As he kissed her, he brought her down on the small cot, and his hand roamed between their bodies until he found her center, his thumb rubbing against her, creating sensations she would never have thought possible. She cried out then, arching up toward him, and he accepted her invitation as he slowly sheathed himself inside of her.
She cried out, but then as she adjusted to him, she began to move against him, slowly at first, but then with a quickening pace, and he rocked with her, at first in a disjointed pattern, but they soon found a smoother rhythm. As she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight, she was lost in the sensations flooding through her. When he lowered his head to kiss her again, he nibbled on her bottom lip, and it was that action that sent her over the edge. She could no longer think, but felt pressure building up before it burst into vibrations that were sent throughout her body. Together they both cried out, and as she lay back down on the bed, he collapsed against her.
She felt the sweat on her brow, the dampness between her legs, and she knew, with all certainty, that she would never be the same again.
“Are you all right, lass?” came the husky voice above her, one that nearly sent her reeling once more.
“I am more than all right,” she replied, realizing how true her words were. “I have never in my life felt so… alive.”
He chuckled with a grin. “I understand, lass, more than you know.”
“Is this what it’s always like?” she asked, staring up at him, seeing his dark eyes dart from one side of the room to the other.
“I, ah, I wouldn’t know,” he said, pushing himself up from her and covering her with the plaid he lifted from where it fell on the floor.
“What do you mean?” she asked quizzically. “I am wondering — is it different than with… with other women?”
He cleared his throat, seeming somewhat embarrassed. “That’s what I mean,” he said. “I wouldn’t know.”
“Oh!” she said with a start. “You mean you — that is, I — you…”
“Aye, that was as much my first time as yours, lass,” he said, coming to sit on the edge of the bed and gazing into the flames that licked the small stove.
“But how can that be?” she asked incredulously. “A man like you—”
“What do you mean by that?” he asked, turning toward her now.
“I mean, a man that is so….”
“So what?” he asked, and as she took in his slight grin, she realized he was teasing her.
“Umm… good looking. Masculine. Charming — when you want to be,” she said with a smile, though she was still very much surprised. It was not at all what she had expected, and yet Adam seemed the kind of man to think things through, and perhaps he had always just thought too long and never taken the action required.
That he should choose her, though, for his first time, meant a lot to her, more than she could likely ever show or tell him.
“Thank you,” she said, leaning over toward him and holding her palm against his warm cheek. Their eyes met and held, until finally a bird’s call broke the silence around them, and Rachel realized she could no longer hear the pattern of the rain.
Gathering the plaid around her, she ran to the door and took a quick look outside. The storm had passed, and in its place was the gentle stillness that so often followed a rain shower. She looked up and saw color shoot across the sky, and smiled in awe.
“Come, Adam,” she said, turning to see him retying his kilt. “It’s beautiful.”
He came up behind her, his solid body at her back as he took in the scene before him.
“Nearly as beautiful as you,” he said, running his fingers along her arm, and she sighed contentedly as she leaned back into him. This had been the most wonderful afternoon of her entire life, and she vowed she would never, ever forget it.
16
It had been everything he could have wanted and yet nothing he would have ever known to ask for.
After the storm had quieted, they had remained in the cabin for a time, until Rachel’s clothing had dried enough that she could dress. Yet, still, the air had somewhat cooled with the storm, and Adam saw her shiver in spite of the sun that was now visible in the late afternoon sky. After helping her onto her horse, he made sure the plaid was wrapped tightly around her, and with a smile he left her and mounted Sloane.
As they made their way, now at a slow trot, the remaining distance to Darfield, Adam’s thoughts raced. Rachel was such a contradiction. She was small, yet so strong. She loved her pretty dresses and fine things, and yet she wanted to know more about how things worked and seemed to be determined to support herself if she must. She loved the affection of others, and yet seemed to be so alone in her world.
And after everything, he kept asking himself — what was he to do about her now? He had never felt this way about a woman before. There had been women interested in him, of course, from the village or from nearby towns. He had been to some of the big cities, but the women there held no attraction for him. They were too pretentious, too concerned with their place in society. When Adam invested himself in something, be it an invention, a project, or, now, a woman — he did not take it lightly. Everything he did, he put all of his time and effort into, and this was no different.
Except usually he planned so carefully, and with Rachel… with Rachel it had been so unexpected. He had allowed his emotions to control him, from the first time they had met.
