To Wed A Highlander (13 page)

Makenna furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if Colin’s anger stemmed from a type of jealousy. She dismissed the idea. Jealousy would imply a level of emotional attachment, and Makenna knew she was too vulnerable to hope Colin was developing a tenderness for her. It was best to remain indifferent. “So he was at our wedding. I promise you Leon MacCuaig has no interest in me, why would he? The only reason he said any of those things tonight was to goad you into a response. He tried all other tactics. He was just grasping at anything to get you to react to his taunts. What I find hard to believe is that you allowed him to do so.”

Colin looked at her with appalled silence. Was the woman completely unaware of her own allure? Could she truly be that naïve of how powerful her unconventional beauty was? The question suddenly brought back the conversation he’d had with Dunlop less than a week ago.
He
had failed to see Makenna as a beautiful, desirable woman. Could she also be incapable of seeing herself as others did?

“The man wants you, but you belong to me, Makenna,” Colin muttered darkly, walking toward her.

She raised her chin, her green eyes glittering with pride. “Belong to you? I belong to no one, Colin McTiernay.”

He reached out and pulled her fiercely against him. “Wrong, Makenna, you belong to me.”

Makenna felt her temper start to flare and wrenched free from his grasp, moving backward until she bumped into the stone barrier. “Deirdre might have belonged to you, but I never will.”

Colin placed his two hands on either side of her head and pinned her between his body and the wall. “That is where you are wrong again. Deirdre never belonged to me the way you do.”

Colin’s mouth came down with a fierce possessiveness, cutting off any attempt at a rejoinder. His lips moved against hers hard and deliberately, letting her feel the frustration and temper she had aroused in him. “Ah, Makenna, what you do to me,” he murmured against her lips before plunging inside her mouth once more, tasting, teasing, voraciously consuming her very essence.

Stunned by the near violence of his embrace, Makenna instinctively stiffened only to find herself weaken and melt moments later. Desperately she tried to find some scrap of will to push him away and argue that she was not his, that she was her own person whom no one laid claim to.

The sensation of being so powerless to anyone, especially Colin, frightened her. But even more frightening was her unfailing reaction to his touch. Even when angry, the man created an instantaneous effect on her senses.

Makenna relaxed, and Colin’s body came ablaze with desire. No matter how much she challenged him or angered him, she still came alive with passion when she was in his arms. Her fingers dove into his hair, pulling him tighter, pleading with him to deepen the embrace. His heart jolted and a sense of urgency drove him to comply with her wishes. The world was closing in, and he realized he needed to breathe. Inhaling, her elusive, womanly scent aroused him even further.

Not daring to raise his mouth completely from hers for fear that he might somehow lose her, he quickly removed her bliaut and then her chemise. Not until he heard the sound of his own leine ripping did he realize she, too, was undressing him. The feel of her naked flesh pressing against his, the sensation of her light and numerous kisses all over his chest, the knowledge that she truly wanted him after all that had happened, caused his blood to boil, driving him beyond the edge of his control. In one motion, he swept her into his arms and then down on his bed.

Gone was the gentle man of her wedding night. Colin’s mouth was everywhere, hot, and sensual—branding him on her skin. Never would she be able to look at a man without thinking of Colin. Makenna needed him to feel the same about her.

Sliding her palm down his chest, past his abdomen, she closed her fingers around his masculine appendage. Feeling him large and hard in her hands, she wondered how her body could accommodate, let alone enjoy, their lovemaking. Slowly she rubbed the loose flesh up and down while using her thumb to massage the moistened tip.

“God, Makenna…” he moaned and arched his back away from the sensitive contact.

Emboldened by his reaction, Makenna pulled him back down with her free hand and captured his earlobe lightly between her teeth. “Aye, Colin. Do you wish me to stop? Or perhaps I should leave?” she teased, knowing that regardless of his answer she would do neither.

“You’re killing me, but never has death looked sweeter,” came a breathy, tight reply.

Makenna smiled and then heard herself gasp as he gently caught one hard nipple between his lips, laving it with his tongue. Makenna shuddered and squeezed the flesh in her grasp.

“Easy, I still need that,” Colin murmured, gently removing her hand. But, instead of moving it to his chest as he expected, Makenna moved her palm even lower.

Her fingertips found his warm sacks and began to knead them in a blissful and torturous way. All he could do was bury his face in her throat and fight for breath. As he’d never desired to bed loose women, only in his dreams had a woman touched him thus. Her fingers were creating a magical sensation he knew he could not endure for any length of time.

On the verge of losing his seed before ever entering her, Colin seized her torturous hand in his own. “Now it is my turn. I shall drive you mad with desire. I want to feel you writhing in my arms, needing me as much as I need you.”

Makenna was about to say that she was already insane with want of him, that she did need him—more than she thought humanly possible—but she didn’t have the chance. He cut off her words with another seductive, mind-numbing kiss.

Collecting both her hands in his left, he stretched them above her head. He wanted all her attention on his every touch, every caress. His right hand then started along the side of her thigh, gliding lightly over her silken skin. Just before he reached the heart of her own fire, he moved down the inside of her thigh. Bringing his hand up her leg again, he paused until he was inches from the hot, damp core of her. Lightly he moved his fingers through her already moist hair, refraining from actually touching her.

Makenna felt herself arch in search of his fingers. Colin used his lower body to keep hers still as he tormented her senses with his caresses. At the same time, he continued his exploration of her mouth with his tongue. No mortal being could withstand the whirlwind of sensations he was creating.

Finally, his mouth broke free of hers to nibble at her earlobe and then neck. She cried out, “Colin!”

“Aye, wife?” he replied, kissing the quick pulse at the base of her throat.

“Please, I can take no more.”

“Please what?” he asked, knowing exactly what she craved.

“Please touch me. Please,” she pleaded.

“I am,” he assured her as he lowered his mouth to her breast.

A powerful shudder reverberated through her. He wanted to drive her mad, and he was succeeding. “Colin, I need you to be inside me.”

Colin knew she was on the brink, but she had driven him even closer. He stopped his onslaught, balanced himself on his elbows, and peered into emerald pools swirling with passion. “Say it.”

Makenna licked her lips. The sudden cessation of his caress was almost as torturous as his touch. “Say what?”

He moved his lips right next to her ear. “Say it,” he whispered.

“You’re arrogant, overbearing, and a bully.”

He just stared at her with a small knowing grin. It mattered not that he was in agony with pent-up sexual tension. Colin would stay there forever waiting for her to admit that she was his. He knew it, and she knew it.

“I belong to you, Colin,” she said softly, knowing that despite everything, it was the truth.

Her avowal was like balm to his soul. Not until the words washed over him did he understand exactly how much he needed her to say them aloud. No amount of sexual torment could have forced her to make such a declaration if she did not believe it.

“Aye, Makenna, you do. And while I may be arrogant, overbearing, and a bully, I am also selfish. I will never share you with another soul. You are mine.”

Then he kissed her, this time slowly, taking his time, letting her feel the endless need for her he had inside him. Without removing his lips, he moved so that he lay on his side, giving his fingers access to the dark red curls that concealed her most intimate of secrets.

Makenna closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe. His hand seemed to take an eternity. When she felt Colin enter her softness, she felt the world begin to spin. Slowly he began to stroke her, parting her with his fingers, opening her to his caress. She heard someone cry out.

Feeling her writhe with need for even more, Colin began to draw a pattern along the sensitive flesh just below her soft, wet channel. The delicate design nearly drove Makenna over the edge. He edged two fingers deeper, exploring her with a deliberate possessiveness that caused Makenna to shriek in surprise as throes of climax consumed her.

Colin felt her honeyed flood dampen his hand and moved to straddle her hips. He stared down at her body. Her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. Settling himself between her legs, he hesitated. “Makenna, you feel so good. I…I am afraid I might lose control and hurt you,” he warned, his voice thick and unsteady.

“You won’t, Colin. Let go. Let go and join me. I need you as I need air, and I want it all. Even the parts of you that you fear. I need them. Please.” Then she lifted herself against him.

No longer in charge of his baser instincts, Colin plunged, driving deep, seeking his own release. Instantly he was transported to another plane of existence. No experience in the past or in the future could match the exquisite feeling of being inside her.

He eased himself partway out of her channel and then entered her again with a long, sure movement. Makenna felt herself stretch to encompass him as new, even stronger sensations swept through her body. She rocked against him, taking him deeper inside her with each thrust.

Just as she felt the heavens open up, Colin cried out as he surged forward into her one last time. Buried deep within her, he felt shudders overtaking his body as he burst into a million pieces. For several minutes, his body pulsated with erotic release.

Thinking he might be crushing her, Colin mustered just enough energy to shift off her and gather her in his arms. For a long time, they lay clinging to each other.

Makenna had never been with another man, and this was only the second night she had lain with Colin. Yet she knew without a doubt that what they shared was powerful and unique. They were forever bonded together.

Raising herself on an elbow, she looked down at him, her eyes serious. “Colin…you belong to me.” It wasn’t a challenge, or an ultimatum. Just a simple statement of fact.

Colin reached out and twirled his fingers through her hair. “Aye, that I do, Makenna. I will never want another.”

She let him pull her cheek down so that it rested on his chest. He did not offer words of love, but what he did give, Makenna treasured. He wanted her, cared for her. Not the way he adored Deirdre, but it was enough.

Colin lay awake stroking Makenna’s hair, listening to her deep repetitive breaths proving she was asleep. Her body molded perfectly to his as if God made her only for him. She would never know how much he relished the simple act of holding her while she slept. It was a gesture of trust, and it made him realize just how lonely his life had been.

His sexual desire for her was still present, but it no longer consumed him. Yet he still wanted…no, needed her by his side.

With the exception of his eldest brother, only Makenna seemed uniquely immune to his temper. He had been furious earlier and had done nothing to conceal the level of his anger. Yet never once did Makenna cower and retreat. Instead, she told him to stop yelling and was shockingly honest. And though he had loved Deirdre, their relationship had lacked something vital. They never learned how to be completely themselves around each other. Consequently, they never shared the true passion he was finding with Makenna. She was completely different from his soft-spoken, gentle, fragile Deirdre. Makenna was wild, and impetuous and aggravating.

And she was his wife.

Deirdre was dead, and it was time to say good-bye. He would always love her, but Makenna was his future. A future he looked forward to and would only jeopardize with continual thoughts of his late wife. He had a second chance with Makenna. She was vastly different than Deirdre and maybe that made all the difference.

Makenna rolled over and pulled Colin’s heavy arm around her. The room was dark, but she could see the faint rays of sunlight beginning to emerge. Her first day of complete freedom had arrived. All the lairds had departed for their homes yesterday evening, and Rona would be leaving this morning—finally. Ula had left days ago shortly after announcing that she would no longer remain “in the presence of a Highlander destroying her childhood home.”

She and her husband, Uilleam, ran a small keep in South Ayrshire near the Crossraguel Abbey. It was a nice home and well built, but too small to be of notable significance. Uilleam had intended to remove and use the stone from the abandoned church to expand his estate until the Black Monks announced that they intended to rebuild. Supporters of the monks chased Uilleam away, making it clear they would attack if they caught him thieving again.

He and Ula then turned their greedy eyes to Lochlen hoping to convince Alexander it was they who should succeed him and lead the Dunstans. Alexander had not agreed. Next, Ula had hoped her father would repay her efforts to see Makenna married by funding Uilleam’s ambitions to extend their home. Alexander died before she could ask, and Colin stated that he had no interest in providing any family member continuous financial support. Anger and spite drove Ula and her husband to support MacCuaig.

Mortified that Ula was publicly opposing her own father’s wishes, Makenna had launched into a verbal tirade with her in front of everyone the morning following MacCuaig’s hasty exit. Her fury had quickly transferred to Colin, who proceeded to drag her away from the hall, cutting off her final and most scathing remarks.

Colin normally would have found Makenna’s escapade infuriating. He needed to be spending time building alliances, but then it isn’t every day a husband learns the secret to mollifying his wife.

All the way to the loch, Colin had either watched Makenna fume or listened to her spew words about his bullying nature and high-handed ways. Apparently, no one before had ever dared to embarrass her in such a manner. It was then he realized that Makenna was totally unaware of how inappropriate and unladylike her behavior appeared to those around her.

Arriving at her favorite spot, Makenna huffed and gave Colin an icy look. The walk had done little to diminish her anger. She leaned against one of the waist-high rocks by the shore and boiled in silence.

Colin found himself at a loss for what to do or say. Part of him was actually pleased her anger stemmed from her loyalty to him. However, a larger part wished Makenna would restrain her sudden antagonistic urges.

He needed to return to the gathering, but subjecting Gorten and Brodie to her current mood would be a cruel order. Colin deliberated about bringing up her conduct but quickly dismissed the idea. Last year while visiting his brother, he had witnessed Conor come very close to losing some very precious body parts when he had tried to advise his wife on her behavior when she was still angry. Women can be the most sensible and logical beings in the universe, but drag them into a discussion when they are not in the mood, and watch irrationality explode.

And Makenna was clearly not in the mood.

Colin’s only hope was to induce Makenna into thinking about something else. “You know I also wonder about your sister Ula,” he started conversationally.

Makenna kept her arms crossed and looked at him from the corner of her eye. The man made absolutely no sense sometimes.

Colin saw her reaction and took it as a good sign. “Many think my mother’s idea about naming her sons with the letter C rather odd. I must admit that I am one of them. Now, don’t mention this to my brother Conor, and especially not to his wife, but they’ve actually decided to continue the tradition. And if you have hopes of doing the same, prepare yourself to be disappointed. Our children will have their
own
names.”

Makenna squinted and shook her head in confusion. “Colin, whatever are you going on about?” she asked, not realizing that for the first time in an hour she was thinking about something other than Ula’s betrayal and Colin’s rude interruption.

Colin picked up some rocks and moved to rest beside her on the boulder. He took one pebble and threw it toward the water, watching it skip along the reflective surface. “Just this, my name was not my
choice.
I could not influence the way my mother chose to name her sons. Ula, however,
chose
to marry Uilleam. No wonder they are unhappy and take it out on others. Can you imagine if your name was Colina or if mine were Makenzie?” Makenna felt her jaw drop. “I would never have married you.”

“Nor I you,” Colin replied, throwing another stone. Then a devilishly attractive grin flashed across his face. “But Ula
did
choose to marry Uilleam.”

Maybe it was the way he said their names. It could have been that they were the butt of his joke. Regardless of what it was, Makenna felt her fury subside. She grabbed the last rock out of his hand and flung it so that it hopped several times before sinking to the bottom. “We can go back now, Colin. I promise to yell no more at Ula—if she is even still here.”

“Glad you are feeling better.”

Makenna moved to stand in front of him. “But you do agree that Ula deserved everything I said, maybe even more.”

“And do you agree that I was right to haul you away?” he asked, pulling her between his legs.

Makenna shrugged her shoulders and played with the laces on his leine. “I guess. It matters so little to her. My father’s wishes, her betrayal, Uilleam’s greed…all of it. The only reason she was passably agreeable the day of our wedding was to influence my father.”

“Alexander may have been soft when it came to his daughter, but he was not going to fund the expansion of her keep.”

“You heard about that?”

“Aye. Uilleam actually approached me before the funeral. You can imagine my answer.”

“That explains why he and Ula didn’t hesitate to support MacCuaig. Revenge.” Makenna paused and released a long sigh. “She is so blind. She cannot be reasoned with or even shamed into doing what is right. It was a waste of my breath and emotion.”

Colin tugged her gently against him. “Let me give you something you can invest your emotions into.” He breathed before lowering his lips to hers. Makenna instantly melted and reached out for support. He kissed her slowly, letting her feel the endless need inside him. It was a long time before Colin ended the tender embrace.

That was nearly two weeks ago.

Makenna flipped over on the bed and began to play with the dark hair on Colin’s chest. Ula was gone, and today Rona and her husband would return to their home. Rona’s constant nit-picking had grown each day her husband remained and participated in talks of alliances. Discussions had ended late yesterday evening, and Rona’s husband was among the many who had not yet pledged his support to Colin.

“Leave, Rona, life will be much more peaceful with you gone.” Makenna sighed to herself. Her fingers danced in the soft curls that covered his upper body before tapering to a line down his abdomen.

Colin stirred, and Makenna knew she had once again spoken aloud. “Well, what do you expect when you have cultivated a habit for so many years?” she asked herself, making sure her lips were firmly pressed together.

Her hair moved, and she knew Colin was awake. Every morning began this way, regardless of the night before. They could come back to his chambers quiet, aroused, or angry, but they always ended in bed, sometimes with frenzied need, and other times with slow deliberation.

Makenna felt free to be totally herself when inside these walls. Lack of fear brought a sense of security and with that an unbridled passion Makenna was unaware she possessed until these past few weeks.

Colin was just about to attend to Makenna’s playful hand when someone unexpectedly banged on the door. No one would summon him at this early hour unless they carried important, and most likely bad, news.

“Stay here,” Colin gently ordered before throwing on his leine and belt. Grabbing his sword, he headed toward the door. Before she could see who was in the hall, the heavy wooden barrier closed behind him.

The wood slats muffled their voices, but did not completely block their words. Makenna swung out of bed and threw on her chemise. She moved by the door and recognized Dunlop’s voice.

“There were several fires set against outlying Dunstan families during the night. One boy was burned, but will live.”

“Raiders?”

“No one saw or heard anyone.”

“Select a small group of men to accompany me. I ride in an hour,” Colin ordered, his voice disappearing as he descended the tower stairs.

Makenna swallowed.
Small group of men,
Colin had said. She wanted to find him, hold him tight, and make him promise to be careful. Pride kept her feet planted and her hands by her sides.

Suddenly feeling chilled, Makenna walked over to the hearth and added a log to the fire. She stoked it until the flames grew large again, heating the ambient air. Pulling the McTiernay plaid off the bed, she wrapped it around her shoulders and sank into the oversized padded chair she knew Colin preferred. Colin would return and explain what was happening before he left. She just needed to be patient.

“If I were to count all the minutes I spend studying the flames of a fire, I would no doubt learn that I have lost a year of my life,” she mumbled, moving to rest her head in a more comfortable position.

Several piercing shouts from the courtyard below jarred her back awake. Makenna blinked and saw that the light entering the room was significantly brighter than before. She had fallen asleep. At least an hour had passed.

Makenna stretched her deadened limbs and waited for the painful tingling sensation to fade so that she could go and see what was happening.

“Did you fall asleep in the chair?”

Makenna swung around to see Colin enter the room. “Aye,” she replied softly as he pulled out a plaid from the chest. His manner was casual, but she could see the tension in his muscles. “What happened?”

“Nothing you need be aware of. I will take care of it.”

His reply was short and terse. Makenna took a deep breath. He was treating her as if she were a child who needed blanket reassurance that all was well. She rose to her feet. “I do not doubt that you will resolve whatever is wrong, Colin. I am just asking what happened.”

Colin closed his eyes seeking patience and finding none. “And once I tell you, you will want to know where I am going, how long I will be gone, and if it will be dangerous.”

Makenna straightened her shoulders and eyed him closely. “Aye, those are considered basic questions a wife asks her husband when she sees him prepare to leave and not just for the day’s work.”

“I will not be explaining myself to you or anyone else. I am laird now, and I decide who receives what information and when,” he instructed, his voice harsh.

Her hands flew to her hips. “You best
decide
to include me and
before
you leave, Colin McTiernay. I am quite knowledgeable about fighting, and I can recognize preparations to enter one.”

Colin felt his insides clench and focused his attention on securing his belt around his pleated plaid. “Aye, I have heard about your alleged skill with a blade.”

“Alleged?
I’ll have you know I am d—”

“And like so many of my young, ignorant recruits, you do not understand the great difference between wielding a sword with someone who won’t kill you and with someone who will. And if I have anything to say about it, you never will.”

Makenna’s jaw dropped. “You are serious about leaving and telling me nothing.
Nothing about my own clan.
If we are in danger…” Her eyes were wide with heated awareness.

Colin stifled an oath. “If you were in danger, I would not leave, Makenna. You know that,” he stated bluntly, wishing he could end this conversation by taking her to bed again. Unfortunately, there was not time to make her see reason, and by the look of her stubborn jawline and flashing emerald eyes, Makenna did not have the slightest inclination to be sidetracked.

“And just why should I know that?” Makenna asked, knowing the insinuation would prick his pride.

It worked.

Colin moved so quickly Makenna never saw him coming. One second she was fuming by the hearth chair and in the next Colin’s hand was around her wrist dragging her across his chest. His blue eyes glinted and pierced her soul. “Because you know me.”

He was right, and suddenly Makenna didn’t want to fight with him just as he was about to leave, heading into possible danger. The fact was, whether he knew it or not, she
did
know what happened and where he was going. Their fight was about two souls and their pride. And somehow, keeping her pride with Colin was not nearly as important as it once was.

“Aye, Colin, I do know you. You are proud and stubborn, but you would never consciously leave Lochlen, my people, or me in danger. But you should also know that I am not dense. I know something has happened, and it requires you to leave. But what has not occurred to you is that this terrible news will eventually make its way back here. The more you trust me, the better I can prepare our people.”

Colin stifled a groan, knowing their argument had not been terminated but merely postponed. Makenna understood that he needed to leave, just not his need to shield her. Colin dropped a soft kiss into her hair and threaded his fingers through her thick mane. It was gloriously soft, and he knew not being able to touch her for days, possibly weeks would be torture.

He pulled her head back and peered down into bright green pools glimmering with unshed tears. Makenna’s eyes were keyholes to her thoughts, and right now they were full of apprehension. He leaned down and brushed his lips lightly across hers. “Take care of the keep while I’m gone. Drake’s going with me. Dunlop will be with the men at the training fields if you need him. Brodie and Gorten are to remain here with you.”

“I won’t miss you,” she promised softly as he walked to the door.