Lisa’s hand flew to her abdomen and her eyes widened. “Uh … Oh! I should get dressed.” Leaving her mother with raised brows and a very intrigued expression on her face, Lisa fled the hallway before she could think much harder about the possibility her mother had raised.
LISA GLANCED AROUND THE SUITE, BEWILDERED. AFTER she had slipped on lacy you-knows, jeans, and a blouse, Circenn had efficiently navigated traffic and driven them downtown to The Cincinnatian, where he’d reserved a suite. She was stunned by how capable he was, how quickly he’d adapted to and taken control of her modern-day world. But then she remembered that the man was a born conqueror and warrior, and the twenty-first century, while overwhelming, was just one more challenge for him, and he would master it with the same aplomb as he’d mastered his own century.
He’d explained a bit on the ride there, and gravely informed her that he forgave her for leaving him, although his lower lip had been set at such an angle that she’d known his feelings had been hurt.
He’d also explained that they’d kept her on the isle of Morar while he and Adam had changed her future, and filled her in on how they’d prevented the car wreck and the cancer.
“But I thought you hated Adam.”
Circenn sighed as he popped open a bottle of champagne and poured two glasses. Dropping onto the bed, he gave her a guilty look and patted the bed beside him.
He opened his arms. “Come. I need you, lass,” he whispered before closing his mouth over hers. Then he proceeded to show her how very much he needed her.
Clothing fell swiftly away as they undressed each other urgently. When she was clad in nothing but a lacy pale pink bra and panties, he lifted her high in his arms above him and fell back onto the bed. Lisa sat astride him and ran her hands over his muscled chest, following the trail of silky dark hair with a feather-light finger.
Slipping the strap of her bra down, he groaned softly. “I love these lacy things.”
Lisa laughed and dropped her head forward so that her hair curtained his face. “I love you”
“I know,” her said smugly. And for a few moments she was lost in a wave of passion and tenderness and love that surged silently along their unique bond.
Never leave me, lass, you are the one and only, forever.
“What?” she exclaimed.
“Did you hear me?” With lazy sensuality, he dragged his tongue over the peak of her nipple through the thin silk of her bra. It crested eagerly.
“Words! I heard you in words!”
“Mmm,” he murmured, nipping gently at the buds he’d teased beneath the silk. With a quick snap her bra was off, and he cupped her breasts in his hands, brushing the pads of his thumbs over her nipples. Will you love me forever? He caught a nipple between his thumb and forefinger, tugging gently.
Lisa shook her head, trying to clear it. Even after all the times she’d made love with him, she still couldn’t think clearly when he was touching her. “What are you saying?”
That I need you forever, Lisa Brodie. Wed me and have babies with me and give me forever.
“Lisa Brodie?” she squeaked.
You doona think I’d leave you in shame, do you? Be my wife. I promise you will want for naught. He slipped his hands inside her panties and cupped her bottom. His gaze was fixed on her abdomen, as if he were trying to see inside her. Her hand flew to her stomach.
“Do you know something I don’t know?” she asked suspiciously.
Just that you’ve already done one of the three things I am asking you to do.
“I’m pregnant? I’m going to have your baby?” she exclaimed, a shiver of delight racing up her spine.
Our baby. Yes, lass, he already grows within you and he will be very … special. Marry me, love.
“Yes,” she said. “Oh yes yes yes, Circenn!”
I am the luckiest man in the world.
“Yes,” Lisa agreed, then thought no more for a long time.
* * *
Afterward, they showered together, slipping and sliding in the huge marble shower that had six spouts, three on each wall. Circenn indulged with the unfettered pleasure of a fourteenth-century barbarian who’d never seen a shower before, standing in the streams of the water, shaking his head and spraying it everywhere. They made love on the marble floor, in the corner against the wall, and in the Jacuzzi. Lisa, wrapped in a fluffy white robe, was toweling her hair dry when she heard Circenn yelling in the bedroom.
Startled, she slipped from the bathroom only to discover Circenn standing nude in front of the TV, roaring at it.
“William Wallace did not look like that!” He gestured irritably at the TV.