Laird of the Game (12 page)

He growled seductively in her ear. “Till my wee feet were sore and I dropped tae my knees and begged for a beautiful lass with golden hair and blue eyes tae keep me warm at night.”

“It seems you got your wish,” she tugged him down for a kiss. “You please me very well.”

“Ah, lass, ye do keep my feet warm at night. Let’s go for a swim in the Loch. I go’ a Nessie for ye tae find.”

He could be so damned charming and it made her laugh.

He looked at the painting then and let out a low whistle. “I don’ look tha’ good.”

She was pleased he liked the painting. He hadn’t said a word about their argument, and she was grateful.

“I don’t think it’s possible to capture you on canvas.”

He ran his hands down the length of her arms and hugged her close to his heart.

Alex was suddenly terrified of losing her, especially once she learned the truth about him.

Chapter Twelve

Alex knew. The knowledge knocked the breath out of him, and his hands trembled a little. William was in love with her. That look in his brother’s eyes could not be denied. The lad had fallen deeply in love with Alex’s Angel. The flood of jealousy that hit him clenched his fists. It took all of his control not to explode in fury. Melissa belonged to Alex. He had made that clear from the beginning, and he would not tolerate any challenge for her. His mind raged against the thought of her with another man.

Alex was in a touchy mood and his forehead was wrinkled in a frown, she noticed. He dove in and surfaced next to her. The water was refreshing after a hot summer afternoon. The worries of the day washed away. Her arms were around his neck and her breasts pressed against the warmth of his chest. The sensation woke every nerve in her body.

“You have absolutely ruined me.” She laughed. He stiffened for a moment and then smiled as her intent became clear. Her legs wound around his waist. “You are tense tonight.” She taunted him with a tug on his ear lobe between her teeth.

He growled against her ear.

“So I finally have your attention? You’re very distracted, Alex.”

“I’ve ruined ye?” He was afraid to hear the answer.

Melissa touched his cheek and held his gaze with hers. “Yes, my darling. I wouldn’t want another man to touch me the way you do.”

His lips sought the safe haven of her mouth. She always tasted so sweet, and he found himself always wanting more of her. Tonight, he ravaged her tender lips, claiming them undeniably as his territory. He held her close, and the tension strained the muscles in his shoulders into rippled cords.

“Excuse me,” Daniel interrupted them from the shore. “I hate tae interrupt your swim.”

Melissa inched lower in the water. Alex held her firmly in place against him. The water was up to their waist, and she had no doubt that Daniel was getting quite the view from the beach. She noticed he was wearing his dress kilt. “You look very handsome, Daniel. Are you leaving again so soon?”

Daniel flushed at the compliment.

Alex groaned. It wouldn’t be long before all of his brothers were in love with her.

“Oh, I’ll be back again soon. I wouldn’t want tae miss a thing.” His laughter echoed across the lake. “We were about tae get some company, and I didn’t want tae upset the lady.”

She looked puzzled.

“The warriors are coming in from patrol.” Alex explained. “Make haste, little brother.” He called out in Gaelic and continued to nibble her neck.

At the top of the ridge, dust began to spiral into the air and Alex saw the helicopter take off. He didn’t think a kiss would cover the whir of the blades so he dunked Melissa under water.

“You beast!” Their laughter echoed across the valley. He slid under the water before she could get the hair out of her face. “Come back here.” When he surfaced next to her, she dunked him under. She had the feeling he wasn’t fighting too hard because he had more than enough strength to throw her over his head. The oversized shirt he gave her to swim in came off under water, and when she surfaced, she clung to him. Alex laughed and wrapped his arms around her for modesty’s sake.

“Now I’ve got ye where I want ye.” He bent down, and her lips were warm and inviting against his. Her smile for him was radiant and loving.

“And I have you right where I want you. You can’t possibly let go of me.”

“Oh, can’t I?” He released her just a little. Melissa screamed and hung on tightly to him laughing. The shirt floated up to the surface and he draped it over her head.

He carried her out of the water and wrapped her in the extra plaid he brought along. The water was cold, and he rubbed her down vigorously to warm her. They walked back to the cottage and locked the door.

Melissa slipped the shirt off and hung it over the back of a chair.

Alex leaned down and kissed her, tenderly at first and then the heat of her breasts against his chest flamed his desire, and he groaned.

His tongue slipped into her soft mouth, teasing and tormenting with a lazy caress against her tongue. He felt her tremble and heard her whimper in the back of her throat. The nipples against his chest had become hard.

She gasped against his lips when he reached up to gently caress the side of her breast. He pulled back to kiss the base of her throat, and she moaned in reply. Her eyes sparkled, and her lips were slightly parted, her breath coming in short gasps.

Alex was beyond thinking. His mouth ravaged against hers with his tongue sliding in, retreating, and driving into that sweet mouth again until she groaned. His teeth nipped at her bottom lip. His lips tormented her until she writhed against him.

“Alex, please.”

“Please what my lovely Angel?” He smiled in that devil-may-care way that drove her crazy. She would do anything he asked. He knew the affect it had on her and used it when he wanted to torment her.

“Please don’t ever stop,” Melissa whispered.

He brushed his lips across her hardened nipples, and sighed. His mouth closed over her pink breast, and her hands clung to his shoulders.

He kissed her flat stomach, hooked a finger into the fabric of her pink panties, and slid the wet fabric to the floor and tossed them over the shirt. He laid her back on the bed, already aroused at the beauty before him. His hands were warm on her cool skin while he kissed the inside of her thigh before kissing the heat of her.

Her hands tore at the blanket for something to hang on to. He took her higher and higher, building an ache that demanded an answer. “Alex, please,” she begged again.

He could feel the spasms of ecstasy that wracked her body before she knew what was happening. She called out to him again and then sank back on the bed, gasping with pleasure.

“You enjoy doing that to me, don’t you?” She was amazed at his prowess. Her laughter filled the room with a joyous sound.

He hovered over her and smiled. “Aye, I do.”

Melissa pushed him over on his back. “You torment me until I beg you to make it stop.” She straddled his hips, and his eyes grew big in wonder. “It’s your turn to squirm and beg for mercy, sweetheart.”

He reached up to stroke her breast. She bit his finger.

Her hair fell across his chest, and the silky tickle across his skin felt very good. She kissed his neck before licking and suckling his nipple.

“Oh, lass, you have my full attention.” Alex groaned when her head moved down to his lap. His hands wound into her hair, and he thought he had died of pleasure from her silky tongue moving over him.

He groaned again when she took him in her mouth and stroked the inside of his thigh.  “Melissa, my darling, please…” He could hardly breathe the pleasure was so intense.

“Please what?” Even her voice sweetly tormented him. Don’t stop!” Alex begged. Her feather light touch moved over his body and sent shivers up his spine. She demanded more of him and took what she wanted with a reckless abandon. She thought of nothing else but his pleasure, and she pleased him beyond his wildest dreams.

She had his full attention and straddled his hips, easing down on him. The heat of her body wrapped tightly around him.

Alex leaned forward and put a pillow behind his head. He didn’t want to miss a moment of her passion. His hands slid up her thighs. He loved to watch her face while they made love.

Her eyes would get big and half close when she was close to the edge, and then he would give her that touch which made her fall off the world into ecstasy with him. Every thrust of her hips brought them to the edge, but he held her back to enjoy the battle. She moved against him and whimpered. He put his hands on her hips and lifted her a little, and she found a whole new delight while he moved below her.

Alex couldn’t get the thought of her with any other man out of his head. It tormented him. She belonged to Alex, body and soul. The dark thoughts raged across his soul and he unleashed the jealous anguish that tortured his heart. Once before he had believed in ideals but life had taught him some harsh lessons. He had managed to bury all emotions for years, but with Melissa, his barriers came down. Love mixed with desire, and possession defined love. It was wrong, he knew, but at the moment, was beyond guilt, sanity, or reason.

He sat up still tightly joined to her and tucked his legs under him for leverage. Melissa held on to his shoulders. His strength held her, and he loved her in a wildly wicked way. He drove deep within her heat again and again. His mouth covered hers and crushed her lips against his.

“Alex!” Her voice trembled as she called out to him.

He could hear her calling to him from far away. The rage of jealousy burned deep within him and he became almost savage in his desire to brand her his woman. His arms crushed her against him until she could get no closer. He possessed her lips and sunk his tongue into her mouth to claim all of her at once. His hand wound into her hair and wouldn’t let her pull back from him. His breathing was ragged against her cheek.

Melissa wound her arms around his neck. “I love you, Alex.” she cried out in complete surrender and held on as ecstasy shivered through her body. Alex groaned against the extreme emotions gripping his heart. She trembled and nearly fainted in his arms.

He called her name and brushed his lips against her cheeks. “My sweet Angel,” he soothed and caressed. “Ye are so beautiful, so very beautiful. Melissa, my love, forgive me if I hurt ye.”

“Alex,” she said his name in a whisper. Her hands caressed his back. She had heard him say he loved her and started sobbing against his chest, completely overwhelmed with his fierce emotion. He held her gently now and rocked her with his body until she calmed.

Alex felt a sting in his eyes. She broke down all the walls he kept around his heart and wrapped his tortured heart in her magic. His Melissa was so delicate, and he felt like he had become a monster.

He moved back against the pillows and took her with him to stretch out on his chest. He couldn’t let her go, not now. The emotions that filled his heart were frightening because it had consumed him entirely. If she left him, he wouldn’t just go numb; he would cease to exist at all. The enormity of the realization made him tremble. His sanity was vulnerable for the first time in his life, and he couldn’t control or predict the outcome. Alex was truly terrified.

Melissa’s cheek rested against his heart. The wild heartbeat began to calm, and she wondered what had upset him. That far away look was back in his eyes, and he held her in a crushing hug.

She didn’t want anything to ruin their beautiful new love. If she knew the answer to that far away look, she might be hurt or worse, lose the man she loved more than life itself. Her head tipped up and rested on the back of her hand. She ran a finger over his whiskered chin. His beard and mustache were dark, like his hair and gave him a very sexy, distinguished look. Her fingertip traced his bottom lip. “I love you, Alex.”

Her eyes were a deep violet this evening, and her gaze fell on him like a blanket of warmth and security. He felt safe with her and let the beast in him be calmed by her love. “Ye truly are a part of my life, and I canna thin’ abou’ ye ever leavin’ me.”

“Aye, you are stuck with me now.” She laughed lightly, trying hard to bring that lovely burr into her voice. Melissa felt immensely proud of herself. She had pulled him back into the warmth of her love. Her body was tender from his fierce attention.

The pain was still raw to him but Melissa had withstood one of his worst moments in his life when all the barriers came down, and his fears demanded her innocent, tender body. For the first time in years, he faced his demons and realized he had buried his heart with work. It was as if a terrible burden had been lifted from his shoulders. She still loved him, he was certain. He stroked her soft skin, in awe of the gentle beauty in her.