Unlaced by the Outlaw (Secrets in Silk) (43 page)

The afternoon was warm, and the sunlight haloed the darkness of Cain’s long hair. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he lifted her up, holding her below her hips.

“Do you remember this place?” he asked.

“It’s where you kissed me for the first time.” She bent down and took his lips again, and Cain lowered her against his body. She felt the rigid heat of his arousal, and dared to ask, “What’s beneath your kilt, husband of mine?”

He took her hand and guided it beneath the wool. “Something for you.”

Margaret laughed when he pressed her palm against his shaft. “So eager, are you?”

“I plan to spend the rest of the night loving you.” He turned her and began unfastening the buttons. Instead of disrobing her quickly, he took his time, pressing his mouth to her back as each bit of skin was revealed.

“Red,” he breathed, as he saw the crimson corset and lacy chemise. “Thank God.”

He helped her lift the purple gown away, and Margaret felt a twinge of nerves. “Will anyone intrude upon us?”

“Nay. They’re too busy dancing and drinking. It’s only us, lass.” His hands moved around to cup her breasts. She was wearing one of the most daring garments they had ever designed, one that Amelia had insisted would drive Cain wild. The chemise was entirely made of dyed red lace, and it was sheer, revealing her bare breasts.

Cain unlaced the silk corset and lifted it away, and then he guided her to sit on a large stone. He knelt before her, admiring her body.

“I ne’er imagined you’d wear something as provocative as this, Margaret.” His eyes were heated, devouring her with his gaze.

“Do you . . . like it?”

“I want to tear it apart and take your breast in my mouth to make you wet for me.”

His words painted a vivid picture, and her fingers dug against the stone. “I’m waiting,” she whispered.

Instead of tearing the delicate lace, he leaned forward, warming her nipples with his breath. She waited for him to suckle against her, but he only flicked his tongue against the tips. With the lace shielding them, it was an arousing sensation to feel his tongue against the abrasive material.

She was dimly aware of him lifting her, discarding her petticoat and dragging up the edges of the chemise until she sat upon his lap. He pulled her legs around his waist and reached between them to touch her intimately.

As he stroked and caressed, his tongue licked at her nipple through the lace. Slowly, achingly tender, he sucked at her, and her body responded to his touch by growing even wetter. It was an easy, gliding motion when he slid his length inside her. She clenched him within her depths, feeling the echoing sensation as he tormented her breasts. The need to move was so fierce, she tried rocking against him.

He seized her mouth in a heated kiss. She was drowning in need, feeling his thick erection deep inside.

“Don’t move,” he ordered, stilling her hips. “Let me touch you.”

With his fingers, he rubbed her body above the place where they were joined. She moaned as the feverish intensity started to take hold. The need to arch against him, to feel him in a different angle, was a desire she would not deny. Her body was quaking, and she squeezed him tightly as he pressed her closer to the edge.

“Cain, I love you,” she said, her breathing uneven.

“I love you.” He lightened his touch, rubbing her until she felt herself turning inside out, blossoming as he brought her pleasure. Deep inside her, she milked his length, rising up and falling as the release swept over her. He helped her, lifting her in a rhythmic motion while he impaled her with his shaft.

The need to change the pace, to go faster, only deepened the sensations. She rode him hard, her nails digging into his shoulders as he plunged deep, again and again. The shocking release caught her like a physical blow, knocking her over as she flooded with heat.

She was wild, untamed as she cast off all inhibitions and gave him everything he’d given to her. Heart, soul, and body.

And when he emptied himself within her, she covered his mouth with hers, drowning out his shout.

Afterward, he remained joined within her, laying her down and covering both of them with a blanket. The sunlight was dappled against his skin, and it seemed that even their breathing had become one.

“Did you ever imagine it would be like this between us?” she mused, tangling her hand in his black hair.

“Aye, lass. Every single night,” he teased. “And I’ll wager you didna dream of me at all. It was a prince you wanted in your life and in your bed.”

Turning serious, she touched his cheek. “You’re wrong. It took me a long time to know that it was you I wanted.” She let her hands trace a path down his bare chest to rest over his heart.

“You
are
a prince, Cain. Never doubt that.” She kissed his heart and added, “And the man of my dreams.”

Epilogue

T
here was nothing that demanded whisky so much as the birth of a child.

After the grueling hours of waiting, the men gathered in the library, feeling the strain of a sleepless night.

“I’m glad all went well,” Castledon said, taking a long sip of his drink. “I know Amelia never left her side for a moment.”

“Nor did Victoria.” The Duke of Worthingstone grimaced. “Though I’ve been through this before, I cannot say that it ever gets any easier.”

Lord Lanfordshire was staring at the wall, as if he didn’t want to think about the ordeal. Cain didn’t blame the man, but at least the worst was over. It was a fine morning in Scotland, and the birth of a son was a joy to celebrate.

“Shall we go and see the bairn?” he suggested. Surely enough time had passed that the women would allow it. The men put aside their glasses and followed him out of the library and up the stairs.

Castledon knocked upon the door, and Amelia was the first to answer. “I’ve never seen such a beautiful boy. He’s absolutely perfect.” She gushed over the infant’s fingers and toes, beaming at her husband as she welcomed them inside.

They entered the bedchamber, one by one. The duke stood beside his wife Victoria, who sent him a sleepy smile. “It’s truly a miracle, isn’t it?”

The midwife, Bridget Fraser, pronounced, “She endured every hour with courage like I’ve never seen. The birth went splendidly well. And now we have a wee bairn to hold.” She eyed her son, Paul Fraser, who was holding Juliette’s hand. “The pair of you might give me another grandchild. Two isna nearly enough.”

“I just gave you another one a few months ago,” Juliette protested.

“I’m wanting an even dozen,” Bridget said. “No less than that.”

Juliette rolled her eyes, and Cain couldn’t blame her for it. Childbirth was difficult enough, and all of them had paced the floors last night.

Margaret was seated beside the bed, holding a newborn baby boy in her arms. She was cooing to her brother while Beatrice leaned back against her pillow, utterly exhausted from her labor. All of them had worried about Lady Lanfordshire, for her unexpected pregnancy was dangerous at her age.

Even now, the baron appeared stunned that all had gone well. He approached the bed warily, almost as if he could hardly believe his eyes.

“I—I’m so glad you’re all right, my dear,” Henry said to his wife, leaning down to kiss her. His hands framed her face as if to ensure that she was truly whole and well after the birth.

Beatrice smiled. “Meet the future Lord Lanfordshire, Henry.”

The baron appeared flummoxed, uncertain of what to do. Juliette took the baby from Margaret’s arms and said, “Father, come and hold your son.” Teasingly, she added, “You look as if you’ve forgotten how to hold a baby.”

“I believe I have,” he admitted. Though once the baby was secure in his arms, he met his wife’s gaze with a shining love. “I never imagined in all my days that we’d have another child.” He sat down beside Beatrice, staring at the newborn with awe.

“It was a surprise to me, as well.” But she reached out to squeeze his hand. “And an unexpected blessing.”

Cain drew Margaret into his arms, holding her close. He didn’t doubt that he would feel the same as Lord Lanfordshire when he and Margaret eventually had bairns of their own. But despite the risks, he wanted to watch her grow round with his child. No longer was he uneasy about becoming a parent. With Margaret at his side, it would be worth it.

Sometimes he could hardly believe the life he was living with her. The manor house they’d built near Glen Arrin had twenty-three rooms, and they had another townhouse in London, thanks to his wife’s idea of expanding Aphrodite’s Unmentionables into Paris.

She had a knack for earning a great deal of money. A few matrons had tried to embarrass her, when Margaret had revealed herself as the owner. But it hadn’t taken long for them to apologize and retract their remarks, after Margaret’s sisters had stopped inviting the matrons and their daughters to family gatherings. Victoria Nottoway, the Duchess of Worthingstone, had made it clear that any disparaging remarks against Margaret would be taken as a personal offense.

Now, they had servants and enough wealth to send Jonah to a boarding school in Edinburgh. His brother had struggled at first, but he’d eventually found his footing and was improving in his studies.

Often, it seemed to Cain that all of this was a dream. He’d never expected to have any of it, much less the woman he adored. But he was grateful for every last moment.

His wife had opened the door quietly and was guiding him outside the room. She lifted her gaze toward Cain, and in her green eyes, he saw love.

After he closed the door, Cain caught Margaret by the hand and held her back a moment. “Were you thinking we should slip away and make a wee bairn of our own, lass?”

She leaned in and kissed him. “Mr. Sinclair, now you know that isn’t at all proper.”

He tempted her further by kissing her deeply. “It isn’t?”

“No.” Margaret glanced back at the closed door and thought a moment. “But then, you
are
a bad influence on me, Sinclair.”

To his shock, she grabbed him by the cravat and led him toward an empty bedchamber. He’d never in a thousand years expected her to agree.

“Five minutes,” she ordered.

And as his wife proceeded to seduce him most thoroughly, Cain Sinclair decided that being a bad influence was sometimes quite enjoyable.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

I
hope you’ve enjoyed
Unlaced by the Outlaw
and that you’ll try the other books in the Secrets in Silk series (
Undone by the Duke, Unraveled by the Rebel,
and
Undressed by the Earl).
If you want to get an automatic e-mail when my next book is available, you can sign up at my website,
www.michellewillingham.com
, and scroll to the bottom of the page, where you can input your e-mail address. Your information will never be shared, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Also, please consider leaving a review at Amazon, even if it’s only a sentence or two. Your feedback is always appreciated.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

S
pecial thanks to the team at Montlake for all of your help in bringing this series to life, especially Kelli Martin, Maria Gomez, and Jessica Poore. To my developmental editor, Charlotte Herscher, I owe a great deal of appreciation. You helped me to see the forest amid the trees, and I am deeply grateful for your insightful edits. And thank you to my agent, Helen Breitwieser, who always believed in this series.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo © 2010 Frank Willingham

Michelle Willingham, 2010 RITA
^®
finalist, is the author of more than twenty-five books and novellas set in medieval Ireland, Scotland, and Victorian England. Her books have been translated into languages around the world and released in audiobook format. She has consistently received four-star reviews from
Romantic Times Magazine
, and
Publisher’s Weekly
has called her stories “Genuinely funny and thoughtful.” She has also been nominated for the Booksellers’ Best Award and won an Award of Merit from the Virginia Romance Writers for historical romance.

She lives in southeastern Virginia with her husband and three children. Her hobbies include baking, reading, and avoiding exercise at all costs. Visit her website at
www.michellewillingham.com
for more details.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication Page

CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen