Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I t was much later when Benedict heard a faint knock on his bedchamber door. Before he even opened it, he knew who it was.

He closed the door again once Evelyn stepped into the room, and for a moment, all he could do was look at her. For the last hour, he had considered how lucky they had all been that day, and not because Donald had bought their story.

If he and Killian had stayed in the village just five minutes longer, Evelyn would have been taken. She could have been assaulted, tortured, even killed. Those thoughts had been accompanied by horrific images that had tormented him for some time. The idea of losing her had taken his breath away, and determined to protect her, now more than ever, he had decided that from that day forth, Evelyn was not to leave the castle again.

"Are ye all right?" he asked, taking hold of her hand.

"I'm fine," she answered a little too quickly.

Benedict nodded. "Ye're a strong woman, Evelyn, but what happened tae ye today had tae be terrifying. I was terrified, and it wasnae me being flung ontae a horse with me hands bound."

"Ye were terrified ye were going tae lose me. And if anything, at the time, that thought terrified me too."

He pulled her into a tight embrace and held her there for a long moment. "I cannae lose ye, Evelyn," he whispered into her hair. "I just cannae."

"I'm right here, Benedict," she replied into his chest. "I'm nae going anywhere. I promise."

After another moment, he stepped back, and placing both hands on her small shoulders, he looked down at her intently. "What the devil where ye doing out o' the castle alone?"

"I wasnae alone. I took two guards with me."

"Aye, fer all the help they were."

"It wasnae their fault," she defended.

"I ken that. Ye still havnae answered me question."

Her hands went automatically to her throat, and before she even said a word, he knew what she was going to say.

"Yer necklace?" he blurted.

Evelyn frowned worriedly. "I lost it at some time last night, and I cannae find it anywhere. Yvaine and I scoured the castle, and nae one had seen it. So, I decided tae retrace our steps back to the village, for all the good it did me. Now, it's lost forever," she croaked.

"Evelyn," Benedict soothed, "ye havenae lost it. Look," he said, striding across the wooden floor. Upon reaching his bedside cabinet, he pulled open a drawer and retrieved the necklace.

Evelyn's eyes lit up as she ran across the room to him. "Och, Benedict. Ye cannae ken how worried I was."

He looked down at her and smiled. "I found it in me bed this morning. I would have given it tae ye after breakfast, but ye didnae arrive. After that, Killian and I had tae go tae the village."

Stepping forward he draped the necklace around her throat and fastened it at the back. Lowering his lips, he brushed the soft skin of her neck, and listened to Evelyn moan at his tender kisses.

"Ye have nae idea how much I yearn fer ye when ye are nae near me. And then, today, when I thought I might lose ye, it scared me tae death," he murmured against her neck, his voice loaded with fear.

Evelyn stepped back and gazed up at him. "But I am here now. Ye saved me, remember? I'm safe. I'm here, right beside ye."

"Where I want ye tae be always," he growled.

Lowering his lips to hers, he kissed her. It was a kiss loaded with all his innermost fears and feelings. He kissed her like it might be their last, and clearly feeling his turmoil, Evelyn kissed him back just as passionately.

He had battled with himself for days, the guilt eating away at him, knowing the depths of his betrayal. And yet, how could he deny what he felt in his heart? The very idea of losing Evelyn had caused him physical pain. As wrong as it felt, the attack had brought the strength of his feelings to the fore.

He didn't want to spend another day without this woman. He wanted her by his side, always and forever. Confessing his betrayal to his brother would be a dreadful ordeal, and yet, one he was willing to face.

Benedict pulled away and looked down at her. "I've fallen in love with ye, Evelyn," he said breathlessly. "I want tae be with ye always."

Searching her eyes, he could see the same doubts he had and was experiencing. And yet, he had to know if her desire was as strong as his own.

"If ye want what I want, I will speak tae Audor when he returns. Is that what ye want too?"

Evelyn took hold of his face and pulled his lips back to hers. Her kiss was the answer, and with the love he felt from her as they clung to each other, she confirmed what he had known all along.

As their passion grew, so did their want of each other, and without words, Benedict began tugging at her clothes. Each item fell to the floor, and she soon stood there in only her shift. Slipping his arms around her body, he lifted her with ease and lay her on the bed, lying himself down beside her.

"I want ye, Evelyn," he growled, his lips trailing down her neck once more. As he brushed the soft skin of her throat, his fingers pulled at the string of her shift, releasing her breasts from the thin material. His soft descent continued until his tongue found her pert nipple.

"Ah," she gasped, thrusting her body toward him.

He moved from one to the other, delighting in the sounds that fell from her mouth. "Ye are everything I could've imagined," he growled. "Ye have cast yer spell upon me, and I am bound tae ye."

He tugged at her shift, pulling it up until it rolled about her waist. After flicking his tongue over her nipples one more time, he began kissing the flatness of her stomach. She threaded her fingers through his hair as he moved lower and lower.

"I want tae taste ye, Evelyn," he said, shifting himself between her legs. "I want tae taste every last drop o' ye."

When his tongue reached the apex of her thighs, he could already feel the heat of her arousal. "Och, ye are so ready for me, me darling."

With a leg over each shoulder, he traced his tongue along her soft folds.

"Oh, me God," Evelyn gasped.

"I havenae even started yet," he breathed.

And then with no warning at all, he found the small nub of her womanhood, and with determined strokes, he flicked his tongue over it.

"Ah! Ah!" she cried.

"Och, Evelyn. Ye taste so sweet," he growled, his tongue lashing her over and over again.

Above him, Evelyn writhed and panted and squirmed with pleasure, her body climbing at his every touch. He had already brought her to her peak before, but he was desperate to do it again. The sounds that left her lips were like a sweet elixir that only aroused him more.

He moved a little faster now, his tongue licking her, over and over. She was getting close. He could hear her breathless panting and her whimpers. He could feel the tension building in her body, the twisting and writhing becoming more dramatic as every second passed.

And then, that silence, that stillness, that frozen moment in time where she teetered on the very peak of pleasure.

"Oh, me God," she squealed, her body falling into spasms of delight as she jerked over and over again.

When it was over, Benedict gazed up her body, satisfied that he had pleasured her. She gazed back, but her eyes pleaded with him.

"What is it?" he growled. "Ye want it again?"

"Nay," she whispered. "I want ye."

Benedict pushed himself onto his knees and held her gaze. "Are ye sure that is what ye want, Evelyn?"

His manhood was rock hard, and her words were music to his ears, but he needed to know that she knew what she was asking for.

"It is. I want ye, Benedict. Please."

"Ye are sure? Ye ken what that means…" he said again. If she showed him doubt for even a second, he would refuse, no matter how much it would kill him.

But she nodded, expressing utter clarity in her decision. "Surer than I have ever been in me life."

"All right."

He began positioning himself above her, but before he went near her, he gazed down at her lovingly. "I will try nae tae hurt ye, Evelyn. I promise."

A flicker of fear danced across her face, but again, she nodded.

Placing his hands either side of her body, he pinned his eyes on her, and once he had guided himself into her, he began slowly rocking back and forth.

"God, Evelyn, ye feel so good," he growled, feeling her surrounding him. She was soft, and, warm, and wet, and tight. His stomach lurched at the feeling as he moved slowly deeper inside. She stretched around him, welcoming him in, but as his own pleasure built, Benedict struggled to hold back and his body began shaking.

"It's all right," Evelyn whispered. "Please. I want ye tae make love tae me."

Thrusting his hips a little more, a rhythm took over him, and as sweat broke out over his body, he felt himself sinking deeper and deeper. The pleasure took him over, and he thrust harder and harder.

Evelyn whimpered beneath him, and the sound of pain made him hesitate, but she shook her head, telling him not to stop. Losing himself inside her, her soft, warm body swallowing his manhood, Benedict could feel himself climbing higher and higher. His thrusts grew fast, and strong, and intense, and when she started to move with him and respond, he reached his peak, a great wave of ecstasy washing over his entire body.

He stilled, roaring as he emptied himself inside of her, and with their eyes locked again, he gazed down at this beautiful woman, feeling his heart overflowing with love for her.

Later, Evelyn lay with her head on his chest. By her shallow breath, Benedict knew she was sleeping. He was not surprised. She'd had a hell of a day. But now, she was safely wrapped in his arms. If he had his way, he would not let her out of his sight, but at least she had agreed to remain in the castle. It was the only way he could keep her safe.

She had nearly been taken from him, and it had shaken him to the very core. In fact, the fear had only solidified the depth and intensity of his feelings. Over the course of the previous days, guilt had gnawed at him, but today, he had experienced a clarity that had not been present before. He loved this woman. He was in love with this woman. He wanted her beside him for the rest of his days. He had never felt those emotions for any other before, and the concept was both terrifying and invigorating at the same time.

There was one thing he knew for certain. He would slaughter any man who made an attempt to take her from him again.

"I cannae lose ye, Evelyn," he whispered into her hair. "I just cannae."