Page 61 of A Celtic Memory
Chapter Sixteen
CIAN WASN’T SURE whataffected him more. How intense their lovemaking had just felt, or that Madison realized she wasn’t just willing to marry him but have his child.
“I never considered having children before,” she gasped, still trying to catch her breath. He kept his arm around her waist and held her steady until she found her footing. “I couldn’t....”
When she trailed off, pained, he understood.
“The possibility of knowing your child’s future would have been too hard.” He searched out her emotions. “Not just that, but you knew you couldn’t have a relationship with a man. Even their father.”
Madison caught her breath for a few more moments before she whispered, “No, I couldn’t.” She turned in his arms but still held on to him as though her legs weren’t quite right. The pain he felt in her emotions was in her eyes. “And now, what? Why do I feel like it might be possible when our future is so uncertain?” She shook her head. “Worse yet, our child’s?”
He adjusted himself but didn’t let her go. Even if she could stand on her own, he wouldn’t want her to. Not when her revelation made his heart soar. Made him feel something he had never been allowed to feel. Should stillnotfeel.
“I wish I knew.” He cupped her cheek. “All I know is I feel the same.” So much so that he bit back emotion. “More than ye can possibly imagine.”
“That’s good to know,” she said softly, searching his eyes. “I’m on birth control now, but maybe...if everything works out in the end....”
Birth control? He couldn’t help but wonder about that.
She clearly caught his thought and stood up a little straighter. “Why?”
“’Tis just a thing coming into new magic.” He helped adjust her skirts and eyed the moss that had grown considerably on the rock he’d just taken her against. Thought about the tree responding to her magic last night. “Or, in this case, very, very old magic.”
Madison glanced from the rock to him. Her brows pinched. “What are you getting at? What kind ofthingis it coming into new magic? Or in my case, very old magic?”
“’Tis a druidess thing if I am to be honest.” He played with a tendril of her crimson hair. Wondered if their child would share its beautiful hue. “You’re part of nature, lassie. Of life. Of magic that celebrates birth in all forms. My ma was a druidess and had several wee ones beyond us brothers relocated by the gods.”
He traced the pad of his thumb along her lower lip, still swollen from his kisses. “So I cannot say if your modern-day birth control will do much good now that your druidess is blossoming. For your kind of magic is not well tamed.”
She pressed her lips together. “You might have told me this sooner. Or refrained from, you know, inside me.”
“Ta.”And for the life of him, he couldn’t understand why he had been so careless. All he knew was when he was with her, thinking clearly wasn’t easy. Especially when they lay together. “I’m sorry, Madison.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“Unless I came over you,” she said softly, running her fingers over the moss she had created. Her eyes sparked with emerald as though she sensed what she was truly capable of. “If we’ve known each other for years, loved each other, then you could very well be enchanted by my magic in ways we didn’t foresee.”
It made sense because hewasenchanted by everything about her. Incapable of denying her. Could her magic control him to that degree, though?
“Maybe not usually.” Madison’s forgiving gaze turned his way. “But right now, your magic isn't at its best.” She bit her lower lip. “And maybe my magic took advantage of that. Took advantage of something I might have wanted for a long time...from you.”
As much as he liked the sound of that, he said what needed saying.
“’Twill not happen again,” he swore. “You have my word,mo dhraoi.”
Rather than respond, her gaze lingered on him in a loving, heartfelt way that made him wonder if he would be able to keep his word. Better yet, ever deny her anything. Especially in the heat of the moment.
“Come.” He held out his hand. “We can bathe where I’m taking you.”
“Won’t the water be too cold?”
