Chapter Ten
Kathryn stood there motionless, thinking of what Grant just said to her. His head was bowed, his hair cascading over the hard lines of his jaw, his hands just hung down his sides. He looked defeated.
"I've always been yours Grant," Kathryn whispered back to him, so softly that she wasn't sure that he had heard her. He did though for when he raised his head, his eyes connected with hers and Kathryn felt a burning sensation course through her body. He was searching for her soul and she was hoping that when he found it, he would find what he needed. Reassurance that she was his and his alone.
She slowly took steps towards him, their eyes were locked in a trance together, her blood was pounding through her veins. When finally she stopped in front of him, she gingerly took her hand and caressed the fallen hair out of his eyes. Such a beautiful man he was, dark and dangerous, that excited Kathryn. When he tipped his head and he cradled it in the palm of her hand, Kathryn was lost.
She knelt now in front of him, wanting to get as close to him as possible. Both of her hands cradling his cheeks, her eyes softly caressing his face, she wanted to memorize each and every contour. Even though the room was dark, they were in front of the firelight and Kat could see all that she needed to see.
She slowly brought his face down to hers and she watched as he closed his eyes in anticipation. She kissed his forehead, each of his eyes, his cheek, peppering lingering kisses along his jaw-line until she reached his lips. "I love ye," she murmured against them and placed her warm ones to his.
The feel of her warm soft lips against his, Grant knew that he was a lost man. He drank in her sweetness and was going to accept all she had to offer him. She was the most alluring woman he had ever met. She got under his skin, made him ache and burn for more than just a tumble. She made him think of the future, a future with her by his side, with children of their own. No one ever made him feel this way before.
"I love ye" she told him again. Hearing those words from her made his heart ache even more. He knew he had the love of his Da, his brothers and their wives, the children, but love from a woman? This was new to him and something he once thought that he would shy away from, but love from Kathryn, Grant found was what he wanted. Was what he needed.
She whimpered when he pulled out of the kiss. As much as he wanted to continue kissing her, there was much he needed to say. Sliding down, Grant seated himself in front of the fire and pulled Kathryn into his embrace. They sat silently staring into the flames, his arms wrapped around her waist, she snuggled into his chest.
The smell of her soft floral scent assaulted his senses, he knew he would want to wake up to her every day for the rest of his life. Cupping one side of her face and pulling the other side into the crook of his neck. He wanted her as close as possible to him. Placing a tender kiss on to her head, he nuzzled his face in her hair and sighed.
"Twas verra wrong of me this morn Kat," Grant murmured softly as he pulled her even tighter into him. "Twas a fool, I was. I treated ye poorly, for that I am sorry."
"Grant..." Kat whispered out, but he cut her off by placing his fingers to her lips.
"Hush, love..." he huskily whispered back. "Tis more that I wish to say." Closing his eyes now Grant fought for courage to bare his soul to her. "When I first saw ye at Castle Campbell, ye were just a wee lass but I already knew that ye would be a beauty. I noticed the colour of your eyes, tis like brown velvet they are. Such innocence as ye stared up at me, twas already lost in them I was. "
Grant chuckled to himself thinking back to that night and he knew that Kat was wondering what he was thinking when she felt the rumble in his chest. She peered up at him through her long lashes, questions in her eyes.
"When ye suggested speaking to your Da for a betrothal, twas mortified that I was when ye said that. I was young, wanting to go back to King Jamie's court, a betrothal was the last thing that I would ever would have wanted. When Gavin overheard ye, twas angry he was, I sensed that he would have punished ye somehow. I dinna wish for ye to be scolded, so I lied to him. Twas a sense of protectiveness that came over me, I never felt like so before."
"I remember," Kat said dreamily.
"Ye remember what I said to ye that night?" Grant said placing another kiss on her head.
"Aye," Kathryn swallowed the lump in her throat and closed her eyes with her favourite memory of Grant. "Twas those words that always made me want ye to be mine even more."
"I'm nae sure what possessed me to say such words, perhaps twas destiny already speaking for me," Grant softy said tenderly stroking her hair.
Kathryn opened her eyes and turned her face towards Grant's. "Ye believe in destiny?"
"Aye, I do now," he smiled at her caressing her cheek with his knuckles.
"Then twas destiny that brought me here with ye today," Kat murmured as she settled back against his chest. "Twas last minute deciding that I was to join Gavin and Evelyn on the journey here. My Da dinna wish for me to come for tis been many suitors coming to offer marriage and my Da wished for me to be there to greet them."
Grant's arms stiffened at the thought of men coming for what was now his. "Ye refused them all Kat or tis someone back home courting ye," Grant asked her, his voice hard and bitter sounding.
"Dinna fret so," Kat laughed at his tone and rubbed his stiffen arms. "Tis nae one for me but ye Grant. I have refused them all."
"Ye have been waiting for me then Kat?" Grant asked her teasingly, loosening his grip on her arms and relaxing knowing there wasn't someone else.
"Aye," Kathryn said confidently. "I willna have married anyone else Grant. I wished for a love match, as I told my Da, I dinna care for a rise in my station."
"Your Da, he hopes for a love match for ye as well?" Grant said hoping that her father would accept him.
"Nae," Kat said bitterly. "Twas angered my Da was that I turned away so many suitors. Twas several that I would have become Mistress one day, but I dinna care."
"Do ye think your Da would approve of our match?" Grant asked hesitantly, if her father wanted her to have an elevation in her station, then he would most likely refuse Grant's offer. "I would ride back to Castle McGregor when ye leave and ask for your hand."
"Ye wish to wait that long?" Kathryn asked him pouting but being serious.
"Och...well nae, I dinna wish that at all. For I would marry ye now if I could," Grant snuggled her closer to him and kissed her. "I will speak with Gavin in the morn."
"I believe Gavin will accept your suit for he knows how I feel about ye," Kathryn said happily, but laughed when Grant stiffened his arms around her once more.
"He does?" Grant croaked out, surprised by was Kat just told him.
"Aye, he does. So does Evelyn," Kathryn giggled out. "Twas Evelyn's idea that I travel with them here, she knew that I would wish to see ye again. Also, twas good of me to come for Gavin needed my assistance with Evelyn. She was quite ill throughout the journey."
"Andrew said she is faring a bit better now," Grant said sounding concerned.
"Aye," Kathryn reassured him. "She is much better, twas Emma's help what she needed. A good talking to, Emma helped her realize tis no her fault. Tis verra hard for a lass to accept that she willna have a bairn, to provide an heir for her husband."
"Aye," Grant agreed sadly.
"Ye remember Gavin and Evelyn's wedding?" Kat asked him grinning.
"Ah.....nae all of it. Twas sotted I was," he chuckled out. "I do remember dancing with ye, twas your hair that had me mesmerized. Long, like it is so. So many curls that I wished to wrapped my hands around." As he said that, Grant grabbed a fistful of her hair and revelled in its sheer silkiness.
"Ye played and tugged on my hair when we danced," Kathryn told him shyly also remembering him kissing her throat and making her crazy with need. "When I saw ye in the courtyard when ye first arrived, twas happiness that I felt. I always dreamed of when I would see ye again."
Her mentioning dreams made Grant's manhood start to harden, he was she sure that she could feel it for she was sitting on top of him. "Ye have been in my dreams for so long Kat, twas never sure who ye were until I saw ye just yesterday morn." Entwining one of their hands, Grant brought hers to his lips and brushed his lips over her knuckles. His voice, husky with emotions, "I never saw your face, just your eyes and hair. Twas always the same dream, always in my chamber, always ye and I making love."
Kathryn swallowed loudly, Grant mentioning them making love made her insides melt. She felt a burning sensation at her woman's core, the same as she did yesterday. She could feel him, hot and hard beneath her bottom and the feeling thrilled her. Kathryn closed her eyes, and leaned back into Grant.
"Tell me about your dreams Grant," Kat murmured snuggling closer to him and placing a kiss on his throat. Kathryn heard Grant's faint groan from her kiss, she felt elated that she could make feel like so. She took advantage, twisting herself in his lap as he gave her better access to his neck. Kissing a trail of fire up to his ear and then nipping his lobe, sucking it into her mouth. When he shivered, Kathryn felt powerful.
Turning completely, she straddled him, adjusting her skirts so that she was bare from the knee down. She continued to nibble on his neck, her hands roaming over his muscular chest, he felt so hard and so gloriously good.
His hands were on her ankles, he gripped them tightly when she nipped his lobe again. She giggled against his neck and then wound her arms around to grab his hair. He arched his neck back while she kissed and licked a path from his ear to his mouth. Reaching his mouth, she devoured him, cupping his face and fusing their mouths together. It was a will of dominance that Kathryn was winning. Grinding herself on Grant's arousal while he roamed a path up her legs to cup her bare bottom.
She heard him growl deep in his throat, a sound so primitive, it didn't scare her but excited her even more. He was kneading her bottom now, hard and urgent as she continued to grind up against him.
"Ah, my Kathryn," Grant murmured against her mouth. "Ye make me burn for ye."
"Aye," Kathryn closed her eyes as Grant started placing kisses along the column of her throat. "Ye make me burn as well Grant. I wish for ye to touch me." Kat moaned as Grant licked and sucked the sensitive spot beneath her ear. "Touch me again...touch me as ye did yesterday Grant."
Groaning at her sweet invitation, Grant wasn't going to refuse her plea. "Aye my love," he whispered against her throat. "I will grant ye your wish." And he did, finding her woman's core already hot and wet. Grant stroked her feminine petals softly while he watched Kathryn's face. She was in sheer bliss, her face flushed, her lips swollen and rosy from his kisses, she looked wantonly beautiful to Grant.
He found her bud and swirled his thumb around it. It was already swollen and if he didn't slow down, she would burst from pleasure all too soon. She whimpered when he pulled it away, but when he inserted a finger into her woman's core, her eyes flew open at the invasion. Grant grasped her hip with his free hand and started to show her how to slowly move on his finger. Rocking her back and forth until she was moving on her own. She was so wet, it was easily slipping in and out of her.
Grant had to bite his tongue for he was about to burst from his own excitement, but Kathryn came first. He would take his pleasure after they married, and not before.
"That's it, my love," he whispered to her. Taking his hand off of her hip, he cupped the back of her neck and made her look deep into his eyes. "Ride my finger," he huskily told her. She was biting her bottom lip again, very hard Grant noticed as her pleasure began to build higher. He licked his tongue across her seam to release her teeth. When her mouth opened, Grant slide his tongue in and continued to thrust it in and out of her mouth as in rhythm with his finger.
She broke the kiss as she panted heavily. Closing her eyes and arching her neck back, she started chanting Grant's name over and over again. Her hands on his shoulders, gripping him hard as she rode his finger, she was about to take her pleasure soon.
"Open your eyes Kat and look at me," Grant demanded of her now. She did as she was asked but barely, her eyes only opened in tiny slits. Shifting his hand around, he was able to place his thumb back onto her tiny bud that was going to burst with pleasure. He wanted to see her explode, he wanted to see the desire and love in her eyes when she came.
She started to ride him harder, faster. She was whimpering loudly, her eyes shut once again, she was losing all control over her body. "Now Kathryn," Grant hissed at her as her eyes flew back open to his demand. She contracted against his finger as her pleasure exploded, her scream was caught with Grant's mouth. So loud she was that he would sure the doors to her room would come crashing down.
She went boneless in his arms too fast so Grant continued thrusting his finger in and out of her until her pleasure expended. He softly rubbed her bud that was twitching wildly from exploding. She continued to pant as her head rested on his shoulder, buried in the crook of his neck.
He knew it would be like this with her. She was an extremely passionate woman and making love to her was going to be the death of him. But Grant didn't care because if he was going to die from loving her, then that's the way he wished to go.
He closed his eyes and removed his hands from underneath her gown. Holding her tightly to him, he felt her shift her head and rest it on his shoulder like a newborn babe. He was savouring this precious time alone with her.
He would ask Gavin tomorrow for her hand in marriage and he may approve but he also may ask them to wait for Laird McGregor's consent. If that would happen, then Grant wasn't sure when he would be alone with her again. It took him all of his strength now not to rip off their clothes and make love to her all night long. Dishonouring her was not something that Grant would do.
He sensed that she fell asleep on him, her deep even breathing told him so. He loved that she trusted him so freely with her. Laying her gently on her bed, he removed her gown and left only her chemise on. He wasn't about to go searching for a nightshift, she would be comfortable enough with her chemise on. Her chemise was adorned with embroidered little flowers, so feminine and dainty just like her. Grant brushed his knuckles on the swells of her breasts, soon he told himself.
He knelt by the bed now, caressing her cheek as she slumbered on. So beautiful she was, so giving and loving him unconditionally made Grant's heart constrict. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have someone like Kathryn love him.
He loved her as well, he knew that now because her hands were wrapped around his heart and he was wanting her to never to let him go. He smiled to himself now. Wait until Ian and Andrew find out that he is to marry. He would accept their torment gladly for he knew his prize in the end was Kathryn and she was well worth the torment.
Bending down to her lips, he placed a soft warm kiss. "Sweet dreams my love," he murmured against them.
He covered her up and then walked away slowly, savouring watching her sleep. He frowned then when he noticed what he covered her with. Her McGregor plaid. Walking back over to her now, it just didn't look right there. He removed her plaid and placed it on a nearby chair. Removing his plaid, he covered her with what he knew in his heart was right, the McKenna plaid.
When she woke in the morning, she would see it and know that she was his.
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