Highlander’s Winter Rose by Fiona Faris
Chapter Fifteen
Maximus felt as giddy as a child to see Rosallyn again. He was grateful to Elaise for making it possible. Her spies were very good. He even knew the exact room she was in and could make a beeline for it. She was as beautiful as he remembered her. Her hair was brushed back and tied in a ponytail at the base of her neck. This alone was the proof that she was not the one caring for herself. Probably a maid was doing it all.
She was soft in his arms when he hugged her, but when she flinched, he had let go immediately. He wanted to check her bruises himself, but he could not ask outright. There was a clear handprint on her jaw, however. It looked as though it were already fading from being treated, but the sight still put him on edge.
She dismissed his concerns, however, and instead wanted to know what had been going on with him. She was right. If they spent all the time he had been able to steal on discussing her injuries, it would be quite the waste. He watched her fondly, memorizing every inch of her.
She was blushing because he told her that the people considered her a legend. He wondered how red she would actually get if she could hear how much the people in the castle town were talking about her. He had walked through the town with Elaise and seen for himself how people whispered about her with awestruck voices. Elaise had made them leave their horses on the way so that infiltrating the castle would be easier.
They had then climbed over the wall with a rope attached to a grappling hook that she had thrown. It felt strange sneaking into his own castle. In a way, watching the way that she broke in gave him ideas on how to improve the security of the castle when he got it back. For example, having guards patrol the wall and not just man the gates.
“Ye ken, dae ye nae?” Rosallyn muttered, drawing him out of his thoughts.
“Ken what?” he asked.
“Ye ken that I was arrested and that the crazy traitor who took me plans to marry me under the blessin’ of the usurper.” Maximus went silent at that. She seemed very upset about her situation. It made him want to take her with him, but then it was not part of the plan. Besides, straining her body while she was recovering did not quite appeal to him.
“The rumors say that he kent ye before,” he probed. She squeezed her eyes shut, cringing at the memory, or was it at what she was going to say.
“Aye, he visited with my father durin’ winter when I was a lass. I had liked him back then,” she struggled to say. Despite knowing better, Maximus felt the unmistakable twinge of jealousy in his heart.
Her first love? How dare he take that position?
He shook his head to clear it, wanting to listen to her without caring about their surroundings.
“Me father had even been plannin’ to bring him this winter as well, if there had been no war, since I was of age, and I used to like him.”
The control he had just gotten ceased to exist. Her father had considered him good enough for Rosallyn’s hand? Just who was this man? He was not happy at all, and it showed on his face despite his best efforts. No, he should not be upset. Even if this man had been given that privilege, he had ruined it with his own hands by becoming a traitor.
“Are ye upset?” she asked in a small voice. “Ye seem to be upset.”
“Nay, I am nae upset. I am only jealous. I had already heard that he was trying to marry ye, but I didnae ken that yer father had thought him worthy,” Maximus confessed.
“I am so ashamed that we ever thought he was a good person. My father hadnae met him as a man. If he did, I am sure he would have noticed that he was no longer the good boy that he had trained,” she said, trying to put him at ease. He gave her a smile. She was too sweet.
“Dae ye want to marry him?” he asked, just to be sure. Her eyes went wide, and she gripped the front of his shirt.
“How could ye ask me that? Of course, I dinnae want to marry him!” she exclaimed. “I… I like ye.”
Maximus felt his blood heat up at her words. She had once again gone before him, being honest about the way that she felt. He thought about Elaise and his brother. If even one of them had been as honest as Rosallyn, there would not be so much regret in their relationship. He wrapped his hand around the one that she had gripped his shirt with, and as though just realizing what she was doing, she released him immediately.
“Ah, I am sorry, I didnae mean to grab ye like that,” she stammered but then went very silent when he leaned his head down to hers,
“I like ye too,” he said, before pressing his lips to hers again. She welcomed his kiss, immediately parting her lips, a small whimper leaving her as he slipped his tongue into her mouth, coaxing her to give up her all to him. Her arms found his neck, and she draped herself into him. When she moved against him like that, Maximus did not know how be responsible. He pushed her back slowly, struggling with his restraint.
Kissing her was intoxicating. She was holding on to him with all of her might as well, as though she was afraid that he would disappear. He pressed her down on the bed, holding most of his weight on his arms, pushing himself up. She kissed him back, following his lead, their tongues entwined in a beautiful dance.
Unlike their first kiss, this one was less urgent. It was soft and spoke of how much they missed each other. They were stealing time to be together against all odds, and Maximus was determined to make it worth it. Before the soldiers came and they were discovered, he was going to leave himself imprinted on her very soul so that she would not be able to think of anyone else but him.
…
Rosallyn was not sure what miracle it was that had brought Maximus to her, but she did not care. She did not even want to question it, just in case it was a dream and questioning it would make her wake up. She had so much she wanted to tell him, but she knew that there was no time. Her fingers gripped his arms as hard as they were able to, and she held on to him tight. If she let go, he just might disappear.
His kiss was like nectar, and she wanted as much of it as she could get. Butterflies danced in her stomach as his tongue searched her mouth. He broke their kiss, and she gasped when she felt his lips against her neck. She shuddered as goosebumps rushed down the length of her. She felt just as she had that day in the bath, but the feelings were twice as strong now. There was a need growing inside of her that she wanted him to fill.
No words were needed as their bodies did all the talking. He wanted her as she wanted him and that was all she needed to know. His hands worked quickly as they slid down the bodice of her dress, and his lips did not stop their ministrations on her neck. Her face was red with embarrassment, but she was enjoying his touch too much to cower away from it.
Then his hands slid down her frame to her hips, and as he kissed her, she gasped. He stopped moving at her gasp, keeping his hands on her hips and kissing down her neck. It seemed that he was giving her time to get used to his touch, but she wanted to tell him that she had not been gasping because she wanted him to stop. A sound she had never made before escaped her lips as he continued to kiss her neck, and she slapped her hand over her mouth in surprise. At her reaction, she could feel him grin against her skin and that only made her blush harder. He was kissing her neck, yet the pleasure was pooling in her belly. She had no idea that her neck could bring about such a feeling.
He moved again, and his warm hand found the softness of her breast. She sighed contentedly as he massaged her skin. It felt heavenly to be in his hand like that. He brought his lips back to hers, and she melted into his kiss easily. His hand, which had been massaging her, now moved with more intent, and he brushed his palm over her nipple. Rosallyn jolted at the sudden sensation of pleasure that rushed through her, sending more pulsing waves to her center.
She had no idea that there were so many pleasure points in her body. She wanted him to touch her more. Her back arched, angling her body upwards and pressing her nipple against his palm more. She whimpered into his kiss, and he chuckled at her need, moving his hand so that he could tweak her nipple with his fingers. The direct contact was everything she needed and more.
A breathless moan escaped her, and she grabbed onto his shoulders as all of the pleasure rushed between her legs. She was completely new to this, but her instincts were sharp. She pushed her other breast towards him, wanting him to touch it as well. Noticing what she wanted, Maximus broke their kiss and leaned up. The look in his eyes was one that she was familiar with and yet not. It was that look that seemed as though he was going to eat her whole, but it had never quite been this intense before.
“Maximus… These feelin’s I dinnae ken what they are, but I dinnae want them to stop.” Passion flared in his eyes, and he gripped the front of her dress and ripped it in one go, leaving her chest bare to his eyes. She gasped in surprise, her arms going to cover her chest instinctively. He caught her hands by the wrists, however, stopping her.
“Nay, dinnae hide yer skin from me. I am goin’ to bring ye more feelin’s until all that ye can think about is me,” he said, his voice just above a growl. His eyes pinned her down, and all she could do was surrender to the need she found within. He lowered himself at that, raising her hands until he had them pinned above her head. Keeping his gaze on hers, he lowered his head until he brought his lips to her nipple.
Rosallyn’s heart was pounding in her chest. She was panting, and that only made her breasts heave in front of his face. He flicked his gaze from her face to her breasts rising and falling, and he leaned forward deliberately, taking her nipple into his mouth. Her back arched away from the bed immediately, her breasts bouncing against his face even as he held her down by her hands. She gasped and let out another moan, her lips hanging open as she panted, louder this time.
“Maximus… Oh Maximus, that feels so good. I cannae take this,” she moaned. They were doing such lewd things, and she loved every second of it. She was aflame and needed his wet tongue to cool her down. She wiggled slightly, smacking his face with her other breast, begging for his attention. He happily obliged, removing his mouth from the nipple he had been suckling on with an audible pop, and moving his mouth to her other breast. He did not stop there, however, and took his free hand to the nipple still wet from his tongue.
With both her breasts being stimulated, Rosallyn felt as though she might explode from sensory overload. It was better. It was so much better than the time when she had done it herself. If she touched down there now, she would surely see pleasures like she never had before. Her hips were gyrating on their own and closing her eyes to chase the pleasure, she pulled her hand from above her and moved it between her thighs to find her nub of pleasure.
Noticing her movement, Maximus froze. He let go of her and removed his mouth from her breasts. Her eyes snapped open in protest, and she looked up at him, feeling as though she could cry.
“Why? Why did ye stop? I had almost found it!” she protested. Maximus looked shocked, his eyes not on her face at all but between her legs where her hand had gone. His face was red, and he had his hand over his mouth. Looking down at herself she found that her skirts were raised and from his position, he could probably see everything between her legs.
Her face heated up instantly, and she snapped her thighs together, removing her hand.
“Oh, my goodness, stop lookin’ there! That is so embarrassin’,” she moaned in protest. Maximus finally looked up at her, and she could have sworn that she saw flames in his eyes.
“Ah Rosallyn… I didnae ken that ye were such a bad lass…” Maximus said lowly. She blinked at him in confusion as he had a possessed look about him.
“Eh?” she managed to squeak before he gripped both her knees and opened her legs, bringing her sex directly into his view. She squealed in embarrassment, trying to cover herself, but she reacted too slowly, Maximus already had his face buried between her legs and his tongue lapping against her nub furiously.
All her strength left her in an instant, and Rosallyn felt herself go lax, her eyes rolling back in her head. She let out a scream of pleasure, forgetting where she was and the danger they were in. Her hands went to her nipples, and she touched them just as he had, her hips grinding against his face in pursuit of her pleasure.
Maximus chuckled against her, raising his head slightly.
“Ye are so surprisingly lewd, Rosallyn,” he said, but she cut him off, pressing herself back against his face. If he could talk, his tongue could work. She did not know what he meant. All she knew was that his actions were causing wave after wave of pleasure to hit her. She knew that it was leading up to the biggest wave of pleasure that she could possibly fall from.
“Maximus, please dinnae stop… More, more… I can feel it. It is gettin’ better and better.” She moaned as she felt her pleasure peaking. Her legs wrapped around his head as she neared her climax, not wanting him to go anywhere as she sought her pleasure from his tongue. All of her other senses blurred into the background, her sight going dark and her ears ringing with silence as her body focused on the single point of pleasure in her center.
Stars exploded in front of her closed eyes and every cell in her body vibrated with the force of her orgasm. It was not like the time she did it by herself. This time, she could not breathe; she could not do anything but feel the pleasure rushing through her. She vaguely felt Maximus detach himself from her and fall lax beside her, laughing to himself.
“Oh Gods, Rosallyn, ye will be the death of me… Ye… I cannae believe how passionate ye are. I very nearly came just watchin’ ye.”
The way that she was, she could only moan in response. Everything was swimming, and she was shuddering every few seconds as aftershocks ran through her. Maximus rolled onto his side and pulled her into a kiss. She could barely kiss him back.
He got up after that and covered her the best he could. He cracked his neck and laughed as he got off the bed.
“Ye sure are somethin’ else. Ye nearly took me head off, ye ken,” he chuckled. He was complaining, yet Rosallyn had never seen him so satisfied.
A loud sound made him turn, and Rosallyn noticed a grappling hook had flown in through the window and hooked against the windowsill. The unmistakable sound of running soldiers also reached her ears from the hallway. Maximus turned a regretful smile to her.
“Ah… it seems I must be leavin’ now. The soldiers have finally noticed that somethin’ is off, and me ride is here. I promise that I will come back for ye,” he said. Rosallyn was only able to raise herself up to a sitting position to say goodbye when he waved at her and crawled out of her window. Mere seconds after he left, the door burst open and numerous soldiers poured into the room.
She turned lazy eyes to them, catching their flushed faces when they caught sight of her disheveled appearance. The grappling hook being removed made them turn to the window, and they realized what had happened.
“The intruder has made it out through the window. Back, back, go back outside!” they yelled to each other, rushing out of the room as quickly as they came in.
Rosallyn blinked in the silence after they were gone. Surely that was going to come back to bite her as they would not let it go that an intruder had come to see her especially, and not just any intruder, but the only person with true claim to the Lairdship. However, she just shrugged to herself, allowing her sated body to flop back unto the bed.
That is a problem for another day, and I dinnae care what happens after. Let me enjoy me bliss
