“How? How did you know?”
“He messaged me in January, asking me to send his grandmother’s wedding ring to him at the Academy.” His eyesare lighter green than Cormac’s, but they have that same sly twinkle when they’re amused.
“I…what?”
Oh, god here I go again, the woman who can’t speak in complete sentences.
“There’s my bonny bride.”
Cormac’s arms snake around me from behind as he whispers in my ear, chuckling when he sees the goosebumps rise on my neck and shoulders.
“They’re not from you,” I say crossly. “I’m just… chilly.”
“Ah, well, I feel certain I can warm you up.”
My world is turned upside down as he throws me over his broad shoulder, striding away from the wedding party as I attempt to kick him in the stomach with my pointy-toed shoes.
“Goodnight, all!” Cormac roars, waving a hand over his head.
“Oh my god, what iswrongwith you?” I’m too dignified to pound on his back but I aim my spike heel right at his crotch, which he deftly avoids.
“Don’t damage anything you might be wanting later.”
“Are you kidding? You’re dragging me off like some Scottish version of the Yeti in front of your mom and dad and all my friends? You are so not getting lucky tonight!”
I stifle a shriek as he flips me back over, pinning me to his chest, my feet dangling. “Oh, yes I am, little fox. I have a lot of anger to take out on your sweet little cunt.” I’m still struggling for a reply when he puts me in a Range Rover, straps me in, and drives usthrough the iron gates of the estate as I hear the bagpipes and laughter behind us.
We’ve been driving for about ten minutes when I sigh, taking off my high heels and gratefully wiggling my toes. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Aye. One of our hunting lodges, about an hour away.”
“Do you hunt? Honestly, you don’t seem like that guy, even though you lived like a grizzly bear at the Academy.”
He glances at me briefly. “No, I’ve spent too much time hunting humans. However, I might be tempted to find some prey this weekend.”
A lightning bolt of heat sets my entire midsection on fire. Why is that so hot? That should be scaring the hell out of me. My hand slides down to the garter on my left thigh, where I touch the gift the indomitable Elspeth MacTavish gave me this morning when she and a grinning Sorcha woke me up.
“This has been passed down through the female line of the MacTavish clan for three centuries,” she’d said. “From mother-in-law to daughter-in-law to welcome her to the clan.”
“Ma’am, I’m so honored, but are you sure you want to give me such a precious heirloom?” I looked down at the slim white box, tied with a dainty tartan ribbon.
“Trust me, with a husband like Cormac, I’m sure you’ll have good reason to use it more than once,” Sorcha laughed, “right, Mother?”
Elspeth’s pleasant expression didn’t waver as she said, “Don’t be fresh dear, or I will yank off your ear.”
Sorcha shut up and I hastily open the box. I don’t know if she’s joking about the ear thing but even in her late fifties, Cormac’s mother looks like she could take me.
“This is beautiful…” I gasped, lifting the dirk out of the box reverently. It must be at least three hundred years old, with a silver and ivory inlaid handle and an exquisitely crafted steel blade.
“A very wise MacTavish matriarch knew that the men of this clan were loud and infuriating and prone to bossiness. She also knew that a man strong enough to lead this clan needed a woman stubborn enough to keep him in line.” Elspeth rested her hand on mine. “Even if I had not heard of your courage in battle during the attack at the Academy, I could see it now. Take the gift, dear. It might come in handy one day.”
Winking at me, she stood and regally left the room.
“You should be careful, baby,” I smile at him sweetly. “Prey have can fangs and claws.”
Sliding his long fingers between my legs, he pressed hard against my pussy. “Bite and scratch as much as you like, little fox. I’m still going to be balls-deep inside you tonight.”
There is a beautiful hunting lodge with big, timbered beams and rustic architecture, all lit up and welcoming us. Those are the only details I have as Cormac seizes me out of the car and races up the front steps as if I don’t weigh more than the set of keys he uses on the front door. There are glimpses of a tall entryway, a room with a two-story fireplace… something that might have been a kitchen but he’s taking the stairs to the second story two at a time and then I’m flying from his arms and onto a huge bed hard enough to bounce all the pillows off.
