In Bed with a Highland Liar – Extended Epilogue
It had been two days since Lilith and Aaden had made it to Castle MacEwan after Evander’s invitation, and only now did they have the time to rest. The first two days of their visit had been spent with Lilith meeting everyone in the clan and Aaden reacquainting himself with them, spending time with Evander and Janice, and attending feasts and dinners and meetings, one after the other.
Now, though, Aaden had brought her to the river that run through the MacEwan lands—a wide, deep one with crisp waters that formed a small lake right under a rushing waterfall. It was a beautiful place, the likes of which Lilith had never encountered before, and she stood by the bank, watching in awe.
As the sunlight hit the waterfall, it splintered into a rainbow, its colors bright against the dark, jutting rocks. She could hear nothing but the sound of the water pouring unbridled into the basin below. She could feel nothing but the gentle breeze and the cold water that sprayed on her face.
“It’s bonnie here, isnae it?” Aaden asked as he slid up next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. There was no one else there; just the two of them and the birds that flew overhead. “I used tae come here when I was a bairn with me faither. I didnae even remember the place until Maither reminded me of it an’ told me I should bring ye here.”
“Dae ye remember it now?” Lilith asked, leaning her head on Aaden’s shoulder. “Is it still the same?”
“I think the waterfall wasnae as wide when I was last here,” said Aaden. “Though from what I remember, it seemed much taller. Perhaps because I was a wee laddie.”
It made sense, Lilith supposed. Aaden was much smaller back then so everything in his memory would have been much bigger. She couldn’t help but wonder what else had changed for him, what else was not as familiar anymore as it once had been.
“There really is only one thing tae dae here,” Aaden said and then proceeded to tear off his clothes in a few fluid movements until he was standing entirely nude in front of Lilith. She hardly had the chance to do anything but stare at him in disbelief, a surprised chuckle escaping her.
“What are ye doin’?” she asked.
“I’m goin’ fer a swim,” said Aaden, as though it was the most natural thing in the world.
Lilith raised a dubious eyebrow. “In there? Is it nae cold?”
“Very much so.”
The thought of freezing in the water didn’t seem to bother Aaden, though. If anything, he seemed excited for the plunge and he reached out for Lilith with a hand, one that she didn’t take.
“Ach, I think I’d rather stay here,” she said, looking at the water distrustfully.
“Come, lass,” Aaden urged her, wiggling his fingers a little. “Surely, ye willnae let me be cold on me own.”
“Why should I be cold just because ye have nae common sense?” If anything, Aaden deserved to freeze half to death if he was foolish enough to go in that water.
“It truly isnae that bad,” Aaden insisted, “I used tae swim here all the time when I was a bairn.”
“Ye said ye didnae even remember this place.”
“Aye, but there’s nae other place tae swim around here, so I must have been swimmin’ in this water just fine.”
It wasn’t enough to reassure Lilith, but the hopeful look Aaden gave her was too sweet to resist. As much as she would rather stay in the relative warmth of the sun and the air around her, she doubted Aaden would budge until she had agreed to join him.
With a long-suffering sigh, Lilith began to remove her clothes, leaving everything on a small pile under the shade of a large oak. Once she was fully nude, she tried to cover her body with her arms, even though it was far from the first time Aaden had seen her like this, and he chuckled, walking over to her to pull her into his arms.
“Why are ye hidin’ from me?” he asked as Lilith sagged against him, relaxing for a moment. “Have I nae seen ye like this ‘afore?”
“Ye have,” Lilith said. “But it’s usually at night, in our chambers. Nae in the middle o’ the day, out in the open.”
“There is nae one else here,” Aaden assured her. “Nae one else but us.”
Lilith knew that, of course, but it didn’t stop the paranoia from infecting her like a disease. She looked around her, worried that someone would come by and see them, but they truly were alone.
“Come,” Aaden urged her, pulling her towards the water. Lilith followed him reluctantly, letting him step in first and watching for his reaction. For several moments, Aaden froze entirely, to the point where Lilith feared he had even stopped breathing, the air seizing in his lungs. Though he was facing away from her, he could tell by the sharp, tense lines of his shoulders and his back that the water was, indeed, colder than he had imagined.
“I’m nae goin’ in there,” Lilith said, trying to tug herself free from Aaden’s grip, but he refused to let go.
“It’s alright,” he said, voice strained. “It’s nae that cold.”
Still doubtful, Lilith let Aaden pull her into the water. The first splash of it over her ankles was hardly felt. It was only when she stayed there for a few seconds that the cold truly got to her, like a thousand pins sticking into her skin. She tried to endure it; she truly did. She just couldn’t imagine plunging in with her entire body. It sounded like too much torture.
“Well, that was enough fer me,” Lilith said and this time, Aaden allowed her to pull free from him, perhaps because he, too, simply could not stand the cold. She quickly climbed out of the water, and the numbing sensation continued even after.
Soon, Aaden was by her side, shivering, and Lilith couldn’t help but laugh as she pulled him to their horses, grabbing the blanket they had brought with them and wrapping it around them both as they huddled together for warmth.
“Are ye ready tae admit it was colder than ye thought?” Lilith asked, looking up at him smugly.
“It truly wasnae that bad,” Aaden insisted, and before Lilith could say anything else, he kissed her, effectively silencing her. Lilith could protest, she thought; she could try to get him to admit the truth, but she wasn’t as invested in it as she was in the kiss. Her arms came to wrap around his neck as Aaden’s hands found her hips, their bodies pressed flush together, and that familiar heat spread through her body instantly, her desire for him demanding her attention.
They hadn’t been with each other for several days, both of them too tired from the trip and their duties to do anything more than sleep once they retreated to their chambers. Lilith wanted him desperately, her body aching for him, and if she were to judge by the way Aaden was responding to her kisses and her touch, then he was just as desperate.
Lilith traced Aaden’s body with the tips of her fingers, running them gently over his shoulders, his back, then up his stomach and chest until he was shivering with more than just the cold. Before long, he pulled back to lay the blanket down onto the grass and pulled Lilith to sit next to him, before capturing her lips in a kiss once more.
As they kissed, Aaden’s hand trailed up her thigh, teasing the crease of her hip until Lilith’s legs fell open, a silent plea to touch her where she wanted it the most. Chuckling against her lips, Aaden brushed his knuckles over her opening, the touch offering no relief. It was only even more maddening, too soft and gentle to provide any real pleasure.
“Touch me,” Lilith demanded, her own hand finding Aaden’s to guide his fingers between her thighs. Any embarrassment that had gripped her earlier at revealing her body like this was now gone, replaced with nothing but lust and need, an urgent, unstoppable desire that she had to fulfil right that instant.
Aaden groaned against her as he was led by her hand. He let her guide his fingers, both of them moaning softly at the first touch of his hand. Slowly, he began to scatter kisses down her neck, stopping where it met her shoulder to suck and nibble on the sensitive skin there, before moving even lower to draw her nipple between his lips. At the same time, under Lilith’s guidance, he rubbed that sensitive spot that tore moan after moan from her, her voice echoing in the air around them.
When Aaden slipped one of his fingers inside her, Lilith’s eyes firmly shut, her hips trembling as she rolled them in an attempt to take him even deeper. Soon, it was joined by another, the slide of them against her walls slow and torturous and just what Lilith needed. When Aaden’s teeth grazed over her nipple, her back arched off the blanket, her body chasing the sensation, and Aaden took the opportunity to thrust his fingers all the way to the last knuckle, hitting a spot inside her that had stars exploding behind her eyelids. Those clever fingers pushed and prodded at her, coaxing more of her wetness to gather between her thighs, coating her folds and Aaden’s hand.
“Please,” she said, reaching for Aaden to pull him closer. “I want ye inside me.”
“Look how intoxicated ye are already,” Aaden said. It didn’t sound like a taunt. If anything, he sounded as though he were in awe, as though Lilith losing herself to her pleasure was the best thing he had ever witnessed. “Ye’re so wet fer me. Dae ye want me?”
“I dae,” Lilith said as she reached between them for his manhood. When she grasped him in her hand, Aaden sounded more intoxicated than she was, the mere touch making his entire body shudder. Lilith stroked him slowly from base to tip, just to see him tremble as he braced himself over her, so close already to losing all self-control.
Lilith knew neither of them would last. They had been teasing each other too much the past few days only to never resolve the tension between them, and now that they finally had the chance, they were both already close to the end. It didn’t matter, though; she was certain Aaden would be more than happy to make up for all the days they had missed just in that afternoon alone.
When Aaden removed his fingers, Lilith watched with wide eyes full of hunger as he took himself in his hand and spread her slickness over himself. The sight had her moaning, her legs coming up to wrap around his waist as he finally entered her, her folds parting easily for his length. In one smooth thrust, he was seated all the way inside her, reaching impossibly deep. His fingers dug into her hips, holding onto her as he gave another thrust, this one harder, its force pushing Lilith up the blanket’s length.
Aaden set a punishing pace, one that pushed the air out of Lilith’s lungs. Lilith could only moan and cling onto him with every movement of his hips, the sounds of their coupling filling the air around her and making her cheeks heat. It was just as embarrassing as it was intoxicating, hearing Aaden groan unrestrained above her, looking into his eyes as he hovered over her, his gaze never wavering from hers.
When he reached between them, his fingers tracing the place where they were joined, Lilith couldn’t help the shudder that spread through her entire body. Lust coiled deep in her core, liquid pleasure flooding her belly as she felt the drag of Aaden’s length inside her and the gentle touch of his fingers around her folds, until they finally came to settle on that sensitive spot once more, pleasuring her relentlessly.
“Let me see ye come apart fer me,” Aaden said, his voice barely audible over her moans and the sound of the rushing water. “I wish tae feel ye around me when ye dae.”
That voice, combined with the pleasure he was giving her, was enough to send Lilith over the edge. She shook as wave after wave of her climax washed over her, her fingers curling into Aaden’s shoulders, her body clenching tightly around him, until he was following her in her zenith, spilling hot inside her.
For a few moments, they did nothing but share the air around them, trying to catch their breaths. Aaden’s hips were still moving lazily, drawing out the last lingering impressions of her climax until it was all too much for them both and he collapsed on top of her instead, pillowing his head on her shoulder.
Lilith laughed softly, her fingers brushing through his golden hair. Aaden was a big man, heavy to the point that she was struggling to breathe, but she didn’t mind staying like that for a while. It was comforting, feeling him so close, his manhood still nestled inside her, his body still bracketed tightly by her hips.
“If ye give me a few minutes, I can go again,” Aaden mumbled against her shoulder, his words muffled by her skin.
Lilith couldn’t help but laugh again, stopping her gentle petting for a moment to give the back of his head a gentle smack. “It wasnae enough fer ye?”
“Nay,” said Aaden, half-heartedly trying to bat her hand away, but letting his own drop by his side again when he didn’t manage to hit his target. Lilith only stroked his hair again and he stretched like a giant cat over her, clearly enjoying the attention. “An’ I doubt it was enough fer ye, either. I ken how voracious me wife is.”
As he spoke, Aaden tilted his head to kiss her neck and Lilith let her head fall to the side, indulging him. He seemed to love that part of her, always returning there to kiss and bite and nuzzle, and it wasn’t rare for Lilith to have to come up with creative ways to hide the marks he liked to leave behind.
It was the same for Aaden, though. Ever since one of her father’s men had asked him if he had fought a cat after seeing the marks on his shoulders and his back, he had stopped removing his shirt whenever he practiced on the training grounds.
Once Lilith struggled a little too much to breathe with Aaden on top of her, she pushed at him and he reluctantly rolled over to his back, pillowing his head on his arm. With the other, he pulled Lilith close to him again, their limbs tangled together, their faces only inches apart as they stared at each other.
“I’m so lucky I married ye,” he whispered in the air between them, voice soft and quiet. “I cannae imagine me life without ye.”
Lilith couldn’t help but tease him a little. “I thought ye said… what was it? That ye wished tae be free fer the rest o’ yer life.”
“Well, I was a fool back then,” Aaden said. “If bein’ married tae ye means I’m a prisoner, then I’m the happiest prisoner there is.”
“If ye’re a prisoner,” Lilith said, taking a pause to kiss him, “then ye can never escape me.”
“I would never dream o’ doin’ such a thing.”
Lilith looked him in the eyes and knew he was being truthful. She had no doubts about whether his words were true or not anymore; she knew he would never lie to her again.
“I love ye,” she told him, as she laid her head on his shoulder, sighing softly when his hand came to rest on her crown.
“I love ye too, mo ghraidh.”
Lilith had turned soft, she thought. In fact, it was Aaden who had turned her soft. Now they would have to find another nickname for her—Snow Lass hardly seemed like a fitting description anymore.
The End.
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Great book. I stayed up all night to finish it!Deb
Thank you so much for the feedback, my dear Deb! I’m thrilled you loved the book! ❤️
What an exciting tale, Shona! I love how Aaden had to woo Lilith, since she didn’t just fall in instalove with him.
Thank you so much for the feedback, my dear! I’m thrilled you loved the book! ❤️