CursedLaird (25 page)

“I did not mean to upset ye. I do not want to lose ye,
Caledonia,” Struan whispered as he tried not to choke on the knot that bound
around his heart and sat at the base of his throat. As he started to pull back,
her legs tightened, preventing his retreat.

“Struan, I…” She didn’t speak any more, simply cupped his
face in her hands and tugged him into the hottest kiss of his life.

Her desire washed over him, sending his heart into overtime.
Time played against them, this he knew as fact. Minutes ticked to seconds
before sunrise. He wanted her to know how much he wanted her before the curse
played its evil game. Struan pumped into her fast and furiously as their mouths
plundered each other in a war of tongues. Her nails raked down his spine,
leaving a trail of marks that branded him as hers, which thrilled him to his
soul. Caledonia was truly his wildcat lover and his alone.

The moment her heels dug into the back of his thighs, he
knew she was close to reaching her pleasure. He broke from their kiss and
gathered her face in his hands.

“Open those beautiful eyes, Caledonia. I want to share in
the joy o’ our love and see it in your eyes.” She responded with a wide-eyed,
hot stare that sent a jolt of molten heat through his system straight to his
balls. Pure love shone in those eyes, making him want for nothing more than to
please his
fiadh-chat
, now and forever.

She met him thrust for passionate thrust. Heavy breaths fell
in sync with one another as their pace increased in a mad dash for shared
orgasmic ecstasy. Sooner than he liked, his name caressed his ears as her
sheath contracted, soaking him in her juices. Lost to her love, Struan’s shaky
grip on his control disintegrated, stripped from him in the most pleasurable
way, saddled deep inside his woman, his love. Caledonia milked him o’ his seed,
filled his heart with love and wrapped him in a cocoon of blissful peace within
his soul.

Out of the corner of his eye, the first rays of morning sun
poked their unwanted light through the curtain’s edge. Panic overwhelmed him as
he hurriedly rolled off Caledonia. He knew as stone he’d crush her. Severe pain
cramped his heart, ceasing its function. Fire laced every breath in his battle
to intake air. Extreme heat singed every ounce of flesh, setting his system
into a furious pace to cool him. Sweat soaked him but did not ease the warmth
within his veins or across his skin. Biting his lip, he suffered in silence,
taking with him the beautiful image of Caledonia in the throes of passion.

This eased his angst and soothed his soul. She was his
reason to wake come evening. She was his reason to live. Struan relaxed, eyes
closed as he awaited the fate of the dreaded curse to claim his being for yet
another day.

His thoughts went into overtime as his body froze. He had an
idea of what saved his
brathairs
, but did not realize the extent with
which it occurred. He ticked off what he knew. Both
brathairs
had been
awakened from the curse by a woman. So had he. Both
brathairs
appeared
to be in love. He suspected the women they loved had something to do with their
escape from the curse.

But what?

Struan struggled to think it through. The heat of
Caledonia’s body reached him through the thick wall of stone between them.
Knowing she rested at his side gave him peace. But his thoughts would not rest.
Over and over he played the different scenarios inside his head as to what led
to permanent freedom. But nothing came.

Exhaustion threatened his brainwaves as something finally
dawned. His
brathairs
were in love. Did
gaol
play the final card
in this deadly curse’s game? Struan would have laughed if he could have. That
had to be the answer. For nothing else would have saved his
brathair
Ian.

Come evening, he knew what he needed to do. Now all he had
to do was pray she felt the same.

* * * * *

The whole trip home, Caledonia couldn’t wipe the long faces
of Struan’s family from her mind. Though they’d asked her to stay, she knew in
her heart it was best for Struan if she left and let him rebuild his life. In
time maybe they’d cross paths again. Maybe without her—an outsider—they would
share the cure for the curse with him.

It still peeved her to know they knew how to break it but
wouldn’t come right out and say it. They kept talking in some sort of cryptic
codes that she construed as Struan had to find the answer on his own.
Some
family.
She snorted as they pulled into her driveway at home.

Dead tired, she made her way into the kitchen. The O’Reillys
followed her. Her parents sat at the table.

“Well?” Aileen asked.

“He’s home,” Caledonia replied as she plopped into the chair
beside her momma and accepted the teacup.

Poppa slid the morning paper to her. “Seems Kip got what he
deserved. He’s been arrested. According to the article, he’s been under
investigation for a while for illegal art dealing. Being caught with the Black-Market
Kingpin only cemented the allegations.”

“Oh,” Percy chimed in as he leaned against the counter.
“With all the excitement that’s been going on, I forgot to tell you. Kip’s
bankrupt. Big Mike told me and Abel all about how Kip ran the business into the
ground. He heard everything’s going up for auction next month.”

Caledonia shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. We don’t have the funds
to buy any of it.”

She stood and without saying a word went upstairs to bed.
Halfway up the stairs, Streak bounded up ahead of her. When she entered her
room, he sat proud as he could be on her pillow. A half-smile upturned her lips
as she scooted onto the bed next to him and snuggled him close.

God, please keep Struan safe. Help him find his way.
She issued the silent prayer as exhaustion seeped through her. Not only had her
night been a whirlwind event of crime fighting, a road trip to Castle
MacKinnon, and an early morning of phenomenal sex, but she lost the perfect
man.

Images of Struan sporadically flashed in her dreams, tormenting
her soul. This was for the best. He needed his family and the answer to the
curse. Not a woman. Not a
fiadh-chat
. The memory of his pet name for her
sent a sliver of warmth to her soul.

She loved him. No matter what she tried to tell herself, she
loved the ancient Scotsman. A tear slid down her cheek and Streak’s rough
tongue did its best to wipe it clean. His tender effort made her smile.

“I love Struan,” she whispered against Streak’s fur.

* * * * *

Several days came and went. It didn’t matter what she was
doing or where she was. Each time night fell, she knew he woke, her skin
sizzled and the tiny hairs on the back of her neck and arms stood on end. Damn.
She rubbed her arms as she sat on the end of the dock with her feet dangling in
the water. How long would it take before these sensations stopped? And why were
they happening to her?

Absently, Caledonia slipped the stone Struan gave her from
her pocket. She thumbed circles on the smooth side, cradling the rough side in
her palm. It was an odd little rock that was strangely vibrant with a multitude
of colors when held in the sunlight. Maybe that’s why he selected it from the
bottom and gave it to her. He saw something special in it that she missed.
Funny. She let a thin smile tug at her lips. One night underwater and Struan
plucked a natural wonder from its mists. Though it held no monetary value, it
was priceless to Caledonia. Struan had given it to her. She returned it to its
safe place in her pocket.

Streak scurried up to her, rubbed against her side and
meowed until she lifted him onto her lap. He wasn’t content to sit still until
she persistently scratched behind his ears. “Little bugger,” she whispered.
“Not happy unless you’ve got all the attention.”

His soft meow she took as a yes and laughed.

Heavy footfalls landed on the dock behind her. Caledonia
stood, cradled Streak against her chest and turned. Her breath stilled on a
gasp in her lungs. Struan walked toward her at a gait that seemed to take
forever. It reminded her of those exaggerated slow-motion scenes in movies, as
if time stood still with her vision on nothing but him. And she hated to admit
it, but he was all she wanted to see.

When he reached her, he smiled and her heart did a flip.
Caledonia swallowed her excitement and prayed she didn’t show it in her voice
too much when she asked, “What are you doing here? You need time with your
family.”

“Nay, Caledonia,” he said. His low timbre tickled her ears
with the voice she thought she’d never hear again. “I have been a stubborn
fool. What I need is time with you.”

Oh god, he didn’t just say that. Her insides nearly burst
with joy but still she struggled to remain calm. “But your missing brothers…”

“His missing brothers can wait,” Gavin stated from behind
Struan.

Struan turned so she could see Gavin and Ian stood several
feet behind him on the dock. When she looked up at him, she knew he read the
question in her eyes without her saying it. “It seems I am not the most
pleasant o’ men to be around at the moment.”

“That is an understatement,” Ian retorted with a hearty
laugh.

Struan leaned in close and whispered, “Think you and I could
find a quiet place to talk?”

Caledonia nodded toward the boat. “How about out on the
loch?”

“Milady, I would be eternally grateful for a few moments o’
peace out on the water,” he said as he gave her a mock curtsy.

“If you’ll excuse us, gentlemen,” Caledonia said as she
walked over to the boat and climbed aboard, followed by Struan.

“By all means, milady,” Gavin replied. Without being asked,
he and Ian helped untether the boat.

* * * * *

The moment the boat made its way from the dock, Aileen
Kavanagh rounded the shed from her hiding place and stood beside the two
brothers. “You think this will work?” she asked.

“By the will o’ god, I hope so,” Gavin stated.

“Aye,” Ian seconded. “I pray this works. The only peace we
get with him is during the day.”

“You are bad,” Aileen scolded teasingly. “Come to the house.
You boys must be hungry. I made a nice meal. Fin and the O’Reillys shall return
soon from the pub and we would love for you to join us. Besides…” She paused
with a nod toward the loch. “It looks like we are in for a long night.”

“Milady, ye may be right on that one,” Gavin replied as he
and Ian followed her to the house.

* * * * *

Something inside guided Caledonia to a special spot on the
loch. Neither had spoken a word until they weighed anchor. She turned from
securing the boat and landed in Struan’s arms.

“Caledonia, I have missed ye,” he stated breathlessly. “When
I woke and ye were not there, mi heart sank. I made the decision ye were better
off without mi and tried to let ye be. As ye can see, mi
brathairs
think
mi to be an ornery beast without ye. While I slept in stone, they brought mi
here so when I woke, ye would be near. They gave mi no choice but to see ye and
ask the question that weighs down mi soul.” He paused and sadness shone in his
eyes. “Why did ye leave?”

Her throat tightened. Being in his arms heated her blood and
stirred her desires. The confused, questioning gaze in his eyes tore at her
decision. She licked her lips then answered honestly, “I thought I would be in
the way. Your family seemed to know the answer to the curse but didn’t want to
tell you. I thought if I wasn’t there, they’d share.”

Struan laughed heartily, holding her close. Though his laughter
added to her confusion, his scent permeated her senses and stirred her hunger
for the man. She’d missed him. She allowed only a few seconds of delight in his
arms before she pushed back and glared up at him.

“What’s so funny? They weren’t exactly being forthcoming
with the anti-curse. They kept talking in riddles.”

He leaned his forehead to hers and stared directly in her
eyes. “The answer could be right before our eyes, Caledonia. It just took mi
being without ye to see figure some things out.”

“I don’t understand,” she replied on a hushed breath. The
closeness toyed with her decision-making skills. All she could think about was
stripping him.

Struan released her and straightened. “After tonight.” He
wagged his eyebrows at her as he spoke. “We’ll see if I’m right. What say we go
for a swim?”

He didn’t wait for her answer. He stripped right in front of
her. Naked and proud he dove over the side. Caledonia couldn’t believe she was
doing this. Automatically, she looked around making sure no other boat was
near. Night had fallen. The loch was quiet and most with any sense were docked.
Lifting her eyes to the moon, she prayed no one would notice them. She quickly
stripped and followed him over the side.

Cold chilled her to the bone but it didn’t last. Struan was
suddenly wrapped around her the moment she broke the surface. What surprised
her even more, the cold held no effect on him. His cock pressed rigid between
them as he held her close. Together they moved as one to remain buoyant beside
the boat without separating.

“I have wanted nothing more than to hold ye in mi arms,
Caledonia, and make love to ye,” Struan said. His passion-filled gaze warmed
her to the core. The coldness of the water was forgotten as his words coated
her skin with a heated promise she’d never forget. “I have dreamt o’ being
inside o’ you, here in the loch. In the place where ye saved mi. This is the
spot where you lifted mi from mi grave, is it not?”

Caledonia couldn’t speak. She simply nodded and that was
good enough of an answer for him.

His lips found hers. She couldn’t wait. She wanted him. Lip
upon lip, tongue on tongue, she returned his kiss. Every second of the days she
missed him were relayed through that mouth-on-mouth touch. The cold around her
dissipated as she shifted, hugging his waist with her legs. Struan grabbed the
anchor chain with one hand for leverage and it was all they needed.