Chapter Twenty-Seven #2
Brody grunted softly. “He sent me home because I refused tae admit that I’d been wrong, Lilia,” he said frankly.
“I was convinced I’d been right and given that I couldna see my own faults, my da had no choice but tae send me home so I wouldna get myself killed.
He did right. I want tae tell him that.”
He was more at ease speaking on his father than Lilia had ever seen him. She leaned forward, eyes glimmering.
“Tell me about yer da,” she asked softly.
Brody smile as memories came flooding back to him about a man he’d not remembered in some time.
“Arch McKay is his name,” he said. “Arch is short for Archer, my grandmother’s family name.
He’s a big man, like me. In fact, people say we look just alike, but the way we behave – that’s where the lines are drawn. ”
“What do ye mean?”
“My da is much more deliberate in his decisions,” he said. “He thinks things through. I dunna; I charge in and by the grace of God, I’ve not gotten myself killed. My da never understood that in me, although I know he told others that I would grow out of that impulsive behavior.”
“Have ye?”
He looked at her, chuckling. “A little,” he said. “I still charge in. I’m a man of action and I always will be.”
“Will ye tell yer da that when ye see him?”
Brody’s smile faded. “Not at first,” he said. “At first, I’ll tell him I love him. Then, I’ll tell him the rest.”
“When will ye tell him about me?”
He reached out, pulling her over onto his lap with one hand and pushing the food tray out of the way with the other.
“Right away,” he said, wrapping his muscular arms around her. “I never had any brothers or sisters, so I’m sure my da will be very happy tae know I’ve married well.”
“Well?” she repeated. “Dunna tell him that. I havena a cent tae my name.”
He hugged her, kissing her cheek. “I dinna mean money,” he said. “I meant everything else. Ye’re what my heart has been waiting for. I thought that when I first met ye and that hasna changed. My love for ye has grown deeper every day.”
Lilia wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him sweetly.
But when he moved in for something more lusty, she stopped him.
Rising from his lap, she went to bolt the door.
Stirring the brazier, she moved to douse the spirit candles, two by the bedframes and another on a small table by the door.
The chamber was warm and dim, shadows from the glowing coals dancing on the walls as she stood beside the two mattresses where he sat and removed her blood-speckled dress.
It fell in a heap on the floor. In only her shift, she sat down beside him again and kissed him tenderly on the cheek. Gazing at his masculine beauty, memorizing every line of his face, her eyes glimmered warmly as he studied her in return.
No words passed between them. They weren’t required.
When Lilia reached out to touch his neck, he closed his eyes, relishing the sensation of her warm hand.
Her fingers moved upward, feeling the stubble of his face and tracing the cleft in his chin.
When he reached out to touch her in return, she pushed his hands down.
This was her moment. She wanted him to feel her emotions based solely on her touch.
She wanted him to know how much she loved him.
Brody groaned softly.
“Ye’re going tae be the death of me, lass.”
She smiled. “What do ye mean?”
His eyes rolled open. “Because all I can think of at this moment is making love tae ye and ye willna let me touch ye.”
With a grin, she launched herself at him, putting her face in the crook of his neck as they fell back together on the straw mattresses. His arms went around her as they settled down by the brazier, facing one another.
“So much has happened,” she murmured. “Today was a day of days and now we find ourselves going home. Yer home. Ye know I’ve never had a proper home? Not in my entire life.”
“That will change,” he said confidently, releasing her long enough to pull his tunic over his head. When Lilia saw what he was doing, she pulled off her shift without hesitation. When his breeches were in a pile on the floor, he quickly gathering her into his arms again, his heat against hers.
“Trust me, my angel,” he said. “Ye’ll have everything I can provide for ye and more.”
Her naked skin against his, Lilia was giddily content. “But where?” she asked. “Ye’ll return tae The Cal tae train men for some time. Is that where we’ll have our home? Or do ye intend tae stay in the Highlands?”
He smoothed loose strands of hair away from her face. “I hope tae return tae The Cal soon,” he said. “Going tae Ledmore – that is simply tae make peace with my da.”
“But ye dunna intend tae stay?”
“I dunna know,” he said honestly. “I’ll know more when we arrive. But I do know one thing – wherever I go, ye’ll go. We’re family, now and forever.”
“I’ve never really known a family,” Lilia said softly. “My da served at Hawkhill while I lived with my aunt. For years, it was that way. I can remember dreaming of my own family someday, with ten children around me and a handsome husband. It may seem like a silly dream, but once, it was mine.”
“It isna a silly dream,” he said. “But ten children…”
She laughed. “How many did ye have in mind?”
“One tae start with, I suppose.”
“And then?”
“As many as God will give us.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes melding with his. “Then let us start now.”
“Now?”
Lilia was resolute. “Why not?” She touched his cheek, smiling in response to his surprise. “Can ye imagine anything better than children tae carry on yer name?”
No, he really couldn’t. They’d never spoken of children, but she was making her wishes known. Truth was, he’d never thought of children at all until this very moment. Now, a son to carry on his name seemed like the best gift he could possibly receive.
A legacy he never thought he would have.
“A son,” he said softly. “It seems like a dream tae even think such a thing.”
“It could be a lass. Would ye be disappointed?”
“Never.”
Lilia gazed at him, feeling the pull of emotion overwhelm her. She brushed her lips against his. “Then give me yer son, Brody McKay,” she breathed against his mouth. “Give me the honor of bearing yer child.”
He growled, pulling her tight against him and plunging his tongue into her mouth. Lilia wrapped her legs around his hips, feeling his arousal push at her. Brody’s hand was at her breast, his lips against her forehead as he whispered words of desire.
With every kiss, every word, the fire in her loins grew and she thrust her pelvis forward, capturing the tip of his seeking manhood. Brody groaned as he finished what she had started by thrusting into her hot, waiting body.
The first full thrust rocked her. Lilia gasped with pleasure, holding fast to him for support as he thrust into her again and again.
“Do it harder, Brody,” she breathed.
Her words of lust lit a fire in him that could not be controlled. He pounded into her welcoming body, determined to make this time last longer than he had the last time. He wanted to enjoy every move, every touch, every emotion.
Lilia groaned with pleasure beneath him, lifting her pelvis to meet his. She savored the heat he was creating within her, remembering how Brody had so deftly given her release with his expert touch. But she simply couldn’t wait. Reaching up, she pulled his mouth to her swollen lips.
“Make me feel as ye did at The Cal,” she whispered. “The heat… the feelings, Brody. Let me feel them again.”
“In time,” he whispered.
With that, he took firm hold of her hips and rolled onto his back, still joined to her body. Lilia gasped with the unexpected move as she ended up on top, straddling him. Brody grinned wolfishly, his hands moving to her breasts.
“Make yer own feelings, my angel.” He thrust his hips upward, impaling her on his body. “Move yer body against me, like this.”
Hair in her face, Lilia looked bewildered, but Brody moved again, thrusting into her from his position beneath her until she caught on. Rising on her knees, she plunged her body down upon him again and again, biting her lip in delight when he groaned.
“Do ye like this?” she asked.
He could only nod his head, closing his eyes to the glory the moment.
She smiled at his reaction to her; it made her feel powerful.
Her rhythm became steady and, in little time, Lilia felt the ripples of release rolling through her body.
Beneath her, Brody could feel the contractions in body and he clutched her body against his as he released himself deep.
For a moment, neither of them had the strength or will to move.
Lilia remained straddled over his hips, feeling the last of his climax die away.
She was exhausted, but in a good way. She was his wife now and the closeness she felt to the man was more than she could verbalize.
He was part of her, and she was part of him, until the end of time.
As he said… they were a family.
Finally, she lay down upon him and his big arms went around her, holding her close. His gentle touch, his hand tenderly caressing her hair, told her that he was feeling the same way she was.
Warm… content…
Loved.
When morning came, she was still in the exact same position, curled up on Brody’s chest.
It had been the best night of her life.