He was stopped from punching his cousin in the face by a light laugh behind him. He turned to see Dina saunter in from the kitchen.
“Fighting over me already, are ye?” she said.
“Don’t hurry to the cottage,” Alex said to Ian before he pushed himself up from the table. He put his arm around Dina’s shoulders and walked with her toward the door.
Ian tipped more whiskey into his cup and swirled the golden liquid. He’d take good Scottish whiskey over French wine any day. He felt the pleasant burn as it slid down his throat. Hell, he’d take bad Scottish whiskey over the best French wine.
What was he doing sleeping in a cold bed every night—next to Alex, for God’s sake. Sileas was his wife, wasn’t she? She was sleeping in his room—in his bed, no less.
They’d said vows before a priest. Surely that meant something? True, he’d been ready to give Sileas up, but that was before he’d returned to find her all grown up.
Lord help him, Sileas had grown up fine.
He thought of her full breasts, the mesmerizing swish of her skirts as she climbed the stairs, the sparkle in her green eyes, the creamy skin that showed at her throat above her gown.
His cup was empty, so he took a long pull straight from the jug.
He wanted to see more of that creamy skin. To smell it. To run his tongue over every inch of it. And there was no reason he shouldn’t. Sileas belonged to him. The church had joined them.
Damn it, he shouldn’t have hesitated. That was where the problem lay. All he needed to do now was show her he wanted to be a husband to her.
But was he ready to give up other women? Was he ready to say she would be the last woman he bedded? He thought about it for a moment.
Hell, yes.
He would show her just how much he wanted her. Sil was a fiery thing, always was. She’d be everything he wanted in bed, he knew it without a doubt. And he’d be everything she wanted. She damned well wouldn’t look twice at that Gordan Graumach again.
He slammed his cup down on the table. It was time. His decision was made. By God, he was ready to commit himself.
It was going to be a night to remember.
CHAPTER 9
Ian took off his boots and stepped quietly up the stairs. No need to let the entire household know his intentions. He lifted the latch to Sileas’s bedchamber door—
He felt for the bar and slid it across. He wanted no early-morning interruptions. Someone else would have to do the morning chores; he intended to keep Sileas in bed late. Perhaps they wouldn’t get up at all tomorrow.
He stood near the door, every muscle taunt with anticipation, and waited for his eyes to adjust. His cock was painfully hard already. In the stillness, he heard her breathing, soft as sighs.
Gradually, he could make out her form on the bed. She lay on her back, with one arm flung up, framing her head on the pillow. He swallowed. He would carry this image of her from their first night together with him for the rest of his life. A wave of tenderness swelled in his chest. This woman was his to protect. His wife.
He was ready for the responsibility.
His throbbing cock reminded him he was more than ready for the pleasure. His breathing came in short, shallow breaths as he stepped to the edge of the bed.
Lying with her would not be like lying with other women. This was his wife. This was Sileas.
The muscles of his stomach were tight, and his throat dry. He couldn’t wait to touch her. To remove her nightshift and run his hands over that creamy white skin for the first time. To sink his fingers into her mass of red hair as he kissed and caressed her.
They would be naked. Aye, definitely naked. Skin to skin, with the smell of heather in his nose.
He unwound his plaid and pulled his shirt over his head, letting them both drop to the floor at his feet. She gave a sigh as he lifted the covers and slipped beneath the blankets. With his heart thundering in his ears, he reached for her.
He caught the edge of her nightshift, the cloth stiff beneath his fingertips, as she rolled away from him with another sigh. He moved closer and rested his hand on the curve of her waist.
Lust roared through him like a wild beast. For God’s sake, she was a virgin. He told himself he must go slowly, but it was not going to be easy.
He pulled her against him and bit his lip against the surge of desire that swamped his senses and tested his will. He made himself take in slow, deep breaths. He meant to savor every part of this first time: holding his wife in bed, the smell of her hair in his face, the warmth of her body next to his.
He pushed her heavy hair to the side and kissed her neck.
“Mmmmm.” The sound came from deep in her throat.
He smiled against her skin as he breathed her in. He thought he might have to persuade her, but she had been waiting for him to come to her.
“Sil,” he whispered in her ear, “I’m going to take your nightshift off now.”
When he nuzzled her neck, she made that low “Mmmmm” sound again, which set a fire deep in his belly. Then the breath went out of him in a rush as she pressed against him, making his cock throb against the crevice between her buttocks.
