"You will sleep with me."
"Yes, but I want a home."
"Like Ramsey's?" he asked.
"No," she answered. "It doesn't have to be grand. One just like this cottage would be nice."
She stopped rubbing his shoulders and traced a crescent-shaped scar below his right shoulder. "How did you get this?"
"I don't remember. It happened a long time ago."
"It must have hurt," she said. She kissed the jagged gray line, noticed his muscles tightened, and kissed him again. Then she stretched out on top of him and put her head down on his shoulder.
He groaned. "You're killing me, Gillian."
"Am I too heavy for you?"
"That isn't what I mean. If you don't stop wiggling, I'm going to make love to you, and I know you're tender."
The heat radiating from his body warmed her. "Not so very tender," she whispered. "And you weren't worried about that during the night."
"Then you remember? I thought you slept through it."
She knew he was teasing her. "Yes, I did sleep through it. It must have been a dream that made me scream."
"Aye, you were screaming," he agreed, smiling over the memory. "I made you burn, didn't I?"
"How would I know? I was asleep."
She began to stroke his arms, loving the feel of him. "You're so hard," she whispered.
She was far more accurate than she realized. He was hard from wanting her, but he was pleased by her boldness and curiosity.
"Brodick?"
"Yes?"
"Could we… if you're not too tired and you didn't have to move… could I…"
"Could you what?" he asked.
She finally got up the courage to get the words out. "Could I make love to you?"
"But I won't have to move?"
"No," she insisted.
He laughed. "Sweetheart, moving is a definite requirement."
Her hands caressed the sinewy ripples of his back as she slowly moved down his body. She wanted to kiss him everywhere.
"Gillian," he began gruffly.
"Hush," she whispered. "I'm making love to you this time. You said I could."
"May I offer a suggestion?"
"What is it?"
"It'll work better if you let me turn over."
He rolled onto his back, grabbed her, and kissed her hungrily as he helped her untie the ribbon of her gown and watched her blush as she pulled the gown over her head and tossed it aside.
"You are so beautiful," he whispered. He kissed her again.
The teasing ended then as passion flared. Trembling in his arms, she became more demanding. He entered her swiftly, completely, and the pleasure was so intense, so blissful, he closed his eyes and groaned loudly, "Lord, you feel good."
And then he began to move within her, slowly, deliberately until she was writhing out of control. The thrilling sensations drove him on, and when he felt her tighten around him and heard her cry his name, he climaxed deep inside her.
Spent, he collapsed on top of her and stayed there long minutes until his heart stopped slamming inside his chest and he could draw a decent breath.
"You've exhausted me," he whispered gruffly as he rolled to his side and pulled her up against him. Her back was against his chest and her sweet derriere was pressed against his groin. The scent of their lovemaking clung to their bodies; the only sound was that of the logs crackling in the hearth and Gillian's occasional sigh.
"I had no idea I was going to like this so much."
"I did," he told her. "I knew the first time I kissed you. I could feel the passion in you. I knew you were going to be wild, and I was right."
"Because I love you," she said. "I don't think I'd be so… free… with any other man."
"You aren't ever going to find out," he said. "No other man will ever touch you."
Before he could get riled up, she soothed him. "I don't want any other man. I want only you. I love you, now and forever."
Her fervent words pleased him. Lifting her hand, he kissed her wrist. "Does this still bother you?" he asked as he looked at the scars puckering her skin.
"No," she answered. She tried to pull her hand away then. "But it's unsightly."
He kissed her ear. "Nothing about you is unsightly."
And then he proceeded to kiss every mark on her arm, and by the time he reached her elbow, she was shivering.
Just as Gillian was contentedly drifting off to sleep, he nudged her. "Do you trust me?"
"You know that I do."
"Then give me the names of the Englishmen."
She was suddenly wide awake. Turning in his arms, she looked into his eyes. "I want you to promise me something first."
"What is it?"
She sat up, pulled the covers around her, and leaned against the wall. "You know that I have to return to England. You understood that before you married me, didn't you?"
He knew where this was leading and frowned. "Yes," he agreed. "I knew you wanted to return to England."
"I'll give you their names after you promise me you and Iain and Ramsey won't retaliate until I've accomplished my goal and my Uncle Morgan is safe. You're a man of your word, Brodick. Promise me."
"Gillian, I cannot let you go back. You'd be walking into a death trap, and I can't-"
"You cannot stop me."
"Yes, I can." His voice was forceful now, angry. He sat up and roughly pulled her into his arms.
"I have to go."
"No."
"Brodick, Morgan is now your uncle too, and it's your duty to look out for him, isn't it?"
"I'll find him for you, Gillian, and see that no harm comes to him."
She shook her head. "You wouldn't know where to look. I have to go back and finish this."
He tried to reason with her. "You told me that the bastard demanded you return with the king's box and your sister. You will be going back empty-handed. How then can you expect to save your uncle?"
"The baron's far more interested in getting the jeweled box back than anything else. I'm going to try to convince him that my sister's dead."
"But you don't have the box, do you? And you don't know where the hell it is, remember?"
"I'm praying that my sister remembers," she said quietly.
"And if she doesn't?"
"I don't know," she cried out. "I have to go back. My uncle's life is at stake. Why won't you understand?"
"I can't let you put yourself in such jeopardy. If anything happened to you…" His voice shook, and he couldn't go on, couldn't even think about Gillian being hurt without shuddering. "I wouldn't like it," he muttered.
"Promise me, Brodick."
"No."
"Be reasonable," she demanded.
"I am being reasonable. You aren't."
"You knew… before you married me… you knew what I had to do."
"Gillian, things have changed."
She tried another strategy. "You could protect me. You could make certain I was safe, couldn't you?" He didn't answer her. "If you and Ramsey and Iain came with me, I would be very safe. After I've found out where my uncle is, then you could retaliate… but not before."
"So it's your plan to walk into the demon's den alone? You're out of your mind if you think…"
"You could make it safe for me."
She wasn't going to bend, and he had to have the names.
"All right," he finally agreed, but before she could get excited over his promise, he qualified it.
"If your sister has the box or knows where it is and you then have something to bargain with, and if you do exactly what I tell you to do when we get there, then I'll let you go with us."
"And you will wait until my uncle is safe to retaliate?"
"Yes. I give you my word."
She was so pleased she kissed him. "Thank you."
"I swear to God, Gillian, if anything happens to you, I could not live with it."
"You'll protect me."
Heaven help him, he was already regretting his promise. How in God's name could he let her near the bastards?