Page 104 of Desiring the Highland Laird
It was silly.
Would things between them be any different now that they were wed?
She tugged the flower crown off her head and placed it on the bedside table. Reaching into her pocket, she slipped out the handkerchief with the keystone nestled inside, the faint glowing lines evident through the material. Carefully, she unwrapped the cloth and peered down at it. The lines were pulsating and there was a faint humming.
Like the day she used it to go back in time.
With shaking hands, she quickly wrapped it back up and placed it on the bedside table, backing away from it. As if by merely being close to it would send her home.
She didn’t want to go home.
This was her home.
The bedchamber door scraped open, and Callum stepped through. She heard bawdy shouts from the other side and down the hall as he quickly shoved it closed. Sweat beaded his brow. His gaze met hers.
“What was that shouting about?” she asked.
“Och, lass, I dinnae want to subject ye to the bedding ceremony.”
She flushed, hot, as she peered at him. “Bedding ceremony?”
“Aye. ’Tis tradition the family follow the new couple to bed to make sure they—”
“I get it,” she said, cutting him off with a wave of her hand. “You don’t have to explain.”
She spun around, her cheeks hot. Thank God he didn’t allow that. She was grateful to him for saving her from that humiliation.
His movement behind her indicated that he had closed the distance between them. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
“I ken ye aren’t familiar with our traditions.”
“I’m not.” She turned in his arms to face him, tipping her head back to look up at him. “And thank you for doing that. That means a lot to me.”
He cupped her face, grinning down at her. “I’d rather have ye all to myself.”
This time, a different type of flushing heat flashed through her. She slid her hands up and over his muscular chest, resting them on his broad shoulders. Her body tingled in sweet anticipation of what was to come.
“I’d rather that, too.”
“How does it feel to be a MacLeod?” he asked.
She smiled, warmth spreading through her. “It feels wonderful. Now, we better get on with our private bedding ceremony. We wouldn’t want to disappoint your family, would we?”
He chuckled, a rumble deep in his throat. “Nay, we would not.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Evie hadn’t sleptall night. Her eyes, now gritty with fatigue, refused to close. Callum, though, had no problem falling asleep after their many sexy escapades. The curtains were drawn around the bed, making it a cozy hideaway from the rest of the world. She wanted it to stay that way but knew it would not.
Callum asked her how she felt to be a MacLeod. As she laid in bed thinking about that, it occurred to her she was a MacLeod and a Sinclair.
Two bloodlines. One destiny.
And thinking of that made gooseflesh erupt over her despite being burrowed under the thick blankets next to a warm man.
Next to her, Callum stirred. With his eyes still closed, he reached for her, pulling her into his arms and holding her next to him. Her head landed on his chest. Beneath her ear, she heard the soft rhythmic thump of his heart.
She was in heaven.
