told me the date. “And it took you three days to find me.” I wrote it at the top of a clean page, then I counted down dates. It had been four nights so far. That gave me pause.
I shook my head. “That’s okay, Lady Mairead has to find us. It will take a few days. We’re staying close to the clearing, right?”
“Close enough.”
“Good.” I wrote a little description under each date.
“Awful.” I wrote for when I was at the fort. “What was his name? The man in charge of the fortress?”
“Sir Colin the Grey.”
I wrote that too. I made some notes about the weather on each day. And on the third day I wrote, “This is the day your father rescued me, something I never believed would happen, but he is always trying to keep us safe.” I looked across at Magnus and said, “I’m going to write a bit about how much I love you so that they know.”
Magnus joked, “Add a bit there about how heroic I am.”
“I already did.” I wrote: Being carried from the castle in his arms was like a dream. I love him so much.
I put the pen in the notebook. “Okay, I will write a little bit every day and we will have a record of our time away. They will appreciate it.”
“Good, twill go down in our family history, that we are surviving on rations and livin’ in a tent. I will need tae build a verra big castle when we are home tae prove I can provide for ye.”
“God, is it the sixteenth century that is making you all misogynistic, or are you always like this?”
Magnus grinned and joked, “I daena ken what misogynistic means, but if ye are askin’ ‘have I always been such an awesome man?’ Then I say yes.”
I rolled my eyes with a laugh, and then it began to snow.
We did our chores and ate, and then undressed and climbed back into the covers. I had to freaking milk myself again to release pressure, naked, milk pouring into the towels. I groaned as I collapsed onto the sleeping bags. “Och, the indignity.”
Magnus’s eyes glinted merrily.
“What?”
“Our day has been verra nice, and I am wantin’ ye.”
I laughed. “Because I’m milking myself, really? ”
His hand slid gently across my stomach, and pulled me closer. His mouth on my cheek, he gently kissed me and then his lips grazed down my neck, to my chest to my breasts, and then he licked a trail down and around, and oh god, Magnus. He pushed me to my back. I winced.
“It hurts?”
“My back doesn’t hurt as much, but it’s uncomfortable to lie down with these big breasts.”
He grinned. “We can find a better position.”
“Oh we can, can we?”
I sat up and pulled off his belt and his kilt dropped away. I pushed his shirt up and off over his arms. “God, you are so fucking hot.” I ran my hands all over his chest. “I have straight up missed being this hot for you.”
“Aye, I hae missed ye bein’ this hot for me. Tis welcome.”
He lowered himself, licking and kissing my lips, my neck, my chest...
“Can you say something in Gaelic for me?”
“Tha thu breagha... ye are beautiful.” He kissed and nibbled along my skin. “Mo reul-iuil, is ann leatsa abhios mo chridhe gu bràth... I love ye forever.” He gave my chest a lick and chuckled. “Thu blas mar bainne...” He pulled me around onto all fours, a strong arm holding me to his stomach, his hand clutching my breast, bowed over me, his breath near my ear. “Tis better?”
“Yes, much.”
“Good.”
He grabbed me around my waist, and with a hand on each of my breasts, pulled me down onto his lap, fast and intense — full and big, he held me down tight, rubbing his hands on my front, my chest, my breasts and down between my legs around and around, causing me to lose my mind in excitement, in his excitement — he pushed me back to all fours and rode me fast and desperately, a little as if he had lost his mind too.
I collapsed down on my front, pulling him down with me. “I am so sorry, all of this around here is freaking wet now.”
He chuckled and patted the sleeping bags. “Och, ye made a river.”
He rolled to the side and dug out a wool blanket. I sat up and we arranged it under us and collapsed back down.