Dwyn hadn’t made him explain what these things were. She knew. They included figuring out what Katie had done to “handle”Aulay, and deciding what to do with the maid as well as Brodie’s soldiers, at least the ones who had survived the battle.
Curious about those things, she lay on her side facing the window and listened as Geordie disrobed and then slid into bedbehind her. When he started to curl around her, his arm reaching over her and then stopping uncertainly, she took his handand pressed it to her breast with his palm over her nipple.
“’Tis the only spot that is no’ bruised,” she explained with amusement when he went still with what she suspected was surprise.
Geordie relaxed then and pressed a kiss to her neck. “I did no’ expect ye to be awake yet.”
“I drowsed fer a bit,” she admitted, scooting back until he was spooning her. “But I was curious to learn when we are leavingfor Innes.”
“Everyone’s decided to delay fer a day so we can rest up after what happened. I thought ye may prefer fer us to travel withyer da and the others so ye can rest in the cart while ye heal.”
“Nay,” she said without hesitation. “I can ride.”
“Are ye sure?” he asked with concern.
“Aye,” she assured him. “Me bottom is no’ bruised. Besides, riding in a wagon would be more torture than rest.”
“Ah,” he murmured with understanding.
“What will become o’ Katie?” Dwyn asked after a moment.
Geordie pressed another kiss to her neck, but then sighed and admitted, “She is dead. We left her locked in the room withRory guarding the door, and she chose to jump out the window rather than face whatever punishment might have been meted out.”
When Dwyn stiffened and turned her head in question, she was able to see him nod in the light cast by the rising sun.
“He did no’ mention it when we first got back because he did no’ want to upset ye,” Geordie explained.
Nodding, Dwyn turned to peer out the window again as she asked, “Did ye figure out what she had done to ‘take care’ o’ Aulay?”
“Aye,” he murmured, his hand moving lightly across her nipple, in what she suspected was an unconscious action. “There waspoison in the whiskey in his study. Rory did no’ think anything else had been tampered with, but Aulay had everything in hisstudy thrown out just to be safe.”
“Probably a good idea,” Dwyn said a little breathlessly, wiggling her bottom closer to the hardness she could feel growingand pressing against her. “What about Brodie’s men?”
“We’ve decided to release them,” Geordie admitted, rolling her nipple between thumb and finger now, which definitely wasn’tunconscious. Leaning up again, he began to nibble at her neck as he pointed out, “They were only following their laird’s orders,so they’re being escorted off Buchanan land as we speak and sent on their way . . . without their horses.”
“Without them?” she breathed as he nipped at her ear and then sucked on the tender flesh briefly, before shifting his mouthto her neck and nipping and sucking lightly there as well.
“Aye.” His voice had deepened in direct proportion to the hardness growing between them, and Geordie shifted, rubbing himselfagainst her. “They had to be punished somehow and walking home to Brodie seemed— Damn, Dwyn,” he interrupted himself on amoan of despair. “Ye’ve been beaten and abused and I should be just holding ye and offering ye comfort, and instead I wantto . . .”
“Come home?” she suggested gently when he broke off.
“Aye,” Geordie breathed apologetically, and then kissed her gently on the shoulder, and eased back from her, retrieving hishand from her breast to rest it on her hip instead. “But I love ye and wouldn’t want to hurt ye, so I can wait.”
Dwyn hesitated for a minute, and then reached down and back to clasp his hand. “While we canno’ kiss just now with me mouthsore as it is, and the only safe places to touch me are me breasts and right here.” She drew his hand between her legs andpressed his fingers against her. “I’d like ye to come home, husband. That would comfort me.”
“God, I love ye, Dwyn Innes Buchanan,” Geordie growled, kissing her neck again as his fingers began to slide between her foldsto caress her. “Ye’re brave and ye’re smart, and ye’re funny . . . Ye’re just perfect. I think God surely must have made yejust fer me.”
Dwyn opened her mouth to assure him she felt the same way, but a gasp slid out instead as his fingers glided over her sensitivecore.
“Ye’re wet fer me, love,” he breathed with awe by her ear.
“I’m always wet fer ye, husband,” Dwyn moaned. Her hips moving into his caresses, she reached back to clasp his hip. “Pleaselove me, Geordie. I want to feel ye inside me while ye touch me. I need ye to make me ferget today, and—” Her words endedon a groan as he shifted and slid into her, filling her even as he caressed.
Within moments, Geordie’s steady thrusts and caresses had Dwyn forgetting about Brodie and what had happened that day, alongwith pretty much everything else as he kissed her neck and shoulder and patiently but slowly drove her toward her release.It was different this time though, Dwyn noticed. The passion was still there, but he was being extremely gentle and carefulwith her. Geordie was making love to her, rather than just loving her, and she quite suddenly understood what he meant. Shetoo felt like she’d come home.
Epilogue
With the sound of the wind blowing and the waves crashing on shore, Dwyn didn’t hear the horse. It was Barra’s excited barkthat told her someone was approaching and who. Smiling
