"All right, so bearing that in mind, here goes." Mackenzie took a deep breath and continued, "I won't be born until the year 1987. Please don't interrupt." She held up a finger to caution him. "I was touring this castle, your castle as it turns out, in the year 2010, when two men kidnapped me from the Gallery, and told me a crazy tale about a curse and an end of the bloodshed that has plagued their lands. They then pulled me through a secret passage in the wall, and next thing I know, I am in a carriage a little less than 200 years before my birth. The amulet they gave me is my ticket home. I guess it will open the door to my time or something, they never got to finish their crazy scheme.
"Because then another man kidnaps me," she glanced at him meaningfully, and then turned her gaze out to the window. She softly continued, as if he weren't there. "And this man tells me something similar, but with a different angle; with him it's to prevent the farce of a wedding. And then I end up back in the same castle where it all began, with no way home, no place here, and no idea how to proceed. So now, here I am, Mackenzie Stewart from Las Vegas, Nevada, stuck in the past with absolutely no hope of ever seeing my home again." She had to take a deep breath to steady herself, because she suddenly felt how true those words were. "And if you don't believe me, I just don't know what I'll do, because for some unknown reason, your opinion matters to me." By now a few stray tears had made their way down 131
her cheeks but she ignored them, turning back to face Connor.
"You expect me to believe this? You have lied to me from the beginning. Now why should I believe anything you tell me?"
"Believe what you want." She shrugged, and turned her wet eyes back to the window. "I have not lied to you, Connor, not once."
"What I doona understand is why?" He went on as if she hadn't spoken. "Why would you do this? Agree to all this, and then try to seduce me? Is this something that you and your husband will laugh about later in your bed? Was that part of the plan? Perhaps gain some weakness on my part? To seduce me and then laugh at how easily I succumbed?"
Connor stepped closer to where she sat, and his voiced dropped to a seductive purr. "All you had to do is ask...I have no qualms against bedding you, lass, but know this: when it happens, when we do come together, it will only be because you are begging me. And any time his hands touch you, you will feel only me. You will wish it was me." Connor strode to the front of her chair and pulled her roughly to her feet. "The fire you feel is for me, and he will never make you feel like I can." To emphasize his point, he traced a finger from her wet cheek to her lips, parting them as he drifted toward her neck, coming to rest on her throat. Her frantic pulse beat erratically against his hand.
Mackenzie struggled slightly, but gave up and let her tears fall unchecked down her cheeks. But she refused to look 132
away. She wouldn't back down; she met his gaze unflinchingly.
He caught a tear on his fingertip, and brooded over it for a short moment. "Such pretty tears...wasted. Your tears do not move me. It seems that even a whore can cry."
Mackenzie sucked in a harsh breath through her teeth.
"Now hold on just a damn minute. You want to believe the worst in me, fine, let John Campbell win. But do not mistake me for him. I haven't even been with a ...." She took another deep, steadying breath, "I am not now, nor have I ever been a
whore,"
she spat the word back at him. "How naive of me; I thought that maybe, just maybe, in this crazy mess, I had found a friend. But even you admitted that I am no more than a pawn in your stupid war game. And I'm such a sucker that even after I knew this, I still wanted to help you! God I'm an idiot! Well guess what? I don't care anymore, Connor. I don't care about your cause, or your war, or
you!
If you are too blind or too stupid to see what's in front of your own eyes, then that's your problem. I'm done. For you to stand there all
'holier than thou' and call me a whore? Especially when I've never...well, you can go to hell, Connor MacRae!" She yanked herself free, and tore the amulet from her neck. "Take the damn amulet!
I don't want it
!"
She threw it to Connor, not bothering to see if he caught it, and turned her back to him. Storming across the room, she opened the door, stood motionless, and very deliberately said, "Please leave."
"Nay." His soft refusal made no sense.
"Excuse me?" She raised an eyebrow.
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"So that's how it is? I get no privacy?" She laughed, a bleak humorless sound. "Fine, Connor, whatever game you're playing, you win. Now
go
. I think I need to be alone. I don't think I'm alone enough here." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"Doona do that again." His voice held an unmistakable threat.
"Do what?" Her irritation was making her bold, her words coming out harsher than she intended.
"Behave so disrespectfully."
"Why? What are you going to do to me? What more
can
you do to me?" Her fury had her shaking, her voice rose with her anger. She wanted to pound his chest with her fists, but she'd probably only hurt her hands. "I am stuck here, do you understand that? I am stuck here in this stupid backwards time, with my family, my friends, my whole
life
in a far too distant future. What the hell do you think that you can do to me that would be worse than that?" At least the anger kept her from crying. She took a steadying breath to keep the tears at bay.
"You are a better actress than I gave you credit for," he murmured. "So what is the point of such a tale? I wonder... If you need this so badly" he was twisting the amulet in the sunlight so that it glinted, "if it is so important, why do you give it to me?"
Mackenzie blew her breath out noisily, "Because that was our deal; plus I have no doubt you'd take it from me, and I am pretty much at my breaking point Connor. Have you given 134
"You know, at first I thought this was a dream, that you were a dream, but now I realize that either I hit my head and am in a coma somewhere, or I really am insane! I just don't care anymore. This sucks!" The tears were streaming down her cheeks and dripping off her chin.
Connor walked to her and gripped her hand, gently tugging her back into the room enough to shut the door. He stared at her as if he were deciding what to say. "Have you any proof of this?"
Her mouth fell open. "Do you mean you actually might believe me?!" burst incredulously from her lips.
He paused for a long moment before saying softly, "I want to believe you."
She gaped at him, "You do?"
"I'd rather no' believe the worst in you, however, I've no proof that you are an innocent in all this."
"I don't know how to prove any of this," she said sadly, her wet eyes dropped to her toes, studying her slippers.
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"Unless you could contact Morvern and Gregor?" she sounded hopeful.
"Perhaps, however, I was thinking of something more immediate. What can you tell me of the future?"
"What would you like to know?" She eyed him warily. Was she allowed to tell him about the future?
"Will the Scots win our freedom from the English?"
"No, not in the way you mean. I'm so sorry."
"What happens? Do they succeed in clearing out the Highlands?"
"To an extent," she hedged.
"Can we change that?"
"I think so, but again, only to an extent; by destroying the plot Campbell has. I think that's why his magicians came to get me. Apparently I am the first girl born to the Stewart line in 200 years." She smiled wryly. "I'm sorry my knowledge of Scottish history isn't better, but I only really know what my Granny told me in the form of bedtime stories as a child. I don't really know what I can do to help, other than just keep to the original plan, in which case I need to speak with Morvern and Gregor."
"If you think that I am going to send you back to the Campbell..."
"Back? As in you still think I've been with him before?" She interrupted him, and shook her head sadly. "You don't believe me at all then, do you?"
"'Tis a difficult tale to believe."
"You have no idea," she muttered, eyes downcast. Her tears were flowing freely, but silently. She didn't think she'd 136
"And if I doona want to leave?" he said it against her ear, his breath sending shivers down her spine.
Mackenzie turned around warily, "What else can you possibly want from me? I gave you the stupid amulet. Take it and go start your war!"
"And if that isn't all that I want?" Connor raised an eyebrow.
"What? What else is there? I've got nothing left to give!"
Her eyebrows were drawn down in confusion, her lips pouting slightly. At least the tears were checked...for now.
Connor ran his fingers along her collarbone and under the line of her bodice, and Mackenzie gasped as she understood his meaning. He smiled and stepped closer to her until they were standing chest to chest, but not touching. She could feel the heat rolling off of him in waves. Mackenzie took a step back, but Connor followed her, still chest to chest, not allowing any space between them. She took another step back, and he stepped with her, as if they were dancing. She backed into the wall next to the window. Connor braced his arms on the wall, one on either side of her head. So close that she felt his skin brushing her cheeks as she looked at each arm. He leaned forward, and she shrank back even 137
"Why are you doing this?" It was almost a plea, her eyes begged him to stop.
"You are a beautiful woman, Mackenzie. I'd hate for you to return to him without accomplishing what you set out to do."
His lips were right against hers. She could feel the words as he said them, and she could feel the now familiar flames on her skin wherever his body touched hers. She didn't want this. He hated her, and no matter her own feelings, no matter that he wanted her, she couldn't do this. She wanted more.
She brought her hands to his chest and pushed, but it was like pushing on a statue.
Her mumbled "Please don't" was lost in the kiss, as was her willpower. Mackenzie felt like such an idiot, but she couldn't force her traitorous body to stop him. She had stopped caring about anything except for Connor's lips on hers. The heat was incredible. It no longer felt like her skin was burning, because the fire was concentrated to her lips now. When his hands moved from the wall to her waist, she threw her own arms around his neck and kissed him back with everything she had. He was slightly surprised by the fierceness of her response, but he slipped one hand up to cup her chin, and angled her head up so he could trail his lips along her jaw line. The arm around her waist was crushing Mackenzie to him so that she could barely breathe, and yet it still wasn't close enough for her. She pulled his head back up 138
The kiss changed and her breathing was coming in gasps.
One of Connor's hands slid down to her thigh, and lifted her leg up to his hip, his other hand pressed against the small of her back. As he lifted her up against him, Mackenzie could feel how much he wanted her. It was unmistakable. He pressed her closer against his arousal, and she moaned, her head tilting back against the wall. His mouth was feverishly pressing against her decolletage, and the swell of her breast.
Connor had pulled her skirts up to about mid-thigh when the cool air on her skin brought her sanity rushing back.
"Oh, no! Please stop!" It was so breathless, she was afraid he wouldn't listen, but he lifted his head and stared at her with burning eyes.
"Nay." His mouth pressed down her throat and back up to her lips.
If he didn't stop now, she would lose the grip on her tenuous resolve. Mackenzie was frantic now, "Please, please, you have to stop!"
He glared at her, his eyes still burning. The blue was molten, liquid desire. "What game are ye playin' at, Mackenzie?" His brogue roughened with passion.
"It's not a game, I just, I...I can't do this!" Her pleading eyes were staring into his, and he slid her leg down the side of his, keeping his hand on her bared thigh.
"You want me." A muscle flexed in his jaw.
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She dropped her gaze from his, and softly admitted, "You know I do."
"Then I fail to see the problem." He flexed the fingers on his hand holding her thigh.
"The problem is that you don't even like me!" her voice was rising. "How am I supposed to..." She shook her head slightly to clear it, took a deep breath, feeling her breasts rise and fall against his chest, and started again, "If you don't respect me, how can I respect myself in the morning?"
Connor slowly pulled his fingers down her jaw, her throat, and across her collarbone, tracing the edge of her bodice.
Mackenzie's lips parted, and her breathing halted.
"Your body betrays you."
And his mouth swooped down once more to hers.
"I can't think like this," she pulled her lips away, clutching at his linen shirt. Connor stared into her eyes, her eyebrows meeting in the middle, and slanting up above her nose in confusion.
"What is there to think about?"
And again his lips touched hers, this time more lightly, teasing at her lips. He would seduce her in no time, the way her body melted into his, her limbs so heavy there was no hope of moving away from him. He was right; she would beg for it. Heat pooled in her belly and lower still between her legs. She wanted him so badly, but she couldn't...
When his lips left hers, it was only to kiss along her jaw, but it was enough for her to choke out, "God, Connor, I feel like every time I'm near you I could burst into flames." He lifted his head, the smoldering desire still in his eyes made it 140