“Thank you for saving me,” she murmured. Her concern for the king’s safety took a backseat to the feelings coursing through her. The love she felt for Tiernan. “Because you did...I just know it.”
“No need to thank me,” he said softly.
He was about to say more, but she stopped him with a kiss.
Then another.
Then several more.
“Lass, if we keep this up,” he said into her mind, “’twill be hard to stop.”
“Then don’t stop,” she murmured against his lips.
He cupped her cheeks and met her eyes, his brogue thickening once again. “Are ye saying what I think ye’re saying?” His inner struggle was painfully obvious, but he did right by her regardless. “If ye are, then ye should keep in mind ye just suffered a traumatic experience. Mayhap ye’re not thinking clearly.” He shook his head. “’Twould be poor of me to lay with ye right now.”
“No, it wouldn’t,” she said softly, searching his eyes. “Grant said I would know when the time was right, and it is, Tiernan. I knew it the moment you wrapped your arms around me in that memory.” She traced her finger along his strong stubbly jaw. “Whatever blossomed between us back then fueled what happened today. The connection that formed that day was forged into something even stronger. Something made of our magic and our hearts.” Her throat thickened with emotion. “It’s unbreakable.” She tilted her head in question. “You must feel it?”
“Aye, I feel it, lass,” he murmured. “But then I’ve always felt it.”
“Because you possessed magic,” she reminded, positive she was on the right track. “Everything inside me is telling me the time is right. That we can only ever grow closer. That intimacy would never separate our magic...would never prevent me from protecting you.”
“Though I loathe mentioning it when I’d much rather be enjoying you, I wouldnae forgive myself for not reminding you of what happened.” He brushed a curl away from her eye. “Your magic seemed to falter when the arrow nearly hit me. Or at the verra least, it behaved differently.”
So maybe her magic was off now was his point. But it wasn't. Not at all.
“My gut tells me that happened for the very reason your magic’s fluctuating.” Tired of talking, she ran her hand up under his tunic, at last, touching flesh she’d wanted to feel for so long. “Whatever’s going on at those stones is looking for weakness, trying to break us down.” She brushed her lips across his and met his eyes, never more sure of anything. “We need to follow the path of the Claddagh ring and get our magic under control.”
She could tell by the look in his eyes that he warred with how much to argue, so she took the words out of his mouth by kissing him...then straddling him. Then kissing him some more. Soon enough, he was kissing her back, and as she hoped it would, passion made stopping impossible.
She felt like she was on a rollercoaster of sensations and emotions when he flipped her beneath him and undressed her. Not quickly but not slowly either, as though he were trying to savor the moment but at the same time, impatient. His lips followed in the wake of the clothing, sampling everything from her neck to her shoulder blades to her cleavage.
She groaned with appreciation when he lowered the material down over her breasts, fondled and kissed them. When he pulled an overly sensitive nipple into his mouth, she about came off the bed it felt so good.
“Oh God,” she gasped, biting her lower lip as he suckled and swirled his tongue around an engorged way too sensitive nipple.
Everything he did, touched, kissed, fondled, felt incredible. Different than any before him. Though she could say it was because they were already close, she knew it was far more. The chemistry was through the roof. Sizzling hot. Powerful. Dizzying in its intensity.
“Tiernan,” she groaned when he continued down, kissing and tasting her belly, then hipbones as he removed her dress and tossed it aside.
“Come here,” she managed.
She wanted him in her.
Now.
She felt a pressing urgency. Like they were running out of time.
Yet it seemed he had other plans between her thighs. And any hope of stopping him flew out the window the minute she felt what he was capable of.
“Ohhh,” she exclaimed, gripping the blanket. When he manipulated her swollen, aroused flesh with his tongue and fingers, she came hard almost instantaneously. He clearly thought he was going to settle in and continue to feast, but she shook her head. “Get up here.”
She wanted to feel the weight of him, finally feel his hard body against hers, feel him deep inside her... part of her.
“Och, lass, with thoughts like that, how can I refuse ye?”
She struggled for breath, adrift in her ebbing orgasm as he whipped aside his tunic and plaid, finally revealing what she’d envisioned one too many nights with her vibrator. And damn, if her fairly vivid imagination didn’t do the man justice. He was head-to-toe male perfection from his broad shoulders to his cut abs to that delicious ‘V’ leading to the scrumptious dick between his legs. She swore, just looking at him made her climax again.
So ready for him it hurt, she pulled him down, spread her thighs, and kissed him, desperate for more. Eager to feel everything. All that he could offer.
“Are you sure?” he murmured against her lips.
“You’re asking me that now?” She rubbed against him, driving him on. “Little late for that, don’t ya think?”
“I could still stop,” he said hoarsely.
“No, you can’t,” she whispered, running her legs along his, enjoying the feel of his shaft against her wet folds. “Way too late for that.”
She could tell by his expression, the pure strain and arousal, that she had him. There was no turning back from this. No stopping. Seconds later, he proved her right and pressed deep, shooting her straight into pure bliss only to be shot down a second later when a loud rap came at the door.
They had been summoned by the king and were to appear straight away.
Chapter Eighteen
“BLOODY HELL,” HE cursed, loath to move unless it was to thrust deep inside her over and over until he heard her screams of pleasure. Until he released his seed. Finally being inside her felt too good. Too perfect.
“Tell me we have time,” Julie said hoarsely, in the same state as him. She trembled, her body craving his with equal fervor. “Just a few minutes. Just...more...of this.” Her eyes met his. “Of you.”
“’Tis unwise to keep the king waiting.” Just one thrust. Just to see how much more it would transform her expression. Just to feel her sweet depths stroke him. Yet he wouldn’t be able to stop at one, and he knew it.
So he said he was sorry, brushed his lips across hers, and pulled away, assuring her they would return to this soon.
“’Tis likely the lad simply wishes to thank you,” he grumbled, eyeing her the whole time he dressed.
She outdid his many late-night fantasies of her from her lush little breasts, small waistline, to her curvy hips. He was pleased to discover the dusting of freckles on her cheeks and arms were also on her chest and even some on her stomach. He’d already memorized the location of every one on her front and looked forward to treasure hunting on her back.
“This stinks,” she muttered, dressing. “Damn timing.”
“I couldnae agree more, lass.” He cupped her cheek once they were ready. “’Twill be soon enough though. Later this verra night.” He shook his head and ground his jaw. “Dinnae doubt it.”
Though tempted to kiss her, he knew they’d end up back in bed, so he pulled her after him, and they joined Thomas and David in the great hall. As expected, the boy wanted to thank Julie in person, and it wasn’t nearly as pressing as it had seemed. Nevertheless, they had been summoned so best that they came when asked.
“Thank ye for saving my life, missus,” the lad said softly, clearly struggling with shyness.
“You’re very welcome,” Julie said warmly.
While he knew she was d
rawn to the child, it was far more obvious now as Thomas urged them to sit and eat with them. He sensed her feelings as the wee lad didn’t talk much but watched her with interest.
“I feel bad for him,” she said into his mind. “Losing his mother at three then his dad at five. Being married as a kid then becoming king at such a young age with a false king trying to dethrone and kill him. Nothing like having a target on your back from the get-go.”
“Aye, things havenae been easy for David,” he replied. “But remember if it makes you feel any better, the target is ultimately on the backs of those who are Guardian of this country.”
“Not sure that makes me feel any better,” she said. “Thomas seems nice.”
“Aye,” he returned. “Unfortunately, nice people die far too often around here.”
“No doubt.” Her eyes met his as she sipped wine. “I’m sensing you’re running a little grumpy.”
“Aren’t you?” He swigged his whisky. “’Tis not easy finally having you only to not really have you.”
“Technically, you did, though,” she reminded. “The deed’s done.”
Truly? She had never uttered more untrue words.
“The deed? Done?” he exclaimed. “We were nowhere near finished, and that wasnae a deed by any means but a tease.”
Her cheeks flushed. “A tease that felt damn good.”
“Aye,” he agreed, looking at her with promise, eager to taste her sweet juices again. Eager to see her fulfilled in every way imaginable. “But not nearly as good as ‘twill feel once I've had ye as ye should be had. Pleased as ye should be pleased. Fulfilled in every sense of the word.”
A becoming pink stained her cheeks and highlighted her freckles.
“’Tis good to know ye will be staying on with us,” Thomas said, pulling them back into a conversation the man had no idea they’d detoured from. “Bravery such as yers is welcome indeed, lass.”
Interestingly, only Tiernan and Julie had witnessed the blade running through her. To everyone else’s eyes, including Aidan’s, she had simply twirled David away before the blade had a chance to find its mark.
If only it had been that simple.
While beyond relieved that Julie had lived, he wasn’t sure he would ever get over seeing her like that. Feeling her life seep away. Knowing he was losing her. Though he had suffered his fair share of loss, the sensation had been the first of its kind. Crippling in how it seemed to suck the life from him. Now he knew with certainty he would only be a husk of a man if he lost her because she would take his soul with her.
When her eyes met his, he realized she was following his every thought.
More so, that she felt the same.
“We wouldn’t be anywhere else,” she replied to Thomas then smiled warmly at David again. “It’s our pleasure and honor.”
Not for the first time, he saw a flicker of genuine affection in the lad’s eyes as he looked at her. She was good with kids. That was clear. For reasons they both understood, he had avoided outright asking her if she wanted children of her own. Yet there was no need to ask anymore. He saw it in the way she looked at David. In the thoughts that warmed her heart.
“You want them too,” she murmured into his mind, stating rather than asking. She met his eyes. “You could have had them by now. Should have.”
“As could you have.”
“Not with my house-hopping lifestyle.”
“Of course you could,” he returned. “You were just waiting for the right man and the right bairns.”
“There are right children?”
“Aye,” he confirmed. “The wee bairns meant for you come from me...from us.”
“You waited, too, didn’t you?” Her internal voice was soft, curious. “You waited for me even though you knew we couldn’t be together?”
“I knew no such thing,” he replied. “If I havenae made that clear by now, I will gladly spend the rest of my life convincing you.”
She was about to reply but got distracted by something unseen. Something she sensed. For a split second, he swore her ring flickered with magic before her attention turned to David. What was that all about? Because whatever it was had to do with the king. He was sure of it.
“You were very brave today, too, King David,” she said, a wee touch of awe to her tone when she spoke of David’s somewhat odd behavior during battle. “You stood your ground and were very courageous.”
“I was?” he asked curiously, at last saying more than a single word at a time. It was clear he thought to correct himself and agree with her because kings were supposed to be courageous, but he instead hesitated, waiting for her answer.
“Yes, I thought you were very courageous, King David.” She looked at Thomas and Tiernan. “Don’t you agree?”
“Aye,” both replied.
In truth, Thomas hadn’t been anywhere near David, so he shouldn’t be able to say. Tiernan and Aidan had discussed that fact earlier but came to no solid conclusion other than it was odd. Thomas typically stayed close to the wee king, considering himself his main protector.
“Where could he have been?” Julie asked, catching his thoughts.
“He must have been fighting elsewhere,” he replied, yet his gut told him that wasn’t quite right either. Something had been off. “Whatever’s going on, I think your ring just picked up on it. Your magic.”
“You mean our magic,” she replied, relaying what she had just sensed. “But I agree. Something was off about Thomas not being present, and something was definitely off with David. He seemed out of it, almost.” Her eyes narrowed a little. “Possessed for lack of a better word.”
A strange sensation washed over him at that.
“Our magic is agreeing with us, Jules.”
“I think you’re right.”
They tried to explore that lead over the next hour or so as they dined with the wee king, but whatever they’d sensed had passed. What had not passed, however, was his growing need for her. Something he made sure she knew the moment they were alone again.
“I should take a bath first,” she murmured around kisses, obviously having noted his damp hair earlier. “You clearly had one.”
“Clearly?” He chuckled. “Not sure if that was a compliment.”
“Definitely a compliment.” She winked. “But before that, even your stink smelled good.”
Thankfully, neither had been overly taxed, so were in the clear, but he looked forward to his magic working as it should again just to be sure. Because, as was the case with all wizards, magic was a handy way to smell better than most who lived in this day and age.
“Are you really worried about bathing?” He murmured a chant out of habit, pleasantly surprised when he managed to remove their shoes and heat the water.
“Oh,” she exclaimed, grinning, implying that intimacy might just be their saving grace after all. “Just look at what one good thrust in bed did for you!”
“’Twas a verra good thrust,” he conceded.
“Hell yeah, it was.” She stepped out of her dress, her smile so wide it warmed his heart. “Who knew one good thrust would make me so happy. Just look what it led to.”
He frowned and undressed. “Sexual frustration?”
“No.” She stood on her tip-toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. “That thrust proved it’s all about the Claddagh ring.” She shook her head. “Not the Guardian Witch.”
“I suppose it did,” he agreed, not about to point out that they didn’t know yet if it had affected her magic. “Assuming that thrust caused my magic to start working a wee bit better.”
“I'd say it did,” she replied, “considering the light sparked in the ring when we were with David so soon afterward.”
“So, you saw it shine too?”
He hadn't been sure if she actually saw it or had merely sensed the magic ignite.
“Sure did.” She kept grinning. “Which means our magic is growing, not waning.” She winked, evidently in an optimistic mood. “Score one for the t
hrust and lack of virginity I’d say.”
“At least for the thrust,” he muttered, brushing his lips across hers. “I’ll never applaud the lack of virginity.”
“You wanted that all for yourself, huh?” she flirted.
“Aye,” he sighed, “but ‘twas not meant to be.”
“Bit of an age difference at the time,” she reminded, still grinning. “Besides, you didn’t save yours for me.”
“Trust me, that’s probably a good thing.” He swept her up then sat her down in the tub. “Better that I had some experience first, aye?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” She admired his cock and licked her lips. “I think I would have enjoyed teaching you a thing or two.” She gripped it. “Making you all mine.”
Before he knew it, she truly was making him all hers when she came up and took him into her mouth. Yet another fantasy that fell short of the real thing.
“Bloody hell,” he rasped, realizing quickly that she was talented at this. So good that he could barely keep his eyes open to watch her. And watching truly was a pleasure. By the time she finished, he could barely stand, he released so hard. A release she saw through to the very end, enjoying all he had to give.
“There.” She licked her lips again and laid back. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while.”
“And I’ve wanted you to do that for a while.” He grabbed a washcloth and crouched beside her. “I’ve wanted to do a lot of things.”
“Like have kids,” Julie said softly. She went to take the cloth from him, but he shook his head, intending to wash her himself.
He was glad she wanted to talk about this again so soon. “Aye, like kids.”
“I’m not on the pill, Tiernan.” Her guilty eyes met his. “Sorry, I should’ve told you sooner, especially considering your magic’s haywire.” She shook her head. “It was irresponsible of me.”
A Scot's Pledge (The MacLomain Series: End of an Era, #1) Page 12
