"Nay." She turned her head to hide her weakness.
"It was just so wonderful."
He rolled to his side and drew her gently into the circle of his arms.
"Aye. It was beautiful." He pressed his lips to her eyes and tasted her salty tears.
"And it is perfectly natural to cry at something so dazzlingly beautiful."
"You do not think me a foolish child?"
"Nothing you do or say would seem foolish to me. And," he added with a tender smile, "you are far from a child. You are the most beautiful, desirable woman I have ever met."
She sniffed.
"More beautiful than the women you met at the Court in France?"
He bit back a laugh at her artless attempt to be rea.s.sured. "No woman at Court could match your beauty, my lady, including the queen herself."
"Her ladies-in-waiting thought I resembled Queen Mary."
He caught a strand of her hair and watched as it sifted through his fingers, catching and reflecting the light of the fire.
"Your coloring, perhaps. And the fact that you are both small and slender. But you are a rare beauty, Meredith. And far more lovely than our queen."
She grew silent for a moment, gathering her courage for the next question. With a swallow she asked haltingly,
"Is it always like this?"
"Loving?"
She seemed relieved that he understood.
"Aye."
With his index finger he traced the line of her brow, the curve of her cheek. His voice was low with feeling.
"I fear that many people are never blessed with what we have just discovered."
"Why?"
His finger moved over her lips, still swollen from his kisses. Though it seemed impossible, his desire for this beguiling, bewitching creature was beginning to build once again.
"They are afraid to give themselves completely to another."
"What is it they fear?"
"Losing control, I suppose. Or perhaps it is the fear of letting another witness their needs, their weaknesses."
"Have you any weaknesses, my lord?" she asked with a smile.
"I have discovered one." His tone was grave, although his lips curved into a hint of a smile.
"One very beautiful, very obstinate firebrand that can make me weak with a single touch."
"Like this?" With her finger she traced a pattern across his chest, then lower to his stomach.
He felt the heat as he became aroused. Before he could reach for her she surprised him by rolling on top of him.
Her hair swirled about him, tickling his chest, brushing over his fingers. Her eyes burned brightly, reflecting the light of the fire.
She smiled as she began to move over him. Every touch, every movement, aroused him further.
"Firebrand, I am a man still recovering from battle wounds. You will be the death of me."
"Then I shall simply have to leave you alone to rest and recover."
As she made a move to roll away he caught her and dragged her against him. His hands, his lips, began weaving their magic.
Against her throat he growled,
"You are the only medicine I need. Stay with me, firebrand. Love me."
With murmured words of endearment they slipped into a world of endless delight. A world where only lovers can go- Meredith lay in the midnight blackness and listened to Brice"s steady, even breathing.
Did he know what he had given her? Did he have any idea how much she"d needed his quiet strength, his calm a.s.surance of his love?
So much had happened in her young life. So much chaos. The murder of her father. Desmond"s shocking death at the altar. Her kidnapping.
There had been little time for reflection. Certainly no time for love.
Until now.
Brice"s arms tightened about her and she felt a quiver of apprehension at the strength in him. Did he have any idea what power he wielded? It was not physical power she feared. Despite his strength, she would have found a way to escape him in time. The power he wielded was emotional. She needed his approval, desired his love forever. Without this Highland warrior, her life would be as before.
Empty. Waiting. Yearning for something she could not even give a name to. Until now. Love. That was what she had been waiting a lifetime to share.
With a sigh Brice drew her close and pressed his lips to her temple.
She sighed and snuggled close, then was startled by his deep voice.
"Awake again, firebrand?"
"Aye. This is all so new to me. So exciting. I fear I will never be able to sleep."
"Nor I." He nibbled the corner of her lips until she turned her head and gave him full access to her mouth.
His lips were warm and firm and with one easy movement he drew her fully into the kiss.