His thoughts turned to last night—to Kenna and their heated exchange. Surely the woman didn’t think he wished only to impress his chieftain? She deserved nothing but the very best, and he would be damned straight to the fiery pits of hell before he gave her anything less.
And now Sutherland threatened everything. Colum had no doubt Kenna would refuse the man, but Sutherland was known for never taking no for an answer, at least when it came to obtaining wives.
Colum closed his hand around the haft of his sword. The worn grip warmed in his palm, melding with his flesh. He slashed the blade through the air before jamming it home in its sheath. He would give Sutherland an answer the man had no choice but to accept. He would give him a taste of his steel.
He had met Sutherland only once, but once was more than enough. Never would he forget the man’s cold, hard stare or the strange sense of darkness surrounding him. Rumors about the silver-haired chieftain even spoke of a curse.
A large velvety nose nudged the back of his arm, followed by a soft, low-pitched nicker. Colum ignored the horse. Rua needed to tend to his feed and leave him to his thoughts. The gentle nicker changed to a deep rumbling insistence as the beast butted Colum’s shoulder hard enough to nudge him sideways a few steps. “Damn ye, Rua. I have no time for yer games today. Ye have yer feed and ye are well brushed. Now go—see to yer rest.”
The dull thud of hoof against ground warned Colum a second too late as Rua snorted out a good-sized glob of sliminess with enough accuracy to cover his exposed calf. The horse’s favorite trick—snotting on an unwary target—had gotten Colum again. “Ye are a vile wicked beast, Rua, a vile wicked beast, indeed.” Colum yanked a rubbing rag from its peg and mopped away the sticky mess.
“Rua is a sweetheart.”
A musical giggle floated across the stable, accompanied by the exhilarating scent of freshly mown hay and warm spiced honey. Colum’s senses roared to attention. Only one woman smelled so delicious that she set his mouth to watering.
“The Lady Kenna thinks ye are a sweetheart, Rua. Perhaps ye should show her yer favorite trick and see if she changes her mind.” Colum wiped away the last of the horse’s snot and tossed the rag aside. He turned back to Kenna with a frown. “And have I not asked ye to avoid walking around the grounds unattended? The inner garden is the lone place I feel ye to be safe. Why will ye not listen?”
“I don’t do anything to make Rua want to slime me . . . and I can take care of myself, so stop harping about my needing a watchdog.” Kenna stepped into the pale shaft of light pouring across the aisle.
Words left him. Lore a’mercy, he had never seen her dressed in such tempting finery. Her dark hair had been swept up and the sleek curls pinned so they fell in shining ringlets around her slender throat.
And the creamy expanse of tempting flesh revealed by the low-cut neckline of her tight bodice made him lick his lips. May the saints help him. Each breath she took lifted the silky mounds of her bosoms, teasing him with just enough of a peek to make him ache to crush those delightful treats to his face.
“Colum.”
The warning tone yanked him out of his fantasies and pulled his gaze to her irritated glare. He swallowed hard to restore enough moisture in his mouth to be able to speak. Almost. Lore a’mighty . . . those tempting sweet breasts.He coughed and choked out the word. “Aye?”
The sparkle in her narrowed eyes indicated that even though she was still aggravated with him, she was pleased with the response her new dress had evoked. One dark slender brow arched a notch higher as she crossed her arms beneath her breasts and hugged her waist just tight enough to plump the twin delights of his misery even higher.
The wee minx knew she taunted him.He adjusted his quickly rising plaid. Damn his aching cock. It would take another cold swim in the sea before he would be fit to join them at supper.
“I thought you might like to know that we have visitors at the keep this evening.” She moved closer. Her deep blue skirts whispered across the dry earth as she slowly circled him.
He shifted uneasily in place with the distinct feeling that she was sizing him up for prey. Lore a’mercy. She could seize him anytime she wished.He shook himself and attempted to focus on her words instead of his fantasies. Had she said guests? This evening?Damnation. Gray could have given a bit more warning of Sutherland’s actual arrival date.
“Gray told me.” He bit back the rest of what he wanted to say. If he snatched her up and gave Rua his head, they could be well across the Highlands before Chieftain Sutherland had touched his first glass of fine claret that the MacKenna kept for honored guests. Colum clenched his fists at his sides to keep from acting on the notion.Nay. Kenna deserved better than a runaway joining and naught more for a home than a hastily built shelter.
She scowled at him and stomped her foot. “And you are just going to sit here like a bump on a log and not do anything.” Twin patches of scarlet blossomed across her high cheekbones, warning of her quick temper. “I should have brought either a cattle prod or some pepper spray back to this century. Maybe that would’ve jolted your ass into action.”
Cattle prod? Spraying peppers?He bit back a groan. Now was not the time for his lady love to start using those strange words from her life in the faraway future—odd words about troubling things he didn’t understand. “Please, Kenna. Ye know it addles me when ye speak so. Do ye enjoy making me feel the dullard?” He wasn’t stupid. Just struggled with knowing what the hell the woman was saying about half the time. She needed to keep her words anchored in this time and place.
Her gaze fell to the floor. “I’m sorry. You know I would never do that to you. Well, at least not this time, anyway.” She peeked up at him through her long dark lashes, her mouth irresistibly quirked to one side in a wry grin. “Unless, of course, you deserve it.” She eased over to him and slid both hands up his chest.
Lore a’mighty, her touch set him on fire.
“But I don’t understand why you don’t . . . ” Her voice trailed off as she stared up at him. “Do something, Colum.” She stomped her foot as she tucked her head beneath his chin and melted against him. “I want to be your wife. I want us married.”
Aye.He wanted to do something all right. Her soft warmth molded against him made him yearn to do a great many somethings, repeatedly and with limitless pleasure. But nay. . .he could not do this. She had made her wishes quite clear. Marriage. Home. Children. Proper preparations took time. Many a battle was lost due to being ill-prepared.
He gritted his teeth, grasped her by the shoulders, and gently set her an army s length away. This might not exactly be a battle but by the gods, it was damned close.
The immediate loss of her warmth set his cock to throbbing in angry protest. He shifted his stance and angrily shook free the rising drape of his plaid. “I canna make ye my wife until I have everything ready. Ye deserve better than the little I have for ye now. It willna take over long. Just a few years to build a keep and set things in place. Three years at the most.”
“Three years?” Her eyes flared wider. “Three . . . freaking. . . years?” Her voice rose to such a shrill pitch, the horses rustled uneasily in their stalls. “Do you have any idea how rare a twenty-three–year-old virgin is where I come from?” She whirled around, dust flying as her full skirts swept across the floor. “If I was still in the twenty-first century, there would be a lot of people who would suggest I seek counseling because I apparently have issues with my sexuality.” The plentiful layers of her skirts bounced as she again stomped her foot. “I’m tired of waiting, Colum. You are the only one I want to give myself to—body and soul. And the body part is getting really tired of waiting.” Her voice quivered as her arms fell limp to her sides. “I thought you wanted me too.”
He rushed forward, gathered her up, and pulled her close. Inhaling her sweetness, he tucked her head beneath his chin and ran his fingers through her silky curls. His hoarse whisper rasped out around the knot of emotions lodged in his throat. “I want ye more than words could ever say.” Damn, this woman made him feel more than he ever thought possible. His heart ached as though ripped from his chest from seeing her so unhappy. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and tightened his embrace. “It has nearly unmanned me to keep from taking ye and making ye my own. Ye know what I feel for ye. Surely, ye know by now ye own me body and soul.”
“Then do it. Right here. Right now. In the hay.” Her angry frustration dared his resolve. The challenge filtered up to him through the folds of hisléineas she clutched it to her chin and squirmed tighter against him. “Make me your own.”
