Now that the vile creature was leaving, did she really need to tell Connor anything? Brenna tried to make herself believe no harm would be done if she remained silent, yet she realized she had to let him know, no matter how much pain she caused him. By daring to touch her, Raen betrayed his own brother, and it would be wrong for her not to let Connor know.
Unfortunately, she couldn't come up with a way that would soften the truth, but she hoped the medallion would prove to him he would always have her loyalty.
The wait was torturous. Leaning against the wall helped her stay awake, though only just barely. She didn't dare get into bed, however, because she would fall asleep then. Relief that her husband was home was surely the reason she was so tired tonight. Because of her worry over Raen, she hadn't gotten any rest at all while he was away. All that was going to change now, of course.
She heard Connor's booming voice and then his heavy footsteps as he came up the stairs. She unlatched the door and moved back to the window to wait for him. She would greet him with a kiss, help him prepare for bed, and then give him his gift.
Then she would tell him about Raen.
She ended up doing something altogether different. The second her husband stepped inside the bedroom, she ran to him, clasped the sides of his face, and kissed him with all the love and passion she possessed.
Overwhelmed by her unbridled show of affection, he wrapped her in his arms and held her tight against him. He was amazed to find he was married to such a gentle, loving woman, and when she put her arms around his neck and shyly whispered of her need to make love, he realized his own need more than equaled hers. While he had been away, an eternity it seemed to him, he had missed everything about her, intensifying his need until it had become an aching loneliness during the dark hours of the night.
"If I promise not to leave again for a long while, will you let me close the door?"
Reluctant to move away from him for even a moment, she kissed the side of his neck before finally pulling away. "Lock it against intruders," she said.
Suddenly feeling uncertain and nervous, she backed away, stopping in the center of the room to wait for him. She gazed in approval and admiration at her husband. His shoulders and chest were heavily muscled, yet she remembered how tender his touch had been each time he had reached for her.
Feeling her own pulse leap in anticipation of what was to come, she drew a shaky breath and then looked up at his face again. And found him smiling at her.
"Have you forgotten what I look like?" he asked, his left eyebrow raised only just barely. To his delight, her face flooded with color.
"It would seem so," she replied. "Your hair's dripping wet, which means you went to the lake without me again. I'll get you a cloth."
She couldn't seem to make herself move. Connor leaned against the door and patiently waited for her to get past her embarrassment. He fervently hoped she took a long time, because he was thoroughly enjoying himself watching her. Her hands were clasped behind her back, giving him an enticing glimpse of her bare chest and tiny waist. His appreciation quickly turned to desire, and within a minute or two, he was beginning to throb with his need to slide the palms of his scarred hands over her smooth, flawless skin.
Somewhat surprised by her own loss of composure, she looked up into his smoldering gray eyes, drew another shaky breath, and tried to remember what she was supposed to do.
"A cloth," she whispered, smiling anew because she hadn't completely lost her senses after all.
"You were going to get one for me."
Her laughter followed her across the chamber to the chest. No longer at a loss for words, she gave him apologies, explanations, and orders while she gracefully knelt down on the floor and carefully moved the burning candle so she could open the chest.
In the mood to do whatever she wanted him to do, he went to the side of the bed, as she had instructed, and sat down to wait for her. He knew exactly what was going to happen the second she stood close enough. He would wrap his arms around her, put her on the bed, and make passionate love to her.
She had other ideas. Standing between his thighs, she tried to dry his hair with the cloth, but found it impossible to pay attention to what she was doing once again, as he had untied the belt to her robe and was now slowly sliding his hands down her chest. He cupped her breasts with his hands, his thumbs gently brushing across her nipples, and then he leaned into her and began to drive her out of her mind with his mouth and his tongue.
He had to tell her to breathe. While he wanted to lavish her with erotic pleasure before he entered her, his own discipline vanished when she removed her robe and pushed against his shoulders to get him to drop back onto the bed.
Neither of them could bear to wait any longer to join together as one, and as he moved between her thighs and slowly entered her, he stared into her eyes to watch the pleasure overcome her and was nearly undone by the erotic sensations her reaction evoked in him.
She drew him down and kissed him, and when the pressure inside intensified and she knew she was about to shatter apart from the splendor, she began to silently chant "I love you" until it became a desperate plea inside her heart to hear his pledge of love.
He buried his face in the side of her neck, heard her soft whisper vowing her love again and again, and was shaken and humbled that such an exquisite miracle could have happened to him. Only when he felt her tighten around him did he quicken his pace to give her fulfillment and claim his own. Emotions he had never even acknowledged before remained unspoken.
In the aftermath, they held each other, spent, satisfied. Silent now, they listened to their pounding heartbeats.
As was her endearing habit, she wept because of the sheer wonder of their lovemaking, and when she was finally able to control herself again, she flung her arms back on the bed and smiled up at him.
"It would seem I missed this most of all while you were away."
He nodded with arrogant satisfaction. "It would seem so," he agreed. He leaned down, kissed her, and then rolled onto his side. "You have my permission to give me this very same surprise tomorrow."
Her laughter pleased him. "Then it wouldn't be a surprise, would it? Besides, that wasn't it. I have something else for you."
Several kisses later, she convinced him to let her leave the bed long enough to get her gift for him, and when she returned, she wrapped the plaid around her and sat down, facing him near the foot of the bed.
He had already decided that no matter what the gift was, he would be happy to receive it, even if he had to pretend. Her feelings were at issue now, and that was all that mattered to him. Brenna had obviously gone to a considerable amount of trouble to please him, and so he decided to give the gift the importance it deserved. He sat up, propped his shoulders against the wall behind him, and then bent one leg up so that he could rest his arm on top.
"Come closer," he said.
She did as he asked and folded her legs under her before pulling the plaid up around her again.
"Closer," he repeated in a gruff voice.
She denied his request by shaking her head. "I know that look in your eyes, Connor. If I move any closer, you'll grab me."
Admitting she was right, he nodded agreement. "I have never been given a gift before, and two in one night is more than I deserve."
"Two? What other gift did you receive?"
"You don't remember what you said to me when I was inside you?"
She frowned with concentration while she thought about it. "Hurry up?" she teased.
"Besides that," he said with a grin.
"I don't recall. Did I say something else?"
Aye, you did, he thought, you told me you loved me.