by Donna Grant
“Aye. Everyone does,” she answered.
“Apparently, the Sinclair clan has grown while I’ve been imprisoned. Your laird has several castles, as well as stewards. The lord of Ravensclyde is coming this way with men.”
Leana rubbed her forehead as she looked around. “I see.”
“War is likely coming.” And for once, Morcant wasn’t keen to join in.
“You think I should leave, don’t you?” she asked, meeting his gaze.
“The fact your laird is sending men is good. Depending on where they set up, you might be safer here.” He then moved to the wood piled at her door and chose two long sticks. Morcant tossed one to Leana. “If you’re going to use a sword, then you need to know how to wield it.”
“I thought you said it was too big.”
“It is, but knowing how to handle a sword may one day save your life.”
She swung the stick. “You would teach me?”
He liked that he surprised her. Leana thought she knew men, but she didn’t know him. “First, you must keep your balance at all times. Center yourself.”
Morcant demonstrated, and Leana quickly mimicked him. She was a quick study, picking up everything he taught her with ease. It wasn’t long before they were sparring with the sticks. The smile on her face made something break apart in his chest, something that seemed to...free...his heart.
Every chance he got, Morcant touched her. Whether it was a brush of their bodies as he turned her one way or another, or their hands touching when he guided her arm for her. Each time he came in contact with her was like being zapped with lightning.
He easily deflected the downward arc of her stick and sidestepped to come up behind her. Morcant grasped the long braid of her brunette locks and tugged her backward. “You should’ve gone left.”
“Your sword was going right,” she said in frustration.
Morcant turned her head by tugging on her braid so that she looked up at him. He had a hard time concentrating with her lips so close. “Watch your opponent’s body, no’ their eyes. My body told you I was going left while my eyes fooled you.”
Silence fell between them, drowned out by the desire that raged like a wildfire. Leana’s chest heaved from exertion and color infused her face. Her sky blue eyes were bright, watchful.
His gaze dropped to her mouth. Never had a woman tempted him as she did. He fought against the deluge to no avail. He hungered for a taste of her, craved to plunder her mouth until she clung to him.
The restraint he was exhibiting was something new, and he found he hated it as much as he had hated the darkness. In all his years with women, not once had he ever denied himself. He still wasn’t sure why he was doing so now.
It was just a kiss. A simple kiss.
Morcant dropped his stick and wound his arm around her waist. His gaze returned to hers to discover another kind of flush had overtaken her, the flush of desire. His balls tightened in response.
His cock swelled when she also dropped her stick and turned so that she could wind her arms around his neck. If he had been uncertain of what Leana thought of him before, he had his answer now.
Gradually, his head lowered until their lips touched. Morcant moaned at the feel of her soft mouth. He cautioned himself to go slow, but passion had him fully in its grip.
Her fingers dug into his shoulders. Morcant angled her head so that he could reach her better. He slid his tongue against her lips, seeking entry. She parted her mouth, her tongue meeting his hesitantly.
He was burning from the inside out. Leana’s inexperience only heightened his desire. His hand on her braid tightened as he deepened the kiss. Pleasure erupted, engulfing them. Every time Morcant tried to slow things down, she would moan. The kiss took on a life of its own. He was mindless with need.
Somehow, he found the willpower to end the kiss. He was gasping for breath, his eyes closed as his body shook with the need to have another taste of her. Morcant rested his forehead against hers, desperate to get some measure of control.
When he cracked open his eyes, he saw Leana was as out of breath as he was. She watched him with her beautiful eyes.
“Why did you stop?” she asked in a soft whisper.
He bit back a groan. The woman had no idea how seductive she was. “Before the gypsy, I took women as I wanted. I left them pleasured, aye, but without any thought of them. I only wanted to ease myself. Two hundred years in solitude has changed me.”
“Your actions, but not your desires.”
Morcant shook his head. “Nay, it didna dim my desire.”
He frowned as she stepped out of his arms and walked backward to the cottage. As she reached the door, she paused before she turned and walked inside.
For long moments, Morcant stayed where he was. If he went inside, he wasn’t sure he could stop himself from kissing her again but neither could he walk away.
He drew in a deep breath and followed. As he stepped into the cottage, he looked around for her. Morcant finally spotted her standing by the bed with her back to him. She was unbraiding her long, dark hair.
When she finished, she shook out the length so that it fell down her back in a curtain of brunette waves that he couldn’t wait to slide his fingers through. Then she turned around and locked her gaze with his. It didn’t register with his brain why she had the blanket wrapped around her shoulders until she let it fall.
Whatever control he found outside vanished in an instant as he took in the sight of her nude body. Her breasts were full, but not large. Her dusky pink nipples hardened beneath his gaze, making him long to take one into his mouth.
His gaze lowered to her slim waist and gently flared hips, to the triangle of dark curls at the juncture of her thighs and down her slender legs.
“By the saints, you’re beautiful.”
There was no walking away now. Morcant knew it and accepted it.
He strode to her and plunged his hands into her dark locks as he dragged her against him. Her hands landed on his chest as her eyes flashed with excitement.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
Her smile was slow as it tilted upward. “More sure than I’ve been of anything.”
Morcant hissed in a breath when her hand shoved aside his saffron shirt and met his skin. His eyes closed while she leisurely stroked his chest. His gaze snapped open when she moved. He stopped breathing when she knelt in front of him, her eyes locked with his so that her face was even with his straining cock.
Her cheek brushed against the fabric of his kilt where his arousal stood out. But it wasn’t his rod that her fingers found. It was his boots. One by one she removed his boots, and then she grasped his cock through his kilt. Morcant moaned. The pleasure was exquisite, but pure torture.
Morcant unpinned his kilt and let it fall. Then he jerked off his shirt to find Leana standing before him once more.
He caressed down her arm with the backs of his fingers, completely enthralled with her. He didn’t know why she had chosen him, and it didn’t matter. All that concerned him was giving her pleasure.
Leana wasn’t sure what had come over her. After the wild kiss that sent her reeling, she couldn’t imagine not seeing where the desire would take her in Morcant’s arms.
She took in the superb body before her and sighed in appreciation. Scars littered his body, proving he wasn’t afraid to fight. She placed her hands on his trim waist and stroked upward to his corded stomach and thick, wide shoulders. His crisp chest hair was at odds with his warm skin. She became breathless when his arms wrapped around her, pressing her breasts against him.
Leana raised her eyes in time to see his head lower once more. As soon as their lips met, she opened her mouth for him. The fire that had taken them outside surged again. She held nothing back. Whatever he demanded, she readily gave.
The kiss grew fierce the more the passion and desire grew. His hands were everywhere, touching her, learning her. Leana was floating on a cloud of pleasure that continued to expand with each heartb
eat.
Suddenly, he had her on her back on the bed. She looked up at him, watching as he bent and closed his lips around a nipple. Leana sank her fingers into the covers and moaned.
He suckled and licked first one nipple and then the other until she was moaning endlessly. Desire coiled tightly within her.
Her back arched as he skimmed his hand between her breasts down her stomach. Leana was panting, her hips moving on their own. She didn’t know what would come next, but she knew as long as she was in Morcant’s arms, he would take care of her.
His large hand rested on her thigh as he kissed her stomach. When he pressed her legs apart, she only hesitated a fraction of a moment.
Leana lifted her head when he settled between her legs. His gaze met hers as his mouth hovered over her sex. Then his tongue came out and he licked her.
Her head dropped back while her hips rose to meet his tongue and the pleasure that wound through her. She didn’t know such bliss could be had. Leana sucked in a breath when his tongue found a spot that sent her barreling toward some unknown pinnacle.
The climax slammed into her, knocking the breath from her as wave after wave of pleasure filled her. There wasn’t time for her to recover from that before he slid a finger inside her.
Leana whispered his name, as the passion grew too intense. Soon, her hips were rocking in time with his hand as his finger stretched her.
Morcant had never seen such a beautiful sight before. Leana’s dark hair was spread around her, her head moving back and forth, and her soft cries of pleasure filled the cottage. Seeing her peak the first time had been amazing, but he wasn’t close to being finished with her. He ached to be inside her, but he wouldn’t rush anything.
He joined a second digit with the first to stretch her so she could accommodate him. As he increased his tempo, his thumb swirled around her swollen clit. That’s all it took for her to orgasm again.
A satisfied smile pulled at his lips to see her body flushed with pleasure. While she was still in the throes of her climax, Morcant entered her.
She was so tight, her walls so slick that he almost spilled before he was fully inside her. He gritted his teeth and slid deeper until he felt her maidenhead. With one hard thrust, he tore through and seated himself fully.
Leana’s body went taut for a moment before she relaxed. Her eyes opened to stare up at him. He smoothed her hair from her face and kissed her. As soon as she shifted her hips, he knew she was ready for more.
Morcant lifted his head and caught her gaze as began to thrust, slowly at first, but steadily building as they held each other, lost in the ecstasy.
Their bodies slid against each other as they hurtled toward pleasure. Morcant held his orgasm off as long as he could, but the moment he felt her walls clench around him, he gave in. For the first time, he found the peace that had been lacking after sharing his body with a woman.
Lost in each other’s eyes, something profound and vital snapped into place within Morcant, something he knew would change him forever.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Leana fell asleep in Morcant’s arms, feeling secure and sheltered as she never had before. She rested her head on his chest with his arm around her.
Sated and exhausted, Leana hovered in the place between sleep and wakefulness. She drifted through the space as if searching for something. Suddenly, she saw a man with long, dark brown hair and pale green eyes smiling down at a woman with auburn hair and gray eyes.
The vision shifted to the man riding upon a white steed with his face set in hard lines. He withdrew a sword from the scabbard at his waist as he nudged the horse into a run. Her view expanded to take in her cottage and the stream, as well as a group of men armed and ready for battle.
Leana’s eyes snapped open. It took her a moment to realize she was no longer lying on Morcant’s chest. He was now leaning over her, his face lined with worry.
“You cried out. Was it a dream?” he asked.
She put her hand to her forehead and shook her head. “It was a vision.”
His frown deepened. “What was it?”
“You must understand that what I see could happen tomorrow or two years from now.”
“Just tell me,” he urged as he took her hand and brought it to his mouth to kiss.
Leana tugged on a strip of sandy blonde hair that had come loose from his queue. “I saw a man and a woman. They were obviously in love.”
“Did you recognize the couple?”
“Nay. Next, I saw the man riding upon a white horse as he drew his sword. I saw him ride into battle against the MacKays.”
Morcant rolled to his back and brought her with him. “If you doona recognize the man or the woman, then what do we do?”
“Nothing. Whatever I saw is coming, which means the MacKays will attack.”
“Did you notice where the battle would take place?”
Leana closed her eyes and held him tight.
“Leana?” he pressed.
“Here. The battle is here.”
“Shite,” Morcant stated in a low voice. “The worry I saw in the village combined with what you told me about the MacKay clan means your vision will happen soon.”
She swallowed hard and opened her eyes. “I suppose the couple could be from Ravensclyde.”
“Most likely.”
By his tone, Leana knew his mind was already focused on the upcoming battle. For once, she was considering going somewhere else. Perhaps she would leave with Morcant to search for Ronan and his other friends.
Leana rolled from him and rose from the bed. She walked to the table where his sword lay and lifted it in both hands. With the sword balanced between her hands, she turned back to Morcant.
“This is yours.”
He slowly sat up. Then he threw off the blanket and swung his legs over the side of the bed as she approached.
She smiled at his questioning look. “You’re a warrior, Morcant, a Highlander. You should never be without your sword.”
“There’s something else I should never be without,” he said as he set aside the sword and pulled her between his legs. “You must have magic like the gypsies because you’ve bewitched me, Leana.”
“I’ve no magic.”
“Aye, lass, you do,” he whispered.
Leana cupped his face. “You don’t have to stay because of me. I know you want to search for your friends.”
“I stay because I want to.”
“And your friends?” she asked.
He looked away, which caused her heart to twist.
Leana licked her lips and braced herself for the inevitable. “If the gypsy put you in such a prison, it’s likely she did the same to the others. Gypsies don’t like to kill. They like to curse people.”
“I feel as if they’re still alive. Somewhere.”
“Then you need to find them.”
His gaze slid back to her. “You think I’m going to leave like everyone else.”
It wasn’t a question. “Your leaving won’t be a surprise. From the beginning, I knew you wouldn’t stay. I thought you left this morning.”
“You think you’re that easy to leave?” He posed the question in a soft voice, his gaze narrowed slightly.
Leana shrugged and let her hands drop to his shoulders. “I’m not going to trap you into staying. I don’t regret making love to you. I don’t regret a single moment that you’ve been in my life. You have an important role to play, Morcant, or the gypsy wouldn’t have kept you alive.”
“Important?” he asked with a snort. “No’ verra, if I was taken from my family who needed me most.”
“Perhaps it wasn’t your family who needed you, but your friends.”
“Why was I released from my prison now? Why this time? Why no’ earlier or later?”
Leana shrugged as she gave a small shake of her head. “I don’t know the answers.”
His frown smoothed out, his face taking on a thoughtful expression. “I think I do.”
“Why?�
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Morcant waved away her words. “Ilinca said I would be released from the prison when I earned my freedom. I didna do anything to earn it.”
“Perhaps being released was a test.”
“Aye, my thoughts exactly. And if I’ve been released, then there is a chance that Stefan, Ronan, and Daman have, as well.”
Leana felt as if Morcant were slipping further and further from her grasp. Which was silly, because she knew he was never meant to be hers to begin with.
She hadn’t lied. Morcant was meant for something important, and the longer he stayed with her, the longer it would take him to find his friends and learn what it was that he was meant to do.
“You need to look for your friends. You’re far from home, but they may not be,” she reminded him.
He nodded absently. “Come with me.”
Leana was so taken aback by his words that she could only gape at him.
“Come with me,” he urged again. “What is holding you here? With a battle about to occur outside your door, why no’ come with me. Help me look for my friends. Be with me.”
Leana looked around the cottage. She didn’t have anything holding her, but if she left, she would take a chance that Morcant would never leave her.
Was that something she could do?
Was it something she wanted to do?
“Talk to me, Leana,” he urged. “What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know what to think. We just met.”
He raised a brow. “I’m no’ denying that, but can you honestly say you doona feel that there is something between us?”
“I don’t deny it. I’ve not been able to ignore it since I found you lying unconscious in the woods. It’s almost as if we were...” she trailed off, unable to say the words.
“Meant to be together,” Morcant finished for her. “You say I’m here for a reason. I say you found me for a reason.”
She wanted to accept what he said, but she knew firsthand how life could deal a terrible blow. She’d suffered through enough of them already.
“You doona want to be here for the battle,” he continued. “I’ll protect you as best as I can, but the middle of a war isna a place for you.”