Chapter 10

Elayne had regained some semblance of control once they were in their rooms. It was far from an easy task, keeping herself together and avoiding the complete breakdown that loomed over her, but she knew she owed Dunn an explanation. From the moment she had opened her eyes, she had seen the fear in his. The belief, however momentary, that she had lost her life.

Now, in the warmth of the room, as Dunn stoked the fire, she felt safer. She was far from the water, back on solid ground. It couldn’t hurt her anymore. It couldn’t drag her under.

Once Dunn had finished rekindling the fire, he looked at her expectantly, and Elayne drew in a deep breath, preparing herself. She never spoke about her mother, and now that she had to, the tears that always threatened to fall whenever she thought about her finally spilled, leaving hot tracks on her cheeks.

“Me maither, she drowned in that loch,” Elayne said. She had to force the words out fast, otherwise she would have never managed to speak them. “I was a bairn an’ we were swimmin’, when me leg suddenly started tae hurt an’ I couldnae move it. I couldnae use it at all. I remember the water pullin’ me down. I tried tae scream an’ swim, but I couldnae dae anythin’ at all. When me maither saw me, she jumped in an’ saved me life, but she… she…”

Elayne couldn’t finish her sentence, no matter how much she tried. The words simply refused to move past her lips, choking her as though her throat was coated in honey.

She didn’t need to say anything more for Dunn to understand, though, and he went to her, pulling her into an embrace. Elayne buried her face in his shoulder, breathing in his scent, calming her even as it was obscured by the dampness of the lake.

“Me faither despises me fer it,” she mumbled quietly, though she was certain Dunn could hear her. “If he finds out about this, he will be terribly cruel.”

She felt him nod in understanding, his hand coming up to caress her hair. “Alright. I willnae say anythin’. Ye have me word.”

Elayne was glad she didn’t have to work too hard to convince Dunn, but then again, he had seen how her father treated her, how cruel he always was. She didn’t have to say anything for him to understand. She didn’t need to sway him to her side, which was as novel as it was pleasing.

“We cannae stay in these clothes,” Dunn said after holding her for several minutes, the two of them dripping a puddle on the floor, under their feet. Slowly, his hands reached for the laces that held Elayne’s dress together, but she was quick to pull back, putting some distance between them.

For a moment, Dunn was surprised by the sudden movement, but then he softened, letting out a soft sigh. “Dae ye wish fer me tae leave the room?”

Elayne hesitated. She didn’t want that at all, but she didn’t want Dunn to see her body either. How could she explain to him the reason for her reluctance without sounding foolish?

Dunn seemed to sense her hesitation, though, and so he took a step forward, fingers trailing gently down the length of her arm. “If ye want me tae leave, I will,” he promised. “But ye can tell me if ye want me tae stay. There is naething fer ye tae fear.”

“I’m nae afraid,” Elayne assured him.

“What, then?”

Elayne hesitated once more. Heat flooded her cheeks, a sharp contrast with the rest of her chilled skin. Even in the half-light of the room, she feared Dunn would see it, and when his smile widened, she was certain that he had.

“Ye can tell me,” he said. “I willnae ask ye tae dae anythin’ ye dinnae want, but ye can tell me anythin’.”

“It isnae important,” Elayne said softly. “I dinnae wish tae burden ye.”

“There is nae burden I wouldnae bear fer ye.”

Elayne was surprised to find that Dunn seemed entirely sincere. There was no teasing in his voice, no sign that he was only saying that to reassure her. Though she could hardly believe it, it put her at ease.

“I’m nae like the lasses ye have bedded,” Elayne said. Dunn listened intently, making no comment. “I… I was always smaller than everyone else. I never had the curves the other lasses had. Even as I grew, I never… me body never…”

Once again, it was impossible to get the words out, but Dunn didn’t seem to mind this time, either. He only smiled softly at Elayne, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her in for a soft kiss, one that had her melting in his arms.

“Yer body is divine,” he whispered against her lips. “An’ I wish fer naething more than tae worship it if ye let me.”

Elayne gasped softly, a warmth trailing down her spine at the hungry way that Dunn gazed at her, as though he wanted to devour her whole. It was easy to believe him when he spoke so sincerely, so sweetly, and she wanted nothing more than those hands on her, no matter how much the thought of revealing her body embarrassed her.

When Dunn’s hands returned to the laces of her dress, this time, Elayne allowed it. She let him undress her slowly, leaving garment after garment pooled at her feet until she stood fully bared in front of him, her arms trying to cover as much as she could.

“Dinnae hide,” Dunn said, gently prying her arms away. Then, his hands found her hips, her stomach, her breasts, stopping there to her mortification.

She was embarrassed about her breasts the most, too small for her liking. When she was younger, she kept comparing herself to other girls, envying the way their ample curves swelled. She had never found her body as attractive as theirs, never thought a man could choose her over them.

“I wish ye could see how bonnie ye are,” Dunn whispered as his large hands closed over her breasts, fingers rolling and teasing her nipples. Though they were still cold, his touch ignited a fire in Elayne’s body, a jolt of pleasure rushing from there through her limbs. “I will show ye tonight. I will kiss an’ lick every part o’ ye until yer tremblin’ in me arms, until ye beg fer release.”

Elayne gasped at the words, cheeks turning impossibly red. Dunn’s lips pressed kisses to her jaw and her neck, then joined his hands as he began to suck on her nipple, the sensation so unexpected and so sudden that Elayne had no choice but to moan, arching into his mouth. When his teeth grazed gently over the nub, Elayne jumped, the mix of pain and pleasure driving every other thought out of her mind.

Dunn did as he had promised, worshipping her breasts until her nipples were puffy and reddened, wet from his tongue. Only when Elayne begged him for more did he pull back, and for a moment she was disappointed by the loss of his touch. But then he stripped quickly, tossing his clothes to the side before he grabbed her and lifted her in his arms, carrying her to the bed.

Elayne yelped in surprise, her legs coming to wrap around Dunn’s waist to keep herself secure. When he laid her down on the mattress and his stomach dragged against her core, she couldn’t help but cry out his name as pleasure shot through her like an arrow.

Amused, Dunn reached between them to trail his finger over her stomach and then over her opening. “Ye’re so wet already,” he said, as he rubbed slow, torturous circles over her, the tip of his finger just dipping inside her. “Open yer legs. Show me.”

Elayne was too far gone to even hear what Dunn was saying, his tender touch the only sensation she could focus on. No one had touched her like this before. She had never thought it could feel like this, like the sweetest torment.

“Open them,” Dunn repeated, his hands pushing her thighs apart, exposing her body to her. When Elayne looked at him, she found him gazing hungrily at her entrance, eyes lidded with desire. “I will kiss ye here,” he said, fingers pressing up against her folds once more. “An’ it’ll feel like heaven.”

Before Elayne could respond to that, Dunn was already between her legs, his tongue tracing a path over her sensitive flesh. The first touch of him against her had Elayne thrusting her hips, trying to get him closer, her body seeking its pleasure mindlessly.

Dunn was quick to hold her hips down, draping his arm over them as he continued to lick into her, lapping up her wetness. His tongue swirled over her folds, sometimes soft and yielding, others demanding entrance, dipping inside her in a way that tore scream after scream from her.

Pressure mounted quickly in Elayne’s core, the need for some sort of release becoming insistent. Dunn had been right, she thought; this truly did feel like heaven.

When she chanced a look at him, the sight of him between her legs, face pressed to her most private part, awakened a new need within her. She loved to see him like this, his gaze unfocused as though giving her this pleasure pleased him, as well, his features slack with bliss.

When he reached down to take himself in his hand, Elayne pushed herself up to her elbows, watching him intently. It was as though he couldn’t help it, his lust for her so strong that he had lost all control and had no choice but to give in. She could see nothing but the frantic movement of his arm as he buried his face deeper between her legs, lips wrapping around a spot that had stars exploding behind her eyelids as he sucked.

It was that, along with a few more flicks of his tongue, that sent Elayne over the edge, twin moans escaping their lips as she fell apart on Dunn’s mouth. Her entire body shook with the force of her orgasm, legs trembling as they pulled themselves together, squeezing Dunn’s head between them.

When she finally came back to reality, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath, Dunn was still trapped between her legs, working himself furiously. Elayne let them fall open once more, her hands reaching for him, and Dunn slithered up her body to suck on a nipple once more. Elayne moaned, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted to touch him.

“Come,” she said softly, pushing him onto his back on the bed. Dunn looked up at her sweetly, his eyes wide as he craned his neck in search of her breasts. The gesture drew a soft laugh out of Elayne, but she leaned over him, giving him what he desired, his lips latching onto her immediately.

A frustrated whine tore its way through Dunn, as though he was so close to his own release but couldn’t reach it. Then, Elayne reached for him, wrapping her own hand over the tip of his manhood and trying to match his feverish rhythm.

A few strokes were all it took for Dunn to spill his release over her fingers with a groan. Afterwards, he collapsed next to Elayne as she stroked his hair, giving him a few moments to catch his breath.

Laughing breathlessly, Dunn pulled Elayne into his arms, kissing her. She settled on the bed next to him and cuddled close, her body still flooded with the warmth and pleasure of her climax.

“Was that alright?” Dunn asked.

Elayne couldn’t help but laugh. “It was heaven.”

When Elayne opened her eyes, the sun was shining through the window. Dunn was already awake, though he was still in bed next to her, trailing his fingers gently over her back.

“Good mornin’,” she said softly, leaning in for a kiss. “Dunn… forgive me fer what happened yesterday. An’ I’m really sorry fer everythin’. Fer lyin’ tae ye an’ putting’ ye in this situation.”

Dunn hushed her, shaking his head. “I forgive ye,” he said. “I had already forgiven ye. Ye mean too much tae me, Elayne. I’m truly glad that I am here with ye. I cannae imagine bein’ anywhere else or with anyone else.”

Elayne could hardly believe her own ears. Not only had Dunn forgiven her, but he also wanted to be with her—though she wasn’t certain what, precisely, that meant. Were they to be a real couple now? Were they to wed?

She didn’t dare ask Dunn. It sounded like a foolish question to her, and so she chose to remain silent, but Dunn was quick to continue talking.

“I discovered yer faither’s plans,” he said. “That’s where I was last night. I went tae his study an’ Blaine found me there, but I explained everythin’ tae him. He said he will help.”

“Blaine kens?” Elayne asked, pulling back in alarm. “Everythin’?”

“Och aye,” said Dunn. He didn’t look concerned at all, though. “Like I said, he will help. Dinnae fash. He seems like a good man.”

“He is,” Elayne said, as she dragged herself out of bed. As much as she wanted to stay there with Dunn, the events of the previous night rushed back to her and she wanted to make sure the two children were alright. As she began to dress, she told Dunn, “I’ll find the wee laddie an’ meet ye in the great hall.”

Dunn was happy to stay in bed a while longer as Elayne slipped out of the room. She had barely made it to the end of the corridor, though, when she stumbled upon none other than Laird McCoy, who upon noticing her presence, blocked her path.

His gaze was violating as he looked her up and down. Elayne froze, glancing over her shoulder to see if anyone was there, but the two of them were alone.

“I havenae had the chance tae see ye, Elayne. I think it’s time tae change that,” Laird McCoy said, as he reached for her, his hands coming to rest on her hips, one palm sliding to her rear.

Is he jesting? Elayne grabbed both his wrists swiftly and removed them from her body. She was done with him touching her. She was done being the docile daughter her father wanted.

“I would appreciate it if ye refrained from touchin’ me,” she said. “I have a husband now. I’d like ye tae respect that.”

In a flash, Elayne’s back hit the wall as Laird McCoy pinned her against it. The air rushed out of her lungs and she blinked at him in surprise, not knowing what to do now that he had so shamelessly shown his true intentions.

“Ye’re meant tae be mine,” Laird McCoy growled in her ear. “An’ if this is all a ruse, I’ll make sure ye regret it. I suppose there is one way tae find out… let’s see if ye’re intact.”

Rage bubbled up inside Elayne, impossible to control. Her nostrils flared as she glared at Laird McCoy, and as much as she tried to control herself, to convince herself to walk away, she couldn’t.

Instead, she brought her knee up as hard as she could, right to Laird McCoy’s groin, and the moment the man stumbled back, doubling over in pain, she fled down the corridor, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

Even as she ran down the stairs, she could hear his pained moans and the threats he shouted at her.