CursedLaird (24 page)

Had he understood what they meant? Would he tell her so she
wasn’t left in the dark? She glanced to see that Percy and Abel were grinning
as if they knew a secret. How did they figure it out and she missed it? Caledonia
started to ask but swallowed the words. Nothing came to mind that sounded even
remotely nice so she decided to let it rest and think it through. Maybe she’d
figure it out for herself.

Chapter Thirteen

They sat for hours talking and sharing stories. Gavin,
Ericka, Izzy and Ian’s recent adventure ended differently than Struan’s tale of
discovery and release. Though there was happiness and joy over Struan being
home, there also was a tinge of sadness over the dead-end trail to another
brother. Gavin, Ian, Ericka and Izzy had just returned to the castle about half
an hour before they arrived. The group had gone on an expedition into the
Grampian Mountains in search of an abandoned church, where Izzy had seen a
picture of a statue online. It wasn’t a brother. It turned out to be some
patron saint of some blessed charity.

That failure didn’t overshadow Struan’s return. The brothers
talked as if time hadn’t separated them for centuries. Caledonia couldn’t help
but smile at the way Percy and Abel made themselves at home. The O’Reillys fit
right in, drinking and helping Struan expand on the fight that occurred in
Edinburgh.

Caledonia learned how Ericka came to Scotland because of her
Aunt May. It was a funny story where an American afraid of travel suffered the
trip to save her eccentric aunt from real estate fraud and found love in the
process. She wished she had the opportunity to meet this Aunt May. From what
Akira, Ericka and Izzy claimed, this woman had spunk. She found an old diary in
a box of books she bought at a bookstore in London. The words of love and
family dedication drove her to locate and buy Castle MacKinnon, where she
quickly became enamored with the ghost of Akira, who had written the diary May
had found.

To hear Izzy say it, Aunt May was the real reason any of the
brothers were free. If May hadn’t believed, no one would have tested the words
in Akira’s diary and learned the truth of what happened to Clan MacKinnon of
Lochsbury. In the wee hours of the morning, Ericka suggested they turn in and continue
their discussion at breakfast. Izzy and Ian showed the O’Reillys to their
guestrooms.

Gavin tucked Ericka into the crook of his arm then nodded to
Struan. “Your bedchamber is better than ye left it. I think ye will like the
soft mattress, fine linen and fluffy down comforter. The pillows are soft as
well. Would be a grand place to sleep if’n sleep is your plan.” Gavin waggled
his eyebrows as he led Ericka out of the room and toward the staircase.

Struan laughed and Caledonia struggled not to blush. Had he
just implied that she sleep with Struan? Before she could correct the mistake,
they were gone and Struan turned to face her.

“I have been waiting all night to ask ye again what is
bothering ye, mi
fiadh-chat
.” He clasped her waist with both hands as if
it were small in size. She swallowed. He did make her feel tiny and petite.
“And don’t be telling me nothing. I sense ye have a heavy heart.”

Looking into his eyes, how could she admit the selfish
feelings coasting through her soul? She wanted him with her. Caledonia licked
her lips, but before she managed to construct the right words, his mouth
brushed over hers. Gentle touches coaxed her to respond. How could she resist
the persistent pressure from his tasty tongue?

Tender tongue massages whisked her insecurities to the back
of her mind. If all they had was here and now then so be it. Caledonia leaned
into him and let his warmth fuel her need. A soft sigh escaped when Struan
lifted his lips from hers. His darkened gaze contained a promise of pleasure that
she was too weak to deny.

“Come. Let mi show ye to mi chambers.”

He took her hand and she followed. At the far end of the
hall, he turned left and walked for what seemed an eternity to her. Every few
feet, he stopped and pointed out something of importance, from a tapestry, to a
painting, to an object from his time that hung upon the wall. His excitement
became her excitement. The love for his home and family was genuine. At the
bottom of a staircase in the back left corner of the castle, he turned to her.
It took a second for her to gain her bearings and realize they stood at the
entrance to one of the four corner towers.

“This leads to mi bedchambers. I wish to take ye there and
share intimacies with ye, Caledonia.” Struan’s brogue deepened with desire and
made her shiver with a hunger for this man that came straight from her core.
Just being in his presence, listening to him speak of things close to his
heart, had her hot and horny for the ancient Scotsman.

She couldn’t speak. No words formed so she simply nodded her
consent. Struan swept her into his arms and carried her upstairs. At the top,
Caledonia turned the knob and Struan pushed open the door with his foot. The
room was lit by the soft glow of strategically placed candles. They entered
into the sitting room of Struan’s bedchambers. A large couch sat in front of a
fireplace with a beautiful marble mantle above it. Hardwood covered the floor
for as far as she could see.

Struan slowly released her, letting her slide down the
length of his body, until her feet touched ground. Every inch that skimmed him
as she stood brushed against the healthy hard-on she felt beneath his kilt. He
led her to the room off to the right of the fireplace.

The door was open and candles had also been lit in there,
giving the room a romantic glow. Caledonia had her suspicions as to who was
behind it but didn’t understand the why. A huge bed sat in the center of the
room. A window was on either side of the bed and beneath those were a pair of
nightstands. The bed had been turned down and made ready for them. Rose petals
were scattered on the floor and across the pillows. A few even coated the
sheets.

Designed to entice romance if ever she saw it. Caledonia
couldn’t help but smile at all the trouble Ericka or Izzy or both had gone
through for them. Thinking back, Izzy had disappeared under the premise she
went to clean up the broken vase and water. But she’d been gone a rather long
time. Her head shook. This was where Izzy obviously disappeared to.

“Come, Caledonia, we haven’t much night left.” He lifted her
hand to his lips. The heat of his breath across her knuckles as he spoke undid
any last strands of resistance that may have lingered in her conscience. “When
darkness befalls mi at sunrise.” He cupped her face in his hand and held her
stare. “I want your beauty to be the last I see until I wake.”

Her insides melted. There was no denying how she felt about
Struan. She bit her lip, halting the words of her heart from escaping in a
deluge of rampant emotions. Struan needed time with his family. What he didn’t
need was a girlfriend. Girlfriend. Lover. Whatever. Caledonia gave herself a
good mental shake. He needed the chance to adjust to this life before he’d ever
be ready for a relationship. But she still couldn’t help how she felt. Deep
down she knew she’d fallen ass over teakettle for Struan MacKinnon.

She led him to the side of the bed then turned to face him.
After placing a tender kiss to his hand, she released it and began the art of
stripping slowly for her man. And though she doubted they had a future past
this moment, she wanted this last hour to be a memory that would last a
lifetime.

Struan’s heartbeat quickened as he watched her sensual
movements. Deft fingers lifted the shirt over her head while her hips swayed to
a silent melody.
Och
, she was beautiful. He reached for her. Caledonia
had other ideas. Her head shook as she guided him to sit on the bed. The light
kisses she placed in his palms heated his blood. She draped his arms over her
shoulders then undid the lacy garment that held those magnificent breasts
captive.

That was an item of clothing he wished he could be, a
protector of Caledonia’s breasts, secretly holding them, caressing them
throughout the day, hidden beneath her outer garments. Ummm… He sighed at the fanciful
image. Only she could make him want to be a bra—at least that’s what he thought
she’d called it if his memory was correct. But at the moment, she had his brain
fogged with lust. Struan smiled, watching his little wildcat tease him
senseless.

With the clasp undone, the sexy, slow glide of the straps
down one arm and then the other, while her hand held the material to her
breasts, made him lick his lips. Her breasts were almost free for him to taste.
She stepped between his thighs, slightly closing the gap between them. He
massaged her shoulders, urging her closer but she resisted. Caledonia held the
bra in both hands and shimmied it across his face. The wonderful scent of roses
filled his nose. The smell of Caledonia was forever emblazoned in his brain.

He reached for her breasts but she halted his advances,
grasped his wrists and returned his arms to drape across her shoulders. The
smile wiped from his face the moment she took those full round globes into her
hands. His mouth dried and his lips parted, stunned by the show. Caledonia
lifted, massaged and fondled them in a way he desperately wanted to do. When
she tweaked her nipples, tugging them into perfect pearls, his cock stood at
attention.

“
Och
, Caledonia, ye be killing mi,” he gasped on a
graveled breath.

“Nay,” she replied. A wicked smile touched her lips and the
look she gave him set his soul on fire with need. “I promise not to kill you,
but I guarantee you’ll be dead tired when I’m done with you.”

The flesh of his thighs burned from her touch as she dropped
her hands to his knees and slid them upward beneath his kilt. She came close
but didn’t touch his solid shaft. The trail of her fingers along his inner
thighs, from knee to near his shaft and balls, over and over had him aching
like a young buck in heat. The dance of her tongue across her lower lip made
him swallow hard against the urge to capture her mouth and take charge of this
devastating game of lust she played. It took every ounce of control not to act
upon his growing need.

His heart stopped for a split second when she sank to her
knees and disappeared beneath his kilt. Never had a mouth felt as good as
Caledonia’s. He fisted the sheets in exquisite agony the moment her delicate
tongue licked him from balls to the tip of his cock. The flick of her tongue
around his cock’s head then in its tiny slit nearly sent him over the edge.
Moist heat coated his shaft as she took him into her mouth. Not fully, but
enough to please and tease him into oblivion if he didn’t stop her soon.

“Caledonia,” he gasped. Her head popped up from under his
kilt. The sexiest smile he’d ever seen split those hot lips.

“You like?” she asked playfully.

“Aye,” he replied on a heavy breath. “I like too much.” He
placed his fingers under her chin, bent over and kissed her. “I want to be
inside o’ ye, mi
fiadh-chat
. Let mi feel ye gloved around mi.”

Struan lifted Caledonia to her feet and wasted no time
removing the remainder of her clothing and undoing her braid. He gathered her
in his arms then turned and gently laid her on the bed. The only time his eyes
left hers was when he removed his tunic over his head. His kilt pooled around
his boots as he stepped out of them and climbed onto the bed. Her sensual tease
and touch had him ready, but he wanted her in the same heightened state of
desire as he.

Starting at her bare feet, he nibbled and kissed his way to
heaven. The sweet taste of her flesh watered his mouth and increased his hunger
for a sample of her essence. He nuzzled the soft lips of her feminine sheath
then gathered her flavor in a deep, long lick. Caledonia’s moan thrilled him to
the core and made his cock twitch. He tickled and suckled her clit until she
trembled in orgasm, giving him the nectar he loved to taste upon his tongue.
Though he could drink from her fountain forever, time played against them.

He crawled the length of her body, kissing and tasting her
flesh, inch by inch. If the curse did not threaten to take him soon, he’d spend
every hour possible pleasing Caledonia. Hovering at her entrance, Struan held
his weight on his legs and forearms. His fingers tangled in her hair. The feel
of her legs around his waist, poising his cock for admittance into her heat
made his heart swell. She was the most beautiful woman to ever cross his path.

“Caledonia,” he whispered, studying her eyes and soaking in
the passion he saw there. “I am blessed by your presence in mi life, mi
fiadh-chat
.”
He entered her in one solid stroke then pulled back, leaving only the head of
his cock inside her warmth. It tested his resolve to hover in this position,
when all he wanted was to pleasure his woman and hear her scream his name.

His woman?
Just the thought had him teetering on the
edge of release. Struan dug deep to hold on as the reality of those words
settled in his brain. Aye, Caledonia was his woman, he decided. He knew who and
what he wanted and hoped she felt the same. Struan plunged into her, seating
himself as deep as possible.
Och
, her heat soothed his angst and readied
the words from his soul to pass his lips.

“Caledonia, mi
fiadh-chat
,” he claimed as he held her
gaze with his. He had to see if her desires followed his. He wanted her. He
needed her. “Ye have cast a spell upon mi that I do not wish to break. I want
ye to help mi find the end to this curse.”

Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes and panic tore
through his chest. Did she not feel the same? Had he rushed this by speaking
frankly on how he felt? He cared deeply for her. He didn’t want to lose
Caledonia. And what he hoped was the makings o’ love.