Page 52 of Cottage in the Mist (Time After Time #3)

He growled deep in his throat, then opened his mouth in protest, but she laid her fingers over his lips.

“I don’t want to have to choose between you and Alec.

But if you make me choose, then I choose you.

And I’ll choose you every single time. I came through time for you, Bram Macgillivray, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you push me away because of some stupid blood feud between your family and mine.

Just because you think you understand what happened all those years ago doesn’t mean you have the right of it.

” She reached beneath her plaid to pull the ring free.

“I have the damn ring. The one that changes everything. The one meant to unite the Macgillivray and Comyns. The one meant to unite us .” She waved the ring at him, her voice echoing off the cliffs across the river.

“ Mo chridhe gu bràth —my heart forever. That’s what it says.

All those years ago Tyra had it made for Graeme.

And my mother gave it to my father. And now I’ve got it—and I met you. I don’t know what else I can say…”

“That I’m a great stubborn oaf.” He framed her face with his hands, his gaze colliding with hers.

“Well, that goes without saying,” she snapped.

“Then since we’re agreed, why don’t you close your beautiful mouth so that I can kiss you?”

Said mouth gaped open like a fish as she stared up at him, his fingers warm against her skin, his breath stirring the tendrils of her hair around her face. Her heart stuttered, and her stomach clenched as he lowered his head, his lips covering hers.

All rational thought was swept away by the intensity of his touch.

His tongue traced the seam of her lips and with a sigh, she opened for him, feeling as if finally, finally she’d come home.

He tasted of whisky and smelled of smoke and peat, the heady combination sending sparks of heat dancing across her skin.

No matter how foreign, no matter how far from her world, this was where she belonged.

Here. With Bram. His arms tightened around her as the kiss deepened, the two of them locked in a timeless dance of giving and taking—melding together until it became impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.

His hands ran down the length of her arms, his fingers feathering against her skin until they settled on the curve of her hips.

He pulled her closer still, and she could feel the hard length of him as he pressed against her.

With a soft sigh, she relished the proof that she wasn’t alone in her desire.

Her hands skimmed across the breadth of his chest, and then dropped lower to his taut stomach and then lower still to trace the hard line of his burgeoning heat.

He shuddered at her caress, groaning against her lips.

“Ach, lass, I canna breathe when you touch me like that.”

“Then let me touch you skin to skin,” she whispered, her body trembling now with need. “Please, Bram. Love me, now.”

He groaned again, and with a flick of his hand removed his plaid, laying it down upon the ground at their feet.

Then he pulled her until they knelt face to face upon the soft woolen blanket, his crystalline blue gaze meeting hers.

“Are you sure this is what you want? I’m afraid I’ve naught to offer you but the man you see before you. ”

“What I see is more than I ever could have wished for.”

He reached for her hands, their fingers lacing together by their sides. “And you meant what you said? That you’ll always choose me?”

She nodded, emotion clogging her throat. “Always.”

“And there will ne’er be anyone for me but you. This I swear.”

“Bram?” She swallowed, tears filling her eyes. “Are you… are we…” A vague memory of the notion of handfasting flitted through her brain.

“Aye.” He nodded, uncertainty chasing across his face. “If you’re willing. I know ’tis no’ the perfect time. But I canna?—“

She reached up and covered his lips again with her fingers. “Yes. Yes, Bram, I will marry you. Here. Now. I promise you my life and my loyalty. I am yours, for all time, if that is what you wish.”

“I’ve never wanted anything more.”

She nodded, pulling the fine silver chain from around her neck and releasing the clasp to free the ring. “I’ve no idea how this is done, but it seems this is a good place to start.” She waited, her heart in her throat, her gaze still locked with his.

He covered her hand with his, the silver ring warm between their palms. It seemed to Lily that the world had shrunk to include only the two of them and the soft sound of the river flowing by.

“From this day on it shall be only your name I cry out in the night and into your eyes that I smile each morning. I will cherish and honor you through this life and into the next,” Bram said, his voice hoarse with emotion.

“I too give you my body and my heart. Forever and a day. I love you.”

“And I you, mo ghràidh .”

The words seemed to wrap around them like a warm cocoon, protecting them from all that threatened their happiness. Or maybe it was their love. Lily wasn’t sure of anything more than the fact that this was where she was meant to be. In this time. With this man.

With shaking fingers, she slid the ring onto Bram’s finger, the silver gleaming in the moonlight. “It’s done then.”

“Aye, you belong to me.”

She smiled then. “And you belong to me.”

“But I have no ring for you.”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t need a reminder. Not when you’re right here in front of me.”

A shadow passed across his face, and she knew he was thinking about the looming confrontation with his uncle. But this wasn’t the time. This moment belonged only to the two of them.

She stroked his cheek, the warmth of his skin sending heat spiraling through her. “And when you’re not with me, I’ll have you here.” She touched her chest. “In my heart. See? Your father’s pin guards the way.” The little silver cat winked up at them.

Their gazes held for another moment, as the power of their pledge flowed through them both, and then Bram leaned forward to kiss her, his touch gentle and reverent.

For a moment, Lily savored the feel of his lips against hers, and then with a shiver of anticipation she opened her mouth and with a groan, she felt his control shatter.

His hands cradled her face as his mouth slanted over hers, their tongues dancing together—thrusting and parrying, advancing and retreating. And she wondered if she could ever possibly get enough of him.

As if he read her thoughts, his mouth lifted in a slow crooked grin and he bent his head, leaving hot, open-mouthed kisses along the soft line of her throat, pausing to kiss the angry mark Frazier’s blade had left.

“I’ll no’ let anyone else hurt you, Lily,” he growled softly, nipping at her earlobe. “You belong to me now. You’re mine.”

And then his fingers found her breast through the thin material of her borrowed shirt, first caressing and then teasing her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, the resulting sensation sending heat pooling between her legs.

With an economy of motion, he removed her plaid and her shirt, cupping both breasts with his hands.

She tilted back her head, eyes closing as she offered herself to him.

His mouth closed over one breast, the wet warmth sending her arching upward to press her body even closer.

He sucked harder, pulling her deeper into his mouth, his fingers teasing the other nipple.

She ground her pelvis against his, needing more. Wanting more.

His hand circled lower, and then lower still, slipping into the waistband of her leggings, beneath the elastic of her panties.

Slowly, so slowly, his fingers stroked through the curls between her legs, circling just above the place she longed for him to touch.

Moaning, she arched upward trying to force his play, but instead she felt his smile as he lifted his head.

“Patience, mo ghràidh .”

He kissed her on the lips—hard, and then helped her remove the rest of her clothes. Then with trembling hands, she pulled the long linen shirt over his head.

“You’re hurt.” She reached out to run her finger across the skin adjacent to the angry slash on his chest.

“’Tis no’ but a scratch, I swear to you.”

“Well, I’ll not let anyone hurt you again either.”

His smile was crooked and slow, stealing her breath away. He helped her remove the rest of his clothes, and naked, they lay down against the soft wool of his plaid, the stars twinkling through the trees above them.

Bracing himself on his elbows, he lowered his big body to cover hers, the hair on his chest brushing seductively against her breasts.

His mouth found hers, his tongue taking control as he circled her wrists and lifted them above her head.

He kissed her eyes, her nose and the corners of her lips.

Then he sucked her earlobe into his mouth, his hot breath torturing her with the promise of what was to come.

He kissed his way down the valley between her breasts and across the taut plane of her stomach.

And then he freed her hands, pushing her legs apart, her thighs braced on his shoulders.

She shuddered again with need as his fingers held her open and his tongue dipped unerringly into her core, stroking, sucking, laving.

She bucked against him, feeling the sweet tension begin to rise.

Her hands braced against his shoulders as he took her higher and then higher still, his tongue driving her toward the precipice.

And then just as she reached the pinnacle, he withdrew, and she bit off her protest as he slid up her body, his mouth finding hers as the head of his erection pressed against her opening.

Wrapping her legs around his hips, she lifted as he thrust deeply, filling her with his heat.

For a moment they held still, the fragrant night air surrounding them, the soft sounds of the river providing a private symphony.

Then he began to move. Slowly at first then with more urgency and power.

She found his rhythm and rose to meet each thrust, their bodies moving in tandem, pleasure intensifying until it was just this side of pain.

Together they moved. Higher and harder. Faster and deeper.

And Lily felt her world began to break apart, the power of her climax sending her crashing over the edge.

Flying on pure sensation, she cried out his name and felt her body contracting around his as he thrust into her, his breathing guttural as he too found his release.

Her heart pounded against his, her body singing in pure delight—as if she were an instrument that had been well-played.

His mouth found hers, his kiss deep and thorough.

Then, with a sigh of contentment that echoed her own, he rolled off of her, pulling her into his arms, her head cradled on his chest. They lay together quietly, hearts beating in tandem. He stroked her hair and tugged her plaid across them both to keep them warm. She felt cherished. Loved.

And as she drifted off to sleep, it occurred to Lily that if she were to die now, in this moment, she would die happy. Truly, blissfully, honestly happy.