The Blessed Blend (17 page)

The chase lasted for nearly half an hour and ended when the unlucky buck stumbled as he tried to run up a shale-strewn hillside. Nightside hamstrung the left leg and Raze grabbed hold of the deer’s throat. The rest of the wolves pounced and tore at its soft belly, and then sang their victory song when the death throes ended. It had been a good hunt.

Callie skinned the carcass with the head attached, rolled up the hide, and put it in a garbage bag. “Goodnight and eat well, pack-mates,” she said in salute. “I’ve got to get home. I’ll see you folks tomorrow.” With that she set off for the lodge.

Euan was sitting in the kitchen when Callie came through the door to the mud room. Worried sick, he couldn’t sleep until he knew she was alright. When she stepped into the kitchen, he asked, “Arre ye alright, lass? I was afeart for ye oot there in the night.”

She had stopped at a creek on the way home to wash the blood off of her hands but there was still a bit on the cuffs of her coat, some on her jeans, and a smear of it on one cheek where she had pushed her hair back out of her face while skinning the deer. He thought she looked as fierce and wild as one of their ancient Celtic ancestresses, women who hunted and fought alongside their men, and often as not fought with them. If the tales were even partly true, the sexes were pretty evenly matched for ferocity back in the long ago. Were he a betting man, he would wager that Callie would have been among the elite of warrior women.

Callie stared at Euan, wondering why he should care that she had been out hunting. She remembered his admission to the twins of his love for her and her mind wavered between acceptance and rejection of it. Yet, she could see the concern in his eyes, the nervous movement of his body as if he wanted to reach for her but was holding himself back. Her eyes glanced over him swiftly as she deciphered his body language and cross-referenced it with her intuitive scan of his emotions.

Finally she decided that he was genuinely concerned and shrugged, “It was a good hunt. We’re all fine. I have a hide to scrape.” She hung her bow case and quiver on a peg.

As she turned to go back outside, Euan said, “What d’ ye mean a hide t’ scrape? For God’s sake, woman, it’s nearly midnight! Ye should be in bed asleep!”

Callie snapped, “And who made you the boss of me, Mr. Wallace? I’m a grown woman and I can damned well decide for myself when I’ll go to bed!” Her eyes narrowed and she bared her teeth as she added, “And what I’ll do in it!”

Euan glowered at her. The damned hard-headed woman must think she was a law unto herself! In a tight voice he rasped, “Ye hae twa bairns or did ye forget tha’ for a moment? What if something were tae happen t’ ye, Callie? It would hurt them soul-deep t’ lose ye.” He paused before adding, “An’ it would hurt me.”

“Hurt
you
?” she exclaimed, her eyes glittering with anger. “Just how would it hurt you, Euan? You made it damned clear to me four years ago that we were over and done with! Even now the only reason you’re here, by your own word, is for the children. If I were out of the picture you’d have them all to yourself!”

Perhaps it was the fact that his nerves were strained by the hours of waiting for her to return safely, or the years of agony over losing her as stupidly as he had, or the burning desire he held for her; something broke loose in Euan. He strode forward, grabbed Callie by the shoulders and hair, and kissed her. Hard.

Without releasing her he pinned her against the door and held her fast. She struggled to get free but the adrenaline rushing through his system dulled his ability to feel pain as she kicked and punched at him. He grabbed her hands and held them behind her back with one of his own, pinned her legs between his, and held her braid fast to immobilize her head as he deepened his kiss.

Callie was caught off-guard and thrown off kilter by Euan’s actions. Had he been anyone else he would have been down on the floor writhing in pain and damned lucky to be alive, but Callie couldn’t bring herself to hurt him. Part of her
wanted
to beat him to a bloody pulp for this assault and invasion but another part of her wanted him to strip her naked and give her a straight-up, toe-curling, good old-fashioned fucking.

And it was that part of her that was getting the upper hand in Callie’s war with herself.

She couldn’t struggle with the both of them at the same time and she finally gave in, opening her mouth and meeting his tongue with her own. Fire ran through her, white-hot and blinding in its intensity. Her heart hammered and her breaths were rapid and uneven. Her brain lost the ability to think or reason in any capacity, and her empty womb cried out to be filled again.

Euan felt her give way to him and what self-control he had left evaporated. He picked her up and carried her to the counter, still locked in that kiss. He removed her coat and tossed it on the floor, and likewise her shirt and bra. His hands cupped her breasts, massaging the nipples with skilled fingers that remembered just how she liked to be touched. As she pressed into him, he disengaged his lips from hers and worked his way to her left ear, tracing its rims and folds with his tongue, before nibbling down her satiny neck to her shoulders.

She grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head down to her bosom. He suckled her hard, his tongue swirling around and flicking first one dusky rose peak then the other. Her moans and sighs urged him on as his administrations increased the pulsing heat between her legs. She tugged at his shirt, trying to pull it up.

Euan stripped his shirt off and then unbuckled his pants, shoving them down his hips and thighs. Callie was trying to get her jeans off and he was more than happy to help her. God, she had forgotten how deft his hands were! He untied her double-knotted boot laces as if they were loosely tied silken bows. Her boots landed with a dull thud on the floor. He yanked off her pants and panties with equal dexterity.

His hands brushed up and down each of her thighs, feeling her quiver with desire. He needed to be inside her, to join with her, to have her and give to her. First stroking the deep brown curls of her mound, he slid his fingers into the wet heat of her cleft. Ah, she was as ready for him as he was for her! He found her bud and massaged it with increasing intensity until her hips bucked and she grabbed his cock, begging him to take her.
Now!

He plunged into her and plowed her flesh hard and fast. No other woman had ever felt this good or excited him past the point of reason. No other woman could or would take her place in his heart, his bed, or his life.

Callie’s blood ran like fire in her veins, carrying her along on the wild ride. As Euan’s hips slammed against the cradle of her pelvis and his steel-hard rod surged in and out of her, she urged him to go faster and harder. Indescribable pleasure rolled through her being right down to the cellular level until it exploded and she buried her face in his shoulder to muffle the cries that rushed up from the marrow of her soul towards the heavens.

As her flesh pulsed in climax, Euan felt his own release and a roaring groan came up from deep in his gut. His seed spilled into her in waves and he kept thrusting until the pleasure became too much to bear. A shudder went through him and he slumped against her, his breath ragged.

They held onto each other for a few minutes before Callie whispered, “Oh God, Euan, what have we done?”

Euan looked into Callie’s face. Her eyes were wide with shock and…
fear?
Tears welled up and spilled over as she shook her head slowly.

“I doona understand, lass,” he responded gently. “Why arre ye cryin’? Did I hurt ye? I dinna mean tae…” He was muted as her fingers covered his lips.

“Euan, don’t you know what we just did?” she asked in a small voice. “I’m not using birth control and unless you somehow managed to put a condom on, we’ve just had unprotected sex. I could get pregnant again!” The anguished look on her face spoke volumes.

He looked intently at her. Their bodies were still coupled and his arousal hadn’t abated despite the release. The scent of their joining surrounded them and he breathed it in like fresh air after a rain. His voice was still thick with desire as he soothed, “An’ look hoo gude we did the first time aroon, Callie. But if m’ seed takes root in ye, this time I’ll be a’ yer side where I belong.”

She started to cry in earnest. “Damn you, Euan!” she sobbed. “Why didn’t you stand by me the first time? Why did you put us through all of that? All of this? I loved you!”

Euan pulled her closer. “I loved ye, too, Callie” he said softly. “I love ye still. God, lass, please gi’e me the chance t’ make it up tae ye. I swear I’ll ne’er forsake ye again.” He nuzzled her hair and kissed her brow. “I hae missed ye, Callie,” he crooned. “Ah, love, there’s nae a woman like ye an’ nae a woman I want excep’ ye.”

“You’re a liar, Euan Wallace!” Callie whispered through her tears.

For the first time since Euan had chased her out of his life she felt defeated. She was tired of fighting. Tired of living in a state of siege and holding the battlements alone. Tired of the sorrow and pain and anger in her wounded heart.

She loved Euan and had never wanted more than to be loved by him. She wanted to believe his words and find a bit of peace and healing for her heart, but was afraid of getting hurt again. Hope offered a wavering whisper of a song somewhere inside her and yet she dared not believe in it because she couldn’t trust that it was real.

Euan released his hold enough to look in her eyes. Wiping away her tears he said softly, “I’m nae a liar, Callie. A bloody fool, aye, but nae a liar. I’m nae leavin’ ye, lass. I’m stayin’ here wi’ ye an’ our bairns. I’ll marry ye. I’ll do anythin’ ye want me t’ do tae prove m’self.”

“What about your croft?” she asked. “Your livelihood? Your family?”

He shrugged. “It’s a Wallace holding to which I’ve nae title. I hae been managing it for m’ grandfather. Or rather, they hae indulged me tae manage it until I came tae m’ senses an’ decided tae become a respectable partner in the family business. I’m done wi’ all o’ tha’, lass. They can shove it s’ far up their arses tha’ they choke on it.”

Callie saw the conviction in Euan’s eyes and conceded that perhaps he was being honest about it. Whether or not he could stand up to the clout of his family was another matter. She had no doubt that his parents and grandparents would come after him to assuage their pride and wouldn’t care who they trampled in their quest.

“They’ll cut you off,” she said. “They’ll come after you and once they find out about the twins they’ll see that as a way to kill two birds with one stone.”

Euan paused, thinking. Oh, aye, there was that. The realization chilled his blood as he considered just exactly what his parents might do to punish him and Callie. With a frown he asked, “Meaning what?”

“What if they try to get custody of Mountain Rose and Red Wolf to force you to return to the fold and toe the line?” she asked. “They’d take them to Scotland and force you to go with them if you wanted to have anything to do with raising them. And they’d make damned sure I’d never see them again and that you stayed away from me.”

More tears slid down her cheeks as her voice conveyed her fears.

“They canna do that!” he stated firmly. “We’re the bairns’ parents, nae them!”

“They have all of their wealth and power, Euan,” Callie countered. “We have diddly-squat.”

“I hae m’ trust accounts,” he replied. “An’ I hae them where they canna be touched by anyone except m’ self.”

He cupped her face between his hands. “Callie, doona ye ken I’ve learned a few o’ the family tricks m’self?” At the confused look on her face he continued, “Och, I hae learned how tae invest wisely an’ how tae hide transactions sae that Sherlock himself couldna find them. I moved m’ accounts oot o’ the banking system m’ family partners in sae there’s nae way they could find or tamper wi’ them.”

“Like Swiss accounts?” she asked.

“Aye, like that,” he affirmed. “An’ I hae m’ ain solicitor who isna afeart o’ m’ family. When it comes tae his business an’ the like he’s an even dirtier bastard than m’ fathair, sae ye can ken how ruthless he’ll be on a client’s behalf.”
 

Callie considered that for a moment. “But you know they’ll try, Euan. I don’t want my…
our
children hurt like that.”

“Aye, lass. They’ll try but they willna win unless we allow it,” he said. “We hae t’ be a family sae tha’ they hae nae grounds for suit. Marry me, Callie. Let me be the mon I should ha’ been for ye sae I can protect ye and our bairns.”

Callie pushed him away and scooted back, uncoupling them. Warring emotions stormed within her heart and flashed in her eyes. For a long moment she stared at him, her gaze searching his features as she tried to plumb the depths of the man she was forever bound to through her children, including one she might have just conceived. It wasn’t fair that he had so much of a hold on her life, her heart.

In her lower peripheral vision she could see that his shaft was still hard and she disgustedly admitted to herself that she was also still aroused. Damn the man for doing that to her, because he was the
only
one who could.

“We shouldn’t…” she started.

“Nae?” he asked as he pulled her close and rejoined his flesh with hers. “Callie, ye canna tell me ye’re nae as hot for me as I am for ye. Can ye tell me ye doona love me? The Callie I knew couldna tell a lie t’ save her life. S’ tell me, lass, d’ ye love me?”