Page 89 of Cottage in the Mist
He lifted his head, the shadows of the night keeping his expression hidden, but she could see the light in his eyes. And for a moment, she imagined that he had been wishing for her as much as she had been wishing for him.
“Go away. I dinna want company.”
So much for fantasy. But his response was enough to banish her fear. He wasn’t going to get away that easily. At least not without the two of them attempting to talk things over.
“I don’t care what you want,” she said, her voice ringing out across the little clearing as she closed the distance between them. “We have things to say to each other.”
“Yes. I’m a Macgillivray and you’re a Comyn.” He pushed to his feet, anger sparking in his eyes, and she had to force herself not to take a step back. He towered over her.
She let out an inelegant snort, and took another step closer. “Big freakin’ deal. It’s not like we have any control over who our relatives are. The only thing that matters here is us. And if you’re still angry because I didn’t tell you, I would have if you’d given me the chance.”
“With thirty-odd Comyns looking on.”
“Again, not in my control. Besides, it’s not exactly like you’ve been Mr. Honesty. You swore you wouldn’t leave me. Twice, in fact. And yet at the first opportunity that’s exactly what you did.”
“I did that to keep you safe.”
“And look how well that worked out.” Even as she said it, she knew that the point was actually his. But damned if she’d admit it. “At least I never lied to you. When we were first together I didn’t know I was related to your Alec.”
“He bloody well isn’t my Alec. He’s yours.”
“I’ve known the man less than forty-eight hours. I’d hardly say that makes him mine.”
“Then what about Jeffrey St. Claire? The two of you certainly seem to be close.” They were standing toe to toe now.
“He’s a friend. Amarriedfriend, I might add. And for a man who doesn’t care about me you certainly sound jealous.” The idea sent a warm shiver racing through her. That and the fact that his breath was fanning her face.
“I’m no’ jealous. You can flirt with whomever you please.”
“Then it pleases me to flirt withyou.” Not that she was exactly doing that at the moment—more yelling at him like a fishwife.
“I’ll no’ have a woman I dinna trust in my bed.” He poked her in the chest with his finger, his ice-blue eyes narrowed in anger.
“I’ll not have you in my bed period until you apologize for the way you’ve been acting. I came through time for you, damn it.” The minute the words were out she felt a rising bubble of hysteria. God, she was living a freakin’ movie. And unfortunately if she was playing the part of Kyle Reece, it didn’t bode well for happily ever after.
His frown deepened. “So now you’re laughing at me?”
“No.” She shook her head, sobering in an instant. “I was reduced to quoting movies.”
“Quoting what?” He was bellowing now.
“Nothing. Just something from my time. It doesn’t matter. Or maybe it does. Maybe the whole point here is that I came through time for you. Just a few weeks ago I lost my entire family. I was completely alone in the world. And then something wonderful happened. I met all these amazing people. Mrs. Abernathy and her husband, Jamie. Elaine and her husband,Jeff. My cousins Reggie and Tildy. Not to mention Katherine and Iain. And Robby and Alec. Suddenly I have more family than I can count. But most miraculously of all, I found you. And nothing, not even your biases and fears about my relatives, is worth standing in the way of that.”
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 uniteus.” 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.
