“Caitriona! I dinnae believe it!”

It was the next day. Teasag jumped up and beamed excitedly as her friend appeared at the cottage door.

Both Teasag and Neacal leaped up immediately from their position on the bed at the front of the cottage. Until tonight, they were still guests at Gaie’s, but after the ceremony, their new house next door awaited them.

Caitriona grinned at the sight of them so obviously embroiled in a steamy pose. Quickly, Teasag straightened herself as Caitriona tried to pretend she hadn’t seen them. Meanwhile, Ualan peeked through, coyly from the doorstep.

“Please, come in, have a seat,” said Teasag, showing them into the front of the cottage and settling her guests in a chair. “So, when did ye get here?” she asked.

Everything was moving so fast, with the big day already upon them. Guests had been arriving all morning, and Teasag’s head buzzed with anticipation for the day ahead.

“Nae long ago,” said Caitriona, swishing the curls which escaped from her caul. Immediately, she fastened her arms around Teasag in a wide embrace.

Today, she was every inch the lairdess; her hair laced intricately, with just a few curls to frame her face. Teasag looked at her and sighed. It had been months since they had seen each other, and there were lots to catch up on.

But before the pair could start to gossip, Caitriona turned to Neacal.

“An’ what are ye doing here! Yer nae meant to see the bride on yer wedding day!”

Neacal glanced at Teasag conspiratorially. It was true; he wasn’t really supposed to be anywhere near her so close to the wedding.

“I do hope ye’ve nae been doin’ anything ye shouldn’t have?” Caitriona asked, with a sly glance at Teasag. Teasag felt herself blush as Ualan tactfully looked away.

“Well, there’s folk looking for ye, oot there!” grinned Caitriona, indicating the wedding party, converging in the distance outside.

Before either of them could speak, the door fell open once more, and right on cue, the chief bridesmaid came crashing into view.

“There ye are!! We thought ye’d eloped!”

Both of them turned around to find Gaie standing in the doorway. She was panting breathlessly as if she’d been running.

“I’ve been everywhere looking, an’ here ye were all the while!” she gasped, trying to get her breath back. With a quick smile to the guests, she continued inside the cottage to berate Neacal.

“Yer nae meant to be here!” she insisted, pushing him forwards in an attempt to get him to move.

Today, she was in her best green arisaid, with her unruly brown locks teased into some sort of truce for the occasion.

“I, I ken,” said Neacal, but he only had eyes for Teasag. In her flowing white arisaid, Teasag’s natural beauty shone, although she seemed to be the only one not to see it.

“Och, my hair’s a mess,” she fretted, arranging it in front of the looking glass that Caitriona had sent as a wedding present.

“Nae fash lassie, ye look braw,” said Neacal, stopping to linger a while near her. Entranced, he twirled a loose lock of her hair between his thumb and forefinger, seemingly lost in thought.

At the sensation of his touch, Teasag felt a jolt shudder through her. Inside, she physically craved his embrace, and even though the others were near, she could still feel his warm breath on her mouth, enticing her in.

In front of them, Gaie shared a grin with Caitriona, briefly amused, before flattening her face and looking stern.

“Och, ye two!” she huffed. But Teasag didn’t listen. She was way too excited about everything that was happening right then.

The last few months had passed in a whirl, and so much had happened that she sometimes had to pinch herself to believe it.

She had sold her first painting, and there were many more on the horizon. Then, there was this cottage, gifted to them by the laird.

But things in the village were so different. Gone was the knee-high grass and now they had a little garden – not much to look at yet, but with some tentative roses and shy Scottish Bluebells pushing their way through, they would soon have the cottage garden she had dreamed of.

And it was a posy of these charming blue flowers that Teasag held, clutched in her hand, ready in anticipation for their handfasting.

… That was if they ever got there, though. Because as long as Neacal was there to tempt her, there was a very real chance she would never move! “Put the poor lassie doon!” she chided. “An’ the pair o’ ye better get yer selves doon there right noo, afore they send oot a search party!”

Teasag grinned, grabbing Neacal by the shoulders and rubbing her fingers up and down his mane of shining hair.

Today, he smelt even more fragrant than ever, with his hair scented with the fresh herbal preparation that she had been given as a wedding present, and Teasag couldn’t resist running her fingers through it.

Predictably, Gaie was less than impressed.

“Och, there’s time for all that after the wedding!” she said, giving Teasag a tug and pushing her forwards. “Remember, ye’ve got guests noo! An’ a laird too!” she said, indicating Ualan.

“So can ye just try to keep yer hands to yerselves ’til then!”

***

“An’ I, Neacal, pledge to thee my troth,” said Neacal, as he placed his hand in Teasag’s, and Robert, the smithy, solemnly bound the ribbon to tie them together.

It had stopped raining in the forest, just long enough for the handfasting ceremony to be carried out. And although it was wet and boggy underfoot, Neacal barely noticed it.

All he had eyes for was his new bride. And how perfect she was.

Teasag looked into Neacal’s eyes and sighed. Her lips trembled a little at the weight of what she had to say. Stroking her gently, Neacal tried to steady her a little.

Touching the silken smoothness of her hair, Neacal almost leaned in and kissed her there and then. She looked so sensuous that it was impossible not to touch her.

Everything about today was overwhelming, and as Neacal blinked back his disbelief, he tried to get a grip on what he was feeling.

He could hardly believe that he was here, getting married to this beautiful woman.

Teasag, who would be alluring even in rags, was head to toe in a flowing silken arisaid, the likes of which he had never seen before. And it was all that Neacal could do not to fall into her arms and ravish her.

But for now, he had to content himself with holding her hand, as the silken red ribbon was wound around them both.

In front of them, the smithy smiled as he performed the ceremony.

“An’ now, I pronounce ye man an’ wife, would ye like to kiss the bride?”

It was a daft question. Neacal was straight in there, with a deep, penetrating kiss that lingered teasingly on his lips long after the cheering had stopped.

They were so caught up in each other, it wasn’t until after they had embraced fully that they slowly became aware of the silence around them.

“Put her doon, lad,” quipped Ualan, from behind.

Swiftly, Neacal looked around, a slight heat rising in his cheeks. He had quite forgotten himself, so wrapped up in the moment.

“No,” murmured Teasag. She smiled vaguely at the crowd around her but only had eyes for him. Pressing herself against Neacal, she felt a blast of ecstasy shoot through him at the warmth of her body.

Struggling to keep himself under control, Neacal sunk into her warm flesh, holding her tight, as the crowd cheered once more.

“Dinnae forget the posy, lass,” hissed someone from the crowd. When Neacal looked, it was to see Lorcal, and Gaie, hand in hand at the back.

Teasag smiled and thrust the small bouquet of blue flowers behind her left shoulder, with a raucous shriek.

“Catch!” she yelled, as all the single lasses darted towards it—all of them except Caitriona, who by some fluke caught it anyway.

“Och!” she vented, laughing at her luck. “It’s a bit late for me to get wed again!”

Tossing the posy into the air a second time, it tumbled through the sky and very nearly caught in a tree—but then landed, with a surprise flump right on top of Gaie.

Picking up the worse-for-wear bouquet, Gaie looked shocked as Lorcal grinned beside her.

Then, picking up Teasag and hoisting her into his arms, Neacal carried her along the forest path, down through the trees, and over the cottage threshold.

Feeling the sensuous thrill of her scent on his fingertips, Neacal flung Teasag onto the bed in their new cottage.

Contentedly, Teasag glanced around. Their married home was strangely familiar—yet excitingly new at the same time. That was because it was right next door to Gaie’s cottage and looked almost the same in every way.

Sighing, Teasag’s fingers explored the softness of the sheets beneath her as she turned to meet Neacal in the eye.

“Now then, Mrs. Matheson,” he said, softly. “They say it’s different after yer married….,” Neacal added a wink. “So, what say ye, we test this new bed oot?”

***

“So, what do ye think?”

Neacal’s voice came blurrily in and out of Teasag’s head. She was laid back, her head pressed into the soft sheets of the old box bed which had been gifted to her from Caitriona.

In actual fact the bed was not new, it had been used many times, but only ever by couples on the first night of their wedding. And since then, it had been handed down from generation to generation.

Just lying on it had given Teasag the shivers. Then again, just lying next to Neacal did that too.

In all the time they had been together, she still had not got used to him by her side.  Before, it had felt naughty, but now…

Teasag moaned with joy as Neacal brought his hand down on her thigh. Skillfully, he brought her to the edge of unbelievable ecstasy simply by stroking her with his fingers.

“Dinnae stop,” she murmured, lying back, with her eyes tightly shut.

Teasag could not see Neacal’s face but could picture it, with his teasing smirk and dimples crinkling as he pleasured her.

Softly he caressed her breasts, whipping her nubile mounds into a fervor with only the gentle strokes of his index finger. Teasag could do little more than to lie back and marvel at his talented fingers as they cajoled and tricked her into ecstasy.

Gradually, Neacal’s hands took on an exploratory nature, resting on the soft edges of her nether regions. Softly, she moaned as his hand reached gently inside of her.

“Dream sweet, bonny lass,” said Neacal, his other hand stroking her bosom so tenderly that Teasag wasn’t sure she could take any more.

A massive rush of sweetness enveloped her as he ran his fingers lazily inside her. He looked at her so dreamily, as if he was already riding her, and the thought of it made her gasp helplessly.

The rapture on his face said it all; his eyes taunted her with the promise of delight, and Teasag knew that there was no point in trying to resist.

“Nae,” she whispered, but she couldn’t help but lie back and give herself to ecstasy.

Neacal kissed her, sending explosions of delight bounding through her. Then, when she opened her eyes, he was naked and wearing nothing more than a curious smile.

Deeply, Neacal pressed into her with his delicate lips, leaving his scent on her skin and filling her with crazy anticipation.

He was slow to get started, placing his hardened yard in her hands for her delectation. Then, exquisitely, he teased her, his fingers dancing all over, as he pulled himself inside of her.

“Och,” Teasag gave a gasp as Neacal entered her. A sweet twitch started inside of her, and she felt herself dampen.

“That’s nothing,” Neacal promised, lowering himself fully inside and pumping her full until she could take no more.

“Neacal,” begged Teasag, already on the precipice of an explosion. Everything inside her was on tenterhooks, sweet and tender, yet taut and coil-like. At any minute, she might snap and burst with uncontrolled pleasure.

But Neacal teased her so hard that she could barely think straight.

“I love ye, Mrs. Matheson,” he whispered, nuzzling deep into her neck. Teasag gasped, as finally, Neacal poured himself inside her, leaving her thrashing about for more.

A slow, sweet ecstasy claimed her, as Teasag stopped caring about anything else in the world except for Neacal.

Then, arm in arm, the lovers lay back down as Neacal sighed.

“We promised,” he began. Teasag turned to look at him. His face was glowing with the ardor of pleasure. “We promised,” he continued. “To do a lot o’ things back there, but there was one thing we forgot…”

Surprised, Teasag looked over at him. Neacal was smiling down at her.

“We missed out this vow,” Neacal took her hand and placed it on her chest. “The one where we promise to love each other as if it was the first day we met,” he started. “Ye ken, that wild and windy day in Blackness,” he continued.

Teasag smiled, she was surprised, but perhaps she should have seen it coming.

“Aye, I ken,” she said with a smile. “An’ I do also promise to love ye like every day was my first… or last!”

There was a pause as Teasag pulled him close, imbuing herself with the distinctive smell of his body.

Beside her, Neacal lay down, snuggling on top of her. “That’s if ye can handle me, of course!”

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