by Jenna Stone
I raised his hands to mine and gasped when I saw his mangled, bloodied knuckles. I brought the backs of his hands to my lips and kissed his broken knuckles, aching to take away his pain. Tears streamed down my face and I kissed the tattered but still intact braided red twine that encircled his ring finger.
“What did they do to you?” I whispered, needing to know, needing to share his pain.
Startling me, Devon’s chest shook with laughter. My eyes flashed up to his.
“They didna do that, lass,” he said, eyes meeting mine. “I did that tae myself when I found Brennan this morning.”
“You what?” I asked incredulously, shocked.
“I beat him within an inch of his life. Only spared his life because of Leti.”
“I agree that he needed punished, but was that really necessary?” I asked, terrified of Leti’s reaction to this turn of events.
“He disobeyed me,” Devon said sternly. “And tae make matters worse, not only did he disobey me, but he also put ye in danger.”
“But did you really need to beat him?” I asked, stunned by Devon’s brutality.
“Hell yes, I did!” Devon exclaimed. He was agitated now, and his temper flared. “It is unacceptable for one of my men, best friend or no tae disobey me. And the fact that he neglected yer safety was reason enough for me tae show no mercy in his punishment!”
He looked away now, breathing heavily as he fought to regain his control.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” I whispered, changing the subject away from Brennan. I reached up and slipped my hand under his shirt, it had fallen open at the neck. I placed my hand on top of his heart, relishing the warmth of his skin. “I was so scared, Devon.”
His eyes were hooded now, his expression softer.
“I thought the same, Kate. When I was in that cell at the Camerons, my thoughts of ye are what kept me living. I thought of how I wanted tae touch ye, tae kiss ye…”
The pain in his voice struck me, and I captured his face in my hands, and carefully brought his lips to mine. I kissed him tenderly, being careful not to break open his split lip.
“I’m sorry, Kate,” he said, catching me by surprise as the anger faded from his face.
I knew that he was still displeased at the risk that I had taken, but for whatever reason, he was softening.
“I doona approve of how ye put yerself in danger, but what is done is done. Come here, lass,” he said pulling me closer. “I’ve missed ye.”
It felt good to hold him, to know that he had returned to me all in one piece. He rested his cheek on top of my head, kissing my hair. I found his embrace calming, reassuring, and allowed my body to melt into him, bathing in the sense of security that he provided. He breathed out slowly and squeezed me gently, drawing slightly away from me so that he could look into my face.
“I’ll not beg for yer forgiveness, but I will try to explain to ye my reasons for acting the way that I do,” he said, drawing further away from me and raking his hand through his hair, as he did when he was unsure of how to begin a conversation. “Well,” he began, “To be completely honest, I’ve never had a woman that was mine, completely mine, bound tae me as ye are, Kate. I’ve told ye that I’ve been with other women, but it’s not the same.”
The thought of him being with other women always bothered me. It was a fact that I tried to forget about, and when I couldn’t get it out of my mind, it made my blood boil with jealousy. I felt the sensation of calm leave my body and it was once again replaced by tension and a twinge of anger.
“When I was with those women, I had no claim on them. They filled a need that I had, but there was no connection, no expectation other than the needs of my body. It was never my duty tae protect them, tae see tae their safety because they were not mine.” He looked over at me, intensity in his eyes. “With you, Kate, it’s different. Yer mine. My wife. And when I see ye taking such a great risk, even if it was tae save my sorry ass, I canna bear it,” his stare was intense, serious.
I reached out a hand and covered his hands with mine. To hear him speak of me in this possessive way made me feel good, wanted. My warrior was showing me a vulnerable side, yet vowing that he would not share me with others and staking his claim to me as his woman.
“I never thought, never believed that I would have a wife. My life as a warrior doesna particularly lend itself tae having a woman to care for and I never thought that Collin would force me into marriage. But now that I have ye, I want all of ye. I want tae wrap ye up and keep ye for myself,” he smiled ever so slightly, embarrassed by this admission. “The anger that I felt today was maddening, worse than any rage that I’ve ever felt on the battlefield. I wanted tae kill Brennan. And at the same time I have missed ye sae much and I wanted tae grab ye and hold ye and kiss ye….” he trailed off, trying to express his conflicting emotions.
“Do ye understand me Kate?” he spoke firmly, yet implored me to acknowledge the claim that he was staking upon me.
“Yes, I understand but I want you to know that I acted in the manner that I did because I felt that there was no other choice,” I said, with sincerity. “I didn’t want to defy you, to put myself at risk, but I felt that it was the only way that we could be together again. I couldn’t bear the thought of living without you.”
“It was mighty braw what ye did last night,” he said, now with the hint of a proud smile on his face.
“I only did what I had to to get you back,” I whispered, voice trembling now as the reminder crossed my mind that this could have turned out vastly different. What if I had not been able to secure his release?
“Thank ye,” he smiled a lopsided smile that melted my heart, taking hold of my hand with his own and raking the hair back out of his face again with his other hand. “Thank ye for risking yerself tae get me back.”
I smiled at his gratitude, knowing that it was very difficult for him to thank me for disobeying his orders. Devon was a man that was used to being obeyed. “I guess that means that you really do want me.”
“Want ye? Yer all that I think about, lass! I swore that I wouldn’t let ye get tae me that way, but I must admit that I am a complete and utter failure,” he chuckled softly, and stood up from the settee, gently pulling me up with him.
“Let’s start this over, lass,” he sighed.
I took my cue, knowing it best to take an olive branch when one was offered. “I’ve missed you, Husband,” I whispered, eyes blazing as I captured his lips in a kiss.
My kiss was matched and returned with fervor, the fervor of a husband who had missed his wife and was glad to be home.
I drew away from him slightly, arms still wrapped tightly around his shoulders. “If I recall, Husband, I think that you promised me a riding lesson,” I said with a seductive smile.
“Mmm……I do want ye to keep up with yer lessons. We’d better get to that right away,” he smiled back and kissed me again as he began to drag me towards the bed.
“But the stable’s that way,” I feigned in protest as he lifted me into his arms and lowered me onto the sheets. A deep growl in his throat was his only response to my protest, but I felt his smile in the kiss that he gave me as he settled his weight on top of me.
I squealed as he rolled suddenly, taking me with him. Now I found myself on top of him, gazing down at his playful hot smile. He gently arranged my legs so that I sat astride him now and I felt my face flush with color as I grasped the intimacy of our contact.
“Will this do for a riding lesson?” he asked, eyes sparkling mischievously.
I was too flustered by our intimate contact to respond. I felt him, there, right between my legs. The sensation of having his arousal pressed so intimately against my feminine parts sent waves of desire pulsing through my body. I bit my lip as I considered what to do next.
Devon helped me decide by pulling my faced down to his. He kissed me deliciously, tongue surging into my mouth, emboldening me with his desire. His hands were under my gown now, his palms ho
t against the skin of my thighs. They continued up to my hips and I groaned in pleasure as he grasped me firmly, one large hand on each side of my bottom.
His hands began to move me, to guide me as my most intimate parts glided tantalizingly over his erection. He groaned deeply at our contact and he shuddered when I broke our kiss and sat up astride him, placing my hands on top of his chest. My hair cascaded freely down my back and I felt powerful, free as I watched how my movement affected Devon.
I took over the movement that his hands had taught me, riding him as he had shown me. I felt wanton and I savored the feeling of his manhood against my sensitive feminine parts as I brought us both pleasure.
Suddenly, I found myself wishing that the fabric of his linen pants was out of the way. I wanted to feel his intimate skin against mine.
Devon growled deeply and clenched his teeth together as I continued to ride him, to torment him.
A gruff knocking on our chamber door startled us both back to reality. Devon broke away from kissing me reluctantly, breathing huskily, and emitted a groan of annoyance.
“Stay right there, sweetheart,” he said softly as he rose from our bed.
I giggled as I watched him try to make himself presentable. He pulled a shirt on over his head and raked a hand through his thoroughly tousled hair. He looked very guilty, and he knew it. He smiled playfully at me and gave up on fixing his appearance.
He stalked heavily over to the chamber door and opened it to find Collin standing in the doorway. Collin was the last person that I wanted to see right now.
“Did I disturb ye?” Collin asked, peering past Devon’s shoulder to look at me.
I’m sure that I looked guilty as hell, standing there with my hair all disheveled and my lips ruddy from Devon’s kisses.
“Yes,” Devon said coolly, clearly annoyed with his brother’s poor timing.
“I need an update on the matters with the Camerons,” Collin said, it was more of an order than a request. “I heard of the Laird’s untimely demise, and I want to be sure that we are prepared for any repercussions that may occur.”
Devon looked over his shoulder longingly at me, his expression telling me that he wanted to stay, but was not going to be able to.
“I’ll be down in a minute,” he said to his brother. “I’ll meet ye in the study,” he said, closing the door behind Collin, who had already started off down the hall.
Devon turned around, and leaned his weight on the heavy wooden door. There was a look of annoyance on his face and I knew that he was not in the mood to deal with Collin.
“I have tae go,” he said, walking towards me and pulling me into his arms. “I don’t want tae, but duty calls,” he whispered into my hair before leaning down and placing a chaste peck on my lips. “Don’t wait up for me. I expect that Collin will drag this out as long as he possibly can. I think that he got the feeling that I was enjoying my time with ye just a little tae much,” Devon smiled, knowing that Collin hated the fact that Devon and I enjoyed one another so openly.
“Hurry back,” I said, disheartened by the fact that I would likely be spending another lonely evening by myself. I had just gotten Devon back and still hadn’t been able to have him all to myself. I just wanted to be alone with him. I wanted to show him just how much I loved him. Losing him had nearly broken me.
“Will do, lass,” he kissed me again and strode out the door.
I decided that a long, nap would be rather restorative, given what I had been through in the past 24 hours. I stripped down to my chemise and crawled into bed, clinging to the faint possibility that Devon might return from his meeting with Collin early and get into bed with me. The thought of Devon being in bed with me made the butterflies go crazy in my stomach. I turned the idea of making love to him over in my mind. I wanted him badly and I was ready to join myself to him and become his wife in every sense of the word. Maybe tonight would be the night. I fell asleep with a dull ache between my thighs, dreaming of what it would be like to make love to my husband.
Chapter Seventeen
I missed Devon fiercely and my heart sank when I awoke from my nap and he had not returned. I resigned to the fact that I would go down to dinner alone again, but I put extra effort into my appearance just in case I might reunite with Devon at dinner.
I knew that meetings with Collin always put Devon in a foul mood and I hoped that Devon’s mood could be easily repaired with a few well placed kisses.
I wanted to resume my riding lessons after all, I thought wickedly.
Lost in thought, I flew down the stairs towards the great hall and as I turned the corner I ran right into Collin. Running into him was like running into a stone wall and the force of my impact with his chest knocked me crashing to the floor.
His green eyes glowered down at me, but he said nothing. He stepped over me rudely and continued on his way.
I composed myself and stood up, brushing off my skirts. My eyebrows were now knit together with the feelings of hatred that I harbored for Collin. He was so arrogant and the way that interactions with him troubled Devon made me dislike him that much more.
I decided not to tell Devon about my abrupt encounter with his brother, knowing that it would only anger him further. After hearing about how Devon had dealt with Brennan, the last thing that I wanted to do was provoke his temper in regards to his brother, the Laird.
I turned to walk down the hallway that led to the great hall, and ran right into Devon’s chest. I gasped in surprise and his arms were around me, stabilizing me so that I wouldn’t fall. What a welcome contrast his strong arms were to my recent interaction with his brother.
“Hi, love,” he whispered as he bent down and kissed me possessively.
My body responded readily to his kiss and my thoughts jumped back to my interrupted riding lesson.
“Hi,” I whispered back, breathlessly as I sagged against his chest.
I was oblivious to the steady stream of people who passed us in the hall en route to dinner. Devon pulled me to the side of the corridor and backed me up to the stone wall.
“I was just coming tae look for ye,” he said, forehead against mine. “We might as well eat now that yer down here,” he said, kissing me softly and taking my hand.
“You weren’t planning to eat?” I asked, confused as he led me through the massive doors that guarded the great hall.
“Nay, I was hoping that ye were still in our chambers,” he whispered into my hair suggestively.
We were now surrounded by most of the clan who had gathered in the hall for the evening meal, and I was glad that Devon had chosen to guard his words. I felt my face flush with color as I guessed why Devon had been hoping to find me in our chamber.
“All I could think about while my incessant brother drug out our meeting, questioning me over minute details, torturing me with more and more stupid questions was getting back tae ye,” Devon whispered huskily, leaning down to whisper into my ear so as to conceal our secret desires. “I didna think that yer riding lesson was quite finished,” he whispered deliciously.
My face turned a new shade of crimson and my pulse hammered in response to Devon’s words. He slapped me playfully on the bum, enjoying how his words had unsettled me.
***
I felt warm and heady from the wine and dancing. I also felt emboldened by the courage given to me by the wine. Devon’s hand was solidly interlaced with my own. He had beautiful, masculine hands. I kissed his hand and looked up at him. He flashed a brief smile and his eyes darted away, embarrassed that I had caught him starting at me. I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, relishing the feel of his stubble beneath my lips.
His hand was a constant presence on the small of my back as we moved through the crowd. Throughout the evening I would find my own hand resting on his muscular thigh as we chatted with our companions around the dinner table. It was as if we simply had to be touching each other. I felt an ever intensifying need to be close to Devon and through his touch, I could tell that he f
elt the same.
“Can ye muster one more dance, lass?” he smiled, challenging me.
“If that is what my husband wishes,” I smiled back coyly.
“I wish it,” he stated as he rose laughing and hauled me out to join the merriment.
The music was lively and fast paced, fiddling and drums that matched the rhythm of my beating heart as we spun around the floor of the great hall. The tables had been moved to the outside of the large room to allow space for dancing. I laughed as Devon spun me around, catching the glimmer in his eye as he looked at me dancing.
“Yer beautiful, Wife,” he smiled down at me, face flushed with the merriment of dancing.
Couples laughed and spun around us, but it felt as though time had stopped. I had eyes only for Devon.
“I love you, Devon,” I said, the words spilling forth, feeling so right, so beautiful as I said them aloud for the first time.
I had surprised him with my confession. His eyebrows were raised slightly in disbelief, and he had stopped dancing. He stood still now, still holding me against his chest.
Say something! Do something!
He leaned down and captured my lips into a gentle, sincere kiss, as if sealing our pact. His tongue was a question at my lips, asking for an invitation to enter. I flicked out my tongue tentatively, stroking his firm lips that now controlled my own. His hand had now moved from my chin to the back of my head, pressing me against his strength, claiming my mouth in a sensual, yet gentle kiss. I pulled away, knees weak from his embrace.
“There’s something that I need tae tell ye too,” he said, the smile leaving his face as he drew me towards him, hands resting on the small of my back, pulling me closer. His face was serious now, contemplative. “I love you too,” he whispered, and crushed me to his chest.