Chapter 14

"We should nae stay out here for tae long," Ian murmured. Lucy nodded, her lips scorched by his kiss. She broke her gaze from his and glanced around, suddenly worried that someone would discover them. She nodded gently and allowed Ian to pull her back into the shop. Ian took her hand, but instead of leading her down into the basement or into the room he had assigned to her, he took her to his bedroom. There was a fireplace which he lit, telling her to sit beside it because she was cold. They sank down onto a rug and turned towards each other. Lucy's mind was a whirl with desire and sensation.

"I thought I was gaeing tae be discovered. I thought all this would be over," she said, her voice trembling.

"Ye are safe, Rory and I spread plenty of rumors sae the guards should nae look for ye, at least only in the wrong place. Ye should be safe, whenever ye decide tae leave."

Lucy nodded and stared at the flames, wondering if, perhaps, she should stay after all. "Ye are a strange man, Ian. One moment I think ye want tae push the entire world away, but the next ye are kissing me. Dae ye kiss many women?" she asked, her gaze flashing towards him.

"Nae, lass. Ye are the first in a long time," he said, his eyes flickering with raw emotion. "And the first for it tae mean anything."

"Ye are the first man I hae ever kissed. I always thought that life was an endless thing, but being here has taught me that actually it's quite fragile, and the things we want are nae necessarily gaeing tae last forever. It's important tae make each moment count."

"Aye, lass. Yer hands are freezing. Ye were out in the cold for tae long," he said, taking her hands in his. Her small curled fingers disappeared, swallowed up by his large hands. The fire was crackling wildly now, and she didn't feel cold at all.

"I've been in the cold for my entire life, only when I'm with ye hae I feel a fire blaze within me," her voice dropped. It was barely above a whisper. He rubbed her hands, his long fingers stroking her, passing warmth from him to her.

"And when I'm with ye, I can feel something inside me melting."

"Why hae ye isolated yerself, Ian? Why hae ye closed yerself off tae the world?"

"Because the world is a hard place, sae I needed tae become harder. I hae lost people before, and I knew that if I ever felt like I was falling in love, I would only end up losing them as well. It dinnae seem worth the pain."

"Then why kiss me?"

He bowed his head as he placed gentle kisses around her hands. They were the only part of her that was still cold, but that was changing rapidly. She smiled as she looked down at him, his features illuminated in the soft light of the fire. He was beautiful in a savage, strong way, as though all the qualities of what a man should be were distilled into him.

"Because I hae lost ye already. Because yer destiny lies away from this place, and I cannae dae anything tae change that. If ye stay here, ye will eventually be captured. But the only thing worse than losing ye would be tae watch ye leave without giving intae these feelings. I need ye, lass," his breath was like daggers in the air. He lunged for her and kissed her madly, and she kissed back with equal force. Their lips smacked against each other as he let go of her hands and ran his fingers through her hair. It felt as though the fire spilled out and engulfed the entire room, such was the ferocity of the heat within her. His broad body pushed her back and she allowed herself to ride the wave of these feelings.

She sank to the rug, a mess of limbs, his weight upon her. Soft moans erupted from her mouth. He kissed around her neck and throat, pulling her clothes away as though he were a ravenous animal in search of his next meal. He moaned her name and whispered secret things, while she groaned as well, the pleasure within her twisting and knotting until it burst out of her in a soaring, squeaking sound. Everything was a blur as they pushed their clothes away, suddenly naked, and she was there, running her hands along his body, admiring the broad chest, the taut muscles, this form of him that had been forged day in and day out by hard work. His neck was thick, his stomach tight, muscles rippling down. It touched something deep inside her, some instinct that wanted a man like this, a man who had been shaped by the world like a mountain, who stood tall and endured the storms of life.

His scent whirled in the air around her, and her hands looked so small against his body. Her gaze dropped, and her breath was stolen as she saw that rumored thing, his manhood, hard and long, pressing against her thigh. She reached down and curled her fingers around it, stroking it lightly, and was surprised by the intensity of the sounds that emanated from Ian. He squeezed her tightly, responding to her touch. Warm breath poured over her, making her tingle. His kisses trailed in between her breasts, before he dragged his lips and tongue across the soft, rising curves, before taking them entirely in his mouth and sucking on them. Lucy arched her neck back, fully surrendering to the pleasure now, casting aside all sense of nobility and modesty. She wanted to fling herself into the world, to follow her instincts and do this because she wanted it, not because it was deemed appropriate for her.

She ran her hands through his hair, watching him as he descended her body, taking his kisses with him, all the way to the depths of her as her legs parted for him. She bent her body like a bow. Firelight spilled over her, making the beads of sweat glisten, while Ian lay between her legs. His tongue and fingers worked artfully, instructing her on the ways of love, opening herself up to pleasure that she had never imagined before. He touched the very deepest parts of her, and she ran her hands all over her body, feeling herself melt because of him. Her mouth was wide as the pleasure rose and rose, while the fire crackled, as though the passion they shared was actually feeding the fire, as though the entire world was going to be set ablaze.

It all crashed through her in one thrashing, bestial fury. She shuddered as it poured out of her, but she barely had a chance to understand what was happening as Ian took her wrists and pulled her up. She was groggy, and her arms draped over his shoulders. He kissed her again, his lips tingling with sweetness. He sat back and pulled her onto him, wrapping a strong arm around her back, placing a hand against her spine. Strands of hair brushed against his fingertips. She spread her legs over him, straddling him, looking down at his body, flushed with raw strength. There was a hard look in his eyes, and all she wanted was to bring out this softness in him, this kindness that she knew lay in the depths of him like lost treasure. She kissed him softly, catching his lips in hers, letting hers linger against him. She smiled slowly and nuzzled her forehead against him. She could feel beads of sweat passing between them, trickling like morning dew.

Then he pulled her closer, shifting his hips so that she was sitting as close to him as possible. He grunted as she could feel him, insistent and penetrating. She adjusted her hips, sliding against him, her natural instincts taking the lead as this was all new to her, but any apprehension was burned away by the sheer lust that careened through her. Lucy then whimpered as she felt their bodies come together. Pain blurred with pleasure in this sweet moment as she gave into her most primal feelings. She leaned against him, burying her face in the crook of his neck, while his hands fell down to squeeze her thighs. Then, he started to rock her back and forth and new sensations became alive within her, wild, frantic things that reached into the deepest parts of her and made her realize that she could be so much more than she initially thought.

The world rocked around her and soon enough she fell into the rhythm, pushing herself against his strong body, watching his muscles tense, his face twist, but then she looked into his eyes, and she saw an endless sea of love and affection, a lost soul that was yearning for some connection, and she understood that all this time he had just been scared. His bluster and his aggression were borne from a deep fear to never be alone again, and she wished she could have promised him that she would save him. She wanted to protect him like he had protected her, but that would have to wait. It would all have to wait because she was losing herself to something wondrous, something passionate, waves of delight that were passing through her again and again. Her skin sizzled and every touch of his brought forth a bloom of intense, hedonistic pleasure.

She kissed him hard as she could feel the tension rising between them, as the fire engulfed them and they threw themselves into the burning flames of their love. She felt something else possessing her, some ethereal force that was being unleashed because of him. Every thrust, every kiss, every nibbling bite took hold of her. He kissed her breasts and chest, his hands roaming about her body. She was losing herself to him, and he was losing himself to her. They were blending together, creating something new, eliciting crazed feelings of passion that somehow Lucy understood would never have been achieved with anyone else. The rest of her life could be a bleak, miserable picture, for everything would fade in comparison to this moment with Ian. She would never reach the same heights again, so she enjoyed every moment, felt every rush of flickering passion, and surrendered to the climax, melting all over him in a pool of liquid sweetness that was as delicious as honey and as beautiful as melted gold. Her hair was matted to her face and she was physically stuck to him as they breathed heavily in each other"s ears. He wouldn't let her go and dragged her to his bed, where she wished she could spend the rest of eternity.

* * *

Ian lay awake.Lucy slept beside him. Her head was buried in the pillow, turned away from him. He gazed at the shape of her back, entranced by the shapely curves. The fire had died to embers, but the one in his heart still burned, and he was mad at himself because of it. Years of control and discipline had been swept away by her, yet did he regret it? Not for a second. Of all the women he had come across over the years with their beguiling smiles and playful eyes, she was the one he could not pull himself away from.

He was just going to have to accept the pain that was inevitably going to come.

As his thoughts turned to the future, he also thought about the men who had come to destroy the forge. He had always tried to be cautious, but now it seemed that people he cared about might get hurt because of the distillery. What if they had found Lucy? What if they attacked Rory while he was running errands for Ian? He clenched his jaw and knew that something had to change. He just wasn't quite sure what.