Clan Ross: His Heart's Desire Part 20

Soon Cat was partially naked on his lap and Braden ran his hands down her soft stomach and into the thatch of damp curls that protected her aching center. Cat's hands were equally busy, stroking and squeezing his erection and s.c.r.o.t.u.m as she rocked against his magical fingers. As if by mutual agreement, she rose and impaled herself on his p.e.n.i.s. Both groaned when she slowly sank down to the hilt.

Braden cherished the warm tight fit of her honeyed pa.s.sage as it held him in its velvet grip. He kissed her with long, deep kisses, urging her hips up and down on his aching flesh. Still it wasn't enough. He couldn't seem to get deep enough to satisfy the aching pain in his groin and, without withdrawing from her, he stood and then gently placed her down on the swing.

Braden felt Catrona wrap her legs around his waist and was instantly allowed deeper access. With long deep strokes, he filled her totally. She met him stroke for stroke and together they found the tempo that bound their bodies together.

Braden felt his impending o.r.g.a.s.m but didn't want to come without her. "Come for me, baby," he whispered as he slowly ground his groin into her. He palmed her b.u.t.tocks and held her there, impaled on him, not allowing her any movement as he ground himself against her c.l.i.t.

It was too much, and Cat felt herself shatter into a thousand pieces just as Braden stiffened and groaned with his release.

Cat rested her forehead against Braden's as she tried to catch her breath. The swing still swayed gently back and forth. The emotional storm had pa.s.sed and for the first time since their lips touched, Cat allowed herself to face what they'd just done.

For the first time in her life she had been swept away with pa.s.sion and made love outside where anyone could have happened upon them.

The forbidden and sensual thing she'd just done should have left her blus.h.i.+ng and ashamed. Instead, she felt empowered. She was filled with an amazing sense of peace as her breathing and heartbeat slowed back to normal.

"That was the most incredible thing I've ever experienced." Braden kissed her jawline before moving to her ear. He paid a little bit of attention to her sensitive lobe.

"Hmm." She was too relaxed to say anything more. Cool air danced up her exposed legs; her satin and lace costume doing little to chase away the chill. However heat radiated from where her body connected to Braden's.

The reality that she'd used s.e.x as a way to avoid the real issues between them was not lost on her. She was just as guilty as Braden. Cat had never considered herself a coward, but apparently she was.

"We should return to the party before we're missed, Braden."

Braden s.h.i.+fted then stood and lifted her up into his arms, before gently setting her on the ground. Cat tried to straighten her costume when she noticed the strange fog that was drifting along the ground. The eerie mist covered the crushed sh.e.l.l path and she caught herself glancing uneasily behind her. A full moon-the second that month-chose that moment to s.h.i.+ne through the clouds, illuminating the garden with its ghostly light.

"La.s.s, is everything all right?" Braden pulled her close. "I know we still have a lot to work through, but don't let that get in the way of what we just shared."

"Huh?" Cat gave him her attention. "No, it's not that. Don't you feel like there's something creepy out here?"

"What is creepy?"

"Strange, eerie, or unnatural." Cat s.h.i.+vered.

"Nae, la.s.s. Let's get you back inside. There is a chill in the air and I don't want you to fall ill."

Without argument they made their way back to the plantation house. What she saw next was the very last thing she wanted to deal with right then. Suddenly, the unsettling feelings of moments earlier seemed amplified. Something wicked was afoot.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE.

Braden and Cat entered the ballroom to find many of the partygoers had already left for the evening. Stephen and his girlfriend, Grace, Meagan and Alec and Remy and his latest fling named Tiffany, were all that remained.

"Oh, look, Braden and Cat have returned. Come on, Stephen, pull it out," Grace said with a smile.

"Okay, okay. Come on, everyone, let's go to the study. We'll be more comfortable there." Stephen led the way.

"What's going on, la.s.s?" Braden whispered as they followed the others.

Cat nibbled on her lower lip. "I'm not sure. I have a feeling they are going to pull out the old Ouija board."

"What is that?" Alec asked as he leaned over.

"It's a board that allows you to communicate with the other side," Meagan said.

Normally Cat didn't have any qualms about doing this. It was something they'd done for years. She and her friends had queried the board, seeking the names of their future husbands and posing questions like whether they'd be rich or poor. But tonight she didn't embrace the idea. The fog had crept up from the river to the house, adding to her uneasiness. "It's kind of a tradition."

The group entered the study and Stephen presented the old board with a flourish. "It's the same one we used as kids." Like that was supposed to bring comfort?

Cat s.h.i.+vered, feeling the damp coldness of the night invading her bones, yet only an hour earlier the evening had been warm and peaceful.

After the board was placed on the low coffee table, everyone sat close enough to be able to have a good line of sight.

"Okay, who's going to speak to the other side?" Stephen asked with a singsong voice.

"I think me, Alec, Braden and Cat should go first," Meagan said as she made room for everyone.

Cat resisted the urge to kick her friend. This was so not a good idea and she didn't want anything marring the evening. Her experiences in the past few weeks regarding the supernatural had left her with a healthy respect for things she didn't totally understand. Still she found herself resting her fingers on the planchette along with Meagan and the two men. Peer pressure in her thirties. Ridiculous.

"h.e.l.lo, Ouija board, is there a spirit here who would like to talk to us?"

The planchette moved toward the word yes.

"What the h.e.l.l?" Alec pulled back and looked at Meagan. "What magic is this you wield?"

Stephen and Remy laughed. "Haven't you ever used one of these before? Don't they have them in Ireland?"

"We're from Scotland and I'm not familiar with this game." Alec frowned. "Speaking with spirits should never be used as a form of entertainment."

"Put your fingers back on the planchette, Alec. It will be okay." Meagan kissed him on the cheek. "I promise."

Cat could see the reluctance in both Braden's and Alec's eyes. She knew her gaze mirrored the same uncertainty. Yet, like a lemming she followed the pack.

Once everyone was ready, Meagan asked, "Spirit, do you have a message?"

The planchette moved back to the word yes.

"What is your message?"

Slowly two words were spelled out. M-O-R-G-A-N-A "Morgana. Who's that?" Meagan looked around the table. "Does anyone know that name?"

"Aye," Braden ground out.

Cat watched as both men exchanged a strange look. Was she missing something?

"Wait, the spirit is not done talking." Stephen pointed to the board.

The second word was spelled out. K-N-O-W-S.

"I wonder what she knows," Remy said.

D-A-N-G-E-R was the last word spelled out before Cat stood. "You know we've got to go. I'm tired and I have to get up early in the morning."

Alec and Braden were both pale in the dim light of the study. And Cat had an overwhelming sense that they were being watched. "Are you all ready to go?

"Yeah." Meagan stood. "I have to open the shop tomorrow."

They said their goodbyes. What had started out as a fun evening now left a pall over the three of them. Cat prayed nothing would come of this foolishness.

Braden was sure ice water had replaced the blood in his veins. A brief look over his shoulder proved that Alec was experiencing the same thing, judging from the look of horror in his eyes.

"Okay, what's going on?" Meagan asked once they pulled away from the plantation. "Why did you all freak? And, while I'm demanding answers, who the h.e.l.l is Morgana and where did you guys come from?"

Cat glanced at Braden but he was looking at Alec, who was staring at Meagan. Cat pulled the SUV over and killed the engine. "The guys are from Scotland, Meagan."

Meagan snorted. "And?"

"Go on, tell her, Alec," Braden said.

Silence stretched for a heartbeat. Cat knew the story her friend was about to hear would be more than a little hard for her to swallow.

"There's not much to tell, la.s.s. Braden and I were cursed to live a loveless existence back in the year of Our Lord 1295. Braden made the mistake of asking a woman that was in love with him to help him bring home another. Anyhow, the only way this curse can be broken is by his soul mate. That person is Catrona and she was the person that saved us from our misty realm. She traveled to Scotland, botched the release ceremony and brought us here to this time. Morgana is the evil b.i.t.c.h that cursed us. I think that covers all your questions."

Braden smacked a hand to his forehead. "For the love of . . . nice lead-in, you git."

"Hey, she asked questions and I answered them."

"You could have done it a little more gently. Think of the la.s.s's sensibilities."

"Ha, that's rich coming from someone who always growls when things don't go his way."

"Oh my G.o.d! Will the two of you shut up?" Cat slammed her hands down on the steering wheel. She turned and faced her friend. "Are you okay?"

Meagan stared hard, first at Braden, and then Alec. "Um . . . yeah. I think so." She faced Cat. "Is what he said true?"

Cat blew out a breath. "Yes. That was rather a condensed version, but he hit the high points." She looked at Alec. "And he could have been a bit gentler in the way he told you."

Alec pulled Meagan against him. "I'm sorry, baby. I just wanted it out there so if you were going to walk away from me it would be sooner rather than later."

"You're an idiot." Meagan smacked his head.

"Aye, that I am." Alec kissed Meagan and Cat faced forward to give them a little privacy.

"Is there a woman waiting for you from whenever you came from?" Meagan said.

Alec's next words melted Cat's heart.

"No, baby. I've waited eight hundred years to find and love you. Only you."

There was no more conversation from the back seat and Cat wanted to drop them off before things got hot and heavy and they steamed up her windows.

She started the Jeep and pulled back out onto the road. Braden held her right hand in a firm grip.

"Do you believe what that board said?" he asked in a whisper.

Did she? After all, she had pulled a Highland warrior through time, believed in the power of voodoo, and a G.o.d. So why not accept that Morgana was not happy and knew that Braden was free? "As strange as this seems, yes, I do believe that someone was warning us that something is afoot."

"Afoot?" Meagan laughed. "You're talking like you're in a bad B medieval movie."

"Clench it, Meags, kiss your boyfriend." Cat turned her attention back to Braden. "As I was saying, I wouldn't discount what happened tonight, but I won't lose sleep either." Great, now she was lying to herself.

"So you are not worried?" Braden said.

"Should I be?"

"No." He brought their clasped hands to his mouth. "I'll always keep you safe."

"You really need to quit saying that." Cat was frustrated and it bothered her to hear that Braden was still hung up on the macho, I-need-to-protect-you c.r.a.p.

"I'm a man. I protect what's mine." His words were as abrasive as sandpaper against silk.

"I'm not yours to protect, big guy. I'm capable of doing that myself. Least we all forget, I was doing that just fine thank you very much before you and your cousin arrived."

"That's not what I meant, la.s.s."

"What he means is that he screwed the pooch the last time and he won't make that same mistake twice," Alec piped up from the backseat.

"b.u.t.t out, cousin, and kiss your woman. I don't need you to speak for me, I can do that myself," Braden all but snarled.

"Yeah, you do. You're making a muck of things and cruising right into a doozy of an argument. You should have watched Dr. Phil with me the other day. And you call me ham-handed?"

"Do they always argue like this?" Meagan asked.

"Yes," Cat sighed.

"No," the men shouted at the same time.

"My bad." Meagan held up her hands. "I'll just sit here and be quiet."

"They argue like small boys at times. It's rather annoying. Especially when I'm upset." Cat shot Braden what she hoped was a dark look.