“I already am, Adam.”
He nodded, then moved lower, ready to taste her pearl and make her scream his name in ecstasy. But she lifted her head. “Nay.”
“Nay?”
“I want ye inside me—a part of me.”
Before he could do that, she must be ready for him, slick and wet. He skimmed her tender flesh below only to find her wet and warm. He nudged her thighs apart, positioning his manhood at her entrance. “Are ye sure, lass?” he asked, kissing the tip of her nose tenderly, then her cheeks.
“Aye, I am.”
With the greatest of care, Adam thrust inside her. The tight heat made him groan, and she welcomed him, pulling him in by his hips and urging him deeper. “There can be no discomfort between us, Adam. We are meant to be one flesh.”
Dearest God, this woman, his wife, would be the end and the beginning of him.
Later, after they recovered from lovemaking, naked and happy, Adam and Kali slipped outside for a swim under the moonlight.
Epilogue
One month later…
Kali opened her arms and little Jenna ran to her, hugging Kali as tightly as her little arms could. “Does this mean ye are me mam now?”
Kali lifted her up. “Aye. Does that make ye happy, Jenna?”
The child gazed up at her and nodded, unwilling to let go of Kali.
“And me brother and sister?”
“Ye’ll see them as often as ye want,” Adam said, coming up behind them and wrapping his arms around Kali. “Yer brother Evan is training to be a soldier now and is squire for Captain James. Leah is living in Durness with a widowed seamstress who needed an apprentice. Yer sister is talented with a needle and thread, and one day may open her own shop. But ye’re a MacKay now, sweet one. Me own daughter.”
Adam lifted Jenna out of Kali’s arms and kissed the lass’s cheek, then set her back on the floor in the laird’s private solar.
“What about…what about the others?” Jenna asked, tugging on Adam’s tartan.
“Ye want me to remind ye of where everyone is?” Kali asked.
Jenna nodded, and Adam and Kali grinned at each other. There had been no hesitation in adopting Jenna; she had always been one of Adam’s favorites, and Kali loved her dearly.
“Let us see,” Kali said and pretended to think about whatever she was going to say, tapping a finger on her lips. “Silas is a MacLeery now, he has a mam and da and a name of his own. Ben and Micah were adopted by a family in Durness. Stephen and Gavin have a new da right here in the keep.”
“And Mary?” Jenna looked at Adam.
Adam patted the top of her head affectionately. “Mistress Raini adopted her, don’t ye remember? We built Raini a cabin just outside the keep walls, next to the gardens. Raini can teach Mary everything about being a healer, and Mary will bring Mistress Raini comfort and joy.”
Jenna clapped her hands and twirled about, dancing.
Someone knocked on the door, and Adam opened it.
Kali’s sisters, Ariana and Keara, entered the solar. “We’re here to collect Jenna. Mistress Raini wants us to join her and Mary to go pick wildflowers.”
“Take a guard with ye,” Adam said.
“Is that necessary?” Kali asked. “They won’t go beyond the burn.”
“Aye. We’ll take no risks. Lord Nelson and his guards havena been gone long, and that pompous man promised retaliation for me stealing his betrothed.” Adam waggled his brows at Kali. “I recommend James, he’s got nothing better to do with his time.”
Ariana rolled her eyes and took Jenna’s hands. “That man is as nosy as an old woman.”
