Chapter 20

20

T he sound of renting fabric was loud in the bedchamber. Aidan grimaced and pulled the shirt back off to inspect the damage. He had known the thing was going to be too tight, but Tillie had looked so pleased with herself, he'd wanted to see her smile when he wore the shirt she'd picked out for him.

A long tear down the middle of the back met his gaze. "Och, now look what I've gone and done! Tillie will be so disappointed."

He shook his head and put the red shirt off to the side. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. This was not like him. He did not go out of his way to make a woman smile, especially when he had known just by looking at it that the shirt would not fit across his broad shoulders.

The castle seamstresses always complained about how much fabric and stitching it took to make his clothes due to his big, brawny body. But when he'd seen Tillie smile when she realized he wasn't going to argue about purchasing the men's clothes she'd picked out, he'd felt a strange sensation in his stomach. If he didn't know better, he'd think it was happiness. But he'd sworn off that emotion. He didn't deserve it when Anne took her life because he hadn't been paying attention to her feelings.

Where had that guilt been today in the village, though? It certainly wasn't there when Tillie's small hand had rested on his arm or when she'd fed him some of the sweet pastry. No, there had been no guilt, but there'd been another emotion: desire. Aidan had felt like a young boy in the grips of his first encounter with a beautiful girl. All rational thought had left his mind while his eyes had devoured Tillie's delicious body. He'd wanted to take her right then and there, but luckily, he'd come to his senses before scandalizing the both of them.

The chamber door opened, and he looked up, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of Tillie. He'd thought she'd be with the castle seamstress for a while longer to get fitted and discuss designs for the bolts of cloth she purchased from Madame Auclair's.

"I wanted to see how yer new clothes fit," she said shyly as she walked into the room. The door closed with a loud snick behind her.

Aidan sat naked from the waist up, and he watched with some amusement as her eyes seemed glued to his chest. He stood, watching her eyes widen as he did so, exposing her to the full breadth of his upper body.

"I'm sorry, lass, but the clothes are too tight," he said. His tone sounded genuine because he truly was sorry that they didn't fit just so she could see him in them.

"Too tight," she muttered as she repeated what he'd said while still staring at his chest. But as she'd been looking, she'd also been walking toward him and now stopped within touching distance. Her hands reached up slowly, and her fingertips landed on his upper chest before gently gliding around his muscles.

Aidan sucked his breath in through clenched teeth. That one little touch was enough to drive him mad. He wanted to toss her skirts, throw her on his bed, and have his way with her right then.

"They are so… defined," Tillie said, her tone hushed and full of appreciation. It took Aidan a second to realize she was talking about his stomach muscles. His whole body instantly hardened, and his heart started beating crazily inside his chest as he watched her delicate fingers play across his stomach.

"I ken exactly what I want to do with them," she said softly, her eyes never looking away from his body.

"Ye do?" Aidan was proud his voice didn't sound as hoarse as he'd expected.

She nodded slowly then suddenly looked up at him with bright green eyes. "I must sketch ye, Aidan," she said excitedly.

It took Aidan several seconds for her words to penetrate his lust-filled thoughts. He had thought of a hundred different things she could do with his upper body, but sketching had not been one of them.

"Ye… what?" he choked out, trying to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat.

She nodded eagerly then rushed to the corner of the room where she kept her sketching supplies. She excitedly chatted with him while she pulled out her stool and other materials.

"Aye. And ye can sketch me too." She grinned at him over her shoulder. "'Twill be fun!"

"I dinnae ken —" Aidan began, but she cut him off.

"Dinnae say nay to me, Aidan. Please?" she added, her voice soft and her mouth screwed up into an irresistible mew.

"Och, woman," Aidan cursed. "I ken nothin' about sketching."

Her grin was as bright as the sun on a cloudless day and hit him right in the gut. "'Ye dinnae have to. All ye have to do is have fun." She set the stool several feet in front of him then set up her drawing easel and put that directly in front of him.

"Ye can even use my easel," she grinned as she bustled around setting up charcoal, paints, brushes, and whatever else she thought would be necessary. Then she set out parchment for both of them and took her place on the stool.

Aidan just stared at her as she picked up a chunk of charcoal and started sketching his frame. She held the parchment in her lap, which gave him a clear view of her work, and he was amazed at how quickly she drew.

Tillie glanced up and frowned. "'Tis easier if ye use the charcoal to make the outline of whatever yer drawin' then ye can color it in with the paints."

Aidan grabbed a piece of charcoal and stared at it. He hadn't the slightest idea how to sketch, especially to try and capture her likeness. He could draw a field and put Xs where war parties should be stationed. He could even draw a few squares to represent keeps he planned to plunder. But to try and capture her almond-shaped eyes or her perfect bow-shaped mouth or even the stubborn tilt to her chin? Nay, he had no idea how to do that. But she kept looking up at him, excitement and hope shining on her face, so he put the charcoal to parchment and drew a circle.

"There now, see? 'Tis fun!"

Aidan grunted. There was nothing fun about this in his opinion. Well, except for seeing the excitement on Tillie's face. She was happy and having a good time, and he didn't want to be the one to ruin it.

After several minutes, Aidan sat back and looked at his work. A disgusted frown crossed his features. It was a sad looking portrait. It looked like a bairn had been set loose with charcoal and paints. Tillie's eyes were lopsided, one noticeably larger than the other. Her mouth looked more like a mountain with a crater in the middle than her luscious lips. He shook his head sadly and grunted at his failure.

"Let me see," Tillie said. He'd been so caught up critiquing his sketch that he hadn't heard her come over to him. She reached for the parchment, but he snatched it off the easel before she could touch it.

"Nay," Aidan said, shaking his head. "Ye are too gentle and delicate to be exposed to this…"

"Aidan, let me see!" she exclaimed and tried to reach around his back to grab the parchment he held in his hand there.

Standing from the edge of the bed, he jumped to his feet and skirted around her, holding the offensive sketch behind his back. "Nay, Tillie. 'Tis best yer eyes never land on this."

Tillie laughed and to his surprise, sprang at him. She was much faster than he'd expected and nearly grabbed the sketch out of his hand before he could move it out of reach.

"Ye wee wildcat," he laughed. "Yer claws may be sharp, but ye arenae fast enough."

A determined playful glint entered her eyes, and she rushed at him again. Aidan was thoroughly enjoying himself and deftly stepped out of her way. Then he spun on his heel and caught her around the waist, bringing her back flush with his chest. She laughed and struggled, rubbing her body against his.

Aidan stepped a few steps backward until the back of his knees hit the edge of the mattress then he dropped down, pulling Tillie with him. She shrieked as she fell then grunted when her back bounced on his chest. It didn't take her long to struggle again though, and Aidan's smile slipped as his body became aware of just how close she was to him. Of how her arse rubbed up against his loins.

He loosened his hold just enough to let her squirm off him then he pounced like the wildcat he'd called her and pinned her beneath him. This time her chest was against his chest. Aidan nearly groaned at the feel of her soft, full breasts pressed against his hard chest. He watched her expression carefully and saw when realization of the position they were in dawned on her.

Tillie's eyes widened, and she sucked her breath in between her lips. A flush crawled up from her neck to land on her cheeks. She looked adorable to him, and he smiled as he reached for her gown and started removing it.

"'Tis the middle of the day, Aidan," she chided, but her voice was husky, and he knew she only objected for propriety's sake.

"The better to see me wife," he retorted. There was no way to get Tillie out of her skirt while he was laying on top of it, so he briefly stood and removed the garment as quickly as possible then he was laying above her again.

"What if someone comes in and sees us?" she tried again to dissuade him, but he could tell she was only halfheartedly throwing out her objections. Her green eyes were smokey with want, and she kept licking her lips, driving him to distraction.

"If anyone is daft enough to enter the Laird's chamber without knockin', then they get what they deserve."

Tillie laughed then reached her hands around to his back, her fingers trailing his bare skin much like she had done earlier with his chest. And like his chest, the feel of her deft little fingers sent ripples of lust along his nerves.

Aidan couldn't wait any longer and kissed her. He was amazed at how well their mouths felt together. Slipping his tongue between the seam of her lips, he took command of their kiss and caressed her tongue with his own. She sighed into his mouth, and it was all he could do not to shout with the knowledge that he brought her such pleasure.

The easy kiss did not last long, though. Soon, they were both panting and straining for more. Aidan didn't disappoint. He stood, removed his trews, and then grabbed her under the arms and scooted her to the top of the bed.

"I dinnae ken if I can go slow ,Tilly." His voice was thick with need.

She shook her head. "I dinnae want ye to. I want ye inside me now."

Her words flamed his desire, and he entered her in one, long, smooth stroke. They both moaned at the exquisite pleasure, and he held himself as still as possible inside her, trying to calm his raging desire. He wasn't going to take it slow, but he didn't want to go too quickly, either.

"Och, lass," Aidan growled when she started squirming beneath him. "Yer goin' to make this over before we even begin."

"Then we'll just have to do it again," she grinned.

Aidan grinned back then gave in to his body's demands. Although their lovemaking was fast and a bit rough, it was what they had both needed. They reached their pleasure together then collapsed in each other's arms where they both fell into an exhausted sleep.