Callum (21 page)

"I meant it, Phoebe. I'll never let you go."

She shook her head. "Don't say things like that. I've done things that would make you hate me."

He frowned, and she knew she needed to explain. She had just about outed them to McWalton, given the bastard man the key to keeping the Lennons stuck in their immortality. Knowing that angered and shamed her. She hated to ruin this, but she needed to tell him. But when she opened her mouth, he shook his head.

"No, love. Your past is not as important as the future."

He bent his head and kissed her then.

In the soft glow of the morning light, Callum watched Phoebe sleep. There were mornings he’d cursed the sun. Now, though, he felt blessed because it meant another day with Phoebe—another chance to taste her passion. He’d lost count of the times they’d made love somewhere in the middle of the night. Every time he had turned to her, she had been willing, loving, and so accepting of him. For the first time in over two centuries he felt complete in bed with a woman. She knew him, and he could let her see everything. He was so bloody sick of hiding his true self.

He wanted to wake her again, but she was finally sleeping. He knew she was exhausted from the dark circles beneath her green eyes.

"If you keep staring at me like that, I am never going to get any sleep."

Her voice was filled with sleepy amusement, and he couldn’t help but smile.

"Sorry, love, but I've wanted you in my bed since the moment I met you."

She opened her eyes. "Don't try to bam me."

"’Tis true. What do you think that moment was in my office? Hell, I was ready to ravish you on my desk in front of my cousins."

She studied him for a second. "And you didn't like it."

No, he hadn't. Mainly because it scared the living hell out of him, but he wasn't about to admit that to her.

"No. It was disrespectful."

She chuckled. "You're so old fashioned."

"It's because I am old."

She snuggled deeper under the covers and closed her eyes again. "I wasn't sure if I would be ready to be involved with another older man."

"Your husband was older?"

She nodded.

"And your other lovers?"

"There were no other lovers. Just my husband."

He stared at her for a second, unable to fathom what she had just told him. This woman was so sensual it knocked him on his ass. To think that she had no other lovers than he and her husband was well…unthinkable.

"You’re bamming me."

She laughed, but it was tinged with sadness. "I was a geek. Worse, I was at university when I was in my teens. I would not wish that on anyone. I was going through puberty while most of my classmates were going to clubs. Boys my age were not about to ask a college girl out, especially one like me. My husband was my first and only until you."

"It's hard to believe with your passion that you've never been with anyone else."

"First, I wasn't so...passionate with my husband. We had issues. And secondly, it is hard to find someone on a dig that isn't afraid of my parents. When I was younger, no one wanted to mess with their daughter. It could mean they would lose their jobs. Now, they are usually working for me. My friend Izzy said they are intimidated by me."

“What about men outside your profession?”

She sighed as she opened her eyes. “I don’t have a lot of time to date.”

It was starting to make sense now. She seemed to be surprised by her desires, as if she were a virgin when he met her. But...

"You were married."

The lightness dimmed from her eyes a little more, and he wanted to call back the words. He knew her marriage had not been a good one.

"I was so young when we married. So...unworldly."

"I find that hard to believe. You grew up all over the world."

"No, I didn't. I grew up on digs. That is completely different. I was very sheltered as I grew up. I never went to school with other kids until college. I was surrounded by adults who were either afraid of my parents or in awe of a ten-year-old who could speak five languages and had a higher IQ than most adults."

"It was lonely." It wasn't a question. He could hear it in her voice.

"Yes. I guess it was, in a way. I had every advantage when it came to education.”

But they didn’t love her. Or it didn’t sound like it. The way she spoke of her parents made him think she saw herself as a separate entity instead of a unit.

“It made me unable to spot a snake in the grass. Simon wasn't a very good husband, although my parents picked him out for me."

"Sounds archaic."

She laughed. "Yes, it was. It wasn't arranged, but I found out later on they brought him on the dig in hopes we would find each other attractive."

"And I guess you did."

She shrugged and closed her eyes again. "Do we have to talk about this? It is all very embarrassing."

"Not if you don't want to. I just wanted to understand you more. Know you."

The moment he said it, he knew it was true. He had never really wanted to know everything about a woman until he met Phoebe. Now, he needed to understand her, know what made her tick. He wanted to know every bit of her life, no matter how painful it was.

"At first it was wonderful. Simon knew just how to romance me. It wasn't until about two years into our marriage that I discovered I wasn't really his type."

"What was his type?"

"Stupid and blonde. The stupider the better. I wanted a divorce. We separated, and I went to file for divorce. In reality, at that time it was very civil. Then, he got sick, cancer. They gave him a year, he lasted seven months."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was the worse seven months of my life. He was very angry with his condition, and he took it out on me."

Anger surged and he felt his hands fist.

"He hurt you."

Her eyes shot open. "No, there was no abuse. He was much better at words, not physical confrontations. He let me know just how unhappy he was in the marriage. With me, with the marriage bed, with me in it."

Now it was starting to make sense. A man like that probably looked at her as a way to make more points for himself.
Bloody Sassenach.
Only a damned coward would blame his infidelities on his wife. There was more she wasn’t telling him, more she was hiding,, but he didn’t want to push her anymore. She was laying there, looking sad and embarrassed, and he couldn't take it.

He bent his head and kissed her nose. "He was a bloody fool, love."

She cupped his cheek, and he moved to her mouth, gently pressing his lips against hers. The soft kiss expanded, lengthened. With each caress he tried to show her just how he felt. He wasn't a man who could always tell people how he felt about them. So he would show her. His blood heated, his body responded. All she had to do was look at him and he wanted her. Having her in his bed was a fantasy come to life. Every taste he had of her bound him to her tighter.

He rolled over and pulled her with him so that she sat astride him.

The sheets fell down around her hips revealing more of her luscious flesh. Need surged as he slipped his hands up her torso. Full hips, full breasts. Her mouth was swollen from his kisses. The tangle of curls dripping over her shoulders completed the picture. She was beautiful.

He needed her more than he wanted to admit, even to himself. He pulled a condom out of his drawer and had it on in record time.

"Take me in love, please, now." He bit out each word. He was barely keeping himself under control, and she was taking her time. She must have heard the passion in his voice because she didn't hesitate. Slowly, she sank down on his cock. He wanted to scream in frustration. It took every bit of that legendary control to keep it locked inside. Inch by inch she sunk onto him. Then she started to move. Her inner muscles clung to him each time she lifted off him, and he wanted to scream. He opened his eyes and felt something amazing stir in his chest. She tipped her head back, all that glorious hair cascading over her shoulders. She looked like a goddess, lost in pleasure, and in that instant, he knew he loved her, would always love her.

He didn’t have time to deal with that revelation. She increased her speed, and she came apart, her inner muscles squeezing him tight. As she shuddered, he followed her into ecstasy.

She collapsed on his chest, and he grunted in reaction. She snuggled against him. He knew he should say something profound.

“Phoebe.”

“Hmm?” She snuggled closer, and he knew she was close to sleep. He rolled her over and off him. After ridding himself of the condom, he stood by the bed and looked at her. Had a woman ever captured him this way? He knew without a doubt there had not been. Even before he knew her well, Callum had known there was something special about her. Only a woman like her would accept him as he was.

She burrowed deeper beneath the covers and again he felt that odd pull in the middle of his chest. He rubbed his hand over the spot, but he couldn’t push it away. She looked so sweet there in his bed where she should be. He couldn’t resist any more, and why should he?

He slipped into bed beside her, and she rolled to him, sliding her arms around his waist. She sighed and settled against him as if it was the most natural thing in the world. For most of his life, he had never allowed the hope that he would find a woman like her. But now that he had, he was going to do everything he could to try to keep her there beside him.

The jewels are scattered to the winds to protect the curse, but if each McLennan proves his worth, he shall be justly rewarded.

Phoebe studied the sentence she’d just translated as excitement bubbled within her. The mention of jewels again couldn’t be a coincidence. Add to the fact that McLennan was once again used and it was definitely a sign.

“You’ve got something.”

She looked up at Callum. He looked impatient, as if he would rather be somewhere else. The one thing she didn’t want to do was get her hopes up and have them crash down around them. She definitely didn’t want to do it to Callum or his cousins either.

“I’m not sure. There is a mention of jewels, and you are mentioned again.”

“Me?”

“The McLennans. So I know it has to do with the curse. It's actually the second time I've seen the mention of jewels. Do you have a sword around here?"

Callum smiled at her, and she felt her heart do that little flip-flop it always did when he smiled at her. She couldn't help it. It was as if he reserved a special smile just for her, one that he never showed another living being. She knew she was being fanciful, but it was hard not to be. With a man like Callum Lennon, even before knowing he was immortal, he had been dangerous to her psyche.

"I've a lot of swords, love."

She caught the sexual innuendo at that point, and her face heated.

"Ooch, Callum, behave yourself," Anice said as she came into the office, but there was no heat in her voice.

"Since your cousin doesn't seem to be able to behave, do you know of a sword around here missing jewels in the handle?"

The cousins shared a look.

"Why?" Callum asked.

She rolled her eyes. Impatience had her barely holding onto her temper. "Just answer the question."

"Yes, we do. A few were ravaged over the years for money. It took me a while to find all of them. I tracked down most of the McLennan heirlooms that are still in existence."

Of course he had. This man would not allow their heritage to be floating around the world unclaimed. He would want them here, to be in their possession.

"All the jewels? There should be five missing."

The cousins shared another look, but she ignored them. She grabbed her notes and flipped through the pages until she found the last one mentioning the McLennans and swords.

"The Bruce. One from the Bruce."

Excitement was coursing through her blood, her heart already beating out of control. It was just like this when she made some amazing find on a dig. She knew in her gut this was it.

"You pass by it every day. It's hanging in the hall," Callum said.

Then she remembered seeing it hanging in the hall. She squealed and jumped to her feet. Grabbing the book, she ran out of the office with Anice and Callum hard on her heels. She came to a stop in front of the sword. She gazed up at it and saw the points of the sword missing jewels. It wasn't a common thing to have that many jewels in a sword during that time. And she knew this was it.

"Phoebe?" Callum asked.

She turned and faced Callum and Anice, who were both looking at her with concern.

"This is it. I think I know how to break the curse."