Falling for the Highlander (Highland Brides 4)

acknowledged that Conran was partially right regarding his feelings for Murine. He wouldn't say he was half in love with her already, but he definitely liked and respected the woman. Her courage was admirable, she seemed intelligent, and when she'd told them of her family history the day before, he'd been as enthralled as his brothers. Her laughter was captivating, and the mischievous grin that had claimed her when she'd told them her father had killed her mother's first husband had been delightful. In those ways, she was all he could have wanted in a wife. Now he wanted to be sure that they matched in the more physical way. That she was not repulsed by the act. So he'd kiss her and maybe caress her a little to test her response and then he'd return quickly to the fire with her to ensure that was all that happened. At least that's what he told himself as he walked Murine through the woods to the waterfall.

"And then he threw me in!"

Dougall blinked and tuned back in to Murine's words. She'd been chattering away happily as they walked, but he'd been distracted by his own thoughts and hadn't a clue what she was talking about.

"Who threw ye in what?" he asked with a frown.

"Dougall Buchanan!" Murine cried with dismay and then released a huff of exasperation. "Ye were no' listening to me at all, were ye?"

"Nay," he admitted, finding himself smiling at her put out attitude. She was just so damned cute at the moment. It made him realize how much her situation had affected her personality and he wanted to see her without the worry that hung over her like a cloud. "My apologies, I was distracted."

"Hmm." She pursed her lips and stumbled over a branch, staying upright only because he held her up. "Well, I was saying that I always liked to swim. Me brothers and me often swam in the loch at Carmichael. At least we did after the time me brother Peter got annoyed at me and tossed me into the loch. Ere that I was not allowed to swim with me brothers, I was supposed to be a little lady. But when Peter tossed me in . . ." She grimaced. "I sank like a stone, gulping half the loch water before he realized what he'd done and jumped in to pull me out. Well, Da decided then and there that 'twas more important I knew how to swim than how to sew a stitch. He overrode Ma's concern and ordered me brothers to teach me to swim and we spent many fine afternoons by the loch."

Her smile turned sad then at the thought of her brothers and Dougall frowned, knowing she was thinking of how they died. To distract her, he asked, "And why was yer brother so annoyed with ye?"

"I've no idea," she assured him, nose in the air, then grinned and admitted, "He claimed it was because I took his wooden warrior Da had carved for him and got it all muddy playing with me dolls with it."

"And did ye?"

"Aye," she admitted on a laugh. "I was pretending the wooden warrior was me betrothed come to fight off a mud monster to save me dolls." She chuckled and shook her head. "I do no' think Peter ever managed to get all the mud off his warrior. It was ground right into the wood grain in places."

Dougall smiled, preferring this happy laughing woman to the one he'd come to know. He determined then to do what he could to always see her happy and laughing.

"Oh," Murine murmured as they broke into the clearing. "I'd forgotten how pretty it is here."

"Aye," Dougall agreed, but didn't bother to look at the setting. His gaze was on Murine as he thought about his reason for bringing her to the clearing. He was debating on the best way to approach kissing her without alarming her when he realized she was yanking her gown up to tug it off over her head. It seemed when full of Rory's tincture, the lass forgot her shyness of the previous day. Although it was probably the whiskey that had that effect, he thought absently, as he noted that her chemise had got caught in the cloth and risen enough on one side to reveal the rounded half moon of one delectable butt cheek. Mouth watering, Dougall reached out to catch at the cloth and tug the shift back into place to hide that temptation. He then tried to help her tug the gown off over her head when she appeared to get tangled in the material. The woman was weaving like a banner in a stiff breeze, blinded by the cloth around her head and raised arms, and it took a bit of effort to remove the cloth. It was an ordeal that would have been made easier had she thought to undo the ties first, he was sure.

"There!" she exclaimed with relief once he'd freed her of the cloth. "That's better."

Turning away from him then, she moved eagerly to the water's edge and began to wade in.

"Oh! It's cold! Oh!" she gasped, and the fact seemed to make her rush more quickly forward. In the next moment her head disappeared under the water's surface and Dougall tossed her gown aside and quickly removed the pin to loose his tartan as he rushed forward to rescue her. The tartan fell away at the edge of the water, and Dougall was hurrying into the cold water when her head suddenly popped to the surface on gasps and complaints of the cold.

She hadn't tumbled into the water, he realized, pausing, but had submersed herself in the hopes of adjusting and warming more quickly. She had also moved away from the waterfall rather than toward it, seeking out the deeper water so that she needn't squat or kneel to remain submerged.

Dougall considered turning back to shore to let her swim alone, but the water was already up to his waist, soaking the material of his shirt. There was a stiff breeze today and it would be a cold wait on shore with the damp cloth and that wind, he thought. In fact, he was already going cold from the water. Grimacing, he eased forward and squatted slightly so that the water reached his neck, hoping to warm up more quickly.

He would just keep his distance, Dougall decided moving to the side away from Murine as he eased farther out in the water. Kissing her while she was dressed and on shore was one thing, but kissing her while she was soaking wet and wearing a chemise so thin it went see-through in the water was another entirely. A man had only so much control and Dougall was unwilling to test his too far with this woman.

Knowing it would help him adjust to the water temperature more quickly, Dougall dove under the water, coming up several feet farther out in the river. When he surfaced again a moment later, a sharp squawk reached his ears and he blinked his eyes open to see Murine mere inches away just as she began to smack at him. She must have moved in his direction without realizing he was there while he was under the surface and his sudden appearance had obviously startled her. The woman's eyes were wide with shock and fear and she was batting at him in a panic.

"'Tis me," Dougall muttered, catching her hands and holding them to end her attack on his face.

"Oh." Murine stopped struggling in his hold and eyed him with amazement. "When did ye get here?"

"I brought ye here," he reminded her dryly, releasing her hands and stepping back as he slicked the wet hair back from his face.

"Aye, I ken that," she said with a put-upon sigh. Her arms rose instinctively to cross over her wet chest under water and she moved backward, putting a little more space between them. "But I thought ye still ashore."

"And I thought ye were floundering when ye went under the water so rushed in to save ye," he admitted dryly.

For some reason that seemed to amuse her and she tilted her head and said, "To save me again, ye mean."

Dougall smiled faintly and nodded. "Aye. Again."

"Saidh was right, ye're a fine man Dougall Buchanan," Murine said solemnly. He was still blinking over that pronouncement when she grinned and added, "I never imagined when Saidh was telling me all those tales about ye and yer brothers that one day I'd get to meet ye all."

She hadn't met them all yet, but he didn't want her thinking of Aulay and her possible plans to marry the man, so didn't point that out. Instead, he found himself moving closer to her in the water.

"Are ye warming up?" he asked.

Murine wrinkled her nose and hugged herself in the water. There were goose bumps on her shoulders above the water's surface and she was beginning to shiver. She was definitely cold, but said, "A bit. 'Tis colder today. But still nice," she added quickly as if afraid he would suggest they get out.

Dougall didn't comment; he merely c

aught her arm under the water and drew her nearer. When her eyes widened with something like alarm, he changed his plans mid move and turned her in the water, then drew her closer so that her back rested against his chest and his body spooned hers as he had when they'd slept.

"What are ye doing?" Murine asked. Her voice was a bit breathless, but she wasn't trying to push him away. Dougall thought that a good sign.

"Trying to warm ye up a bit," he muttered, his voice going a bit gruff as her body slid against his in the water.

"Oh," she breathed and relaxed against him, her arms crossing over his when he slid them around her waist to hold her in place. They were both silent for a minute, and then Murine murmured, "This is nice. Ye're very warm."

"Aye," Dougall murmured, deliberately letting his breath blow against her ear and noting her reaction when she shivered a little and tilted her head slightly, making her ear more accessible and baring her neck to him. Unable to resist what he suspected was an unconscious offering, Dougall pressed a light kiss to her neck, then another to her earlobe and felt Murine tremble in his arms as her breath caught in her throat on a little gasp.

"Dougall?" she said uncertainly, her voice breathless and husky. His name had never sounded so sexy to his ears and Dougall couldn't resist nibbling at the lobe he'd just kissed, sucking it between his lips to bite lightly at the plump skin as his arms tightened around her, pressing her more firmly against him so that her behind rubbed against the growing hardness between them.

"Oh." She pressed on his arms to tighten their embrace as her legs floated back and around his now, her heels digging into the backs of his legs as she tried to get closer still.

When he let the lobe slip from his lips, Murine turned her head restlessly, seeking, and Dougall answered the unconscious request and covered her mouth with his own. It was an awkward angle and wholly unsatisfying until he released his embrace to clasp her by the waist and quickly turn her in the water. The moment she faced him, he covered her mouth again, relieved when she didn't protest, but opened for him like a flower to the sun, accepting his tongue when he thrust it forward. She gasped and moaned at the intrusion, but didn't push him away or try to stop him. Instead, she tentatively clasped his shoulders and hung on as he taught her to kiss. It was obvious she had little experience, but she was a fast learner and what had started out as a questing kiss quickly turned into a passionate embrace. Dougall released her waist to reach for one breast, squeezing it as he explored her mouth, but the wet cloth was cloaking it. Growling in his throat, he released his hold on her altogether so that he could tug at the material, trying to get it out of the way. In the end, he had to push the clinging material up to get to her breasts. The moment he'd done so, he broke their kiss and pulled back slightly to peer at the bounty he'd revealed.