by Mia Pride
“You are insane. Have you seen my wife’s aim? She can hit the center of a target from one hundred yards!”
Alyson snorted and waved him off. “Freyne can do that with one eye shut. He is a faery, Alastar. I am afraid there is nay contest. Nay offense to my cousin. I love you very much, Aislin, and vow you are the second-best archer in all Ériu.”
Freyne rolled his eyes from behind his wife and looked directly at Morna, giving her an amused wink. My, he was a handsome man and had piercing green eyes, as did many of the people in this room. Mayhap it was faery blood. Aislin just shrugged as if she could not care less and dragged Alastar away from Alyson with a grunt.
“Ach! Morna!” Before she could even prepare herself, a brown-haired woman had thrown herself at Morna, nearly knocking her over. Knowing it was Clarice, Morna laughed and embraced her in return.
“It is wonderful to see you again, Clarice! You look so happy!”
“I am! Thanks to you! Jeoffrey and I are married and have our two lads.”
Jeoffrey stepped forward with a huge grin, his arms outstretched, and Morna was so relieved to see him that she gave him a strong embrace, which was immediately joined by Alastar, Àdhamh, and Maggie. She laughed as she found herself wrapped in the arms of so many people she had known from her past. Suddenly, nothing felt more like home than Ráth Mór.
“All right. That is quite enough. You three men need to release my woman,” Brennain said smugly, and pried her away, looping his arm around her shoulders. She rolled her eyes when Àdhamh, Alastar, and Jeoffrey all made the same disappointed sounds and received simultaneous whaps on the back of their heads from their wives.
Soon, she was being introduced to everyone. Two huge uncles named Liam and Garreth who were apparently married to the other two Sisters of Danu, Flynn and Eoin who she had met before, a younger cousin named Duncan who was seven and ten and the youngest of the cousins, Freyne who was intimidating in an Otherworldly way, and finally Elwynna, who was Àdhamh’s wife and apparently the daughter of their enemy, Mal Mac Rochride. And of course, King Tuathal was there with his wife Leannan. She felt as if she could already remember all their names and connections, even though it was such a huge group of people with so many wee children running about or being held by the women.
Her mother stood beside Brennain’s mother who seemed to cling to Glennis relentlessly, and Glennis did not seem to mind one bit until her eyes locked with Brennain’s, his arm around Morna. “Papa!” Glennis shrieked, and she reached fast toward him, almost toppling out of Una’s arms.
“Oh, my!” Una laughed, as she carried Glennis closer.
“Wee lass, you know I am not your papa,” he chuckled, as he put his hands out to her and she instantly clung to him.
Not yet, Morna added silently to herself with a genuine smile and lightness in her heart. These people were wonderful, and this was truly a blessed life she could have if she accepted Brennain’s love and offer of marriage, which she was determined to do.
After an hour of eating and chatting with all the women in his family, they all decided it was time to head to the gathering hall and continue the celebration of another accomplished mission, the safe return of warriors, and the beginning of what would be a bloody battle. Nobody was pleased with that part, but it was always the time before a battle when people celebrated life the most, for nothing was ever promised.
“You all go ahead. I need to speak with Morna,” Brennain said, and handed Glennis over to Elsbeth as she walked out beside Una.
“Sure…”
“Right…”
“Whatever you say, mate…”
The men all made bawdy jokes that made Morna blush, but she knew based on Brennain’s words earlier that he truly did wish to talk. What about, she had no idea but could not help but feel nervous when he looked so seriously at her.
As soon as everyone was out of the room and the door shut behind them, Brennain turned and took her hand. “Morna, we need to talk.” An overwhelming sense of doom came over her. Those words never led to any good conversation.
“Oh?” she asked with trepidation. “What is it?” She folded her free hand in the borrowed red dress to hide their obvious shaking.
He led her into his room and sat her on the bed, sitting slowly beside her and turning to look into her eyes. “After speaking with Tuathal, I realized I erred in stealing you away as I did. I still cannot regret it fully, but it was a foolish action on my part. He is quite angry at me for risking our mission in order to find Caleb, and in taking you away. Had we been caught, I could have been killed and our people would have been attacked by a massive army without warning. It was unlike me to be so unfocused, but I have never been in love before.”
There was that word again. Love. Her heart was beating erratically, and she could hardly breathe, having no way to determine which way this conversation was going. Was he going to send her back to Miathi? Was her presence unwelcome by the king? She couldn’t understand her feeling of guilt, especially since she had been physically forced to come. Still, now that she was here, she desperately wished to remain and worried what Brennain was going to say next.
“You love me?” she whispered, swallowing hard.
“Of course, I love you, Morna. Have I not made that perfectly clear?”
“Not until this very moment, nay. I had thought… had hoped… but never wanted to assume.”
“Well assume nay further. I love you with all of me, Morna, and would like nothing more than to marry you.”
Strangely, she felt apprehensive, like he was about to say something she wouldn’t want to hear. “But?...”
He sighed and pulled her closer until she was almost sitting on his lap. “I am being sent on another mission. I leave at first light and will likely be gone for almost a sennight. I feel awful for having to leave you and Glennis right away, but I have nay choice. This is my life and I cannot promise it will ever be different. This is why I feel like a bastard. I took you to be with me, yet I never gave you the choice to decide if you wished to marry a man who may be gone on missions for sennights at a time. After being abandoned by Caleb, I am now doing the same to you. But, I will return. And when I do, I would like to marry you, if you will have me. I want you to use the next sennight to stay here with my family, get to know them and decide if being my wife is something you would like.”
Would like? Of course, she would… although she was not at all sure she liked being away from him for so long, but if that was the only way she could have Brennain, she would take it. It was better than a life without him, that much she knew for certain. If they won this battle, mayhap his life would slow down and he would not have as much traveling to do.
“I already know my answer, Brennain. I do not need to take a sennight to think on it.”
His brows rose high, widening his beautiful green eyes and she felt his grip on her waist tighten. Was he truly worrying what her answer would be? “Tell me, lass, because I do not think I can breathe until you do.”
She smiled warmly at him and stroked the back of his neck with her fingers, loving the feel of his silky hair beneath her fingertips. “Of course, I will marry you, Brennain. I love you very much and have since you left me at Miathi two years ago. Being with you is all I could ever want, and I cannot remain angry at you for taking me away, for you are right. I would have been stubborn and rejected the idea, afraid of what Caleb would do. But now that we are here, nothing can drag me away.”
He tilted his head back and let out a whoop of excitement. “Truly?” he laughed. “Have you any idea how happy you have made me? I never thought I would love a woman or want a wife until I met you. You and Glennis are all I could ever want in this world.” He pulled her closer and placed a passionate, longing kiss on her lips, stealing her breath away.
Pulling away, she giggled and shoved his shoulders. “I hope you do not mean that, for I would be pleased with many more children and hope you would be, as well.”
Her body was flip
ped onto the mattress so fast, she let out a squeal and held on tight to Brennain’s shoulders to brace herself. His entire body held hers onto the bed and his hands pulled her arms over her head as he traced kisses down her neck. His scruffy beard tickled her delicate flesh and she couldn’t help but squirm beneath him, yet arch in invitation. “I would love nothing more…” he murmured against her throat. “Well… almost nothing.” Looking down at her, he waggled his brows suggestively and her entire body felt as if it was suddenly aflame. Gooseflesh covered her skin and anticipation made her core thrum with pleasure. She wanted him more than anything in the world.
“Aye, Brennain. Now, please.” She heard her own desperation in her voice but was not ashamed. Never with him. He had seen her at her worst and instead of turning from her, he had gone out of his way to try and deliver back her husband, burying his own love for her so he could make her happy. Yet, all she needed to be happy was this man, her daughter, and her mother… and now, his family. Somehow, they had already accepted her, and she knew Brennain truly loved her when every person in the room already knew her name. She wanted to share that love with him right now, use her body to show him her love in a way words could not.
Her entire world smelled of cloves and pine and she wanted to breathe it in forever. She was so thankful she had bathed and changed before falling asleep earlier. “Mmm… you smell like honeysuckle and roses,” he groaned, as his lips grazed across the tops of her breasts. “I want to get you out of this dress. As lovely as it is, I need to see all of you.”
She needed no further persuasion. His hands slipped down to her hips in a frenzy as he gathered the red linen material up in his fists. She could feel it gliding up her legs as it inched higher and higher. His calloused palms grazed her inner thighs and she shook with need. When all the fabric was bunched around her waist, she arched her back and drew her hands up over her head so Brennain could yank it off her completely. She felt awful that Maggie’s borrowed dress was now nothing more than a heap of wrinkled fabric on the floor, but not enough to stop what she was doing… especially when Brennain’s gaze swept over her fully naked body for the first time. His eyes became hooded with desire and he focused on her breasts.
“I have always wondered what was beneath your dress, Morna, but I never imagined you could be so lovely.” Propped up on one elbow, he used his free hand to run warm fingers across her breasts, making her nipples harden and pebble with anticipation. They ached to be touched. The tallow candles flickered, creating dark shadows and a hazy aura around everything. All she wanted was to feel, to love and be loved. But, that was hard to do when Brennain was still fully clothed.
Reaching out, she pulled the string of his trousers, instantly loosening the fabric around his waist and he let out a pleased groan. “I was hoping you would do that,” he rumbled low in his chest but did not stop stroking her breasts, taking turns with each, teasing her nipples into hard points with the tips of his fingers.
She was already more aroused than she had ever been in her life and he had hardly touched her. “I need these gone,” she whispered, sitting up swiftly and pushing him back onto the mattress so she could tug his trousers down his thighs. His manhood sprang free and eagerly throbbed for her attention. One more tug and his trousers were a mere pile next to her dress. “Lose the shirt,” she groaned, desperate to see all of him. He fumbled to remove it, he was so happy to comply, but once he did and she took in all of him, her breath went from erratic to nonexistent, all the air leaving her lungs forcefully. “Dear gods,” she sighed.
Brennain leaned in and kissed her roughly, his hands skimming up and down her sides, over her breasts, any place he could reach, as if he couldn’t decide where to touch her next, and she didn’t care so long as he did not stop.
“I have never wanted anyone the way I want you,” he groaned in between flicks of his tongue against hers. His hot mouth trailed down her throat, his breath fanning over her flesh. Reaching her breasts, he roughly sucked one into his mouth and she cried out and lifted off the mattress, overwhelmed with a sensation that shot straight down to her core.
“Brennain,” she whispered, and ran her hands through his hair, desperate for more of him. “I have wanted this for so long.”
“I am sorry I ever left you,” he whispered, kissing her nipple softly before focusing on the other. “I never wish to be without you again.”
His words healed any remaining pain she may have felt. She knew all was happening as it was meant to. If she had left with Brennain two years ago, she would not have Glennis now and she could not imagine anyone else being her mama. “’Tis all right, Brennain. Just make love to me. Now, please.” Reaching down between their bodies, her hand found his hot erection and she wrapped her hands around him, reveling in the feeling of his hard, yet smooth flesh. He groaned and bucked his hips.
“I have so many other ways I wish to please you, but I fear I will lose myself if I do not take you now.”
“Then do it!” she begged, spreading her legs further apart and guiding his manhood toward her center.
“Easy, lass,” he chuckled as he shifted closer, running his fingers through her slick folds. She bucked against his hand, wanting more, needing all of him. His nostrils flared, and his eyes became hooded as he watched himself touch her. A shudder ran through her at the pure lust in his gaze. He was so tender and gentle with his hands and she sighed with pleasure as he slipped one finger, then another, slowly into her. “You are more than ready,” he said low in his throat.
“Aye. I have been ready for years, Brennain… please.” She shifted her hips when he withdrew his hands and sent her a look that told her he was about to do incredible things to her body. Chills ran down her spine when he placed both hands on either side of her on the mattress and took her mouth softly with his, teasing hers open with his tongue at the same moment that his cock pushed into her with a slow languid glide that had her gripping his backside in frustration. Clearly, he meant to make this slow and she decided to let go and allow him to do as he wished, for any way he made love to her would be absolute perfection.
His hips began to rock into hers as he found his rhythm, his gaze never leaving hers as she felt the pressure building below. Never had it been like this with her and Caleb, never had it felt natural or like anything more than an obligation. Brennain consumed all of her with every stroke in and out of her body. The candles flickered dimly, and the warmth caressed her skin as his scent surrounded her. “I love you, Brennain,” she sighed, as he pushed in again, her hands running through his dark hair as he plied her face with soft kisses.
“I love you, Morna. Always.” He made a groaning sound and dropped his head onto her forehead and she could feel their sweat-slicked skin touching. This was perfect. Slow and beautiful. She felt treasured beyond anything she could have ever imagined and knew that Brennain had never made love to a woman the way he did to her at this moment. Years of pent-up need and desire finally being allowed to run free. Her body tensed, and she clutched the bed sheets, arching her hips to deepen her connection with him. His pace quickened, and he tilted his head back, squeezing his eyes shut. Morna knew it was coming to an explosive end and she tightened around him, feeling him pulse within her as he found his release. She felt hers come as well and together they shattered into thousands of pieces in each other arms, a tangle of quivering limbs and slick flesh as they collapsed into one another, struggling for breath.
His hand rested on her breast and she was certain he could feel the pounding of her fulfilled heart. Putting a hand on his chest, she felt his as well and knew that they only beat for one another. A strong feeling of calm and purpose came over her and she wished they could lay in bed together all night, but she knew they could not. People had gathered to celebrate his arrival and would be wondering where he was. “We must get up and go to the hall, Brennain.”
Grumbling, he buried his face deeper into her breasts. “I do not want to,” he groused, and popped one of her nipples back into
his mouth and suckled until she writhed beneath him.
“We… must,” she protested. “Everyone wants to see you.”
“And I want to see nobody but you… naked… in my bed.”
She laughed at the feel of his rough beard against her flesh. It tickled yet felt so erotic. “We have forever for that,” she chided, and lifted his head.
He groaned with frustration and cracked an eye open slowly. “Must we? I do not want to.”
“Aye, we must. Or else someone will come looking for us.”
“Nay… they will not. They know better,” he said casually, but his words made her stop and think. How many times had he brought another woman from this village back to his bed? How many women would she run into tonight that had lain with him? She could not care so much about his past, but she knew full well it would affect her present if any jealous lassies lingered.
“How exactly do they know better, Brennain? How many women have you brought back here?”
Sitting up quickly, he ran a hand through his hair and winced. “A few. Not many.”
She did not quite like that answer at all. “If I am to be your wife, then I need to be prepared for what is coming my way, Brennain. Will I run into your previous lovers?”
“Morna. When I left you the first time, it took me several moons before I slept with another woman. I missed you so much and continued to hope I could make it back to you. But Mal continued to cause trouble and my missions because frequent and dangerous. Soon, I gave up hope of ever seeing you again. Aye, I slept with a few women. Mayhap five here in Ráth Mór. You will likely see them. I do not expect you to have any issues with them, for none of them expected more from me. If they do give you trouble, you tell me and I shall handle it. You will be my wife and I plan to announce it. Tonight. I want nobody to doubt my love for you, especially you. Do you understand?” He brought her knuckles to his lips and she shivered, giving him a nod.