The parquet flooring was lovingly cared for and the flickering candlelight cast its golden glow over the rest of the partygoers.
“Alec and I are going to head over to the bar. You want anything?” Meagan asked.
Since Cat was the designated driver, she requested a Cola. Braden didn’t want a drink and was instead occupied with looking at some of the other costumes.
When a pair of hands covered Cat’s eyes, she squealed and turned, throwing herself into the waiting arms of Remy.
“Welcome home, Remy.” She kissed his cheek and tightened her hold on him.
“How did you know it was me?” He hugged her tight.
“Because you’re the only one that covers my eyes as a way of greeting.”
Remy put her down and turned to face Meagan, Alec and Braden. “Hey, Meags, how are you?” He hugged her and kissed her forehead.
“I’m good.” She turned and pointed to Alec. “Meet my date tonight, Alec Ross. Alec, this is our good friend, Remy.”
The two men shook hands and offered a greeting.
“This is Braden, Alec’s cousin,” Cat offered with a smile.
“Good to meet you.” Remy held Braden’s stare for a little longer than Cat liked. “Make sure you take good care of my girl here.”
“You have my word that I will let no harm come to her.” Braden put his arm around her. “She holds my heart.”
Remy nodded. “Good man.”
Braden led her to the dance floor and they swayed to the sexy beat of the bass. She loved the way she fit against him as if she were made just for him. They were interlocking pieces of each other. For the first time in her life, she felt complete. No matter what seemed to be upsetting him, when they were like this she was sure nothing was as bad as it seemed.
When the band took a short break, Stephen wheeled out the karaoke machine. Cat was surprised when Alec was the first to take the stage. She watched with laugher on her lips as he did a raunchy rendition of Justin Timberlake’s Sexy Back. Although he didn’t really know the song, the way he circled and gyrated his hips to the funky beat attracted the attention of every female in the room. Meagan was waiting for him to get done before she lured him out of the ballroom.
Braden laughed at his cousin’s antics and, when the performance was over, laced his fingers with Cat’s. “Let’s get some air. Show me the grounds.”
Since the weather was unseasonably warm, she thought this was a fine idea. They stepped out onto the terrace and she was captivated by the white twinkle lights that were strung on the trees and shrubs. “It looks like something out of a fairytale.” She smiled at Braden.
“Aye, ‘tis a very beautiful sight.” They ambled down the stairs that led to the gardens. Even though it was November, several of the magnolia trees were in bloom along with the night-blooming jasmine. The combined aroma of the flowers and the damp, musty smell of the Mississippi River nearby, was strangely a pleasant scent.
They walked hand-in-hand down the crushed shell pathways, past rose bushes and fallow flowerbeds, to a large oak tree with a wooden swing suspended from its mighty branches.
“Look, a swing.” Cat moved towards the tree. She took a seat on the wooden plank and nudged her toe, setting the swing in motion. Braden stood propped against the rough bark of the trunk and watched her intently.
“What are you thinking?”
“That you are the most beautiful thing in the world and that I love you.”
Cat held his gaze. “You know we’re going to have to stop this strange dance we’ve been doing. I know that something has been bothering you. I wish you trusted me enough to share with me what has you so upset.”
Braden pushed away from the tree and caught the ropes, stopping her movement. “I know.”
“Talk to me.” She heard the pain in her own voice and cringed. Cat didn’t want to appear as if she were whining or badgering him.
“I don’t know how to tell you this, or if you’ll even believe what I’m about to say.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Remember the other night when we took that ghost tour and we were stopped by the woman with the purple hair?”
Cat vaguely remembered the encounter. “Yeah, she was a tarot reader, right?
“Aye. The other day when you were gone working, Alec and I took a walk around the Quarter. We came upon this shop and Alec, being Alec, wandered into it. The store was dedicated to magic and other mystical things. The lady with the purple hair owned the place.”
“That’s not so unusual here, Braden. There are all kinds of voodoo and mystic shops in the Quarter. Shoot, I visited one before I flew to Scotland.”
“I ken this now. Anyhow, the woman’s name is Constance. When we stepped inside, she came to us and told me there was danger that I needed to listen to. In my arrogant way, I ignored her warnings. Or at least, I tried.”
“What are you trying to tell me?”
“My fear that the curse could be reversed is a very real one and you could be in danger if I stay here.”
“And Constance told you this?”
“Yes, she knew who Alec and I were, Catrìona. She said she’d felt a shift in the spiritual world when you brought me forward to this time.”
Cat shook her head. This was too much to take in. “Are you saying I’m in danger because I accidentally pulled you and your cousin into this realm?”
“Aye. The original Morgana apparently made sure that future generations knew of the hurt I dealt her.”
“This is ridiculous, Braden. You heard Elspeth; your soul would be free when released by your soul mate. That’s me. There was nothing about the curse being reversed.”
Braden smiled just enough that the dimple in his cheek showed. The shadows were playing hide and seek with his features and she cursed the darkness that prevented her from seeing the emotions in his eyes. “You’re correct.” He chuckled. “I confess to having a hard time believing my nightmare is over.”
Cat stood and ran her hands up his hard chest. “Sit down, Braden. Tonight was supposed to be all about fun. It’s not about curses and revenge-driven druid priestesses.”
He took a seat on the swing and Cat wasted little time reaching up and untying the band that held back his dark hair. She loved his long hair and when the silky locks were free of their confines, she indulged herself by running her fingers through them.
She straddled his lap and looked him in the eyes. “I know that I’ve had fears about you being taken from me. But I don’t fear this now. We’re together and that’s all that matters.”
Braden wrapped his arms around her waist. “Did I tell you how sexy you are in a corset and these stockings?”
“Why, no, you haven’t.”
“My bad. I guess I’ll have to make up for my oversight.”
“I guess you will.”
Cat met his gaze and licked her lower lip, unaware of what she was doing. Braden slowly lowered his head and lightly ran his tongue along the seam of her lips. He then started nibbling at her lips, gently lapping at them, begging entrance into the honey sweetness that was her mouth.
Cat moaned and accepted his tongue. She suckled on it as their lips melded into the sweetest of kisses.
Slowly she rubbed herself against his rock hard arousal, tormenting them both with her actions. Greedily, she ate his mouth, giving and taking all he offered and more.
Braden raised the skirt of her dress and palmed the silky softness of her buttocks as she gently rocked herself against him. He tore his mouth away from her sweet lips and began nibbling his way down her neck while he pulled down the straps of her dress. When he finally uncovered her to her waist, he sucked the hardened point of her nipple through the lacy cup of her bra. He worked the aching bud with his teeth and tongue, and used the lacy fabric as a way to heighten the sensitivity of her straining flesh. Back and forth he lavished attention on the rosy tips of her nipples. Cat groaned and rocked harder against his cock as she accepted his ministrations, but she soon realized that it was not
enough, she had to touch him, and she had to feel skin against skin.
She started to unbutton his shirt but became impatient and tore the button off as she ripped the shirt apart, then she started on the buttons of his breeches. His throbbing erection sprung free of its restraints and into her waiting hands.
Braden groaned as she stroked him and he thrust his hips forward, aching and needing more contact. Their mouths fused together again as hands fumbled to remove the last lacy barriers between them.
Soon Cat was partially naked on his lap and Braden ran his hands down her soft stomach and into the thatch of damp curls that protected her aching center. Cat’s hands were equally busy, stroking and squeezing his erection and scrotum as she rocked against his magical fingers. As if by mutual agreement, she rose and impaled herself on his penis. Both groaned when she slowly sank down to the hilt.
Braden cherished the warm tight fit of her honeyed passage as it held him in its velvet grip. He kissed her with long, deep kisses, urging her hips up and down on his aching flesh. Still it wasn’t enough. He couldn’t seem to get deep enough to satisfy the aching pain in his groin and, without withdrawing from her, he stood and then gently placed her down on the swing.
Braden felt Catrìona wrap her legs around his waist and was instantly allowed deeper access. With long deep strokes, he filled her totally. She met him stroke for stroke and together they found the tempo that bound their bodies together.
Braden felt his impending orgasm but didn’t want to come without her. “Come for me, baby,” he whispered as he slowly ground his groin into her. He palmed her buttocks and held her there, impaled on him, not allowing her any movement as he ground himself against her clit.
It was too much, and Cat felt herself shatter into a thousand pieces just as Braden stiffened and groaned with his release.
Cat rested her forehead against Braden’s as she tried to catch her breath. The swing still swayed gently back and forth. The emotional storm had passed and for the first time since their lips touched, Cat allowed herself to face what they’d just done.
For the first time in her life she had been swept away with passion and made love outside where anyone could have happened upon them.
The forbidden and sensual thing she’d just done should have left her blushing and ashamed. Instead, she felt empowered. She was filled with an amazing sense of peace as her breathing and heartbeat slowed back to normal.
“That was the most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced.” Braden kissed her jawline before moving to her ear. He paid a little bit of attention to her sensitive lobe.
“Hmm.” She was too relaxed to say anything more. Cool air danced up her exposed legs; her satin and lace costume doing little to chase away the chill. However heat radiated from where her body connected to Braden’s.
The reality that she’d used sex as a way to avoid the real issues between them was not lost on her. She was just as guilty as Braden. Cat had never considered herself a coward, but apparently she was.
“We should return to the party before we’re missed, Braden.”
Braden shifted then stood and lifted her up into his arms, before gently setting her on the ground. Cat tried to straighten her costume when she noticed the strange fog that was drifting along the ground. The eerie mist covered the crushed shell path and she caught herself glancing uneasily behind her. A full moon—the second that month—chose that moment to shine through the clouds, illuminating the garden with its ghostly light.
“Lass, is everything all right?” Braden pulled her close. “I know we still have a lot to work through, but don’t let that get in the way of what we just shared.”
“Huh?” Cat gave him her attention. “No, it’s not that. Don’t you feel like there’s something creepy out here?”
“What is creepy?”
“Strange, eerie, or unnatural.” Cat shivered.
“Nae, lass. Let’s get you back inside. There is a chill in the air and I don’t want you to fall ill.”
Without argument they made their way back to the plantation house. What she saw next was the very last thing she wanted to deal with right then. Suddenly, the unsettling feelings of moments earlier seemed amplified. Something wicked was afoot.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Braden and Cat entered the ballroom to find many of the partygoers had already left for the evening. Stephen and his girlfriend, Grace, Meagan and Alec and Remy and his latest fling named Tiffany, were all that remained.
“Oh, look, Braden and Cat have returned. Come on, Stephen, pull it out,” Grace said with a smile.
“Okay, okay. Come on, everyone, let’s go to the study. We’ll be more comfortable there.” Stephen led the way.
“What’s going on, lass?” Braden whispered as they followed the others.
Cat nibbled on her lower lip. “I’m not sure. I have a feeling they are going to pull out the old Ouija board.”
“What is that?” Alec asked as he leaned over.
“It’s a board that allows you to communicate with the other side,” Meagan said.
Normally Cat didn’t have any qualms about doing this. It was something they’d done for years. She and her friends had queried the board, seeking the names of their future husbands and posing questions like whether they’d be rich or poor. But tonight she didn’t embrace the idea. The fog had crept up from the river to the house, adding to her uneasiness. “It’s kind of a tradition.”
The group entered the study and Stephen presented the old board with a flourish. “It’s the same one we used as kids.” Like that was supposed to bring comfort?
Cat shivered, feeling the damp coldness of the night invading her bones, yet only an hour earlier the evening had been warm and peaceful.
After the board was placed on the low coffee table, everyone sat close enough to be able to have a good line of sight.
“Okay, who’s going to speak to the other side?” Stephen asked with a singsong voice.
“I think me, Alec, Braden and Cat should go first,” Meagan said as she made room for everyone.
Cat resisted the urge to kick her friend. This was so not a good idea and she didn’t want anything marring the evening. Her experiences in the past few weeks regarding the supernatural had left her with a healthy respect for things she didn’t totally understand. Still she found herself resting her fingers on the planchette along with Meagan and the two men. Peer pressure in her thirties. Ridiculous.
“Hello, Ouija board, is there a spirit here who would like to talk to us?”
The planchette moved toward the word yes.
“What the hell?” Alec pulled back and looked at Meagan. “What magic is this you wield?”
Stephen and Remy laughed. “Haven’t you ever used one of these before? Don’t they have them in Ireland?”
“We’re from Scotland and I’m not familiar with this game.” Alec frowned. “Speaking with spirits should never be used as a form of entertainment.”
“Put your fingers back on the planchette, Alec. It will be okay.” Meagan kissed him on the cheek. “I promise.”
Cat could see the reluctance in both Braden’s and Alec’s eyes. She knew her gaze mirrored the same uncertainty. Yet, like a lemming she followed the pack.
Once everyone was ready, Meagan asked, “Spirit, do you have a message?”
The planchette moved back to the word yes.
“What is your message?”
Slowly two words were spelled out. M-O-R-G-A-N-A “Morgana. Who’s that?” Meagan looked around the table. “Does anyone know that name?”
“Aye,” Braden ground out.
Cat watched as both men exchanged a strange look. Was she missing something?
“Wait, the spirit is not done talking.” Stephen pointed to the board.
The second word was spelled out. K-N-O-W-S.
“I wonder what she knows,” Remy said.
D-A-N-G-E-R was the last word spelled out before Cat stood. “You know we’ve got to go. I’m tir
ed and I have to get up early in the morning.”
Alec and Braden were both pale in the dim light of the study. And Cat had an overwhelming sense that they were being watched. “Are you all ready to go?
“Yeah.” Meagan stood. “I have to open the shop tomorrow.”
They said their goodbyes. What had started out as a fun evening now left a pall over the three of them. Cat prayed nothing would come of this foolishness.
* * *
Braden was sure ice water had replaced the blood in his veins. A brief look over his shoulder proved that Alec was experiencing the same thing, judging from the look of horror in his eyes.
“Okay, what’s going on?” Meagan asked once they pulled away from the plantation. “Why did you all freak? And, while I’m demanding answers, who the hell is Morgana and where did you guys come from?”
Cat glanced at Braden but he was looking at Alec, who was staring at Meagan. Cat pulled the SUV over and killed the engine. “The guys are from Scotland, Meagan.”
Meagan snorted. “And?”
“Go on, tell her, Alec,” Braden said.
Silence stretched for a heartbeat. Cat knew the story her friend was about to hear would be more than a little hard for her to swallow.
“There’s not much to tell, lass. Braden and I were cursed to live a loveless existence back in the year of Our Lord 1295. Braden made the mistake of asking a woman that was in love with him to help him bring home another. Anyhow, the only way this curse can be broken is by his soul mate. That person is Catrìona and she was the person that saved us from our misty realm. She traveled to Scotland, botched the release ceremony and brought us here to this time. Morgana is the evil bitch that cursed us. I think that covers all your questions.”
Braden smacked a hand to his forehead. “For the love of . . . nice lead-in, you git.”
“Hey, she asked questions and I answered them.”
“You could have done it a little more gently. Think of the lass’s sensibilities.”
“Ha, that’s rich coming from someone who always growls when things don’t go his way.”
His Heart's Desire Page 18