He still kept much of his weight off her. He would grant her wish, any wish, then sleep beside her once he was sure she slumbered.
Moira suspected Kyle’s intentions stemmed from the aftereffects of such a cataclysmic coupling. She didn’t expect his feelings to remain so sure, but she prayed they would. She wanted to remain with him. She had nowhere else to go, nor did she want to find anywhere else to go. The connection they shared while they lay in one another’s arms was unlike anything she imagined she could share with a man. She hadn’t experienced it with Aidan, and she’d believed she would remain unwed for so many years, that she’d given up hope. She certainly couldn’t envision such a situation if she married Dermot O’Malley.
Moira shifted beneath Kyle, and they both groaned as the feel of their bodies still joined sparked a fresh wave of need. Kyle looked down at Moira, and she nodded. He moved slowly within her. There was no frenzy; neither was in control. They pressed together as they gazed into one another’s eyes. When Moira’s release radiated from her core, it wasn’t a blaze that scorched her but a toasty fire that warmed her from end to end. Kyle slipped from her, his cock resting against her mound, the friction continuing as he rocked against her until he climaxed, and she followed. Just as he had the first time they coupled for their mutual pleasure, he wiped his cock and joined them once more. They both sighed, but there was a sense of regret.
“Kyle, if we did put ashore near any open fields or even wooded areas, I should be able to gather pennyroyal,” Moira said tentatively.
“What do you need that for?” Kyle’s brow furrowed.
“Made into a tea, it should keep me from conceiving if you spill in me,” Moira said tentatively.
“Should?” Kyle asked.
“Aye. Aidan—well, I just made sure to be careful since he—” Moira hated admitting this to Kyle. She wished there was no past to tell.
“Moira, it was before I knew you. I don’t fault you for your past. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable telling me things, sharing things that matter to you,” Kyle reassured.
“I know. I just spent so many years never discussing it. And I know you don’t like him. I don’t particularly like him.”
“How do you know that?”
“When you visited last year, and Sean came running into the Great Hall claiming Ruairí was his da, I saw the murderous look you gave Aidan. I knew you hadn’t seen me before that visit because I kept out of sight during meals, but I always watched from beneath the stairs or from the kitchen door. I saw how you avoided him, giving him a wide berth,” Moira explained.
“That is true, but I don’t begrudge you your past,” Kyle clarified.
Moira nodded. “I also know because I told Lizzie that she should use it. She was with child after Sean. More than once until I told her she should drink it before rather than after. It can prevent a woman from conceiving, but it can also rid a woman’s body of a bairn.”
“Is it guaranteed?”
“Nay. I suppose nothing besides not coupling is guaranteed,” Moira admitted.
“But you would take the chance of me siring a bairn with you?” Kyle asked as he lay still.
“I—I might. Perhaps I have it on hand if we accept the risk,” Moira hedged.
“We’re anchored in a cove. There is a path that leads to a meadow on the cliffs. I will take you in the morning if you still want,” Kyle offered.
“I will,” Moira said decisively. They looked at one another for the space of several breaths before Kyle inched onto his side, once more pulling Moira into his embrace before they fell asleep.
Sixteen
Moira awoke feeling deliciously warm, with a brawny arm slung over her waist. No light filtered into the cabin, so she knew it wasn’t quite morning. She considered all that transpired the night before; she started to really take in everything that had happened since she fled Dunluce.
I get woken up in the middle of the night and told I need to run away. I do, only to spend three days at sea and have pirates attack us. What were the chances a pirate I know would raid us? A pirate I’ve found devastatingly handsome and dreamed of coupling with since the first time I saw him? I never imagined he’d find me attractive. I can only assume it’s because I’m