The Blessed Blend

by Allison Shaw

  Euan glowered at her. The damned hard-headed woman must think she was a law unto herself! In a tight voice he rasped, “Ye hae twa bairns or did ye forget tha’ for a moment? What if something were tae happen t’ ye, Callie? It would hurt them soul-deep t’ lose ye.” He paused before adding, “An’ it would hurt me.”

  “Hurt you?” she exclaimed, her eyes glittering with anger. “Just how would it hurt you, Euan? You made it damned clear to me four years ago that we were over and done with! Even now the only reason you’re here, by your own word, is for the children. If I were out of the picture you’d have them all to yourself!”

  Perhaps it was the fact that his nerves were strained by the hours of waiting for her to return safely, or the years of agony over losing her as stupidly as he had, or the burning desire he held for her; something broke loose in Euan. He strode forward, grabbed Callie by the shoulders and hair, and kissed her. Hard.

  Without releasing her he pinned her against the door and held her fast. She struggled to get free but the adrenaline rushing through his system dulled his ability to feel pain as she kicked and punched at him. He grabbed her hands and held them behind her back with one of his own, pinned her legs between his, and held her braid fast to immobilize her head as he deepened his kiss.

  Callie was caught off-guard and thrown off kilter by Euan’s actions. Had he been anyone else he would have been down on the floor writhing in pain and damned lucky to be alive, but Callie couldn’t bring herself to hurt him. Part of her wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp for this assault and invasion but another part of her wanted him to strip her naked and give her a straight-up, toe-curling, good old-fashioned fucking.

  And it was that part of her that was getting the upper hand in Callie’s war with herself.

  She couldn’t struggle with the both of them at the same time and she finally gave in, opening her mouth and meeting his tongue with her own. Fire ran through her, white-hot and blinding in its intensity. Her heart hammered and her breaths were rapid and uneven. Her brain lost the ability to think or reason in any capacity, and her empty womb cried out to be filled again.

  Euan felt her give way to him and what self-control he had left evaporated. He picked her up and carried her to the counter, still locked in that kiss. He removed her coat and tossed it on the floor, and likewise her shirt and bra. His hands cupped her breasts, massaging the nipples with skilled fingers that remembered just how she liked to be touched. As she pressed into him, he disengaged his lips from hers and worked his way to her left ear, tracing its rims and folds with his tongue, before nibbling down her satiny neck to her shoulders.

  She grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head down to her bosom. He suckled her hard, his tongue swirling around and flicking first one dusky rose peak then the other. Her moans and sighs urged him on as his administrations increased the pulsing heat between her legs. She tugged at his shirt, trying to pull it up.

  Euan stripped his shirt off and then unbuckled his pants, shoving them down his hips and thighs. Callie was trying to get her jeans off and he was more than happy to help her. God, she had forgotten how deft his hands were! He untied her double-knotted boot laces as if they were loosely tied silken bows. Her boots landed with a dull thud on the floor. He yanked off her pants and panties with equal dexterity.

  His hands brushed up and down each of her thighs, feeling her quiver with desire. He needed to be inside her, to join with her, to have her and give to her. First stroking the deep brown curls of her mound, he slid his fingers into the wet heat of her cleft. Ah, she was as ready for him as he was for her! He found her bud and massaged it with increasing intensity until her hips bucked and she grabbed his cock, begging him to take her. Now!

  He plunged into her and plowed her flesh hard and fast. No other woman had ever felt this good or excited him past the point of reason. No other woman could or would take her place in his heart, his bed, or his life.

  Callie’s blood ran like fire in her veins, carrying her along on the wild ride. As Euan’s hips slammed against the cradle of her pelvis and his steel-hard rod surged in and out of her, she urged him to go faster and harder. Indescribable pleasure rolled through her being right down to the cellular level until it exploded and she buried her face in his shoulder to muffle the cries that rushed up from the marrow of her soul towards the heavens.

  As her flesh pulsed in climax, Euan felt his own release and a roaring groan came up from deep in his gut. His seed spilled into her in waves and he kept thrusting until the pleasure became too much to bear. A shudder went through him and he slumped against her, his breath ragged.

  They held onto each other for a few minutes before Callie whispered, “Oh God, Euan, what have we done?”

  Euan looked into Callie’s face. Her eyes were wide with shock and…fear? Tears welled up and spilled over as she shook her head slowly.

  “I doona understand, lass,” he responded gently. “Why arre ye cryin’? Did I hurt ye? I dinna mean tae…” He was muted as her fingers covered his lips.

  “Euan, don’t you know what we just did?” she asked in a small voice. “I’m not using birth control and unless you somehow managed to put a condom on, we’ve just had unprotected sex. I could get pregnant again!” The anguished look on her face spoke volumes.

  He looked intently at her. Their bodies were still coupled and his arousal hadn’t abated despite the release. The scent of their joining surrounded them and he breathed it in like fresh air after a rain. His voice was still thick with desire as he soothed, “An’ look hoo gude we did the first time aroon, Callie. But if m’ seed takes root in ye, this time I’ll be a’ yer side where I belong.”

  She started to cry in earnest. “Damn you, Euan!” she sobbed. “Why didn’t you stand by me the first time? Why did you put us through all of that? All of this? I loved you!”

  Euan pulled her closer. “I loved ye, too, Callie” he said softly. “I love ye still. God, lass, please gi’e me the chance t’ make it up tae ye. I swear I’ll ne’er forsake ye again.” He nuzzled her hair and kissed her brow. “I hae missed ye, Callie,” he crooned. “Ah, love, there’s nae a woman like ye an’ nae a woman I want excep’ ye.”

  “You’re a liar, Euan Wallace!” Callie whispered through her tears.

  For the first time since Euan had chased her out of his life she felt defeated. She was tired of fighting. Tired of living in a state of siege and holding the battlements alone. Tired of the sorrow and pain and anger in her wounded heart.

  She loved Euan and had never wanted more than to be loved by him. She wanted to believe his words and find a bit of peace and healing for her heart, but was afraid of getting hurt again. Hope offered a wavering whisper of a song somewhere inside her and yet she dared not believe in it because she couldn’t trust that it was real.

  Euan released his hold enough to look in her eyes. Wiping away her tears he said softly, “I’m nae a liar, Callie. A bloody fool, aye, but nae a liar. I’m nae leavin’ ye, lass. I’m stayin’ here wi’ ye an’ our bairns. I’ll marry ye. I’ll do anythin’ ye want me t’ do tae prove m’self.”

  “What about your croft?” she asked. “Your livelihood? Your family?”

  He shrugged. “It’s a Wallace holding to which I’ve nae title. I hae been managing it for m’ grandfather. Or rather, they hae indulged me tae manage it until I came tae m’ senses an’ decided tae become a respectable partner in the family business. I’m done wi’ all o’ tha’, lass. They can shove it s’ far up their arses tha’ they choke on it.”

  Callie saw the conviction in Euan’s eyes and conceded that perhaps he was being honest about it. Whether or not he could stand up to the clout of his family was another matter. She had no doubt that his parents and grandparents would come after him to assuage their pride and wouldn’t care who they trampled in their quest.

  “They’ll cut you off,” she said. “They’ll come after you and once they find out about the twins they’ll see that as a way to kill two birds with one
stone.”

  Euan paused, thinking. Oh, aye, there was that. The realization chilled his blood as he considered just exactly what his parents might do to punish him and Callie. With a frown he asked, “Meaning what?”

  “What if they try to get custody of Mountain Rose and Red Wolf to force you to return to the fold and toe the line?” she asked. “They’d take them to Scotland and force you to go with them if you wanted to have anything to do with raising them. And they’d make damned sure I’d never see them again and that you stayed away from me.”

  More tears slid down her cheeks as her voice conveyed her fears.

  “They canna do that!” he stated firmly. “We’re the bairns’ parents, nae them!”

  “They have all of their wealth and power, Euan,” Callie countered. “We have diddly-squat.”

  “I hae m’ trust accounts,” he replied. “An’ I hae them where they canna be touched by anyone except m’ self.”

  He cupped her face between his hands. “Callie, doona ye ken I’ve learned a few o’ the family tricks m’self?” At the confused look on her face he continued, “Och, I hae learned how tae invest wisely an’ how tae hide transactions sae that Sherlock himself couldna find them. I moved m’ accounts oot o’ the banking system m’ family partners in sae there’s nae way they could find or tamper wi’ them.”

  “Like Swiss accounts?” she asked.

  “Aye, like that,” he affirmed. “An’ I hae m’ ain solicitor who isna afeart o’ m’ family. When it comes tae his business an’ the like he’s an even dirtier bastard than m’ fathair, sae ye can ken how ruthless he’ll be on a client’s behalf.”

  Callie considered that for a moment. “But you know they’ll try, Euan. I don’t want my…our children hurt like that.”

  “Aye, lass. They’ll try but they willna win unless we allow it,” he said. “We hae t’ be a family sae tha’ they hae nae grounds for suit. Marry me, Callie. Let me be the mon I should ha’ been for ye sae I can protect ye and our bairns.”

  Callie pushed him away and scooted back, uncoupling them. Warring emotions stormed within her heart and flashed in her eyes. For a long moment she stared at him, her gaze searching his features as she tried to plumb the depths of the man she was forever bound to through her children, including one she might have just conceived. It wasn’t fair that he had so much of a hold on her life, her heart.

  In her lower peripheral vision she could see that his shaft was still hard and she disgustedly admitted to herself that she was also still aroused. Damn the man for doing that to her, because he was the only one who could.

  “We shouldn’t…” she started.

  “Nae?” he asked as he pulled her close and rejoined his flesh with hers. “Callie, ye canna tell me ye’re nae as hot for me as I am for ye. Can ye tell me ye doona love me? The Callie I knew couldna tell a lie t’ save her life. S’ tell me, lass, d’ ye love me?”

  Callie’s shoulders slumped as she looked him in the eye. She had never been able to tell a lie and had seldom wanted to. Now was one of those times she wished she could, but what was the point? He knew, she knew, and the kids certainly knew. When it came down to it, her whole family probably knew.

  Reluctantly she nodded and said, “I still love you, Euan, but love might not be enough to make things right between us.” She took a breath and hung her head. “Maybe it wasn’t enough to start with.”

  Euan lifted her chin and made her meet his eyes. “Doona say that, Callie Hawken!” he pleaded, his voice thick with emotion. “It was more than enough, but I was the fool who couldna see it! Ye arre mo cridhe, mo leannan, mo bith- m’ heart, m’ love, m’ life. If I hae t’ move heaven an’ earth t’ prove it tae ye, then I will e’en if it be the death o’ me.”

  She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his chest, feeling overwhelmed and so small against everything. His arms closed around her, holding her to his warmth. She felt and heard the beating of his heart, the sound of his breathing. She was so tired and there was no fight left in her tonight. For a moment she wished she could rest in his arms all night like she once did.

  But all the wishing in the world couldn’t make things right.

  Chapter 12:

  Cleanliness is Next To Godliness

  “I have to go to bed, Euan,” she finally said. “You, too. We can’t stay here in the kitchen with our pants around our ankles.”

  He uncoupled from her, reached down and pulled his pants up, and then retrieved his shirt and Callie’s clothes and boots as well. Straightening up, he picked her up and threw her across his shoulder like a tote sack and started for the door.

  “What the hell are you doing, Euan?!” she asked in a hoarse and panicked whisper. “Put me down!”

  He shrugged. “Yer right, we canna stand here in the kitchen wi’ our pants doon. I’m taking ye t’ bed where we can be properly naked.”

  “Are you nuts?” she squeaked, afraid that someone would wake up and see them. She struggled to get free of his grip. “I have to take a shower! I’m too tired to…”

  “Tae tail-toddle me?” he interjected. “Then just lay back an’ let me make love t’ ye, Callie. I hae more than enough energy for the both o’ us.”

  “What about the others? They’ll hear us! You put me down right now!” A surge of adrenaline went through her and she squirmed even harder as he crossed the living room and carried her up the stairs.

  “Quiet, mo cridhe, or ye’ll wake everyone up!” he warned. Once upstairs, he open the door to one of the bathrooms and carried her inside. Using his elbow, he turned on the light and with one foot closed the door behind him. Dropping their clothes on the floor, he asked, “D’ ye remember hoo we used tae bathe t’gether, Callie? D’ ye remember hoo it felt as we ran our soapy hands o’er each other? I most certainly do an’ I want t’ feel it again.”

  Callie was speechless at the nerve of the man. Had he no shame? Their children were asleep two doors down, and John was snoring away across the hall. Thank God her parents and siblings’ rooms were downstairs. Oh, this was embarrassing!

  Her shock grew even deeper when he set her bottom on the vanity. When she tried to protest, he put his lips over her mouth and grabbed her bottom lip with his teeth as he once again held her with both arms. “Shh!” he whispered before he released her lip and plunged his tongue into her mouth to writhe against her own.

  “Mmmmph!” she uttered, still squirming as he held her even tighter. She couldn’t breathe or think, damn him, and he knew it. She was irritated by the sheer gall of his actions and yet so turned on that she couldn’t really fight him. Finally she returned his ardor with her own and moved against him in a totally different way.

  Euan set her down on her feet but blocked the door with his frame as he stripped off his pants and boots. Her eyes wandered hungrily over his body and he cocked an eyebrow in response. “See something ye fancy?” he teased as his gaze caressed her curves. “I certainly do.”

  Callie nodded as she looked at his incredibly masculine, totally naked, well-endowed body. His rod was big and thick, standing proudly erect. His body was long and lean, from the broad shoulders to the lean waist and narrow hips, to the muscular limbs. Dark red hair dusted his chest, forearms, and legs and trailed from his navel down to the thatching surrounding his shaft.

  Toned by hard physical work rather than hours in some gym, Euan’s physique was beautifully male with a capital M.

  The man turned her totally on and then some.

  He looked her over, his eyes nearly black with desire. Callie’s body was small but sturdy, the muscles rippling beneath deliciously feminine curves and soft, smooth skin. A slender neck, neither long nor short, rose up from broad shoulders. Her breasts were small but firm. Motherhood had filled out her torso slightly, but her waist was still quite small, perfectly accentuating the generous swell of her hips. Her arms and legs were strong and straight, toned and yet softly rounded.

  As he returned his gaze to her face, he was drawn to tho
se uniquely-colored eyes of hers, now luminous with desire. Aye, there were women out there who would be considered more beautiful, more perfect of form than his Callie, and yet none of them could ever match her spirit or make him burn the way she did. He could make love to her all night long every night for the rest of his life and never get enough of her. She was the goddess in his bed, the fire in his hearth.

  She was and always would be the heart of him.

  He held out his hand. Her feet moved of their own accord and she came to him, her arms slipping around his neck as he bent down to wrap his arms around her and lifted her up to lay flush against him. Again their mouths met in a deepening kiss, their tongues mating in imitation of what their bodies would soon be doing. It was like it had been when their love had been new, untainted by the heartache of the past four years. Desire flowed between them and ran through their veins like molten fire that burned away her and him and melded the two into them.

  Euan lowered Callie to her feet but kept his mouth upon hers as he knelt on the bathmat before her. He was determined to take it slowly this time, to love away the hurt he had caused and pleasure her to the furthest reaches of paradise so that she would remember how it used to be.

  His hands flowed over her and he felt her quiver at his touch. Gently, almost reverently, he explored her body, tracing patterns over her torso and arms. His fingers skimmed along the fine white lines on her abdomen that were the marks of motherhood and he smiled. “Ah, Callie, yer body is e’en more beautiful now that ye’re a mathair,” he drawled huskily.

  She looked at him and nibbled her lower lip, unsure that he actually meant that. He saw her doubt and he brushed his lips across hers before looking deeply into her eyes. “’Tis true, love. I wouldna say it otherwise.”

  Callie blushed and smiled shyly before a spark lit up her eyes and a seductive grin curled her lips. She put a finger on his lips. “Shut up and pleasure me,” she purred. “Less talk, more do.”