Highland Destiny (20 page)

"A bikini. Umm...a bathing suit. You know, for swimming?"

"Women are allowed out in public like this?" He was astonished. "But you are
naked!
"

"No we're not!" Mackenzie defended herself. Besides, Jenna's string bikini was way more revealing than her modest tankini. "It's a different time, Connor," Mackenzie said softly.

"Look. All the girls are wearing something similar. Don't you remember what I was wearing the night we met?"

His eyes briefly darkened, "Aye, I recall the way your legs looked in those shortened knee-breeches."

"You're such a guy!" She laughed, and for the first time in a long time, it was a wholly carefree sound. Mackenzie couldn't believe how light she felt; as if a heavy, pressing weight had just been lifted, and she hadn't been aware of it until it was removed. All of her anger at Connor had lifted with the weight as well, and she didn't even care that she was supposed to be mad at him. She was thrilled; he seemed to finally believe her. Or at least he was starting to, which was as much as she could ask.

How could Connor deny what he was seeing here? If Mackenzie had been telling the truth from the beginning, then that meant that MacAllistair had lied to him about her role in this scheme. To what end? What was the purpose? When he'd first met her, he'd thought of her eyes as an open book and he'd wanted to read them; he'd wanted to know her secrets.

Well now he did; in fact, he knew everything she'd been hiding from him. He wanted to believe her, but it was a difficult tale to take as truth. She was being exceptionally nice to him, despite his high-handed demeanor. He'd behaved abominably towards her, and he knew she'd been offended by his actions.

Well, he could right this one injustice, "I should have believed ye from the first. I should know by now that your eyes never lie." Connor brushed his thumb under her eye and smiled slightly. Mackenzie lowered her lashes and a faint pink stained her cheekbones. She expelled the breath she hadn't even known she'd been holding, and turned her cheek into his hand. Briefly closing her eyes, she brushed her lips to his open palm. When her lashes fluttered open, Connor's eyes weren't confused anymore, they were hungry.

She stepped back quickly, and brushed at her skirts. "So,"

she said brusquely, "What do we do now?" And then more softly, "And where does this leave us?"

Connor knew she felt the same hunger he did, but he respected her desire for space, and he stepped past her to set 192

"What do you mean for my own protection?" Her green eyes were narrowed in suspicion.

"The Campbell has tried several tactics to separate you from my..." he choked off the word "possession," knowing she would resent the implications, and settled for "protection, and I am" he paused, again searching for a word that wouldn't get her back up, "concerned that if I leave you unprotected, he might succeed."

To his dismay, her deep green eyes were merely curious, not afraid. She should be afraid. "Hmm...Do you really think he's going to try something again?"

"Yes. He's gotten men in past my guard before." This bothered Connor much more than he'd let on. In fact, he'd had to ream his men earlier that week for the lapse in surveillance, and he didn't like to punish men he'd known since he was a bairn. " 'Tis impossible to tell when, but I do expect another and stronger attempt."

"Alright then, say I share your bed again. Are there," she paused significantly raising a delicate brow, "expectations?"

He looked resigned, "I never know what to expect from you."

Her eyes relaxed, and she told Connor, "See? Isn't it so much easier when you let me know your reasoning?"

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Actually, it wasn't as annoying as it used to be, explaining himself to her. She really wasn't used to following commands, so he was at least able to understand her position now. That line of thinking made him wonder, "Might I ask you a question, Mackenzie?"

"Of course," the surprise coloring her tone almost made him smile.

"Well, earlier you had said that you have been having the same dream since ye were a child. Why do you think that you have been dreaming of the Campbell?"

Connor didn't like the idea of his sworn enemy in the dreams of this woman who was slowly carving a place for herself in his life. And heart. Not wanting to admit it to himself, Connor was also a little jealous. While he had been in her dreams as well, it wasn't in the capacity he wanted.

"I don't know. Maybe to prepare me for coming here? Then again, I don't think anything could have prepared me for all this," she muttered. Mackenzie was enjoying this newfound honesty between them, and it made her more willing to speak her true thoughts and feelings. "I think, that maybe I am more than just a tool to start a war, or end one, depending on how you look at things. I think I was sent here to save you." She felt her cheeks warm as she admitted this, but she kept his gaze.

"To save me?" He was more than surprised, he was incredulous.

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"I have never thought you a 'mere woman' Mackenzie."

Connor's eyes smoldered as he said this, and Mackenzie had to force herself to breathe.

But she had to keep the conversation flowing. She looked away from his all too intense gaze and thought about her dreams. She felt useless. Unless... She'd been so frustrated and unsure, but now she thought of a new plan.

"You need to let me go to him. I can stop him." As she said it, she knew it was true. Her dreams were becoming clearer about that aspect. She just didn't know how... yet.

"What? You want to go to him?" Connor roared. "I'll no'

give you over to him. Nor will I give him that much power."

Mackenzie didn't want to lose their new camaraderie, so she quickly tried to appease him, "Okay, okay, calm down. It was just a suggestion."

Connor was still livid. Mackenzie had another thought,

"Could we get a message to Morvern? The sorcerer who brought me here?"

"I've a man inside his stables, so 'tis possible." His voice was still angry, but he was curious, "Why? What are you plotting?"

"Let me get some paper and a pen." Mackenzie rifled through the contents of her purse until she found a pad and a pen. As she hastily scribbled the note, she realized that this 195

"Aye, in the desk over there. What are ye planning lass?"

"Lass...I'm probably only a couple years younger than you, y'know?"

Connor raised his eyebrows at her muttered comment.

"Ye'd prefer I didn't call ye lass?"

"Hmm...no, I...it doesn't matter. It just makes me feel like a child."

"It is a term of endearment." Mackenzie glanced up at Connor. He sounded hurt.

"Oh, Connor, I didn't mean to insult you. In my time, it is used for girls, small children. I'm twenty three, hardly a little girl." She cocked her head to the side, "How old are you?"

"I am seven and twenty."

"In my day, you'd be over 200 years old." She smiled wryly, and mentally did the math, "245 years old to be precise."

Connor ignored her attempts at humor. "What are you writing?"

"Come and see." Mackenzie indicated he should read over her shoulder. "It's only an idea, really. But first we need to find out what the two sorcerers are doing, and to see what they've discovered. They told me they needed access to a certain sacred text or something. The plan was that I would monopolize the Campbell's time and attention with details for the wedding, and they would get their hands on said texts.

Let's find out what they know."

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"I doona think they will be able to read it; your script is barely legible."

"Hey, it's my first time with a quill, cut me some slack!"

Mackenzie defended her handwriting. She liked her cursive.

With a ballpoint pen, it was loopy and girly, and normally much easier to read. She watched as Connor sealed it in wax.

"I'll send it to my man with instructions that no one is to receive it but the wizard."

"Okay, thanks. We won't do anything until we hear back from them, and see what we're up against. How long should this all take?"

"It depends on how difficult it will be for my man to gain access inside the castle. I hope no more than a few days."

Connor strode to the door and left before Mackenzie could blink.

Mackenzie could hear him walk down the hallway and call for Robbie. Apparently it didn't bother anyone that he wasn't wearing a shirt. They spoke in hushed tones, and Connor was back before Mackenzie had time to sit down on her bed. She was putting everything back in her purse when he walked back through the open door. His hand was on hers as she picked up her camera.

"May I?"

"Of course," Mackenzie was shocked he wanted to see it.

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She'd been looking down at her purse so she hadn't realized that he was snapping pictures of her. The flash had her looking up at him.

"Oh! Connor, you should have told me; I would have smiled."

"Amazing. It is a miraculous thing."

Mackenzie smiled at his enthusiasm. "You'd love to see a computer, or a movie. I bet you'd love all those Scottish historical movies."

"What is a movie?" He rolled the word on his tongue as if he were tasting it.

"Hmm...How can I explain this? Okay, it's like a play, except it is captured by a camera. You can watch it whenever you want to. Wait, here..." Mackenzie snatched her camera back and clicked it to Review. She scrolled through it until she found what she'd been searching for; she and Jenna had goofed around with it when they'd first checked into their rooms. Jenna was using an awful Scottish accent and telling Mackenzie that she was "A Highland warrior come to rescue the princess " all the while brandishing her cell phone like a sword. It was almost humiliating to watch, but Connor just shook his head and reverently touched the screen with a fingertip.

"And this is a 'movie'?" His eyes never left the screen as he asked this.

"Yeah, it's a video Jenna and I took when we first got to Scotland. Umm, the day before you and I...met." Mackenzie had packed everything back into her purse and looked up at 198

Connor reached out and stroked her cheek and Mackenzie's eyes widened slightly, before she dropped them to look at her hands. While the honesty was a nice change, it was still too hard to look into Connor's eyes knowing how much she felt for him. She was very much in danger of falling in love with him. Although she didn't want to admit it to herself, she was already there. Mackenzie knew how expressive her eyes were, and she didn't want him to see the depth of her feelings for him. That was the last thing she wanted, and while she knew they'd be sharing a bed tonight, she was going to try to keep it at just that; just sex. She refused to let Connor know how far gone she really was. It wasn't just the fear of rejection, she already knew he didn't feel the same; it was more the intimacy of it all.

Connor's fingers were still on her face, burning a path from her cheekbone to her lips, where they paused and he traced her lips briefly before he tilted her chin up so she would meet his gaze. She bit back a gasp at the dark molten blue that his eyes had turned. There was no doubt as to what he wanted.

She wanted it too. But she didn't know if her heart would survive.

Bending down, he swung her up into his arms and strode through the connecting door. Mackenzie could feel how hot his skin was through her dress. That heat was amazing and it had become such a part of Connor, like an arm or a leg. It felt natural.

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Mackenzie woke up to the worst of her nightmares yet.

Connor was shaking her shoulder hard enough to rattle her teeth together.

"Mackenzie, lass? Wake up. 'Tis naught but a dream."

Her lashes fluttered and she sat bolt upright before she stared into his deep blue very concerned eyes.

"Huh? Where am I?" Her eyes were searching the dark room almost frantically. As her heart rate slowed, she remembered that she was in Connor's room, or in his bed to be precise. "Oh, it was another dream. Okay. Wow, they're starting to become more and more real." She looked back at Connor, smiling ruefully, "I'm sorry. Was I screaming again?"

"Nay, you were talking in your sleep though. You woke me up when you spoke my name. What was this one about?"

Connor was very serious.

"I'm not sure. That's odd. Usually I remember because they're so vivid, but this one's fading so quickly. Umm..." She pinched the bridge of her nose and furrowed her brow. She could feel the dampness on her cheeks. She'd been crying in her sleep. "There was fire again, and snakes, and you..." she looked up at him again. "But I think there was something I needed to do. That's the strongest part of it; I needed to
do
something or
know
something." She fell back against the pillows with a huff. "It's just so
frustrating
feeling helpless."

"You're not helpless, Mackenzie." Connor quietly said.

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