by Terry Spear
But he didn’t want to carry her across the hall to his chamber and risk running into anyone, either. He reminded himself he’d mate with her there later, many times over, to make it right.
“A penny for your thoughts?” Elaine asked as she observed him. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”
He heard the pain in her words, that maybe she believed he was already thinking of abandoning the idea and didn’t want to prolong the inevitable.
He smiled and was sure that he looked as wolfishly predatory as he felt. “We’re not delaying this.” He peeled off her towel and tossed it to the floor. Then he slowly climbed over her, deliberately rubbing his chest and arousal and legs over her soft, bare skin, leaving his scent on her, claiming her in a not-so-subtle wolf way.
She knew exactly what he was doing, and her smile showed just what it meant to her as he lay next to her on his side. His gaze locked on hers as his fingers teased one of her rigid nipples, circling it and touching it. She lifted her fingers to caress his chest.
His skin sizzled everywhere she trailed her fingers, making his erection jump with need.
Unable to enjoy just the feel and look of her sweet body, he leaned in to kiss her, showing her every ounce of passion he possessed—the primal need and craving to make her his mate before one more male looked at her as though she was available.
He pressed his tongue into her mouth, leaning his body against hers, parting her legs with one knee, and straddling her, his arousal thick and rigid. He wanted more than anything to lay claim to her. Now. Forever.
He slid his fingers into her soft, wet heat, feeling the warm slickness from her climax. She moaned, bucking against him, her body arching as if she was pushing him to finish this.
His blood ran hot as every muscle flexed with need. His mouth caressed her collarbone. She shivered as he touched her, explored her, and enjoyed her soft skin, her exquisite fragrance tantalizing him.
His mouth captured hers. Their tongues twisted and danced together as if mating of their own accord. He ran his fingers through her hair, gripping the silky, damp locks. Liquid fire rushed through his veins, his cock straining against her thigh, his body rubbing against the muscle, her hips rising, forcing him to press harder against her.
He inserted two fingers into her tight sheath. Tight like a virgin, he thought to himself. She would have had encounters with human males, and of course she was mated to that slug of a bastard centuries ago, but when was the last time she’d been with a man? She felt too tight for it to have been recently. He was glad to know it. She was his. No one else’s.
He licked her taut nipple, taking it in his mouth, tugging gently with his lips. She moaned and cupped his head against her breast, writhing beneath him, her pelvis lifting against his throbbing erection. He kissed her across her breast, the valley between, and her right breast until he reached the other nipple, pushing her thighs open for him before pressing his erection against her hot, wet core. Not entering yet. Teasing. Wanting her to come when he did.
“Oh, Cearnach,” she moaned, as he slid two fingers into her again, then pushed as deep as he could go.
She spread her legs farther apart for him, and he declared against her mouth in Gaelic, “You are mine.”
“As you are mine,” she whispered back.
He lifted his head and stared at her. Had she known Gaelic all along? Had she known what Vardon had called her?
Swearing in Gaelic, Cearnach gazed into her molten eyes. She lifted her hands and pulled his face back to hers, kissing him thoroughly, their tongues dueling as if in a medieval fight, making him forget all else but her.
It was time. Time to make her his. He pushed the broad head of his penis into her, slowly at first until he was fully inside her. Thrusting carefully, he pushed deeper, mating with her, their hearts beating so loudly that he barely could hear anything else.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Oh, yes.”
This was what he’d wanted from the moment he’d seen her: him wrapped around her soft curves, Elaine’s wet heat wrapped around him in the ultimate joining.
He swept his tongue across her parted lips, thrusting his cock deep inside her tight heat and feeling as though he was the first man in centuries to explore her core.
Her sheath softened for him, allowing him to thrust deeper as the raw craving within him grew.
She was beautiful, her face flushed, her breathing fast, her body moving against him like a siren encouraging his every move.
Her chocolate eyes were smoky with lust, her fingertips touching his muscles, his skin, leaving a trail of heat.
She slid her legs around his hips and dug her heels into his ass, her breathing suspended as he sensed she was ready to explode. He groaned out loud, unable to hold back any longer. He felt the end coming, tried to hold on, felt her muscles contracting around him. Then he let loose, rocketed with the orgasm, and felt her body shuddering with ripples of climax. He loved the wolf beneath him, the sexy, loving woman who would share his world until the end of his days.
He groaned and settled on top of her, still sheathed in her wet, slick heat, wanting to remain joined like this for hours. With her. Together. As one.
For a long time, they stayed like that, breathing deeply of each other, listening to their hearts beating in unison, feeling the warmth of their bodies pressed together, sharing the knowledge that they were joined as wolf mates for life.
He hadn’t realized they’d fallen asleep until he woke to find Elaine cuddled in his arms, the bed curtains still open, and the day growing later. The world outside the keep was full of activity as he heard the clanging of swords in practice sword-fighting, horses clip-clopping on the stone pavers as they were being taken out for exercise, the barks of their Irish wolfhounds and Duncan’s mate’s standard poodles as they raced around the inner bailey, the shouts of his people as they called out to each other.
“Elaine,” he said softly, wanting to hold on to this moment forever but knowing they had to get up and face the day. Which meant facing his clan, his pack, his family and letting them all know they had a new she-wolf as part of the family.
“Hmm,” she said, her voice dreamy. She tightened her hold around his waist, her eyes still closed, her lashes fanning her cheeks.
He ran his hand over her bare arm, caressing and loving the way she felt—warm and silky soft. “You know Gaelic,” he said.
“My parents taught me the old ways.”
He hated that she’d known what that bastard had called her. He kissed her cheek. “I’m sorry for what Vardon had said.”
“He was trying to make himself feel better for striking me. He didn’t mean it.”
Cearnach looked at Elaine in wonder. “You are a treasure. I’ll return to my chamber and get dressed while you slip into your clothes.”
She raised her head and looked at him, her expression a little skeptical. “What if your ghostly cousin returns?”
Not having considered such a thing, he frowned at her. “He better not.” His voice was dark with threat. Then he took a deep breath and rethought his cousin’s interference. “I’m pretty certain now that Flynn got his way, he will leave you alone. At least he better.”
Elaine sighed, hoping Cearnach was right. She rolled over onto her back and surveyed the rest of the chamber—the richly woven Turkish tapestries hanging on the walls, the thick bottle glass covering narrow arrow-slit windows. Antique oil paintings of lochs, heather-covered hills, snowcapped mountains, and bubbling streams hung from some of the walls.
One painting stood out from all the rest. A red-blond, long-haired Highland cow stared at her with warm brown eyes half hidden under bangs that nearly reached the tip of its nose.
“That is a painting of the first cow we ever stole from our neighbors,” Cearnach remarked as he caressed her shoulder, his voice hint
ing of self-righteous satisfaction.
She turned and frowned at him, surprised to hear that his own clan was not above reproach when she had worried what he thought of her family and their pirating past. “Your kin stole from others?”
“’Tis an Old World tradition, lass. They stole one of our kin’s brides before she reached the kirk. We stole a cow in retaliation. Well, six, but who’s counting?”
Surprised that they’d be satisfied with cows in the lady’s place, she frowned. She would have envisioned a fierce battle between the clans lasting for days instead. “Wasn’t the lady worth more than the cows?” Where was the romance in that?
His mouth curved up a fraction more, his dark eyes alight with humor. “She orchestrated the whole charade. The man she wanted to mate couldn’t make up his mind and hadn’t believed she’d marry someone else. When she agreed to marry one of my kin, the Highlander finally took her seriously. And rescued her, or so he believed. In truth, she’d arranged the whole affair through one mishap or another so that she never make it to the kirk. At least she hadn’t wanted bloodshed between the clans.”
“Your kinsman must have felt awful to lose his bride before she even arrived at the altar. He must have been heartbroken.”
“Once he learned of her deception and we were able to convince him that she was not worth any bloodshed, he was all too willing to go on a raid, steal the cows, and forgo the lass. Within a fortnight, he had found a new bonnie lassie to wed.”
“Wow, that was fast.”
“The first lassie had not been the right woman for him. When he found the right one, he realized what a mistake he could have made with the other. The one he married had been living within our castle walls, her father the blacksmith, and not until that day had he ever taken notice of her.”
“I’m glad he found the right woman, then. Did the other clan retaliate for your stealing the cows?”
“Aye. They said if we’d taken one, that would have been enough.”
Elaine laughed. “What did the woman think of that?”
“She was not happy with her husband. She made him sleep with the other men for several days, we’d heard. We always wondered if he regretted rescuing her from our clansman.”
Elaine smiled, then realized perhaps the MacNeill clan was not above stealing like she’d thought they were—and her kin weren’t so bad after all. He might believe differently. Yet her uncles had felt justified in what they had done, hired to do the pirating as privateers. So anyone could justify anything, truly. Not that she agreed with any of it.
“You said last night your clan gave you grief over some other woman,” Elaine asked.
“Calla.”
Elaine took a deep breath, not wanting to hear that he had feelings for Calla that he couldn’t admit to. “She’s just a friend, you said.”
“Aye. Most of the wolves in my pack didn’t believe it. They thought we had to be more than friends. When she told me she was mating with Baird McKinley, many of my family members believed I’d fight him for the right to have her as my own mate. Calla is more like a sister to me, like Heather, my cousin, is.”
“Just a friend.” She realized that he truly meant it.
She considered staying here in the guest chamber and dressing, then frowned and dismissed that notion. “I don’t trust your ghostly cousin.” She pulled away from Cearnach, got off the bed, grabbed her towel, and wrapped it around her. Then she bundled up some clothes. “I’ll go to your room with you while you get dressed.”
“You sure you don’t want to dress here first?” He climbed off the bed and joined her.
She shook her head. “No. We need to get down to the kitchen and have breakfast before everyone assumes the worst.”
He smiled at her words, wound his hands in her hair, and kissed her hard. She melted against him. He loved that his kisses and touches turned her into melted wax.
“They’ll know the truth before long. But this works for me.” He kissed her cheek, pulled away, then stalked into the bathroom. Once he snagged his towel off the floor, he secured it around his waist. He returned to her and clasped her hand in his and led her to the door.
As soon as he opened the guest chamber door, Cearnach saw his mother and aunt coming down the hall as quietly as they could, when they would usually be talking their heads off. They had to have been attempting to eavesdrop, trying to learn what he and Elaine were up to. For Elaine’s sake, he hesitated to leave the room.
To his surprise and delight, Elaine didn’t stop. She hauled Cearnach across the hall to his room and gave both his aunt and mother a bright smile. “Good morning.”
His bedroom door was still open from when he’d thrown it aside to save Elaine in the shower. He nodded to his mother and aunt, not about to say a word, moved Elaine into his room, and shut the door.
“Omigod, could that have been any more embarrassing?” Elaine whispered as she slipped a pair of jeans on under her towel, her cheeks crimson. “After they saw us both wearing only towels in my guest room, there was no way to rectify the situation.”
Since she was an alpha, Elaine had reacted in a way that he should have expected: in his mother’s face with a “get used to it” attitude.
He was much more the diplomat, trying to smooth situations over that had gotten a wee bit out of hand. Not Elaine. He loved her for it.
“Think nothing of it, lass,” he said, not about to mention that his mother and aunt had to have heard what sounded like his mating with Elaine.
With wry amusement, he was surprised to see Elaine so shy with him now, or perhaps she was afraid someone would come knocking at the door and confront him about what had just occurred.
He jerked off his towel and headed for the bathroom to shave. He was one satisfied wolf. He reminded himself that Elaine had been alone for years. That meant he had to do everything in his power to make her feel at home with his pack, family to his kin, and satisfied that she’d chosen him for her mate above all others.
Still, a vague worry continued to plague him concerning Flynn. Why had his cousin felt that the need for Cearnach to mate with Elaine was so pressing that he would harass her like he had?
Cearnach was certain Flynn knew something was wrong, and it all had to do with Elaine and keeping her safe.
Chapter 17
Cearnach had a devil of a time leaving his bathroom and dressing in his bedchamber, while Elaine watched him as if she was starving for more loving, a saucy smile in her expression. His gaze had to have been just as interested as she pulled the soft, pale blue sweater she was wearing down over her bare breasts. He was thinking of pushing it back up and tasting the treats poking at the fabric even now.
“Hurry up, Cearnach.” She smiled at him in the most devilish way. “If you dress any slower, you’re going to forget that we were headed for the kitchen to grab a bite to eat.”
A bite to eat. He wanted more of her. One little taste would start a craving in him that couldn’t be satisfied.
“Remember, I didn’t have any supper because I was too tired to eat the delightful stew Heather and Shelley made for us last night.”
He sighed and took her hand. “Let’s go before I forget I have chores to do today and decide to take the afternoon off to spend with my mate. You do realize we have to get married now.”
She frowned a little, not as though she was concerned, but more pondering the notion as if she hadn’t considered it. He kissed her cheek. “Remember when I told you at Calla’s wedding that nobility have to get married to carry the title to the next generation.”
Then she smiled at him, more amused than anything. “Is that a proposal?”
He chuckled. “I guess I could have worded that a little differently.”
“You think?” she teased, and he loved her for it.
Before he could get on bended kne
e and try again, she added, “I want something really simple.”
He would give her anything in his power that he could. But, because of the size of their pack and his mother and aunt’s involvement, a modest wedding wasn’t going to happen.
He was about to say so when someone knocked on the door.
He growled as he released her hand and stalked to the door, trying to get his annoyance under control and expecting that his mother wished a word with him.
When he opened the door, he saw Duncan and Guthrie standing there, not at all who he had expected. Both were smirking at him. His brothers had to have a death wish if they thought to disturb him when he was with Elaine in his bedchamber. Something had to be amiss.
Duncan folded his arms and leaned against the door frame. “We’ve got company. Baird McKinley, his brothers, and Robert Kilpatrick and his brother are at the gate. They want to speak with Elaine.”
Cearnach snorted. “Tell them I’m planning on pressing charges.”
Guthrie laughed. “They said they’d contact the police and say you kidnapped Elaine. That she’s being held here against her will.”
They all knew no one would be contacting any police over the matter.
His brothers shifted their gazes to a point behind him. Cearnach turned.
Brows furrowed, Elaine strode toward them, looking like she’d take his brothers on in an instant. Both Guthrie and Duncan were fighting a smile. Not in a condescending way, but with respect for her alpha-ness.
“When they stole my car?” she growled, standing next to Cearnach. “They would have a hard time convincing a cop that Cearnach is in the wrong when they left me no choice but to go with him. Plus, there’s the little matter of their having destroyed Cearnach’s minivan.” She said to Cearnach, “I’ll go with you.”
Cearnach frowned down at her. He’d rather she stayed far away from her kin, as he was still worried she might be talked into leaving with them if only to clear things up between them, maybe learn about the stolen goods, and reclaim her car and personal effects along with Cearnach’s.