magnificent as his ancestors were, perhaps even more so. There wasn't a fold of fat anywhere. She understood why he radiated such strength and power now. The splay of muscles in his upper arms and thighs was evidence enough. Muscles rolled under skin that glistened when he put his hand out to her.
She immediately walked forward and placed her hand in his. 'I thought you were sleeping,' she whispered.
'I cannot rest until you do.'
'Why is that, Connor?'
He liked the way she said his name in such a familiar, intimate way. God, he was weary tonight. He had to be exhausted to be thinking about such foolishness now.
'I'm responsible for you, that's why. What were you doing? You were gone a long time.'
He knew exactly what she'd been doing, of course, the proof of her weeping still lingered in her eyes, and the only reason he'd asked the question was to see if she would admit her weakness to him.
'I was crying like a baby. Why does that amuse you?'
'I smiled because you told me the truth.'
'I always try to tell the truth. Lies become too complicated. Do you always walk around without any clothes on?'
She sounded worried about the possibility. 'Only when I'm chasing after inconsiderate wives,' he answered.
He didn't mean to sound surly. She didn't seem to notice, however. Her mind was somewhere else. He wasn't left guessing what she was thinking about.
'Why did you marry me?'
'I'll explain tomorrow.'
He started to turn, intending to drag her back to the bed, but she stopped him by tugging on his hand.
'You promised me you would explain directly after our marriage was blessed. You don't believe I'll like hearing the truth, do you? Could that be the reason you're putting it off?'
'Come back to bed. Then I'll explain.'
'You'll only fall asleep before…' She stopped trying to explain when he lifted her up into his arms. His skin was so wonderfully warm, she wanted to press herself against him. She didn't give in to the temptation though, but put her arms around his neck and stared directly into his eyes.
'Why were you weeping?'
'I was thinking about my family.'
'I'm your family now.'
The gruffness in his voice actually comforted her, and she knew she had to be exhausted to have such a strange reaction. She hadn't wanted to tell him her worry, but heaven help her, the way he stared at her made her want to blurt out every little concern she had.
'I disappointed you,' she whispered.
'No.'
'No?'
'You didn't disappoint me.'
She waited for him to explain. He didn't say another word, which really shouldn't have surprised her, as she already had noticed he wasn't one to embellish any of his remarks. The flaw obviously extended to compliments as well. She was feeling inordinately pleased with herself now, and all because she hadn't disappointed him.
Oh, yes, she was weary tonight. It had been a long, difficult day, after all, and that was why she was being so emotional.
He carried her back to his blankets and set her on her feet again. When she tried to turn away from him, he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her long and hard.
Her knees went weak, and when he let go of her she gracefully collapsed to the bed.
She regained her strength a minute later. After he'd stretched out on the blankets, she tried to kneel over him. He was having none of that. He pulled her down beside him, forced her back up against his chest, and wrapped his arms around her.
He wasn't about to let go of her. He knew she hadn't forgotten his promise to tell her exactly why he'd married her, and he wasn't at all certain how she would react to hearing a few of his reasons. He didn't want to have to get up and chase after her again. Women, he had learned, could be peculiar about matters that really shouldn't concern them. They tended to get their feelings injured quite easily; at least Alex's wife, Jamie, did. Brenna seemed to be even more emotional. Not only did she appear to get her feelings injured, she also insisted on telling Connor about it. The fact that she'd told him she believed she'd disappointed him was proof enough.
He was astounded she'd needed his reassurance. She hadn't tried to hide her vulnerability at all.
Yes, she astounded him all right, and pleased him more than he could ever have thought possible.
'Connor, you were going to tell me…'
'I wanted sons.'
'And daughters,' she reminded him.
'And daughters,' he agreed. 'I told you my reason earlier.'
She tried to turn so she could look at him, but he tightened his hold on her, making movement impossible.
She gave up trying. She rested the side of her face on his upper arm, smiling because it felt so hard and warm against her cheek, then yawned loudly.
'But why did you marry me? You could have married any woman from the Highlands.'
'You asked me.'
'Please don't use that excuse. We both know you would never have held a child to her word.'
'No, I wouldn't.'
'Do you remember any of it? Surely you…'
He remembered every detail of the meeting with her father, of course. 'Are you going to keep me awake all night?' he asked, irritably.
'No, of course not. I didn't mean to stray from the topic. I'm concerned your reason for marrying me has something to do with my father. Is that true?'
'No,' he answered. 'My feud is with MacNare. He went after Quinlan's family. He burned their home, destroyed their crops, and killed their stock. He wanted their land to add to his own. I had only just heard about this atrocity when another one of my followers came to me with a similar outrage to report.'
'And because your men are loyal to you, you went to war on their behalf.'
'Yes.'
'There had to be another reason as well, for surely others have come to you in the past with stories of mistreatment, If you married each time, you'd have ten wives by now.'
'I have another reason, but I don't wish to discuss it now.'
'Someday will you explain?'
'Yes.'
'All right then. Will you explain what our marriage has to do with your war?'
'It's simple, Brenna. MacNare wanted you.'
'And so you took me away from him. Why didn't you just kill me?'
'I don't kill women.'
'I didn't mean to insult you. You tell me you don't kill women, but you have no concerns about using them, do you?'
'When it's necessary.'
'Why didn't you simply continue to war against him? Were your losses too substantial?'
'If a Highlander has vengeance in his heart, no loss is substantial. I was fortunate though. There were injuries, but none of my own died. My brother ordered me to end the feud. Alec has become what some would call a mediator in our land, and he has the power behind him to force others to do what he considers just. Marrying you was my last…'
'Insult?'
'It is, only if you choose to think it is.'
