Chapter Two
The wind swept across the castle battlements, carrying a crisp scent of heather and distant rain. The stars above twinkled like scattered diamonds in the vast expanse of night, but MacKenzie’s gaze wasn’t on the heavens.
It was on the man standing in the shadows, at the edge of the wall. The man who had been absent for too long, only to return to… this.
She hadn’t meant to follow him up here. When she spotted him slipping out of the hall after their evening meal, it was as if her instincts simply took over. There was a stirring within her, something that she could not deny, however hard she tried.
So her feet seemed to move, whether they had permission or not, and she found herself approaching him as the cold bit her skin and her heart raced like a drum in her chest.
Callum’s voice cut through the silence, rough and deep, although he didn’t turn to look at her. It seemed like his gaze was fixed on the distant mountains, as if they were trying to pull him away from her once more.
MacKenzie refused to be put off by his attitude. She edges closer to him, crossing her arms over her chest to protect herself from the icy night.
Or maybe it was to protect herself from the feelings this man stirred up without even trying.
“I’ve never needed protection from ye, Callum.”
A sigh ricocheted through him as he finally shifted his position to face her. MacKenzie could not stop the shock from capturing her as the moon light shone on his face, illuminating the intensity of the hardness that had settled in his features.
Had that come from his year away, or from what had occurred earlier on?
She knew that they needed to talk, but she had no idea what she wanted to say, or even where to begin.
Especially not with the man who stood before her. Right now, in the dead of night, with so much hanging between them, it was difficult to reconcile him; with the boy who had laughed with her under the oaks, the one she had shared her dreams and promises with, the boy who was hers.
MacKenzie hadn’t meant to be that honest with him, but the words just seemed to tumble out of her mouth. Perhaps because it was now or never. If she didn’t express how she felt, then she might never get the chance to.
“Aye, as do ye,” Callum replied, with sadness lacing his tone. “But it seems like we both have our burdens now.”
His words were a bitter reminder of the weight that had descended upon them this afternoon. The thought of marrying Donald gnawed at her insides like a feral beast.
“Callum.” The words felt bitter on her tongue, but she knew that she needed to get them out. “We need tae talk aboot the announcement…”
He winced as if she had struck him. “I ken what yer father said. I cannae believe that he would do such a thing.”
“Ye cannae accept this,” Callum urged with desperation dancing in his eyes. “Ye ken that ye deserve so much better than Donald Auchter. He’s not the man ye want.”
“Stop.” This was getting far too much for MacKenzie. Her frustration echoed across the battlements, mingling with the rustling of the trees below. “Ye ken this is not up tae me. I am not going tae be given the opportunity to have my voice heard.”
Silence fell between them, heavy and fraught. MacKenzie could see the same conflict she was feeling reflected in Callum’s eyes. Both of them were torn between duty and desire. It was the impossible inner battle that neither of them expected to have to fight.
“I would fight fer ye,” Callum declared, words which fired MacKenzie up, but she knew that it was far easier to say than do. “I would do anything fer ye.”
MacKenzie felt tears prick at her eyes, an overwhelming wave of longing and despair crashing over her. She stepped closer still, reaching out to him.
“Callum,” she whispered, barely able to get any words out.
“Do ye trust me?” he asked, searching her eyes for an answer.
She paused for just a little beat before she spoke from the bottom of her heart.
“Then perhaps we should not think of what we cannae change,” he murmured. “Let’s focus on us, just fer tonight.”
MacKenzie took a breath as her pulse thrummed with something far more dangerous than the evening chill. The wind tousled her dark hair, and she didn’t bother brushing it away as it whipped across her face.
All she could feel was the intense heat from him, and she ached to lean into it.
She opened her mouth to respond, but the words faltered, caught in the knot of emotions tightening in her chest. All her defenses crumbled like sand beneath the tide.
How had it come to this? Standing here, on the precipice of something they could never return from?
Callum’s eyes darkened as he took a step towards her, his fingers twitching as though he wanted to reach for her, but he was holding himself back. He was clearly fighting the same pull as her, deep in the pit of her stomach.
The tension between them crackled, sharp and alive, a thread stretched tight, ready to snap.
“I have thought of nothing but ye,” Callum whispered, his voice rough with restraint. “Every damn day I’ve been gone, it’s been ye. It has always been ye and only ye.”
Her heart stuttered. MacKenzie felt her throat tighten. She knew that he was right, knew it in the way that her entire body screamed for him, but the world was cruel, and their choices had been stripped from them.
How could she succumb to her feelings when the consequences were inevitable and going to utterly tear them apart?
“You shouldnae say things like that,” she breathed weakly. “Ye ken we can’t—”
His hand lifted, cupping her cheek with such tenderness that it unraveled every last thread of resolve that she had. His touch was warm, grounding her as her breath balled up in her throat. The intensity in his gaze pinned her to the spot, making it utterly impossible to look away.
“I ken it’s not fair,” he murmured as his thumb brushed against her skin, sending a wild shudder down her spine. “But I cannae stay away from ye any longer.”
MacKenzie felt herself leaning into his touch, however dangerous it might be.
Her pulse raced, urging her to close the distance between them.
Deep down, she knew that there were so many reasons to stop, to pretend that none of this was happening, but every inch of her continued to be drawn to him like a moth to a flame.
She knew that she had been waiting for this moment all along.
“Just for tonight,” he reiterated. “Let us have this.”
The space between them disappeared. His lips hovered over hers, their breath intertwining in the cold night air. MacKenzie was acutely aware of her own wild pulse and the way that her skin tingled with anticipation.
That was how they remained, for just a moment, caught in the fragile moment before everything would change.
Like a storm they had both been holding on to for far too long, Callum closed the final inch, capturing her lips with a desperate intensity that stole all the air out of her lungs.
The kiss was fire and ice, a whirlwind of everything MacKenzie had tried to bury, unleashed in one single, reckless moment.
The world around them seemed to vanish completely, leaving only the fierce pull of him and the unspoken promise that tonight was theirs.
Callum groaned softly, his arms tightening around her as she kissed him back with equal intensity. MacKenzie could feel the desperation burning between them both, a need to hold on to what they had before it slipped through their fingers.
His hand slid down her back, pulling her closer, as if he could not bear to be apart from her for even a moment longer.
MacKenzie let out a little gasp as she clung to him tighter, her fingers curling into the fabric of his tunic.
She pressed her body against his as if she were trying to fuse their souls together, the breathlessness of the moment dizzying her.
Her mind was utterly fogged with desire, clouding the world beyond them.
A fierce passion gripped them both as Callum grabbed MacKenzie’s waist firmly, before drifting lower, teasingly tracing the curve of her hips. The roughness of his newly calloused palms made her shiver, the contrast of the tenderness and strength thrilling her to the core.
MacKenzie couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, all she could do was feel, which bloomed a delicious ache inside of her.
His lips left hers for a moment, trailing hot, open-mouthed kisses down the curve of her neck, and MacKenzie arched into him, moaning softly. Everything seemed to spin as his eager fingers slid lower, pulling her flushed body even closer to his.
“Ye have no idea how badly I ache for ye,” Callum growled. “I cannae stop.”
MacKenzie’s breath hitched as his words sent an explosion of heat through her, igniting every nerve. Her hands roamed his chest, feeling the solid warmth beneath her fingertips and the rapid pulsating of his heart.
Never had she wanted anything as badly as she wanted him.
“Then dinnae,” she finally managed to murmur back. “Dinnae stop.”
Her fingers curled into his hair, pulling him back towards her to seal this moment with another fierce kiss. The taste of him was intoxicating, the sensation of his body overwhelming.
They stumbled backwards against the stone wall, the cold rock pressing into her back. Not that it did anything to dampen the flames blazing within her.
Callum’s hands were everywhere, on her hips, her back, sliding underneath her cloak to caress the bare skin underneath. Every stroke of his fingers drove her wild.
Her voice was a breathless plea, her body trembling with anticipation as his mouth edged lower, pressing heated kisses along her collarbone, her throat, down to the swell of her breasts.
Her heart thundered, her breaths coming in ragged gasps, as his hand slid up her thighs, hitching her skirts higher.
“Are ye sure?” he murmured, his lips hovering above her skin, his breath burning hot against her. “Is this what ye want?”
MacKenzie knew that he didn’t need to ask her, there was no holding back either of them now, but she appreciated the second to grab hold of herself and to stare into his eyes.
With a growl of pure desire, Callum claimed her once more, their bodies intertwining in the shadows of the castle wall. MacKenzie couldn’t speak as his hands found the lace of her bodice, his fingers moving deftly as he began to fiddle with the intricate knots.
Every tug loosened the fabric further, and with each inch of skin revealed, his lips followed, kissing her exposed flesh, making every part of her feel more beautiful than she had ever before.
She loved the way that he was moving with a desperate gentleness, as though he needed to memorize every single part of her.
Her own hands slid down the panes of his chest, feeling the ripple of every muscle underneath his tunic. MacKenzie tugged this off too, needing to feel his skin against hers, her impatience growing with every passing second.
Callum’s tunic hit the ground and the moment his bare skin brushed against hers, MacKenzie’s breath caught in her throat. His warmth seeped into her, chasing away the cold of the night and intensifying the fire burning between them.
Her back arched once more as his lips trailed lower, his breath teasing, tasting, until every thought in her mind dissolved into pure sensation.
But just as their kiss deepened, as the world slipped away completely, a voice pierced through the still of the night.
Callum cursed under his ragged breaths as he rested his forehead against hers, holding on to her for the last remnants of their stolen moment.
“It’s Boyd,” he murmured, catching sight of his footman and best friend. There was no denying that flame red hair, as reality crashed down around them once more. “Bloody hell.”
MacKenzie wanted to scream, to let all of her frustration out, but she was also utterly terrified that they had been caught.
If her father found out about this, there was no telling what he would do to her, and she couldn’t have that.
The hum of desire burning within her was becoming overshadowed with ice-cold fear.
“We have tae go,” Callum insisted as he quickly began to redress.
MacKenzie hated that he was right, but she couldn’t be caught in such a mess, so she followed suit. She forced herself to calm her breathing as Callum ran a hand through his hair, trying to regain composure.
They exchanged a brief, longing glance, one filled with all the things they could not say.
“Go,” she finally hissed, even if the word killed her. “Go on. Now. We cannae get caught. Ye ken that as well as I do.”
Callum paused for one more second, as if he was not quite done with her yet, before he appeared to think better of it.
With one last searing look, Callum turned and disappeared into the shadows, his footsteps muffled against the stone walkway as he moved towards Boyd’s voice.
MacKenzie remained frozen, her heart pounding, her lips still tingling, her body sizzling under the intensity of what had just happened. The cold air finally seeped in, but it was nothing compared to the icy chill of reality.
What next? She couldn’t help but wonder. It was all well and good having the night for just the two of them, but that didn’t change the future, and that was the part she could not stand. Especially after experiencing a fleeting taste of something she couldn’t really have.
Smoothing down the dress and ensuring that nothing was out of place, she finally took her heavy heart and walked towards the castle. Her brain churned with what ifs and regrets, but MacKenzie knew that was pointless. She didn’t have the freedom to choose.
She hated the fact that she was expected to play the dutiful daughter; that she could be sent into a marriage that was not for her in an attempt to keep peace; that she couldn’t have the one man she really wanted, even when he was the only person in the world who could make her feel alive and worthwhile.