A Forbidden Night with a Scot (Sins in a Kilt #1)

Epilogue

Three months later

Her father’s watchful gaze was, as always, on Alicia as she entered the room. He sat across from the large windows in the drawing room, basking in the rare sunlight, a cup of wine in his hand.

She couldn’t tell if he seemed pleased or not. Ever since that fateful day, he had become a mystery to her.

Behind her, Samuel trailed into the room a respectful few feet away from her. Though they were in his own home, in Castle MacLachlan, whenever her father was near, Samuel made a point of all but melting into the background, trying to keep himself as far away as he could from her father’s furious moods.

They were rarer those days, ever since he had seen Samuel’s necklace around her neck, and ever since Samuel had saved her life, almost sacrificing his own in the process. Though he had made a full recovery, those first few weeks had been difficult for everyone, including her father, even as he still privately raged about their affair.

Though he had given Samuel his permission to court Alicia, he had certainly not given his permission for anything else. In all those weeks, Samuel had not even tried to hold Alicia’s hand, let alone kiss her. Their conversations were always monitored, their meetings always chaperoned. Alicia hadn’t had the chance to be alone with him even once, no matter how much she tried. It was as though her father had eyes and ears everywhere, and every time she tried to sneak out of her chambers to find Samuel, he somehow found out and appeared right in front of her before she could even get halfway to him.

Only once had she come close, meeting him all alone in a hallway as he walked to his study, but then Samuel himself had been quick to walk away, shouting over his shoulder that he was not going to ruin his chances, so even if she did manage to get to him, Alicia doubted he would do anything more than send her away with a smile and a promise that one day, they could finally be together.

But which day? It’s already been so long!

Alicia was getting impatient. Had it been an arranged marriage like the one her father had been planning for her, she would already be married, but just because it was Samuel, he refused to give them his blessing until Samuel had proven himself.

“Ye wished tae speak with us, Faither?” Alicia asked as she and Samuel took a seat across from him. Once again, Samuel stayed away from her, choosing to sit at the far end of the couch, so that there was an entire arm’s length between them.

Still, her father regarded them both with unwarranted suspicion for a moment before he spoke. “I’ve finally received a letter from Laird MacTavish,” he said, and Alicia’s breath was cut short as she waited to hear the rest. She could only hope that Laird MacTavish wasn’t too displeased by the change of plans, and that he wouldn’t try to marry her still, even when he had found out the whole truth. “He says the marriage willnae proceed fer now. He is withdrawin’ his offer until further notice.”

Alicia frowned. “What does that mean? Could he still change his mind?”

“I suppose he doesnae wish tae offend anyone,” said Samuel. “He doesnae want the marriage, but he leaves the possibility open just in case.”

“That is what I think, as well,” said her father. “An’ so I can give ye me blessin’ now that this matter is finally closed.”

At first, Alicia feared she had misheard her father, but then he smiled at her, that warm, kind smile she knew and loved. Without hesitation, she jumped off the couch and rushed to her father, falling into his arms, happy tears filling her eyes as he embraced her tightly.

“Dae ye mean it, Faither?” she asked, pulling back just enough to look at him.

“I dae,” her father confirmed with a nod. “I want ye tae be happy, Alicia. Are ye happy?”

“O’ course I am,” Alicia said, her grin so wide it hurt. “I am so happy, Faither.”

“An’ ye,” he said, turning his attention on Samuel, who froze on the spot. “Ye’ll take care o’ her. If I hear even one complaint, I will dae what I should have done an’ behead ye with me own sword.”

Samuel raised his hands in surrender, eyes innocently wide. “Ye ken I always take care o’ her, Gavin.”

Humming noncommittally, her father stood and gave Samuel one last, warning look before he left the room. Though they were still not as close as they had been once, her father was warming up to Samuel again, slowly but steadily, and Alicia hoped it was only a matter of time before they were best friends again.

With her father gone, Alicia had thought that Samuel would finally grab her and kiss her, but instead, he only stood and smiled at her before he walked out of the room, leaving her behind on the couch, entirely bewildered. By the time she came to her senses and stood to follow him, Samuel was already several paces away, and she had to rush to catch up with him, her shoes clicking against the floor.

“Samuel!” she called, and he came to a halt, looking at her over his shoulder. “What are ye doin’?”

For a moment, he looked as perplexed as she felt. “I am goin’ tae me study. I have much tae dae.”

Alicia couldn’t help but sputter, hands gesturing wildly around her without any words coming out of her lips. It only served to confuse Samuel even more, and he turned around fully to face her, eyebrows climbing to his hairline.

“Will ye nae even kiss me?”

“Ach.”

Alicia expected him to say more, but when he didn’t, she waved her hands around again, silently demanding an explanation.

“Well, I thought Gavin may nae like that,” said Samuel. “Perhaps we should wait until we are husband an’ wife.”

Alicia could hardly believe her own ears. It had already been so long, and now Samuel wanted them to wait even longer. “Well,. it is certainly rather late fer that!”

For a moment, Samuel hesitated, but then he quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her into the first room he found—a small broom closet with a tiny window that let in some of the sunlight, dusty and hardly in use. Before Alicia could protest about the location, though, Samuel captured her lips in a sweet kiss, one that had her melting in his embrace after so long without any contact.

Suddenly, she didn’t care if they were in a broom closet. All she cared about was being close to him, kissing him, touching him, getting all the pleasure she had missed for so long.

“Samuel,” Alicia whispered as she ran her hands down his shoulders, his chest, his stomach, feeling the grooves of his muscles under his clothes. She hadn’t touched him in so long that now every touch felt as exhilarating as the first time, and she was mesmerized by the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, the slight twitch of his body under her hands, the rippling movements of his muscles.

In the silence that followed, Samuel and Alicia stared at each other, their gazes locking for what seemed like an eternity. Then, Samuel surged forward and claimed her lips once more, only this time, the kiss had an urgency that only served to heighten her desire for him.

He wanted the same thing, Alicia knew. He desired her as she desired him, and now that they were alone, there was no stopping what they had begun.

Samuel’s hands slid just as greedily over her body, his touch eager and possessive as he grabbed every part of her that he could reach. When he pinned her against the wall, Alicia chuckled softly, arching her back to press her body against his, reluctant to have any space at all between them.

“It’s been so long,” Samuel said as he impatiently tugged at her dress, trying to lower her neckline as he bent down to kiss every inch of skin he managed to expose. Alicia had been keeping her lust at bay for so long that now she was already far gone, wetness gathering between her thighs at the simplest touch. When Samuel finally managed to bare her breasts, almost tearing her dress off in the process, and wrapped his lips around her nipple, the touch drew a broken moan out of her, a sudden jolt of pleasure running down her spine.

Samuel was insatiable as he sucked on her breasts, alternating from one nipple to the other, teeth grazing over the pebbled nubs. When he moved back up and kissed her neck instead, Alicia reached for him, palm pressing against his manhood through his trews to hear him moan her name.

They were both too impatient, pawing at each other desperately. Samuel canted his hips, pushing into the touch, and Alicia stroked her fingers over his length teasingly, only spurring him on. When he hurriedly pushed her dress up, though, and pressed two fingers against her, finding her already wet and yielding for him, she couldn’t help but moan and grab his hand, guiding it exactly where she wanted it.

“Look at ye, so eager,” Samuel said as he laughed softly in her ear. “An’ so wet. Have ye been thinkin’ about me?”

“Every night,” Alicia admitted. “Have ye?”

“Every night,” Samuel echoed. “I’ve brought meself pleasure at the thought o’ ye every single night, but it was never enough. It was never like this.”

Alicia’s cheeks flooded with heat at Samuel’s confession. She imagined him in his bed, stroking himself as he thought about her, nothing but a few walls separating them from each other. She imagined him gasping her name as he finished, flushed and heaving and beautiful.

Samuel’s fingers entered her easily, her flesh parting around them. The drag of them over her walls left her shaking and the brush of his palm over her sensitive spot drove her mad with need. After all this time, she knew she would need nothing but a few well-placed thrusts of his fingers to finish, and Samuel’s only goal seemed to be to get her there, to give her as much pleasure as he could.

“I’ll make ye fall apart with me fingers,” he said as he kissed her jaw, her cheek, then her lips. “An’ then ye’ll ride me. I wish tae watch ye as ye take yer pleasure from me.”

Alicia gasped at the words, her stance widening as Samuel began to thrust his fingers in earnest. Alicia could do nothing but hold on to him, her lips parted as she took quick, shallow breaths, heat coiling deep inside her with every pump of his hand. Like that, it only took her a few more thrusts before her first orgasm was ripped out of her, her entire body shaking in Samuel’s embrace as she was pulled under the weight of her release.

Only when the aftershocks had passed did Samuel loosen his grip on her, pressing a tender kiss to her head. Alicia stumbled back, leaning against the wall as she tried to catch her breath, but not for long. She wasn’t done with Samuel yet; his suggestion had been more than appealing.

“Sit,” she told him, and Samuel gave her an amused little smile before he complied, sitting on a box in the corner of the room. It looked just sturdy enough for the two of them or at least so Alicia hoped.

Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she watched as Samuel pulled himself out of his trews and gave his length a few slow, sensual strokes, smearing her wetness over himself. The sight made Alicia’s breath stutter and she quickly made her way to him, lifting her dress up as she climbed onto his lap, facing him.

Slowly, Alicia reached between them to guide Samuel to her opening, breath catching in her throat as he finally entered her. As she sank onto his length, Samuel muffled his moan against her neck, his hands gripping her waist and digging into her flesh. Though it was far from the first time they had enjoyed each other, each sensation felt almost new to Alicia, overwhelming after all that time apart.

Her arms circling Samuel’s shoulders, Alicia kissed him deeply as she began to move, rolling her hips in a slow rhythm. Samuel moaned into the kiss, the sound reverberating through Alicia’s body, the vibrations travelling seemingly all the way to the ends of her limbs. She had never felt so attuned to anyone before, not even Samuel himself. It was as though his pleasure was hers and hers his, each of them more focused on making the other feel good than anything else.

“Like that,” Samuel said, encouraging Alicia with a nod. “Ye feel so good around me. Dae ye feel good, me love? Tell me.”

Alicia nodded, at a loss for words. Nothing had felt as good as this, each drag of Samuel’s manhood inside her filling her with joy, each tender brush of his lips against her reminding her of the love he held for her.

Letting her head fall back with a pleased sigh, Alicia held onto Samuel’s shoulders for leverage as she quickened her pace, eager to reach her zenith once more. His hands helped her set a rhythm, guiding her movements until they both got close to the edge, their breaths mingling along with their moans as they pressed their foreheads together, staring into each other’s eyes.

Alicia would never have to be apart from him again, she thought. They would spend the rest of their lives together, and she would never have to miss him like this again.

It only took her a few more thrusts to reach her peak once more, repeating Samuel’s name over and over as she clenched hard around him, her body curling over him as the pleasure overwhelmed her. Cursing under his breath, Samuel grabbed her hips and held her up as he gave her a few more stuttering, desperate thrusts, sinking himself as deep as he could one last time before he reached his own release, spilling himself inside her.

The two of them stayed entwined for several minutes, Alicia sitting in Samuel’s lap trying to catch their breath. Samuel’s arms wrapped loosely around her waist, holding onto her gently as Alicia laid her head on his shoulder, allowing herself to rest.

“I love ye, Samuel,” she mumbled quietly, so much so that she didn’t know if he heard her. But then Samuel hummed and kissed her temple, the gesture so tender it had Alicia melting in his arms.

“I love ye,” he said. “An’ I cannae wait tae make ye me wife.”

But there’s more…

Eager to learn what happened with Samuel and Alicia ?