but just now, with you, I wanted it. And I was right. . . . It felt . . . well, I’ve never felt anything like it. I’ve never gone . . . felt . . . that explosion . . . that peak . . .” Her voice dwindled, and she looked away, frustrated, her lips so taut they turned pale.
He widened his eyes in amazement. She’d never experienced an orgasm before. He couldn’t prevent the male satisfaction that flooded through him at that admission. He gathered her tight against him, fighting the prideful grin doing its best to split his face.
“It’s never felt so . . . good ,” she finally said on a sigh. She reached up to touch his face. “Now do you understand?”
“Aye.” He pressed his lips into her hair. “But it still doesn’t change the fact that I might have given you a child.”
She leaned against him, her cheek against his chest, and they sat in comfortable silence for a while. Logan ran his hands up and down her spine, allowing the odd feeling of contentment to flow through him.
Finally, she took a deep breath. “When I was married to Duneghall, I prayed for a babe.”
“Did you?” he murmured.
“In our fifth month of marriage, I discovered I was with child.”
Logan fought the stiffening of his muscles as some emotion he couldn’t decipher clawed at his chest.
“But,” she continued, “I lost the babe a few weeks later. And then, before the midwife said I was healthy enough to try again, Duneghall was killed.”
A sudden, hot burst of possessiveness nearly overwhelmed him. He wished she’d never been married. He hated that another man had her first. If he’d known her then, he never would have allowed it.
He slammed the lid on those roiling emotions as quickly as they’d flared within him. Those were thoughts he shouldn’t be having. He and Maggie were from different clans from different regions. They led separate lives. He couldn’t let his feelings for her stand in the way of the responsibility that had been his sole focus since he watched his brother die.
He wasn’t even certain she felt anything but a temporary carnal attraction toward him.
He laid her on the bed and tucked the covers around her. Vulnerability softened her oval face and his heart tightened. Leaning over her slight form, he stroked her cheek with the back of his finger. “I’m sorry you lost a child.”
She gazed up at him with shining eyes. “I still feel sad sometimes, but it was long ago.”
He glanced back at the hearth, remembering it was Christmas Eve. “I should stoke the fire.”
“Aye.” She smiled. “We must keep the elves away.”
As he stacked another block of peat on the dwindling flames, she asked, “Why haven’t you married?”
He shrugged. “I never felt compelled to. My brother was the heir, and he married young.”
“Does he have sons?”
“No. Three daughters.”
“So you were his heir, and his holdings are now yours.”
He nodded. Logan had always coveted his independence. He’d never wished for his brother’s many responsibilities, but now that they were his, he wouldn’t shirk them.
He turned back to Maggie. There was a chance that she could be carrying his heir. Yet another newfound responsibility, but not one he wished away, he realized with no small measure of surprise.
He wanted her beside him. He never felt so right as he did with Maggie MacDonald.
He hesitated, staring at her flushed cheeks, the contrast of her black hair against her pale skin. She roused him in every way. He wanted to lie beside her, and yet . . .
“Come to bed,” she said quietly.
“You don’t wish me to sleep on the floor tonight?”
“No.”
He moved onto the bed and turned on his back, staring at the ceiling with his hands clasped behind his head.
“You were so cold that first night after you awoke,” he murmured.
“Aye, I was.”
“After you fell asleep . . .”
She lay very still, waiting for him to continue.
“I lay beside you for a while. I couldn’t let you
He widened his eyes in amazement. She’d never experienced an orgasm before. He couldn’t prevent the male satisfaction that flooded through him at that admission. He gathered her tight against him, fighting the prideful grin doing its best to split his face.
“It’s never felt so . . . good ,” she finally said on a sigh. She reached up to touch his face. “Now do you understand?”
“Aye.” He pressed his lips into her hair. “But it still doesn’t change the fact that I might have given you a child.”
She leaned against him, her cheek against his chest, and they sat in comfortable silence for a while. Logan ran his hands up and down her spine, allowing the odd feeling of contentment to flow through him.
Finally, she took a deep breath. “When I was married to Duneghall, I prayed for a babe.”
“Did you?” he murmured.
“In our fifth month of marriage, I discovered I was with child.”
Logan fought the stiffening of his muscles as some emotion he couldn’t decipher clawed at his chest.
“But,” she continued, “I lost the babe a few weeks later. And then, before the midwife said I was healthy enough to try again, Duneghall was killed.”
A sudden, hot burst of possessiveness nearly overwhelmed him. He wished she’d never been married. He hated that another man had her first. If he’d known her then, he never would have allowed it.
He slammed the lid on those roiling emotions as quickly as they’d flared within him. Those were thoughts he shouldn’t be having. He and Maggie were from different clans from different regions. They led separate lives. He couldn’t let his feelings for her stand in the way of the responsibility that had been his sole focus since he watched his brother die.
He wasn’t even certain she felt anything but a temporary carnal attraction toward him.
He laid her on the bed and tucked the covers around her. Vulnerability softened her oval face and his heart tightened. Leaning over her slight form, he stroked her cheek with the back of his finger. “I’m sorry you lost a child.”
She gazed up at him with shining eyes. “I still feel sad sometimes, but it was long ago.”
He glanced back at the hearth, remembering it was Christmas Eve. “I should stoke the fire.”
“Aye.” She smiled. “We must keep the elves away.”
As he stacked another block of peat on the dwindling flames, she asked, “Why haven’t you married?”
He shrugged. “I never felt compelled to. My brother was the heir, and he married young.”
“Does he have sons?”
“No. Three daughters.”
“So you were his heir, and his holdings are now yours.”
He nodded. Logan had always coveted his independence. He’d never wished for his brother’s many responsibilities, but now that they were his, he wouldn’t shirk them.
He turned back to Maggie. There was a chance that she could be carrying his heir. Yet another newfound responsibility, but not one he wished away, he realized with no small measure of surprise.
He wanted her beside him. He never felt so right as he did with Maggie MacDonald.
He hesitated, staring at her flushed cheeks, the contrast of her black hair against her pale skin. She roused him in every way. He wanted to lie beside her, and yet . . .
“Come to bed,” she said quietly.
“You don’t wish me to sleep on the floor tonight?”
“No.”
He moved onto the bed and turned on his back, staring at the ceiling with his hands clasped behind his head.
“You were so cold that first night after you awoke,” he murmured.
“Aye, I was.”
“After you fell asleep . . .”
She lay very still, waiting for him to continue.
“I lay beside you for a while. I couldn’t let you
Similar Books
