“Come,” he said, tugging on her hand. “Let us find somewhere we can be alone and forget about those two for a while.”
She could no more resist him than swim against a strong current. “Do you have a place in mind?”
“I do,” he said with a glint in his eyes that sent a tingle all the way to her toes.
In the fortnight since their return from London, they had made love in the buttery, the wine cellar, empty storerooms, and even the woods—a feat in late November. She would have met him in his bedchamber, but Jamie did not want her being seen going and coming from his room. He worried far more than she did about her reputation.
“I have claimed an empty guestchamber for our use.” He held up a long iron key. “I stole this from the steward’s key ring.”
She laughed. “How did you manage that?”
“I shall never tell, but I expect I’ve committed an offense against the Crown.” He pulled her against him. “For such a risk, I expect to be rewarded.”
“You shall, I promise,” she said, smiling back at him. He dropped his arms and stepped away from her, as if suddenly recalling they were within sight of the castle.
“I don’t care who sees us,” she said. “I have no virtue to be ‘tarnished.’ ”
“Don’t speak that way.” Jamie looked past her, his jaw set and his expression grim.
She put her hand on his arm and waited until his gaze returned to her face. “I am glad you found a place for us. Tell me where it is, and I shall meet you there now.”
When he said nothing, she said, “Please, Jamie.”
Her stomach fluttered as his eyes went dark.
“Aye,” he said, “ ’tis past time I had you in a proper bed again.”
They returned to the castle together, bid each other good-bye in front of several people outside the hall, and then made their way to the appointed guestchamber by different routes. Following Jamie’s directions, Linnet skirted the Round Tower and entered the wing across from the royal apartments.
Her steps echoed as she hurried up the stairs to the second floor. At Christmas, this part of the palace would be filled with guests, but it was empty now.
She hoped the somber mood that had settled over Jamie by the river would not return before she reached the chamber. As soon as she tapped on the door, though, he pulled her into the room and kissed her with a fierceness that left no doubt of his passion for her.
How she wanted him! Every moment she was away from him, she ached for him. She leaned her head against the back of the door and closed her eyes as he pressed hot, wet kisses down her throat.
Strong hands roamed over her body, squeezing, stroking, as his mouth moved along the edge of her bodice.
Then his mouth was on hers, all hunger and want. He pressed his hard shaft against her, making her throb with need between her legs. When he cupped her bottom and lifted her, she had to tear her mouth away from his because she could not breathe. He bit her shoulder as he gripped her hips and held her against him.
How could it be like this every time? This mindless, aching need that took over every part of her—every thought, every hope—was a mystery she could not explain. For five years, she had felt nothing, needed no one. Now, all Jamie had to do was walk into a room and the pent-up desire of their years apart could knock her to her knees.
“Do you want me?” he asked, his breath hot in her ear. “Oh, aye.” She tried to speak the words but was not sure if she said them aloud.
He set her on her feet and held her face in his hands. Looking at her with eyes burning like blue fire, he said, “You do not want me as I want you.”
“I do,” she confessed. “More.”
She heard the ping of buttons popping and hitting the floor as he wrenched her gown open and pulled the bodice below her breasts. When he lifted her up, she wrapped her legs around his hips. She clutched his hair in her hands and let her head fall back as he cupped her breasts and pressed his face between them.
Aye, aye, touch me, touch me.Sensations ripped through her as he rolled her nipples between his thumbs and fingers and planted hot, wet kisses along her breastbone.
She pulled at her skirts. There were layers and layers of cloth between them. She wanted him now. Right now, inside her.
She tried to speak. “Jamie, I want…”
“Wait,” he said, his voice low and fierce against her ear. “I shall have you in a bed this time.”
She kept her legs wrapped around him as he carried her to the bed.