“I understand.”
Morgana then lit the five candles she’d brought up. Constance stood beside her sister and they linked hands and began to chant in Latin. At first Cat didn’t feel anything except the burning of her nostrils from the incense. But soon still gave away to a breeze and a breeze turned to a mini-cyclone, whipping her hair around her face. A roaring took the place of the calming chant and Cat was assailed by dizziness. She fought to stay upright but began to feel herself losing the battle. The last thing she felt was the sensation of falling; lights passed by in a dizzying circle, her stomach dropped like it did the last time she’d made the mistake of getting on that rollercoaster at the parish fair. Wind whistled past her head and fatigue pulled at her. She closed her eyes and prayed for a soft landing.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Cat awoke in the middle of white heather. The sweet, yet spicy scent of the blooms instantly soothed her. The sun hung high and shone brightly and the air was chilled but smelled clean. So very clean. Big white clouds scudded across a sky so blue she’d never seen the likes of it before. She rested there in her bed of heather, trying to make sense of where she was. Carefully she wiggled her fingers and toes, realizing that nothing had broken in her fall. Beside her was a worn satchel. She flipped the thing open and spied her treasures.
The ringing of metal against metal caused her to sit up. Her head spun in dizzying circles and she brought her hand to her head and pulled it back, seeing blood. Her blood. Never one to be able to deal with blood and guts, the gentle spinning of her head caused nausea to burn like acid in her throat. What the hell happened to her?
She must have passed out again because the next time she woke it was to find herself cradled in strong arms. Heat from the man’s body radiated through her, chasing the chill from her sore muscles. She felt as if she’d done some serious Pilates after climbing a huge mountain. There wasn’t one muscle group that didn’t ache. She made a mental note to start hitting the gym.
“I think she’s coming around, Braden.”
That voice. She knew that voice. She forced her eyes open and squinted against the bright sunlight. Turning her head, she gazed into the dark brown eyes she’d loved. “Braden?”
“Aye, lass.”
Tears welled in her eyes and burned her throat. The spell had worked. She’d traveled back in time. She sat up with help and threw her arms around Braden the moment she was upright. He crushed her to his chest and she welcomed the tight hold. Nothing had ever felt so good, so right. “You’re alive,” she whispered, as tears slipped down her cheeks.
Braden pulled back and cupped her face. “What did you do, lass? How did you survive the killing blow?” He gently touched the painful knot on her forehead.
Cat didn’t know how to answer this question. Did Braden remember their past? Did he remember coming to the future? She had to tread carefully because she didn’t want to be accused of witchcraft. All her good intentions to broach this carefully slipped away like fog under the burning sun. Unbidden, her words slipped from her parted lips. “You remember coming to my time, right? You remember being trapped in the fade and using a painting as a portal to me?”
He bent and kissed her mouth. She tasted whiskey and something else smoky and sensual. He tasted like her Braden. He gently rested his forehead against hers. “Aye, mo chridh, I remember it all. And the painful separation.”
Cat nodded. “After you disappeared with Alec and Meagan, I grieved. Lord above, how I mourned you. I could do nothing but cry. I’ve never hurt so bad in all my life. But at the same time I refused to believe I’d lost you. No one remembered you, the painting was gone and I didn’t have a picture of you. Summer didn’t know who Meagan was and I couldn’t believe you’d all vanished without a trace. I even went so far as to return to Scotland and tried to find a way to get you back. Elspeth didn’t remember you and the castle wasn’t open to visitors anymore. But I met your family.” She smiled. “Braden, Ciaran who was Alec, and Katherine who looked exactly like Meagan were there, but they weren’t you. Before I left, Braden gave me something.” She held up her hand. The ring glinted and sparkled in the sunlight.
“You have my ring?” Braden brought her hand to his mouth. “I love you, Catrìona. You’re my heart’s desire. No one but you.” He took tender possession of her mouth, claiming her as his own. She relished the feel of his lips against hers. This kiss was better than any they’d shared yet. This was a kiss of homecoming. Her heart had finally come home.
They broke apart and Braden placed a kiss on her sore head. “I want to get you home to Castle Ross before dark. Come.” He stood with her in his arms and made his way to his horse. Carefully he handed her to Alec, so he could mount the beast with ease. Once he was astride, Alec handed her up to him.
“Welcome home, lass. Meagan will be ecstatic to see you.”
“Thank you, Alec.”
Cat looked from him to the surrounding land. From this vantage point she had a good view of the clearing. A battle had been waged and bodies littered the field.
“Don’t look there, Catrìona.”
“But this is where you were ambushed; I died here the last time.”
“You didn’t die this time and that’s what’s important.” Braden hugged her close before wrapping her with his plaid.
“No, no, I didn’t.” She turned. “Is Meagan adjusting well?”
“Aye. She and Alec are married now.”
Cat’s heart was light. “Where is she?”
“At the keep, awaiting our return.”
Cat’s head was aching and she was tired. Deciding it would be best if she got a little sleep, she rested her head against Braden’s chest. His heartbeat lulled her to her sweet dreams.
Sounds of activity roused Cat from her little nap. Carefully lifting her head, she gazed about in wonder. Castle Ross stood majestically before them. The inner bailey was abuzz with commotion and cheers rent the air as their laird rode proudly to the center of his people.
“I have successfully brought you your mistress. Catrìona MacDougall will soon be my wife and you will honor her as I do. If she gives a command, you will obey as if I gave the command.”
Cat startled at his words. She never expected such a public declaration. Her gaze must have given her thoughts away because Braden leaned down and whispered softly, “’Tis the way things are done here in my time.”
She nodded in acceptance while she watched the people of Ross land cheer and celebrate. They seemed actually pleased that she’d arrived.
“Do they not care of my half-English blood?”
“Nae, lass. What matters to the people of Clan Ross is the goodness within a person’s heart.”
“So simple.”
“Aye, not everything in life is meant to be difficult.”
Braden slipped from the mount and held out his arms for her. She slid into them with ease and was surprised when he claimed her lips in a quick kiss in front of his clansmen.
Without ceremony, he made his way up to the immense oaken doors and made his way into the great hall. Two huge stone fireplaces sat at either end of the room, doing little to dispel the coolness of the air.
Everyone stopped speaking upon the return of the laird. Everyone, that is, except Meagan. She squealed and rushed over to his side.
“Cat! You’re here!” Meagan wrapped her arms around her friend. Cat did the same, so glad to see she was safe.
“What are you doing here, Meags?”
“Living, if you can believe it!” she laughed. “Oh, I’m so happy to see you here.”
Cat was equally thrilled to see her best friend. Somehow this made everything better.
There was so much Cat wanted to ask Meagan but a quick look over her shoulder proved that, although Braden was normally a patient man, she didn’t think he was going to let the two women play catch-up. And frankly, Cat was more interested in finishing her reunion with the man she had defied time to reach.
Braden took any decision s
he was about to make out of her hands. He swung her back up into his arms and Cat had just enough time to tell her friend she’d speak with her later.
Not stopping, he moved to a series of stairs she hadn’t seen before. Each time she’d been in the castle before, eight hundred years had passed. Things changed over time.
Braden carried her down a long corridor lit with torches then entered an expansive room. Cat inhaled deeply and his scent was everywhere. This was his personal space.
“You must be tired and I want you well rested for the upcoming night. I went without having you in my arms for too long to let another night pass without holding you close.”
Cat shivered at the promise in his voice. “I guess this is the ending of our journeys.”
Braden smiled. “Didn’t you know that an ending is a new beginning wearing a disguise?” He kissed her.
When she came up for air, she smiled. “No, I wasn’t aware of that. Thank you for clarifying for me.” She smiled and traced a finger down his dear face.
A knock at the door caused Braden to turn and call, “Enter.”
“Pardon me, my laird, but will you be requiring anything right now?”
Braden gave Cat a searching look before he smiled. “Aye, have the bathing tub I designed brought up and have it filled. My lass requires a bath.”
The very thought of a warm soak excited her a great deal. She could only imagine how nice it would feel against her bruised and battered body. “How did you know I’d desire a soak?”
“I know you, Catrìona. Heart, mind, body and soul.”
His words offered comfort. Even though she’d traveled a great deal to be with him, a small part of her had worried that his personality might have changed or that their circumstances would have a great affect on their relationship.
Three men struggled under the weight of what looked like a claw-footed tub. Her gasp of surprise caused Braden to look at her. “Are you all right, lass?”
She nodded but couldn’t say anything. Already this time period would be easier to deal with since she had her bathtub. “How . . . how did you do this and why?”
Braden leaned over and spoke in a hushed voice so as not to be overheard by his clansmen. “I enjoyed this particular item in your time; I wanted one for myself. It took months to craft but was well worth the time and effort.”
Soon maids were carting up steaming buckets of water, filling the tub with delicious heat.
When the last bucket was poured, the maid turned. “Do you require anything else, laird?”
“Nae. See that we aren’t disturbed.”
The door closed quietly behind her and Braden turned with fire burning in his expressive dark brown eyes. “Your soak awaits you, my love.”
Cat stood and divested herself of her period clothes. She couldn’t come up with the name for the long dress she wore and she fingered the fabric, surprised by how finely woven the item was. With a mental shrug she put the dress down on the bed and raised her head.
Braden stood beside the tub and the look he was giving her set her blood boiling. The carnal promise in his eyes took her breath away. For the first time she studied him in return, noting the bare expanse of chest, chiseled and manly, and it made her mouth water. He was without a doubt the sexiest man she’d ever seen, and he was hers.
She held his gaze as she walked over to him, nude and exposed, enjoying the almost feral look in his eyes. When she was close enough to feel the heat of his body touching her skin, she trailed a finger down his chest. A light sheen of sweat covered his skin. Braden’s muscles twitched under her caress and, emboldened by his response, she leaned over and kissed him right above his heart. His sweat and personal scent mingled into a potent aphrodisiac and she had to hold herself back from wrapping her body around his. Instead, she pulled back and stepped into the beckoning water.
Slipping beneath the silky water, she sighed in appreciation and rested her head against the back of the tub.
“You’re so beautiful.” Braden knelt beside the tub and when she opened her eyes, she knew her bath was not going to be like she had thought it would. Suddenly it was going to be better. So much better.
* * *
Braden couldn’t keep himself from touching her and he leaned over the side of the tub and claimed her mouth with a burning hunger. His tongue traced the fullness of her bottom lip before he explored the sweet recesses of her mouth.
He felt as though she gave herself over to the kiss. It was explosive and she wanted to be closer to him. She raised her arms up and put them around his neck, pulling him closer.
Braden’s lips demanded no quarter and he wanted to have them as close to her as he possibly could. He didn’t want anything coming between them, even if it was a bathtub. Without a second thought, he scooped her out of the tub and pulled her up against his chest. He then turned and headed toward his bed. When they reached the raised dais, he placed her in the center of the bed and pulled back long enough to shed his wet plaid. He then crawled up alongside her and pulled her back into his arms. His mouth took control of hers again, devouring her. He nibbled, sipped, and ate at her mouth.
Cat reveled in Braden’s passion. He seared her and left her burning for more. She was more aroused at that moment then she had ever been. She felt his rock hard erection against her stomach and squirmed against him, trying to ease the ache that was building at her center.
“Mo chridh . . . slow down,” Braden groaned, before he reclaimed her lips in another soul-stealing kiss, his hips flexing with the same movement as his tongue.
Cat didn’t want to wait another minute. Slow was not how she wanted it right at that moment. She spread her legs and gently cradled Braden against her femininity. She needed, wanted him deep inside her. She gripped his buttocks and undulated underneath him, then pulled him home.
They both moaned at the sensations that speared through them at Braden’s penetration. They rocked against each other, both enjoying the feeling of being as close to each other as possible.
Braden worked a hand underneath her and lifted her up a little higher so he could penetrate just a little deeper. Together they found the tempo that both their bodies craved. They both gave and took in equal measure.
Cat’s breathy little sighs mixed with Braden’s deep groans. They were fused from mouth to hip, neither letting go even when they both began to feel the other’s orgasm take over.
Braden continued to thrust against her, dragging his erection across her clitoris, and at the same time he fed on her mouth, pushing both of them higher and higher. Before they knew it, they were both reaching for the stars again.
Cat savored the weight of Braden pushing her into the mattress. She was not yet ready to relinquish their connection, but Braden had other plans as he rolled to his side cradling her against him. Although he was no longer inside her, they were still touching and intimate, but in a different way.
“I love you, Catrìona. More than I’ve ever loved another person in my life. When I heard that the Ripper had you, my heart stopped beating.” Braden cleared his throat and continued in a hoarse voice. “I can’t lose you.”
Cat rolled over so she was facing him. She propped herself up on her elbow and then brushed his hair back off his face. “You haven’t lost me, Braden. I’m here with you now and forever.” She knew the words sounded corny but she meant every single one of them.
Braden grabbed her hand and placed a kiss in the middle of her palm and then held that palm against his heart. “This is not the way I planned this but . . . will you marry me, Cat? Will you let me be your knight in shining armor, or if that’s not what you need, I’ll be your dashing pirate. Just please let me be your husband.”
Cat blinked back her tears. That was the most romantic proposal she had ever heard, and it was hers. She leaned over and placed a butterfly soft kiss against his lips and whispered, “Yes.” She then pulled back and smiled. “I love you, Braden. Always.”
Braden smiled and felt the knots in his
stomach unwind. He pulled Catrìona back against him and held her while she slept. He kissed the top of her head and smiled, then he pulled a cotton chemise over her body. He didn’t want her catching a chill and he knew he’d have to leave and address his men before the night was over. Braden would get his wish, to love Catrìona as her husband. With that last thought, Braden fell asleep holding the love of his life.
* * *
Cat slowly awakened to find Braden gazing at her with smoldering intent. The very air around them was electrified with the mutual desire they both felt. It was a tangible entity. Very slowly she rubbed her leg against his. She felt the coarse hair of his leg abrade the silky softness of her own. With gentle intent she caressed his chest and then down lower across his tight stomach. Slowly she circled his navel and then dropped her hand down even lower to slowly caress his growing erection.
Before Braden realized her intent, she lowered her mouth and followed the same tantalizing path that her hand had just followed. She placed nibbling kisses along his stomach and she slowly dragged her tongue from his navel down to his straining erection.
Braden arched his neck and fisted his hands into the sheets. It was sheer torture, the feel of her mouth on him. She was so giving. He didn’t think she would go any further and half-hoped she wouldn’t. He didn’t think he would be able to hold himself back if she took him into her mouth.
Cat was enjoying Braden very much. His response to her was everything she wanted and more. She wanted him to lose his control. She wanted him to feel as she did when he made love to her. Cat marveled at the feel of his velvet and steel erection. It was so hard but at the same time so silky soft. She wondered what he would taste like, and so, with just the tip of her tongue, she gently lapped at the head of his penis. She was surprised yet pleased at the salty, musky taste of him. This was Braden.
Braden released a low groan. “God, please . . . take me all into your mouth, darlin’. Please.”
Cat looked up the naked length of him and met his eyes. They were filled with tenderness and an equal amount of lust. He was so handsome at that very moment with his hair lying out on the pillow, eyes so dark and completely at her mercy; he took her breath away. Without losing eye contact, she engulfed him in the warm, wet cavern of her mouth. Slowly she tasted him, enjoying his response.
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