He finally caught her hands in his, and came down overtop her, his mouth covering hers. Gone were the gentle kisses, and in their place a hunger for her that she eagerly matched.
He broke away from her for a moment, as he whispered softly, “You were made for me, lass,” and she felt a tear at the corner of her eye as she reached up to palm his cheek. He caught the wetness with his finger before claiming her lips once more, slipping his tongue inside. He dragged his lips down her body, and she bit her lip with a groan. She twined her fingers into his silky dark hair as she felt the desire building in her core. Suddenly she realized where he was going, and when his lips touched her, her half-closed eyes flew open.
“What are you —” her voice broke off as she felt his tongue on her nub, and she collapsed back on the bed, giving herself over to the sensations running through her. She was near to coming apart when he suddenly left her, and she soon became aware of the hard length of him pressing against her. She opened her eyes to meet his gaze as she felt him slowly slide inside her, and she twined her arms around his back, pulling him closer.
Then he began to move, and her hips instinctively rose to meet his, back and forth, in long strokes. The rhythm soon intensified until she felt the sensation building, and she felt his thumb come to her most tender of places once more. As he brought his lips down to hers, she suddenly stilled as she came undone, calling out his name, no longer caring how loud she was.
He soon followed her, his body tightening in her arms, until they both collapsed back on the bed, breathing rapidly. Adam rolled over beside her to keep his weight from her, and tucked her inside the curve of his body. She said nothing, but smiled a slow, easy grin. She ran her fingers over his forearm to his hand, where she caught his fingers in hers. Yes, she was where she belonged, she knew with absolute certainty. Nothing, and no one, could keep her from this man, and she had no desire to be anywhere but here.
He kissed the top of her ear, tickling her, and she shivered against him.
“I thought the first time was magic,” she said incredulously. “I never knew it could happen again.”
“If ’tis magic you want, magic is what you shall get,” he said. “Whatever my lady desires. Over and over again…. Yer in the Highlands now, love. Anything is possible.”
She laughed and rolled over, bringing her lips to his once more, complete in her love for him.
Rachel was somewhat nervous the next day as Adam, Sullivan, and her father spent much of it together in the laird’s room. Duncan joined them for a time to offer his advice on business within the countryside. She knew her father was focused on England, but Adam and his family would see to it that the Scots got their due.
When Adam finally emerged, he took her in his arms and gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head.
“A walk to the loch, love?” he asked, and she smiled.
“I think that would be a fine idea,” she said in response.
As they began strolling down to the crystal blue waters, the green of the hills surrounding them, Adam put his arm around her and drew her in close.
“All seems to be well,” he said. “We have a plan going forward and a contract in place to ensure we all — your father, Andrews, and I — receive our fair due for our work. Your father and Andrews will look after the production in London, and hopefully in due time more people will benefit from the wind energy. I think I’ll build our own machine here to start, and see what can be done with it.”
“That would be wonderful!” she exclaimed. “I would so love to see your work.”
“And ye shall,” he said, his gaze wistful as they came to the water’s edge and he stared out over the horizon.
“What of the dealings with Vincent’s family?”
“The agreement remained that Vincent can one day assume control of the business – but only if, at the time, your father and Sullivan both agree to it. Sullivan was concerned about your thoughts on the matter, but I conveyed your wish that you would prefer to make your home here. While Vincent wasn’t particularly pleased that you were no longer part of the agreement, it is still in his favor.”
She nodded in agreement, pleased that it was all done with.
“We do have one problem,” he added.
“And what is that?”
He turned to her and grinned. “We are going to have to teach you how to swim.”
He shucked off the kilt he wore around his hips before diving into the water. Rachel stared at him incredulously. “What are you doing?” she gasped.
“Come inwith me!” he said, “I’ll keep you afloat, I promise.”
“It’s the middle of the day!” she exclaimed, but began laughing at him. This behavior was rather unlike him, and she couldn’t help but be pleased by the dimples brought out in his cheeks.
“Leave your shift on,” he said. “The water is fine. I’ll make sure Nessie doesna eat you. I’ll tell her yer one of us now. Don’t be scared, love.”
Feeling somewhat ridiculous, she nevertheless lifted her dress over her head, leaving it on a large rock beside the water before removing her shoes. She tentatively waded in and then let herself fall into his arms. As his strong arms came around her, she felt his powerful legs kick to keep them afloat.
“Well now, I think I’m going to have
