Mutual Desire Read online

  Kate wanted more. All she wanted was the wonderful feelings inside her to continue. And she wanted Ewan.

  Her hands dug into the bed coverings when he slipped a finger inside her. His finger moved within her, stroking her expertly. Desire began to tighten inside her, building with each touch, each kiss.

  Suddenly, he rose over her. She gave a startled cry when he removed his hand from between her legs. Nothing had ever felt so wonderful, and she wasn’t ready for it to end.

  “Kate,” he murmured and captured her gaze.

  She saw the raw hunger, the passion, in his gaze. Her stomach flipped at the knowledge that it was for her. Ewan, a stranger and her husband, desired her. It was there for her to see…and accept.

  His cock rubbed against her sensitive sex. Ripples of pleasure washed over her. Her back arched, searching for something that could quench the ache inside her. The tip of his cock found her entrance. Kate lifted her legs, and he slipped inside her. He moaned as his eyes closed, his arms shaking.

  Kate waited for the pain that always came when she’d been forced in the marriage bed, but this time there was the most wonderful sensation. She let the tension drain from her body as Ewan continued the rocking of his hips until he was buried to the root.

  He moved her leg until it was wrapped around his waist, and she hurried to shift the other since it brought him farther inside her. When he began to thrust, Kate gasped at the spike of pleasure.

  His thrusts grew faster, deeper, until all Kate could do was hold on to him as he showed her what it meant to be loved by a Highlander.

  The desire that had begun to build with his first kiss tightened, pulling her toward something. And then she shattered. She closed her eyes as her breath locked in her lungs and bright lights popped behind her eyelids. She dug her fingers into Ewan’s arms as her body convulsed and took her spiraling down an abyss of unimaginable pleasure.

  As the last of her climax drained away, she felt him plunging deep inside her, prolonging her orgasm. He gave a final thrust that touched her womb before he threw back his head with a shout as his seed emptied inside her.

  Kate watched him, amazed that he had found the same pleasure she had. She held him, her arms wrapped around his wide shoulders, when he fell atop her. His breathing was ragged, hoarse, and his heart thumped loudly against her chest.

  For several moments they stayed as they were. With her body sated, her eyes drifted close. The peace that surrounded her was amazing. It was as if the world had suddenly righted and everything was as it should be.

  Then Ewan rose up on his hands and stared down at her.

  His brow furrowed as he regarded her a moment, as if he wanted to say something. He must have thought better of it, because he rolled onto his back with a sigh.

  Kate stared at the canopy as the beautiful feelings began to fade away and reality returned. She wasn’t sure if she should leave. This was her bedchamber as well, but only a few moments ago she had asked for an annulment.

  By the saints, what he must think of her. Kate decided it was best if she did leave. She needed to think, and she couldn’t do that with Ewan near her. Just as she rose to leave, Ewan reached over and pulled her against him.

  For a moment she thought about refusing, but his heat stilled her. She had never slept with a man nor had one hold her as Ewan did. She quite liked resting her head on his chest and listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart.

  She was also stunned. Stunned that he had wanted her after declaring she wasn’t the bride he paid for, and astonished because he had taken her to his bed and shown her the most wonderful experience of her life.

  To say Ewan was a conundrum was putting it mildly. She didn’t want a husband, but she couldn’t ignore that her body had ignited under his expert hands and mouth. She wondered how it would be the next time they made love.

  There can’t be a next time, not if you want the annulment.

  But how could she refuse such marvelous and delectable yearnings of her body when she knew the outcome would be pleasure beyond her wildest imaginings?

  And how, in the name of all that was holy, did she get herself in such a predicament?

  Ewan ran his fingers over Kate’s back as he thought of their lovemaking. The fire he’d seen in her had told him sex would be good. He hadn’t expected it to be great—possibly the best he had ever had. That in itself gave him pause.

  She had touched him in a way no other woman had. Not once had she held back. She had opened herself to him, and in doing so, had made his climax marvelous. Even afterward, when he usually preferred to be alone, he found himself needing to hold her.

  And to make matters worse, he knew deep in his bones that each time he bedded Kate it would only get better.

  She was a passionate woman, in and out of the bed. He had thought he wanted a docile wife, but now he knew he would have been bored with such a woman. With Kate by his side, she would make his days interesting, and their passion would never wane.

  He looked down to find her sleeping contentedly in his arms. She might have given in to his seduction, but that didn’t mean she would understand why he would no longer entertain the idea of an annulment. Despite her previous marriages, no man had shown her the joys of sex.

  Although he would have preferred to have initiated her to sex, he was content to be the one to begin her instructions in the joy of sex. He smiled as he thought of all the ways he could take Kate.

  It was up to Ewan to show her what their life could be like. He, for one, was up for the challenge. Already his cock hardened, wanting more of her. He had become addicted to her with just one intoxicating, delicious taste.

  He shifted his hips and groaned as his desire grew. He was like a lad after his first roll in the hay, she excited him so much. There was nothing Kate could say to disprove that she had enjoyed what he had done to her. Her scream of pleasure still echoed in his head. It had been the feel of her sex clenching around him that had made him peak.

  If he had to keep Kate in his bed for a fortnight to prove they were meant to be together, he would. There was nothing she could say or do that would make him give her the annulment. She was his now.

  He smiled as he began to plan the complete seduction of his wife.

  5

  Ewan awoke to find himself curved around his wife’s delicious body and his rod pressed into her back. His lips lifted in a grin when he discovered his hand held one of her breasts.

  He loosed his hold and let his thumb circle her nipple until it puckered, straining against him. Then, he pinched it. She stirred, a soft moan passing through her lips. His cock jumped as his hunger grew. He licked his lips as he caressed down her side and over the swell of her hip.

  His fingers brushed her sex and his balls tightened. He took her leg and gently moved it atop his so he could have access to her slick heat. Once she was settled, he ran his fingers through her curls to her sex. He fondled her slowly, tenderly, until she became damp and his fingers glistened with her moisture.

  His breathing grew harsh as his cock thickened, the longing for her drowning out everything. All his life he had looked to find a woman who could make his blood sing. He’d finally found her.

  When he realized how he had almost let her slip through his fingers, his chest ached as though an iron band had wrapped around him. But now that he knew, he wasn’t going to make that mistake.

  He slipped a finger inside her tight, hot sheath. She clenched around him, and he was unable to hold back a moan of pleasure. In and out his finger moved, stroking her. After a moment, he added a second finger. Her back arched and her hips ground against his rod. Her chest heaved with her ragged breaths, and her soft moans only spurred his desire.

  When he could take it no more, Ewan shifted his hips until the tip of his cock met her damp flesh. He closed his eyes and pushed inside of her. She moaned low in her throat and gripped his hand. Finally, she was awake.

  “Ewan,” she said with a breathless sigh.

 
His hand moved to the pearl hidden in her curls, and he swirled his finger around it. “Shh. Don’t think, just feel.”

  He didn’t give her time to answer before he began to thrust. Her sighs became little cries of pleasure as he worked her pearl with his finger and continued to plunge inside of her with long, hard strokes.

  His climax was close, but he refused to peak before Kate. When she began to meet each of his thrusts with her own, he gripped her pearl between two fingers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

  A scream tore from her throat as her orgasm claimed her. The feel of her body clenching around his cock pushed him over the edge again. He was blinded by the force of his climax. Ewan gripped her hip and plunged deep within her, his seed pouring from him.

  He knew that if he couldn’t convince Kate with words that she belonged with him, he would tie her to the bed and make love to her until she admitted he was right.

  For several moments, neither moved. He loosened his hold on her and let out a deep breath. Just before he gave into sleep, her soft voice reached him.

  “This changes nothing.”

  Ewan sighed and turned her toward him. With his thumb on her chin, he moved her face until her amber gaze was locked with his. “This changes everything. You canna tell me that you deny the passion between us.”

  “Just because you are the first man to bring my body such…pleasure…doesn’t mean we should spend our lives together.”

  He knew he could demand her silence on it. It was his right as her husband, but he recognized the fiery spirit within her. To break her would break the fire that drove him wild. He had no wish to do that.

  “You doona think I can change your mind on the matter?”

  “Nay.”

  He smiled at her sure manner. “Give me a month to prove otherwise.”

  “A month is too long. No one will give us an annulment after a month. A week?”

  “Not nearly long enough.” He dislodged a strand of her hair that was caught in her lashes. “Give me a fortnight.”

  “Done.”

  He smiled. She had unknowingly given him exactly what he wanted. He hadn’t been fool enough to think she would give him a month.

  Her gaze narrowed suspiciously. “You smile as if you’ve already won.”

  “Nay. I see a woman who loves to be pleasured, and I intend to make sure you are pleasured thoroughly. And often.”

  She blew out a breath and shrugged. “Just because I like what you do to me in bed doesn’t mean I will want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  Ewan was dangerously close to losing his temper. His wife was more than stubborn. He couldn’t understand why she didn’t see what was between them. After having two husbands she hated, he had expected her to know that the pleasure and desire with him was different. Lasting.

  “Suppose I agree to the annulment, what will you do? Return to your father and let him force you into another marriage?”

  “Never,” she all but spat. “I want to be in charge of my own destiny.”

  He leaned on his elbow and rested his head on his hand. “Few women are in charge of their own lives, Kate. Men rule the world, and in doing so, we rule you.”

  “I know that all too well. I’ll enter into a convent once you annul the marriage,” she retorted sharply. “No man will rule me there, and I’ll be safer inside those holy walls than here where there are constant battles between clans.”

  He hid his grin at her assurance that he would give her what she wanted. “You would become accustomed to the Highlanders’ way of life. Somehow, I doona think you’ll find life as a nun as appealing as you might think.”

  “’Tis better than being a man’s chattel. I would make my own decisions.”

  “Nay, you wouldna. You would answer to the mother superior, doing her bidding just as you would your husband’s.”

  He could tell by the way her brow furrowed that she hadn’t thought of that possibility. Her teeth worried her bottom lip as she thought over his words.

  If he were a gentleman, he would let the matter rest, but Ewan hadn’t become such a powerful laird by being a gentleman. “At least with me, you would get some say. And I would give you the children you want.”

  “How do I know you aren’t lying? You could be saying this just so you wouldn’t have to hunt for another wife.”

  “You doona.” He shrugged a shoulder. “In truth, lass, your best alternative is staying here as my wife. If you think over it carefully, you’ll see I’m right.”

  She rolled over and rose from the bed before padding barefoot around to his side, where she reached for her clothes. He didn’t want her hiding her magnificent body from him, but it had gotten significantly cooler in the chamber since the fire had died.

  Once she was dressed, she turned and faced him. “Is it that you don’t want to admit a mistake was made? That I’m the wrong woman for you?”

  “Of course not.” He sat up, waiting for her next barb.

  “You’re a handsome man. You could easily find another wife.”

  He grinned then. “You think me handsome?”

  She shrugged but didn’t comment.

  “In truth, Kate, I could find another wife. However, I’m nay so stubborn that I would walk away from a woman that has as much passion for life as she does in bed.”

  She turned her back to him and moved to the hearth where she stroked the fire to life once more.

  Though Ewan was loath to leave her, there were things he needed to see to. The most important one was to make sure Bridget was no longer in the castle. She could only mean trouble for him. Since he was trying to convince Kate to forget the annulment, the last thing he needed was a former lover causing a bigger rift. Not to mention Bridget had to be punished for her lie.

  He rose from the bed and quickly dressed. The air helped to cool his desire and focus his attention on the plan he had for Kate. When he finished fastening the brooch over his heart, he found his wife watching him.

  “They say you are a formidable and influential laird.”

  He gave a slight nod of his head.

  “A man in your position shouldn’t have so quickly and easily chosen a wife.”

  Ewan walked to stand in front of her. He grasped a strand of her hair and rubbed his fingers over the silken locks. “I did have my choice of women. Many families wanted to align themselves with me, but none of those women interested me.”

  She glanced down. “Then you saw my sister.”

  “Aye. I was in the Lowlands seeing King James. Your sister was pretty and not connected to any Highland family. A perfect solution for me.”

  She nodded and turned her head to the window. “’Tis dawn.”

  He paused at how vulnerable she looked. Her voice was low and her eyes troubled, as if she wasn’t sure she was happy at how they had spent the last few hours.

  Ewan couldn’t imagine how angry he would be if he were in her shoes. Three husbands she had been forced to wed. No wonder she wanted her freedom so desperately.

  ’Twas too bad he wouldn’t be able to give it to her.

  “I’ll have Beth fetch you when ’tis time to break our fast.”

  She didn’t spare him a glance as he left the chamber.

  When the door closed behind Ewan, Kate let out a shaky breath and bowed her head. He was right. Only a fool would deny the deep attraction between them, but she wanted her freedom so desperately she was willing to sacrifice such passion for it.

  Kate wished the yearnings in her body would stop. It had been a huge relief when Ewan had left the chamber. Being so close to him made her remember how it felt to have his hands and mouth on her, and how her body came alive under his hands. The desire overwhelmed her, made her forget everything but feeling more of the ecstasy Ewan’s touch promised.

  How could one man do that to her?

  Surely there would be other men whose mere touch could make her cry out with pleasure. It was a chance she was willing to take. Just for once, she wanted to make he
r own decisions.

  Her father’s betrayal was a wound that might not ever heal. Always she’d been a good daughter, never arguing either time he had sent her off to marry. But this time, it had been too much.

  She had begged him to leave her be after her second marriage. When he had told her of Ewan, she had railed against him, shouting things at him a daughter should never say to her father.

  After the wedding he’d told her the real reason. He had found her sister a very prosperous match with an Englishman. It was a match that would align their family with the crown, just as her marriage to the Highlander would align them in another way. She had been too angry then to argue more.

  Kate pushed thoughts of her father from her mind. Being angry at him would not solve her current problem. She had no doubt she could convince Ewan to give her the annulment. After all, she wasn’t the bride he had paid for.

  Though, if he ever found out her sister had gone to another man, Ewan would never agree to release her from their marriage. She hated secrets, but she didn’t have a choice. Not this time.

  He had asked for a fortnight in which to prove she wanted his body. There was no need for it since she had craved his body from the first touch of his lips. The fact he had brought her such exquisite bliss made her yearn for him even more.

  But she could never tell him.

  Her eyes closed on a moan as her sex clenched at the memory of his cock sliding in and out of her. Hesitantly, her hand covered her breast. Beneath her hand, her nipple grew hard and ached for Ewan’s mouth.

  Desire surged through her and centered at her sex, which had begun to throb in earnest. She wrapped her arms around her middle and bent forward. But nothing she did made the hunger go away. Ewan had turned her into a wanton in one afternoon.

  And God help her, she loved it.

  6

  By the time Beth came for her, Kate had managed to get herself under control, though the desire never went away. With her hair braided and falling in one thick plait down her back, Kate walked to the great hall to find every seat filled.