She finally eased away, smoothed a fingertip across her swollen bottom lip, then jabbed it at the end of his nose. “I meant what I said. I haven’t guarded my virginity this long just so you can add it to your damn collection and then go skipping merrily into the Highlands for your next conquest.”
“I never skip and I daresay not a collection on earth would ever be worthy of ye.” Colum laced his fingers up through the knot of her braid, tilted her head back, and pulled her against his chest again. He savored the warm, wet velvet of her mouth, hungrily taking more until he felt her heart hammering in sync with his. When she grew suitably weak and clutched him for support, he lifted his head and locked her in his gaze. “I shall prove to ye that I dinna seek any further additions to anycollectionye think I possess.I will earn the gift of yer virginity.”
Her eyes narrowed as she pushed free of his arms, then reached out and tapped the end of his nose. “We’ll see, Colum Garrison. We shall see.”
Then, before he could stop her, she slipped through the screen of green and disappeared.
CHAPTER11
“So, you went along with Granny’s idea of hooking me up with the clan’s womanizer? Do you have any idea how many women he’s been with?” Kenna controlled the urge to slam the heavy chamber door behind her. Little Chloe was nearly asleep in her mother’s arms.
Trulie thoughtfully pursed her lips as she tirelessly circled the room with a slow bouncing walk, gently swaying the drowsy baby in her arms. “I’m not sure of the number, but I’ve heard none of them ever complained or had to coerce him. From everything Coira told me, Colum is…well, very sought after.”
“Oh, well that makes it so much better.” Kenna flounced over to the hearth, hiked the back of her skirts up above her butt, and backed up to the flames. “Is iteverwarm here? This is April, for cripes’ sake, and we still need a fire?”
Trulie grinned as she gently settled the sleeping babe down into the low wooden cradle beside the bed. “You’ll get used to it.”
“I very much doubt that.” Kenna ran her hands up and down the backs of her chilly thighs. “What else did Coira say about Colum? I suppose she has insider information because she slept with him too?”
“Don’t be bitchy just because you’re in a foul mood.” Trulie eased down into a pile of cushions on the settee and pulled a wool wrap across her legs. “Colum never pursued Coira. I think he knew she was more or less off-limits because she is my friend, as well as my personal lady’s maid.” Trulie laced her fingers through the tartan threads fringing the light blanket across her lap. “See? There is hope for the man. He has the beginnings of a conscience and a little bit of self-control.”
“Very damn little from everything I saw in his mind.” Kenna shook her skirts down into place and flopped into a chair beside the hearth. “All that proves is that the man has a sense of survival. He’s not going to risk pissing off his chieftain’s wife.” She almost flinched at the unbidden memory of the explicit scenes of Colum’s past she had glimpsed in his mind. Damn.The man’s memories were like a Highland porn channel.
“Good point.” Trulie shifted sideways and yawned. “But Granny and I must’ve hit the nail on the head by picking Colum for you or you wouldn’t be so upset.”
“He tingled.”
“He what?”
“You know.Tingled?” Kenna leaned forward, willing Trulie to understand. “Remember what it felt like the first time you made actual contact with Gray—skin to skin?”
“Ahh.” Trulie’s face brightened, the recognition triggering a suggestive smile. “Thetingle.”
“And besides…” Kenna shrugged and toyed with the loose beads strung along the narrow strips of leather woven into her belt. “He said he is willing to prove his change of heart. Claimed he would earn the right to my virginity.”
Trulie arched a brow as she propped her head in her hand. “Sounds promising, but what are you going to do when he finds out you’re not a virgin?”
“I am a virgin.” Indignation heated Kenna’s cheeks until she felt sure they had to be firehouse red.
Trulie frowned. “Now wait a minute. This is me you’re talking to—not Granny. What about Tommy McCandless, under the bleachers, after the Sadie Hawkins Day dance?”
“Nope.” Kenna held her braid up in midair until it drooped and fell to one side. “Apparently, the alcohol he stole from his father’s liquor cabinet had a rather . . . uhm . . . relaxing effect.”
Trulie wrinkled her nose. “Oh. Sorry. Poor Tommy.”
“Poor Tommy’s ass. I was the one left high, hot, and needy.” Kenna glared at her sister. “Whose side are you on?”
“I know but you were only fourteen. You didn’t have any business . . . ” Trulie went quiet and turned an ear toward the cradle. She lifted a hand for silence.
Kenna stretched taller, angling to check on the precious bundle tucked into the tiny wooden bed. No sign of tiny feet or little hands batting the blankets. “She’s still asleep, and Karma and her owl are standing guard. If she wakes up, they’ll let us know.”
Kenna relaxed back into the cushions, smiling at the gigantic black dog sitting with his muzzle propped on the side of the cradle. Perched on the arched end of the baby bed, at little Chloe’s feet, was a watchful, tawny owl that had flown in the window on the day the wee one was born. The feathery guardian had watched over the babe ever since. No one was surprised. It was the tiny girl’s legacy. As the eldest daughter of a time runner and hence a time runner herself, Chloe was blessed with an animal spirit guide, a guardian, a familiar. When the child learned to speak, she would tell them the owl’s name. Both Karma and Chloe’s owl were hopelessly besotted with her.
“Anyway, you’re right. I’m glad Tommy failed to . . . wave his flag.” Kenna ignored Trulie’s amused snort and continued. “He turned out to be a real jerk, and thanks to him and his attitude, I decided I would never make the mistake of sharing my body with anyone who didn’t really deserve me.”
Trulie gave her two thumbs-up and a smile. “Good for you.”
“But now I have misgivings.” Trulie was the only one in the world who could possibly understand since she too had been brought back to the past to find her perfect match. “What if Colum can’t wait? What if he won’t wait? I mean . . . ” Kenna shrugged and threw up her hands. “The man is used to getting it on a regular basis. Is he going to be able to just quit cold turkey and do without for a little while?”
