Chapter Ten

Euan gazed down at the slumbering form of the woman sound asleep beside him. He'd loved her hard this eve, ridden her sweet cunt twice and her wanton mouth once before he'd felt sated enough to leave her be.

'Twas little wonder, he thought with more than a wee bit male pride, that his lady wife was snoring louder than Auld Sheumais did when he'd been hitting the ale over long. Of course, he conceded in a rare flash of amusement, her snoring was also making it difficult to fall asleep.

Reclining on his elbow, Euan ran his fingers through Janet's shiny mane of curls, brushing a few stray ones back from her hairline. 'Twas hard to believe that a woman so finely made was his. 'Twas not just her plump breasts and woman's hips that tempted him so, nor even the way she gave herself over to him so willingly.

'Twas her heart as well. The way she was with wee Glynna, taking to her these past few weeks as if she'd birthed her herself, spending time with her and making her feel important.

'Twas also the way Janet made him feel. When he held his wife in his arms and made love to her, or simply when his eyes clashed with hers from across a chamber, he felt…alive. Whole and content. 'Twas the first he'd felt this way in—well mayhap in forever.

Euan bent his neck to kiss Janet softly on the lips. He hadn't been expecting it, but was pleased when she woke up, blinked a couple of times as if coming out of a daze, then smiled slowly before pulling his face down atop hers to kiss him more thoroughly.

They kissed for a few minutes, softly moaning into each other's mouths as their tongues swept back and forth over the other's. After a bit more of this languid loving, Euan raised his dark head and gazed down into Janet's eyes. "Ye're awake," he murmured.

"Yes." She nibbled on her lip for a moment. "Plan to do anything about it?" she whispered, her cheeks tinting scarlet as the words tumbled out.

Euan couldn't help but to grin, something he found himself doing quite a bit of lately. And now that his wife understood his tongue almost as well as he did, he'd discovered much to his delight that she had a wondrous sense of humor. She never bored him. Never a dull moment at the keep with Janet about.

'Twas not her words that caused his grin this time, though, but the fact that her cheeks were pinkened. As many times and in as many ways as they'd loved each other, it never failed to amuse him when Janet would suddenly turn shy on him. "And what," he murmured, "would ye have me tae do aboot it, vixen?"

She grinned at his endearment, having never thought of herself in such outrageous terms before. Or at least not before meeting Euan. She'd been telling herself for weeks not to form a deeper attachment to him, not to let herself fall any more in love with him, until she knew with stark clarity just what it was that she wanted. Did she want to remain in the past or try to find her way back to the future?

But as usual where Euan was concerned, the moment he gazed into her eyes with longing she brushed her concerns aside and refused to deal with them. It was wrong, she knew, but she couldn't seem to help herself.

"Hmm," she teased, pretending to think his question over. "Perhaps you could read to me by the fire or—"

Euan half growled and half grinned as he came down on top of Janet and settled himself between her thighs. She giggled, running her hand along the strong line of his jaw. It was always good to see the proof of him feeling carefree and lighthearted. Since arriving, she'd quickly discovered that such common things were contrary to his nature, most likely borne of his position in life. From a young age, he had ruled many. Not only that but he'd been responsible for the rearing of his brothers as well.

He entered her welcoming flesh in one long thrust, gritting his teeth as he did so. 'Twas like a bit of heaven on earth, being deep inside of her. "I've got a treatise ye can ponder o'er, lass."

Janet's eyes widened on a laugh. She'd never heard him crack a joke before. He'd done it fairly well for a novice. "Oh do you now?" She grinned, wrapping her legs around his waist. "Anywhere near as good as The Odyssey?"

"Much better, I'm thinkin'." He rotated his hips and thrust deeply to underscore his words.

"I see," Janet gasped. "And what is the name of this treatise?"

Euan slid into her flesh again, causing his wife to suck in her breath. He ground his teeth, beads of perspiration forming on his brow. "I call it Mac Dhonuill nan Eilean Falls In Love."

Janet stilled. MacDonald of the Isles Falls In…Love? She had been expecting a witty return, not a declaration of his feelings. Her eyes darted up to meet his, rounding when she saw the affection in his gaze. She realized at once that her husband was deadly serious. He loved her.

"Oh Euan," she whispered, "thank-you so much for telling me that." It made her decision so much easier.

He grunted a bit, hopelessly attempting to conceal the rising color in his cheeks. "Have ye nothing tae say back tae me, wife?" He glanced away, wishing he hadn't asked as much.

It dawned on Euan that for the first time in his life he was feeling quite vulnerable. He quickly decided he didn't care much for the feeling, but also realized there was naught to be done about it. "Forgive my tongue," he said gruffly, "I should no' have—"

"Euan," Janet murmured, clutching his face between her hands as she searched his eyes.

"Aye?"

She smiled. "I love you too."

The heat in his face went from pink to crimson, endearing him to his wife all the more. "Of course ye do," he grumbled under his breath. "Let us speak of these silly things no more, ye ken?"

She grinned. "But I really love those silly things."

He sighed like a martyr. "Did I know ye were tae be so bluidy demanding, I mayhap would no' have stolen ye, Janet mine."

She slapped him playfully on the rump for that. "Oh really?"

Euan grinned, then shook his head slightly as he studied her features with a serious expression. "That's no' the truth," he murmured. "I would have stolen ye no matter the circumstance."

"Why?" she whispered.

He kissed her softly on the lips. "Because I love ye." The dimple on his cheek popped out as he added teasingly, "daft wench."