The Magic of Highland Dragons (26 page)

She looked up at him and her smile turned playful. “But I’m not tired at all; in fact I think I’d like to try a few more dances. And I could sit and listen to the pipers all night. The music is wonderful.” She let her hand drop from his shoulder to his back, her fingers trailing slowly over the hard muscle, which tensed under her touch.

He sucked in a breath and squeezed her hand in warning. “Tell her, before I take ye right here on the floor in front of everyone in the hall.”

She gave him a censorious look, but signaled to Berta, who came bustling over. Faith held Bren’s gaze as she spoke, her own eyes glinting with mischief. “My laird has decided that I am tired and has suggested I retire to my chamber to rest.”

Berta’s gaze swept between the two of them, noting with much satisfaction the dark and hungry look in Bren’s eyes, as well as the tightness of his jaw and the rapid throbbing of the pulse in his neck. And Faith was melting towards him without even realizing she did so. Aye, Berta was reminded of her own youth, when she had been so in love with her husband that sometimes they missed dinner all together, they were in so much of a hurry to reach the bed chamber.

Berta went off to make the arrangements, and Faith was soon swept away and escorted to the laird’s chamber by a bevy of giggling women, Berta their enthusiastic ring leader, and the rest of the crowd in the hall cheering from below. Faith thought her cheeks must never have been so red.

In no time at all, the mob of women had stripped her naked, swabbed her with rose water, and tucked her into the bed, covered only by a thin linen sheet. She held it up to her nose. The bedding was freshly washed and had been scented with roses as well. She suddenly felt quite nervous. Deidre put another log on the fire and lit the candles on the table. She doused the larger, brighter ones in the sconces, and then surveyed the room.

“Perfect!” she declared.

Berta pushed Fiona towards the door. “The bride is ready, go and fetch the groom!”

Faith’s heart began to pound, and her fingers were trembling as she toyed with the embroidered edge of the sheet.

Berta smiled at her show of nerves and gave her a sagacious look. “Now lass, ye are no’ troubled over the bedding, are ye? After all, the worst is already over! The rest is just what lasses have been giggling about for all of time. Ye’ll see. Then ye willna want to leave this bed or yer new husband. He’s a good lad, is our laird, and he’ll do his best to please ye.”

Faith smiled and almost laughed out loud when Berta called Bren a lad. He was a man, through and through. She couldn’t even imagine him ever as a child. He was just too big and strong and had too much of a presence to have ever been that small. But if Berta’s intention had been to help put her at ease, it had worked.

Downstairs in the hall, Bren was no longer paying any attention to the evening’s entertainment. In fact since the women had taken Faith upstairs, he was struggling to maintain any pretense of decorum whatsoever. Ah god, sitting here waiting was pure torture! He was one breath away from excusing himself and going up after her when he heard the women’s voices on the stairs.
Finally!

Fiona approached the dais and made a curtsy to him, and he stood. “My laird, yer bride awaits ye.”

As was custom, all of the men cheered and shouted their approval, along with the to-be-expected lude remarks and bawdy humor. Bren saluted them all, and then Eian and Drust came forward to take him up to the bridal chamber. As his brothers, it was their duty to do so, and an honor. They made a big show of dragging him up the stairs to the delight of everyone in the hall below, but when they came to the door of the chamber, they all paused. Eian was the first to clap Bren affectionately on the shoulder. “I’m happy for ye brother. I ken how much ye’ve wanted this. Now ye will have a true home. Aye, we all will.”

Bren nodded. “Thank ye, Eian. Thank ye both, for everything.” He put an arm around each of his brothers, then his lips curled up in a rueful smile, and he laughed. “I do believe, that for the verra first time in my life, I’m nervous about bedding a woman.”

Eian snorted. “That’s only because this time it’s forever and if ye dinna do the job right, ye have nay escape. Now get in there before she decides ye’re not worth waiting for.”

Drust opened the door, and Eian pushed him through. The women in the room with Faith giggled, and he herded them towards the open door.

“Out! All of ye!” He closed the door behind them and leaned against it for a moment.

She was there on the bed, sitting up against the headboard. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, shining in the candlelight. Her eyes were wide and he thought she must be as nervous as he was. He had not been this anxious since his first time bedding a lass, but after all this was his wedding night, and he had much to make up for. She held the sheet clenched tightly in one fist, covering her breasts, but as his eyes paused there she loosened her grip a bit.

God, he didn’t know where to start. Should he talk to her awhile first? Nay, that might not work. He wouldn’t be able to hold out for more than a minute, with the fierce way his body was reacting to just the sight of her. He could feel the blood pounding through his veins. He was already hard, but then he had been hard pretty much all evening. Only now it was almost painful. He didn’t want to frighten her. She was bound to be a bit frightened of him, after what he had done. It may have been necessary, but he could have at least been gentle. He hadn’t been gentle. He wasn’t even entirely sure he could be gentle now. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides as he tried desperately to gain more control over his body before going to her. This was, after all, his wedding night, and this was the moment he had been waiting for… hoping for… for such a very long time. The alignment of all the stars that had fallen away, and the consummation of his marriage to the woman who was his soul mate. How had he come to be standing here now before her, so very unworthy of all that she was?

Chapter 14
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Faith had heard the men’s voices outside the door, but her heart had still leapt into her throat when Bren came into the room. After everyone else had gone, he didn’t say a word, but stood there for several moments, looking at her, hesitating. For a moment she wondered if he was having second thoughts, because after weeks of pursuing her she had assumed he would be more than eager to finally have her in his bed. Then Faith remembered what Berta had said this morning; that he was afraid she would hate him after… after their first time together. Oh, far from it! Perhaps she should reassure him, then? It was the least she could do, after all he’d already done for her.

She smiled. “Come over here”, she said softly, suddenly unable to go another moment without his touch and his kiss.

He walked toward her, keeping his eyes locked on hers, and she let go of the sheet, holding her arms open to him. He fell down into them, meeting her lips and kissing her. Tenderly at first, but then harder, more and more urgently. He threaded his fingers through her hair, holding her head so that he could kiss her deeper still. Her own hands grasped his shirt, pulling it up until he broke the kiss for just long enough to tear it over his head and toss it away. Then his mouth returned to hers. She ran her hands up the smooth, hard planes of his chest, then down the taut muscles of his back. He ripped the sheet out from between their bodies and his hands covered her breasts.

“Faith, I dinna ken where to begin”, he said in a harsh whisper. “I want to kiss every part of ye. I want to go slowly and make it last forever, yet I want to be inside ye, right now.”

“I want you inside me, Bren. I want you so close to me.”

He kissed her then, hard, fierce, as if he could pull her into himself and they could be one. His hands moved restlessly over her skin, touching every inch of her. He gripped and squeezed her breasts, then bent his head to take a nipple into his mouth. As he drew hard, she felt a pulse of pleasure all the way to her womb, and her hips arched up, instinctively wanting to meet his, wanting more. He drew her other breast into his mouth for a long moment before dragging kisses along her neck, pausing at a place just below her jaw that made her sigh and writhe against him in need. And then… then his mouth covered hers again, but his hand moved lower, skimming over her abdomen, gently parting her thighs. When he touched her, a shock of pleasure pulsed through her entire body, and her legs fell open farther, only wanting more. And more, and more…

“Ye want me”, he said between hot kisses. “Ye are so hot, so wet, and I have barely begun to touch ye. Ah god, Faith! Ye will unman me.”

She reached for his belt, fumbling with the buckle as she desperately tried to remove the last barrier between them. “I want this off.”

He helped her with the buckle and pulled the kilt away, leaving them pressed together, skin to skin. He froze, still except for his ragged breathing and pounding heart. He looked down at her, holding her gaze with his. He had wanted to take much more time to ready her, to pleasure her, but his need for her was so strong… He shut his eyes for a moment and took several deep breaths, but it did not help.

“Open yer legs for me, because by God I think I will die if I dinna take ye right now.”

She did as he asked, and he pressed himself up against her very center, watching her face as he slowly but firmly thrust all the way inside. His breath came faster, and he closed his eyes in ecstasy. Sliding his hands beneath her bottom, he pulled her close against him, trembling, gently rocking their bodies together. She brought her legs up to lock around him, holding him to her more tightly. She made a small whimpering sound and thrust her hips harder against him. Bren gritted his teeth, his skin growing hot and wet with the effort to stay in control. He wanted to be tender, gentle, to make up for what had come before. But it felt too good, so damned good, and he knew he couldn’t last.

“Bren, please, more!”

The sound of his name on her lips was all it took. He let go of his restraint, thrusting harder and faster, unable to help himself anymore. He pounded into her, needing release, because there was just too much pleasure. She made a breathy sound beneath him, her body squeezing him tighter and tighter until she arched up taut against him and he felt her shudder, a soft cry on her parted lips. He thrust harder, so close, so damn close… ah god! He threw his head back and squeezed his eyes shut as he spilled into her, pulsing again and again… the pleasure almost too intense to bear. He collapsed on top of her with a helpless moan, and still inside of her, pulled her close to him as he rolled onto his side. He buried his face in her hair, taking in the scent of her, too blissfully happy and sated to talk or to move for a moment.

She turned her face up to his, a look of contentment soft on her features. He gave her a lazy, sensual smile and kissed her, less urgently now, but deeply and slowly, before he broke away and looked down at her.

“Och, lass. I’ve lost my very soul to ye this night. Already I canna imagine a life without ye. Being with ye, being inside ye, there are nay words to say what it is like for me, how verra good it is.” His fingers traced her cheek, her lips. “I hope ye are no’ too tired, because already I want ye again, and again after that… in fact I think I shall never have enough.”

His hand slid over her throat, and slowly down to her breast. He lifted his head, looking at his hand where it lay against her pale skin. He had forgotten. Now was not the time, but it was too important to save for later. “Faith… where is the Dragon Ring?”

She reached her hand up to cover his. “I don’t know. When I woke up in the cave, it was gone.” She felt his whole body tense suddenly. “I’m sorry Bren. I’m so sorry, I never meant to lose it. I know how important it is to you… to the whole clan. If only I hadn’t left my room… I…”

“Nay.” He bent to kiss her, cutting off her words. “Nay, it’s my fault. I never should have left ye alone, unguarded. No’ even for a moment, no’ even in yer father’s home. Because even then ye were mine already, mine to protect. Ye will always be mine. No one else’s.” As he spoke, his face hardened into a fierce look of possession. He held her arms, his grip tight with the powerful emotions filling him so completely. I am yer lord, yer master, nay other. Ye will never leave me because I would never let ye. I will have ye here by my side, in my bed, for always.”

She smiled. “And you are mine, and mine alone. Mine to command.”

He grinned at her, wickedly. “Aye.”

He pulled her closer, kissing her forehead. “But we need to find the ring, before Mored can use it against us. That is what I fear. If he can unlock its magic, he will try to harm us.”

“We’ll find it; I’m sure we’ll find it.”

He nodded. “Aye, we must. I will no’ rest easy until it is back in Mac Coinnach hands. Until it is locked safe in the chest where it belongs. Though I admit I would lose it a thousand times over if it meant having ye here in my arms.” He ran a thumb across her bottom lip, and she felt her heart speed up again.

A sudden thought occurred to her. “I am a Mac Coinnach now, too. You’ve made me one.”

“Aye, I have at that.” He regarded her for a moment, his expression changing again, this time to a smile laced with unmistakable pride, and, could it be… love?. Then he grew serious, and took her by both arms, looking down at her with an intensity that was mildly alarming.