Chapter 23

Aaden's mouth was shockingly hot against Lilith's skin as he kissed down her neck, a stark contrast to the cold air around them and to his hands, which still carried some of the chill of the storm, sending shivers down her spine as they brushed over the patch of bare skin on her shoulder.

There was a small voice in the back of her head which told her she should be wary of him and his promises, but she had no reason to doubt him now. Everything he had told her added up—it explained all the lies, all the hiding. How could she doubt the tears he had shed for his mother? How could she doubt him when he seemed to be in such anguish over all of this?

Maybe what she was doing was unwise, but there was no stopping the flood of want that coursed through her every time he touched her, the feel of his hands exhilarating even over the blanket that separated them.

Conflicting emotions reached a rolling boil inside Lilith, but out of them all, it was lust which stood out, winning over the rest. She reached for Aaden, pulling him closer and kissing him again, pressing their bodies together, desperate to feel him close. She let the blanket fall off her shoulders and pool around her waist, and Aaden gasped at the sight of her, his fingers trailing a gentle path down her skin until they found her nipples, rolling the hardened nubs until he drew a soft moan out of her. Lowering his head, he pulled one of them in his mouth, sucking gently on her sensitive skin, and Lilith arched into the heat of it, her body seeking more.

As Aaden grazed his teeth over her nipple, sending a jolt of arousal through Lilith, his hands found her hips and he pulled her in his lap and kissed her, the two of them moving languidly against each other. Molten heat gathered in Lilith's core, her lust for him coating already her thighs. The uncomfortable scratch of his sodden clothes only added to the sensations, heightening her pleasure as she pressed herself even closer, her legs wrapping tightly around his waist in a mirror of her arms around his neck.

It wasn't enough, though. She needed to touch, to feel his skin under her palms with nothing to separate them any longer, and so her hands tore at his shirt, all but ripping it off him before tossing it aside.

Aaden chuckled against her lips, the sound soft and fond. "Ye'll be the death o' me."

"Dinnae die yet," Lilith said, drawing another chuckle out of him, one that soon turned into a moan when she trailed kisses down his jaw and neck, her hands splayed over the expanse of his back.

Aaden was impatient as he grabbed her and laid her on the floor over the blanket, making quick work of the rest of his clothes until they were both naked. He draped himself over her body, slotting his hips between her legs as he sucked on the junction of her neck and shoulder, prompting moan after moan to fall from Lilith's lips. In their few couplings, he had quickly learnt what it was she enjoyed the most, where she was the most sensitive, and now he was taking full advantage of that knowledge to tease her and drive her insane with need.

His fingers traced a path over her torso, the light touches as delightful as they were maddening, making her skin erupt in goosebumps. He ran them back and forth over her, slow and teasing, stopping just over her mound before moving back up and never touching her where she wanted to feel him the most. Lilith whined in frustration, hips tilting in a silent plea for Aaden to give her the pleasure she craved, but he only smiled, terribly pleased with himself and the state to which he had brought Lilith.

"Aaden, please," she said, her fingers threading through his hair and forcing his head up so he had no choice but to look at her. He moaned softly at the tug, his manhood twitching against Lilith's thigh, and she raised a curious eyebrow at him, repeating the gesture just to hear him moan again.

The sound he made was thin and needy, and his hips snapped against Lilith's as he tried to find some relief. It was Aaden who was impatient now, spurred on by Lilith's hands in his hair, and it made Lilith's blood run even hotter in return, his lust feeding her own.

She could hardly believe she had the power to reduce him to this, but then again, he held the same power over her. She could see the appeal now of being in the giving end of teasing. There were few things more erotic than listening to him fall apart, knowing it was all because of her.

I am doin' this tae him. It's because o' me that he is makin' those sounds.

It was enough to embolden Lilith, as it didn't seem to matter to Aaden that she was less experienced than his previous partners. He only wanted her, just the way she was.

Slowly, with kisses just as teasing as his touches, Aaden made his way down her torso before pressing a kiss to each of her hips. His breath ghosted over her mound and the anticipation of a firmer touch had Lilith shivering, legs falling open on their own accord as Aaden threw them over his shoulders, his arms curling around them to keep her in place.

The first swipe of his tongue over her folds had Lilith's back arching off the blanket, her body instantly demanding more. Aaden chuckled against her and the sound reverberated through her, the vibration only adding to the pleasurable sensations. He continued to tease her, his lips barely brushing over her again and again, only the tip of his tongue making full contact whenever Aaden wanted to draw another gasping breath from her.

Lilith braced herself on her forearms, watching him. When their gazes met, Aaden finally gave her what she wanted, pressing his tongue firmly against her until her body collapsed on the floor once more, head thrown back in ecstasy. When the slick heat of it breached her, a shudder tore through her, almost violent in its intensity, and from that point on, Aaden stopped teasing her entirely. His only goal seemed to be to devour her whole, face pressing into her as his hands gripped her hips until his fingers sank in her flesh, his touch possessive and insistent.

Pleasure coiled in her core, heat spreading over her entire body starting from that one point of contact between them. Every tender brush of Aaden's tongue brought her closer to her climax and Lilith couldn't help but chase that pleasure, hips rolling incessantly against him. Aaden let her take everything she wanted from him until she went over the edge, her thighs squeezing around his head.

A warm, fuzzy sensation spread through Lilith as she relaxed back against the blanket, trying to catch her breath. For a few moments, she was unseeing and unhearing, the force of her climax making her body useless. As she came back to herself, she saw Aaden hovering over her, mouth glistening in the soft light of the fire. Lilith surged up to kiss him, tasting herself on his lips, and snaked a hand down his body to stroke him once, eager to hear him moan.

Aaden didn't disappoint. Lilith felt the rumble that left his chest throughout her bones and she repeated the motion, stroking him slowly from base to tip. His head fell on her shoulder, mouthing at the skin there, and his arms trembled where he was holding himself up. Lilith wanted to make him lose himself in his pleasure just like he had done for her, and so she gently guided him until he was the one laying on his back on the blanket, while she straddled him, settling over his hips, fingers splayed over his broad chest.

Then, she hesitated. It was one of the few things she couldn't claim to have confidence in, but Aaden hadn't complained about her lack of experience so far. Whatever she lacked in experience, she thought she could make up for in enthusiasm, so she didn't allow herself to be intimidated by the thought of doing something new with him. She swallowed down her apprehension and kissed him, Aaden indulging her with a smile on his lips, before she began to scatter kisses down his body, lips grazing over his chest and abdomen.

Aaden's manhood strained against it, hardened with arousal and twitching when Liltih's breath ghosted over it. He watched her with a hungry gaze, even as she hesitated, one hand threading through her hair but doing nothing to pull her any closer.

I dinnae have tae fear. He wants me the way I am.

Taking a deep, steeling breath, Lilith committed herself to the task. Gently, she wrapped her lips around the head experimentally, pleased when Aaden moaned unabashedly over her. The sound encouraged her to keep going, taking his length deeper as her hand wrapped around whatever she couldn't reach, stroking in time with the bobs of her head.

Under her, Aaden squirmed ceaselessly as though it took every ounce of his self-control to keep himself still. Moans poured out of him, filling the air around them, and Lilith soon found that her lust was reignited, even though she had only just been satiated by his ministrations. The weight of him on her tongue, the silky feel of skin on her lips, the sounds he was making because of her only served to feed that fire that was licking through her body, spreading under her skin and making her desire more.

Pulling off him, Lilith licked a strip up his length from the base to the tip and sucked the head in her mouth once more, the suction hard as she slowly moved down his manhood. Aaden cried out at the feeling, hips bucking before he managed to control himself, and Lilith hummed around him in pleasure, his loss of control intoxicating and thrilling.

"Come here," Aaden called as he pulled Lilith up by the arm, kissing her. "Ye're perfect, mo ghraidh. So good fer me. Ride me… take all ye want from me."

Lilith gasped at the request, the words sending a jolt of excitement along with embarrassment through her. Her cheeks heated and a blush spread over her skin, but Aaden only looked at her unashamedly, taking in every detail of her body.

When she didn't move, he reached between them and took himself in his hand, guiding his manhood towards her opening. Lilith sank on it slowly, her walls parting easily to let him inside until he was buried to the hilt, suddenly so full that she couldn't help but tremble, the sensation overwhelming in the satisfaction she took from it.

Slowly, she rolled her hips once, then twice, getting used to the rhythm. Aaden nodded at her, soft and encouraging as his hands found her hips once more, settling there and guiding her through the motions. Lilith braced herself on his chest, using her hands for leverage as she rose up and then sank back onto him, relishing in the drag of his length against her and the way he looked at her, as though she was the only thing that mattered to him.

The only sounds in the room were their labored breaths and moans, and those sounds of their coupling, loud in the quiet of the place. In the soft, orange light, Aaden looked as though he was carved from bronze, his skin glowing, his fair hair reflecting the flames. Lilith couldn't take her eyes off him, drinking in the sight of him, memorizing every groove and swell of muscle under her fingers.

Aaden shifted, sitting up so that they were pressed chest to chest, claiming her lips in a kiss. Lilith wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close as they writhed against each other, her breath catching when those lips found her neck and started sucking on the sensitive skin once more. She had no doubt there would be a mark there the following day, one she would have to do her best to hide, but in the moment, she couldn't bring herself to care. He was all-encompassing and Lilith was entirely surrounded by the feel of him, his scent, his voice, her chest swelling with it all until she feared she was close to bursting.

She loved him; there was no denying it anymore.

When Aaden's hand slipped down her back, all the way to where they were joined, fingers tracing the seam of them, Lilith cried out in equal measures of surprise and pleasure. Aaden chuckled in her ear and grabbed her buttocks instead, pulling her even closer until her mound dragged against his stomach with every movement of their hips, the pressure on that sensitive spot building up to her climax once more.

"Ye're so wet fer me," he whispered in her ear, pulling the lobe between his teeth for a moment. "Ye feel so good, Lilith."

It was all she needed to come apart on his length, moaning his name as she trembled in his arms. It seemed to last forever, the aftershocks coursing through her time and time again as she twitched in his lap, and Aaden held her through it, whispering praise in her ear and running a soothing hand down her back. When she finally recovered, Aaden smiled at her and flipped them over once more, until Lilith was suddenly on her back, Aaden's hands firm on her thighs as he spread her legs wide and chased his own climax.

There was a tenderness to his movements still, every thrust careful and measured, but Lilith wanted him to lose himself entirely. She reached up and threaded her fingers through his hair once more, pulling hard and smashing their lips together, and it was then that Aaden's hips stuttered, spilling inside her with a moan.

Almost instantly, he collapsed on top of her, pushing the air out of her lungs, and Lilith gave a breathless chuckle as she petted him through it. After he caught his breath, Aaden nuzzled her neck, settling boneless over her until Lilith had no choice but to push at him, trying to get him off.

"Ye're too heavy fer this," she complained and Aaden grumbled something unintelligible before he finally rolled off her. He didn't go far, though; he only laid next to her and pulled her in his arms, tucking her head under his chin.

His body had finally warmed up and so had Lilith's, their skin exchanging heat until they were both comfortable even without being surrounded by the blanket. Lilith burrowed closer and Aaden let out a little satisfied sigh, already halfway asleep.

Lilith could only wish she had such luck. Now that she knew the truth, her only concern was getting back home and informing everyone of every bad deed Laird MacEwan had ever committed. She didn't want that man near her family, near her people. She feared the damage he could do—the damage he could have already done.

The storm still raged outside, though. The wind blew through the holes in the roof, whistling loudly, and the rain fell relentlessly over the land. Lilith had no choice but to wait it out, hoping it would clear up the following morning.

Until then, she would lay in Aaden's arms, listening to the gentle rhythm of his breathing.