“Did ye not think ‘twas a real kiss last night then?” he murmured, desire clear in his eyes as they fell to her lips. Naturally, he was catching some of her thoughts.
“It was real,” she conceded. Her cheeks were so heated they must be beet red. How was she supposed to tell him she was looking for something a bit more intimate? Deeper?
Thankfully, before she had a chance to formulate a word, he took the matter out of her hands and kissed her. At first, it was the same sort of kiss as last night. Warm and affectionate, it incited a thrilling rush of excitement.
Then it became more.
He wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck beneath her hair, tilted his head and began dropping small kisses in such a way that she barely realized she was returning them. She became so immersed in the feel of those kisses that she welcomed the sudden flick of his tongue along the seam of her mouth.
Eager to taste more, she opened her lips to the sort of kiss she always imagined. The sort of intimate, deep kiss two people could share. Initially, his tongue only danced lightly with hers before their tongues swirled and the kiss took on a life of its own.
She groaned as pleasure began spreading through her. Tingling warmth trailed down her neck and over her chest and arms until it became a fiery blaze that went lower. Not just fire but an instant aching need that startled her so much, she pulled back. That’s when it occurred to her she could barely draw a breath.
“Are ye well, lass?” he murmured, his voice husky.
Just breathe, Jessie she kept telling herself as she offered a jerky nod.
“Everything yer feeling is normal, lass,” he said softly, his voice soothing as he gently caressed the back of her neck.
As he kept murmuring things along those lines, she started to bit by bit relax. Even so, the aching need continued. A need she saw reflected in his eyes as he inhaled sharply and his jaw tightened. Well aware that dragons could smell the scent of arousal, she thought for sure she would be mortified but wasn’t. Instead, she found it remarkably alluring. How his pupils flared, and fire sizzled in his eyes as he tried to fight it.
She was somewhat surprised by her utter lack of fear and brazen response as she didn’t pull away, but kissed him again. It was as if another person was surfacing. One far bolder and more eager than she ever thought she could be.
This time he groaned as their tongues wrapped and the kiss grew more passionate than the last. By now, her whole body was alive in ways she couldn’t put into words. Her breasts tingled in anticipation as did other things.
She wanted more.
All he had to offer.
She wanted to feel him between her thighs and finally experience what she had been fantasizing about for so long.
“Och, lass,” he whispered against her lips before he pulled away and shook his head. “I willnae take ye on this ship. ‘Tis not right.”
“Why not?” she whispered, seeing no fault in it.
“It just isnae,” he murmured. “Not here. Not now.” He sighed as he sat up. “Ye deserve better.”
In her opinion, better was being with him period. She didn’t care where.
He took her hand and met her eyes as she sat up as well. “Ye deserve yer first time to be set apart from so many men, any of which could barge in here without a moment’s notice.”
Not only would they sense someone coming but she suspected privacy, in general, might prove a rarity on their adventure. Nevertheless, she didn’t argue. If he felt this wasn’t the right time, she would take his word for it. She could tell by the strain on his face, however, that it was taking him a great deal of strength to hold fast in his determination.
Yet he stood his ground as he cupped her cheek again, his touch gentle. “’Twill be soon enough and ‘twill be somewhere better suited to ye. Someplace more memorable.”
She could only imagine where he would find such a place but appreciated that he was determined to make it special. What more could a girl ask for?
“Come, let us change and see what’s happening above deck, aye?” he said as he stood.
“Sounds good,” she began, her words trailing off as he began undressing. She wasn’t so naïve that she hadn’t seen a man nude before. She often saw partial nudity when offering locals back home natural medicine. And she had seen Graham without clothes quite recently when she was time-traveling in spirit form. A fact she knew Bryce was aware of.
But Graham was not Bryce.
Though both were well-muscled and in remarkable shape, Bryce was more so somehow. Bigger. Harder. Her eyes trailed over his broad tattooed shoulders, down his chiseled abs to the ample bulge straining against his plaid.
“Though this is not where I wish to take you for the first time,” he said softly, “I thought ‘twould be good mayhap if you become more familiar with...me.” His brows lowered in dubious amusement as a smirk hovered on his lips. “And aye, I’m built a wee bit different than my cousin.” There was no missing his cockiness. “’Tis a dragon thing.”
All she could manage was a nod, not complaining in the least that he was ‘breaking her in’ to seeing his nudity so to speak. The only real problem was that it was making her more aroused. He grinned, obviously pleased as he caught that assessment.
Though remarkably nervous she figured she might as well get used to showing off her nudity as well. So she stood and started to undress.
His eyes widened. “What are ye doing, lass?”
She stopped working at the ties on the front of her dress. “Getting comfortable with this...you and me.” She lifted her brows, realizing that without meaning to she was giving him a taste of his own medicine. “You don’t mind, do you?”
There was no missing his heavy swallow as he shook his head. “Nay, lass. Do as ye will.”
She nodded and promptly set to removing her dress, more comfortable keeping her eyes on him rather than herself. Until that is, he yanked off his plaid.
“Oh, sweet Heaven,” she whispered, not averting her eyes. “That’s...you’re...” She shook her head and finally managed to drag her eyes to his face. “It’s okay.” She shook her head. “Never mind.”
Could she sound any more ridiculous? This wasn’t the first time she had seen an erection. Men sometimes got them when she applied herbal remedies but not like that. Not so...big.
Meanwhile, his blazing eyes were trained on her body as raw hunger flared in their golden depths. Though certainly daunted by him, it suddenly occurred to her that perhaps this was the way to finally get what she wanted. To at last take the leap and experience the sort of passion she was eager for.
Then again, she wondered about his size...if she could handle it.
“Ye will,” he said, his voice husky again as he wrapped another plaid and covered himself. “As I said before, ye will think of nothing but pleasure when the time comes, and ye will be ready for me.”
She offered another nod as she put on her dress. If there was one thing she didn’t doubt after those kisses it was that he could arouse her a great deal. And that was the key to good sex. With the right stimulation, people fit together comfortably no matter their size difference. She frowned at her own thoughts. More so that she knew all this from a purely medicinal doctor-like viewpoint. Not because she had experienced it herself like most women her age.
She downright scowled, suddenly angry at the warlocks because she had missed out on so much. Frustrated that they had stolen her life from her. And her anger, having been repressed for so long, only seemed to be growing more and more with each passing moment.
“’Tis good that anger,” he murmured as they continued dressing. “’Twill help fuel you against what we face.”
“I’m sure it will,” she agreed as she yanked on her boots.
Before they headed up, he stopped her and tilted her chin until their eyes met. “Harness every bit of fury you feel toward them, lass. Use it then release it afterward.”
“It’s hard to imagine a day when I’ll be able to do that.” she murmured.
“You will,” he said softly. “And I will be there to help you.”
He really was turning out to be so much more than she had hoped for. Far more. She had imagined many things about this journey but not that he would offer her so much strength. That he would be so tenderhearted and sympathetic.
“Would you not have done the same for me had our roles been reversed?” He offered a soft smile as he responded to her thoughts. “We do share similar souls after all.”
“I would like to think I would’ve done the same,” she conceded. “I guess I worried for so long about how things might go that I started to assume the worst.”
“’Tis understandable,” he replied. “But you dinnae need to do that anymore. Instead, you need to see what’s right in front of you so we can find what belongs to us. So that we can find this great MacLomain, Broun connection.” He dusted her forehead with the pad of his thumb. “And dinnae keep all your thoughts and concerns locked away. Though it seems I can hear you quite readily I dinnae want to miss anything. I want you to communicate so that we better ken one another, aye?”
She nodded and offered a small smile. “I’ll try.”
“Aye, then.” He brushed his lips across hers, took her hand and they headed upstairs.
Though the sky was murkier than the day before, the gusty wind and choppy sea had hardly changed. She knew that would not be the case soon enough though. What they faced ahead might be more than any of them could handle.
“Good morn to ye both,” Angus said in greeting as men rowed, adding extra speed to that which the sails already offered. He tossed them each an apple. “To break yer fast, aye?”
They nodded thanks as Angus eyed the sky then the ships sailing alongside. “We’ve made good time and should be approaching the North of Scotland soon. With so many men under my command this journey, ‘twould be best to avoid the Pentland Firth and mayhap travel round the north of the Orkneys or even further north around Shetland.”
“No.” Jessie shook her head, well aware of the timeline they were on even if Angus wasn’t. “It will take too much time.”
“Mayhap a day or two,” he began before she shook her head again and interrupted. “I know the tide current in the firth is incredibly strong, but my friends and I will get you through safely.”
Due to the shallow water through the firth, the tidal currents increased more than usual. In all actuality, they were some of the fastest in the world.
Angus’ brows flew up. “Ye realize with a storm the likes of the one we’re heading into the tidal currents alone could end us.”
She nodded, amazed how calm she felt knowing full well those currents would likely be even stronger considering the strength of the warlock controlling the storm. Worse yet, the waves would be far taller. “We have to go that way.” She shook her head with conviction. “We’ve no choice.”
He frowned, crossed his arms over his chest and considered her. “Might ye give me a little history lesson then because yer asking a lot of my men and me.”
She glanced at Bryce, unsure. While she might have hoped Angus would be convinced of the power behind them with Christina’s actions the night before last, it seemed he needed more.
“What would prove my lass tells the truth?” Bryce said. “Me telling ye that ye might verra well lose our beloved Scotland to the Sassenach if ye dinnae do this?” He shrugged and allowed a flicker of fire in his eyes. “Or should I show ye what I’m capable of becoming?” He laid it on the line. “If I show ye right now, ‘tis verra likely yer men might abandon ship. If I wait and only do it if ‘tis necessary, ‘twill be in the thick of it when yer men are busy trying to battle the elements. It could be verra distracting.”
She had to give Angus credit for not flinching when Bryce gave him a glimpse of his inner dragon. Rather he appeared intrigued as he considered his choices.
“I suppose I need more information.” Angus stroked his beard. “What precisely is it ye become?”
“A dragon.” Bryce didn’t sugarcoat it. “A rather large and ferocious one at that.”
“Och, nay.” Angus chuckled and shook his head as he gestured at a man nearby to do something for him. “I dinnae believe ye.”
“I didnae think ye would but ‘tis true,” Bryce responded. “’Tis also why Jessie recommended Sven be put on one of yer most vulnerable ships as a back-up plan.”
Incredulous merriment lit Angus’ eyes. “So he’s a dragon too?”
Bryce nodded, perfectly serious. “Aye.”
Though Angus appeared to mull it over, it soon became clear he had already decided. Hence the gesture he’d made to his crewmate. John’s ship had been signaled to come closer.
Angus jumped up on a bench, cupped his hands around his mouth and bellowed to his son. “Our wee lassie claims we must ride the storm through the firth if we’re to help King Robert and save our country. What say ye to that?”
Lots of nays and ‘tis a death wish’s arose.
“Aye, that’s what I said,” Angus agreed, embellishing. “But, in addition to the certain mystical powers I know she and her friends possess, her lad here claims to be something fierce indeed. Something far more than the man ye see standing before ye.”
“Aye?” John yelled, eagerness for a good show twinkling in his eyes. “And what is that?”
As Angus responded, he directed his words to his men as well. “The sort ye willnae believe until ye see it with yer own eyes.” He made a grand flourish at Bryce. “Our new friend Laird MacLeod and his Viking friend, Sven claim they’re mighty dragons.” A wide smile split his face. “What say ye to that?”
Chuckles and nays arose on both ships.
“Aye, that’s what I said too.” Angus met their chuckles before he glanced at Bryce then back to his men, his countenance suddenly very serious. “Yet he claims ‘tis true, and the wee lassie says he and the Viking will help us face what dangers await us in the firth so that we might save our beloved country.” He cocked his head in question as he eyed his men. “What say ye again? If he can become something as mighty as a dragon and is willing to defend and protect ye, will ye travel those dark waters with me? Will ye sail straight into Hell? Because ‘tis bound to be just that.”
Some men nodded while others chatted amongst themselves before nodding as well. A man who was likely Angus’ first mate responded for them all. “Aye, captain. We’ll follow ye if we truly have dragons at our backs.”
Soon after John and his men agreed it was relayed to the next ship then the next.
Jessie spoke into Bryce’s mind. “Are you sure about this?”
“I am.” His eyes met hers. “We’ll figure out how to handle what they witness afterward.”
She rested her hand on his arm and nodded. “Be careful. They have a lot of weapons and who knows how they’ll react.”
“All that matters is how you’ll react, lass.” His eyes searched hers. “Are you ready for this?”
“I am.” I have to be. When his eyes held hers, she realized he was waiting for the whole truth. He wanted her to share her thoughts openly rather than try to keep them to herself. “I fear for your safety not what you’ll become, Bryce. I trust your dragon as much as I do you.”
She had left the village in Happrew before he shifted, so she never saw him embrace his dragon that day.
“Dinnae worry about me.” She felt his gratefulness as their eyes held. “The weapons these men possess cannae hurt me.”
“But maybe what the warlock throws at you eventually will.”
He pulled her into his arms and murmured in her ear, “’Twill be dangerous for us all, lass but we will defeat this creature then the next, aye? Because we’ve the power betwixt us all to do it. You’ve got the power.”
She nodded as she met his eyes again, glad to see such confidence there. Such strength. A strength that filled her before he pulled away and turned to Angus. “So I’m to show ye my beastie, aye?”
Angus nodded, skeptical. “Aye then, Laird
MacLeod.”
“And Sven?” Bryce asked. “Do ye wish to see him as well?”
When Angus glanced at his men, they nodded, so he roared it to John who relayed it to the others. She knew full well Bryce had already been speaking within Sven’s mind though.
“Be safe Sven,” she said to the Viking, thankful they could communicate this way. “Please.”
“Do not worry about me,” Sven assured. “And do not be afraid of what happens next.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
No response.
Bryce met her eyes one more time before he set aside his apple, jumped up on the side of the ship then leapt overboard only for colors to swirl around him. Moments later, a massive black dragon launched into the air, his feet dragging in the water briefly before he gained altitude. The sheer power of his wings caused enough wind that the ship listed back and forth.
“Bloody hell,” Angus whispered, in complete awe. “Will ye look at that.”
Eyes were wide as some men fell to their knees and made the sign of the cross over their chest while others clutched their weapons. Others roared with approval while some scrambled back to the opposite side of the ship.
All she could do was stare as she walked to the railing closest to Bryce. He was absolutely stunning. Powerful. Huge. When his golden dragon eyes met hers a most unusual rush went through her.
What was that?
“Can ye hear me, lass?” he said into her mind. Though hearing his dragon’s voice within her mind was titillating it was not the feeling she had just experienced.
“I can,” she replied as Sven’s dragon launched into the air as well. He was black too with icy blue eyes.
They flew alongside each other as they continued to gain altitude, up and up, nearly to the clouds, then they swooped down and around the ships. Men fell back in a mixture of awe, and roars of approval. Surprisingly enough, few screamed in fear.
This truly was a brave lot. Just the sort they needed for what lie ahead.
Seconds later, Bryce and Sven roared fire along the water leaving a row of boiling ocean and steam in their wake. The sharp scent of burnt salt gusted on the wind as they began to gain altitude again, clearly enjoying themselves.
The MacLomain Series: A New Beginning Boxed Set (Books 1-4) Page 92