True Love Brides 02 - The Highlander’s Curse (32 page)

“Again,” she demanded in a whisper, loving the feel of his hands on her skin, and he speared his fingers into her hair again. Annelise tipped her head back and enjoyed his caress, closing her eyes until he kissed her again. His hand fell to her breast, cupping its weight in his hand, his thumb sliding across the taut peak. Annelise gasped and arched her back, and he pinched her nipple between his finger and thumb, even as his tongue danced with hers. Once again, Annelise felt stirred to life, filled with both languor and impatience. She wanted to savor his touch, but she wanted more and more, as well. He had awakened a hunger within her, one she believed would never be sated.

Not so long as it was Garrett who touched her.

She wished to be bold and to make love outside, in this place he had known and loved.

Annelise hastily unfastened with her own laces, untying the sides of her kirtle, then lifted the woolen garment over her head and discarded it. Her chemise was sheer and she saw Garrett’s admiration, but she wished to be nude when he touched her. She wanted no barriers between them, not of any kind. She pulled off the chemise with impatience, fearing her boldness would be lost if she lingered overlong, then turned to face him, clad only in her stockings.

Garrett stared at her with an awe that made her blush.

The heat of desire in his eyes made her nipples bead and launched a warmth within her belly. She felt that her skin tingled as he admired her, and she shook out her hair, turning before him with new pride. The sun was warm upon her skin and their privacy complete. Garrett smiled, but did not reach for her as yet.

He unlaced his own jerkin and cast it aside, then shed his chemise. Annelise was fascinated by the differences between their bodies. His skin was tanned and golden, and there was hair upon his chest. He tugged off his boots and shed his kilt with his back to her. He spread the tartan on the ground, then turned to let her see him fully.

Annelise blinked, then met his gaze with a smile.

“Will you aid me with my stockings, sir?” she asked, her tone teasing.

*

Garrett dropped to one knee before Annelise and placed her foot upon his other knee. He unfastened her boot and set it aside, then trailed his fingers up her leg to her garter. She thought he would untie her garter, but the fingers of one hand continued up the smooth skin on the inside of her thigh. He touched her with his fingertips, the first contact sending a jolt of pleasure through Annelise, then his fingers caressed her slowly. She felt herself gasp and then flush, astonished that this pleasure could be even greater the second time. He smiled as his fingers worked against her and Annelise feared she would not be able to stand much longer.

Then he bent and untied her garter with his teeth. He slid down her stocking, easing it down to her ankle with the flat of his other hand, his palm warm and smooth against her skin. Still his other hand teased and cajoled, his touch driving all coherent thought from Annelise’s mind. She wanted him and could think of naught else.

Indeed, having had him once made her yearning for him all the more acute. She knew what it would feel like, and that fed her hunger for more.

He put her foot down on the ground, then reached for the other, exchanging his hands. He echoed the same pattern, his other hand sliding up the inside of her thigh to her secret heat. This time, though, Annelise stood with her thighs a little further apart, granting him access.

Welcoming his touch.

She gasped aloud when his fingers slid over her. Again, he unfastened her garter with his teeth, and again, he slid the stocking down, moving so slowly that Annelise thought he would never be done. She saw that his erection was larger and harder than it had been and knew that he enjoyed this pleasure, as well. His fingers slid deeper between the wet and swollen folds of her labia, then eased inside her. Annelise gasped with pleasure and shook so that she feared she would lose her balance.

Garrett stood up and caught her in his embrace, kissing her thoroughly even as he lifted her off her feet. Annelise felt as if she were floating, then she smiled as he stretched her out on the tartan.

His hand closed again over her breast and Annelise much preferred the feel of his palm upon her bare skin. He pinched the nipple once more, making her squirm with a desire she could not name, then replaced his fingers with his mouth. He suckled her, drew her nipple to a taut point, flicked his tongue across it and suckled it again. It was a kiss, but a different one, a delightful one that left Annelise writhing.

She reached for him, but Garrett moved lower, his tongue flicking into her navel before he parted her thighs and closed his mouth over the heat he had kindled. This was a kiss intended to drive her mad, and Annelise moaned when she felt his tongue flick against the hard bead of her desire. She opened her legs wide, inviting his touch, wanting to know all of such lovemaking.

She closed her eyes and surrendered to the desire he summoned so readily. She could only reach to run her hands over his muscled shoulders, so she did so, feeling that he was as solid and reliable as ever a man could be. His touch was both gentle and demanding. Annelise heard herself moan as a tide of heat gathered within her. She felt as if her skin was on fire, that desire boiled within her, that the heat of passion would overwhelm her completely. She gasped as Garrett tormented her with pleasure, uncertain that she could bear any more until he compelled her to do so. She felt his tongue and his breath against her, and knew there could be no more seductive sensation—until he grazed the kernel of her desire with his teeth.

Annelise cried out as a torrent broke over her, breaking every sensation loose. It was more fierce and more pleasurable than it had been before, as if her body would strive for a greater release each time. Annelise’s heart thundered and her body shook. Her breath caught and heat surged through her body in a triumphant and glorious sensation.

She opened her eyes to find Garrett leaning over her, bracing his weight on his elbows. The hardness of him was between her thighs, and there were stars in his eyes. He smiled at her, clearly content with the pleasure he had given her, and Annelise knew she had a debt to pay to him.

She smiled and wrapped her legs around his waist, inviting his possession even as she twined her arms around his neck. “I am yours and no other’s,” she whispered, and saw the flash of joy in his eyes. “I love you, Garrett MacLachlan.”

Garrett smiled, then bent his head and kissed her so thoroughly that Annelise thought only of pleasure for quite some time.

*

“Can you tell me what happened when you went to Killairig?” Annelise asked some time later. She and Garrett had washed and dressed and were sitting in the sunshine before the hut. It was blessedly quiet and the wind was pushing small clouds across the blue sky. Annelise offered him a piece of bread from the monastery and began to peel the rind from the cheese with her eating knife.

Garrett grimaced. “It was terrible.” He wanted to tell her, but needed to speak with care. The sun was sinking low and he listened by habit to the surrounding forest, but heard no predators.

Annelise nodded. “Of course, it was terrible. Because you could not bear the sound of all their thoughts in your mind, so you collapsed, much as you did that first time at Seton Manor.”

“I am not proud of the spectacle I made.”

“But you did not anticipate it,” Annelise mused. “Was it worse than previously?”

He granted her a look but said naught. As before, she found the key without his confession. He liked that he did not have to imperil her for them to solve the riddle.

“You did not expect to be so stricken, because you never had been so before. You were surprised by the vehemence, or maybe the volume.”

She was correct, but he feared to tell her exactly what he had experienced. Garrett waited, hoping his lady continued to use her wits.

Annelise wagged the knife at him. “In the tale in my dream, the dark sister cursed the son she wished to see discredited, so that others would think him mad. And at Killairig, they cast you out, perhaps even saying you were a madman.” She ate a piece of cheese. “Which was far simpler than considering your claim, whether there was a curse or no. I thought you did not even make your case?”

Garrett shook his head. “I arrived and was announced. The lady offered me a cup of ale in welcome. She was most kind.”

Annelise pursed her lips as she considered this. “And then?”

“I drank it.”

“Why? Were you not suspicious of her?”

“Why would I be? She was gracious in her greeting and there was no malice in her manner…”

“Could you hear her thoughts?” Annelise demanded and Garrett stared at her.

He had not.

“She is Fae,” Annelise spoke with conviction. “She is the dark sister. Do you not see, Garrett, it must all be true!” She put down the cheese and the bread, her appetite evidently as banished as his own.

“The tales are mingled truth and fable,” Garrett said gently. “There is no telling where one ends and the other begins.”

“But the tale I dreamed is most true.”

Garrett raised a hand. “Wait. You say that Mhairi was Fae, but she is dead,” he said “The Fae are immortal.”

Annelise shook her head. “My younger sister, Elizabeth, can see the Fae. They are not mortal. It is their nature to live outside of time, to endure forever if all should be well. But they can be killed by other Fae or mortals or animals. If they die, they are lost to their fellows, just as mortals who die are no longer seen by other mortals. And truly, if I had to entrust the upbringing of a child to anyone, I should try to ensure that the adoptive parent understood the child’s nature fully. I should try to make a match.” Annelise stood up and brushed off her kirtle. “You can hear the thoughts of others, both mortal and animal. This is held to be the gift of the Fae, so that must be your legacy from your birth mother.”

“The wolf,” Garrett murmured.

Annelise nodded. “Remember Mhairi’s tale? The witch burned her clothes, ensuring she could not turn back to her human form. I think it most evident that the son disappeared because he was entrusted to the care of another Fae close to the birth mother.”

Still Garrett struggled to accept her conclusion. “Annelise, this is a fabrication beyond belief.”

She granted him a stern look. “Is it? Why then did Mhairi show kindness to the white wolf? Why did she expect it to live longer than a wolf? Why does it yet follow you and defend you?”

“You do not know that it is the same wolf,” Garrett protested. “And I do not intend to risk your safety, or even that of Yseult, by suffering any wolf to live in the vicinity…”

“Then we will ask the wolf for the truth.” Before Garrett could make sense of that, Annelise had retreated into the hut. She returned with the green silk dress, shaking it out so Garrett could see that it was completed. She crossed the clearing and laid the garment on the mound of earth that covered Mhairi’s and Seamus’ graves.

Then she returned to Garrett’s side and sat beside him, as if they waited for a troupe of musicians to entertain them.

“Who is the madman?” Garrett teased softly and Annelise laughed.

“I doubt it is you, and I know it is not me.” She leaned against his shoulder, her eyes sparkling.

He took her hand in his, pleased beyond compare that this lady was his own. He felt blessed as he never had before.

“So, when you went to Killairig, the dark sister knew who you must be. She tricked you, and cursed you, making your torment worse. She ensured you could not plead your case.”

“And then?” Garrett prompted, earning himself a glance. “There must be something of it in the tale from your dream,” he said, for he was coming to see that she had dreamed the truth. He could not explain it, but that did not make it untrue.

“She sent the daughter after you in wolf guise, as I told you, and sent word to the son.”

“And who is the son?” Garrett mused. “Did you see him? Do you know his name?”

“He was a knight, at least on the chess board. The dream faded most abruptly and I did not see his face.” Annelise sighed. “I think Elizabeth knew him, though.”

“Orson or Andrew,” Garrett concluded. “Did they not ride from Kinfairlie?”

“They did!” Her delight at his recollection made him smile. “Your symptoms were always worse when one of them was present.”

Garrett took a deep breath. “Hatred is most disconcerting.”

Annelise eyed him. “When it is directed at you, and you hear it at ten times its potency. One of them despises you, perhaps because you could cheat him of his inheritance.”

Garrett nodded, remembering what the dark sister had chosen for her son. “No special Fae gifts, beyond good looks and longevity.”

“It could be either of them,” Annelise acknowledged. “Though I would think Andrew the more fair. But where are their holdings? Do you know?”

Garrett pursed his lips, considering the thoughts he had overheard and sifting through them. All his life, he had resented his gift or ignored it, and since visiting Killairig, he had despised it. He had never considered it to be a tool, much less a gift, but Annelise brought him this understanding as well. “Orson has none, for he wished the Earl of March to bestow a holding upon him in reward for wedding you.”