Whisper In The Dark (The McKinnon Legends-- The American Men Book One) (23 page)

He took several steps into the room crossing the threshold and felt he was entering a battleground. It was a fight between his baser self and the unseen opponent of his honor. It was a feeling he had felt only once before fighting a true battle, and the battle had been fierce, bloody, and successful. Nevertheless, the carnage had been extreme, leaving neither side a true victor. He had lived through it to fight another day, but that was about the extent of his triumph. He felt this might just be the same.

“You’re playing a deadly game, Kate. I do not advise it. Not tonight and maybe not ever,” he warned sternly fully expecting his dominance to back her down.

Looking at him she wondered where the courage was coming from to stand there. Then she knew. She let a small ironic laugh pass her lips.

“If I’m willing to run into a burning barn, what on earth makes you think what is between us scares me, cowboy?” She paused. “More is the question of what makes you think
you
scare me?”

Robert felt his respect for her as a woman and as an opponent rise. She had brass. No woman had ever stood up to him when he was in one of his darker moods. They were ugly and hard, rough for any softer person to take.

She has issued up a foolhardy challenge, he thought, having no idea the power their relationship could wield over the other. He was not letting her in on that secret either.

Kate felt her armor begin to fall away. She would stay light and mobile. David slew his giant with a slingshot and a single stone without the benefit of armor. Just like David, armor was useless to her, but bravery was not. She would face her giant, and she would face her fears. Robert was not the kind of man to purposefully play her. If she had to have an opponent, she could think of no one more worthy. At least the playing field would be level.

“If you choose to step into this arena, Love, I will devour you as a lion devours its kill, taking the choicest morsels for himself. I will take everything you offer freely, and then I will demand that which you will not. I. Will. Leave. You. Nothing.”

His words were harsh, and he could hardly believe he had said it. Moreover, that was exactly what he felt at his most base, primal level. He wanted to cover her with his scent, to mark her. Maybe that DNA was not so trace after all, he wondered. If he ever tasted the first drop of the nectar he knew would flow from her, he would not stop until he was totally sated. Where that point would be he could only venture a guess. However, he guessed he would leave her nothing because he would have to have it all.

Any other time his words would have alarmed her, yet she felt empowered. She felt like the warrior he described, his equal in every way. She was the Amazon, and she had weapons of her own.

“Strong words, but do you really mean them?” she said circling him once. “Would you show me no tender mercy, McKinnon? Would you truly leave me nothing?” she asked provocatively running the nail of her index finger down his chest and through the soft dark hair left exposed from the button she had masterfully undone. He grabbed her hand and pinned it to his chest as he stared down into beautiful brown eyes, looking for any sign of surrender.

He saw no fear.

He saw only confidence and a certainty that usually never leads to surrender or treaty, only confrontation.

If she wanted to play then let her see what she was against. The bond between them was not even beginning to complete, yet he felt strongly about her. She set him on fire deep in his core. So why not let her feel what she did to him? He took that same hand to his mouth nipping the flesh at her wrist. She pulled her hand quickly away on reflex, eyes wide at the shock of the physical touch his mouth could produce on her flesh.

He laughed deeply, seductively, with complete knowledge of the power he could wield over her. He just chose not to for the moment. He wanted this
fight
to be fair. He stepped away while he still could as her power over him was just as strong. That was something she would soon come to understand.

“To have mercy, my sweet, is to have your opponent use that against you in the end, thus leaving the thing we hold most dear at risk. I am a McKinnon. I come from a long line of warriors who have placed their lives on the line in the name of love, family, and honor. There is no greater cause to live for or die for. We are taught a warrior takes it all in battle, leaving nothing for his opponent to claim as his. We leave nothing to the enemy with which to rebuild.”

“Would you try and lay claim then, my magnificent warrior? Would you look at me as the enemy and leave me nothing?” she narrowed her eyes and smiled sweetly.

He knew that smile was masking an attack. Her body gave her away.

Robert closed the gap. He dared not touch her. She had to come the final distance willingly. He might possibly pass a credit card through the gap between them, but not much else.

“Ahh, my lovely
wife
, for everything I take I vow that I will give back to you ten fold in return. However, in the process I will brand you as my woman, and then I will dare any man to touch you at his own peril.”

He could feel the heat coming from her body and the innocent smells of her soap and shampoo were intoxicating. The current was electrifying and gone were any traces of fatigue as the excitement and electricity fed them.

She leisurely and with maddening slowness encircled his neck, running her fingers up through his hair and massaged his scalp. Then pulling his mouth to hers and only a breath away he heard her words. “Then show me no mercy, and we will see who brands who.”

Kate rose early, leaving Robert asleep in their marriage bed. The view from the balcony of the lake was exquisite, but not as remarkable as the night before. The night had been passed with unbelievably, mind-blowing sex and a camaraderie she had never dreamed possible.

She had felt challenged by his declaration of branding her, and rising to the challenge her goal had been to prove him wrong. She was determined to prove he would never take her body and soul. The gauntlet had been handed down and they had run the course, yet somewhere along the way they each stopped trying to win the dare and had just enjoyed each other and the time together. They were very compatible and the joining had been fun, passionate, and completely satisfying. The awkwardness of a being in a new physical relationship quickly fell away, and within no time she felt comfortable in a way she had never felt with her ex-husband even after several years together. He had made her feel beautiful, desirable, and completely female. In a word, he made her feel like a million bucks.

Indeed, he had shown her no mercy.

“But what a way to go,” she mumbled to the morning light.

With the coffee made, she took her cup and went out to enjoy the sunrise wrapped in the quilt she had taken off the back of the buttery soft leather sofa. The cool morning air felt wonderful on her still heated skin. The quiet of the day was the part she loved best giving her time to think, and today was no exception.

“So much for keeping it all business,” she said shaking her head. What was she thinking? She wasn’t. That was the problem.

She should have thought last night, she supposed, but the thought never entered her mind. Again, she shook her head, blowing on the dark, wonderful brew, wondering what had possessed her to allow the relationship between them to become sexual.

She could not cry seduction.

Oh no, not by any stretch.

Maybe he could.

Definitely her sense of fair play would not allow her to call it anything other than what it was: consensual sex, very consensual sex. And she did not have to wonder why she had given in so easily looking at Robert asleep through the glass of the door leading out to the terrace. He was lying there sprawled across the bed without a stitch of clothes on, gloriously naked, adorable and hot at the same time. Last night she wanted him as much as he wanted her, and since it seemed life had kicked her around lately, she felt she deserved a little sweet candy for a change. He was so rich a dessert it made her teeth hurt, and too much of that would definitely spoil her for finer things this relationship offered.

After last night she understood what all the hype was surrounding these McKinnon men. They gave everything and held nothing back. Last night would be a tough act for any man to follow. Truth told, he was in a league all his own.

She heard the French doors open and close and felt him slip up behind her. He had pulled the larger blanket off the bed and encircled them both in a cocoon of warmth. It smelled like him.

“Morning,” she said neutrally, leaning back against him as he pressed her further into the railing and leaned over for a quick kiss.

“Um, I need coffee,” he said with the clutches of drowsiness still hanging about him, and his erection appearing to be the only thing awake and functioning.

She laughed softly. “Not exactly a morning person?”

“Some parts, no. Other parts don’t know the difference between six AM and six PM. Sorry about that.”

She laughed again. “Just so long as I know I’m not being held up at gun point for my java.”

Handing him her cup to share, they watched the pink and lavender rays of light heralding the new day.

“Mmm, this is good. Before last night I called coffee nectar of the gods. I was so wrong. You are truly nectar and this is now just coffee.” He set the cup on the rail and nuzzled her neck from behind, sending chills down her arms that had nothing to do with the morning crispness.

“This place is beautiful, Robert. Too bad we cannot stay here a few days. I would like to just crawl back into bed, pull the covers over my head, and forget the world even exists.”

“Your wish is my command, My Lady,” he said turning her in his arms and kissing her deeply. She felt her knees go weak.

“Come back inside and let me welcome the day with you in proper style. Then we can talk about spending a few days here.”

She was not sure she was up to having another encounter with him. Last night was one thing. This morning was something completely different.

At first, last night had been about winning, about conquering and not being the conquest. Once it was all said and done it had been a tie, each giving and receiving in equal measure. And she wanted to leave it at that. She was not sure she could come out the victor in round two.

“No, I’m hungry,” she said wiggling out of his embrace.

“Um, my thoughts exactly,” he said catching her with ease and swinging her back into his embrace.

“Robert!” she said laughing and slapping at his hands. ”Behave.” She laughed unable to remain stern with him in spite of her resolve. He was just too adorable with his bed head and naughty boy smile.

“Behave? Like what? A man who wants to make love to you again? Sure. I’m happy to oblige you.”

She wiggled out of his reach.

“Robert, we need to talk about what happened last night.”

“What is there to discuss? Except maybe what you would like for me to repeat that you found most satisfying.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

“Well that would be just about everything.” She answered honestly as he was trying to pull her into his lap on the chaise lounge.

He was thinking that Neanderthal brother of his was on to something when dealing with his women. He had given her his undivided attention from the moment they had locked eyes through the fireplace screen until he had passed out after making love to her for the second time. Being with her had been mind blowing. However, more than that, it had felt right to make love to her and make love with her. It had felt completely natural for him to look to her desires before his own. Being with her felt true and unadulterated.

“Having sex with you was a mistake,” Kate said just above a whisper.

That did the trick. She felt the playfulness disappear.

He paused a moment just looking at her before answering.

“You call what passed between us last night a mistake?” He stared up at her from the lounge chair searching for the truth.

“Yes.” She nodded.

Kate's inability to meet his gaze was leading him to believe there was no conviction behind her actions.

“Kate, come sit down here beside me,” he said patting the lounge cushion.

She did against her better judgment. They sat there shoulder to shoulder both wrapped in their blankets for a moment before he spoke.

“Maybe it was a mistake to go so far last night. You were tired and probably a little in shock, but it is done and I cannot undo it. We lost sleep for a good cause, and I do not regret the loss of sleep.” He smiled gently brushing away the strands of hair the morning breeze had blown across her face. “You were amazing and you make me want to please you. You are responsive in a natural and very real way that I have never had the privilege of experiencing with any other woman. I could call last night many things, Katherine, but never, ever will I call it a mistake.”

Cupping her face, he kissed her tenderly and then stood extending his hand to help her.

“Come inside. I’ll fix you some breakfast. It is the least I can do.”

Back In Dallas, Tony was not having a good day.

“What do you mean they are gone?” Tony asked as he put down his napkin. The movement was slow and deliberate. That slow movement was the only thing keeping him from picking up the gun just to the left of his fork and killing the messenger.

Tony figured if Razor only knew how close to death he was, he probably would never have bothered to tell him this piece of news.

“Just like I said, they are gone. Robert took the airplane and left after Brice’s botched attempt to marry the cupcake. I assume Kyle’s sister is with Robert.”

“Why would you assume such a thing? It could be coincidence.” Tony stared up at Razor.

“This is why I assume.”

Razor dropped the paper in front of him on the folding table. There in the society pages of the morning paper was the announcement spelled out in black and white. The marriage of Robert McKinnon to Katherine Brandenburg had taken place in an undisclosed location two days earlier.