Morna's Legacy 04 - Love Beyond Measure

by Bethany Claire

  I laughed, leaning in to kiss him gently before moving my lips to his ear. “I only meant, I love you too.”

  He groaned a deep, delighted sound. In that instant, he lifted me, my legs coming around his waist, his mouth crushing mine as he carried me to his bed. He lay me back gently, rising slowly so that he could stand and look down at me.

  I was entirely exposed. I’d not been naked in front of a man since before pregnancy, and my body didn’t have the same flawless look it once had. I moved my hands to cover my stomach self-consciously, hoping he wouldn’t notice the effort. He did of course.

  “Move yer hands, lass.”

  I kept them in place, shaking my head side to side on the bed. “I’d rather not. It’s…”

  “I know what they are, Grace. Do ye really think I’m someone that ye should be worried about yer scars with?”

  Valid point, but his scar was sort of beautiful. It made him look brave, rugged, and slightly dangerous. I tried to tell him as much. “Yeah, but your scar is sexy. These things…”

  Again, he interrupted me, bending to pry my hands off of the flat of my stomach. He kissed the marks, trailing the faded white lines with his lips. “These ‘things’ as ye call them are reminders of the wonderful lad that ye created, lass. Ye should be proud of them, for they make ye even more beautiful than ye already are.”

  I surrendered then, allowing him to kiss me at will, any sense of self-consciousness gone. He trailed his kisses lower, nibbling along the inside of my thigh, moving perilously close to the center of my thighs. I couldn’t take it, and I squirmed beneath him. I’d gone too long untouched, and if he kissed me there…I wanted to climax with him inside me.

  “Eoghanan…take off your clothes.”

  With his scar no longer tender, he’d been free to don his kilt. He removed it with far too much ease, hardly looking up from his pleasure. I reached down to pull on his hair, hoping he would rise up and meet me.

  He crawled slowly over me, nudging my legs apart with his knee before drawing one of my nipples deep into his mouth. I moaned and my hips arched upward, brushing against his erection.

  I’d already seen him naked, but to feel him hard and ready against me was enough to make me buck against him in the hopes that he would enter me more quickly.

  He smiled up at me knowingly but made no move to hurry himself. Instead, he shifted over me so that he could slip one hand in between my legs while kissing me.

  He groaned in response to my readiness. His fingers slipped easily inside me as he sucked on my lower lip, dancing his fingers in and out and over my sensitive nub.

  “Eoghanan…I, you have to stop, or I…I’ll…” I could hardly form a cohesive sentence.

  He delighted in it. “Or ye’ll what, lass? ’Tis it no the great pleasure of women that ye may find yer pleasure more than once?”

  I simply cried out in response to him, arching my hips into the palm of his hand as I quivered in response to his touch.

  “Aye, ’tis, lass, and this night I shall do all I can to help ye find it over and over again.”

  He kissed me, patiently waiting for my trembles to subside before pushing me open once again, readying me to accept him. Slowly, he pushed inside me, his breathing escalating with every increasing inch.

  “Oh, Grace, I have spent many a night dreaming of what ’twould feel like to be inside ye. No one of me dreams prepared me for this. I could live inside ye.”

  Chapter 28

  We moved together and another climax built quickly within me, and I matched him as he neared the edge of release. When he shuttered within me, I clenched around him, and both of us cried out, my fingernails digging into his shoulders.

  “Ach, I knew ye would do that, lass. I doona know why, but I knew it.”

  I laughed as he relaxed against my shoulder, slowly rolling onto his side.

  “I know,” I rolled over to face him, my body still humming with aftershocks. “You said something about that the other night.”

  He grinned, kissing my fingertips that lay loosely between our faces. “Ach, I said many things I no should have.”

  “Why not?”

  “Mayhap ’twas no so much that I shouldn’t have said them, only that I would no usually say them.”

  I nodded, agreeing that was most definitely what it had been, and slowly my eyes started to drift closed. I was happy, and loose, and exhausted. Just as I’d begun to dream, Eohganan wrapped his arms around me and pinched me on the rear.

  “Oh no, ye doona get to sleep yet, lass. Do ye no remember what I told ye?”

  I opened one eye, leaving the other closed. “What’s that?”

  “Twice does no equal ‘over and over.’ I am no done with ye yet.”

  He had to be kidding. How could he possibly have the energy? “Let’s at least take a cat nap first.” I scooted in to him, moving my head to his chest and draping one of my legs across him.

  “Ye are mad if ye think I’ll be able to sleep with ye lying naked across me.” He pulled his head back to look at me. “Grace, what is a ‘cat nap’?”

  I yawned, stretching into him. “It’s an expression, it just means a short nap.”

  He shook his head, rolling me off him so that he could face me. “A short nap would turn into a long sleep.”

  “Mmmhmm…” I allowed my eyes to drift closed once again. This time he didn’t argue, instead standing to pull back the blankets.

  “At least get in the bed, lass.”

  I did as he asked, rolling to the open part before tucking my legs inside. He joined me, pulling me close to him.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, planting a kiss on the side of his cheek.

  “For what?” He grinned into my lips.

  “For not allowing me to talk myself out of this.” Voices travelled down the hallway outside his door and I spoke to him, my voice teasing. “See? Everybody is going to bed. It’s time to sleep.”

  “Aye, our guests are being shown to their rooms.” He paused, his eyebrows scrunching up in the middle.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m counting. I doona think we have enough bedchambers.”

  I smiled, laughing into his chest. “You didn’t, but you do now.”

  “Did ye build us one, Grace? ’Tis a talent I dinna know ye had.”

  “No. Your mother kicked me out of my room.”

  “She what?” The covers flew back and he tried to leave the bed, but I jumped up to stop him, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him backward.

  “Cool your jets. She assigned me to another room.”

  “Aye? And whose room is that? I doona think Baodan will make room for ye in his bed.” He paused and grinned, “Actually, he’d be a fool to no allow two women inside it, but his wife would put a stop to that.”

  I rolled my eyes. It didn’t matter what century they were from, men’s minds still thought in much the same way. “No. Your mother asked, no instructed, me to sleep in your room.”

  “No, she dinna?” Eoghanan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

  “Yes. I promise you she did. I was rather surprised myself.”

  “Aye, I doona know what to say. I doona think I’ve ever been so surprised.” He laughed a moment before reaching over and pulling me on top of him, pulling my head down to meet his kiss. “Ye wouldna want to disobey me mother, would ye?”

  I laughed but remained straddling him, no longer feeling so sleepy. “No, but I think the word she used was “sleep” not…not this.” I swept my hand downward to motion to the both of us.

  “Oh, we’ll sleep lass. ’Til midday if I have anything to say about it, but no just now.”

  Chapter 29

  True to his word, he exhausted me so entirely that I did sleep until midday, only to find myself alone in his room when I woke. He meant it as a courtesy—rising before me so that we would not appear before the new guests at exactly the same time, coming from exactly the same direction. I’d been worried about it all night, so I relaxed
upon finding myself alone.

  I would be able to greet the Conalls without it being quite so apparent what Eoghanan and I had been up to all night, although if their rooms were close, I had no doubt some of them knew well enough.

  “Mom! Hey, which room are you in, Mom?”

  The little voice sent my heart pattering a million miles a minute, and I leapt from the bed in a panic looking for my dress so that I could slip it on before Cooper burst through the door. I managed it with not a second to spare, reaching for the handle just as the door flung open.

  “There you are, Mom! You missed breakfast by a long shot. Dad said you were around here somewhere.” He peeked his head inside. “Isn’t this E-o’s room?”

  I was suddenly very warm. “Umm…yeah, with all of the new people in the castle, I had to give my room up for their guests.”

  He shrugged. “Oh, okay, cool. Did you sleep on the floor or something?”

  I nodded, leaning down to pick him up. “Yeah, something like that.” It wasn’t a complete lie…we had been on the floor for part of the night.

  “Maybe tonight you should ask E-o if you can switch places. You get the floor and he gets the bed. That would be only fair. I bet he’d let you.”

  I laughed, kissing his temple as I walked out of the room with him still on my hip. God bless the innocent minds of children. “Yeah, I’ll be sure to ask him.”

  “Hey, guess what, Mom?”

  “What, Coop?”

  “There’s even more people coming! Ba-o, that’s my new name for Mitsy’s husband, and this other guy Donal, just told everyone. They said like a bunch of clans or something. I don’t know what a clan is, but it sounds like a lot of people are coming to stay here for a gathering.”

  He really emphasized the word ‘gathering.’ It had clearly been spoken of as if it were something very special.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah, I bet it’s going to be tons of fun.”

  It was a reasonable thought for a child to have, and I imagined the men who had decided on such a gathering thought very much the same thing.

  As for the women, I could all but hear the internal groan of every woman in the castle, thinking that instead of “tons of fun,” it was going to be tons of work.

  *

  Cooper and I were greeted at the bottom of the stairs by Jeffrey, who smiled knowingly and much too wide at the sight of me.

  “Hey Coop, I think Lady McMillan has a job for you if you’re willing to help.”

  He immediately squirmed out of my arms. “Yeah, yeah, where is she?”

  Jeffrey pointed in the direction of the kitchens. “I think she’s in that direction.”

  “I bet I can find her. I think I’m gonna make a nickname for her too. Lady Mac, I think.”

  At the same time that Jeffrey shook his head, I said. “Uh, no Coop. Sorry, some people don’t need nicknames.”

  “Oh, come on. I bet she’d like it.”

  I’m sure he was right. Still, it was too casual a name.

  “No. I agree with your mother. You call her Lady McMillan. Understand?” Jeffrey stepped in to end the conversation.

  “Yes, sir.” His face drooped for just a second but he lifted it quickly, smiling and shrugging his shoulders before he took off in her direction. “It was worth a shot, huh?”

  Jeffrey and I laughed in unison as we watched him leave. As soon as he was out of earshot, Jeffrey turned to me, that same creepy grin on his face. “Good on you, Gracie.”

  I held up both hands in question to him. “What’s with this ‘good on you’ stuff? Are you British or something? I’m pretty sure that’s like a UK thing. And don’t call me Gracie.”

  He laughed. “Hmm…I don’t know, maybe it is. I’ve watched a lot of BBC in my day. Still, you get my drift. You clearly had fun last night.”

  “Why would you say that? There’s no way you can tell anything by looking at me.”

  “Oh yes. Yes I can. You have circles under your eyes, which means that you didn’t sleep, but your cheeks are rosy and your skin is all aglow which means you didn’t mind it.”

  “That’s quite the scientific observation.”

  “It is. I’m an expert.”

  “Pffhh…” I made the sound as I shook my head at him, ready to change the conversation. “So where is everybody? I guess it’s time I show myself.”

  “They’re all outside. You’ll like them. Cool bunch. So…after last night…I guess that means we’re staying?”

  We started walking toward the outside doors together, and I turned my head to regard him skeptically. “I thought you were staying regardless?”

  He smiled. “Forgive me, I am. I just misspoke. I meant to say, ‘I guess that means you’re staying?’”

  “Yes, I’m staying.”

  “Good.”

  Just as we reached them, the grand doors of the castle swung open. Immediately, Mitsy latched onto me, sweeping me into the crowd, introducing me rather excitedly.

  “There you are, Grace.” She held onto my arm but extended her neck to call after a group of women standing near the pond. “Bri, Blaire, Adelle, come meet Grace!” Three women, two of which I could have sworn were twins, all smiling, made their way to me. “This is Bri,” she pointed to the first woman bouncing a baby on her hip. “This is Blaire,” she pointed to the second woman. “I know they look like sisters, but they’re not; although, most people think they are. Long story, Eoghanan can tell you sometime. And this,” she pointed to the last woman, “is Adelle, Bri’s mother.”

  I smiled, shaking all of their hands. “Nice to meet you.”

  Mitsy allowed them no chance to respond, quickly yanking me toward another group of people, and so the routine continued until I had been introduced to everyone in their party.

  “You’re glad to have some people about, aren’t you?”

  Mitsy laughed, releasing her grip on me for the first time. “Yes. Sorry. The Conalls…we’re all family, and Bri and I have been best friends a long time. I’m just happy for all of us to be in the same place. Plus…I’m glad to have some extra hands to help with this sudden gathering.”

  “Understandably so. I’ll be happy to help in any way that you need me to.”

  “Thank you. And now…” she pointed in Eoghanan’s direction, “I’ll release you for a while.”

  She flittered away quickly, and I made my way over to Eoghanan who, much to my surprise, gathered me up in his arms and kissed me rather thoroughly.

  “Well, good morning to you, too.” I laced my fingers with his as he led me away from the crowd, back inside the castle.

  “Aye, ’tis a wonderful morning. Though, I’m afraid I’ve some unfortunate news.”

  Dread settled immediately in my gut. “What?”

  He twirled a strand of my hair. “Doona look so worried, lass. ’Tis nothing all that bad. I’ll be away tomorrow—down to the village to fetch supplies for the gathering. I expect the lassies will need yer help here.”

  “Oh, I don’t mind helping. I already told Mitsy I’d do whatever they need me to.”

  “Aye, ye say that now, but ye doona yet know all the women who will be leading the charge around here tomorrow. No only me mother, but also Rhona, our head maid and a lifelong resident of this castle. And if I know the Conalls, their Mary will be anxious to take charge of something. And they’ll need her help, I’m no saying that, ’tis only that if Mary helps, then Adelle will jump in just to aggravate her.”

  “Sounds like you’ve been around them a lot.”

  He shook his head. “No all that much truthfully, but it doesna take verra long to see how a group of headstrong women behave when ye put them all to task on the same thing. ’Tis a powerful but frightening force.”

  Chapter 30

  McMillan Territory Village

  “I am pleased to see ye doing so well, cousin. The blade wound was such that only one with Morna’s powers could heal it.”

  Eoghanan rode next to Eoin Conall, his cousin
on his mother’s side, and shuddered thinking back on that night. Death had meant little to him then, but now he had much more to lose. The knowledge that death had been so close to him only a few months prior still made him uneasy. He couldn’t imagine never having had the chance to know Grace or her bonny son.

  “Aye, I am verra glad as well. I owe the witch a great debt.”

  “I doubt Morna sees it that way.”

  Eoghanan nodded. “I know that she doesna, but it makes me feel no less indebted.”

  “Whoa, buddy! Whoa….Whoa…are you trying to make me fall off you? ’Cause you’re doing a good job.”

  Cooper’s voice from a short distance in front of him caught Eoghanan’s attention. Giving his own horse a nudge, Eoghanan rode to catch up with him. When Cooper had insisted on having his own horse, they’d given him the oldest, gentlest beast in their stables. The horse was doing nothing to dismount Cooper, barely moving at a slow trot.

  Still, Cooper had both arms wrapped around his horse’s neck, his little chest pressed flat against the horse’s mane.

  “Have ye no ever ridden a horse before, Cooper?”

  The child lifted his head just slightly, still maintaining his tight grip on the creature’s neck.

  “Of course, I haven’t. I’m a city boy. Born and raised in NYC. The only horses I’ve ever seen were pulling those buggy things for tourists.”

  Eoghanan didn’t know half of what the lad meant, but he believed that he’d not seen many horses. “Would ye like to ride with me, lad?”

  “No. I gotta learn if I’m gonna live here, don’t I?”

  It pleased Eoghanan to no end that Cooper knew his parents planned to stay here. It made it seem more certain, more real. “Aye, ye will need to learn, but it doesna have to be today if ye doona wish it. I can teach ye back at the castle, when there are no so many others around.”

  Cooper shook his head, determined to keep going. “No, I don’t care if they watch. It’ll just take me a little time to get used to it.”