Page 73 of Laird of Wrath

No one had ever looked at her like this. She hadn’t even thought it possible that someone could ever look at her with such tenderness, such softness as Callum did now, as if she was the only thing in the world that mattered.

But how can he leave if I’m the only thing in the world that matters?

The truth was, there were plenty of other important things in the world. She was nothing but another face, another soul in a sea of thousands who would suffer if Callum did nothing to help them. She was his wife, and whatever feelings he had for her—though he had not expressed them—had driven him to give her this time, this month of his life just as she had requested.

But he could not give her more than that, or else too many would suffer.

Rhea closed her eyes and tried to shove those thoughts in the deepest crevices of her mind, where they wouldn’t bother her anymore—at least for now. She wanted to focus on the moment. She wanted to remember everything about it, in case it was her only chance.

Ever so slowly, Callum undressed her layer by layer, until she was fully naked beneath him. The contrast between them wasn’t lost on her—she, fully naked, and he, still in his shirt and trews.

She couldn’t help but tremble under his gaze, hungry as it was. She felt the urge to cover herself, to place her hands over her breasts, but Callum was quick to shake his head.

“Daenae hide,” he murmured. “Nae from me. I wish to see ye.”

Her blush deepened, her skin turning a bright pink. But that only made her want to hide even more from him, to conceal her embarrassment, to pretend that she was not as affected as she truly was.

“I… I’ve never…”

“I ken,” he soothed. “I willnae claim ye. Nae today.”

Rhea looked up at him, her brow furrowing in confusion. “What? Why?”

“Because the month isnae over yet,” he said. “And I promised ye a month.”

“But—”

He pressed a finger against her lips, silencing her. “I will claim ye at the one-month mark. But until then, there are other ways I can show ye pleasure.”

His words alone were enough to send a shiver down her spine. He spoke them like a promise, like there was no other option for him than to deliver on it.

Callum kissed her again, this time with more heat, with more passion than before. The tip of his tongue dragged over the seam of her lips, seeking entrance, and she parted them to let him taste her. He sighed into her mouth, the sound reverberating through her as she tightly wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close.

“Please,” she gasped against him.

He gave her a mischievous look, the corner of his mouth curving into a small smirk as he stared down at her. Then he lowered his lips to her collarbone.

Rhea’s breathing quickened. She watched as he moved lower, kissing down the ample swell of her breasts before sucking a nipple into his mouth, groaning as if he was the one receiving the pleasure. Her back arched off the bed, and she let out a loud moan.

Callum then released her nipple and moved lower, settling between her legs. He wrapped his hands around her thighs and pushed them apart. Rhea knew what to anticipate, and yet she still shuddered when he buried his face between her legs. The moment his tongue touched her sensitive flesh, she almost bowed off the mattress, pleasure shooting through her.

Once again, he looked up at her with a smirk, obviously pleased by her reaction, though he said nothing, even when she expected him to tease her. Instead, he lowered his head again, his fingers digging into the flesh of her thighs as he pleasured her.

Again and again, he dragged the flat of his tongue over her slit, then flicked the tip over a spot that made stars explode behind her eyelids. Her entire body trembled with pleasure, his hands the only thing still anchoring her as her hips bucked of their own accord, chasing her pleasure.

Then he licked into her, pushing over the edge. Climax ripped through her, and she shook and moaned, a gentle warmth spreading from her core to her limbs, as she tried to catch her breath.

Sweat covered her body, and she couldn’t help but convulse through the aftershocks as Callum lapped up her release. He only pulled back when she did, oversensitive, every part of her feeling as if it was on fire. He lowered himself next to her, pulling her in for a kiss.

It took her several moments to come back to herself, a tingle coursing through her as she tried to catch her breath. But then,her eyes fell on Callum… and on the bulge that tented the front of his trews.

Following her gaze, he chuckled as he reached down and gave the bulge a squeeze. Rhea swallowed past a dry throat, watching him, her cheeks heating once more.

She was uncertain, as she always was when it came to such things. But she was also his wife now, and just as he had pleasured her, she wanted to pleasure him.

“How… how can I…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence, but Callum seemed to understand. He watched her with dark eyes as he began to undress, tossing his clothes carelessly to the other side of the room until he, too, was fully naked before her.