The Imposter (17 page)

“I want this to
work,” I whispered, inhaling his scent, memorizing the smell of him.  My hands
drifted over the unfamiliar terrain of his broad chest, tracing the contours of
his body.    His body felt foreign beneath my fingertips, but my senses
hungered for more of him.

“Me too,” he said
in return, resting his forehead against mine.  “Now that I have ye for my own,
I want this more than ye can imagine.”

“I like it when
you kiss me,” I whispered boldly. 

His lips curled
into a delicious smile.  “Aye, I like it too,” he said so close that his lips
hovered just above mine.

My fingers
continued familiarizing themselves with his shoulders, his back and his neck.  They
twined themselves in the thick tail of hair at the base of his neck.  Devon
closed his eyes, gooseflesh spreading over his skin beneath my fingers.  I felt
him swiftly intake a breath.  His response to my touch made me feel powerful. 
It felt good to evoke such a response with just a light touch of my
fingertips.  I felt his muscles tense as my fingers moved from his neck and
slid down across the expansive muscles of his chest.

He placed a soft
kiss in the hollow between my ear and my neck, and slowly trailed kisses down
the length of my neck, languishing as his lips brushed the sensitive skin of my
collarbone.  I reached my hand up behind his neck and his arms encircled me as
he lowered my body towards the bed. 

The weight of his
body on top of mine was solid, reminding me how small I was in comparison to
this warrior.  Yet, he was gentle, supporting his weight on his elbows as he
continued his assault of kisses across the tops of my breasts and up the other
side of my neck.  He worked his way back up to my mouth, settling his lips over
mine in a heated kiss, staking claim to them as he demanded for me to meet his
passion.

“I could kiss ye
all day, Mrs. McClain,” he confessed, eyes devouring me.

 I bit my lower
lip under the heat of his gaze.

“I warned ye about
what that does tae me,” he said as he captured my lips again, his kiss
demanding now.  He nibbled my lower lip with his teeth and shivers of pleasure
ran down my spine.

 I felt the solid
heat of his erection pressed against me, evidence of his desire to claim me as
his own.  My body surprised me, emboldened by his kisses, I pressed myself against
him, urging him onward.  Showing him that I wanted him as well.  Devon’s
muscles tensed and he slowly broke our kiss, hovering mere centimeters above
me.  His green eyes looked down at me intently and I noticed that his angular
jaw was clenched in an effort to restrain himself.

“I think that
we’ve had enough for the night,” he said, slowly pulling away from me as he
raked his hand through his newly unbound hair.  Had I done that, I wondered? 
He pulled out the leather throng and efficiently tied the thick mass of
chestnut hair at the base of his skull, smiling as he did so, no doubt
relishing in the manner in which it had become so disheveled.

There was an
awkward silence and I was unsure of how to proceed.  My lips burned from his
kisses and I was disappointed that he had stopped.

What did I do
wrong?

“Can you unlace
this, please?” I asked turning my back to him so that he wouldn’t see the
disappointment in my eyes, exposing the back of my wedding gown.

“Ye surely wish
tae drive me to insanity, lass.  Here I am trying to be a gentleman and ye ask
me tae unlace yer gown!” he laughed, hands already on the laces, working
swiftly and diligently, loosening the stays.  His breathing was heavy.  I could
tell that he had not wanted to stop.  He had enjoyed kissing me, touching me.

I clutched the
satin gown to my breasts as I turned around and looked at Devon.  What did he
mean by “trying to be a gentleman?”  I held his gaze as I removed my arms from
the sleeves and continued to hold the midnight blue gown to my chest.  Beneath
the gown was a sheath of the lightest silk, which I knew would drive him over
the edge.

“Lass, I um……” he
swallowed hard, struggling to retain his last shreds of composure.

I began to slowly
release my grip on the bodice of the gown and he jumped at me.

“No!” he shouted. 
Startled, I clasped the gown about myself.  “Och, that didn’t come out right,
lass.” he smiled, chuckling slightly.  “Believe me, I would love to see what’s
under there, but I made a vow to myself, and I canna… I canna let ye do that
tonight.” he stammered.

It was surprising
to see Devon so unnerved.  He was usually so calm and in control.       “They
may have forced us tae marry against our will, but I’ll be damned if they can
force me tae take my bride against her will.  I willna touch ye tonight, lass,”
he said firmly.

“But, Devon,” I
said, my eyes searching his.  “You certainly wouldn’t be forcing me, I want
to.  I am your wife.” The words felt new and strange on my lips.

“When I take ye
lass, ye will ask me.  I hope that ye will beg me,” he smiled that devilish
smile.  “Ye will ask me because ye want tae be my wife, not because ye were
forced tae be my wife.  I will ken when ye really mean it,”  his eyes smoldered
with desire, but he was dead serious.

The tenderness of
this gesture struck me to the core.  Although we had been forced into this
marriage, Devon was allowing me a choice.  He was asking for my willingness to
be his wife, before we consummated out marriage.

  “Thank you,” I
uttered with sincerity.

With that, he
grabbed a blanket from the bed and began making himself a bed upon the floor.

Chapter Nine

I awoke startled,
instantly aware that I was not alone in the chamber.  Instinctively, I clutched
the sheets around me and I felt Devon’s presence in the chair next to the fire,
felt his eyes studying me from across the room.

“Good morning,
sleepy head,” he smiled from across the room. 

He rose from the chair
and walked over to the bed.  He wore only his kilt and I was again struck by
how gracefully he moved and also by the beauty of his well muscled, smooth
chest and his narrow waist.

He is mine now.
 
This thought sent shivers trailing up my spine.
  This beautiful man is my
husband.

I mustered what I
could of a smile in return, and grumbled, “good morning,” as I raked a hand
through my tangled hair.  I was embarrassed, thinking that I must look
frightful. 

Devon flopped on
the bed and settled next to me as I relaxed back against the pillows, still
clutching the sheets across my breasts.  He lay on his side, head propped up
with one arm, elbow resting on the bed.  His hair was unbound and a night’s
growth of beard lent him a handsome, rugged look as his eyes took me in.

“No a morning
person, I see?” he smiled, examining me with his green cat’s eyes.

“Mmghm,” I
grumbled in response, causing him to chuckle.

“Would tea help?”
he offered, rising from the bed before I had a chance to answer.  He padded
barefoot over to the table by the door, poured two cups of the steaming liquid
and returned to the bed.  He handed me a cup of tea and settled himself back
onto the bed, this time sitting next to me.

“I’ll take it that
you are a morning person?” I said, sitting up in the massive bed and running my
fingers through my hair to make my appearance more presentable.

 “Kate, doona fuss
with yer hair.  Ye look beautiful” he said as if reading my mind.  He looked
directly into my eyes, his look was desirous, hungry.  The intensity of his
gaze caused me to break away.  I felt the burn of color flushing my face.  “Yer
beautiful and ye were meant to be marrit to the Laird.  Up until yesterday, ye
were the most eligible, most sought after lass in the keep.  And now yer mine,”
he said, possessiveness heavy in his voice.

            I released my grip on
the sheet and settled both hands around the warm, soothing cup that he offered,
eyebrows raised as he awaited my response.  Devon’s statement sped up my pulse,
and I felt my body stir in response to his open statement of possession. He was
lying half naked on my bed.  I wanted him to touch me.

I studied him over
the rim of my tea cup, my blue eyes meeting his green. There was a peculiar
look in his eyes as he watched me.

“What?” I asked, my voice sounding
harsher than I had intended.

            Devon chuckled and then
raked his hand through his tousled hair.  “I was just thinking of how this is a
first for me,” he said, eyes blazing, something close to amusement in his
expression.

“What is a first?”
I asked, perplexed by his statement.

“Allowing a woman
to sleep in my bed.”

“Have you had many
women in your bed, Devon?” I asked emboldened stinging feelings of jealousy. 
He had not said that women had not been
in
his bed, he had only said
that they were not allowed to
sleep
there.

“No, not many,”
Devon said calmly, the topic leaving him unfazed.  “I’ll no lie tae ye and tell
ye that there have no been others before ye,” he said, eyes steely and intense.

Jealousy burned
hot within me.  I did not like thinking of Devon with other women.

“I liked having ye
in my bed,” Devon confessed, eyes hungry as he watched me.  “I liked waking up
tae find ye still sleeping beside me.”

I bit my lower lip
in response to his blatant approval of me occupying his massive bed. 

“What are ye sae
afraid of, Kate,” he asked, voice now serious.

Terror struck
suddenly.  What was he talking about?

“I don’t know what
you’re talking about,” I lied coolly, casting my eyes away from his intense
stare.  The truth was that I was afraid of so many things.

“Ye had a
nightmare last night.  Ye were talking in yer sleep, almost screaming at
times.”

Oh my God! 
What had I said?

I fought to remain
composed and twisted my fingers in the sheets.  My thoughts were frantic as I
tried to recall my dreams.  Nothing stuck in my memory.  My heart was beating
an erratic rhythm, my blood singing in my veins.  I tried not to panic.

“What was I
talking about?” I asked, terrified of his answer.

“I’m not exactly
sure, but it seemed as if someone was chasin’ ye,” he said, looking worried now
as he studied me from across the bed.  “Ye called out for me twice, and I
thought that ye might have awoken and been scared, but when I came tae ye in
the bed, ye were still asleep.”

I wanted to die
from embarrassment and I felt color burning my cheeks.  I had called out for
him in my dreams. Had my voice carried a hint of how I wanted him, how
attractive I found him? It could have been much, much worse, I reminded myself.

“I’d planned tae
be a most respectable gentleman and sleep on the floor, but when I came tae ye
in the bed and wrapped my arms about ye tae quiet yer nightmare, ye fell
silent.”

“Oh,” I responded,
shocked.  Devon’s embrace did have a calming effect on me, but I was shocked to
realize that he had held me while I had slept and that I had not awoken.

“And as I told ye
before, it was a first for me tae allow a woman tae sleep in my bed.  In fact,
I thought that I wouldna be able tae sleep at all while ye were in my room.”

“Did you?” I
asked, worried that he had spent the whole night listening to me spill my
secrets as I talked in my sleep.

“Aye, I slept like
the dead holding ye against me, keeping ye safe,” he whispered huskily.  “And I
thank ye for that, lass.  I canna recall the last time I slept through the
night.  In fact, I rarely sleep at all.  I’m a man who had a lot to worry
about, a lot tae keep me awake at night,” he said, caution heavy in his tone.

                                                                        ***

“Gotcha!” Devon
exclaimed as he stalked up behind me and pulled me behind the stables and into his
embrace.

My heart nearly
stopped beating from the thrill of his surprise attack.

His lips were one
mine, playful yet demanding as he pressed my body against the length of his
own.  I opened my mouth for him and kissed him passionately, having missed him
since this morning. 

“Where are ye
headed Mrs. McClain?” he whispered huskily, stubble tickling my cheek as he
playfully nipped at my ear.

I struggled to
find words, having been so unnerved by his kisses and his arousing touch. 

“I was hoping to
find you,” I confessed, smiling up at him and pushing his disheveled hair
behind his ear.

I messed up
your hair.
  I had done that to him, I thought naughtily.

“And find me ye
did,” he smiled devilishly as he trailed kisses down my throat, robbing me of
all rational thought.  “What will ye do with me now that ye’ve found me?”

“I quite like what
you’re doing to me now,” I said haughtily, goosebumps breaking out on my skin
as his fingers skimmed beneath the neckline of my gown.

“Do ye now?” he
questioned, eyes mischievous.  “Because I quite like it too,” he said as he
traced the line of my lower lip with his thumb and then ever so gently kissed
me on the lips.

Liquid fire shot
through my veins at his light, tender touch.

“I have something
for ye,” he said, pulling away from me and digging roughly through his
sporran.  His eyes sparkled with excitement as he found what he had been
searching for and hid it in his enclosed fist.  His lips curled into a
delicious playful smile.

“No peeking! 
Close yer eyes and give me yer hand.”

I did as he asked,
unable to quell the idiot’s smile that had spread across my face.  Seeing Devon
so excited to give me a present made me giddy.