CHAPTER 19
He wasn’t sure why she had decided to sneak into his room that morning after dawn, but he was glad she did.
When he heard the door open and her light footsteps, he feigned sleep to see what she would do next.
He assumed she was there to take back the keystone.
He had intended to return it to her when he roused that morning.
But then, she appeared at his bedside as though she had stepped out of his dreams.
After that kiss, he had dreamed of her most of the night. Wanting her was all he’d thought about.
When she reached for the keystone, he could not resist snatching her into his arms and pushing her down onto the bed. He expected her to object, to demand he let her go.
But she didn’t.
Instead, she looked up at him with those big, emerald eyes full of wonder and surprise. She was in awe of the fact he had shaved his beard for her. And when she touched his freshly shaved face, he lost his head.
He hadn’t intended to bed her. At least, not yet. But there she was within his reach, pliant in his arms. Willing. Receptive. And wanting.
He wanted her, too.
He wanted her from the moment she had fallen through the portal and he saved her from the brutal attack of the man who had fallen through with her.
The moment he had scooped her into his arms and took her from the village.
The moment he had held her against his chest as they rode to the Sinclair keep.
He had never expected her to be in his bed now. She was standoffish and had seemed uninterested. But when she had told him she didn’t like kissing men with beards, he was determined to make her like kissing him, period.
Apparently, his smooth cheeks and chin won her over.
“Who was at the door?” she asked.
“It doensa matter.”
He reached for her and realized with some surprise, she had shed the material that covered her sex. She scooted closer to him, tucking her head under his chin and doing that thing she did before where she nuzzled his neck.
“You’re nice and warm.”
Curses, he should have started the fire when he was still out of the bed. But now, with her moving against him, he was reluctant to get up to do that. Especially when her hand trailed up his chest, and she then gave him a gentle shove.
He fell to his back. Delight flickered through him when she moved back into the position she was in before they were interrupted. She settled her hips over his, his hardened length between them.
“I think this is where we were before we were interrupted.” She gave him a lazy grin.
Did she know what she was doing to him?
She lifted her hips and then positioned herself over him. His hands dug into her hips, holding her steady before she moved again. Question flickered through her eyes as she glanced down at him.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Och, nay, lass, but are ye sure about this?”
She dragged her lower lip through her teeth. “Yes. Am I moving too fast for you?” A twinkle of mirth appeared in her eyes.
He chuckled.
“I’ll take that as a no.”
She slid her body down onto him. He pushed inside her, filling her up. A gasp escaped her as she sat straight, her back arched. She tipped her head back, the ends of her long auburn hair brushing his legs.
The moment their bodies connected, the moment he was with her, was the moment he knew he was lost to her forever.
His hands landed on her hips but he allowed her to set the pace.
Their bodies fell into a perfect rhythm, as though they were made for each other.
As though they were meant to be together.
Mayhap they were. Mayhap the prophecy pushed them together, intertwining their destinies as it did with Evie and Callum.
Chloe leaned forward then, placing her hands on his chest as she continued to move against him.
Her eyes were closed, her face flushed, her expression one of unadulterated pleasure.
Her breasts brushed his chest, heightening every awareness in him, making his senses ignite with blistering fire.
She was everything he imagined and more.
She cried out with pleasure as she came against him. He was moments away from climax but managed to maintain control. When her body slowed against him, he sat up, gathered her to him and flipped her to her back, pulling out at the same time as his own climax came.
Malcolm settled next to her, holding her close. She rested her head on his chest, her skin dewy and flushed. Silence stretched between them. The room was still, quiet, and he again regretted not building the fire to warm the chamber.
“What happens now?” she asked, sounding timid.
He wanted to stay there forever, to hold her close to him. To do it all over again and then when night came, keep her close as she slept. But he knew that was not possible.
Dougal had arrived at the door with a message telling him Callum was looking for him. But he was too far gone with thoughts of Chloe. He refused to leave her, naked and ready in his bed. She had come to him. He was not going to let that opportunity pass him by.
He took in a deep breath, expelled it.
“Malcolm?”
“Aye, lass, I have duties to tend.”
She propped her chin on her hand and looked up at him, those big green eyes full of question and longing. “And I’ve kept you from them? Someone was at the door to fetch you. Am I right?”
“Aye.”
She rolled away from him, the simple movement leaving him feeling alone, cold, and mourning her absence. Before he could reach for her, to stop her, to pull her back down into his arms, she was out of the bed, gathering her clothing.
“I should go. Evie is probably looking for me.”
He sat up on one elbow, watching her as she started to dress. “Ye dinnae have to leave.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Chloe.”
At the sound of her name, she stopped gathering her clothes to look at him. Her eyes were wide with question as she held her clothes to her chest, covering her best assets.
“I mean it. Ye dinnae have to leave if ye dinnae want to.”
“You mean stay here?” She pointed to the floor to indicate staying in his bed chamber.
“Aye.”
The thought of her being here when he returned warmed him and stirred deep desire within.
“Wait for me here,” he added.
Color rose in her cheeks as she cast her eyes down. “I don’t know.”
He moved off the bed, reaching for her, taking her bandaged hand in his. “Stay. Wait for me.”
When she still refused to look at him, he took her chin in his other hand and tipped her head back. Their eyes met and that sensuous fire he felt earlier sparked once again between them. God’s teeth, he didn’t want to admit he was falling in love with her, but he was falling in love with her.
“I—”
“I’ll be back when I can,” he assured.
“And then what?” she demanded, sounding agitated. “I don’t belong here, Malcolm. This isn’t my world, my time. Evie doesn’t belong here, either, but I suppose she’ll never leave now that she’s pregnant.”
He froze as he stared down at her, the shock rolling through him. “The lass is with child?”
Her eyes flew wide. “Oh, crap, you didn’t know?”
“Nay,” he said slowly.
He was going to be an uncle. The thought sent a tingling of joy skipping through him.
Chloe tried to tug out of his grasp, but he held firm. “Let me go, Malcolm.”
He pulled her to him, clutching her in his arms. She struggled only a bit as the clothes she held tumbled to the floor.
Her breasts pressed against his bare chest. It was the best feeling in the world.
He pushed her auburn hair off her shoulder, holding her close.
She stopped struggling, her body going limp as she allowed him to hold her.
“What are ye afraid of, lass?”
“Everything,” she whispered. “Being here. You. That cursed keystone.” Her breath hitched as a sob clotted her throat. “Bruce.”
He squeezed her. “I willna let him hurt ye. Ye have my word on that. As for the keystone…well, I gather there is naught to be done about that.”
She tilted her head back to look up at him. “And what about you?”
He softened at that, holding her tight. “I willna hurt ye, either. Ye have my word on that.”
Chloe placed her head on his chest again, wrapping her arms around him. They stood like that for a long moment, in the peace of the morning, holding each other.
“I don’t believe in destinies or prophecies,” she muttered. “I believe in facts and choosing your own fate.”
“Aye,” he said slowly. “I believe that, too. But I’ve seen things to prove the prophecy is real and all our destinies are tangled together. Yours. Mine. Your sister’s. My brother’s.”
She shivered in his arms. “And Jamie?”
“Aye, Jamie, too.” He pushed back, then, holding her at arm’s length. “But we dinnae have to think about that now, lass. We never have to speak of it again if you dinnae wish to.” He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. “Will ye stay here and wait for me?”
Indecision flashed through her eyes for a moment. Then she nodded. “Yes. I’ll stay.”
“Good. Now, as much as I hate to see that bonnie body of yer’s covered, we must dress. I have to find my brother. And keep that cursed keystone safe and on yer person.”
Chloe glared at it as it rested on the bedside table. “It is a cursed thing. Isn’t it?”
Still keeping one arm around his waist, she leaned out and reached for it.
The moment she picked up the stone, her body went rigid.
She sucked in a sharp breath, her back went ramrod straight.
Then her knees gave out and she crumpled.
He held on to her as she fell, keeping her from hitting the stone floor.
“Lass? Are ye all right? Can ye hear me?”
But her eyes were closed, her body quaking, and she definitely did not hear him.
***