Sweet Wild of Mine

by Laurel Kerr

  “I missed you, lass,” Magnus said, his voice as thick as molasses left in an icebox.

  “I missed you too,” June said. “I’m sorry about what I did. I shouldn’t have tracked down your mama.”

  “No, you shouldn’t have,” Magnus agreed, although his voice lacked bite. “But you meant well. I shouldn’t have dashed out like a stoat caught trying to kill the chickens. I felt t-t-trapped, lass.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” June said. She started to say more, but Magnus’s next words stopped her.

  “M-m-my d-d-da nearly killed me when I told him I was leaving. I’d just received n-news I’d snagged the roughneck job. We didn’t have a phone out on B-B-B-Bjaray, so I’d come from rowing our dinghy back from T-T-Tammay. D-D-D-Da was still on the trawler when I returned, so I said goodbye to our animals instead. Even after he came back to the croft, I lacked the courage to tell him at first. Then, when we were milking our coos, I told him real fast. I didn’t even stutter once. I remember that. His face turned red, but since I’d grown bigger than him, he didn’t slap me as much. I didn’t want to hear his abuse, so I turned. He p-p-picked up the shovel and hit me across the b-back of my head. Knocked me right out.”

  June gasped and shifted in Magnus’s arms to look at him. He was staring stonily ahead, his face granite. She reached up and stroked his cheek, but he didn’t react. He’d gone back to that place of horror, June realized. She wanted to talk, to pull him back, to try to fix his pain with words. But she didn’t. Right now, she should just listen. He didn’t want advice or a gentle distraction. He only needed her to understand and accept.

  “From what he said during the sentencing hearing, he thought he’d killed m-me. He claimed he hadn’t meant to. He’d been in a b-b-b-blind rage. I didn’t believe him. He’d sooner see me d-d-d-dead than abandoning him like m-m-m-my m-m-m-mum did. I do believe, though, he panicked after I collapsed. T-T-Tammay was small, and even though we lived on B-B-Bjaray, someone would know if I went m-m-missing. I had a few weeks left until graduation, so he couldn’t say I’d bunked off to start a new job. And I think the idea of m-m-me leaving shamed him, so he decided to m-m-make it look like we’d been robbed. So, he grabbed the shotgun we had for p-p-protecting our chickens and the feed from vermin and shot me in the back.”

  June made a sound. She couldn’t help it. Magnus’s blue eyes softened. He immediately gathered her into his arms. “Hush now, lass. That shot saved m-my life. Some tourists were on B-B-Bjaray looking at one of the Neolithic structures near the croft. They came running at the sound. D-D-D-Da’s story didn’t hold up long. He was already under arrest when I woke in the hospital. They’d flown me to m-m-mainland Scotland, and I only went back once to t-t-testify.”

  “Oh, Magnus,” June said as she crushed him against her.

  “So you see, lass,” Magnus said softly, his chin resting on her shoulder as she clung to him, “I wasn’t really running from you. I was escaping. M-my whole life has been trying to escape him or anything that could tie me down.”

  Fresh loss shredded June’s hope. She steeled herself for Magnus’s confession that he could never commit, could never attach himself to one person. June promised she would understand, that she wouldn’t push and try to mold him into something he couldn’t become. But it hurt. Oh lordy, did it hurt.

  “Nay, June,” Magnus said quickly, “it’s not what you’re thinking. I’m tired of running. I’ve gotten so used to it, I didn’t realize it’s been him who’s been chasing m-me the whole time. That isn’t freedom, lass. The only time I’ve felt rid of him was when I was with you.”

  Tears pricked the back of June’s eyes. “Really? You truly mean that?”

  A soft smile touched Magnus’s lips, and June wished his beard didn’t obscure half of it. She wanted to see his grin in its full glory, but even part of it was magnificent. Her heart squeezed as sparks of happiness lit inside her as if someone had just released a thousand lightning bugs. She never felt such a mixture of sorrow and joy.

  Magnus wiped a stray tear from her cheek. “Aye, I do.”

  “So, what does this mean?” June asked softly, hesitantly.

  “It means I have to get used to small-town clishmaclaver again.” Magnus gave a wry smile. “I’d wager all my dosh B-B-Buck and Stanley already know I showed up at your shop right before closing and shut and locked the door.”

  “Okay,” June admitted. “You’d probably win that bet.”

  “There’ll be times when I’ll be as b-b-blustery as the north wind,” Magnus warned. “And you’ll have to coax m-me to your parties.”

  “Uh-uh,” June said. “My coaxing days have ended. That and fixing things…and sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong.”

  Magnus laughed. The hearty sound reverberated around the room. Despite her echoing happiness, June lightly poked him in the ribs. “I’m being serious. I’ve learned my lesson. I’ve been trying real hard to mind my own beeswax.”

  He sobered instantly. “You weren’t wrong about m-my m-mum, June. How you went about it, aye. B-b-b-but that I should speak with her, nay. It was right, and past time for both of us.”

  “Past time?” June asked.

  Magnus bobbed his head. “I had a wee visit with her afore I came back to the States.”

  “And?” June prompted before she realized she was pushing again. She clamped her fingers over her mouth. Magnus chuckled as he gently disengaged her hand. “You don’t need to change completely, lass. A little m-m-moderation would be good, but you care too m-m-much about people to stop. And I don’t want you to. If you did, you wouldn’t be the woman I fell in love with.”

  Everything stopped. June’s muscles tensed as she processed his words. She felt Magnus’s gaze on her…warm and more than a little nervous.

  The joy came then, as sweet as honey and as powerful as a swollen river. She let out a squeal of delight, and relief broke over Magnus’s face. He kissed her. It was a sloppy, wonderful kiss. With more enthusiasm than finesse, their lips slid hungrily over each other’s. She giggled. He laughed. June had never found anything more magical.

  “I love you too, Magnus Gray,” June told him when they broke apart.

  * * *

  Emotion clobbered Magnus. He pulled June close, unable to respond verbally with the maelstrom rushing through him. He’d lived a life devoid of affection. At first, that choice had been thrust upon him. Then, he’d purposely walled himself off.

  Until June.

  She’d come hurtling into his life, and it had terrified him. Part of him still felt as unsure as a newborn lamb. Yet even that uncertainty was threaded with cautious joy. He wanted this. Craved it.

  He remembered as a child watching male hen harriers swoop across the skies performing an elaborate sky dance to attract a mate. He’d gaze up in awe as the bird would pirouette, dive, whirl, and swoop effortlessly through the air. As he’d leaned against the old stone walls, he’d wonder what it would feel like to soar with such freedom, to feel his body dip and sway with nothing restraining him. Sometimes when he’d lay awake in the old cottage, he’d close his eyes and imagine it. In his mind, it felt just like this, exhilarating, yet peaceful. There was a rightness to loving June, and a thrill Magnus knew would never fade.

  “I was hoping you would, lass,” Magnus whispered, his voice sounding husky even to his own ears.

  “And here I thought I was as transparent as glass,” June said. “I’ve never chased after a man the way I did you. I should probably be too ashamed to admit that, but I’m just too tickled pink for discretion.”

  A wolfish satisfaction filled Magnus. “Is that so?”

  “Yep.”

  “So, I was never just a project?” The idea had stopped plaguing him, but he still wanted assurance.

  June’s green eyes clouded in confusion. “A project? I don’t understand.”

  “The night afore I l
eft, I was talking to your m-m-mate Josh.” Magnus explained, and June knitted her eyebrows. “He mentioned you had a habit of m-m-making over people. Like him. Like me.”

  June’s lips formed into a perfect O before she spoke. “I swear I am going to wring his scrawny neck.”

  Magnus shook his head as he brushed back a strand of June’s hair. “He meant no harm. He was trying to m-m-make conversation. As you know, I’m not the easiest bloke to talk to.”

  “That may be true,” June conceded, “but he shouldn’t have suggested you were just a project to me. He’s a real-life genius, and that was a dang-blasted stupid idea.”

  Amused and a little touched by June’s indignation, Magnus kissed the top of her head. She still steamed like a kettle, though.

  “Don’t be too hard on your mate. The whole world called me a wunderkind, and I’m rubbish at relationships.”

  June’s entire face softened, and she gently patted him on his cheek. “I wouldn’t say you’re rubbish.”

  “I’m learning,” Magnus said, “because of you. I never would have talked to my m-mum if it hadn’t been for you.”

  “It went well?” June asked.

  Magnus nodded. “Aye. It’s hard to explain how I felt toward her. I wasn’t angry about her leaving. I understood. I think…I think I just cut off my emotions. I cut everything off until you went and turned it all on again.”

  June snuggled close, tilting her head so they could still look at each other. “You opened something in me too.”

  Magnus snorted. June was one of the most unguarded people he’d ever met. At his dismissal, she gave him a mock glare.

  “I’m being serious.”

  “Aye, right.”

  “I am.”

  “You’re off your head.”

  June gently pushed on his chest as she leveraged herself to better gaze at him. Her eyes glowed like emeralds. “When I was a girl, we were always moving. I’d just build a new friendship, and my daddy would get orders. So, I focused on making folks happy, and that way I didn’t have to worry about myself. If I was working on improving other people’s lives, I didn’t need to examine my own. And I could be involved without getting too close. Until you. When you left, you caused me to start some long overdue self-exploration, and there isn’t another person on earth who could’ve managed that.”

  Emotion, thick and heavy, swamped Magnus. He swallowed against the swell in his throat as his heart ached from the force of it. He’d never expected a connection like this. Never sought it. Never thought he could inspire such love. The last of his doubts washed away, and the torrent inside him burst through the walls he’d built to survive his childhood.

  He buried his face against June’s neck and just held her. He couldn’t speak for a moment. He could only feel. June seemed to understand. Her arms wrapped around him, and she held him close. Squeezing his eyes shut, he breathed in her familiar scent. Peace, like he’d never known, flowed through him as his body relaxed against her warmth.

  He kissed her, slowly and deeply. Her lips parted under his, and his sense of homecoming felt complete. There was power in this embrace. Not the thrill of new discovery, but something stronger and right and even more electric. This was a joining of souls, not just bodies.

  June moaned. The low sound detonated the want inside Magnus. Cupping her head, he slanted his mouth over hers. Her hands laced around the back of his neck, pulling him deeper into the maddening sensations. Desire and need pulsated as he felt her body press against his in clear demand.

  His hands moved to undo her blouse as she tugged at his T-shirt. Breaking their kiss, he allowed her to pull the fabric over his head. Her fingers skimmed along his spine, sending lust spiraling through him. He buried his lips against her neck as he continued to work on her buttons. June emitted a sound between a cry and purr as the material fell away. He unhooked the front of her bra with his teeth and buried his face in her breasts. She shouted when he took one into his mouth. He sucked and teased as she writhed. Supporting her with one arm, he used the other hand to stroke the velvety softness of her other nipple. It had already pebbled, and he ran the callused pad of his thumb over the tip. Her fingers pressed into his back. She said his name, a guttural sound drenched in need.

  His boabie jerked, and he pulled back and bit his inner lip to stop from coming right then and there. June touched him, wrenching a groan from him. “Lass…” he managed between clenched teeth as she pulled down his trousers. As soon as he bobbed free, June bent and kissed him. Magnus squeezed his eyes shut, his fingers digging into the sheet. “Lass…”

  “We have the rest of the day and all night,” June whispered, her voice as decadent as honey. Then she took him into her mouth, her long hair brushing the insides of his thighs and the lower part of his belly. He opened his eyes, and the sight of June transfixed him. She looked so sweet and determined as she concentrated on giving him pleasure. The joy in his chest burgeoned as he stared, utterly mesmerized by the fae lass. A tightness inside him unfurled as he gave himself over to her. His release shuddered through his body, shaking through every last restraint. In its wake, he found a peace and a wholeness he’d craved his entire life.

  * * *

  June smiled at Magnus as he lay with a contented look on his face. He opened his brilliant eyes, and the affection in his gaze settled over her like a warm coat fresh from the dryer. Oh, she did love this man.

  He cupped her chin, stroking her cheekbone with his thumb. “You undo me, lass. I don’t know how, but you do. There isn’t a wall I could build that you couldn’t bring down.”

  Joy erupted inside June. For once in her life, she couldn’t speak. Her happiness was just too great.

  Magnus lifted her from her kneeling position, settling her gently on the mattress. His big body bracketed her slender one. “My turn, lass.”

  He unhooked her pants, his movements slow and deliberate. Fascinated, she watched as he pulled down the zipper. He separated the fabric and kissed the small strip of skin between the placket and her panties. She’d never felt anything so splendid. A cry tore from her, and he smiled wickedly. He removed her khakis, first one leg, then the other. Each time he lingered at her knee, his callused fingers playing at the sensitive skin, before he kissed and licked.

  By the time he’d finished, she lay panting, and he hadn’t even removed her underwear. He kissed his way back up, pausing when he reached the lacy fabric. She’d thought he’d slip them off. He didn’t.

  Instead, he traced their outline, his tongue flicking against her skin with wicked little licks. Desire pooled inside her as she squirmed against the onslaught. His big hands cupped her buttocks as he continued his teasing path around her inner thighs. She gripped his shoulders, feeling his hard muscles beneath her fingers. Her cries morphed into staccato gasps as he lathed her. Just when she thought her body could no longer withstand his delicious assault, he inched down her underwear and pressed his mouth against her. Pleasure rushed through her as bright and magical as a fall sunset in all its colorful glory.

  When the brilliance finally faded, she could only cling to him. She felt as limp as a rag doll left out in the rain. Magnus’s face appeared in her line of vision as he pulled her close.

  “I’ve m-missed you, lass.”

  “Uh-huh,” she managed. She didn’t know when she’d think coherently again. She’d never experienced anything like that. Until this moment, she’d never truly let another person take charge before. But it was easy with Magnus.

  “You know,” he said, reaching down to play with her damp curls. “I m-might be ready for you soon, lass.”

  She sighed as his hands caressed her already sensitized flesh. He pressed his lips against her belly and began to work his way up. Slowly. It was glorious lying there. Feeling his tongue and lips against her skin. He moved as languidly as she felt. When his mouth finally closed over hers, the hard ridge of
him pressed against her center. As if wakened from slumber, her body lifted to rub against him. At the contact, he moaned into her mouth. Galvanized, she wiggled more.

  “Och, lass,” he whispered against her mouth, “I’m trying to take it slow.”

  She reached and grabbed his butt. “I don’t want finesse. I want you. I want to celebrate. I want it wild.”

  * * *

  Wild. With the way Magnus’s blood was pumping, he could do wild.

  “You’re sure, lass? We haven’t been together—” His words ended in a guttural moan as she reached down and slid her finger along the tip of his boabie. Gently, she guided him to her entrance, and he needed no further encouragement. He sank into her slick warmth, burying himself inside her. She cried in pleasure, her fingertips pressing against his arse. He pulled out and plunged downward. This time, they both shouted.

  He’d never experienced this before. This sense of pure abandon. Despite their urgency, they moved as one. Their bodies slid in rhythm as their gasps and moans mingled. He’d never imagined feeling so in tune with another soul.

  The intensity of their lovemaking didn’t just come from molten-hot passion. This went deeper. He no longer held back any of himself, and neither did she. There was trust, and that faith engendered a freedom that allowed them to soar.

  She came first, her muscles clenching around him. Pushed to his own edge, he tumbled over, free-falling into sheer bliss. Pleasure rocketed through him like a thousand shooting stars tumbling to earth. But the landing wasn’t hard. It was like sinking into a warm bath after a hard day. Luxurious and relaxing.

  He barely stopped himself from collapsing on her. Instead, he managed to roll them both on their sides. They remained joined, and he made no effort to disentangle from her. He craved their closeness and wanted to bask in it a little longer. The connection between them didn’t worry him. Not anymore. He’d finally accepted the rightness of it. With a smile, he drifted off to sleep.