“Sounds amazing,” Carson says, having another drink. He sips the amber liquid until ice hits his lips and places the cup back on the table. He sighs deeply. “I feel like I could sleep for days.”
“Me, too,” I mutter.
He gives me a sly grin. “I’m fine with that, as long as it’s in my bed,” he whispers. “Aye?”
I swallow hard and respond the way I’m craving. With a nod, I whisper back, “Yes, sir.”
His eyes heat, and he beckons me closer to him. He takes my hand in his and gives me a squeeze. My heart races, and a shiver of awareness skates through me. Tonight, we’ll be alone, without any of what’s hindered us before between us. No fear of being discovered by the cousins. No holding ourselves back from one another.
After dessert and drinks, wee Breena’s eyes droop heavily with sleep.
“I could keep her here tonight?” Aunt Maeve suggests, and I wonder if she’s having a hard time letting Breena go after today’s activities. “Give you two some time together.”
“Thanks, Maeve, but I can’t,” Carson says. “I need my girl with me tonight.” He holds her tighter, and my heart swells. It’s adorable how much he loves her; how much she means to him.
“I understand, son,” she says, and this time, the word son seems to take on another meaning. He looks at her and smiles.
“Wasn’t easy reading what Seamus wrote me,” she says. “It’s one thing suspecting infidelity and another learning confirmation of it.” She sighs. “But the best possible outcome, Carson, is that you’re now one of us.
“Aye,” he says with a grin. “Thank you. I’m sorry things had to transpire this way, but I can’t say I’m sorry for the outcome.”
She leans over and kisses his cheek. And I know then, something I’ve known since I was just a Clan child, that life is a series of gains and losses, and the gains may be that much more powerful with the intensity of Clan life. But it balances it out. It all balances out.
I’m with Carson now. He’s no longer alone. And neither am I.
We head to his place, and this time I’ve packed a big bag. Instead of my travel-size toiletries, I’ve packed the full-size ones. He grins when he notices me unpacking them.
“In case I stay a little while longer,” I say with a sheepish shrug.
“You’d better stay longer,” he says, as he helps Breena into her jammies.
“Megan stay?” Breena asks, tipping her head to the side like a curious puppy.
I grin at her and rustle her wild hair. “Aye, love,” I tell her. “Megan stay.”
She squeals and claps her hands. I gather her in my arms and hug her to me. “Now let’s get you to bed.” We brush her teeth and read her a story, tucked in between us, and when her head hits her pillow, her eyes droop with exhaustion. She yawns widely. I watch Carson tuck her duvet around her little body and kiss her wee head, and for a moment, I imagine I’m looking at my future. This fierce, loyal, brutal man has a tender side to him. I live for it.
He shuts her door firmly behind him and turns to me. I watch as his gaze goes from placid to heated, and he starts to stalk my way.
“Well, now, you aren’t exactly wasting time, now, are you?” I ask.
He shakes his head and narrows his eyes. “Hell no.”
“Have you ever heard of foreplay, Carson?” I ask, but I’m not really trying to hold him off. I want this as badly as he does. I just like to tease him.
“Fore-fucking-play’s for fucking pussies,” he growls. “Pussies.”
“Ah, well then,” I say with a nervous laugh. “You like to just jump right into the fire, then, don’t you? Eeee!” I squeal when he hoists me straight up in the air over his shoulder. I’m no thin little waif, so it scares the living hell out of me.
“Are you mad? My God, Carson, put me down,” I hiss, afraid of waking Breena. “I’m—”
He slaps my arse, hard, in warning. “Don’t you dare.”
I grumble. Of course he suspected I’d make a comment about my weight because obviously that matters. I’m sturdy and I can’t imagine he’s just tossed me up here.
He spanks my arse again for the grumble, and now he’s turning me on, so I wriggle a little. He kicks open the door to his bedroom and tosses me onto the bed.
“Clothes off,” he says. “All of them. And none of this crap about the lights off or whatever the fuck. Understood?”
“Aye,” I say, scrambling to take my clothes off. I wondered if we would talk, or cuddle, or something along those lines. I should’ve known better.
I gather up my clothes and yank them over my head, toss them to the floor, my eyes never leaving his. He watches every move, his eyes roving over my body, before coming to meet my gaze.