And he loved her for it.
Unable to stand any more, he had to touch her. To taste her.
Maggie looked up as Braden shifted his body. “Braden?”
He flashed a dimpled smile as he stretched out beside her with his head toward her feet. He positioned his hips even with her head.
“Don’t stop,” he said, his eyes warm and wicked.
Before she could respond, he nudged her thighs apart and buried his lips against her.
Maggie closed her eyes and moaned at the feel of his tongue delving deep inside her.
Oh, it was incredulous. Never had she experienced such unbridled pleasure. Wanting to feel more, she opened her legs wider. He took her invitation.
She bit her lip and groaned deep in her throat, then returned to the tender ministrations she had been giving him.
The mutualness of it touched her profoundly. This equal sharing, equal giving. It was splendid. Heavenly.
And if they survived the MacDouglas, she was going to find some way to keep this man with her. No matter what it took.
She was a fighter. Would always be a fighter, and she wouldn’t give up on Braden. Never. Not until he belonged to her both heart and soul.
Braden’s head spun as he again felt her mouth and tongue close around him. He cupped her hips to him as he ran his tongue over her and felt her shiver in his arms.
She was incredible. And to think, all these years he had never once given her a second glance.
You were a fool!
Aye, he surely was. But not anymore. He would never again be blind to her.
Never again ignore her.
And the possessiveness he felt toward her scared him even more. Because at this moment, she had captured his heart in a way no other woman ever had. In a way he knew no other woman ever could.
She alone could destroy him. She alone held power over his heart, and he trembled at the newfound knowledge.
Maggie couldn’t believe what was happening. Where she found the courage to do these things with Braden, she didn’t know. But oh, how wondrous. The mutualness of their union touched her all the way to her soul. It was so deep, so fulfilling, so incredible that she never wanted this moment to end.
The heat of his mouth seared her as he teased and suckled. And even more incredible was the feel of his fingers plunging inside her. In and out and around. Her body quivered and jerked as her head reeled from the sensations.
She closed her eyes. It was too much for her. And just as she was sure she would die from it, her body exploded.
Maggie threw her head back and screamed out in release as the world spiraled and careened around her.
Never, never had she experienced such a thing.
And still his tongue tormented her.
“Oh, Braden,” she sighed.
He laughed almost evilly as he kissed her thigh. “I’m not through with you yet,” he said, his tone warning and yet somehow playful.
He rose up between her legs and positioned his body over hers. Maggie reached up and buried her hands in his hair as he used his knees to spread her legs wider.
He brought his lips down upon hers, then plunged himself deep inside her body.
Maggie froze as pain overrode her pleasure. “Braden?”
“Shhh,” he whispered against her lips. “Give it time.”
He leaned back away from her ever so slightly and reached his hand down between their bodies until he found her nub. Maggie quickly forgot the pain as he gently toyed with her body, building her pleasure again.
He was so thoughtful and kind. From what she’d heard of other men, she knew most didn’t care whether or not they hurt a woman her first time. But Braden did.
And it was what she loved most about him.
Instinctively, she rubbed herself against him, impaling herself even more deeply than before.
Braden bit his lip as he felt her moving against him. “Aye, my love,” he said, closing his eyes to savor the warm, tight heat of her body around his. “That’s it.”
His breathing ragged, he let her take control of the moment as she milked his body with hers.
Never had he felt the like.
Opening his eyes, he saw the look of wonder on her face. Aye, she liked being in charge.
Ever one to please her, Braden rolled over without withdrawing from her.
Maggie sighed as she found herself on top of him again. She stared in awe of him and at the strange feel of his body inside hers and between her legs.
His eyes dark and gentle, he reached up and cupped her breasts in his hands. She covered his hands with her own, then lifted her body up, drawing herself down his shaft.
“Aye,” he breathed. “That’s it.”
And then his hand returned to cup her between her legs as she rode him hard and fast.
And this time, when she came, he joined her.
Sated and exhausted, Maggie stretched out on his chest and simply enjoyed the feel of his arms around her as his breath stirred her hair.
Braden leaned his head back, shaken by what had occurred between them. He had known she would be a firebrand, but never had he guessed the full depth of her passion.
And worse, he was far from sated.
If anything, he wanted her more than ever before. Because now that he’d experienced her love, he knew she truly had no equal.
And that scared the devil out of him.
Maggie lifted her head up to look down at him.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, her brows drawn together with concern.
“Nay,” he whispered as he ran his hands over her back. It wasn’t really a lie.
In truth, things had never been more right.
And likewise, they had never been more wrong.
Chapter 16
As they dressed, Maggie could feel Braden’s tenseness; it seeped into her very bones and made her ache. She didn’t want to leave it at this.
“Braden,” she said, drawing his attention. “I want you to know that I have no regrets.”
His face was even more grim than before. And she could read the I do in his eyes.
Her heart heavy, she turned away from him.
So that was it. He truly had no feelings for her, and now he wished he could forget her.
At that moment, Maggie wished she had stayed at the camp. She should—
“Maggie,” Braden said as he pulled her into his arms. “I’m not upset at you,” he whispered. “I’m upset at myself. I should never have taken you. It was wrong of me.”
He tilted her chin so that he could search her eyes. “Why did you come to me?”
“Because I wanted you.” She reached up and touched his whiskered cheek. “I’m not asking anything from you, Braden. I don’t expect you to treat me any differently than you did before. I was curious, and now I know.”
Braden clenched his teeth at her words. The problem was now he knew, too. Already, his body stirred from her casual touch, from the scent of her freshly washed body.
He still wanted her.
In fact, he could take her again this instant.
And it scared him. Scared him more than anything else ever had. He would sooner walk naked into battle against a full English garrison than face her like this.
If only he knew he could trust her.
You could try.
How easy that sounded. But the consequences were too dire.
No woman was worth his life. It was the conviction he lived by, and it was the one truth he would never forsake.
Maggie saw the shadow fall over his eyes. He made a decision regarding her, she could feel it. And judging by the stiffness of his body, it didn’t bode well for her or her heart.
You expected as much.
Indeed, she had. Now it was time for her to preserve her dignity. Rising up on the tip of her toes, she placed a tender kiss on his whiskered cheek.
“Thank you,” she whispered in his ear, then she stepped out of his arms and walked back to the camp.
Braden closed his eyes as pain washed over him. He understood what she meant and it tore through him that he wasn’t the man she deserved.
He stooped, picked up the plaid from the ground and folded it. Memories assailed him. Memories of her lying naked above him as she gave herself fully to their union.
She was magnificent.
And he was an ass. A giant, arrogant one who should be taken out and beaten by each of her brothers.
Sighing, he tried to put the matter out of his mind as he headed back to camp.
That night passed slowly for Maggie, who couldn’t really sleep. All night long she tossed and turned as she tried her best to prepare her words for the MacDouglas.
Worse, dreams of Braden tormented and seduced her. But of all the dreams she had, the most terrifying was the one of the MacDouglas plunging his sword through Braden as she watched, helpless to stop it.
She woke in the morning with a prayer lodged in her throat and her hands trembling uncontrollably.
“Are you all right?” Braden and Sin asked as she sat straight up.
Her heart pounding, she could do nothing more than nod. But it was a lie and she knew it. She wasn’t all right. She was terrified beyond her capacity.
Everything rested on her shoulders. If she failed, all three of them would pay with their lives.
Throughout the morning, her panic stayed close to her heart.
After breaking the fast, they rode through the morning and well into the afternoon, watching for anyone who might see them on horseback and offer a challenge. But their luck held and they passed no one at all.
In truth, it was eerie that they saw no one in the lush, green fields or along the road as they crossed MacDouglas lands and headed for the castle. In some ways it appeared as if the world had ended and they were the only survivors.
When they came within an easy walk of their destination, they left the horses to graze in a small meadow.
“Do you think the horses will be here when we return?” Maggie asked Braden while he turned the last horse free.
“We’ll see,” Braden said as he and Sin hid the saddles and bridles under a bush.
Maggie nodded, noting that he didn’t mention what would become of them all if she didn’t succeed.
It has to work, she assured herself as they gathered their packs and headed up the steep hill where the castle, and their fates, rested.
She couldn’t fail. Not while Braden’s life depended on her.
It was a couple of hours before dusk when they finally reached the old stone walls surrounding the MacDouglas stronghold.
Since William Rufus had ruled England, these walls had protected all the MacDouglases from their enemies. No one had ever breeched the fortress, laid a successful siege to the castle or held a MacDouglas laird hostage.
No one, that is, until Maggie had forged an alliance with the lady of the castle, and Ceana MacDouglas and her women had driven the men out.
In spite of herself, Maggie felt a little bit of pride at her accomplishment as she noted the large camp of men laying siege to the walls where women stood along the parapets taunting them. It was truly a miraculous sight. One she hoped to someday share with her grandchildren.
As the three travelers drew near the camp, Maggie saw the men had left their tents and were grouped around a single individual. From the looks of the camp, it appeared Ceana MacDouglas had wasted little time after Maggie’s departure putting her husband and his men out. And by the dour looks on the men’s faces, she could tell they didn’t share Maggie’s humor at their predicament.
Braden pulled her to a stop as he caught sight of the MacDouglas.
Barely a score and ten years of age, Robby MacDouglas was almost as handsome as the MacAllisters, and he was a feared laird in the prime fighting years of his life. Wide of shoulder and every bit as tall as Braden, the man could terrify a demon.
His reddish blond hair complimented his bright blue eyes. And by his carriage, it was obvious that he was a man who had been born to command others. He held his spine straight, his jaw stern.
Maggie felt her legs go weak in fear. Her moment at hand, she found herself seriously lacking in courage.
What an arrogant braggart I am, she thought ruefully as she watched the MacDouglas snarl at the men around him.
How on earth would she ever dare confront such a large, terrifying man?
But she must.
Run, her mind railed. Run before it’s too late.
Still, she couldn’t. She’d never in her life been a coward and this was not the time to become one.
Ha! Her mind argued. This is the perfect time to learn cowardice!
Maggie refused to listen. Taking a deep breath for courage, she stepped forward, then froze as she heard Robby MacDouglas’s words to the crowd. “I’ll give a king’s ransom in gold to the man who brings me Maggie ingen Blar’s head on a pike! I swear I’d rather break bread with the king of England than that horse-faced, toad-eating lickspittle!”
Maggie’s heart pounded, and for a minute she feared she might run after all.
Sin bent down to whisper in her ear, “What are you waiting for? Go on and tell him how wrong he is not to end this.”
Aghast, Maggie gaped at him. At the moment, she didn’t find him funny. Not in the least.
Braden grimaced at his brother and pulled her aside. But before he could speak, the entire camp grew quiet as a horse came running from the castle walls and into the circle of tents.
The men broke apart enough that Maggie saw a rider slumped over the back of a white horse.
And he was covered in…
Or rather he was dripping…?
Frowning, Maggie stepped forward, not quite sure if she could trust her own eyes and what she thought she saw.
The horse stopped and the rider looked at his leader as if he were sick to his stomach.
As the rider stood up in the stirrups, there was a strange sucking noise, and as he threw his leg over and dismounted, an odd, iridescent trail marked his descent. Then he slopped his way toward the MacDouglas as flies and other insects buzzed around his head.
“They honied me,” the rider said to the group, shaking his arms and sending trails of honey in all directions. Several men cursed as the honey landed on them.
His face grim, the rider snarled, “Them wenches done honied me from head to toe. Said they’d be throwing cabbages at the next one of us what comes near the gate.”
Maggie covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter.
Robby MacDouglas cursed. “Did you tell her you were there for a truce?”
“Aye, my lord. The lairdess said there would be no truce until she saw you and Lochlan MacAllister side by side at the gate.”
The curse Robby MacDouglas let out shamed his former one.
“My lord,” Braden said all of a sudden.
Maggie went cold as she gaped at him. What was he thinking?
Her heart pounding even more fiercely than before, she watched in stunned silence as Braden crossed the short distance between them and stopped directly in front of his family’s mortal enemy.
How on earth could he appear so calm and unshaken while it was all she could do not to faint?
Robby MacDouglas turned a hostile eye to Braden. “I don’t know you.”
The silence was deafening.
Braden nodded at Robby MacDouglas—the man who had sworn to see him and his brothers in their graves.
Braden couldn’t believe he was doing this. There must be a special corner of hell for a fool such as he. He only prayed it would be a few more years before he learned whether or not that was true.
In the meantime, Braden had to find some way to end this standoff before the three of them were slaughtered by the men or cabbaged by the women.
“Nay,” Braden said in a good-natured tone, hoping to allay the laird’s fear and mistrust. “You don’t. I’m just a traveling bard, but I’m thinking I might be able to help you with this m
atter.”
Braden resisted the urge to snort at himself.
How the hell did he keep getting himself into this?
Sweet Mother Mary, Braden thought, can’t you keep your mouth closed for a minute? Why must you always get yourself right into the thick of any fight?
Robby’s eyes reflected his own doubts over Braden’s ability to handle the situation. “Can you, now, lad? And how do you figure that?”
“I’d like for me and my brothers to try and talk to the women.”
The men broke out into laughter and several of them openly jeered.
Turning to face him, the man in honey raked Braden with a disbelieving stare. “Want to look like me, do you?”
Braden shrugged. “There are worse things than being covered in honey, and I’ve had harder things thrown at me than cabbage. But I think my brothers and I might be able to get the women to listen to reason.”
Laughing, Robby MacDouglas put his hands on his hips and shook his head. “If you’re of a mind to try, then I’m of a mood to see you harmed. Go ahead, lad, and God’s favor upon you.”
Braden nodded, then gathered Maggie and Sin.
“All right,” Braden whispered to Maggie as they walked slowly toward the castle gate. “This is your one chance. You have to make the Lady MacDouglas listen to you.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
He exchanged a determined look with Sin. “Then I hope you’ll forgive me for what I’m going to have to do to end this.”
The stricken look on her face tore at his heart. He didn’t want to add strife to her worries, but they had come too far to go back. She had to succeed.
As they drew near the gate to the castle walls, a cabbage came whirling straight at Braden’s head. He barely had time to dodge it.
The old woman who had hurled it shouted down from her place on the wall, “We done told you men we’d—”
“Hold!”
Maggie recognized the voice of Ceana MacDouglas.
The lairdess peered down at them for what seemed like an eternity. After a long minute, the lairdess left the wall and Maggie could hear the clip-clopping of her shoes as she descended the wooden steps on the other side.
Claiming the Highlander Page 20
