Cottage in the Mist Read online

  With a slow smile, she rose on her knees. Then with graceful finesse, she pushed the gown over her hips, the fine material sliding down her thighs to pool on the bed around her. Moving slightly, she picked it up and tossed it to the floor, clad now only in a wisp of white lace that slid over her hips and between her thighs.

  When she reached for the lace, he shook his head. "Nay, mo ghràidh, let me."

  He reached down and slid a finger between the lace and her skin, then slowly inched the wee band down until it barely covered the soft dark curls at the apex of her thighs. She was already wet and ready. And she swallowed a moan when his fingers brushed across her mons, teasing the opening as he pushed her back onto the bed and slid the lacy undergarment from her legs.

  Kneeling then on the floor at the edge of the pallet, he pushed her thighs wide and bent his head, blowing softly against the curls before slipping a finger inside to stroke her. In and out. In and out. Deeper, then deeper still as he added a second finger, his fist moving as he pushed inside her, stroking, possessing, pushing her closer and closer to the edge.

  Crying out, she bucked up off the bed, but he held her with his hands as he exchanged fingers for lips and tongue. Licking and sucking, tasting her essence—feeling her body tighten with her need. Finding the tiny nub of her desire, he closed his lips around it and suckled, her strangled moan sending his own pulses pounding. Licking and laving, he circled and flicked. And then slid his tongue lower and thrust it deep. Once and then again. And yet again. Until she screamed his name and fell from the precipice.

  He slid onto the bed and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly as she shuddered, the climax still holding her in its thrall. Finally, when he felt her breathing ease, he pulled away.

  "Not yet, please—"

  "Easy now. I'm no' going anywhere." He smiled down at her, his body heavy and aching, the time for giving almost past. Quickly, he shed his garments and then returned to her side, pulling her into his arms. Skin to skin. Breast to chest.

  He covered her mouth with his, the kiss languid and slow. His hand slid between her legs again, and he delighted in the warm wet heat that greeted him. "So then are you ready for me?" His voice was low, almost a growl, as he rolled to his back, pulling her on top of him.

  Straddling his hips, she smiled down at him, her green eyes flecked with amber fire, her black hair a wavy curtain as she leaned forward to kiss him again. His hands closed around her breasts and he kneaded as they drank from each other, their tongues delving deep.

  Then with a toss of her head, she sat back, lifting her hips and settling herself over the tip of his erection, the suction of her wet heat enveloping him as she slowly slid down. His hands still on her breasts, he waited until he was buried inside her, then slowly began to rock as she slid upwards again, setting the rhythm for their ride.

  Despite his burning need to possess her, he allowed the torture of her slow, sensuous movements simply because he was spellbound by the beauty of the passion reflected in her face. Passion for him. For their joining.

  She slid down again, taking him deeper as she moved her legs wider. Then suddenly he sat up, taking her breast in his mouth, tugging her nipple as she tightened her sheath around him. Sensation stretched, both of them captured, and then he grabbed her hips and the dance began in earnest.

  In and out. Up and down. Her head thrown back in abandon, she arched her back. A goddess on fire. His body tensed as they rode higher and higher. Her hands tightened on his shoulders, her nails biting into his skin. She rode him harder and harder as he thrust inside her. Deeper and deeper until they were bonded together, not just physically but somehow intrinsically. Body to body. Soul to soul.

  The excruciating joy ratcheted higher still and Lily tensed, then called his name as her body contracted around him, stroking and caressing, urging him to follow. Still holding her hips, he plunged up as she moved down. One last thrust and his mind exploded into sensation and light, his seed spilling deep inside her.

  As unlikely as it might seem, they belonged together. Here between worlds. And now that he held her again, he never wanted to let her go.

  *****

  Lily lay in the flickering firelight listening to the steady beat of Bram's heart. Her cheek nestled on his heavily muscled chest, she sighed and wiggled closer, grateful when his arms tightened around her. They were lying there, boneless, the power of their climaxes still an almost tangible thing.

  He smelled of wood smoke and leather. And something uniquely Bram. The essence sent her emotions tumbling, her body tightening with desire all over again. It made absolutely no sense. But this man, this Highlander, had touched her in a way that no one else had ever done. It was as if he'd touched that part of her she'd always kept hidden away. The one that feared being hurt. Feared taking a risk.

  And yet here she was. Surrounded by his warmth. Lying on a bed that hadn't existed in her world for hundreds of years. It was insane. It was miraculous. And she never wanted it to end.

  "Are you comfortable?" His deep voice rumbled up through his chest, and she nodded, still content just to feel him breathe.

  "I am. More than I think I've ever been. If you can believe that."

  "Aye, 'tis the same with me." He smoothed back her hair and she tipped her head so that she could see the stark planes of his face. It would be so easy to let herself get lost in the cool blue of his eyes. It made her think of the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Clear and deep and full of promise.

  "So," she began, "not that I'm complaining, but I thought you'd be at Duncreag. With Iain and Katherine." The names came out almost a whisper, as somehow in saying them out loud she'd break whatever spell bound them.

  "I wanted to be with you. And the cottage seemed the obvious place. But you know them both? You ken who they are?"

  She nodded, lacing her fingers with his. "Katherine is like me. She traveled through time."

  "For Iain." Bram nodded. "The two of them belong together."

  As do we. She wanted to say it but again she found she was afraid. "I've met her brother. Jeff. He's the new laird at Duncreag."

  "And that's where you've been staying?"

  "Yes. Valerie is friends with Mrs. Abernathy. She and her husband look after Duncreag. They've been helping me—all of them—as I've been trying to make sense of things."

  "Sometimes there is no sense to be had. You just have to take it all on faith."

  "So says Mrs. Abernathy. Would that it were that easy." She smiled up at him. "But it's all been a lot to deal with. You. Me. The gap between your world and mine."

  "Ach, but despite the incongruity, we fit together, you and I." He ran a hand over the curve of her breast and across the taut skin of her belly. Desire flashed, heated and strong.

  "We do. At least when we're together."

  "You said you'd been to Dunbrae." His brows knitted together, his hand still idly stroking her skin.

  "I was trying to find you. Or at least some proof that you didn't just exist in my head."

  "And were you successful in that?"

  "Yes. I mean yes and no. It was all a really long time ago."

  "In a manner of speaking." His smile was slow and a bit crooked. Her heart hitched and her breath caught. He reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, then his expression sobered. "And my father's holding?"

  She paused, chewing on her bottom lip, her gaze locking with his. Then on a sigh, she shook her head. "There's nothing much left. Only stones and overgrown rubble."

  He was still for a moment, and then he nodded. Accepting her words as truth. "As you say, there are many years between the two of us. I canna expect that any legacy of mine would survive forever."

  "Were there two towers when you were there?" she asked, still watching him.

  He frowned. "Nay, only the one."

  "Well, there were the remains of two. One older than the other. It was the older one that gave me the vision. The one of you in danger and the tower burning."

/>   "That would be the bastards who attacked my father. And tried to kill me."

  "They're the ones behind everything? Your father's death? The men at Iain's tower? You said it was the son of your father's enemy."

  "Aye, Alec Comyn. He and his father have always hated me and mine."

  "And you're sure what I saw was the past?" She swallowed a rising bubble of hysteria at the absurdity of the question.

  "My past. Yes. And I was most certainly in danger. But I escaped. And as I said, we killed the men in the pass as well."

  "All of them?"

  "It couldna be avoided. I would have preferred one or more of them had lived so that we could question them. But 'twas no' possible."

  "But you recognized some of them?" She rolled a little bit away, so that she could see him more clearly in the flickering light.

  "No' specifically. But they were wearing Comyn colors. And if that isn't damning enough, one of my clansmen escaped and found his way to Iain's. Frazier swears they were Comyns as well. And he'd know better than I."

  "Frazier?"

  "My father's captain. He's a good man. I trust him with my life. So yes, I'm certain it was the Comyns."

  "Were there others? Who escaped, I mean?"

  Bram's blue eyes clouded with pain. "Nay. There were no survivors. My oldest friend almost made it. He fought alongside Frazier, but, in the end, the Comyns killed Robby too."

  "I'm so sorry," she whispered, knowing words were inadequate. "I know what it's like to lose all your family."

  "Aye, and what it means to make a new one," he said, his gaze meeting hers as one finger traced the line of her lower lip.

  She swallowed, worry tearing at her heart. "Now that you know about Alec Comyn," she asked, "what will you do?"

  "I'll destroy him. After all that he did, he canna go unpunished."

  "How? How will you punish him?" She wasn't certain she wanted to hear the answer and yet she knew that she needed to know.

  "Iain, Ranald and I are riding for Alec's tower tomorrow."

  "Ranald Macqueen? Your cousin?"

  "Aye." He smiled, the gesture warming her to her toes. "You were able to glean that much, I see."

  "It wasn't hard really. Elaine is related to Ranald. And Jeff was here once. He met Ranald then. Thinks of him as a friend, actually."

  "Ah yes, Katherine told me about Jeff. About how he helped Iain save her."

  "They were very close, I gather. He misses her terribly."

  "I think the same is true for her."

  "It can't be easy. Living in one time with memories of another."

  "To hear Iain and Katherine tell it, nothing would do but for them to be together. And having seen them so, I canna say I see the wrong in it."

  And having shared what she had with Bram, Lily couldn't either. But she was still afraid to put voice to the thought.

  He reached out to cup her chin in his hand. "Some things, Lily, are just meant to be."

  "Like us?" she whispered, holding his gaze.

  "Mayhap. I canna say what fate has in store for us. But were I to have my way, I'd keep you with me forever."

  A shudder of potent pleasure washed through her. "Then don't go. Stay here, with me."

  Regret flashed in his eyes. "You know I canna. I have to take back what is mine."

  "Even at the risk of losing what we've found?"

  He nodded. "Even so."

  "But why? Why is it so important to make him pay?"

  "Because, thanks to Alec Comyn's treachery, my uncle has been given my holding. The lands that should now belong to me have been taken away, my name tarnished with lies. There are some among my kin who believe I killed my father. I canna let that go unanswered. I have to prove my innocence and bring the real culprit to bare."

  She covered his hand with hers, fighting against her fear. "Then take me with you when you go."

  "A battle isn't a place for a lass, mo ghràidh."

  "And that's what it's going to be—a battle?"

  "Aye. I see no way around it. Nor do Iain and Ranald. The only way now is to stand against Alec. And I canna fight if I'm worrying about you."

  "But if you leave me, then I'll have to go back. Or forward or whatever. I can't stay here unless you're with me. And I can't bear the idea of losing you again." Put into words, it sounded so needy. But she couldn't help herself. She'd lost so much already. She couldn't stand the thought of losing him too.

  "Lily, you know that I'd take you if I could, but…"

  "Please, Bram." She was begging now. "Please don't go. Don't put yourself in that kind of danger."

  His features tightened, his expression harsh. "I have no choice. It has to be done. And it has to be me. If you care for me at all you'll no' ask me to stay."

  "Fine." She crossed her arms, anger making her brave. "Then I'm coming with you. I'll stay out of the way. But I won't leave you."

  His face softened, his eyes reflecting an emotion she was afraid to put a name to. "Ach, if only it were that easy, mo ghràidh. I dinna know what it's like in your time. But in mine a woman is to be cherished and protected at all costs. Nothing is more important than that. And as you've found your way into my heart, I willna risk your safety for my own selfish pleasure."

  "It isn't your choice. It's mine. If you value me at all, then you'll value my right to make my own decisions. To know my own mind." She glared at him, daring him to argue. "I won't be left behind. Unless you can look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want me, I'm coming with you. It's as simple as that."

  Silence stretched between them as she watched him digest her words. One hand clenched into a fist and then slowly, slowly he relaxed his fingers and reached out again to run the back of his hand along her cheek.

  "So you agree?"

  "Aye. I'll grant that you have the right to make your own decisions. But I dinna have to like them."

  She smiled, willing to take the win any way she could get it. "I won't get in the way. I promise."

  She lay beside him, her heart pounding, partly because she'd triumphed, and partly because that triumph would be short-lived if they both wound up dead. His wasn't an easy time. Men were brutal. She'd sensed as much in her visions. And she knew that Bram was right; a battle wasn't the place for a woman. Especially one with modern sensibilities. But what choice did she have?

  She couldn't leave him. No matter what the cost, she needed to be here with him.

  Assuming fate would allow it.

  There was nothing to say she wouldn't be ripped from his arms again. It had happened before. Panic reared its head and she fought to breathe slowly.

  "I need you," she whispered.

  "As I need you." He pulled her closer, her back nestled against his chest, his hands settling around her breasts. Deftly he stroked and circled her nipples, his touch rekindling the fire deep inside her, pushing away her fear with passion.

  She started to turn but he held her firmly, one hand splayed across her belly, the other moving down from her breasts to the hot, wet juncture between her thighs. His breath teased her ear and neck, sending shivers of need racing through her as he plunged first one finger and then a second deep inside her. Stroking, caressing, pushing deeper and then deeper still. She choked on a sob, wanting him inside her more than she wanted to breathe.

  "Please, Bram," she begged, her voice rough with desire. "Take me. Take me now."

  With a low growl, he pushed one of her legs upward, replacing his fingers with the head of his erection. She squirmed against him, trying to move closer. But he held her firmly in place. Then, with a single thrust, he was inside her. Deeper than before. His balls pressed against her bottom.

  For a moment, he held her like that. Joined. Two parts of a whole. And then he pulled back almost to the tip. She swallowed and shifted restlessly against him.

  "Patience, mo ghràidh."

  He inched back just a little more and then thrust deeply again, this time with more power. His other hand closed around one of he
r breasts, his breath still hot in her ear. He rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Slowly he rocked back and forth, the motion sending exquisite shards of pleasure rocketing through her.

  She arched her back, pushing her bottom more firmly against him, taking him deeper, the sensation almost beyond bearing, pleasure so great it was almost pain. Then slowly he withdrew again, and she whimpered with need.

  His fingers tightened on her nipple, tugging as he surged into her again, and she fractured, her entire body convulsing with the power of her climax. She spasmed around him, breath stuttering, heart pounding. His arms tightened around her, holding her safe as she spiraled out of control. Her mind blanked as the power of their passion overrode every other sense.

  He held her for a moment, then gently rolled her over until he was propped above her, his hips nestled between her legs, his body braced on his elbows. Their gazes collided and she struggled for breath. Then with a slow, sure smile, he lifted and surged into her again. Her body responded in an instant, desire building again as he began to ride.

  She wrapped her legs around him, and his mouth found hers. The kiss was searing. A take no prisoners possession. Each of them claiming the other with lips and tongues and always the driving rhythm of him moving deep inside her.

  Opening wider, she took him deeper, meeting him thrust for thrust. Her muscles tightened around him. Holding him. Caressing him. Taking and giving. Their fated dance beyond all time.

  This was what she had been born for. This moment. This man. And nothing was going to keep them apart.

  He murmured her name, and then his lips claimed hers again, their bodies moving together. The magic tension built again, stretching tighter and tighter as they continued to move together. Then suddenly the world exploded into shards of light.

  He swallowed her cry, his hands linking with both of hers. And there was nothing in the world but the two of them, joined together as surely it was meant to be.

  CHAPTER 15