by Donna Grant
It was the only way to survive.
Why then did it feel as if she were doing the wrong thing? Why did it feel as if her place was to remain right where she was?
Innes was so conflicted. She wanted to help save her clan, but she also wanted Daman. The way he looked at her, it was as if he knew her. Which was silly, since they’d just met. She had been visiting him every day for years, but he didn’t know that.
Did he?
Innes finished the washing and dried her hands. She walked from the kitchen as Daman was coming out of the solar, his head swiveling as if he were looking for something.
As soon as he spotted her, he walked to her and took her hand. Excitement coursed through her when he laced his fingers with hers. She lifted her skirts with her free hand and followed him up the stairs all the way to the battlements. She sucked in a breath when the cold air hit her.
Daman turned to face her as he pulled her against him. His heat enveloped her, wrapping them in a cocoon of warmth. He gently touched her face with first one hand, then the other. One hand slid into her hair and around to the back of her head. His gaze was intense, the desire palpable.
There were no words needed between them. The passion was too great, the need too forceful.
She rested her hands on his chest and wished that there were no clothes between them. She ached to be pressed skin against skin. Everything she thought, everything she was centered upon Daman.
His eyes lowered to her mouth a heartbeat before he kissed her.
Innes wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into him. It wasn’t a soft, learning kiss like the one from before. This one was full of fire and heat and longing. And her body responded instantly.
He deepened the kiss before she could right herself, sending desire pooling in her belly. Before Innes knew it, she was pressed against the battlement wall by Daman’s hard body.
She ran her hands over him, touching every part that she could. There wasn’t a part of him that was soft. Just steely muscle beneath her palms.
Her head dropped back as he kissed down her throat. Innes didn’t know such passion existed, but now that she did, there was no way she could marry another.
Cool air hit her legs a moment before Daman’s large hand hooked beneath her knee and yanked her leg up. Innes gasped at the feel of his hard arousal pressed against her.
In the next instant, she was holding air. She grasped the battlement and lifted her head to search for Daman. He was standing against the back battlement wall, his face contorted with regret and need.
Innes knew she couldn’t go to her groom anything but an innocent, but it wasn’t him she was thinking about. It was Daman and how she felt in his arms. Nothing mattered but this moment.
She held out her hand to him, but Daman gave a rough shake of his head and drew in a shaky breath.
“I don’t care what Alistair has planned,” she said. “I don’t want this to stop.”
Daman’s blue eyes flared with desire. He slowly looked her up and down, his intent clear. If he kissed her again, there wouldn’t be any stopping him.
Innes crossed the distance until she stood in front of him. “I don’t want you to stop. Ever.”
He cupped her face and stared at her as if his world had just been ripped to pieces.
“I’ve waited years to have you open your eyes and see me,” she said. “I’ve tasted your kisses, felt your desire. Don’t take that away.”
He jerked his head behind him, indicating the castle and clan.
Innes licked her lips and shrugged. “Everything I have ever done has been for the clan. I’m not thinking of anyone or anything other than me and you right now.”
Daman looked as if he wanted to argue the point more. Then, he released a deep breath as his frown disappeared. He gave a nod. Once more, he slipped his hand in hers. Together, they faced the battlement door and walked back into the castle to his chamber.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Innes was once more yanked against him in a fierce kiss that took her breath away.
CHAPTER SIX
Daman was shaken, staggered.
Stunned.
With every kiss, every touch, Innes sank deeper into his soul. He knew he shouldn’t be with her since she was promised to another, but he couldn’t walk away. He had to hold her, just as he had to take his next breath.
She had become the center of his world.
He didn’t wonder why or worry. He simply accepted the fact.
Innes grounded him in a way he couldn’t understand. Even the knowledge that he had been asleep for two hundred years wasn’t enough to send him away. Because without her, without her soft voice and beautiful, dark eyes, he knew he would go mad.
She was the only one who spoke to him while he was in the cave.
She was the only one who touched him as he lay sleeping.
She was the only one who penetrated the darkness, giving him...hope.
She was the one who awakened him.
Daman ended the kiss and leaned back to look at her. He wished he could tell her how she gave him a reason to live. He wanted to tell her that her beauty left him breathless.
More than that, he desperately wanted to tell her that she healed the raw, aching wounds deep inside him with only a smile.
He didn’t know what plagued him, what made him think he had something to look for. Only that he instinctively knew that he did. It ate at him constantly. But Innes eased his soul, soothed his heart.
She didn’t make him forget what gnawed at him. Instead, she made him believe that he would eventually do all that was needed of him.
“No one has ever looked at me like that,” Innes whispered. “You make me want to blush and believe I can fly all at the same time.”
He could make her feel like that just by looking at her? Daman had never experienced anything like it before. If only he could speak. Then he would tell her of all the feelings inside him. The biggest one? Hope.
Daman didn’t know why that one stood out. Was hope absent before? As soon as he began to search his mind for memories, the headache returned.
Innes immediately frowned and smoothed her hands over his face. “I don’t know what’s troubling you, but don’t think of it now.”
Nay, now wasn’t the time for it, not when he had Innes in his arms. Daman dropped his hands to her hips and began to gather her skirts. There was a shyness and innocence about her that made him feel protective – and strong.
He pulled her dress over her head, but before he could reach for her shift, she dropped to her knees and pulled off his boots one at a time. When the second one hit the floor, Daman pulled her up and backed her to the bed. He couldn’t help but grin when he saw the desire in her gaze.
He gently pushed her down so she sat on the bed, then it was his turn to take off her boots. After he’d removed them, he placed his hands on one slender ankle and slowly ran his hands up her calves to her thighs.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her lips parted. She braced her hands behind her on the bed, leaning back just enough. She had no idea how difficult it was to clamp down on his control and not cover her body with his right then.
Daman began to roll down her stocking. He hadn’t realized until that moment how sexy a stocking could be, but being able to caress her skin as he rolled them down made his cock ache with need. Her second leg was just as erotic. By the time he finished, they were both panting and needy.
Daman stood and unpinned his kilt. It fell to the floor at his feet. Innes sat up and slid her hands beneath his saffron shirt.
Innes sucked in a breath at the feel of his skin beneath her palms. It was great to touch but she wanted to see, as well. She shoved the shirt up. Daman jerked it off and tossed it aside, leaving her gaping at the specimen before her.
He was simply...glorious.
Every inch of him was honed with muscle. She took in the sight of his wide chest, the rippling sinew of his stomach, and his thick arms.
; Then she looked down at his arousal jutting out between them, thick and hard.
He placed his finger beneath her chin and lifted her gaze to his face. She stared into his blue eyes for several moments before he bent and kissed her.
In an instant, she was flat on her back, his delicious weight covering her. The world blurred and faded as she lost herself in the kiss – in Daman.
He rolled onto his back, taking her with him. She was so lost in the kiss that she didn’t realize he was taking off her shift until he briefly ended the kiss to pull the garment over her head.
His hands were everywhere, stroking, learning, caressing. It felt...right.
She was surprised when he pulled her knees up so that she straddled him. Then he sat her up. Innes gazed down at him, her hands braced on his chest.
Daman took in the sight of her, wondering if she knew just how stunning she was with her dark hair falling around her in disarray, her lips swollen, and desire in her gaze.
His cock jumped, his balls tightened.
His heart clenched.
How could he have such a woman in his arms and let her go on the morrow? He couldn’t. He knew it in his bones. Innes was his. If he had to fight a hundred armies, he would. Just to have her as his.
Daman cupped her breasts and ran his thumbs over her nipples. Her eyes slid closed as a sigh left her lips. He rolled her nipples between his fingers as her head dropped back, causing her long hair to brush his thighs and cock.
He teased her nipples mercilessly until soft cries left her lips. Her hips began to rock as she dug her nails into his chest. When Daman could take it no more, he sat up and latched his lips around one turgid peak.
Her hands grasped his head as she moaned low in her throat. Daman suckled first one breast and then the other as their bodies rocked against each other.
He could feel her arousal, and it drove him mad with need. In a blink, he flipped her onto her back and slid a hand between their bodies to the dark curls that hid her sex.
Daman gritted his teeth when he felt how wet she was. He gently slipped a finger inside her. Her legs parted as her hips rose up to meet his hand.
He removed his finger and began to slowly, lightly circle it around her clit. Daman inwardly smiled when he heard her breath catch and felt her body melt into the bed. Her chest heaved as her cries grew louder, her moans longer. He alternated between teasing the swollen nub and thrusting a finger inside her.
She was shaking, her body close to release. But he wasn’t finished with her yet.
Daman scooted down her body until he was nestled between her legs. Then he placed his lips on her.
She whispered his name, her hands fisting in the blanket. Daman watched her as he licked and laved her clit, ruthless in his desire to give her pleasure.
Never had he felt such need to sink into a woman, to claim her. He couldn’t wait to fill her and have her legs wrap around him.
The only thing that dulled the moment was the reminder that she wasn’t his. Alistair intended her for another. Daman briefly wondered if he should refrain from claiming her as he yearned to do and simply give her pleasure.
Then she climaxed and coherent thought left him.
Daman watched the ecstasy cross her face, felt her body shake with the force of the orgasm. He rose over her, his cock poised at her entrance.
Innes opened her eyes as the amazing bliss began to recede. Her body still pulsed. She blinked up at Daman, only belatedly realizing that he was no longer touching her.
His jaw was clenched, and there was a question in his eyes.
There was only one answer for her. Innes wrapped her hand around his arousal, amazed at how hard it felt, yet at the same time, the skin was as soft as velvet.
She brought him to her entrance. There was a moment where surprise flickered in his eyes, then he slowly entered her.
The feel of his thickness stretching her while he gradually thrust deeper and deeper inside was exquisite. Their gazes were locked as their bodies joined again and again until he met her maidenhead.
She clung to his shoulders, unsure of what came next, but ready all the same. He pulled out of her until just the tip of him remained, then he tugged her knees up and plunged inside her.
Innes gasped at the pain when he breached her innocence. She squeezed her eyes closed, surprised that he remained still until the worst of the pain was over.
She once more opened her eyes to find him watching her. He gently touched her face, as if asking if she were all right. It amazed her that Daman could be so powerful and strong, yet gentle at the same time.
A smile pulled at her lips as she nodded. The corners of his mouth tilted in a grin. Then he began to move again.
Innes was swarmed with pleasure. It consumed her, overwhelmed her, and she welcomed it because it was Daman who brought it out in her.
His hips began to move faster, driving him deeper, harder. She was swept along, her body eager for more. Sweat slickened their bodies as she wrapped her legs around him and locked her ankles.
She began to lift her hips to meet his thrusts. He might not be able to talk, but his face conveyed his pleasure better than words ever could.
All too soon, he grunted and pulled out of her. She held him tightly as his body jerked. It wasn’t until she felt something on her stomach that she realized he hadn’t spilled his seed inside her.
They remained there for a long time before Daman rose and found a cloth. He wet it with a pitcher of water and then returned to the bed, cleaning off his seed and then the blood of her innocence from between her legs.
Innes couldn’t remember the last time someone had taken care of her like Daman did. It just proved how different he was, and why she didn’t want anyone but him.
She watched as he cleaned himself. When he finished, he dropped the cloth, pulled back the blankets and raised a blond brow. He wanted her to stay. It made her heart want to leap from her chest with joy.
Innes got beneath the blanket and then found herself pulled back against his chest as he reclined against the headboard, his arms around her.
They sat in silence for long moments, but she hated that she couldn’t see his face to see what he was thinking. She held no regrets. She hoped he didn’t either.
Regardless of what was to come, this night was hers. She’d made the decision to be with Daman and have some joy when no other decision had been hers to make. No one and nothing could take that away from her.
Just as no one could take Daman from her.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Daman was wondering how in the world he would be able to watch Innes leave with David Sinclair? He wasn’t sure he could.
Nay. He knew he couldn’t.
He was prepared to fight Alistair and the Sinclairs for her. That’s how much she meant to him, even before he had marked her as his.
“I don’t regret this,” her sweet voice broke the silence. She turned to face him, her brow furrowed slightly. “I don’t want you to either.”
He shook his head as he smiled.
Innes chuckled as her shoulders drooped. “Good.”
Daman tugged at the ends of her hair, amazed at the thickness and how it felt like silk in his fingers.
“When you first saw me, you looked as though you knew me.”
He nodded and touched her lips.
“You heard me talking to you?” she asked in surprise, her dark eyes wide.
His smile grew as he gave another nod.
“Did you hear others before me?”
He’d only ever heard her. Daman shook his head, his smile dying.
“I knew when Mum showed me to the cave and I saw you that you would change my life,” Innes said. “I just didn’t realize how much.”
He laced their fingers together, grateful that he couldn’t talk because he had no words. She claimed that he had changed her life, when in fact it was the opposite. Innes had given his life back to him, and in the process, had given him something to fight for – her.<
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Daman placed her hand over his heart. He didn’t fully understand the feelings churning inside him, but he recognized that he hadn’t felt them for another woman. Regardless of the life he’d once had, he knew there hadn’t been a woman before Innes.
Nor would there be one after her.
She blinked rapidly and lowered her gaze. “For all eternity, you will be in my heart, Daman,” she whispered.
He pulled her back against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. Long after Innes had fallen asleep, Daman’s mind went over every scenario in which he was allowed to keep her. And every one of them ended in battle.
The hours ticked by steadily, as if fate were set against him. He watched the sky lighten through the slit in the shutters.
An hour before dawn, Daman looked down at Innes sleeping in his arms and felt his heart tighten in fear. He couldn’t lose her. Without her, he would be lost.
He touched her face, letting the pad of his finger skate down her cheek. She woke gradually and finally her eyes opened. Her smile was radiant when she looked at him.
Up until she saw the sky.
“You shouldn’t have let me sleep. I wanted more time with you,” she said, her voice laced with regret.
Daman stopped her when she started to rise. He had no way of asking her if she would consider remaining with him. He could only hold her, hoping she saw the need in his gaze, felt the longing in his embrace.
“I must get to my chamber before Alistair finds me gone,” she whispered and gave him a lingering kiss.
She was out of his arms in the next instant, her dress hastily thrown on as she gathered the rest of her things and reached for the door. She paused and looked over her shoulder at him.
Then she was gone.
Daman wanted to hit something, to scream his fury. If only he had friends he could seek out. It would be the first time he asked for help, but he was willing to do anything for Innes.
~ ~ ~
Innes stood in the bailey stroking her horse’s forehead when she heard the voices from within the castle. Alistair was bellowing, and suddenly, everyone was rushing about.