Highland Protector (MacCoinnich Time Travels Book Five) (27 page)

If his kiss was any indication, she
needn’t worry. The taste of ale on his lips, the smell of the wool of her
family plaid mixed with the unique bold scent of Gavin was something she would
always remember from this night.

She reached into his hair and
returned his kiss with as much fervor as he gave. When he pulled away again,
she nipped at his lip, catching him by surprise. “My little minx.” Gavin bent down,
gathered her into his arms, and walked her to the bed. The soft mattress of straw,
plush feathers, and wool met her back before Gavin moved beside her, cradling
her.

“I want in here,” he said tapping her
head.

Amber opened her thoughts.
I’m not
keeping you out.

Yet once she said the words in her
head a flood of emotion, of raw feeling had her closing her eyes to embrace the
enormity of it. All Gavin…every ounce of the man wanted one thing.

Her.

“Oh, Gavin.”

Something inside him had changed
since the last time they were this connected.

“Coming here, having the blessing of
your parents weighted on you.”

“It did.”

He stroked the side of her face as he
spoke. “When your father joined our hands that weight lifted.”

“Aye.”

Gavin grasped one of her hands and
brought it up between them. “Whatever the future holds, we will work it out
together.”

There wasn’t an ounce of doubt in his
mind, and that fact pushed away any that might have lingered inside her. “I
will be true to you, Gavin. Always.”

And I will protect and cherish you,
Amber. Always.

His vow to cherish her began with a
kiss. When breathing became difficult, he moved his lips to her neck and
rounded his hands down her hip and leg.

I love the way you taste.
He pushed aside her gown, licked, and
kissed her shoulder.

I-I love the way you taste me.

He released a small laugh.
I’m
going to enjoy teaching you what you’ll truly love.

She knew there was more than kissing
to enjoy. He’d already taught her that much.
I’ll be your willing pupil.

He ran his hand under her nightgown
and caressed her thigh. Everywhere he touched, her skin tingled.

“You like that.”

Her eyes fluttered closed. “Aye. Your
touch is like a fresh breeze on my skin.”

A breeze?

He shifted until his knee rested
between her legs.

With a will of its own, her body arched
into him, closer. “Oh!” The very center of her body heated and that breeze grew
into a wave of heat.

I prefer heat to a breeze,
he told her.

You’re very good at creating heat.

He licked the lobe of her ear, and
she nearly shot off the bed.

“Yes, it’s going to be a joy to teach
you everything.”

She clawed at his shirt, pulling it.
Do
that again.

Demanding little minx.

Her eyes opened and a tiny bit of doubt
slipped in.
Is it too bold of me?

He shook his head and gave a
reassuring smile. “Ask me to do anything, and I will. There are no limits here,
with us like this. If something doesn’t feel right, stop me. I’ll never hurt
you.”

“I know you won’t.”

Gavin leaned down and nibbled her
ear.
Is this what you like?

I like that very much.

As he nibbled and kissed, her hands
found his waist and tugged his shirt away from his kilt.

Gavin reached down and unfastened
something on his leg before a loud thump hit the floor.

My weapon.

My warrior is always ready.

God help anyone who disturbs us now.

She laughed. She couldn’t help
herself. “You really are desperate to have me.”

“More than you can know.”

Being inside his head, she had a
pretty good idea. She envisioned her hands on his backside, felt his desire for
her to touch him. Instead of bringing the image into her head she took the
liberty of walking her hand down his bottom, loved the taut round feel of it
against her palm.

He groaned, or maybe that was her. It
didn’t matter. The feeling of making him squirm mixed with the electricity of
touching Gavin in such an intimate way exhilarated her, made her bolder.

While his hands danced up her leg,
she allowed hers to do the same to his. Every muscle rippled beneath her
fingertips. When she reached the apex of his leg where it met the bare curve of
his arse, Gavin captured her lips in the most soulful kiss he’d delivered yet.
She couldn’t touch enough of him, couldn’t separate her feelings from his. They
both had the same goal—give the other complete satisfaction.

Something inside him switched, and he
pulled away long enough to strip his shirt and all the finery that went with
it. In only his kilt, he lowered his chest to hers and took her lips again.

His strong back was silk beneath her
hands. Such a strong capable back. Such a strong man. Hers.

“I am yours.”

And I’m yours.

He lifted off her long enough to help
her remove the silk that separated them. The gown slid to the floor and Gavin
looked his fill.

“You’re so beautiful.”

Amber lifted a hand and traced the
ridges of his shoulder and down his chest. His hard muscles twitched, and she
leaned forward to kiss and taste him.

Gavin leaned back against the bed.
Yes.

Her tentative touch found the
sensitive nub of his nipple. It grew into a tight bud, much like hers did when
he touched her. When Gavin moaned, she felt his pleasure ripple through her and
dampen between her legs.

Gavin filled his palm with her breast
before she realized he’d moved over her again. His fingers played and without
any warning, his mouth was on her, licking and making all rational thought
explode from her head.

You’re killing me, Amber.

The thick ridge of him sought her
through his kilt with a need to be touched. Amber had no idea what it was like
for a woman to have intimacies with her husband for the first time without the
bonding link they shared, but she knew it couldn’t be as all knowing as this
time was for them. Her husband’s desire to be touched moved her hands with a
will of their own. Her hand traveled higher on his thigh until she felt him.

Yes. Please.

Amber smiled under his kiss and
reached for him.

His thickness shocked her. Yes, she’d
seen him before, but never like this. Her gentle squeeze brought a moan to his
lips and complete abandon to whatever she wanted of him over his soul. He was
so much larger than she was.

Before the thought managed to form in
her head, Gavin said, “We’ll fit. I won’t hurt you.”

I know you won’t hurt me. How can
anything so perfect ever hurt?

She ran her hand along his length and
felt the joy it gave him, felt her own excitement grow.

Gavin undid his kilt and swept it
from his body.

It was only them, this moment. He
pressed her open, wider, and slid a hand between her legs. One swipe of his
fingers left her pushing him closer.

Please, Gavin.

No reason to beg, my love.

He moved between her legs and
positioned himself over her.

Open your mind. Think of my pleasure.

She gasped as he pressed down. She
felt her own sheath closing around him, accepting him into her tight, welcoming
home. The intensity of the moment brought the flames in the hearth across the
room higher and the candles flickered against her closed lids.

Gavin moved away and back, filling
her a little more.

As her excitement grew, so did his,
yet she knew he held back, afraid he’d hurt her. Instead of telling him he
wouldn’t, she pushed the thought of them joined and the feeling of how glorious
it would be having him fully embedded inside her.

Gavin leaned up on his elbows and
opened his eyes, which she met without waver. An emotion she wasn’t sure she
wanted to label moved between them as he took her fully. Her body hesitated,
but she only felt her husband’s pleasure. She was tight, gripping him and
making it nearly impossible for him not to move.

Energy circled them both, solidifying
their bond in a way only intimacy could.

He kissed her, slowly.
Tell me I
can move, Amber…Please God tell me I can move.

Instead of answering him, she surged against
him. The friction forced his name from her lips.

The feel of him within her wasn’t
something she could have prepared herself for. The emotion of joining him
completed her.

With each stroke of his body against hers,
all thoughts of anything other than unraveling in his arms fled. “Gavin,” she
cried.

Thank goodness his gift filtered the
sound of them in the room from anyone else in the Keep. When he found the
perfect pace, her body fought the climb until it surged over in a stream of
fire and heat.

As her pleasure pushed over the edge,
she felt a wave of ecstasy crash over her husband like a wave on the sand. The
tidal wave swept her up with him, leaving them both rolling back to the earth
in slow foamy tremors.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Gavin enveloped her. The enormity of
emotion that welled over him when he claimed her was too big to describe. Even
now, as he lay by her side with her leg draped over his, he wasn’t close
enough.

Tara was right.

Amber’s thought drifted in his head.
“Tara was right about what?”

“I-I didn’t want you to hear that.”

He laughed. “Too late.”

Amber snuggled closer. “She told me
that because we’re bonded I wouldn’t feel any pain.”

 A completely male part of him
swelled. “It’s a perk of our heritage.”

“Yet you and I both know you’ve never
used that perk before.”

He tilted her head and smiled down at
her. “I’ve never needed it before.”

Kincaid felt her pride in knowing she
was the only maiden he’d ever taken to his bed. What she probably didn’t know
was he was the one who felt like a god. He’d made her first time something
special, something she’d treasure. Hell, he’d treasure it his entire life. The
way she moaned and called his name made him feel more powerful than any gift
from his ancestors, whoever they may have been.

Laughter from the great hall drifted
up the stairs. “Are there any other crazy traditions I need to be aware of tonight?
Anyone gonna rush in for an early morning roast?”

“We’re quite safe from anything like
that. I’m sure the maids will report the status of our sheets—”

“They’ll what?”
Status of the
sheets?

“Aye. Proof of my purity, and
confirmation we consummated our union. When I say that out loud I realize how
barbaric it sounds.”

“Incredibly.” Though there was no
question in his mind Amber wasn’t pure. When he’d breached her thin barrier, he
thought for sure he’d hurt her, but when she moved closer and encouraged him to
take her, he knew he hadn’t. Sex had always been a pleasurable release, but
with Amber, it was so much more.

She tucked closer and yawned. “I’m
sure my father will be pleased in any account. Not that we will be here to feel
his pride.”

He closed his eyes and felt the
weight of the day’s events suck his limbs deeper into the bed. “We won’t be
here?”

“Nay. My mother said we’ll be gone by
morning.”

“We will?”

“So she told me. But I can’t see
leaving this bed until the sun is high tomorrow.”

Lora’s premonition must have been
interpreted wrong. Sleep beckoned both of them. When Amber’s breathing evened
out and her limbs went lax over him, Kincaid pulled her closer and let his mind
rest.

****

Static in the air tickled Kincaid’s
nose as he slept. He rolled into the soft sleeping woman in his bed and heard a
snap. A blue light filled the room and he shot up in bed.

Amber was awake in an instant.

Kincaid felt the air change, grabbed
his weapon, and threw Amber her gown. “Quickly.”

The dark shadow of a man shifted in
time and entered their room with hardly a puff of air.

Friend or foe?

Beside him, Amber slid the gown over
her head, and he moved to shield her from their late-night visitor. Kincaid
leveled his weapon before the man turned around.

“Rory?”

His green-eyed friend offered a full wattage
smile. “It worked.”

“What are you doing here?”

You know him?
Amber asked.

“Yes, he’s a branded warrior.” And he
was in their bedchambers in a part of time none of them had ever been told to
travel. Which meant only one thing…something was about to go down.

“Time for you to get the hell out of
here,” Rory said without as much as a hello. His friend’s eyes traveled to
Amber. Kincaid shifted closer and covered her with one of the blankets.

“Did you come alone?”

“Had to. Now get dressed.”

Amber grasped Kincaid’s arm. “What’s
happening?”

“I don’t know, love. But if Rory is
here, it must mean we’re meant to leave.” Kincaid shot his eyes to his friend.
“Turn around, mate.”

Rory wiggled his eyebrows and presented
them his back. Kincaid wrapped the kilt he’d had on the night before around his
waist while Amber pulled a cape over her shoulders to hide her near-naked
state.

“Hurry.”

Kincaid found his weapons in the
trunk by the bed, and began strapping them on. He handed Amber the clothes he
wore when he first arrived.

Noise from the hall was brief and
then the door to the room swung open.

“Cian?”

Her brother stood in the doorway, a
sword in his hand.

“What are you doing here?” Kincaid
didn’t like the look on the man’s face, nor the stance in his frame.

Cian looked beyond the men and
straight at Amber.

Hate boiled from the Highlander.
There was no possible way Amber didn’t feel his emotion. “Let it go, Cian,”
Kincaid told him.

Cain shifted his stare to the bed and
cursed under his breath. “I’m too late.”

“What are you talking about?” Amber
pushed between him and Rory. “Too late for what?”

Stand back, Amber.

But instead of listening, she stepped
forward, forcing Kincaid to move closer to her angry brother.

“It isn’t what you think…the prophecy
can’t be about us. Please, Cian, you’re my brother. I’ve loved you since the
day I was born.”

Kincaid felt her heart breaking when
her brother’s face didn’t soften.

She hesitated and stepped back. “You
came in here to take me away.”

Cian narrowed his eyes. “And how can
you know that, Amber? Your gift only allows you to feel my hate, not my
intentions.”

“We need to go,” Rory said behind
them.

 “I feel your hate and your sorrow.
What happened to the love in your heart, Cian? You don’t need to worry about
me, but yourself.”

Cian took a step forward and lowered
his sword. “All of us now need to worry about you. I will see this undone.”

“Back off, Cian!”

Kincaid thickened the layer of
protection over them and extended his gift to Rory. He pulled Amber close and
glared at her brother who was causing her so much pain.

The air sparked and Kincaid shifted
time.

The moment they landed in Dawson’s
Manor, Amber curled into his shoulder and released a sob.

“Shh. It’s okay.”

“He hates me.”

“He’s angry and confused. Don’t cry.”

Rory moved away from the two of them
and circled the room. “Are we where I think we are?”

“Mrs. Dawson’s home in the twenty-first
century.”

“It’s changed.”

Amber pulled out of his arms and lifted
her chin. “Thank you for warning us.”

“Ah, you’re welcome, Miss…”

“It’s Mrs…” Kincaid corrected his
friend. “Mrs. Kincaid.”

Rory’s jaw dropped. “Really?”

“Amber Kincaid, formerly Amber
MacCoinnich.”

Rory went ghost-white. “Holy hell.
Colleen told me to be prepared for anything. To grab you and leave. I don’t…she
didn’t say…Holy hell.”

Kincaid knew how his friend felt.
Good thing Rory only met up with Cian. Although the impression of the family by
that one man wasn’t a good one.

“Does Colleen need you to return
right away?”

Rory shrugged. “I thought we’d both return
there.”

Kincaid looked at his wife. “No. Not
yet anyway.”

His friend offered a small smile.
“Well then, I guess I’m going back alone.” They shook hands and Rory pulled him
into a man-hug. “Be well.”

Rory took Amber’s hand and kissed the
back of it. “M’lady. I never thought I’d have the pleasure.”

“Thank you.”

Rory winked and said, “Good luck with
that one.”

She smiled though Kincaid knew her
thoughts were still on her brother’s reaction.

“Until we meet again.”

They both stood back while Rory
chanted and shifted forward in time.

****

The house had yet to stir. Their
presence went undetected. Gavin drew a warm bath and joined her in the scented
soap.

“Is this going to be our life?” she
asked him as he ran a hand down her arm and chased the bubbles in his path.

“What do you mean?”

“Moving in and out of time, following
the path set by the warriors in your time?”

He released a long-suffering sigh. “I
don’t know, Amber. I can’t help but believe we are exactly where we need to be
for now. Look how quickly we left your home. I think we both doubted your
mother’s words.”

“My mother has never been wrong.”

“Then I doubted her enough for both
of us.”

Amber laughed and the sound warmed
him. “You simply didn’t want to get out of bed.”

She felt his lips on the side of her
neck and she moaned.

“Why would I want to leave my bed
with you in it?”

Her head rolled back onto his
shoulder and she offered him her lips. He kissed her thoroughly and ran his
hand down her body.

She broke away. “I have a feeling
we’ll be spending a lot of extra time in our bed.”

“There are more places to make love
than a bed.” To emphasize his words his hand slid up her legs and in-between
the heated folds of her sex.

“Aye. You’ve already shown me that.”

His hand fell away, and he grasped
her hips and lifted her to the edge of the tub. “I have many, many things to
teach you.”

The chill of the outside air didn’t
compare to the excitement of seeing Gavin kneel before her and lean in to kiss
her breast. She squeezed his shoulders as he worked his way to her other side.
This would never get old. She understood now why her sisters were always so
animated when they talked about sex.

Gavin slid down farther.

I’m going to taste you now.

She didn’t understand, not
completely. Yet when she opened her eyes, she saw him hovering over her most
intimate parts as if he were about to embark on a feast.

Gavin, no.
Embarrassment flooded her mind.

One taste, and if you want me to stop,
I will.

His feather light touch on her thighs
reassured and coaxed her to open for him.
One.

She couldn’t watch him, not while he
was so close.

That’s it, love, close your eyes and
just feel.

Then he tasted her, his tongue sought
her tight bundle of nerves and she cried out,
God’s teeth.

More?

Yes. A million times, yes.

 He did…a million times more, until
she saw stars and climaxed harder than she ever had before.

The world didn’t still before Gavin
pulled her from the tub and carried her to their bed. He was on her, in her, in
seconds. The sensation was different from the first time. He didn’t push
thoughts of his pleasure into her head, and she experienced more of hers. Where
his thickness scared her before, it excited her now.

He touched the very back of her core,
finding another spot that made her need of him even stronger.

Gavin’s hungry kisses continued as he
rolled her on top of him. The change of angle brought on a small burst of his
seed.

“I want all of it,” she told him as
she met his pace and felt her body grow tight again.

“Together,” he said and hissed out
with each thrust of his hips.

The wave was nearly on her. The
desire to feel him release inside her, against her deepest spot, drove her
harder.
Now, Gavin. Finish me now.

Their surrender shattered them both.

Her breath came in short pants, and
the walls around them grew silent. “Please tell me no one else heard that.”

Gavin laughed beneath her. “Only me.”

She laughed a big hearty laugh until
Gavin joined her.

“The next time I say no, please
remind me of our bathtub.”

“I’ll do that.” Gavin ran his hands
down her body that had collapsed against his. “And then I’ll taste you again.”

“That really was magnificent. Does it
feel the same for you?”

“You mean your lips on me?”

“Aye.”

“I’ve always thought men had the
better end of that bargain, but after feeling your pleasure, I’m not so sure.”

“You felt my pleasure?”

“Every drop.”

She couldn’t be embarrassed. Not with
him.