“This is such an enchanting place.”
The woman before him was far more enchanting. Aye, he could barely take his gaze from her, and bringing her here to this sacred place filled him with such a sense of rightness. No one else did he wish to be with right now, other than her. He set the basket on the golden-white sand beside the wall, returned to her and held out his hands. “Jump, Layla. I’ll catch you.”
“Nay, I can manage the distance on my own. Never forget my skill, Tor.” She brushed a stringy cobweb aside and leapt from the edge and gently glided down and landed with a soft swish on the sand before him.
Slippers kicked off and her shawl tossed near the wall, she twirled around, her arms outstretched and her deep red skirts flaring, her abundance of glorious spiral tresses whispering through the air, a wavy, golden ripple that completely enticed him, just as the rest of her did, both inside and out. He caught her around the waist, ran his hands over the velvet of her gown and caressed her hips, although not for long. She snuck out of his hold, dashed toward the gently lapping water and skirts bunched in her hands, tickled her toes in it. “’Tis terrible that this is the first time I’ve ever been here.”
“This cavern is well protected from both sight and the elements.” He removed his sword belt, propped it against the rock wall and divested himself of his wrist dagger and boots. His need to touch her again raged through him. Hell, the signs that he’d finally found his chosen one were adding up, one after the other, and in an insurmountable mountain. “Are you coming in for a swim?”
“I have naught to swim in, other than my shift underneath.” She walked out of the water and stopped in front of him.
“You keep your shift on and I’ll keep my pants on.” He pulled his shirt from his leather pants, hauled the white linen over his head and tossed it on top of his weapons.
“Do you swim with the lasses often?” She swayed closer, her gaze on his chest and her warm breath fluttering over his skin.
“You shall be the first, unless you count my mother and the odd cousin.” He picked up the laces at the front of her bodice and tugged the bow free, all while wishing he could tug all her clothes from her, to be able to touch her skin without any barrier, to rub his body against hers. Damn, he had it bad. “Where’s your favorite swimming spot?”
“I dinnae have a favorite, although following this swim, it might very well be here.” She took the loosened ties from him, shrugged her arms out of the long draping sleeves and wriggled the velvet down and past her hips until it fell into a pool of shimmery red at her feet.
He crouched, picked it up after she stepped clear of it, folded the velvet and set it next to the rest of their belongings against the wall.
“Thank you.” She waded into the water, went deeper, until her shift swished about her legs then she dove and disappeared underneath the surface. Water rippled across the glassy top as she swam through the darker depths below.
His chest tightened and his fingers itched. He didn’t care to have her moving so far from him, wanted only to grab ahold of her and return her to his side. He prowled the sandy edge of the pool, welcoming the fierce emotions that arose. Aye, Layla was his mate, his bear too demanding it was so. She was the one he’d been searching for all this time and eluding him as well. He wouldn’t allow her to elude him any longer.
In a spray of water, she shot to the surface, waved out to him. “Are you coming in?”
“I’ll be right there.” He had to try and curtail some of this desperate need for her, otherwise he’d frighten her with how strong his desire for her pulsed within him. He bounded in, dove and kicked under the water and emerged before her, grasped her around the waist and treaded water for the both of them. “I want no secrets between us. Do you understand that?”
“I’m not keeping any secrets from you, that I’m aware of.”
“Then tell me how you feel right now.”
“Wet.” An impish smile lifted her lips.
“Do you love Donnan?” He gave her hips a squeeze, hoped like hell she harbored not one single feeling for the man.
“Donnan and I have spent time together whenever he’s visited, and he seems considerate, but I’m also well aware he’s a hardened warrior, blood-thirsty and very determined. He wouldnae be the son of a great chief otherwise. The chiefs of clan MacDonald hold the title of Lords of the Isles, and they do so for a reason. They are a force to be reckoned with, which includes Donnan.”
“What happens if I asked you not to see him again?”
“I would say you had no right to request such a thing.”
“I also wish to ask for a kiss.”
“Nay, Tor. We arena mated and you must cease thinking so.” She pushed him away, dove under the water and kicked toward the overhanging ledge at the side of the pool. She emerged, clambered up onto the slick black rock, water sluicing to her feet as they dangled in the water.
“Let me make one thing absolutely clear, Layla.” He couldn’t allow her to harbor any other notion than that which was the truth. “We are mated and there is nothing you can say which will change that fact.”
Through the vent high above, the sun dipped below the horizon and a heavenly glow of golden-red speared through the darkening sky. The moon rose and shimmered, the stars, one by one, glowing and twinkling all around it.
His claws sliced out from his fingers, his bear fairly demanding his release. He’d never shifted in front of her before, always done so in the depths of the forest when he was well and truly alone, but no more. Gently, he gripped her wet knees through her shift. “I need to make the Change and it can’t wait any longer. My bear wishes to meet you.”
“You intend to shift now?”
“Aye, and since I detest shredding my clothes, the pants have to go. Close your eyes if you need to.”
“This is completely inappropriate.”
“If we weren’t mated, I’d agree.”
“How many times must I tell you we arena soul bound?”
“You can tell me as often as you’d like, but deep inside my heart I know the truth, and very soon, so will you.”
She huffed again, shoved her wet hair from her face and glared at him. “You are completely impossible.”
“Aye, but now I’m your impossible. Are you ready?”
“If you truly must shift then do so, just make sure your bear does no’ bite me.”
“My bear could never hurt you, but I will be biting you at some point in time, and likely the first opportunity you allow it.” He backed up a step, unlaced the ties at his waist and shoved his pants off under the water then lobbed them through the air toward his discarded clothes on the sand. The leather hit the beach with a wet thump and he turned back to the only woman he would ever desire, the one and only woman who held the other half of his soul.
It was time. For both of them to accept their destiny, one he couldn’t wait to embrace. She was his mate and now no longer could she hide from him. He’d found her, and he wasn’t letting her go, not to Donnan MacDonald or any other man.
* * * *
Layla should never have allowed Tor to take her from the meadow. Now, she was trapped here in this remote cavern with a determined man and his resolute bear so very close to the surface. She couldn’t be his mate, no matter his desire for her was clear to see and apparently continuing to deepen. “Wait right there, Tor.”
She needed to keep some space between them.
“My bear will want your touch.”
“I mean it.” She did, only as the moon blazed brighter, a heavy orb of golden-yellow, her very soul ached at the thought of keeping him at bay.
“There will be no marriage between you and Donnan MacDonald.” Tor surged forward, grasped her dangling legs. “This is our night, and the sooner you acknowledge it, the better.” Challenge lit his gaze and his luscious lips lifted, not that she should have noticed his lips. Except she always had, wished only to lean forward and lick them.
“What are you doing to me?” H
e had her thoughts in total disarray.
“It’s our bond taking form, your soul calling to mine and mine to yours.” He rubbed upward, over her knees, his thumbs swirling in a slow circle along the inside of each leg and his golden eyes heating to a smoldering hue. “When one shifts, it causes quite a lightning bright display. Close your eyes or turn away if you need to, but be warned, my other half might get a little possessive over you. He knows you’re ours and that you’re fighting to keep your distance from us. He’s also far more insistent and forceful than I am.”
“I can handle your bear. I’m rather insistent and forceful myself. Shift. Show me your other half.”
“Of course, and by the way”—he winked at her—“demanding I show you my other half is a very mate thing to demand.” He stepped back and shifted, bright lights bursting a myriad of sparks before one very large bear with silky black fur reared up onto its hind legs in the water and roared. He came back down, his paws slapping against the stone ledge either side of her, his teeth sharp and snapping together.
“Calm down.” She wriggled back, her back coming up hard against the slick stone wall and her heartbeat racing. Nowhere else could she move to get away from him.
His bear whined as if he’d not meant to scare her then he slowly closed his eyes, nudged her belly with his muzzle and plopped his head into her lap, made a soft whimpering sound that touched her very heart and pulled it closer toward him.
“Well, that is much better. Thank you.” She couldn’t help but lay her hands on his head, pat between his ears, his fur, so silky soft to the touch, tickling her fingers. Gently, she stroked down his neck and under his chin, and a sensuously hungry purr rumbled from deep within his chest. The sound caused a wicked heat to surge through her, not one she wished for but one that came all the same. ’Twas also the kind of heat she’d never experienced before. It settled between her inner thighs and made her gasp.
Tor sniffed and rumbled deeper.
“Ignore that,” she whispered.
He licked her wet shift bunched in her lap then rubbed his cheek across her belly.
“I mean it. Ignore that.” She tried to push his head away but only sank her hands deeper into his silky pelt. Touching him so freely felt so good, like she’d been given a gift she never wished to relinquish.
Rising higher, he sniffed up her torso and around her breasts before sticking his wet nose against her neck. His tongue lolled out, swiped across her chin and ear, then face to face, his golden eyes blazed in the moonlight.
“I wish you could talk to me, tell me what you’re thinking.” She patted down his back and along his sides. The need to keep stroking him comforted her and quite clearly him as well since he arched into her touch and wished only for more of it. Digging her nails in deeper, she gave him the more he seemed to want, scratched harder and when she did, one long rumble vibrated from deep within his chest, his pleasure in her touch clear to see.
Eyes closed, he flopped his head down into her lap again and her need to ensure he always remained so content rose to a fierce level within her. She bent and cuddled into him. There was naught more stunning to see than his bear and as the full moon blazed overhead, her heart and soul lifted. She craved more of this, only—oh dear, what was she thinking? She’d already given her word to wed another man. How could she turn around and go against that vow? And what of her clan if she did?
“We are in a terrible predicament, Tor.” A softly murmured decree in his ear. “How do we move forward from this moment when duty demands I honor my betrothal agreement with Donnan?”
He growled and bright lights blazed as he made the Change then looming over her, his damp locks falling forward rakishly over his brow, he eyed her. “We move forward with care and consideration, never forgetting that it is the two of us who are soul bound. There can be only one, for both of us.”
“That is easy for you to say but an entirely different situation to deal with. The betrothal agreement between Donnan and I is almost as binding as the marriage vows themselves are. There is a signed contract.”
“I wish to have an agreement between us that takes precedence over that one, with a vow I will give to you right now.” He caught one of her hands, lifted it to his cheek and rubbed against her palm, his gaze filled with need and desire. “Layla, from this day forth, whatever path you tread will be the same that I do. You have my full protection, that of my body, my clan, my family, and all that I am. I give myself to you freely. You’re my mate and no other’s. I ask that you accept me, for I will always be here, fighting for you.”
“You’re all I could ever desire in a mate, but...” Tears misted her gaze and trickled free. “I’m not free to speak any vow to you in return.”
“Don’t cry.” He shook his head, pain and sorrow flaring across his face. “Please, whatever you do, don’t cry.”
“You’re a warrior, and warriors live such short lives when they willingly lay down their life for their clan. One day you will go off to war and I’ll be left to await your return, or to await the return of your body should you perish in a battle.”
“I will always return home to you. That is something you should never fear.” He scooped her off the boulder and heaved around the edge of the pool through the water toward the beach.
“You cannae make that kind of promise when—wait. You arena wearing a stitch of clothing.” She shoved her eyes closed as he carried her out of the pool and set her on her feet on the sand. She swayed as he left her, patted the air as she tried to find him. “Are you dressing?”
“I don’t wish to, but aye, I am.” A rustle sounded then he caught her around the waist and touched his lips to her ear. “I have my shirt on and it reaches me mid-thigh. Open your eyes, but just know if you do, I will kiss you.”
“Pardon?”
“You heard me.” Whisper soft words that made her blood heat with a heady rush. “If you open your eyes, Layla, then I’ll kiss you. I need this, to feel your lips on mine.” His arms tightened around her back as he tipped her farther backward and off her feet, his warm mouth trailing along her cheek to the corner of her lips.
“I have no’ opened my eyes.”
“I know, but the question is, do you want to? Or better yet, will you?” He licked along her lower lip and she gasped at the sweetly sensual touch. More heat and her body argued fervently against what was in her head. She wanted to wrap herself around him and never let go.
“If I give you an inch, you’ll clearly take a mile. That is easy to see.”
“Aye, it appears you already know me quite well.” He sucked her lower lip into his mouth and she cried out at the exquisiteness of it.
“Give me mercy,” she whispered raggedly and dug her hands into his hair. She held on as if her very life depended on it. “Please, you must halt and release me.”
“Open your eyes.” His breath fluttered warmly over her wet lower lip. “I want you to see me, who I am, and how much I desire you.”
Chapter 2
Layla already knew who Tor was and how much he desired her, but as yet, she couldn’t return his affections, not when she’d promised herself to another. She opened her eyes, snuck her hands between them, allowed her ‘power of thought’ to rise and pushed him back with her skill before he could claim a kiss then ducked out of his arms and backed up. “Two can play at your game, Tor Matheson.”
“Escaping me now will be impossible.” Prowling in a circle around her, he snorted under his breath. “I wouldn’t even try it if I were you.”
“I never said I wanted to escape you, just for you to give me some mercy. Some time too would be rather helpful. I need to consider all that has happened and what I must now do going forward.” She turned around as she followed his very predatory move, each of his circles drawing inward and bringing him closer to her. Her mate was well over six feet in height, all sleek, hard muscle, his white tunic gaping at the V neckline and his hem dangling mid-thigh and displaying his long, muscled legs. His wide shoulders a
nd gorgeous shifter eyes half-lowered in an incredibly sensual way, took her breath away. He was beautiful, his bristles shadowing his firm jaw with black stubble and his lips well-defined. She wanted to kiss him, just as much as she didn’t want to kiss him. Drat these conflicting emotions.
“Tell me what’s going on in your mind.” He continued to circle her.
“While I’m betrothed to another, naught can happen between us. I willnae be disloyal to the man I’ve agreed to wed.”
“I applaud your loyalty, only you’re giving it to the wrong man. Yours is a betrothal that needs to end, my challenging mate, and soon. I certainly won’t walk away from you simply because you’re not willing to take a risk and accept the mated bond.”
“This has all happened so suddenly, and I have Donnan to consider, as well as you, and my entire clan.”
“You will decline the betrothal agreement with Donnan MacDonald, because I’ll never sit idly by knowing you’re about to wed another man.”
“I’m supposed to speak vows with Donnan afore the week’s end.” Stupid full moon. How she wished she could go back into hiding from him so she needn’t be forced to bring such dishonor to her clan by breaking her oath. “You’re asking me to choose you and forsake my duty.”
“What of your duty to me?” Hands on his hips, he halted and eyed her.
“I didnae have a duty to you until that silly moon rose this night.” Huffing, she brushed past him and paced the beach.
“That I can agree with, but now you do.” He caught her hand as she made her next pass and brought her fingers to his lips, nibbled on the tips.
“It willnae be easy for me to break the betrothal, Tor.”
“I’ll make it easier by speaking to Donnan on your behalf.” He leaned in, his nose a mere inch from hers and his wet hair curling damply around his shoulders. “Don’t cast me aside.”
Highlander's Heart (Clan Matheson Book 2) Page 4