Seducing the Highlander (33 page)

“I won’t,” he whispered and kissed the tip of her nose. “Nothing would ever keep me from loving you.”

Slowly he leaned forward to press soft kisses down the left side of her neck, and once again Meriel could feel the stirrings of his desire. “Aren’t you hungry?” she asked hoarsely, as his mouth began to fondle her nipple.

“Aye, I’m famished,” he replied, moving to her other breast.

Meriel swatted his back. “I meant for food.”

“I knew that,” he teased, continuing his assault.

Meriel knew that if he did not stop soon she would willingly fall victim to his caresses. “If you and I continue at this pace, I will soon be like Raelynd.”

Craig reluctantly stopped and pulled her once again into his side. “I am happy for my brother. They have wanted to conceive for some time, but I am also glad that it will not be us. Surely, God knows better than to give us a child.”

Meriel tried to turn around, but he would not let her. “You cannot be serious.”

Craig nuzzled her hair with his chin. “Children are the messiest of all creatures. Look around. Can you imagine an infant in this place?”

Meriel smiled, realizing that he was teasing her. “No, I honestly cannot.”

“Besides, I want you all to myself.”

“And this time should be for Raelynd. She has been trying for so long. It would not be fair to steal any of her attention. Have you seen the way she basks in Crevan’s constant attention?”

Craig squeezed her close. “I’ll smother you with attention if that is what you desire.”

“I just desire you.”

Craig closed his eyes, thankful. He had not thought about her becoming pregnant, but now that he had, the idea terrified him. Her mother had had terrible difficulties carrying a child to term, and it appeared after trying for a year that Raelynd would also be troubled. Meriel was her identical twin and it followed that she too would not have an easy time. Her mother had lost so many children, and he did not want to see such sadness in Meriel’s eyes.

Aye, he wanted a family, but he wanted her more.

 

 

Craig cracked open the door of their cottage and peeped inside. Taking a deep breath, he said a silent prayer, reminding God who his wife was and how he could use an extra dose of patience. After three days of living together, he should have known what he would see on the other side of the door, and yet tonight, coming home, he had hopes otherwise.

Craig knew he was looking more and more haggard. Every leine he owned was caked with mud and sweat, so much so that his men were beginning to tease him for not having any clean clothes. Craig was beginning to wonder just when Meriel intended to do the wash, when this morning one of his married soldiers had slapped him on the back and said not to worry. That it was about three days after he wed before he could depend on the wash to be done and a good meal to be waiting for him. And based on the pile of clothes still on the floor and the lack of cooking aromas from the kitchen, Craig could only conclude Meriel needed more than the standard three days.

Pushing the door harder in an effort to budge whatever was in his way, he heard something tumble onto the floor. “Oh, hold on! You’re home early! I need to move a few things before you come in!” Meriel called out.

Craig’s mouth twitched.
She was surprised to see him?
If anything, he was running late. He waited as she began to shove aside whatever was blocking the door, but through the small opening that he had nudged open, he could see that his home had not improved. Just the opposite; it had become significantly worse. He was trying to be patient, but the place was beyond ridiculous!

Every day Meriel was bringing more and more of her things from the castle. Did it really escape her that there was simply no room for all of her things? Practically everything he owned was covered with some frilly item or something that most certainly did not belong to him. He did not mind clutter. He was comfortable with untidy rooms, but this was pure chaos and close to unlivable.

Meriel opened the door. She was smiling and her hazel eyes were dancing with delight. “Come in! I’m sorry you had to wait.” She stretched her neck to see behind him and realized that the afternoon sun was completely gone and it was not dusk, but dark outside.

“Why are you bringing that in here?” she asked as he stepped inside, still carrying his targe. Normally he left the shield outside, propped up against the side of the wall.

Craig pulled her in close for a welcome-home kiss. “I need to do some work on it and don’t have time during the day. Thought I would do it tonight while we talk.”

“Oh, well, I had no idea how late it was. I must have lost track of time,” she said brightly.

Craig nuzzled her hair. “By the looks of things in here, I assume we are going to be eating at the castle again.”

Meriel beamed a bright smile at him. “You, oh handsome one, are correct. Just give me a few more minutes to finish something and I will be ready.”

Craig watched as she went to sit down by a large pile of what appeared to be a variety of half-sewn items. Whatever she was doing, he was positive it was going to take significantly longer than a few minutes for the surrounding area to be transformed into something that approximated order. “You realize that we cannot keep doing this.”

“Doing what?”

“Going to your father and asking to join him for dinner.”

Meriel waved her hand dismissively before ripping two pieces apart. “He enjoys our company and I know my sister does not mind. She said so today when I joined her for the noon meal. There,” she said, separating the two pieces and putting them onto two different stacks.

She rose to her feet and circled her arms around his waist. “Now we can go get you something to eat.”

Craig could not help but return her smile and kissed the tip of her nose. “And just what has made you so happy this evening?”

Meriel pulled out of his embrace and, with her arms stretched out, turned in a tight circle. “Can you not tell? All my stuff is
finally
here! At last I can begin organizing things so that I can find them. It seems forever since I have been able to do so.”

Craig took in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and smiled in relief. It was comforting to hear that nothing more was coming into their overly crowded home, but it was even more reassuring to hear Meriel use the word
organize
. So getting things to where they should be was going to take four, maybe five days, rather than the standard three. It did not matter, now that he knew very soon his home and marriage would start resembling his expectations. “Just make sure there is still room for me.”

Meriel put her hands on her hips and gave him a wicked smile. “I thought the bedroom was yours,” she said with a wink.

Craig growled, suddenly hungry for other things, and tossed his targe onto the table, where it landed on a large pile of material, knocking half of it over. He was reaching out for her when she screamed and shoved his hand away, diving for the items that had just fallen. Placing them back on the table, she grunted and attempted to pick up his shield. “Find somewhere else to put that thing,” she said, her tone laced with warning.

“And where would that be?” he belted out. “There
is
nowhere to put
any
of my things. I thought we would
share
the cottage, but right now this place looks like a woman’s retreat! I’ve been patient, but a man would go mad living like this.”

“
Your
things already took up every possible place I could put mine. I was lucky to get my clothes, let alone sewing materials, in here at all.
And
,” Meriel continued, grinding the word out between her teeth, “I know far more about sharing a room, since I actually did so with my sister for the majority of my life!”

Craig lifted his shield before she toppled over in her efforts to pick it up. In doing so, he again accidentally knocked several items back onto the floor. He ignored them, just as he ignored the fact that several of the items that fell belonged to him. “You only
think
you know how to share space,” he huffed. With his free hand, he made a wide gesture, pointing around the cottage. “That
room
you shared was twice the size of this entire place!”

Craig pivoted and headed toward the door.

“Where are you going?” she shouted at him.

He grabbed the handle and yanked it open. “To get something to eat,” he growled, and exited.

He got no more than three steps when she joined him, practically running to keep up with his long, angry strides. “You are not leaving me behind,” she told him, her tone defiant. “I’m hungry too.”

Craig glanced sideways and sighed. The weather had finally turned chilly, and in her haste she had forgotten a covering. Tucking her hands underneath her arms, she was doing her best to keep up with him. Slowing down, he pulled her into his side to help block the wind and warm her. “I hate arguing.”

“Me too.” She spoke in a tremulous whisper. “We never used to fight. Why do we do so now?”

Craig chuckled softly. “You and I find it hard to make even small adjustments to our daily routines, so the idea of changing our lives, even if it is for each other, is rather difficult for both of us. But we will manage. We have one of the largest cottages in the village, and I am certain we can find room for our belongings. We only need to move things around a bit more.”

Meriel, her face partially buried in his chest, nodded her head in agreement. “I’m sorry the place looks like I took over. I just did not want to move your things, in case you had them organized in a certain way.”

Craig laughed out loud at the concept. “No. I have no method to where I put my stuff. I have a suggestion. Why don’t you rearrange the front room? I do not really use it much, so it can be primarily yours if we can equally share the rest of the cottage.”

“Really?” asked Meriel as she lifted her head and looked up at him as if he had just won her the moon.

“Aye.” Craig felt a surge of pride, his mood suddenly buoyant. “I need to go with your father to visit some of the outlying farms. I thought about waiting for another week or two, but I think I’ll suggest leaving in the morning. This will give you several days to organize things just how you want them without having to worry about me getting in the way. All I ask is that we find a place to put
my
things.”

Meriel was radiating happiness at the suggestion. “I will. And I really don’t mind having your things around.”

“Even my targe?”

“Even your targe—of course, that is, as long as it isn’t ruining the items that I love.”

Craig rolled his eyes as they approached the Great Hall doors. He suspected this would not be the last fight they would have about his and her items, but he was glad the worst one was finally over.

Craig tossed the reins of his very tired horse to the stable master and waved him good-bye. He had successfully avoided his brother, made sure Callum understood that he would address his concerns in the morning, and told Rae Schellden, quite bluntly, that he was interfering with his marriage. Craig refused to allow anything more to distract him, for he had already been gone much longer than he had intended.

He and Rae had saved their meeting with Schellden’s most notorious farmer for last. Farlon lived on the northern edge of Schellden lands and had been in a continuous feud with one of the McHenry farmers on the other side of the border. For years, they had pinched each other’s cattle, both men claiming they were only doing so in retaliation. Then last year, Farlon’s son Tevus got McHenry’s daughter pregnant.

The two married and the families called a truce, but Ian McHenry was alleging that Farlon had resumed his thievery despite their pact. It turned out McHenry was half correct. His cattle were being stolen, but not by Farlon—by Tevus. The young man had just turned seventeen and claimed he had no other way to support his family.

In the end, Craig had reluctantly agreed to Farlon’s suggestion that Craig take Tevus back with him so that the young man could begin training as a soldier. What Craig had not counted on was that the new husband and father would not leave his young family behind. So with Rae’s blessing, Tevus, his wife, and his baby, all made the slow and painfully loud way back to Caireoch. Before the trip, Craig was not sure about the prospect of children. Now, he was positive. He absolutely did not want them.

Craig sauntered through the gatehouse, trying to keep his stride normal and unhurried, but it was difficult. Practically since the moment he left home, he had had visions of his return. He would open the door and find Meriel eagerly waiting for him. The aroma of the dinner she had made would fill his senses and the house would be completely in order. But before he could praise her efforts, she would run and jump into his arms. He would crush her to him and they would stumble against the door . . . or the wall. Once, he had even dreamed they crashed into the table—which, of course, was clean. Meriel would tear at his clothing and he would just as impatiently remove her gown. Their kiss would resume and soon afterward he would make it unquestionably clear he had missed her as much as she had him. And to ensure they could both realize his fantasy, he had sent word ahead to let Meriel know that he would be home that afternoon.

Craig approached the front door of the cottage and shouted out a hello to one of the men passing by. Then with a loud
thwack
he dropped his shield against the outside wall. With all the noise he had just made, he had no doubt that Meriel had heard his arrival and was waiting impatiently for him to enter. But when he opened the door, Craig knew instantly that no one was inside.

“Meriel!” he barked despite knowing he would get no reply.

He stepped inside, and with his heel he shoved the door shut so that he could fume in private. Not only was there no meal waiting for him, it did not look as though one would be prepared in the kitchen anytime soon. Every single thing he owned was heaped into large, seemingly unstable piles around and on everything a woman needed for cooking. Where did Meriel think she was going to prepare their meals?

Craig unhooked his sword and tossed it onto the table, not realizing that it was the one place that had been cleared of items. He followed it with his saddlebag, which he promptly turned upside down and emptied. In doing so, he did notice the large mound of dirty clothes that he had specifically told her about before he left, infuriatingly untouched. Just what was he going to wear?

He was about to march over and pick the pile up and carry it to the castle himself when the door opened. Meriel staggered inside, visibly exhausted and huffing loudly. She was carrying a tartan pulled up at the four corners that was both heavy and awkward. “Since you won’t help me, you could at least move all your things off the table
I
just cleaned
!” Meriel wheezed.

She had hoped to make it back before Craig returned, but upon seeing his shield outside the door, she knew that he had arrived before she had a chance to set up dinner and surprise him. While he was gone, she had made enormous strides in making their small home livable, and had been eager to show him all that she had accomplished. What she had not planned on was snapping at him within the first thirty seconds of welcoming him home. But her arms were screaming in pain from carrying their dinner, and the first thing she saw as she walked in the door was all his stuff cluttering the table that she had made certain was completely clean when she left. It had taken more than a day to examine and find a home for each of the items in the massive collection there, and Meriel had no intention of ever going through the painful process again.

Craig’s nostrils flared and his blue eyes had gone dark. Raising his arm, he laid it on the table and then, keeping his gaze firmly on her, he swiped the table clean, broadsword and all. With a look just as menacing, Meriel stared back, unflinching at the clatter and the noise his action created. Her guilt about snapping instantly vanished along with her apology. With a final heave, she dropped the heavy mass onto the table.

Breaking her gaze, Meriel began to spread out the dinner and tried to regain her calm. She had collected a significant amount of meat, bread, cheese, and many other things for a feast. But just as she was leaving, she remembered all their eating utensils were buried somewhere in the kitchen-now-storage area of their home. So she had made sure the cook included plates and cups and a jug of ale. It had all been heavy at first, but by the time she reached their home, her arms and fingers were in agony.

Yanking out a chair, Craig plopped down, grabbed some bread and pulled off a chunk, making clear his continued displeasure. The warm dough tasted good and the meat looked delicious, but neither did anything to calm his anger. Another castle meal was
not
what he had intended to come home to after being gone a week.

Meriel took a deep breath. She had a choice. Ignore the last few minutes or engage in a fight. Craig had certainly given her enough reasons to be mad at him, but it was just not how she wanted to spend her first evening with her husband since he had been gone. And since whomever he was mad at could not possibly be her—she decided to start all over. Leaning over his lap, she placed a soft, long kiss on his lips. “I missed you.”

Craig puckered his lips barely enough to give her a peck, and then grumbled, “Not enough to be home so that you could greet me.”

Meriel pulled back. Again, anger singed the corners of her control. “I wanted to be here when you arrived. I had hoped to have all this,” she said, waving at the food, “laid out and ready for you, thinking that you might be hungry.”

Craig said nothing. He had been hungry. Hungry for her, and she had not been there.

Receiving no response, let alone gratitude, Meriel was caring less and less whether or not they had a fight immediately upon his return. She put her hands on her hips. “Well, don’t tell me you do not like it. It is the best the cook had!”

“Let’s just say it was far from what I expected.” The low tone of his voice was inflamed and belligerent.

Meriel took a deep breath and fought one last time to keep control.
He is tired. He had a long trip and he is not intentionally trying to sound critical
, she told herself. Any minute, Craig would calm down, look around, and recognize the progress she had made during the week of his absence. He would say something complimentary and then she too would unwind. “Well, you must be glad to be home,” she said, pleased she had been able to keep her tone somewhat cheerful, hiding her true emotions.

Craig selected a piece of meat and popped it in his mouth. Between chews, he said, “I was until I walked in here and saw all my things stacked in piles where tonight’s dinner should have been.” He pointed at the stuffed kitchen and then to the mound next to him. “As well as my dirty clothes
exactly where they were
when I left.”

Meriel’s face paled with growing fury. She had done her best not to escalate things, but if Craig wanted a fight, then he would have one. “I knew you to be many things, but I did not believe you to be selfish,” she said coldly. “Look around your home. You can move without tripping. You can sit. And you can eat a meal, even if it
wasn’t what you expected
.” Her eyes were now ablaze with smoldering ire. “I have foolishly worked late every night just to get everything ready for
you
, so that
you
would be happy. Little did I realize that some dirty clothes and a crowded kitchen would make it all meaningless!”

She pivoted and walked to the bedroom, closing the door with a resounding
thud
. Leaning back against the wall, Meriel could feel her tears begin to flow. Craig was never going to be happy being married to her.

She should have listened to him from the beginning.

She should have left him alone and never conspired to get him to follow her to the McTiernays’ .

But mostly, she should never have let her sister trick her into kissing him.

 

 

Craig sat in the sitting area of the cottage and stared at the flames licking the stone walls of the fireplace. After Meriel had walked out of the front room and into their bedchamber, he considered what she had said. He even privately recognized that she had made significant strides in organizing the cottage. The small front room still looked to be a muddled mess of material, but it did look better. Maybe he should have acknowledged her efforts, but how hard was it to fulfill the two requests he had made—for her to make his dinner and clean his clothes? Both were completely ignored. The woman had
made
Hamish clothes in less time! She had prepared a picnic for Hamish that even from a distance had looked mouthwatering. At this rate, neither of Craig’s requests would ever be fulfilled! Aye, he was mad. He had a right to be.

Deciding that his anger was not going to ebb without some sleep, Craig got to his feet and opened the bedroom door. He was relieved to find Meriel curled on her side facing away from him, huddled under the coverlet, asleep. He did not want to have another fight.

Tugging off his leine and freeing himself from the rest of his clothes, he slipped under the covers.

The weight of him getting into bed woke Meriel. “What are you doing?” she asked in surprise, her voice thick with sleep.

“This is my bed and you are my wife. We are going to sleep together in the same bed every night until we are dead—mad or not,” he growled, rolling away from her.

Meriel yawned and said in a husky whisper, “Oh. All right.” Her tone was soft and completely accepting. Minutes later he could hear her deep breaths and knew that she was once again asleep. He soon joined her.

 

 

Seeking warmth, Meriel moved closer to the heat source in the bed. Finding it, she snuggled tight against Craig’s side, unaware in her unconscious state that she was doing so.

Craig instinctively reached out and pulled her to him, moaning as her lushly curved derriere pressed against his thighs. She shifted again and the erotic sensation of her skin rubbing against him brought him fully awake. He inhaled, smiled, and then frowned. Remembering how angry they had been at each other when they went to bed that night, he had not expected her to be completely undressed under the covers.

Carefully his hand slid down her arm, touching her smooth, warm skin. He marveled at her perfection—the softness of her body, her smell. She took his breath away. Even when annoyed, he could not get enough of her. Now that he was calmer, he recognized that much of his anger had stemmed from disappointment at her not being at home to greet him.

Propping his body up on his elbow, he studied his sleeping wife and at once felt a sharp pang of desire. He had been gone too long, and he ached to see the fiery passion kindle in her beautiful green-gold eyes. He inhaled her womanly scent and moaned softly. Her mere presence had him fully aroused.

Cupping her buttocks, he pulled her up against his hardness; the result was an odd mixture of relief and anguish at the teasing torture. He edged aside the coverlet to expose the curve of her shoulders and nuzzled his face in her soft wavy hair. Moving the heavy tresses aside, he feathered kisses over the arch of her neck as his hand began a slow exploration, reacquainting himself with her body. God help him, he could not stop touching her, kissing her.

He buried his face against her throat with a soft groan of desire. His only thought was his overpowering need to make love to his wife in every way. Turning onto his side, Craig eased Meriel onto her back and covered her body with his own. Slowly he drew his thumb across her bottom lip before gently tugging it with his teeth. Without any hesitation, Meriel lifted her face. Craig kissed her, exploring her mouth like it was their first time. As her lips parted under the pressure, he retraced the path of his thumb with his tongue, glorying in the knowledge that his touch could make her react to him, even in her sleep.

She wrapped her arms around his back as his kisses became more demanding. Pulling her tightly to him, he pressed his hips firmly against hers, letting his unmistakable need for her be known. Meriel gasped, becoming fully conscious as his tongue caressed every corner of her mouth, kissing her with an urgency built up over a week of separation.

Craig edged to his side so that he could tenderly draw his fingertips down between her breasts and over the small curve of her stomach. Meriel shivered. Her whole body was responding to his sensual assault, but she needed to know he was no longer angry with her. Likewise, Craig had to understand that while she too might have seemed mad, she had only been hurt. That she had missed him terribly. That every night she had dreamed and longed for him. “Craig, I—”