“I’m sorry. Yer right, but I wasnae laughing at what ye said though. ’Twas the face ye made.” Maggie could hear the sound of rushing water and wondered where they were headed, when the path suddenly opened out to reveal a large pool of water surrounded by enormous boulders. Maggie craned her neck back and shielded her eyes from the bright sunlight, in order to get a look at the beautiful waterfall cascading into the pool and the rainbow it created in its mist. “Dylan, this is beautiful. How did ye find this place?”
“I go out riding nearly every day. Exploring really. I stumbled upon it a few weeks back and I wanted to share it with you.”
Maggie could see him watching her, out of the corner of her eye. She slowly turned her gaze on him and without thinking wriggled down from her horse and walked to his side. Placing a hand on his knee, she looked up at him, fully appreciating the handsome man he was. Dylan dismounted and before she had a chance to speak, she was in his arms and he was kissing her. His lips were sweet and warm and she let herself fall deeper under his spell. This was what she’d dreamed of and she was not disappointed. It was everything she had wanted, everything she needed in this moment. She could forget about all the other craziness happening in her world and focus on this kiss. Her hands crept up from his chest to wrap around his neck as she pressed herself as close to him as she could possibly get, wanting full body contact with his amazingly strong and chiseled frame. The kiss turned into another and then another. Their movements grew almost frantic with desire. She wanted him so much it was almost painful, but it was a good kind of pain. Thekind that let her know how right this was. She had been wrong to think that love was not for her. Here it was, right in front of her and she wanted all of it. She didn’t know if Dylan loved her, but she knew without a doubt how she felt about him.
***
He wanted to tell her he loved her, but he caught himself, uncertain of how she felt about him. He’d hold on to that pronouncement for a while longer. He really hadn’t known Maggie for very long. Just a short time in Glendaloch, and then, when he left for Breaghacraig, he’d been left with the unsettling feeling that without her, something was missing from his life. It had only been a short time since he’d found out she was the real Maggie and there was so much turmoil happening around them, it didn’t seem like the best time to announce his feelings. It would be better to concentrate on getting rid of Brielle first, and then he’d be free to tell her how he felt. The kisses they’d shared had been the best he’d ever experienced, and he hoped Maggie thought so too. It was important to him to please her. He wanted her to be happy and without worry. Brielle was the main source of Maggie’s current concerns, and he was going to do everything in his power to change that situation. Dylan settled back against a warm boulder, Maggie wrapped in his arms, enjoying the sounds of the water dropping down over the falls and the peacefulness that he felt with her close to his heart.
“Maggie, are you comfortable?” Dylan asked.
“Aye.” Maggie replied. “I could sit here with ye forever.” She turned in his arms to see his face better. She caressed his cheek and couldn’t help herself as she ran her fingers through the riot of blonde curls that framed his handsome face. The sensory experience she was having cleared her mind of any and all other thoughts. Dylan was the only thing on her mind now.She turned her lips up towards his and he covered them with his own. He roamed his hands over her body and made his way inside her shirt, fondling her breasts with strong, callused fingers. Maggie found she wanted more. She moaned, pushing herself against his hands. Undoing the laces of her liene, Dylan freed her breasts for exploration with both his tongue and lips. The pounding urge between her thighs grew so strong; Maggie turned herself completely in Dylan’s arms so she could straddle him and wrap her legs around his waist. She rubbed the source of the throbbing ache she felt against Dylan’s hard manhood, searching for relief. It only served to create a more titillating sensation. One that felt so good, she forgot completely about anything and everything that was not Dylan.
Dylan repositioned her, so that she lay under him on the large boulder they had settled on. The roughness of the rock beneath her back only served to heighten her excitement. Dylan began to search the waistband of her trewes with his fingers, while she slid her hands up beneath his kilt and felt the tightness of his buttocks. She was keenly aware of the fact that this was the first time she’d ever done something quite so bold. She felt like a real woman here in Dylan’s arms, wanting him more than she had ever thought possible and if things went the way she wanted, having him, and soon.
***
This all felt so amazingly good. Dylan didn’t want to stop, but he knew he needed to. He’d made a promise to Angus and he intended to keep it. “Maggie, we have to stop,” he croaked.
“Why?” she asked. She spoke like a woman in a sensual haze, which he could fully appreciate, because he was right there with her.
“I respect you too much, to take you for the first time right here on this rock,” he managed to say.
“But what if I want ye to take me right here on this rock?” she asked, licking her lips in a way that was driving him to distraction.
“I promised your Uncle Angus that nothing was going to happen and I intend to keep my promise.” The most amazing, sparkling green eyes stared up at him with a yearning that told him exactly what she wanted. He wanted to give it to her, but he had to keep his word. If there was one thing he’d learned since being here with the MacKenzies, it was that a man was only as good as his word. Although, Maggie’s pouty lips were calling to be kissed. Before he forgot himself and his word to Angus, Dylan unceremoniously pushed himself up and away from Maggie and removing his kilt, he jumped into the icy cold water, which definitely put a damper on his aroused state.
***
“Dylan, what are you doing?” Maggie exclaimed.
“Cooling things down,” he gasped as he swam back to the rocks and climbed out of the water.
Maggie giggled at the soaking wet man standing in front of her and the gooseflesh that covered his body. She grabbed his kilt and hurriedly brought it across to him. “Dry yerself off! Ye’ll likely freeze to death if ye don’t.” She felt badly that she had caused him such discomfort. Maggie ran to her horse in search of something else to help him dry off.
“It’s alright, Maggie. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” He shook his watery locks out of his eyes and continued drying himself with the kilt. “I think I’ve got a dry one in my saddlebag.” Maggie went in search of it and was pleased to discover he was right.
“Here,” she said. She turned her back while he donned it, not wanting to tempt fate. She desperately needed a swim in those icy waters herself. “Are you decent?” she asked.
“Yeah, I am.” Dylan came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You still feel cold,” she said, noticing the iciness of his body up against her back.
“I’m fine, and I hate to mention it, but Angus will be angry if we don’t get back soon.”
***
Dylan kissed the top of her head and breathed in her heady floral scent. Everything about Maggie was perfect, from her coppery locks, to the smattering of freckles that ran across her nose and over her cheeks, to the emerald green of her eyes. She was his and he felt an instinctive need to protect and care for her.
Maggie turned in his arms and gazed up into his eyes, with what he could recognize as the same intense longing he had been experiencing. He had to force himself to ignore it, although he had a head full of sensual images, they would have to remain that way for the time being.
“Must we really go back?” Maggie asked.
“As much as I’d like to stay here with you forever, I’m afraid Angus would track us down and skin me alive.” Dylan grew serious for a moment. “I can’t say I’d blame him. The thoughts going through my head at this very moment are anything but pure.”
“I believe I ken yer meaning,” Maggie stood on tiptoe and offered him one more kiss. This one was sweet and tender, but her red, swollen lips were testament to the passionate kisses they’d just shared. He only hoped Angus wouldn’t notice, or he’d be in a whole lot of trouble.
“I’ve never been one to turn down temptation, but in this case I’m going to make an exception.”
“But why?” Maggie asked.
