To Tempt Highland Fate (The Mac Coinnach Brothers) (26 page)

             
There was a knock at the door, and Bren came in before either of them could answer.  He gave Willa a smile before turning a serious face to Drust.

             
“Listen brother, I leave tonight for Creagmor, but ye should stay here for a few days and help these people resettle and put up stronger wards.  Until we find out where Mored is and who else is involved, we must be extremely vigilant.  Then… I want ye home.  I need ye by my side at Creagmor.“  He turned his fierce gaze to Willa.  “Lass, ye will be welcome in my home, should ye chose to return with my brother.  I think ye would find it to yer liking, and my wife would be thrilled to have another woman at the castle.  I’m afraid the women there are fairly outnumbered by the men, and though she hasna been there long, Faith is already trying to civilize us all.”

             
Willa smiled at the way Bren’s eyes turned soft and dreamy at the mention of his wife.  “I will certainly consider visiting Creagmor with Drust, thank you.”  She wanted so much more than to just visit, but what could she say?  She and Drust had not yet spoken of what the next step would be between them.

             
Bren gave his brother a meaningful stare.  “See that she does.”

             
Drust nodded and grasped Bren’s arm.  “Aye, I’ll be home as soon as I can.  And Bren… thank ye.”

***

             
In the bailey, people were everywhere, cleaning up and setting things to rights again as quickly as possible.  In the castle, there was more of the same.  Maura happily directed troops of servants and villagers alike as they all worked together, a palpable air of relief and happiness surrounding them.  Willa, clean and rested after her ordeal and short-lived marriage, restlessly moved from one project to another.  She just couldn’t keep her mind on any one thing, and she knew exactly why. She had barely seen Drust all day, since both of them had been hard at work.  As twilight fell, that reason for her restlessness finally came into the hall.  He caught her gaze and smiled.  She smiled back as he came toward her.  He took her hand and kissed her palm, making her stomach flutter and her knees a little weak.

             
“Lass, will ye walk with me in the gardens?”

             
“Of course.”

             
She slid her arm through Drust’s and together they walked out into the falling twilight.

             
James had seen them leave and started to go after them, but Maura stopped him with a firm hand on his arm.  “Just where are ye going, husband?”

             
“That Mac Coinnach is leaving unescorted with my sister, that’s where I’m going!”

             
“Och, James, leave them be, they’re in no danger.  Willa is safer with him than with anyone.  Besides… she’s a widow.”

             
James gave her a quelling look.  “Dinna remind me!  But… as a man myself I am quite sure of what he has in mind, and…”

             
“Hush!  I suppose that ye were perfectly patient and waited till yer wedding night to bed
me
?

             
“Well, no”, he admitted after a moment. “But she’s my
sister
, and I have to look out for her honor.”

             
“No’ tonight ye dinna.”

              Drust led Willa away from the castle and into the stillness of the gardens.  He had been out earlier in the day scouting the area and setting up new wards, and had found the perfect place to bring her, to be alone.  When they stopped, Willa leaned into his arm and sighed.  In front of them was the sea ledge, and the water spreading far out to the horizon where the last of the sunlight was sinking out of sight.  Behind them was a hedge of wild roses, and the sweet smell drifted thickly on the balmy breeze.  And between the sea and the roses was a soft carpet of fresh green grass.  Willa sank down onto it and pulled Drust gently down after her.

             
He frowned at her, trying to look stern.  “Do ye even ken how much ye frightened me, lass?  I was near out of my mind when I came back and ye werena in the cottage!  I could kill ye for making me worry like that!”

             
She gave him a smile.  “That’s sweet, that you worried about me.  But I didn’t know for certain you were coming back, Drust.  And I’d had a dream about you, months before, while I was still here at the castle.  That’s when I knew… and that made it all the harder to see you go.”

             
“What was the dream?”

             
When she looked down and didn’t answer, he slipped two fingers under her chin and lifted her face to look at him.

             
“Lass”, he said softly, “What dream?”

             
Her breath caught a little at the intensity of his gaze.  He held her eyes with his, more intimate than any kiss.  God!  She wanted him to stop asking questions and kiss her!

             
“A dream where I knew you were the one I was meant to be with.”

             
A soft moan escaped from his throat as Drust pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers.  He wanted to tell her how very
much
he wanted to be with her, but the feel of her lips against his was just too good.  Soft and sweet and God! he’d never get enough.  He tangled his fingers in her hair and deepened the kiss until he couldn’t tell where he ended and she began.

             
He was rock hard and aching and nothing on earth was going to keep him from claiming Willa as his this night.  He was hungry and wanting, both body and soul, and he fought for control to go slowly, gently.  He forced himself to pull back a little, and they met each other’s eyes, both of them breathless and trembling.

             
“Drust?  Why did you stop?”

             
“I dinna want to scare ye… go too fast.  I want to be gentle, but I…it’s been so long…”

             
“You don’t scare me… and I won’t break.”

             
As if compelled by a force beyond his control, he bent to take her mouth again.  But he was stopped short by frenzied shouting, coming from the direction of the castle gates.  “Och, no!” he moaned, dropping his forehead to rest against hers for a moment before pulling away.  It seemed providence had saved him from himself this night.  He had waited this long, certainly he could wait until Willa was his wife and his mate.  He hadn’t asked her yet, but he knew that nothing in this world would stop him from claiming this woman as his own.  Hell, in his own mind, he already had, whether or not she was willing, she was already his and his alone.

             
“It’s only a fire”, he said, looking out towards the village.  Fire was all too common with the open hearths and thatched roofs of the cottages, and taken very seriously.  A few stray sparks on the wind could burn the entire village.  “Come, we’ll see if they need help.”

              Thirty men with buckets made short work of the flames, and Maura invited everyone back to the Hall for music and dancing to help ease the tension of the day.  Willa smiled after her sister-in-law.  It had been only hours, and Maura was already shining in her new role as Lady of the castle, as if she had been born to it.  In no time at all, she had found a group of musicians, had the tables all moved to the side, and brought out the best wine from the cellars.  Willa understood that this was about more than just the battle and the fire… this was a celebration of their return home.  It was well needed and well deserved.  Besides, it had been ages since she had danced!

             
As soon as the music started, people took to the floor in a general mood of slightly disbelieving joy and relief.  In the end, it had all happened so fast.  They had gone from one laird, to a hostile takeover by another, and now to yet another: James.

             
Willa looked for Drust, but he was nowhere in the hall.  Probably still helping some of the men in the village.  She thought to wait for him, but Maura had other ideas, and it wasn’t long before she was pulled into the fray, spinning around the floor and losing herself in the music and the crowd and the laughter. How long had it been since she’d felt so happy and had so much hope for the future?  Longer than she could remember.

              Drust came in shortly after, and his eyes automatically scanned the crowd for Willa.  He saw her in the midst of the dancers, looking like a beautiful and delicate flower, and his chest grew tight with emotion.  At first he just watched her dance, in awe of her natural grace and the sensual way she moved.  His body grew hard and aching just seeing the sway of her hips beneath her long skirts. But then he began to notice he was not the
only
man watching her, and his anger mounted as one after another of them smiled at his woman, stood too close, made her laugh.  Did they not know she was
his
?  He would hate to have to kill so many, but his blood was nearly boiling now and his mind had flooded with thoughts of unreserved male possession.  She was
his
, damn it!  Forever.  And to make sure of it, he would be marrying her.  Then no one could ever challenge his rights.  She would belong to him and him alone.  He marched over to where she was and took her by the arm, swinging her away from the small but steadily growing group of admirers. 

             
“When we return to Creagmor, you will wed with me.”

             
She looked at him in stunned silence, but before she could answer, he had turned on his heel and left.  Beside her, Maura burst into laughter.

             
“That has to be… the most romantic proposal… I’ve ever heard!”

             
Willa grinned at her.  “Even so, I’ll take it.”

              It was late, and Willa stretched out on the soft bed that she had missed so much during her stay at the cottage, where for most of the time she had slept on a pallet on the floor.  She pulled the crisp linen sheet up over her naked body and lay back against the pillows, watching the door and hoping that men were as predictable as she thought them to be.  She knew Drust did not intend to share her room, mostly, she suspected, out of respect for her brother, and of course his misguided sense of honor.  She, on the other hand, had been waiting far too long to have him alone in her bed.  Her fingers ached to touch him, and her hips arched unbidden off the bed at the thought of him taking her.  He was going to be hers, and she could still not quite believe how quickly everything had changed.  But now she was through waiting.  Tonight she would finally know what it was like to have him deep inside of her.

             
All evening at the feast Maura had put together she had set out to torment him until she was certain to get her way.  She sent Drust steamy looks, she trailed her fingers up his thigh under the table, and peppered the conversation with seemingly innocent innuendo.  And when he walked her to her room to say goodnight, she rose on her tiptoes and kissed him, hard, looping her arms around his neck and pressing her body to his, rubbing against him.  He had groaned and held her tighter, deepening the kiss.  In a matter of seconds, he had her pressed up against the door, his lips trailing down her neck and ending with a gentle bite before his mouth moved to her ear and he spoke softly, his voice already husky with need.

             
“I ken what wickedness ye’ve been up to all evening lass.  Are ye trying to kill me?”

             
“Kill you?  No, that’s not what I’m trying to do at all.”

              And… there it was… the sound of footsteps in the hall.  Then the latch lifted and the entire doorway filled with the hulking form of a warrior in his prime, lit from behind by the torch farther down the hallway.  As soon as she saw him, her breath caught in her throat and her heart skidded to a halt only to start beating again with an impossibly fast rhythm.  He drew in a deep breath before stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.