Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

T he throbbing pain in his shoulder woke Edan from a deep slumber. Blinking his eyes open, his gaze fell upon Caitlyn. Clearly, she had sat with him during the night, and exhausted, had laid her head on the bed and now slept. But even in her unconsciousness, she still held his hand in hers.

His heart welled with love at her thoughtfulness, and he smiled. She had not left him, even being as tired as she was. The smile faded as his thoughts moved to the arrow, and the note that had been attached to it. Laird MacTavish was not giving up, but that had come as no surprise.

In fact, what really surprised him was why the bastard had taken so long to attack. He may have lost his advantage when Edan and Caitlyn had escaped, but Edan had seen MacTavish's seething anger. The man was determined to wreak revenge on Clan Macmillan, and more so, Laird Conor MacMillan.

Swiping the laird from his mind, Edan brought his attention back to Caitlyn. She could not remain there all night. Nor could he, for that matter. They both needed to get some proper sleep in their own beds.

"Caitlyn," he whispered, moving his hand back and forth to rouse her. "Caitlyn."

She groaned as she woke, moving her body slowly, for clearly the unusual and likely, uncomfortable position, had made her muscles stiff. With a great big stretch, she eventually raised her head and looked at him.

Her eyes widened with concern. "Are ye all right?"

"All the better fer seeing ye," he said softly.

She smiled up at him, and he smiled back.

"I think we should both get back tae the castle. We could dae with some proper rest."

Once Edan was on his feet, they quietly left the cottage, so as not to disturb the healer. Outside in the courtyard, they could see a pale, thin light glowing in the distance as night dissolved, and the hours before sunrise arrived.

"My god, it's nearly dawn," Caitlyn said.

"Aye. Nae sooner will we get intae bed, we'll have tae rise again," Edan joked.

As he ventured across the courtyard toward the castle, he realized his body had tricked him somewhat, for he did not feel just as steady on two legs as he had done lying in the bed. Seeing him stumbling a little, Caitlyn wrapped her arm around his waist and steadied him as he swayed from side to side.

"Ye should've stayed with the healer," she said, breathing heavier with the effort.

"I'm fine."

"Aye. I can see that," she quipped back.

"It's just the effects of the laudanum. It'll wear off soon enough."

Passing the guards who stood alert throughout the castle, clearly more on edge since the attack, they made their way up to Edan's bedchamber. Once inside, Caitlyn pulled back the heavy furs and coverlets and lowered him onto the bed. She knelt down and removed his socks and boots, before lifting his legs onto it.

"I'm nae a cripple, ye ken. The wound is in me shoulder, nae me legs."

"Will ye just stop complaining and let me help ye," Caitlyn countered.

"Only if ye stay a while," he said, patting the space in the bed beside him.

He watched her look dubiously at the spot, doubt flickering across her face.

"I'm injured, Caitlyn. Remember?"

He was not that injured, but he could only hope that stating such a thing would tip her decision. He was delighted to see that it did, and committing herself, she walked to the other side of the bed. Hitching her frock up, she clambered beside him, but while he was beneath the coverlets, Caitlyn remained above them.

For a while, they both sat there and said nothing. The silence was not uncomfortable. They both appeared lost and absorbed in their own thoughts. Edan was thinking of all the ways he had hurt Caitlyn over the years, from the days they were children to then.

Thinking about their many conversations as they had been held captive, Aengus Lamont popped into his head. She had asked him why he had broken the betrothal, and at the time, he had said that he didn't want to tell her. But things were different now.

"I am sorry fer hurting ye so many times, Caitlyn," he said. "Fer the most part, it was fer selfish reasons, tae protect me own heart. On other occasions, however, it was necessary."

"What other times?" she said.

"Aengus Lamont," Edan said plainly. "I was trying tae protect ye even then, but I realize now, I hurt ye anyway."

Caitlyn repositioned herself so she was turned toward him. "Will ye tell me now, why ye did it?"

"There's nae point in keeping it from ye any longer." He shrugged, and then winced. The laudanum was wearing off, and the wound was painful again.

"Be careful," Caitlyn said worriedly.

"I'm fine. So, Lamont. I found out, during yer courting days, that ye were nae the only lass in Aengus's life. Word came tae me that he had a mistress. Nae one tae take gossip on face value, I did some discovering o' me own. What I found out was worse than I had, at first, imagined. This lass was nae just a woman he saw here and there, but a woman he kept. It also came tae light that his reasoning was likely because she was with his child."

Caitlyn's jaws dropped as Edan was speaking.

"Aye. Nae quite the gentleman ye thought he was, is he? I found out, through maids and guards, that he had nae intention o' sending her away if he married ye. That's what made me blood boil even more. And so, I had tae dae it." He shrugged.

"I couldnae imagine ye marrying him, being completely oblivious tae this other life he had, and then discovering that afterwards. Nae only would ye have felt like a fool, ye would have been trapped. Besides," Edan continued, softening his tone a little, "ye deserve far better than tae be treated like that, Caitlyn."

"So ye told him he had tae stop coming tae see me," Caitlyn confirmed.

"I told him that if he didnae stop coming tae see ye, I'd kill him and cause great trouble tae his clan. He was about tae ask yer faither fer yer hand in marriage. I couldnae let that happen. O' course, I told yer faither everything. I also told Lamont tae blame me."

"But why?" Caitlyn gasped. "Why didnae ye tell me back then?"

"I didnae want ye tae discover the truth. I didnae want yer heart tae be broken, or fer ye tae believe ye'd been played fer a fool. I kent ye were besotted with him, Caitlyn. It was better fer ye tae blame me, tae be angry with me, than fer ye tae discover he was sleeping around town and country, fathering god only kens how many bastard children."

"I wasnae besotted with him," Caitlyn said.

"Och, o' course ye were. I saw it in yer eyes."

"Nae, Edan. That's how I acted when ye were there. It's what I wanted ye tae think. Ye teased and taunted me so much, I just didnae want tae give ye any more fuel fer yer ongoing fire."

Her words made him feel bad, but he struggled to truly believe her. "Ye were always so delighted tae see him. Ye used tae wait on him eagerly when he came tae visit. How can ye say ye didnae love him?"

Caitlyn shrugged. "Because I didnae. We had much in common, we got on well, and I respected him. But it was naething more. I didnae feel anything like…" she trailed off.

Edan watched her cheeks redden, as though she was embarrassed with what she was going to say, but he was too curious not to push for the truth.

"Anything like?" he pressed.

She hesitated and seemed to struggle, but eventually, she said, "Anything like I feel fer ye," she breathed. "Before ye, I hadnae experienced such intense depth o' emotion, and there are times me heart simply overwhelms me."

A warm feeling rushed through him and his heart swelled with delight at her words. "I couldnae have put it any better mesel'."

Caitlyn leaned towards him and brushed her lips against his. It was such a soft and tender kiss, Edan gasped at the delicateness of it. She did not linger, and when she pulled away from him, her cheeks were that same soft pink hue as before.

"I want tae be with ye, Caitlyn. Nae matter what that means. I've discovered, I dinnae want tae live me life without ye in it."

Edan threaded his fingers through her hair, pressed his hand to the back of her head, and pulled her toward him. His lips caressed her cheek, gentle tender kisses on her soft skin. Each kiss eliciting a tiny gasp from her.

"I want ye, Caitlyn," he breathed. "I've wanted ye fer so very long."

He shifted his weight, ignoring the fiery pain in his shoulder. He trailed kisses down her neck, over her collar bone, until he reached the bouncy skin of her bosom.

Reaching his hand down, he pulled her frock up at the front, slipping his hand beneath it until his fingers felt the soft skin of her thigh. Caitlyn was breathing much deeper now, and bringing his mouth back to hers, he kissed her with the hunger that he had suppressed for years. While his tongue roved about, tasting, flicking, exploring, his hand moved slowly up her thigh. His fingers made tiny circles on her skin as he moved further, until eventually, Caitlyn opened her legs wider. A silent invitation for him to continue.

When he finally reached the very apex of her thighs, he felt her oozing slickness on his fingers. Caitlyn gasped and a tiny squeal escaped from her lips.

"Och, ye're so wet, Caitlyn. Ye're so ready fer me."

Wetting his fingers with her juices, he found the tiny nub at the top of her folds. Caitlyn jerked at his touch, swiftly sucking in air. His fingertips rubbed back and forth, slowly at first, allowing her to feel every sensation of his touch.

"Oh, god," she panted. "Oh, god."

"That's it, Caitlyn. Feel it. Feel yer body climbing fer me. I want ye tae feel more pleasure than ye've ever felt before."

He felt her grabbing at his clothes as her body tensed and squirmed beneath his touch. Her hips writhed, and sensing she was ready, he moved his fingers faster.

"Oh, oh," she cried, now panting for breath.

"I want tae taste ye, but nae yet. First, I want ye tae give yersel' tae me," he growled.

His manhood was now as hard as rock, and the overwhelming urge to plunge himself into her was nearly overpowering. But he could wait. This was her first time. He knew that. He wanted it to be the first time of many, but for now, he was drinking in all her tiny reactions. It drove him crazy and only made him want her more.

Her body stiffened beneath him, and he knew she was close. Just a little further, and she would feel that exhilarating explosion of euphoria rush across her body. His fingers remained expertly in place, and then suddenly, it happened.

"Oh, me god," she squealed.

"Och, me love," he growled.

Beneath him, her body convulsed as she panted and gripped him tightly. Her whole body shook for several seconds, and with a smile, he watched her slowly relax.

"I want ye, Caitlyn," he breathed huskily. "I want ye so much. Will ye let me?"

She gazed up at him, her eyes soft, her face flushed, and her bosom softly rising up and down. And then, she nodded. "I want ye, too."

Those words could not have sounded sweeter, and without hesitation, Edan pushed himself up in the bed. Removing the clothing from his waist down, he took Caitlyn by the arm and helped her to straddle him.

"Ye're in control, Caitlyn. I'll try nae tae hurt ye too much, but it will hurt a little."

"All right," she breathed nervously.

With her legs either side of his waist, she hitched up her frock, and between them, she positioned herself over him. Edan grabbed his thick, throbbing manhood and guided it inside of her.

His eyes rolled back with the soft, warm wetness that surrounded him. "Oh, Caitlyn," he growled.

"What dae I dae?" she whispered shyly.

With a hand on either side of her waist, Edan gently pushed her down.

"Oh," she cried, surprised and delighted.

He did it again, bringing her lower onto him this time. The sensation was even more intoxicating than he could ever have imagined. Her slow rise and fall, over and over.

Soon enough, Caitlyn knew what she had to do, and taking control, lowered herself down and then up again at a steady pace. As the tension built, Edan struggled not to thrust himself inside her, but instead, he rose his hips to meet her gently.

With desire in her eyes, Caitlyn moved her hips in time with his, going deeper at each descent. But Edan could hold back no more, and grabbing her buttocks, he pulled her down onto him while thrusting his hips up.

"Ah," Caitlyn cried.

Her face was a mixture of pleasure and pain, but Edan did not stop. He wanted her so badly. He wanted to be deep inside her at every thrust. As he continued, he could feel her tightening around him, and knew she was rising again.

"That's it, Caitlyn. Come with me. Come with me, me love."

With her hands now resting heavily on his muscular stomach, she seemed to lose herself. Her eyes were closed, and she looked like she was in some sort of trance. Their bodies now moved as one, and Edan could feel the tension building, higher and higher. He thrust into her again and again, grunting and panting, desperately wanting their bodies to join in this experience of euphoria.

He held on until he felt her pulsing around his erectness, and when Caitlyn cried out once more, he let himself go fully, roaring with ecstasy as he emptied himself into her. With those final thrusts, he gave her every last drop, and when it was all over, Caitlyn collapsed onto his chest, exhausted and panting, her body slick with their efforts.