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Spring gave way to summer, and her burgeoning stomach made Ophelia waddle a bit. While she complained that she looked like a duck, Euan continued to dote on her and told her she was the most ravishing swan there ever was. His business grew as expected. So far, two of his ships had been into the Campbell Port, and imported goods dazzled the eyes.
Jade elephants, vases, peacock feathers, leather, and tapestries that were sent to Quebec and other areas by coach and then train. Other captains of fleets paid him to dock there and use his warehouse. A second one was being built because the demand for space was so high. More commerce came into the town as well. The hotels were booked with sailors who wanted a bed on dry ground and a decent meal. One of the spinsters in town saw an opportunity and turned her large home into a boardinghouse as well. Between the shops, rooms and food, horses, travel and coach services, everyone had full pockets—well, those who chose to invest with Euan.
Lately, it seemed someone was always at the door with their hat in their hands, including Hansel. While Ophelia sat on a blanket between the flowers and tall grass on the hill, she recalled that night Hansel came calling. The knock on the door took her attention away from the book she was reading and Euan from his papers at his desk. The remnants of her evening snack sat on a small table close to the chaise lounge where she sat. Euan had moved it there for her benefit.
“It’s late for visitors,” she commented as she watched Mr. Stewart stride past the family room to the foyer.
“It could be John with an issue at the dock.” Euan took his reading glasses off and placed it on his papers. He looked even more handsome with them on in her opinion, studious and appealing all at once.
Mr. Stewart came to the door. “Laird, a Mr. Hansel is here to see you.”
Euan’s face became a cold mask. “Show him in, William.”
“Are you sure you want him here?” Ophelia asked worriedly. “I hear he’s behind lots of the gossip about opium being brought into your warehouses.”
“The constable and two of his men have come by twice, and I allowed them to search. They found nothing, and I’m not worried,” Euan replied. “Besides, if he gives any trouble, William will throw him out on his arse.”
Ophelia laughed. “Poor Mr. Stewart cannot deal with that stout frame.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure. William was a pirate before Mrs. Stewart cured him of his roaming ways,” he said.
“You lie!” Ophelia gasped.
Euan winked. “Ask him to tell you the story and hear it for yourself.”
Their banter was cut short when Mr. Stewart stepped in the doorway and extended his hand to usher their unwanted guest inside.
“Mr. Hansel, Sir,” Mr. Stewart said.
“Stay close, William,” Euan said, and his tone took on the deadly hint she’d come to recognize when he was wary of another’s intention. He did not get up from behind the desk. “Hansel, state your piece.”
“Laird Campbell, Lady Campbell, and might I say, you are glowing.” Hansel’s voice was pleasant, and it made her skin crawl.
“No, you may not. As I said, what is your business with me?” Euan’s voice was crisp.
“Might I sit?” Mr. Hansel asked.
“You will not be staying long,” her husband replied.
“I’ve come to make peace with my house and yours. Things were said—” Mr. Hansel began.
“By you and your daughter, your friends, not I or my wife,” Euan cut him off. “You have downright disparaged her for months now.”
Mr. Hansel opened his arms wide. “Come now, let’s put the past behind us and be friends... associates.”
Euan leaned back and laced his fingers. “And there it is. You want to dip your fat fingers into my pockets. Whoring out your daughter didn’t work, now you do it yourself.”
Mr. Hansel turned red. “Now see here, I won’t have that. I’ve come for the same offer of shares you’ve given to others.”
“You’ll get nothing of the sort from me.” Euan stood and slammed his hand against the desk. The sound startled her and caused the baby to kick. He continued, and she saw the fire in her husband’s eyes. “You dare come into my house and demand a share of my business after doing everything in your power to stop my endeavor? Now, you see others profiting, while you drift into obscurity and pauperdom, and you dare demand? Not today, Hansel, and not at all.”
“Be careful what you say to me. It could be quite easy for some accident to befall your precious dock,” Hansel threatened, seeing his chances to earn favor disappear. “Fires happen, Campbell.”
“And I’d be rebuilt in less than a month. I can afford it.” Euan’s smile was wide and predatory. “Can you afford my wrath, Hansel?”
“Just remember, your wife likes to walk into town with the little house girl you have. What a shame if something—”
He never got to finish. Everything on the desk was scattered and fell to the floor with loud thumps. The papers glided with a whisper to the ground, and her cry of surprise was nothing compared to the snarl that came from Euan. Both hands were around Hansel’s neck and slammed him against the closest stone wall.
“If she trips—if a hair on her head is out of place, I will kill you, Hansel,” Euan snarled. “I will wait until you are asleep in your bed and move with the shadows of your room and slit your throat while your wife sleeps beside you. She will awake swimming in your blood, and no one will ever know it’s me.”
“I’ll be right beside him for Selma... Sir.” Mr. Stewart gave him a disgusted flick of a glance. “Shall I toss the rubbish, Laird?”
“Please.” Euan shoved Hansel away in disgust.
“You’ve made an enemy of me, Campbell.” Hansel’s words were choked off as Mr. Stewart grabbed him by the collar.
“Well, that evens it all out then, because you were already mine.”
From there Ophelia watched her husband calmly clean up the chaos from the floor and replace it all neatly on the desk. It was then she knew her husband could be deadly if he wanted to be. Under that calm exterior, he was a man who would kill for those he loved. She knew the knowledge should cause her fear, but instead, she rubbed her stomach where their child kicked. Ophelia felt safe.
* * * *
“You are so deep in thought, you didn’t even hear me walk up.” Euan sat on the blanket next to her and brought Ophelia from her reverie.
“I was sketching.” Ophelia pointed to the paper and charcoal on her lap.
“I’ll have to find you some colored pastels when the next ship arrives.” Euan kissed her shoulder and placed his hand on her belly. “I’ll make a special request of the captain.”
“Thank you, but I doubt when he’s born, I’ll have much time for this,” she admitted.
“I can see you and our child sitting in the sun while you sketch.” He put his hand against her stomach and felt the baby move, and a small laugh escaped him. “That always amazes and frightens me at the same time. A child we created is alive and nesting within your womb; it’s surely a miracle.”
“He always responds when your voice is near.” Ophelia smiled at him.
“She knows her Da,” he countered and kissed her lips.
She laced her fingers with his over the mound of her pregnancy. “I love you, Laird Euan Campbell. Have I ever told you that?”
He shook his head. “No, but it is beautiful coming from your lips.”
“And you’ve been quite patient in waiting,” Ophelia teased. “But then, you have never said it to me.”
“I have on many occasions,” he answered quite somberly. “Mo Ghoal...”
“You never told me what it meant,” she pointed out.
“It means my love.” Euan cupped her cheek. “I do recall saying I would tell you when the time was right—when you were ready to hear. Everything was so new at that time. I did not want to frighten you away.”
“Well now I know, I am your love,” she announced.
“Now and forever,” he promised.
He kissed her, and Ophelia deepened it and licked at his lips gently. His low groan of pleasure spurred her on, and she ran her hand down to the buttons of his pants. She felt his cock growing beneath her touch.
Euan covered her hand with his to stop her movements. “Ophelia, you know I cannot resist you.”
“Then don’t.” She opened the laces at the top of her summer dress. “We are far enough from the house. No one will see us between the tall grass and the flowers.”
Mrs. Stewart and Selma, knowing how hot and uncomfortable it would be being pregnant in the summer months, had made her dresses from fabric she bought in town. Simple shifts of colored cotton and wide satin ribbon high under her bosom that tied in the back. Some had buttons that ran down the front way below her stomach, making it easier for her to undress at night. While the yellow dress she wore today had laces in the front and the closure at the back, Mrs. Stewart also made slips of white cotton to wear beneath each dress. They were so cool she could sleep in them at night with the open windows. The sleeves slipped off her shoulders, and Euan cupped her breasts that had become fuller each month her pregnancy progressed.
“Ah, you seductress.” He pressed his hot mouth against her skin. “You know how much I want you.”
“Then do what you must, Laird,” she gasped as his mouth enclosed her nipple. “Oh, yes, just... like... that... Mmm.”
He groaned. “I love the way you express yourself. Never be reserved with me, darling. Always show me this side of you.”
“I will. Now, love your lady, as only you can.” She kissed her way across his cheek to his ear and whispered, “I love you.”
He seemed to fill with desire and no more words were needed. Euan kissed her with such passion, yet with infinite care. His hands, calloused from work, offered featherlike caresses that sent frissons of heat along her skin and worshipped her body. A low groan escaped him, and she gasped as his hand bunched her dress up and he grasped her thigh.
“Euan,” she whispered against his lips.
He cupped her breasts and looked down at her. “Your body is so voluptuous and full of my child. It excites me.”
He moved her dress up, revealing her stomach to the sunlight and the heat of his gaze. Euan’s hands went down her body and slowly over her belly. The baby jumped within her, and he laughed softly. Euan moved to take her lips and as he did, he cupped the mound of her sex while seducing her mouth. Ophelia shuddered in anticipation. For the initial start of her pregnancy, she was ill, and the thought of intimacy was not even in her mind. Now, as she progressed and the baby grew, she found that her passion was ignited quickly. Even as he undressed at night, her body reacted.
Euan lifted his head to look at her. “I’m so pleased that you are mine. Will you let me taste you?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “Oh, my... yes.”
Yet another kiss, as if he couldn’t sample her lips enough, and Ophelia was willing to share her bounty each and every time. He licked and nipped at her neck before trailing his mouth down to her heavy breasts. There, he became carnal, and after a few gentle laps at her hard nipples, a primal sound escaped him, and Euan sucked the pert tip deep into his mouth. The hard pull made Ophelia cry out, and the sound was carried by the wind. The second globe got the same attention, and he lifted his head in surprise.
“I tasted your milk.” Euan’s voice held warm desire and amazement.
“I didn’t know that happened.” She bit her lip with uncertainty. “Should we stop?”
He shook his head slowly. “No, love, I was surprised by the taste—sweet, like you.”
Euan repeated the action until she called his name urgently while he switched from one beaded tip to the next. His guttural moan reverberated through her. She felt his hips thrust against hers as if his body knew that his cock needed to be buried within her. If she had learned anything about him, it was that he was a patient man when it came to loving, until he wasn’t.
Then, he would drive them high until they both were left weak and trembling. Ophelia reached between them to take his shaft in her hand, and he thrust himself between her grasp. The sensation of velvet skin over steel erectness was stimulating to her senses. She trailed her fingertips over the smooth head until he stopped her hand.
“Let’s not drive all sense of reason from my head, darling,” he said against her lips.
“Why not?” Her tone was sultry and daring. “You do the same to me.”
“Let’s test that theory.”
Euan watched her intently and moved his hand to her sex before probing between the full, aroused lips. Ophelia could feel her own slick wetness coat his finger as he teased the sensitive bud buried between her labia. He used slow, deliberate circles meant to tease her, and her hips rose in the rhythm of his caress. One delicious dip inside, and she bit her lip, a whimper of frustration escaping. Ophelia grabbed his hand, trying to show him what she wanted. But he pulled away and moved down her body.
He pressed soft kisses against her stomach before she felt Euan’s breath against her sex. The first slow lick made her body jerk in reflex, and he used his fingers to part her so he could taste the sweet, aroused nub. Ophelia gripped the blanket while the sensation cascaded over her in heated waves. The sun was on her skin, but it was nothing compared to the sensations Euan elicited with his mouth. A slow breath escaped her when he penetrated her with his fingers. The combination of his mouth and the rhythmic insertion and retreat stoked the fire within her, and she gave herself over to the orgasm that built.
“Euan, yes, oh now,” Ophelia whimpered.
“Give it all to me.” Desire laced his voice.
Ophelia’s hips arched against his seeking mouth and deep fingering, and her release made her essence flow from her sex. She heard his groan from between her legs, and his tongue lapped greedily. The pace he set never stopped, and another sultry cry was wrung from her lips when her orgasm crested for a second time.
“You are simply magnificent,” he said huskily. When Euan kissed her, she could taste her essence on his lips.
“I want to feel you inside me now,” Ophelia demanded.
“Turn on your side, my love.”
In the midst of the green grass and full flowers in reds, purples, and yellows, she lay on her side and felt him move behind her. The skin of Euan’s chest was warm against her back, and he lifted her leg so he could caress her pussy once more. He positioned the tip of his cock at the entrance of her sex and because of his height he was able to fill her with one sleek thrust. Her leg slipped down, and he bent her over just a bit that imitated being fucked from behind but while she was safely lying down.
With her legs closed, the swollen lips of her sex tight around his cock, she felt each deep thrust more acutely. Euan ran his large hand over her belly and then up to cup her breasts and teased the nipples now kissed by the sun. The flames of desire licked at her core, and she could hardly stand the sensations blooming inside her. Her stomach tightened as the first bands shuddered through her, and Euan groaned. His hand became almost savage as he massaged her breasts.
“Are you ready for me to fill you with my seed,” he asked savagely. “Aye yes, I can feel it—your body pulls at my cock to keep me inside.”
“Please, please, please,” Ophelia begged, and with eyes closed, her head fell back in pleasure.
“God, I love how you feel.” He turned her face to his and kissed her savagely. “I love you more than this world. I will always love you.”
Ophelia could hear his breathing, harsh against her ear, and he pumped into her in an urgent frenzy. Euan squeezed her breasts, and she gasped in surprise as her nipples released droplets of milky while liquid against his hand. The sticky friction seemed to drive him mad and sent Euan over the edge of his release with a harsh cry of her name.
He whispered things in his native language, endearments or praise, she was unsure. She closed her eyes and let her release overtake her while he moved, and Ophelia felt the sensation of his hot seed filling her. He prolonged their pleasure as long as he could until he lay back on the blanket, breathing harshly, and she followed suit. The sun warmed them as they lay there, catching their breath and regaining their sanity.
“Did you come home to check on me or take advantage of me,” Ophelia asked with a teasing laugh.
“Aye, I’ll come home every day if it ends like this.” Euan chuckled.
“I could lay here till the sun goes down,” she said contentedly. Ophelia ran her hand up his chest.
He caught it and kissed it. “I feel the same way, but I should get you back to the manor before Mrs. Stewart comes looking for you. It’s past your lunchtime.”
“Mmm, yes, we don’t need her catching us like this,” she replied.
“Oh, I think she and Mr. Stewart may have had their own lust-filled afternoons in the sun,” Euan commented.
“I will put that thought right out of my head,” Ophelia said firmly. “Mrs. Stewart is a God-fearing woman—”
“Who married a pirate, so at one point she had her wench-filled days.”
“I should tell on you.” Ophelia sat up and began to fix her dress.
Euan did the same and kissed her. “But you won’t, will you?”
She smiled. “Aye, I won’t.”
He grinned at her answer and began to help her get her clothes fixed before his own. Euan folded the blankets and took her charcoals and rolled the paper up under his arms before walking her back to the manor house. Mrs. Stewart’s shrewd eyes surveyed them as they came through the kitchen, but she only muttered under her breath before saying, “Go clean up for lunch and feed the bairn a meal before he makes you ill in protest.”
“I kept her out too long. It’s my fault,” Euan explained.
“I’m sure you did.” Mrs. Stewart’s lips twitched with a smile before she set it into a firm line. “Now, shoo, do as you’re told.”
“I think she knows,” Euan whispered as they went up the stairs.
Ophelia laughed. Of that she had no doubt. But this was her husband; so if making love in the sun was her only indiscretion in this world, Ophelia would gladly accept it for the man she loved.