Chapter 10

10

Liam couldn’t figure out if he was dreaming or if this was real. When he had lain down earlier, the bed had been cold to the touch and the loneliness he’d felt nearly drove him to seek out the warmth of a body laid next to his, even if it wasn’t the one he wanted. Now, he was overcome with bone-shattering need as he feasted from Alison’s lips. The kiss was unexpected. He had moved before thinking about it, unable to handle the pain in her voice or the hurt in her eyes as she pleaded with him to understand what she had done wrong. He hadn’t had the heart to explain his reasons for maintaining distance. Maybe it was the moon, the way it shone behind her, giving her a cooling halo that highlighted the curves he ached to touch.

“Liam,” Alison gasped as the passion swelled between them. She could hardly breathe with each molten kiss pressed against her lips. But she found she didn’t want to stop. Her hands gripped at him, fingertips digging into the naked skin of his back and shoulders as if trying to convince herself that this was real. Liam could feel the question in her touch, and he answered with firm touches of his own as he walked her backwards toward the bed.

“You are exquisite,” he whispered heatedly, his breath washing over her lips. He brought a hand up to cup her cheek, brushing his thumb over her kiss-bruised lips. Even in the dim light of the night, he could see how red they were and shiny with spit. They enticed him back, begging him to press against them again and he went willingly, resolve broken with the first touch.

Alison didn’t know what to make of his words. She wanted so desperately to believe, though, and so she threw herself into his touch with fervor. She snaked a hand into his wild tresses, enjoying the cool touch of them between her fingers. When his tongue slipped into her mouth, Alison moaned and gripped the strands. She answered the touch with her own tongue touching gingerly and then with renewed confidence. She didn’t have much experience with this, but she wanted so desperately to be good, to satisfy them both the way they needed.

Liam moved slowly, trying not to startle Alison as he peeled off her dress and maneuvered her to the bed. When their legs hit it, he lifted her, muscles bunching and then releasing as he sat her on top of the blankets he had so hastily thrown off. He moved them away, not wanting to have anything in the way. Once he set her down, Liam took a step back, peering down at her.

In the dim light of the night, Alison’s skin almost glowed. Liam almost pinched his leg to make sure he wasn’t still dreaming. Perhaps this was an elaborate ruse his mind dreamed up to help him deal with the fact that the one person he wanted, he couldn’t have.

“Why can’t you have me, Liam?” Alison asked softly. Her voice startled him from his reverie, and he realized he had been muttering to himself. Before he could get caught saying anything else, he climbed into the bed with her, lowering himself gingerly and giving her plenty of time to move away. When hands gripped at him again, pulling him even tighter into the hug of her soft breasts, Liam groaned loud and long. He was only a man. There was no way for him to fight against the warmth that called to him and even more, he didn’t want to fight. He wanted to give in and lose himself in the type of pleasure that could only be found with the woman he loved.

“Tonight, I don’t want to talk,” he replied, side-stepping her question on his quest to forget about anything outside this room right now. Out there, they were two people bound by the positions they found themselves in and the responsibilities they had to fulfill. But in this room under the cover of darkness and by the dim light of the moon, they were only Liam and Alison, husband and wife. They could have this tonight, and Liam could forgive himself for being weak enough to not keep his distance. “Tonight, I just want to see you flush with the pleasure that only my hands can bring.”

For a moment, Alison wanted to protest. She had questions and she wanted answers. But the way Liam was looking at her now had her blood on fire. She hadn’t been touched in so long, and her body was primed for his touch. Her skin yearned to feel his as they slid together letting passion take over. Clothes seemed to melt away and when Alison was finally entirely free of them, she lay still, fighting the urge to cover herself. She hadn’t been bare like this in front of anyone but her maids in years.

“Dinnae hide yourself from me, Alison,” Liam growled out, his voice making the air rumble around her. Alison gasped at the feeling as hands slid over her sides. They were rough in a way that had her shivering, and she bit her lip when their eyes connected. Liam’s were dark and lit with an inner fire that threatened to consume them both. Alison reached for him then, drawing him up to her and sliding down to the belt holding his kilt up. She could feel Liam’s heavy gaze on her as she willed her fingers to perform, but she kept her own down. She knew if she looked up, she might lose her nerve.

Finally, the belt was undone, and the fabric slowly slipped down, getting caught for a brief moment on the push of flesh it covered. Only then did she look up into Liam’s eyes. He hadn’t looked away before and he didn’t now. His hands took over, sliding the material down until, like Alison, he was completely bare. Only then did he lean over and slowly crawl his way over her body.

The air between them was charged, and Alison swore she could see the steam rolling off of them as they came together again. Liam was larger than he had been years ago, and he covered her completely, creating a warm cocoon that contained only them. The only sounds Alison could hear were the slick smacks of their lips as they kissed again, tasting each other’s mouths in stops and starts. The darkness amplified the sounds from the rustling of the sheets under her to the soft scratches of their wandering hands. She wanted more than she had ever wanted before, and the vestiges of her previous dream had her nearly falling over the edge as soon as she felt the whisper of touch at the apex of her thighs.

“Liam,” she said, her fingers digging into his back as syrupy waves of pleasure slid over her body. Alison’s thighs were spread, and she opened them willingly. Liam fell between them like a man half-starved, his hands lighting fire after fire against her skin. When he entered her body, Alison couldn’t stop the loud moan that rained down from her lips. The feeling was indescribable, and she grasped onto Liam as if he would move and leave her unfulfilled.

Liam had no thoughts as he sank into Alison’s perfect heat. He couldn’t understand how he had lived without this for the past three years. None of the other women he’d bedded in that time could ever compare to her. Alison’s touch was like a balm to his wounded soul, and each cry of pleasure he coaxed from between her lips was like an absolution. The night was the only witness to how he trembled in her hold before kissing her again to smother his own gasping moans. Together they moved as one, bodies contorting in frenzied pleasure as if the sun would somehow ruin the moment.

Liam felt a sting against his back, nails that dug in a little too hard. Alison’s body tightened and when she flung her head back, her mouth wide open as she cried out, he bit kisses into her neck. The skin was softer than the finest silk, and that balance of pleasure and pain between them had him following her headlong into pleasure. Lights exploded behind his eyelids and without looking, he gripped Alison’s neck, bringing their lips together again. Kisses were traded frantically until, like a switch, they both relaxed back against the bed. Their lips slowed, moving together in a sluggish dance as they let themselves drift away into the night.

Morning light spilled into the bedroom, casting soft shadows across the wool bedspread. Alison blinked awake, her eyes adjusting to the brightness as she tried to remember where she was. The angle of light was all wrong for her bed and with a start, she realized where she was. Her mind woke then, helpfully recalling every touch and taste from the night before, when she found pleasure with Liam for the first time in years. She turned to her right, instinctively reaching out for him, expecting to feel his warm skin, but the space beside her was cold and empty. Her heart sank as she realized she was alone in the bed. The room was silent, save for the distant call of a rooster heralding in the dawn. A shiver ran through her—not from the chill in the air, but from the gnawing worry that had settled within her.

“Where are you, Liam?” she whispered, her voice trembling in the stillness. Last night had given her such hope, but now in the light of day, she was wondering if she had given in too eagerly. Had she tricked herself into believing that the way he touched her suggested a change in their relationship? Liam had looked at her with so much yearning that even she could see it. She had clung to it as eagerly as she clung to his arms as they found heaven in one another. But now she had been so rudely slammed back to earth that she wondered if she had imagined something that wasn’t there.

Alison swung her legs over the side of the bed, her bare feet meeting the cool stone floor. With a heavy heart, she stood and made her way through the dimly lit bedroom, the scent of damp earth and pleasure lingering in the air. The fire had died down to embers, and the hearth was cold. She felt the familiar ache of disappointment as she looked around, hoping he might be gathering breakfast or otherwise preparing for the day ahead. Instead, the only sounds filtering into the room were the faint rustle of wind outside the window and the creak of the old timbers as servants walked by the door.

Alison leaned against the rough-hewn table, her thoughts drifting back to the night of passion that should have put her mind at ease. She gazed out the small window at the mist rolling over the hills, the lush green of the landscape a stark contrast to the storm brewing in her chest. A tear escaped, rolling down her cheek as she recalled the warmth of Liam’s touch and the heat of his words whispered into her ear. All were now a distant memory.