he said, kissing her softly. "I never believed I could love anyone so much, why would I need anyone else?"

"I love ye, Adam Kane. And I always will," she said contentedly and then laughed as he rolled on top of her again.

"I think I'll remind ye one more time, just in case ye change yer mind."

The End.