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Once they were alone again, James pulled Davina into his strong embrace and she went willingly, in need of his comfort. “’Tis only a minor problem, easily solved,” he insisted.

“Aye, James.” She sighed wearily. “As long as we have each other, nothing can defeat us.”

“That’s my lass,” he whispered, kissing her brow.

Yet the following morning James sent a message to McKenna Castle asking for reinforcements.

Chapter Nineteen

“Are ye awake, Davina?”

James’s voice rumbled, deep and sensual, in the silence of the night. Davina turned on her side, punched the pillow beneath her head, and sighed.

“Sorry,” she answered. “Did I wake ye?”

“Aye, from a sound sleep. Clearly, I have not done my duty as a husband if ye aren’t fully exhausted from our earlier coupling.”

The feel of his fingers against her naked breast startled her. Stiffening, she pushed his hand away.

“James, making love is not the answer to every problem,” Davina exclaimed, glad that in the darkness he could not see the flush spreading across her cheeks.

Nearly six weeks married and she still suffered bouts of modesty when he acted so boldly. Worse, he found her blushes vastly amusing and greatly enjoyed teasing her about them, a situation she normally didn’t mind.

But tonight she was too upset.

“I was trying to distract ye,” he said softly, easing her into his arms. “Ye haven’t slept a peaceful night since we arrived.”

“I know and I feel foolish because of it.”

“It’s not an uncommon problem,” James said sympathetically.

“Well, judging by the volume of yer snoring, I can safely say that ye dinnae have any trouble sleeping here,” Davina retorted.

“When ye live the life of a Crusader, ye quickly learn to sleep anywhere. My brothers-in-arms liked to joke that I could easily sleep standing up, like a horse.” He kissed the top of her head. “Ye merely need time to adjust.”

“McKenna Castle was unfamiliar to me, yet I dinnae have nearly this much difficulty drifting off to sleep.”

Davina’s heart twisted. It had been the realization of a dream having James as her husband and the chance to return to her childhood home as its mistress. The sorry state of the keep had been an unexpected letdown, but she had never shied away from hard work.

Laboring all day and making love with James each night should have left her exhausted and contented. Yet instead, she felt oddly unsettled and that feeling of unease grew with each passing day.

Though he denied it, James felt it too. Why else would he have sent for aid from his family? Malcolm’s arrival had been a surprise to both of them; obviously James had not expected his brother to answer his plea for help.

“Is it Joan? I know it cannae be easy having yer cousin here,” James asked.

Davina sucked in a sigh. “Joan was a most unexpected, unwelcome surprise, but I cannae blame this unsettled feeling on her.”

James’s arms tightened around her. It was a great comfort, though the sense of calmness she sought still eluded her. She twined herself around his body, needing to get closer. James groaned. His hand rested near her bottom and seemed unable to resist a sensual caress across her curves, but he stopped after one languid stroke.

Davina shivered and moved her legs restlessly. “Why did ye stop?”

“God’s bones, Davina, ye just told me that everything cannae be solved by coupling.”

She shook his shoulders. “Honestly, James McKenna, do ye always listen to yer daft wife?”

He chuckled, as she knew he would, and claimed her lips in a sweet kiss. It took but a few kisses until she felt the fullness of his erect penis pressing against her belly. Davina rolled onto her back, letting her body soften beneath his and a deep, sensual sound rumbled from James’s chest.

He raised himself on his elbows and looked down at her. Davina slipped her hand between their bodies. Her fingers glided over his chest, across his abdomen, and finally down to his penis. Curling her fingers around him, she stroked his thick, hard length.