Highland Lover (38 page)

stirring within her was starting to make it hard to concentrate. She would not be surprised if that

was his intention, but she refused to let him hide from her as he told her all the things she had

needed to hear for so long.

“Ye cannae lose me, Gregor,” she said softly and felt him tremble faintly beneath her hand. “Ye can

ne’er lose me, didnae ye ken that?”

“I had hoped. And why is it that I can ne’er lose ye?” he asked as he brushed kisses over the soft

inside of her slim thighs.

Alana knew she was being played with, pushed in the direction he wanted her to go, but she did not

care. The feel of his soft hair brushing against her womanhood was driving her mad. She blushed to

admit it even to herself, but she ached to feel his kiss there and she suspected he knew it. He was

silently telling her that if she bared her soul to him, he would reward her with pleasure. Tightly

gripping his broad shoulders, she decided that one of them had to go first to cure the cowardice of

the other, and it might as well be her.

“Ye cannae lose me, Gregor, because I am yours in body, in mind, in heart, and in soul. I love ye

with all that I am and all I will become,” she whispered.

Gregor groaned and kissed her just where she so desperately wanted him to, ravishing her with his

mouth until she was nearly screaming at him to come inside her. He joined their bodies with one

hard, fast thrust and then held himself still as he looked down at her. Her pretty face was flushed

with passion and her eyes were black with it. He did not think he had ever seen a finer sight.

“Say it again, my love,” he said softly.

“I love ye,” she said and gasped when he pulled out almost completely and then thrust back inside

her.

They played that game for several minutes until Alana thought she would go mad or beat him. Then

as she told him that she loved him yet again, his control broke and she almost cheered. Before she

could ask him if he felt the same, however, passion stole her wits as he drove them both to the very

heights of desire and sent them tumbling back down together.

It was several minutes after Gregor had collapsed in her arms that Alana began to recover her wits

again. Although she was pleased that Gregor found her declaration of love so exciting and was

driven to hear her say it again and again, she felt a little irritated as well. He must love her if he was so hungry to hear her say the words to him, yet he had not given her that same comfort. That

seemed grossly unfair to her. She prayed Gregor was not one of those men who demanded his wife

love him, but did not see that it was equally important to the happiness of their union that he love

her, too.

“Ye have gone verra tense, love,” he said as he lifted his head and brushed a kiss over her mouth.

“I was but wondering about why it was so important that ye hear how I feel about ye,” she asked,

trying not to sound as upset as she was beginning to feel.

Closing his eyes, Gregor nuzzled his nose into the soft place where her neck met her shoulder and

somewhat absently said, “Why, I should think that was clear to see. Of course I wish to ken that I

am nay the only one who loves. I just wished to be assured that my love was returned.” When she

grew even tenser, he warily ceased what he was doing and looked at her again. “What is wrong?

Are ye crying?” he asked with a touch of panic even as he saw the tears trickle down her cheeks.

“Nay,” she snapped as she wiped the tears from her cheeks with a corner of the sheet. “Ye love

me?”

“Aye, of course I do.”

“How could I ken that when ye have ne’er said so!”

“I am sure I did and just a few hours ago, when I was ravishing ye to make sure our marriage was

undisputedly consummated. Twice.” He smiled in remembered satisfaction.

Alana frowned as she tried to recall those frenzied times of lovemaking when they were both so

starved for each other they had gone a little mad. She could faintly recall Gregor pressing his face

into the side of her neck as he thrust inside of her and feeling his mouth move against her skin. That was when he had told her he loved her? And she had missed it. Just as he had thought she would,

the coward, she decided and hit him on the arm.

Gregor eyed her warily as he rubbed his abused arm. “I see ye remember.”

“I recall ye muttering into the side of my neck. I also recall verra clearly that ye demanded I say it loud and clear several times.”

“Ah, I see. Ye want me to say it loud and clear.”

She frowned when she saw the hint of a blush on his cheeks and then had to bite back a smile. “It

doesnae hurt,” she said quietly.

“I wouldnae ken, as ye are the only woman I have e’er said it to,” he grumbled, eyeing that soft

curve of her neck covetously only to see her put her hand over the place.

“Dinnae ye wish to love me?”

“Aye, love, as I cannae think of any woman I could trust more, but it isnae easy for a mon.” He

sighed and gently pressed his forehead against hers. “I love ye.” His eyes widened when he saw the

glitter of tears in her eyes again. “Dinnae ye start crying again.”

Alana laughed softly and hugged him. “Tears of happiness, Gregor. Naught to worry about. When

did ye ken ye loved me?”

“When ye fell off that cliff.” He smiled when she laughed again and he decided it was not so very

painful to speak of such things while holding each other close. “When did ye ken it?”

“Oh, probably when I decided I would take ye as my lover,” she drawled and giggled when he

lightly pinched her side. “I just needed to ken that ye loved me, Gregor. I willnae ask ye to say it

thrice a day or the like, although I certainly wouldnae mind. Nay, I ken it now and it has made some

lingering fears within me just fade away like the morning mists. It gives me strength. Aye, and a

welcome confidence that we can have a verra good marriage.”

“We will, love. A verra good marriage indeed.”

Looking into her eyes, he could see that the last of the shadows that had lurked there for too long

were gone. He had known he had made a mistake by not telling her about Mavis, but he now saw he

could have saved them all that heartache if he had just said a few loving words, given her something

to cling to when trouble came their way. He swore he would not be so cautious again. Unused to

revealing all he felt, he knew it would take time to overcome that reluctance, but he swore that he

would try. That glow of happiness, of serenity on her face was worth the effort.

“I dinnae ken how ye could have been in doubt of my feelings for ye, lass,” he said. “I thought they

were clear for all to see.”

“I dinnae ken why ye should think that. Ye are verra good at hiding what ye are feeling or

thinking.”

“Ah, but there was a clue if ye had just kenned what to look for.”

“And what was that clue?”

“Why, the way I kept acting like a complete idiot.” He grinned when she laughed and hugged him

again. “’Tis the surest sign there is that a mon has lost his heart to a lass. ’Tis also the reason I was determined to stay out of that trap. I have ne’er liked to be an idiot.”

“I see. Weel, it appears I have developed a great fondness for idiots.”

“A great fondness, is it?”

“A verra great fondness indeed. ’Struth, I am quite madly in love with my idiot.”

“And will love him forever?” he asked softly, his lips against hers.

“And for the day after that as weel.”

Epilogue

Six months later…

Groaning softly, Alana sat down on the stone bench next to Keira. This would be the last visit with

her sister for months, she thought as she smoothed her hand over her well-rounded stomach. Since

Keira was as round as she was, her ankles as swollen, and her movements as awkward, Alana knew

neither of them would be able to travel again for quite a while, especially not with winter on the

horizon.

“Ardgleann is looking more prosperous, nearly returned to its former glory,” Alana said, admiring

the flowers surrounding them, “and your garden looks verra bright for so late in the season.”

“The weather has been mild for far longer than is customary, which is a blessing. We will actually

have a crop to harvest this year, e’en though we were so late in the planting of it. ’Twill be a small one, for there was no time to plant all the fields, but it will serve to keep the wolves from the door.

As will all the help of our families. How fares Craigdene?”

“Verra weel, thank ye.” Alana exchanged a broad grin with Keira over the extremely polite tone of

her voice, and then softened it. “It isnae such a grand place as this is, but ’tis more than enough to please us. Gregor was certainly pleased that it didnae visibly declare the fact that he had married a rich woman. The size of my dowry can still make him wince. And Craigdene is nicely placed right

in the midst of so many we care about, making visits such as these easy enough.”

“I am going to have a son, ye ken,” Keira said abruptly.

“Aye, so am I,” Alana said, laughter tinting her voice. “And a lass. Mab says so.”

“Aye, so am I.”

Alana shared a laugh with Keira and then they waved at their husbands, who looked their way from

where they stood talking together at the far end of the garden. “We found ourselves some verra

bonnie men, didnae we.”

Keira nodded. “Verra bonnie, indeed, and so verra good to us, although it took a wee bit of work to

find the happiness we are now so blessed with. I still feel a wee bit guilty at times for finding mine in the midst of such tragedy.”

“Nay, ye must ne’er feel so.” Alana shrugged. “Sometimes that is just the way ’tis meant to be.

Who would e’er have believed that I would find my happiness at the bottom of the Gowans’

oubliette?”

Both of them looked at their husbands and sighed, which made Alana laugh. “I suspicion I shall

always do that when I look upon Gregor. He is such a fine-looking mon. I sometimes watch him

sleep and wonder why such a mon would choose me, would love me of all women.”

“I do the same. As ye said, sometimes that is just the way ’tis meant to be. We found our mates.”

“That we did. And ’twill be interesting to see just how our big, strong husbands act when we

present them with a son and a daughter in a few months. Have ye told Liam?”

“Nay, I thought I would let it be a surprise.”

“As did I.”

“Do ye think that might be just a wee bit cruel?”

“Nay, not at all. Besides, if I tell Gregor about it, he will become even more protective of me than

he is now.”

“And that would be unbearable,” Keira agreed. “Liam would be the same.”

“And, of course, it would spoil the surprise.” Alana laughed along with Keira.

Gregor smiled faintly as he watched Alana and Keira laughing together. “I am nay sure I want to

ken what they find so verra funny.”

Liam chuckled. “’Twould be best for the sake of our wee monly pride if we dinnae ask any

questions, I think.”

“Having a wife and learning that I will be a father soon is taking a wee bit of time to get used to. I ken I have two children already, but I wasnae about as they were carried and born by their mothers.

They just appeared at the gates. This, weel, this is both wonderful and terrifying.”

“Exactly so. I could say the same about being married to a twin, one who is so verra closely tied to

her sister.”

“That is indeed hard to understand at times. I suspicion I will ken exactly when your wife takes to

her childbed.”

“And I yours. Och, weel, there are worse things. I nearly became a monk.”

“And I nearly married the wrong woman.”

“I think ye would have paid far more dearly for your choice than I would have with mine.”

“Without question. There is one thing about all of this that does truly gall me, however.”

Liam looked at Gregor a little warily. “And what would that be?”

“The realization that Sigimor was right all along.”

“That certainly is galling, but exactly what was he right about?”

“About how we would ken the woman we were meant to marry because she felt right.”

“And she fits,” added Liam and laughed with Gregor. “I now recall thinking the same thing. So, ye

love the lass, do ye?”

“Aye, although it took watching her fall off a cliff for me to admit it.” Gregor shook his head. “I

didnae want it, ye ken. I thought love made a mon act like an idiot. Instead, I denied it and acted

like an idiot anyway.”

“But now ye are a verra happy idiot, arenae ye.”

“I am. A verra happy idiot indeed.”

Liam looked at Keira and started to walk toward her. “Ah, weel, there are some verra fine rewards

for being an idiot.”

Quickly falling into step, his gaze fixed upon his smiling wife, Gregor had to agree.

Please turn the page for an exciting sneak peek of

Hannah Howell’s

HIGHLAND BARBARIAN

coming in December 2006!

Scotland, Summer 1480

“Ye dinnae look dead, though I think ye might be trying to smell like ye are.”

Angus MacReith scowled at the young man towering over his bed. Artan Murray was big, strongly

built, and handsome. His cousin had done well, he thought. Far better than all his nearer kin who

had born no children at all or left him with ones like young Malcolm. Angus scowled even more

fiercely as he thought about that man. Untrustworthy, greedy, and cowardly, he thought. Artan had

the blood of the MacReiths in him and it showed, just as it did in his twin Lucas. it was only then

that Angus realized Artan stood there alone.