Chapter Seventeen

Eve awoke to a brush of lips upon hers. When she opened her eyes, Grant hovered over her, moonlight streaming in from the window and across his face and bare chest. Desire sprang up in her belly and lower in her core, but she pressed a halting hand to his shoulder, even as she felt the evidence of his desire for her. They must talk, sort through things, and if she allowed him to kiss her again, she feared desire would sweep her away.

“How did the scouting go?” she asked.

“We found no more MacDougalls on our land.”

The impatience in his voice and the way he moved his hips against her made her smile, and coiled her insides tight. “And Bryden?” she asked breathlessly as Grant pressed his hips more solidly against her.

“In the thief’s hole. Tomorrow he will be taken across the sea and left at Dragoon.”

“What is Dragoon?”

Grant leaned forward and kissed her neck, making her shiver. “Dragoon is where traitors are taken. ’Tis deep in the heart of the Dark Woods. If he makes it out alive, he may live free, but he will nae ever be a Fraser again.”

She frowned, not sure she wanted him to make it out alive but not wanting to wish death upon anyone else, either. “How many have made it out alive?”

Grant kissed her forehead, her eyes, and her nose before answering. “None that I ken.”

When he went to kiss her mouth again, she turned her head. “Tell me of Millicent,” she said.

He released a long, weary breath and rolled off her to lie beside her. She turned to look at him, studying his profile, which revealed nothing but the fact that her husband’s face was very strong and very handsome. “Who told ye of Millicent?” he finally asked.

Her heart squeezed at his words, which seemed to indicate the worst. “Your sister. I forced it out of her,” she added in an effort to protect Esme.

She thought he’d be mad, but he surprised her by laughing. “It pleases me how ye and Esme try to protect each other. I want to protect ye, as well.”

“I know,” she said. “And that pleases me, but not if it means I am living a lie.”

His hand found hers, and he twined their fingers together. She took comfort knowing he wanted to touch her as she wanted to touch him. “I took Millicent to the Calder holding to ensure they gave me admittance since we are nae allies. Millicent was a Calder before she was a Fraser.”

“And she was once your leman.” Eve did not bother to mince words.

A derisive sound came deep from her husband’s throat. “My sister should nae have told ye that. I can only imagine the worry it has caused ye.”

“I doubt you can,” she replied, attempting to make light of it.

He moved atop of her, his powerful leg pushing between her thighs and his arms caging her in. Tension radiated from him. “Ye have my heart, Eve,” he whispered, shocking her. “And because ye have that, ye’ll be the only woman to ever have my body, even if that means I dunnae have an heir.”

She did not even realize she had started crying until his fingers were upon her face, gently brushing away her tears. “Ye nae being able to give me a bairn dunnae make me love ye less, but more.”

“You love me?” she whispered, her heart feeling as if it would burst.

“Aye, lass. Completely. Gloriously. Hopelessly. Forever and always from this breath until my last.”

“I love you too with all my heart,” she said.

“I dunnae ken why God has blessed me so, but I’ll nae question it,” he replied and brushed his lips across hers ever so lightly, and when he pulled back, he said, “I ken the strength ye must draw on to endure the sorrow of nae being able to have bairns, and it makes me love ye even more.” More warm tears leaked out of her eyes and down her cheeks. “Since I’m the reason ye kinnae have a bairn,” he said, his voice hitching with obvious agony, “I’d hoped to find yer sister and reunite ye with her so that maybe ye would hate me less.”

His admission stole her ability to speak for a moment, and then she rose to kiss him. “I could never hate you. I could definitely be vexed with you.” They both laughed at that. “But I love you so very much.”

He nuzzled his face in her neck and then pressed his mouth to her ear. “Eve, I will try my best to show my love always, but this is new for me, and if I stumble—”

“I’ll help you up,” she promised, pressing her lips to his neck.

His lips were on her again, but this time the kiss was one of two people truly finding each other underneath the armor they had worn for the world.

When they broke the kiss, Grant said, “I found yer sister.” Shock slammed into her while he continued. “I dunnae ken if she’ll see ye. She was taken in by a cold family, but she’s wed now to a man she seems to love. She’s timid, though, and fearful, and she does not truly recall ye and is fearful to try to do so, but she said she will think upon seeing ye.”

Eve nodded, her throat too tight with emotion to speak. Finally, she swallowed. “She is the last of my old family. I want her in my life. But if she does not wish it—”

“Ye have a new family to love ye,” Grant finished. “Let me love ye now, Wife.”

Her answer was to kiss his chest, trailing up to his neck and his lips. Then he took control. His lips captured hers, persuading her to open her mouth for him, and when she did, the pleasure she took from the way he swirled his tongue with hers surely had to be sinful, but not nearly as sinful as the way she cried out when he took her nipple with tantalizing possessiveness. His tongue caressed the sensitive bud while his hands slid down her belly, tracing a sensuous path to ecstasy.

His fingers expertly found the spot hidden behind her curls, the one that made her moan and arch her back toward him, pressing her hips up to get more of his touch. His fingers branded her at her core, and she throbbed with need. Passion pounded the blood through her heart, chest, and head, and as her pulse exploded, so did his touch, becoming frenzied, circling and massaging without giving quarter, until her entire body tightened. When she thought she could not take another moment, she screamed out for him, needing to feel him inside her. He took her then with a savage intensity, driving into her and claiming her as his.

Together, they found a tempo that bound them, and as they moved, she caressed the broad plane of his back, his strong shoulders, and then down to his buttocks, feeling the muscles flex with each delicious slide into her. Heat rippled from him to her, and she could sense his need building to match hers. She moaned with pleasure when he touched somewhere deep inside her, and then her world seemed to explode as her body did the same. Her last coherent memory was his cry of release and the warmth of Grant flooding into her.

The length of Eve was pressed heavily against Grant, warm, soft, and womanly. She was the most perfect creature he’d ever known, even while snoring—and aye, but she could snore. A deep feeling of peace overcame him as he ran his fingers lightly over his wife’s back. She sighed happily in her sleep. The turbulence of the passion they had shared amazed him, and he closed his eyes in desperate need of sleep. But just as he did, it seemed only a moment later that a knock came at their door.

“Grant!” Ross called.

He scooted out from under Eve, donned his plaid, opened the door, slipped out, and said, “This better be of utmost importance.”

Ross nodded. “Eve’s sister has come to see her, and she’s brought nearly four hundred Calder warriors to aid us in taking Linlithian.”

“Well, even though it’s the middle of the night, I’ll wake my wife for that,” he said with a smile.

“’Tis morning, Grant.”

Grant frowned and glanced toward the window. He stared in shock; Ross had spoken the truth. Chuckling, Grant slapped his friend on the back. “Ye must find a wife, Ross. They are verra good for one’s sleep. We’ll be down directly.”

Ross nodded, and Grant made his way back to Eve and gently shook her awake. She grumbled a bit but finally opened one eye. “I had the most amazing dream,” she said with a yawn.

“What did ye dream of?” he asked, unable to resist tucking her hair behind her ear.

She pressed his hand to her face and smiled up at him. “I dreamed that my sister came to see me, and—”

“Eve, she’s downstairs,” he said, shock rippling through him. Eve’s eyes widened, then tears filled them. “What’s this?” he asked, kneeling in front of her. “Why are ye sad?”

“No,” she said excitedly, sitting up. “I’m not sad. I’m happy. Do you know what else I just dreamed?”

“Nay, and I dunnae care at this moment,” he teased, cupping her enticing breasts.

She grabbed his hand and moved it to her belly, her lavender gaze locking with his. “I dreamed we had a son with gray eyes.”

Grant curled his fingers softly, protectively over his wife’s stomach. “Well, ye dreamed of wedding for love, and ye did.” He winked at her. “And ye dreamed yer sister was here, and she is. So I’d say we’ve a verra good chance of having a gray-eyed son from a lavender-eyed beauty. Ye ken what that means, though?”

“I must not court trouble?” she asked with a laugh.

“Exactly, Wife, exactly.”