After a few heartbeats, he moved. She gasped and he repeated the movement. In and out, back and forth until he was slamming against her. She kissed him, touched him, ran her hands up and down his back, murmured words that he could scarcely hear over his own harsh breaths.
He had lost himself to her.
He moved fast, harder. The pleasure built to the point of pain and her body suddenly stiffened. With a cry, she grew limp in his arms, and he let himself go, his peak rolling over him, surge after surge, pulse after pulse. Tavish issued a harsh groan then collapsed against her.
She smoothed her hands up and down his shoulders while he gathered his breath. When he lifted his head, her lips were puffy and her eyes heavy lidded. He swore it would only be moments before he wanted to take her again.
“Ye spilled inside me,” she said.
“Aye. Now ye’ll have to marry me.”
She gave him a light tap on his arm. “That’s a terrible way to make marriage negotiations.”
“If ye wish to continue to negotiate, I’m more than happy to spend all night trying.”
Leana shook her head with a grin. “Ye have plenty of negotiating to do, Maclean.”
“Aye, they’ll be hard negotiations.”
“I’m counting on it.”
Chapter Ten
“I cannae stay in here forever ye know.”
Tavish fixed Leana with a look that told her there was no arguing with him. If he thought such a look would prevent her from trying though, he didn’t know her well enough yet.
“And dinnae think ye can persuade me otherwise.” He held up a finger.
Och, perhaps he did know her.
She folded her arms and sank onto the bed. “I could help ye find out who tried to hurt yer father.”
“‘Tis better if everyone believes yer gone. Then whoever wants to hurt ye willnae try again.”
“There’s a man at my door. Who is he guarding if I’m gone?”
“Maggie, of course.”
“Maggie is likely in the kitchens,” she pointed out.
“Aye, and I’ll be sending her back to ye as soon as I find her, and neither of ye will be leaving the room.”
She pressed her lips together. There were few men, not even her adopted father, who could tell her what to do, but she could see the strain on Tavish’s face. Knowing they had a betrayer in their midst had to be taking its toll. She sighed and rose, retrieving the pin for his plaid and setting it in place for him.
“If it will ease yer mind, I’ll stay.”
“See? Even yer capable of being an obedient lass.” His lips curved into a teasing smile.
She narrowed her gaze up at him. “Call me that again and ye’ll see just how disobedient I can be.”
“Sounds like a promise.” His smile grew wicked.
“Find this traitor and then ye can hold me to this promise,” she said. “I dinnae think any of us will sleep easy until he’s found.”
“I wasnae thinking of sleeping.”
She rolled her eyes, moved up onto her tiptoes and brushed a brief kiss across his lips and then turned to peer out of the window. The sun lingered over the castle walls, silhouetting them black against a stark amber glow that lit the tops of the battlements. “Go to yer duties, Maclean. I dinnae want to be guilty of keeping you from them at such a time for much longer.”
“Och, sounds like ye wish to rid yerself of me.” He came up behind her, wrapping his arms about her and kissing the side of her neck.
A shiver of delicious sensation trailed down her spine and it took all her willpower not to give into his touch. As much as she wanted more of Tavish, they were not out of danger yet. And if they could find this traitor, she had strong suspicions they could find the person behind the fire that killed her mother. Her ambitions might have changed with regards to Tavish’s family, but she still wanted answers.
Especially now she was going to marry Tavish. She allowed herself a smile. For the first time since the fire, she had been able to think of something other than revenge. Once they had caught who had done it, the weight would be fully gone, and she could look forward to a life with Tavish at her side. Even if it was as Leana, she didn’t care. Tavish knew the truth, and he knew her. That was all that mattered.
“Tavish,” she scolded.
“Aye, aye, I’ll be gone but I’ll be returning later to check on ye.”
His arms unlaced from around her waist and she bit back a sigh. How she had gone from being determined never to need anyone to missing his warm embrace, she did not know, but she couldn’t regret it. Not when he made her feel so...so alive.
“And I’ll send Maggie as soon as I find her.”
A shadow of a figure moved through the bailey, the orange light catching on one side of his face. She sucked in a breath, her head swimming suddenly as though she’d stood up too quickly. Her chest grew tight and she pressed a hand to her stomach, feeling the beat of her heart pound hard through her body.
“Leana?”
She twisted and fought to draw in a breath through her tight throat. “I saw him.”
Tavish clasped her arms and she might well have collapsed to the floor had he not done so. “Saw who? Yer as white as the moon, lass. What did ye see?”
“The man who did it.” She gulped down some air and rubbed a hand across her face. “The man who set the fire. I didnae even know I’d seen him, but I remember now.”
“Remember what?”
“When I escaped, I saw a man holding a torch. The hour was late and the glow from the fire lit up one side of his face.” She put a hand to her mouth. “I cannae believe I didnae remember until now.” She met
