I almost answered when he twitched inside of me, hardening. I groaned. He eased his hips back, sliding out, then advanced, filling me again. He knelt upright, gripping my ass, angling my hips. I rested my feet on the tops of his thighs, gazing up at his incredible form.
“Ready for a second round?” he asked.
I had no chance to respond. Iain slowly rocked his hips, caressing parts of me deep inside I hadn’t known existed. Strong hands ran up my thighs in long, soothing strokes. His dark, possessive gaze penetrated my soul, and I surrendered. To this life. To this man.
In that moment, under his command, in the new world I’d been ensconced in, I realized I’d been dropped exactly where I was supposed to be.
Home.
CHAPTER Eleven
The endless night sky swirled above, millions of stars glittering in a lazy circle as we floated. Weightless, an incredible euphoria drifted through me. Iain’s strong arms dragged slowly through the water, rotating us. The warmth of his body helped my thin SoCal blood handle the numbing water. I’d begged for a dip, but we’d extended the swim, indulging in the time we had in our special place.
I rested my head against his shoulder, wondering if each pinhole dot in the black velvet sky represented another possible world. Life on other planets, space travel, and the space–time continuum were subjects I’d only seen in movies and on The Science Channel. But after being tossed through a bend in the laws of the Universe, I’d been given fresh perspective; even the most far-fetched of notions had become possible.
Iain’s fluid movement interrupted my philosophical reverie. He dropped his lower body deeper under the water, towing us back to shore.
We picked our way over moss-covered rocks so our feet wouldn’t sink into the mud. My teeth chattered uncontrollably until, seconds later, a fire-heated blanket cocooned me in warmth. Iain draped another plaid around his waist and sat on a nearby stump, tugging me onto his lap. We sat in companionable silence, watching the fire’s dry wood snap glowing cinders into the air. The breeze extinguished the faux fireflies into wisps of ash, floating them away.
“What’re you thinkin’, Isa?”
“Hmmm . . .” My mind had drifted a thousand places, bouncing from one tiny fragment to another. I tilted my head up, resting it in the crook of his shoulder, gazing at the vast heavens. The illuminated inky canvas reminded me of the pinpoints of light on his study wall. Uncertain how to phrase a lingering question, or whether he’d answer, I broached the topic as a statement. “The other day, I wandered into a map-filled room. One of the walls resembled tonight’s sky.”
Iain merely listened. Or, perhaps in his silence, he reflected on matters he didn’t want to share. I turned, finding a solemn expression on his face. He searched my eyes, and I saw that truth and secrets were buried deep behind his dark expanded pupils. We waited long enough for the unasked question to drift up in the smoke. I didn’t want things left unsaid, nor did I want anything hidden, but I was confident there would be a time and place for everything.
“Iain, it’s okay. We’re building trust between us. You can tell me when you’re ready, but I do need to understand. I’ve a right to know, since whatever power that box holds brought me here.” I paused. “The wall . . . it reacted to me, Iain.”
His brows arched over widened eyes. Well, at least he didn’t hide his surprise about that revelation.
Iain relaxed his face and tightened his hold around my blanket-wrapped body, resting his forehead on mine. On a contented sigh, I closed my eyes. The peace of his solid protection provided comfort in the middle of an uncomfortable subject.
“Isa, the box and the wall . . . both have power. The two are connected in ways I doona fully understand. It’s always been this way. I’m a guardian. Responsibility to protect it—and the people under its shelter—has fallen to me, passed from my father, passed from his father.”
I pulled away, taking a deep breath. “Does it react to you?”
He nodded, his brows furrowing slightly.
“Other people have seen the wall, haven’t they?” I asked. With the room unlocked, I was certain that I hadn’t been the only person to walk in there.
“Aye,” he replied, “but the castle’s been home to us our entire lives. Those things are no stranger to them than a bird takin’ to flight.”
“Does it react to anyone else? Your sister?”
“Nay.” Iain’s tone had turned severe. He tilted his face, staring at the ground, preoccupied. I waited, but I knew I’d lost him. Never having had a serious relationship, unless one counted a love affair with all-things-old-and-buried, I had trouble gauging his demeanor. If he spent the silence determining how to reveal something, it had dragged on long enough. I’d push no further. With our new, fragile relationship, I refused to allow my curiosity to interfere with the happiness of our wedding night.
My eager need to time travel back to modern-day California had been nullified by a desire to stay with Iain in my new home. It dampened the urgency of my fact-finding investigation. The moment for sharing would wait until both sides wanted to increase the bond of trust. I sensed he wanted to, but couldn’t.
Perhaps more than the secrets themselves bound his tongue.
The days following the wedding evolved into one time-consuming activity after another. As the official Lady of Castle Brodie, from sunrise to sunset, I’d inherited the responsibilities of running the operation. Regardless of my knowledge of history, I still hadn’t imagined a lady would need to work her ass off to fulfill her duties.
I puffed out my cheeks, blowing an errant lock of hair from my face, and wiped a damp brow on my sleeve. A last pull of the heavy oak front door marked the end of a productive day and the beginning of another night of quality time with my new husband.
Iain spent his days training, hunting, and resolving disputes. Nearly every night, he’d come into our bedchamber after I’d already eaten, sparing just enough time for us to make love once or twice before our bodies surrendered to the deep slumber of exhaustion.
Not a word of complaint left my lips, however, as I absorbed the details of a lost era. I’d become a bloodhound locked onto a scent, even if the opportunities to follow my favorite trail were only stolen moments. My priority in my new role, once I’d mastered the daily routine, had been not only to learn my duties, but also to analyze those of everyone else. I sought to streamline the drag on the ship in every way possible.
“Goodnight, Agnes.” I smiled, turning away from the delightful young woman extinguishing candles in the great hall. She’d come into the fold at Brigid’s suggestion. One by one, I’d made new friends, and Agnes had become a welcome ray of sunshine in an ordinarily mundane day.
“G’night, Lady Isobel. May the nights be filled with echoes of your passion and your belly filled with bairns,” she replied.
I laughed, caught off guard with another of her uncensored proverbs.
My foot touched the first step leading up to our bedchamber when I heard a rustle of papers. I turned, stalking down the dark hall to investigate.
The door to Iain’s map room was ajar. Light streamed out through the crack, guiding my way. I paused, almost doubling back, wanting to respect Iain’s privacy. We’d had an amazing week of wedded bliss, and I wasn’t sure we were ready to talk about the biggest mystery plaguing my thoughts. However, fear of the unknown—of how Iain would react when pressed—would not rule my actions; I refused to establish a habit of avoiding confrontation.
Despite my determination, my pulse accelerated, and bile threatened to rise into my throat. Through sheer will, I banished the anxiety and pushed the heavy door open.