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
down the camera. He ignored her first question, and answered her with, "That's up to you Mackenzie. However, for your own protection I'd prefer ye slept in my bed." Connor expected her to protest again, so he was mildly surprised when his request wasn't immediately rebuffed.
"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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"I shouldn't have to explain myself to you, I am laird of this clan and you should trust my judgment," he grumbled.
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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Mackenzie almost laughed, as it was, she felt her lips twitch and had to fight back the smile. "How could a mere woman ever save you, you ask? I'll tell you: I have some ideas."
"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
would look out of place to the messenger. "No, no, this is all wrong. Do you have a piece of paper and a...quill is it?"
"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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Mackenzie finished her note and couldn't believe how awful her handwriting looked in the fresh ink. Oh well, at least Morvern would know it was hers; no lady of this time would have such sloppy cursive. She handed it to Connor who squinted and looked at it this way and that.
"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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Connor turned the camera on, and pointed it at Mackenzie.
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 with a smile. She really liked this honesty thing. It made her feel much more than relieved; she felt at ease for the first time since she'd arrived.
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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Sliding her down the length of his body, slowly and deliberately, Connor gently placed Mackenzie on her bare feet in his room. This time, she was the aggressor, knowing what he wanted and wanting it too. She was emboldened by the knowledge that they were going to end up in his bed, Mackenzie stared into his eyes as she unlaced her gown and let it drop to the floor. Stepping out of it, she crossed her arms at her waist and bunched up the material, pulling the shift up over her head tossing it on the growing pile of clothes. Connor's eyes betrayed the surprise he felt as Mackenzie stripped down and advanced on him. He deftly slipped off his trews and silently pulled her to him. He whispered her name against her lips before he claimed them as his own.
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Chapter Eighteen
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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"I feel it," she muttered. "Plus, I'm stuck here and I can't get home, I have no freedom and I'm powerless! I am supposed to help and I am completely useless! Ugh, ugh, ugh!"
Connor's soft voice sounded mildly sad, "Is it really so bad here?"
"Oh! Connor! I didn't mean it to come out like that." She sighed and ran an agitated hand through her hair as she sat up. Connor sat up as well. "It's just that, imagine for a minute that you are told you have the power to help defeat an evil warlord who is terrorizing the locals, but you don't know how you are supposed to do this, and you don't know who is really a friend or foe, and to top it off, you are suddenly completely happy to stay in the temporary state of bliss that you've just discovered. It's a hard position to be in, Connor, especially when I could be just as happy here, in your bed, for the entire time I'm supposed to be engaged to another man. Why is that, I wonder? Hmm?" Mackenzie ended her mini-rant with an admission she hadn't meant to say, but now that it was out there, she let it sit for a moment. When she spoke again, it was very softly. "And what will happen when Halloween comes and I have to go back to my time? Will I even be able to go home without those wizards? There are so many unanswered questions and every day, I have that much less time to help. So, you asked me if it's really that bad? The short answer is no, it's absolutely wonderful here in your bed." She smiled up at him, "But, when the sun rises, I have all of those other thoughts interrupting the happiness that I have here."
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Connor had remained silent through her rambling and slightly confusing explanation, so when he spoke, it stunned her that he understood. "Sweeting, I hadn't realized that you carried so much on your shoulders." He had an arm around her and pulled her against him into his embrace. "We will hear from the sorcerers soon enough and mayhap they will give you some of the answers you seek."
"Thank you," Mackenzie murmured softly against his chest.
"For what?" Connor sounded genuinely surprised, and Mackenzie smiled against his skin.
"For believing me, and for trying to see my perspective. I really appreciate the effort. It means a lot to me that you care."
"I do, you know. I care about ye, more than I should in fact. And I am truly sorry that I didn't believe you sooner."
His voice was inexplicably tender, his accent more pronounced.
Mackenzie snuggled deeper into his chest and mumbled "I don't believe it."
"Believe it. Now, what shall we do until we receive word?"
At the hungry light in his eyes, Mackenzie said, "You're insatiable, my Laird. Besides, I'm not completely sure I've forgiven you for all that business earlier." The teasing look in her eyes belied the stern tone.
Connor smiled and almost purred, "My apologies, my Lady.
Allow me to convince you of my remorse." He reached for Mackenzie but she danced out of his reach.
"Oh really? And how's that?"
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Connor made a move again, but Mackenzie rolled over the bed so that it stood between them.
"You'll see."
Connor lunged across the bed, but Mackenzie dashed around to where he'd been standing, their positions reversed.
She's quick, he thought as he lunged after her again. This time he caught her by the wrist and pulled her on top of him as if she weighed nothing.
An indelicate "Oof" came out of her as she sprawled across his hard body. Mackenzie'
s hair spilled around them and Connor ran his hand through her curls, leaving one to tangle in them, while the other roamed her body.
"You're awfully high-handed, now aren't you?" she frowned at him, their lips a half an inch away.
"Mmm..." Connor brushed his mouth against hers and said,
"If I am, 'tis for your own good."
Mackenzie slapped a hand on his chest, "For my own..."
She never finished her thought as his lips touched hers again, this time more demanding.
"You talk too much."
Connor felt Mackenzie's body melt into his in surrender, and he felt his own body tighten in response. The anticipation of feeling her body beneath his left him breathing hard. He rolled so that she was underneath him, and ran his hands down her body to her thighs. He pulled her sark up to her waist so he could skim his fingers along the satin of her thighs. She was already wet and open, waiting. His fingers had barely touched her dewy soft core when the knock came.
He tore his lips from hers and growled, 204
"Aye?"
"Me Laird?" It was Duncan, one of the watchmen. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but you're needed in the yard."
Connor rested his forehead against hers and Mackenzie expelled a long breath. When her eyes met his, he was surprised by the understanding he saw there. Most women would have pouted, or feigned insult, but there was nothing sullen about his Mackenzie.
She simply said, "Go."
"Are ye sure, sweeting? I can be," he paused, "late."
Mackenzie laughed as he wagged his eyebrows at her.
"Far be it for me to be the reason you're late." She gentled her voice, "Go, it sounds like they need you." As he bent down to kiss her, his hands wandered back down to her thighs. Her mumbled, "Connor, it sounded urgent," was lost in the kiss.
"Mm...hmm..." his lips had followed his hands down to her thighs and he spread her legs. When she murmured her protest, he silenced her protests by flicking his tongue across her. Mackenzie gasped and writhed, but Connor held her hips and brought her to climax quickly by sucking gently.
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