Kimberly Nee - The McKenzie Brothers (19 page)

Another groan and he sighed, “Kat…”

His husky purr fired her blood and she dove into him, leaning forward to seize those sensuous lips with hers.

He hands caught her easily as the flames erupted deep within her. “That’s it, love. My God, you feel incredible.”

She threw her head back as he surged up to meet her. With each of his deep thrusts, her limbs grew more and more buttery, her blood became liquid fire scorching through her. His whispered encouragement filled her with a daring she didn’t know she possessed.

Her insides churned wildly, that almost unbearable tightness gripping her, twisting and knotting until she thought she’d go mad. It swirled through her, building and swelling until ripple after ripple of wicked, savage pleasure uncurled deep inside her, radiating outwards, and then cresting back. It grew, arcing, and then —

Katherine cried out at the sensations searing through her. Her back arched, her fingernails raked his skin as her own climax tore her breath from her lungs in a blissful explosion of white heat.

She melted against him, dragging air deep into her lungs. Garrett held her close, his fingertips skittering up and down her back as she trembled in his arms. After a few minutes, he kissed her temple with tender lips. “Katherine?”

“Hmm?”

“Just making certain you were still here.”

“I am still here,” she murmured.

“Would you care to move to the bed?”

“I would love to do that.”

A chuckle. “Hold on to me, then.”

She let out a slight mewl of protest as the fullness left her, but tightened her arms about his neck as he carefully rose from the chair. Keeping an arm firmly about her waist, he brought her to the bed, pressing her back into the tick.

“You didn’t even remove your trousers,” she said, sinking back against the pillows.

“I told you not to misunderstand it. There was no way to get them off and I was not about to let go of you to do so.”

“Fair enough, I suppose.” She watched as he stripped off his clothes and tossed them onto the vacated desk chair. “Coming to bed?”

“I am. Scoot over.”

She did as she was told, only to snuggle up against him as he stretched out beside her. It felt so wonderful to be so close to him. It didn’t matter that the air was still hot and sticky or that they were both damp with perspiration.

He rose from the bed, crossing over to extinguish the lamp. When he returned, he pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “Sleep now, love. I think you’ve earned it.”

She nodded, curving herself against him once more. “I am a bit drowsy, I must admit.”

Comfortable silence fell over the room. Katherine lay there for a long while. She found that the darkness did not bother her quite so much now. It hadn’t in a while, actually. Not since that first night she spent in this very same room, in his arms. It was funny how he could make her feel so safe that even the dark did not bother her.

“Garrett?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“I’m scared. Absolutely terrified.”

He tightened his arms about her. “No need for that, love. There is no way that bastard is going to get anywhere near you.”

“How can you promise that?”

“Because I can.”

“Garrett — ”

“Please, Katherine, trust me. I am not going to let anything happen to you.” He smoothed a lock of hair behind her left ear. “Not one thing.”

She fell silent. How he could possibly promise such a thing was beyond her, but she’d learned it was easier to agree than to argue sometimes and this was one of those moments. Her hand rested on his chest, rising and falling with each breath. Minutes ticked by, her hand slowing as he drifted off.

Sleep didn’t come so easily to her, however. She lay there, staring up into the blackness. Each creak, each groan of the house settling, brought her back to wakefulness no matter how she scolded herself for such nonsense. Sanders wasn’t in the house. Garrett made certain of that. Even so, it was still nearly dawn before her eyes finally slid shut on their own and she fell into a heavy, dreamless sleep.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Someone seems to be in a fine mood this morning.”

Katherine looked up from her tea. Victoria was smiling down at her. “Yes, I suppose I am,” she replied, absently swirling a spoon through the brew. “It’s a lovely day, after all.”

Victoria’s dark eyes twinkled with a devilish light. “Yes, I suppose. A bit warm, perhaps, a bit on the sticky side, but the sun is shining. I am not so certain the weather plays quite so large a role in your moods.”

Katherine couldn’t help the girlish laugh bubbling to her lips. “Very well, I confess. The weather has nothing to do with it. I feel happy today.”

Victoria poured herself a cup of tea and sat across the table from her. “I don’t suppose that would have anything to do with a certain dark-haired scamp who seems to have the ability to wrap ladies in knots without even trying?”

“Now, Victoria, is that any way to speak to your mistress?”

The cook chuckled, shaking her head. “I suppose not. Very well, consider me properly scolded. Now,” she lowered her voice as she leaned across the table, “does it?”

Katherine couldn’t hold back her airy laughter. “I suppose he
might
have
something
to do with it.”

“Well, I noticed that he rose late this morning. Patsy was chewing her fingernails pacing the hallway outside your room.”

Katherine felt a delicate warmth bloom into her cheeks. Garrett had risen with the sun, but getting up and out of the house had been the last thing on his mind. Instead, he reached for her and spent the next two hours bringing a glow to her cheeks.

“It’s nice to see you happy, Miss Katherine. And it’s nice to see Mister Garrett so happy as well.”

Katherine set down her spoon and lifted the cup to her lips. Garrett
did
seem happy. However, something simmered just beneath his surface. On more than one occasion, she’d looked up to find him watching her, his eyes glittering with a dark danger. Although she wasn’t the cause of that darkness, it unnerved her just the same.

“I
am
happy, Victoria.”

“You’ve told him, then?”

Her brow furrowed. “Told him what?”

Victoria rolled her eyes. “You must be joking with me, Miss Katherine.”

“I’m afraid I haven’t a clue what you are talking about.”

The cook chuckled. “Why, it’s as plain as the nose of your face, Miss Katherine.”

Katherine felt a flash of irritation. “
What
is?”

“That you love him, of course.”

Katherine stared at the cook. “What?”

“Oh, please, dear. You mean to tell me you don’t? It’s written all over your face.
I
can see it when you look at him. I, for one, think it’s wonderful. That boy needs someone to love him. Someone to look past the beauty on the outside and see the beauty on the inside.”

“Oh, that is silly, Victoria.”

But, even as she scoffed at the notion, Katherine couldn’t help but think about how much brighter her life was. Of course, it wasn’t so difficult, considering what she’d left behind, but she felt peace. True, there was still the unease at knowing Sanders had found her, but there was something else crowding the darkness and shoving it aside. Contentment.

A happiness she never felt before.

She gave a start, lifting her head to meet Victoria’s knowing stare. Was it possible?

Had she allowed herself to fall in love with Garrett?

Those funny little flutters in her belly now had a name and Katherine swallowed hard as the realization sank in. Garrett had married her to protect her. He sought her company in bed because he desired her. And that was it.

Wasn’t it?

A sudden, pleasant chill swept through her. Garrett was a rake, and yet he had not spent a night away from Ravenswood since her arrival. Nor had a lady spent an evening at Ravenswood. No other mention had been made of Amy Morrison. In fact, she was the only one he sought out night after night.

She took another sip of tea. “Yes, I suppose I do, Victoria.”

She didn’t know why a feeling of surprise rushed through her with those words. They were true. She had fallen in love with the dark-haired giant of a man who’d married her to give her the protection of his name, and in the process awakened the passionate woman deep within her.

“And have you told him?”

“No.”

“You should, Miss Katherine. I’ve a feeling you might be surprised by his response. I see everything that happens around here. I see the way he looks at you, the way you look at him. I’d wager almost anything that he cares for you as well. I’ve sensed that since the beginning.”

“I think that might be a wee bit of an exaggeration, Victoria.”

“It’s always possible, of course. But these old eyes do not often deceive me, Miss Katherine. There is much love in this house, no doubt. It’s become a home in a very short time. I believe you have played a large role in that.”

“Do you?” Katherine couldn’t keep the teasing from her voice as she tilted her head to one side to give the cook a long look.

“I do. And the sooner you tell him, the sooner he’ll return it. And then, the sooner we’ll have babies crawling around this house.”

Katherine laughed, but felt a tiny thrill all the same. A child. How she would love to be a mother. It was one of the few dreams she never gave up on, being a mother. She’d always hoped one day to have children.

But did Garrett? After all, from what Emma had told her, he’d been opposed to marriage, had no desire to bind himself to one woman. Yet, he did just that by marrying her. But that did not mean he was truly her husband, that he wanted her to be the mother of his children. Theirs was not, after all, a traditional marriage in any sense of the word.

She tried to imagine what a child of theirs would look like. Would Garrett pass on his dark hair and unusual eyes? Or would her red hair and hazel eyes leave their mark instead?

“Is everything all right, Miss Katherine?”

Katherine was jolted back to the present and managed a smile. “I am fine, Victoria.”

“Are you certain?”

“I am. Now, if you will excuse me, I think I will go up and change my clothes and attack the weeds in the flower beds out front.”

“Miss Katherine, why not simply hire a gardener? It’s far too hot and sticky for a lady such as yourself to be toiling out there.”

“Garrett suggested the same, but I find it relaxing,” she said. “There is something comforting about knowing that I can at least coax a bud or two to life.”

Victoria chuckled as she rose from her chair to gather the tea cups. “Yes, you should certainly have children and soon, Miss Katherine. You and Mister Garrett would both make fine parents.”

Katherine didn’t reply, figuring the heat in her cheeks spoke for her. Instead, she made her way out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Garrett had already left for the harbor, but not before brushing her lips with a kiss and saying, “Try to stay close to the house today, love. Do not even think about going up to Stonebridge until I return. I do not want you anywhere near those woods unless I am with you.”

No wonder she’d allowed herself to love him. How could she not, when he made her feel so cherished?

They were due at Stonebridge at seven o’clock that evening, which left Katherine with the entire day free — something to which she hadn’t become accustomed. In the weeks since she and Garrett married, she had yet to adjust to the notion that so much leisure time was at her disposal. But finding ways to fill that time proved difficult, and gardening was the only thing she enjoyed. She had no friends in Brunswick, Garrett’s family had yet to warm toward her. How could she
not
be a bit lonely?

Still, as she dressed in a simple dress of pale blue muslin, she couldn’t deny she was happy. Gardening suited her, as she’d always preferred being alone to being surrounded by others. It became tiring, having to worry about things such as the idle chitchat and cattiness that came along with some friendships.

She wound her hair into a single plait and thrust her feet into the sturdy boots she rarely wore these days. As he’d promised, Garrett had been generous in replacing her scanty maid’s wardrobe with finery that outshone the clothing she’d worn in London. Where the drab black dresses once took up space, her wardrobe now contained fine silks and satins in the lovely, if darker, shades appropriate for a married lady. Instead of white aprons, there were now damasks and brocades. Gone were the silly little caps Mrs. Riley made her wear, now replaced by the most fashionable of bonnets.

She had gone from one pair of house shoes and the one pair of battered boots, to delicate silk slippers in shades to each of her gowns, and elegant leather shoes appropriate for walking about for longer periods of time — say, a shopping expedition into town.

Katherine closed the wardrobe, her fingers lingering against the mahogany for a long moment. She’d never allowed herself to dream something such as this — how her life would turn out this way.

Of course, there was still that specter hovering about. Gerald Sanders was out there and she had no doubt that the gruesome squirrel was his handiwork. It bore his touch and was something he would most definitely do.

And then there was the dagger.

She shivered. Somewhere, just beyond Ravenswood’s door, the madman was lurking. Despite Garrett’s promise that no harm would come to her, Katherine couldn’t help the feeling of foreboding permeating her every fiber. Her newfound happiness did much to keep the sense of doom at bay, but during her quieter moments, when she least expected it, that sense of danger emerged from the recesses of her mind.

She tried to push those gloomy thoughts aside as she descended to the first floor and made her way outside. The heat and humidity wrapped about her like a wet sheet, but she ignored it as she knelt in the soft soil of the flower beds at the front of the house.

Before too long, she lost herself in the soothing ritual of jerking the weeds free and tossing them aside. The ritual soothed her, so much so she didn’t hear the clopping of horse hooves until suddenly a shadow fell across her. She looked up to see Bradley Jefferson standing above her.