Page 26 of Awakened By Time
“Good.”
He released her hand and she felt regret that he had. Zeke had touched her with his words and his respect for her. It was best to get out of bed and put some space between them. She had to remember this was only temporary. The best thing she could do right now was ignore the man in her bed. The man who made her feel things she did not want to feel. There was no time to think about that now, though. She had to get her things together so they could be on their way. Zeke stayed in bed and watched her as she gathered the few belongings she wished to take along with her. She paused momentarily as she picked up the doll her aunt had made her. She thought about leaving it behind, but found that she couldn’t. It meant too much to her. It was the only good memory she’d be taking along and so she quickly stuffed it into her bag. When she was done she turned to look at him.He is verra handsome.And unlike her Da, he didn’t seem to yell about everything. She would do her best to be pleasant around him.
“I’m ready to go, but ye are still abed. It seems I’ve married a lazy man,” she teased. Do ye nae need to pack yer belongings?”
“The few belongings I have are ready to go. Watching you buzzing from one end of the room to the other has exhausted me. I think I need to sleep more.” He lay down and put a pillow over his head.
Brenna picked up the other pillow and slammed him with it. He didn’t move. She tried again and this time he threw the pillow off his head and grabbing her wrestled her down to the bed. She wriggled and squirmed beneath him as she became aware that something hard and long was poking her in the belly. Both arms were accounted for and it didn’t feel like a leg. She froze in place, gazing up into a chiseled face and soft blue eyes. Those eyes were gazing down into hers with the same intensity she was feeling. Without thinking, Brenna pulled his head down to hers and kissed him right on the lips. She had only an instant to regret it before he kissed her back and kissed her again and again. Kisses so sweet she never wanted them to stop. She was new to kissing, so she followed his lead, doing everything that he did, which seemed to be right, because he seemed to be enjoying it as much as she. She was intrigued by the hard object poking her and her hand made its way between their bodies to feel it.
Breaking away for a moment, she asked, “Does this always happen when you kiss a lass?”
“No. Only if I’m enjoying it,” he said with a low growl. “Brenna, you’ve never done this before?” He seemed surprised, then the kisses moved down her neck to her shoulder.
“Nae. You’re the first man I’ve kissed like this,” she admitted as she turned her head a bit, enjoying those kisses.
“Really! You’re pretty good at it,” he said into her neck.
She was happy to hear this. “I’m simply doing as yer doing.”
“Good plan.” He dipped his head again. Kissing her differently this time. His tongue slipped between her lips and ventured into her mouth.
The sensations Brenna was feeling were beyond belief. She stopped again. “Is this what love feels like, Zeke?”
He rolled off of her and stared at the canopy of her bed. She immediately felt the loss of his warm body. He seemed to be breathing hard and so was she. “I think we should stop. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”
“Just a little more. Please.” Brenna was used to getting what she wanted, but she could tell Zeke wasn’t going to give it to her. The hard shaft poking her belly had disappeared and she believed they were done. Zeke sat up and moved across the room to get dressed. Maybe when they made camp for the night he’d kiss her again. She smiled at the thought of it.
* * *
Aunt Saundra hurriedthrough the courtyard just as Zeke and Brenna were about to mount their horses.
“Brenna, I didnae wish you to leave without a proper send off. I had hoped that yer Da and brothers would join me in wishing ye farewell, but they indulged too much in the drink last night and none of them are awake.”
“’Tis fine, Aunt. I’m happy you’re here,” Brenna replied, wrapping her aunt in a hug.
“Take care of Brenna,” she said to Zeke. “Or ‘tis me you’ll answer to.”
Zeke smiled reassuringly at her. “Don’t worry. I’ll see to it that she is happy and safe.” He wasn’t lying. He’d keep her safe until they arrived at Breaghacraig and then Dougall would take it from there. As for happy, Brenna would be ecstatic to be away from Castle Treun.
Tears began to form in Saundra’s eyes and Zeke could see Brenna was doing her best not to cry. They stood holding each other’s hands and gazing into each other’s eyes.
He hated to interrupt them, so he gave them a few minutes to finished their goodbyes before saying, “We should go.”
“I’ll miss ye,” Saundra said to Brenna.
“And I’ll miss ye, as well.”
“Ye’ll have a good life with this man.” She dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief and then gave Brenna one last hug.
Zeke and Brenna mounted their horses and headed for the gate, waving back at Saundra as they departed the courtyard and began their journey to Breaghacraig.
It would takethem at least three days to reach their destination. They kept their horses at a walk as they made their way along the trail which was nestled between fields of green and dotted with groves of trees. The sky was blue and filled with white puffy clouds floating leisurely along. They had little conversation, each content to sit with their own thoughts.
Zeke couldn’t believe he’d allowed himself to kiss Brenna like that. If he’d used the brain in his head and not the one between his legs, he’d never have indulged. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy it. On the contrary, he’d enjoyed it very much. She’d been so eager to follow him and he was happy to lead the way, at least until she mentioned the word love. He couldn’t lead Brenna on. He didn’t love her. Being in love again was the furthest thing from his mind. He’d loved Helene and he’d been hurt when she left him, even though he knew it was for the best. His feelings of loss and pain had diminished over time and he thought that he might be ready for love again, but not with Brenna. What he was feeling for her was purely physical. She was, after all, a beauty. A strong, intelligent woman. She was definitely his type and, if things were different, he wouldn’t have minded having her in his arms again, feeling her body pressed against his, tasting her sweet lips. He was going to have to fight that urge because not only was this a fake marriage, but she was innocent and inexperienced. She was trusting him to get her to Breaghacraig and he wouldn’t betray that trust. He’d keep his distance. Yes, they were married, but it was only a temporary thing.
Brenna wantedto talk to Zeke, but he seemed to have retreated into his own thoughts and she didn’t wish to disturb him. She wondered if he had enjoyed their kisses as much as she had. She hoped so, but from the looks of him perhaps not. She watched his face change from serious to thoughtful, to a softer, dreamier look and back to serious once again. It was as if a battle was taking place inside of his head. She’d never met a man like him. He was a mystery to her. She tipped her head as she continued gazing at him. She found that she couldn’t stop herself from looking at him. It made her think about those kisses and the feel of his warm breath on her neck. Goosebumps erupted as she remembered the feel of his hands caressing her, his deep blue eyes staring into hers. She seemed to lose all self-control when she was around him, but she was at a loss as to why. Once again she wondered if this was what love felt like. She had no prior experiences to compare it to and while it was all so very exciting, it also frightened her to think that she might love this man and perhaps he didn’t feel the same way about her. She calmed herself with the knowledge that they had plenty of time to get to know each other better on this trek through the Scottish countryside. She’d be on her best behavior and maybe he would kiss her again. It was all she’d been able to think about since it happened this morning. She snuck another look at him as he rode along beside her and caught him gazing at her. She smiled. He smiled, but then he looked away.
“Is something wrong, Zeke?” she asked.