The Chase

  Blake seemed to know, though, and for once in her life Seonaid was forced to give up the control of events and allow him to do what he saw fit. Until he suddenly stopped touching her and lifted his mouth from her breast too.

  Seonaid released the shoulder she'd been unconsciously chewing at and blinked her eyes open to glare at him. "What?"

  Blake merely chuckled at her scowl. He was already scooping her up into his arms and shifting to stand in the tub. Seonaid latched her arms around his neck and held her breath. She was a large woman, tall with solid muscle. Most men could not have lifted her so easily. Blake seemed to have no trouble, but still she held on as he stepped out of the tub and carried her across the room to the bed.

  He set her down there and made quick work of removing her gown, then gave her a gentle push that sent her flopping onto the bed behind her.

  Seonaid sat up and started to shift backward to make room for him, but she hadn't moved far before he caught her ankle to hold her in place as he climbed onto the bed next to her.

  "Stay," he ordered, and Seonaid scowled. It sounded like an order you'd give a dog. And Seonaid was no dog.

  "Doona think yer goin' to be able to boss me around jest cause yer me husband," she told him firmly. "I'm no very guid at listenin' to me father and doubt I'll be any better at listenin' to a bossy, arrogant English--aiyyeeeeee!" Seonaid half sat up in shock as he suddenly tugged the ankle he held farther away from the other and bent to place his mouth where his hand had been but moments before. She only half sat up, because Blake--without even looking--caught her with one flat hand at her chest and pushed her back down on the bed.

  Seonaid was so shocked, she would have sat up again, but her body was having conflicting reactions and her hips were suddenly thrusting upward into his caress. It was hard to sit up with your hips thrusting that way. Besides, Seonaid was quickly losing the urge to sit up. Now she wanted to grab something and squeeze. His behind came to mind, but it was out of her reach. Most of him was, so Seonaid had to make do with catching the cushion on one side of her and tangling her fingers in the linens on the other as he did things to her that felt so good she thought she might just die from the sheer pleasure of it.

  Seonaid wasn't capable of much thought for several moments, since what he was doing was driving the thoughts right out of her. She was aware that she was moaning and panting and making all sorts of indelicate sounds but couldn't have stopped them had she tried. All her energy and focus was fixed on the excitement and tension he was causing inside her. Her body was writhing and thrusting as his mouth and tongue worked their magic, her muscles clenching harder and harder until she thought they must surely snap. At one point it all became too much and she tried to close her legs and force him to stop, but Blake simply caught his arms around her thighs and tugged them farther apart, then redoubled his efforts so that she was sobbing with desperation.

  She didn't know what it was exactly he was doing, didn't know why, didn't know what she was supposed to do. She had never felt so out of control or helpless, nor had she ever experienced the tense pleasure-pain he was giving her. Her hips were thrusting into the action, but her head was twisting back and forth on the bed and she could hear herself moaning. That was when she felt something enter her. She didn't know what, because Blake wasn't in the position to do what Lady Wildwood had said he would do, but she didn't really care what it was; all she cared about was the sudden increased tension and pleasure it brought her. Seonaid drove down into the caress and finally felt the tension within her explode. Her whole body seemed to vibrate and shudder and she cried out with the strength of it, her fingers clawing at the bedclothes so desperately, it was a wonder she didn't rend it to bits.

  She was aware of Blake straightening, but only on the periphery of her consciousness, as he shifted to move up her body. When he moved to cover her, her hands lifted to hold him of their own volition, just as her mouth opened beneath the demanding kiss when he claimed her lips. Then he slid into her and Seonaid stiffened, her body arching like a bow beneath him, and a startled cry slipped from her lips.

  Chapter Twelve

  Blake forced himself to remain completely still. He had thought that getting the breaching done quickly and while Seonaid was so relaxed in the aftermath of the pleasure he had given her would be for the best. But the roar that had just ripped from her lips made him wonder if he hadn't been wrong. Now he was encased in her warm, moist depths and his body was eager to move. He was listening to his head instead. It was a difficult task. She was so tight and hot around him, squeezing him, and he just wanted to--

  "Are you all right?" he asked breathlessly.

  Seonaid tipped her head back to peer up at him, and he noted that she had the audacity to look surprised at the question. "Aye. Why would ye ask?"

  "You screamed," he pointed out in a tone as dry as dust.

  "Oh." She shrugged beneath him. "It was surprise, and from what Lady Wildwood said I was expectin' pain."

  Blake felt himself tense. "You mean you did not feel pain?"

  She shrugged again. "No more than a pinch o' it. Nothin' worth mentionin'."

  Blake narrowed his gaze on her, unsure whether to believe her or not. "Are you feeling any pain now?"

  She raised her eyebrows, then wiggled about beneath him and flexed her muscles before shaking her head. "Nay."

  "Thank God," Blake gasped and withdrew a little, then plunged back in again, making her gasp. He managed to make himself stop then and asked, "Now?"

  "Now what?" she murmured, her hands moving to his back and holding him as she wiggled beneath him again.

  "Are you experiencing any pain, or may I proceed?" Blake truly didn't mean to sound angry, but this was testing the limits of his control. She was so matter of fact and he just wanted to--

  "Nay, no pain. It just feels a bit odd."

  "Odd?" Blake asked, his eyebrows drawing together. "What do you mean, odd?"

  Seonaid shrugged again. "Odd. Just odd. 'Tis all odd to me," she pointed out, then just seemed to realize what he had said and asked, "Proceed? There is more?"

  Blake closed his eyes and held on to his patience. "Aye, wife, there is more."

  "Lady Wildwood did no mention more," she muttered, then shrugged beneath him and shifted her hips, spreading her legs wider. "But then, she seems to have left out a lot."

  "Seonaid ..." he said through gritted teeth.

  "Aye?"

  "I cannot hold on much longer; pray tell me I may continue."

  "Hold on to what?" she asked, then something in his expression must have warned that he was not in the mood for conversation and she said, "Go on, then. Continue."

  Releasing his breath on a relieved sigh, Blake withdrew again and pressed back into her.

  Seonaid lay still at first. The muscles in her legs, and everywhere in her body, really, were still trembling from what he had done to her before taking her maidenhead. And really, for the first few strokes she hadn't a clue what the attraction to this in and out motion was. Then he changed position slightly and changed the rhythm of his movements, and Seonaid began to take notice. Excitement was building within her again and her body began to clench. Catching her fingers in his hair, she drew his head down to hers, wanting a kiss. He answered the silent demand, fastening his mouth over hers and thrusting his tongue into her mouth in time with his body thrusting into her.

  Seonaid kissed back just as aggressively, thrusting her own tongue out to tangle with his. She kept her hold on his hair but dug the fingers of her other hand into the flesh below his shoulderbone, urging him on. This was like nothing she had ever experienced. Seonaid had never realized there was anything as wonderful as this in life. Now she understood what all the moaning was about, and it wasn't pain. Dear God, this was better than riding a horse as fast as you could through the woods. It was better than swimming naked in a cold loch on a warm summer day. It was ... well, it was even better than battle.

  That was Seonaid's last coherent thought; th
en her body took over, overwhelming her with wave after wave of pleasure until she cried out with it, her muscles clenching around his and holding him in place. She was hardly even aware of his shout as he joined her there, then collapsed on top of her as they both lay trembling, gasping for breath. After a moment Blake groaned low in his throat and rolled off her to lay on his back at her side. He slid his arm under her as he went and lifted, catching her under her back and pulling her so that she lay half on his chest, her head in the crook of his arm.

  Seonaid went unprotesting, finding his masterful behavior oddly endearing. They lay like that for several moments; then Seonaid lifted her head, peered at his supine face, and asked, "Can we do it again?"

  Blake's eyes blinked open and he turned his head to peer at her with a rather shocked expression. Then a laugh slipped from his lips and he pressed her head back to his shoulder. "In a minute. Give me a chance to recover."

  *

  Seonaid woke as the sun rose. It was her usual time to wake, but she opened gritty eyes to stare at the window and scowled at the sunlight coming through it. She was exhausted and had no idea why until a snore sounded, drawing her attention to her other side.

  There was a man in her bed. Not just any man, either. Blake Sherwell. Her husband. He lay on his stomach beside her, his head turned in her direction. She stared at his golden hair and sweet face in rest and felt an ache in her chest. She wanted to comb her fingers through those golden strands. She also wanted to smooth a finger over the forehead that was presently creased as if he dreamed of something troubling. Then she wanted to run it down his straight nose to brush it lightly over the lips that had given her so much pleasure.

  She also really, really wanted to squeeze his bum.

  Seonaid grinned at the thought. His behind had fascinated her since first seeing it. It was so round and cute. She was dying of curiosity to know if it was soft or hard. Every other part of his body was solid as a rock. Except for his lips, she acknowledged--they could go soft when kissing her. But she wanted to know if his behind was as hard as the rest of him, or if it really was a cushion for his seat.

  Seonaid would have been embarrassed had anyone known of her sudden fascination with the male behind. But as no one did, and as he was now her husband, and as he was splayed out on his chest with his butt in the air, just begging to be touched--

  Seonaid sat up and gently tugged away the linen covering his lower body until the two round globes were revealed. She then glanced quickly up at his face to be sure the action hadn't awakened him. Satisfied that he still slept, she leaned a little closer to the exposed area and tentatively reached out to place one finger lightly on the nearest cheek. The skin gave way slightly beneath her touch. It was not hard like the rest of him. Grinning, she allowed the rest of her hand to take position on the round surface, then gently squeezed.

  Blake immediately murmured something in his sleep and rolled away onto his back. Seonaid was now faced with a frontal view of her nude husband. Much to her amazement, while he slept, his staff didn't. It stood as stiff as the king's flag. It still looked monstrous huge to her, but Seonaid was no longer afraid of its size. Much to her pleasure, Blake had proven time and again through the night that she could accommodate him. He had not needed long to recover from their first bout before proving ready for a second, and Seonaid had found that time equally pleasing. Afterward, she had drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face, only to be awoken hours later to Blake's lazy caresses and passionate kisses.

  Seonaid glanced at his face and wondered if he might pleasure her again were he to wake up. The erection he was sporting seemed to indicate that it was a good chance. Perhaps if she lay down and pretended to be sleeping, then made some sort of sound to wake him ...

  Blake snuffled in his sleep and Seonaid almost laughed aloud; then her gaze dropped to his manhood again. They had bathed in the tepid bathwater after the first time he'd awakened her, and she had awoken the second time in the throes of a passionate dream where he was bent between her legs, pleasuring her with his mouth as he had before taking her maidenhead, only to open her eyes to find that he was kneeling between her legs actually doing so.

  Seonaid was not completely ignorant, but she hadn't realized a man might do that to a woman. She had once come across one of the servants on her knees doing something similar to a man. It was impossible not to witness such things when you lived in a castle and the servants all slept in the great hall at night. Seonaid distinctly recalled the bewilderment she had experienced at the time. She hadn't been at all sure what she had interrupted. She thought she knew now and understood why the man had been moaning like a cow about to give birth. And she had the sudden thought that it might be interesting to wake Blake so. She had certainly enjoyed the experience herself, and perhaps then he might not be grumpy with her for disturbing his rest, which might help induce him to pleasure her again.

  The only problem was, she wasn't exactly sure how to go about it. She had a basic idea, but ...

  Seonaid had never let lack of knowledge stop her attempting something before this, and she had no intention of doing so now. Shifting closer to him, she contemplated the matter briefly, trying to decide how to start; then she reached out and ran one finger lightly from the base of his shaft to the tip, her gaze sliding back and forth between his manhood and his face, noting his expression as she did. It didn't change much. He murmured in his sleep and turned his head, but no more. Seonaid pursed her lips and wrapped her hand around him next, running it lightly up his length again. This time he gave a small moan and twisted his head the other way.

  Shrugging, Seonaid bent forward, hesitated, then began to press little kisses along his shaft. She heard Blake moan and felt him shift slightly but didn't think he was awake yet. Probably a good thing, she decided, because she didn't think she was doing it right. Mary, the servant she had stumbled upon who had been on her knees servicing one of the visiting men, had had the whole thing in her mouth, her head bobbing forward and back as if she were greasing it.

  She tried that next, taking him into her mouth and sliding it slowly up and down his shaft as far as she could. That seemed to get a reaction out of Blake; he moaned loudly, his hand moving to clench in her hair, his body stiffening with tension, but she still didn't think he was awake. Seonaid raised and lowered her head several times, but he was so large, she could not go far down the shaft before the tip touched the back of her throat and she had the instinct to gag. Frustrated, she closed her hand around the base of him and then began to move it with her mouth, hoping that would make up for the fact that she couldn't take him all in.

  "Seonaid," he growled several moments later, and the hand in her hair began to tug lightly, urging her head up and forcing her to stop.

  Pausing, she lifted her head and glanced at him. "Am I doin' it wrong?"

  "Nay, you were doing very well," he said between clenched teeth.

  "Good." She lowered her head again, and Blake groaned as she continued what he had interrupted. After several more moments he pulled at her hair again, and Seonaid sighed and lifted her head to glance at him curiously. "What? Is there something else I should be doin' too?"

  "Nay, but--"

  "Well, then, stop interruptin' and let me continue," she ordered, and lowered her head again.

  She was concentrating on what she was doing, experimentally changing her speed and the pressure she was applying to see what worked best, but the man was silent as stone now that he was awake and she could not tell if he liked any of it. Except he did seem to be getting a bit harder and seemed a little larger too, if that were possible, and a glance at his feet showed his toes curling. She thought that might be a good sign. Then he began to touch her.

  Seonaid stiffened, her rhythm thrown off by her surprise when he slid a hand along her hips, then around and between her legs. She tried to get her rhythm back, but the man was proving a great distraction, to the point that Seonaid actually cursed around the member in her mouth. Straightening
, she turned to glare at him.

  "Stop that. I am pleasin' you now," she growled.

  A slow smile spread across his lips at the way she was glowering at him; then he half sat up to catch her by the arms and tugged her on top of his chest as he lay back down.

  "Hey!" Seonaid protested, pushing at his chest and trying to lever herself up. "I am--"

  Blake silenced her with a kiss, claiming her lips, then thrusting his tongue in to keep her from talking. It was most effective, she admitted to herself, giving up trying to push herself back up for the moment. She would let him kiss her a bit, then go back to it, she told herself, letting her hands slide up his chest and into his hair.

  He was a terribly good kisser. At least, it seemed to her that he was, though Seonaid didn't have anyone to compare his kissing skills to. But, comparisons or not, she suspected he was probably a master at everything to do with carnal knowledge. From what she'd heard, the man had got enough practice at it. And Seonaid couldn't help but be grateful for it, because it seemed to her that she was reaping the benefits.

  She moaned a protest as he broke their kiss, then sighed as he moved his lips across her face. She felt and reacted like a cat beneath its master's caress, tilting and pushing her face into his hand, until he caught her firmly by the hair and turned her head so that his tongue could explore her ear.

  Seonaid gasped and shuddered atop him, then became aware that his hands had not been still. They had started out holding her in place, but once she'd stopped resisting had turned from holding to caressing, moving over her back and arms. Now they slid down to her bottom and cupped her there, urging her tighter against his hardness. Seonaid turned her head and caught his lips again at the intimate caress, her legs slipping apart to increase the intimacy as he rubbed against her. When--after a few moments of this--it no longer seemed satisfying, she levered herself upward to sit on him, managing the task only because she took him by surprise.