CursedLaird (26 page)

In a swift upward push, he entered her. Caledonia groaned
against his lips. This was heaven. Never had she made love in the water. With
Struan, it seemed like the most natural thing to happen. In, out, he made love
to her in long, slow strides. The pace tantalized her system and cemented her
need for this one perfect man. She rode him in a steady rocking motion, not too
fast, but not too slow.

When he released her lips and ducked his head just below the
waterline to capture a nipple in his mouth, she nearly came unglued. He played
from nipple to nipple, teasing lightly then suckling each in turn deep into his
mouth. Caledonia gasped, increasing her pace. She’d wanted him so badly, missed
him so much, she couldn’t hold out any longer. Struan must have sensed her
desperate need to orgasm.

He lifted from her breast and on a rushed breath stated,
“Take a breath, Caledonia.” She didn’t question. She simply obeyed. Lungs full
of air, he released the anchor chain at the same moment he shoved up deep into
her. Both arms held tight around her waist, holding her snug against him as
they sank beneath the surface.

Struan pumped short, hard strokes into her, driving her into
the oblivion of the underwater world. But it didn’t matter. If she drowned
right now, she’d die a happy woman. Never had she climaxed so intensely as she
did with Struan and the water wrapped around her. His cock throbbed inside her,
filling her with his seed. Even though she knew she needed to concentrate on
holding her breath she wanted to kiss him. She clasped his face in her hands
and laid her lips upon his. They kissed as they floated to the surface, still
connected as one.

He broke free of her kiss and pushed the hair back from her
eyes. Cupping her chin in his hand, he stared directly at her. “Caledonia, I
love ye. I know not what path lies before mi, but I do know I want ye to walk
it with mi.”

Tears threatened to fall and her teeth chattered as the cold
water finally seeped through the euphoria of their sexual heat.
“I…love…you…too,” she stammered.

Struan laughed then placed a kiss to her brow. “Let mi get
ye out o’ the loch, mi
fiadh-chat
, before ye catch a chill.”

He guided her to the ladder and shoved her up from behind.
His strong hands on her bottom made her shiver even more than the cold of the
water. Caledonia scooted over the side and onto the deck. Quickly, she grabbed
two oversized bath sheets from one of the storage bins. One she wrapped around
herself. The other she handed to Struan the moment he found his footing on
deck. He draped it around his shoulders and tugged her into his arms.

“If’n ye give mi a bit to regain mi strength, I want to show
ye how much more ye mean to mi.”

Caledonia opened her blanket and stepped into his arms. “I
plan to hold you to that.”

He smiled as he captured her lips. The roar of his stomach
made them both bust out laughing, separating their kiss.

“Typical man,” Caledonia teased. “Give him sex and all he
wants next is food or sleep.”

She turned and walked into the wheelhouse. She came out with
a picnic basket. “I think you and I were set up. I saw this when we came
aboard.”

Struan gave her a boyish look that charmed her to her toes.
“It seems mi
brathairs
may have had enough o’ mi surly ways without ye.
Mi thinks they may have conspired with yer mother in this matter o’ the heart.”

Caledonia plundered through the basket. Lifting a bottle of
wine, two glasses and a corkscrew, she smiled at him. “Mi thinks ye may be
right.”

He spread a blanket on the deck, lifted the basket from
where Caledonia had set it and placed it between them. They sat facing each
other with nothing on but the blankets draped across their shoulders to ward
off the night air.

The night slipped past quicker than either would have liked.
They ate, drank and talked for hours. But it was when Struan asked her to show
her how to use the fishing gear that Caledonia knew she’d truly found the
perfect man for her. Just like her parents, she and Struan sat out on the loch
fishing and enjoying the quite of nature.

A little before sunrise Struan cast out one final time. He
was like a kid learning a new toy and not ready to put it away. Caledonia
couldn’t help but smile at his persistence. She’d caught two tiny trout and
released them. But Struan hadn’t caught anything until now. Something hit the
bait the moment it broke the water. Caledonia sprang into action beside him,
guiding him on how to best bring the fish in without losing him. Together they
tired that fish until they landed him onboard the
Marcail Struana
.

Caledonia’s jaw dropped. “Oh my god, Struan. You caught
Devil’s Disciple!”

“Devil’s what?” Struan questioned, holding up the oversized
salmon.

“That fish is legend in this loch. Fishermen from miles
around—Poppa included—have been after that fish for years. Ohmygod,” she gasped
excitedly. “Talk about being lucky.”

A broad smile split his lips as he worked the hook from the
salmon’s mouth. “Well, then it only stands to reason that a true fisherman
should catch him. I say such a prized fish deserves his freedom. For now.”

Before she could stop him, Struan released him back into the
loch. She stood, mouth gaping wide, staring at him. Struan wiped his hands on
the cleaning cloth then took her in his arms.

“Only prize I want from this loch is in mi arms right now,”
he declared in a sultry tone.

Her heart nearly burst with happiness. What a wonderful man
she’d fallen in love with. Caledonia wrapped her arms around his neck and
captured his mouth in a heated kiss. Together they sank into the mess of
blankets on the deck.

Love guided their actions. Arms and legs tangled together.
Struan’s fingers knotted in her hair as he clung to her mouth, tasting and
savoring the woman he loved. Wine mixed with woman and the natural essence of
the loch to fill his taste buds with the flavor that was Caledonia.

He licked and nibbled from her lips to the crevice of her
neck then laid a path of hot kisses from breast to breast. Pert nipples teased
his tongue and he loved the way she moaned his name softly when he suckled them
in deep. It drove her wild and he knew it. She grasped his cock and guided it
home. Her legs locked around his waist, not giving him an option in this aspect
of their lovemaking but to follow her frantic pumping action. Never had he
known a woman to have such sensitive breasts as his Caledonia.

The harder he tugged and sucked on her breasts, the wilder
her hips gyrated beneath him. His little
fiadh-chat
surprised him and
managed to buck them over onto his back but he didn’t mind. Having her seated
on top of him, her hair blanketed around her shoulders, only bound his heart
more to hers. She was beautiful. He matched her rocking motion. Slow, then
fast, then faster. Her nails dug into his flesh as she gasped for air.

Struan didn’t know how much longer he’d last and he’d begun
to fear his suspicion about breaking the curse was incorrect. He knew he could
be running out of time. The sun threatened to penetrate the early-morning sky.
Pain gripped his heart like a fist held it and squeezed. Sweat beaded his brow
and upper lip. His skin sizzled but he couldn’t stop. He needed one second more
with Caledonia before he’d succumb to the curse. He closed his eyes against the
pain, causing stars to dance behind his lids.

“Caledonia, I love ye,” he professed, wanting to make sure
she knew the truth of his heart before he turned to stone for another day.
Or
he died
, flashed behind his eyes for a split second due to the severity of
the pain slicing through his chest. If death lay on his horizon, then let him
die happily in the arms of the woman he loved, he conceded.

Her breasts bounced enticingly. He couldn’t resist. Wrapping
an arm around her waist, he sat upright, seating himself fully within her
channel as he clasped on to one of her magnificent breasts. Caledonia screamed
his name, sending it echoing across the loch. Wave upon wave, her sheath
contracted, beckoning him to join her phenomenal release. His cock twitched as
his balls constricted, releasing his seed deep within his
fiadh-chat
.
Never had he come so strongly or been so completely drained.

He lay back, cradling her against his chest. Just one more
second and he’d have no choice but to push her off before the sun… Struan
opened his eyes at the odd sensation upon his face. Heat from the first glimmer
of the sun’s rays shimmered over the rail of the boat and caressed his skin.
Holding his hand before his eyes, reality hit.

The curse was broken.

“Caldonia,” he whispered excitedly against the top of her
head.

“Umm,” she mumbled in a totally satisfied tone.

“Open your eyes, mi love.”

He knew the moment she realized the same thing he did. She
sat upright, mouth dropped open and eyes wide. “You didn’t change. Ohmygod,
Struan. The curse.”

“We broke it.” He sat up, taking her into his arms.

She leaned back, staring straight into his eyes. The
hottest, sexiest-colored eyes he’d ever seen almost glowed with excitement as
she proclaimed on a rushed breath, “Love breaks the curse. That’s what your
family was trying to tell us without telling us.”

“Aye,” he said as he nodded. “Seems we had to accept that
for ourselves for the curse to break.”

The weight of Caledonia throwing herself against him toppled
them backward as they laughed.

“I love ye, mi
fiadh-chat
. Mi beautiful Caldonia.”

“And I love you, Struan. Now and forever.”

* * * * *

From the shore, two men stood at the end of a dock. One
searched the loch for a boat named
Marcail Struana
. Upon finding it, he
adjusted the borrowed spyglass and saw exactly what he hoped. He lowered the
glass, turned to his
brathair
and grinned.

“It worked?” Ian questioned Gavin.

“Aye.” He nodded as he answered. “Seems another MacKinnon
brathair
is free.”

Also by
Tara Nina

Arian’s Angel

Cursed
MacKinnons 1: Curse of the Gargoyle

Cursed
MacKinnons 2: Eyes of Stone

Devilish
Delights

Double Dilemma

Night Prey

Tasting
Devilish Delights

Print books by Tara Nina

Arian’s
Angel

Curse of
the Gargoyle

Eyes of the Stone

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multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or
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