Her Reluctant Highlander Husband (Clan MacKinlay)

by Hanson, Allison B.

  “She doesn’t like my beard,” Bryce muttered.

  “How can ye tell?”

  Bryce still hadn’t told the others his wife could speak. It was her secret to share, and he’d wait until she was ready. He was so glad she would live to have the chance.

  “I just know,” he answered Lach’s question.

  “Aye. Kenna and I are able to speak without words. Just a look or a touch and we know what the other is thinking. It’s a blessing most days.” Lach smiled but rubbed his chin. “I believe we’re going to be needed to help Cam soon, though.”

  “Help Cam?” Bryce looked down at Dorie. There was no way he’d leave her side. He’d already left one wife to waste away. He’d stay right where he was and see this one back to health. Beard and stench be damned.

  “Mari has said her back pains her.”

  “And? It’s no wonder. She’s carrying around a— Ah.” Bryce finally understood what Lach was saying. “Are you an expert on birthing babes, cousin?”

  “We’ve three, and one is on the way.” He froze for a moment. “I’ll thank you to forget that last part until Kenna tells her sister. She’s waiting until after Mari delivers.”

  Bryce grinned. “I swear, I’ll be the most surprised.”

  Lach frowned, probably remembering how bad Bryce was at acting.

  Looking down at his sleeping wife, he thought of her growing large with his child, the glow of motherhood on her cheeks pulled up in a constant smile. He also allowed a moment to think of her breasts, larger and filling his palms as he caressed them.

  Christ. He needed to get a hold of himself. He’d sworn not to touch her again. He’d given in to his lust once. He couldn’t do it ever again. It was too great a risk. He might keep his broken heart safe from his wife, but he’d never be able to shut out a child.

  She’d nearly died this week, and he knew he’d already become more attached to her than he’d planned. He needed to be careful and guard what was left of his heart before it was too late.

  …

  Dorie woke to find a clean-shaven Bryce sleeping on a chair near the bed where she lay. His fingers were twined loosely through hers and she smiled at the warmth, remembering it had been her beacon when she’d been so cold.

  It was dark, the house quiet. When she shifted to stretch, she was reminded of the wound in her chest. A bandage held her arm firmly to her side.

  Unfortunately, she couldn’t wait. She needed to get up now or embarrass herself. That thought made her wonder how she’d managed the last few days. It was clear by the stiffness in her muscles that she’d been in bed a long time.

  Deciding not to think of what might have happened while she was unconscious, she focused on what needed to happen now. Careful not to wake her sleeping husband, she edged up the bandage enough that she could move her arm slightly. Testing it, she found it wasn’t too painful…until she leaned on it.

  Letting her free hand slip out of Bryce’s, she waited a beat to make sure she hadn’t woken him, then used it to lever herself up to a sitting position. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and gave herself a moment for her vision to clear and her breathing to catch up.

  Rascal lifted his head and whined.

  “Shhh,” she commanded as Bryce shifted but didn’t wake.

  When she stood, her dog dragged himself slowly from the bed to come stand in front of her. She bent to check him over, patting his head. “Come along then if you must protect me,” she whispered. “But I must go out.”

  She paused after opening the door. Fortunately the brand new hinges on the door were quiet. She was able to make her way down the steps and out into the trees to relieve herself. Her dog made use of the next tree over to do the same.

  She didn’t make it back to the house before Bryce was outside calling her name.

  “What are you doing? You’re not supposed to be out of bed,” he scolded, coming to help her back into the house.

  While she didn’t really need help walking, she allowed him to assist her since it meant he had to touch her and stand close.

  “Thank you,” she offered when he tucked her back in bed.

  “If you need anything, let me know. I’ll take care of you.” He ran a hand through her hair and leaned in to press a kiss to her temple.

  She’d seen Lachlan and Cameron do the same with their wives. A simple touch of lips to a fairly innocuous part of the body. But the way it made her feel was something else. As if she was treasured and cared for. His green eyes held worry, but the usual irritation in them was gone.

  While she hoped she’d never be shot again, she had to admit there were some advantages.

  As she settled back in bed, she thought of the last time she’d been able to walk around. Before she was shot by an arrow.

  “It was the McCurdys,” she whispered.

  “Aye. I know.” Earlier he had apologized for not telling her of the danger she was in. She recalled his pained words.

  “Wallace,” she stated with a grimace.

  Bryce nodded as if he wasn’t surprised. “I’m sorry. It must be hell to know your own brother tried to kill you.”

  She shrugged and regretted it instantly. She hissed but relaxed a bit as the pain lessened. At least the sting in her chest did. The ache in her heart remained.

  “He’s not really my brother.” She’d known since she was nine that Wallace was not blood. His mother had died when he was young, and they didn’t truly share a father.

  When she was seven and Wallace sixteen, she’d followed him around, and he hadn’t minded. He’d shown her how to stand up in the cold surf and find little creatures in the rocks on the beach.

  He’d been her hero…right up until she was locked away. He’d never even tried to save her.

  She frowned as she recalled something they’d said after shooting her. “Desmond said they would tell their laird the MacKinlays killed me.”

  “Rascal took care of Desmond. He’s gone,” Bryce informed her as he looked down at the dog.

  She patted Rascal’s head. “Thank ye, friend.”

  “I’m glad he was there.” Bryce cleared his throat and tilted his head. “From what you heard, it sounds like the laird didn’t know of the arrangement Wallace had made with Lachlan regarding our marriage.”

  She nodded. “That’s why they’re trying to find a way out of it. So Wallace can keep the money Lachlan paid him.”

  “Then it wasn’t the laird who ordered them to hurt ye. Perhaps your father doesn’t want you harmed.” He gave her an encouraging look.

  “I’m not sure why the laird would care. I’ve not seen him since he left me in my chamber all those years ago. Besides, it doesn’t matter. They must be stopped from coming back and hurting someone else,” she whispered.

  The sinister smile that pulled up on Bryce’s face should have worried her. It was clear he was eager to draw blood. But since they shared a common enemy, she smiled with him as he leaned closer and kissed her forehead.

  “No one harms what’s mine and lives.”

  Her eyes widened, not because of the threat evident in his tone, but the way he’d claimed her as his.

  She was his.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Bryce cared.

  He cared about his cousins who had grown up with him and stood beside him in battle. He cared about Kenna and Mari. He cared about their children. Including little—or not so little—Aiden who had come into the world earlier that morning.

  But he also cared for Dorie.

  Despite his desperate attempt to keep her at a distance and not let her into his heart, he cared about her. The lass made it impossible not to, with her quick smile and warm eyes. The more he’d watched her sleep, the more she’d called to him.

  He could pretend he cared about her as he would any other clansman who had been injured by an en
emy, but he didn’t like to lie to himself. She was his, and he protected what was his. It was as simple as that.

  Except, it wasn’t just that he cared. He was also attracted to her and had become more so the longer he was with her. He remembered the feeling of those long legs wrapped around him and twitched at the memory of her heat and the sounds she’d made.

  The way she’d said his name in that rough, unused voice.

  He wanted his wife in his bed.

  When she was deemed well enough to be moved—a week after being shot—Cameron offered to drive her up to the castle in a wagon. Worried the bouncing might cause her pain, Bryce had offered to carry her instead.

  Cam smiled knowingly, as if he’d known Bryce had come up with his plan as an excuse to hold her close. No doubt the man had come up with his fair share of plans to keep his wife close as well.

  In the end it hadn’t mattered. Dorie had wanted to walk. Rascal was also on the mend and took his place by her side as they started off, staying closer than usual.

  “I was shot in the chest. My legs are perfectly fine,” she’d pointed out when Bryce complained. He couldn’t argue that her legs were anything less than fine. He’d still insisted on supporting her with an arm around her waist the whole way to their room in the castle.

  That was nine days ago, and he was still looking for reasons to touch and kiss her. He hadn’t kissed her mouth, but he’d pressed his lips other places to the point it was now second nature. Her hair, her temples, her hands, even her neck once.

  He’d put off his trip to the Campbells once again, so he could stay with her. Now that she was well, he didn’t want to leave. And not just because he wasn’t looking forward to seeing his father again.

  She had started talking with him while they were alone but remained silent around others. He guarded her secret, knowing she would speak when she was ready. For now it was something to be shared just between them, and he found he liked that more than he should.

  It was a part of her that was only for him.

  The best thing by far—the thing that proved his attraction—was the pleasure he felt each night when he slid into bed behind her and pulled her body against his chest. It had started as a way to ensure she didn’t roll over and re-injure her wound. But now there was no worry. Other than a bit of stiffness, she was healed enough to move around. Her skin had healed into a tight pink scar.

  Neither of them mentioned that fact during the nights as he continued to hold her, even though both of them knew it wasn’t necessary. At least it wasn’t necessary for healing purposes.

  In truth, Bryce thought he might die if he had to let her go.

  …

  Dorie shifted uncomfortably in bed. While her wound had healed, she was still in pain each night when Bryce pulled her close. Not from the injury, but from the deep ache in her core from wanting him so much. She’d waited as long as she could stand it. She couldn’t take any more.

  Shifting away, she rolled onto her back and turned her head to look at his face. The moonlight spilled through the window, lighting up their small room so she could see him clearly. His eyes, though cast in shadow, were open and his gaze was on her.

  “What’s the matter?” he whispered.

  She didn’t answer right away as she gathered the courage needed to take the next step.

  Words had been a stranger to her for so long, she found they eluded her now. Instead, she rested her hand on his cheek and leaned forward to press her lips to his.

  Like a spark to tinder, her husband caught fire. His lips moved against hers; his tongue invaded her mouth with a moan. She wound her leg around his hip and used her thigh to draw him closer to where she needed him most. His hand kneaded her breast as his breath quickened.

  “Please,” she begged when his hand moved lower across her arse to caress the heat between her legs.

  “Are you sure you’ve healed enough?”

  “I need you,” was her only answer. Even if she wasn’t healed enough for such activity, she didn’t care. Nothing was more important than having Bryce inside her. “Please.”

  “God, Dorie. I want you so badly I’m not sure I’ll last but a minute.”

  She wasn’t sure she needed that long, but instead of joining with her, he continued to rub his fingers over that place where she wanted him. He pushed one of his long fingers inside her, and she moaned in pleasure. While it wasn’t enough to ease the ache, she moved against him.

  A second finger filled her, and when he curved them slightly to hit some divine place inside her, she cried out as her body clenched desperately around him.

  He quieted her with his mouth as she calmed afterward. Her body relaxed part by part, and she could have easily fallen to sleep if not for Bryce’s kisses moving down her neck to her chest.

  He placed a soft kiss to the scar above her breast. “I’m so glad you’re still here with me,” he whispered so softly she wasn’t sure he’d actually spoken.

  He dipped his head to take her nipple into his mouth. Too soon, he released it, causing a shiver when the chilled air touched her damp skin.

  He moved lower and lower, under the covers so she stayed in the comfort of the warm bedding. It meant she wasn’t able to see him, and probably that he couldn’t see. When his lips settled on the place where his fingers had just been, she thought it was by accident…until he moaned and continued with purpose.

  She recalled hearing about this. She’d thought she’d never be so bold as to allow such a thing, but here she was with her fingers clenched in her husband’s hair, holding him in place while she moved against his ministrations.

  How strange life was. The way it changed. The way a person could learn to accept something one never thought possible. Long for it, even.

  When he moved back up her body, she wiggled with excitement. She knew what would happen next and was eager for him to join his body with hers. She couldn’t keep her hips still as he placed kisses up her body.

  Soon he was positioned between her thighs and his lips had found hers. Instead of thrusting in quickly as she’d expected, he entered her with slow, exquisite pleasure.

  “Bryce,” she called out.

  “I like hearing my name on your lips,” he said next to her ear, his hot breath adding to the heat searing her body with every touch.

  “Faster,” she begged, allowing instincts to guide her in what she needed.

  “Faster means it will be over too soon.”

  She understood, and a grin came to her face.

  “Ah, I see you’re embracing your powers, witch.” A smile pulled at his lips.

  She knew from his laughter he was teasing her, so she teased him back by nipping the skin below his ear.

  She wasn’t prepared for his reaction, which was a deeper thrust followed immediately by another. She’d lost count when she felt the tension build to overflowing. She screamed in pleasure at the same time fire shot into her core. A moment later Bryce fell slack next to her, panting and smiling.

  Life was indeed full of changes.

  …

  Bryce needed to leave. Not just because he’d promised to go to the Campbells to ask for men, but because he was in danger of more than just caring for his wife. He desperately needed to put distance between them, to have time to regain control over the situation, but he couldn’t make himself go.

  She was well now, but he used her injury as an excuse to keep her in bed for a few more days. He wanted her touch, her body, her cries in the darkness. A trip through the Highlands in late November was less than appealing compared to the lure of Dorie’s warmth.

  He snuggled under their bedding, pulling her naked body next to his to share the heat between them. A fire in the hearth took the chill from the room, but their cozy fortress was too tempting to abandon, even though he’d told his men to be ready for drills this morning.

&nb
sp; He groaned when someone pounded on the door. “Bryce? Are you well?” Liam asked, concern in his low voice.

  “Aye. I’ll be there shortly.”

  “You’ve missed the morning meal,” the lad informed him.

  Bryce groaned, both for having to leave his wife’s embrace as well as missing the meal. After making love to Dorie most of the night, he was famished.

  “I’ll be there shortly,” he repeated as Dorie muttered her objections.

  “Stay,” she said in a sleepy voice.

  “God, woman. You cannot say such things. I can’t resist you. I think maybe you truly are a witch. You’ve cast a spell over me. I can’t get enough of you.” He kissed her smiling lips and pulled away before it was too late.

  After dressing as quickly as possible, he ran a finger down her cheek and kissed her forehead. “Sleep well, angel,” he whispered and left while he still could. When he opened the door, the dog pushed past him and took his place in the bed next to her. “Lucky bastard.”

  It was a testament to his need that he found himself slightly jealous of a dog. He took a moment to flirt with the women in the kitchen until they offered him a meat pie, and then headed to the bailey to train with his men.

  The constant drills combined with carrying rocks for Cam’s new home had turned his men into strong, formidable warriors. While they were fierce, Bryce knew they were still outnumbered. It didn’t matter how well a man could fight if there were enemies on all sides.

  He would need to leave to meet with the Campbells soon, which meant leaving Dorie.

  Even now he fought as hard with Liam as he fought thoughts of her naked body, her arms reaching for him.

  “Ach!” He winced and drew his hand against his chest as blood welled along his arm.

  “Sorry. I thought you were ready for that move,” Liam said with wide eyes.

  “I wasn’t paying attention. My mind was elsewhere.”

  Liam chuckled. “I think I can guess.”

  Bryce was about to wipe the smile off the lad’s face when the man on the gate yelled out, “Rider!”