Lainie sipped on her wine, staring absently at the movie she’d been trying to watch. Above the television on a wall shelf sat the beautiful Scottish box.
Donell’s box.
Her gaze kept drifting from the movie to the box. Wouldn’t it be lovely to have Donell with her for Christmas, maybe longer? She told him she would call him to her once a month. Perhaps now was the time.
Taking a large gulp of her wine, she stood to get the box. She stroked its silky smoothness, which could only come from wood that had been lovingly cared for over centuries.
The box was warm, and she smiled at the memory of Donell’s warmth. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and her hands moistened. She was jittery and nervous. What if it didn’t work? What if he’d been harmed in his time? He’d said they were warring with the MacRaes… What if the final moments they’d spent together were truly their last? Sucking in her breath, she set the box down. She didn’t want to call him until she was fully prepared.
Lainie fetched another glass, refilling hers and the new one with wine. She set the glasses and the bottle on the coffee table. Then she lit her fireplace and turned off the movie. Looking around, she noted her house was as neat as anyone’s could be. The house looked perfect. Did she?
She laughed out loud, remembering how much he liked her naked beneath her silk robe, and ran up the stairs to wash up and change. When she returned to the living room, it occurred to her that this was the first time Donell would see her home. How odd, since she felt like she’d known him for years.
Feeling completely ready and comfortable, Lainie grabbed a cloth from her kitchen and dampened it under the faucet. She sat on her couch and tenderly opened the box. There, nestled in the MacDuff plaid, which meant everything to her lover, was his brooch. He’d made sure to replace the MacRae colors with his own, still angry about how it ended up there in the first place.
She smiled, thinking about her man, and again the fear that he wouldn’t come to her took over. Her stomach turned, making her feel queasy.
Best to just get it over with and find out. Lainie carefully took out the brooch and wiped it with the damp cloth, rubbing gently. The brooch in the box hummed softly, the engraved lines pulsing like a heartbeat, as if it were giving life to the man himself.
Knowing what to expect this time, she observed in amazement as the air around her turned hazy and time felt as if it stopped. Lainie’s heart fluttered a rhythmic beat, and she had to force her hands to stop shaking.
Please let Donell come to me.
Fascinated, she stared at her hands that were now empty of the precious brooch. The familiar SWOOSH! sounded in the air. Licking her lips, she nervously opened her eyes and watched as the thickened air swirled, almost like a tornado, in front of her. The swirl became increasingly opaque, and vivid colors danced; and then the form of Donell began to take shape. A choked sob and laugh combined escaped from her throat, and she clasped her hands to her face. It worked!
He was here, right before her eyes.
Donell was just as magnificent as she remembered. He stood tall, his body nearly naked except for the plaid he wore around his hips, and flipped over his shoulder.
“Donell!” Lainie shrieked. She leaped from her place on the couch and ran to him.
“Ah, Lainie lass.”
He reached for her, wrapping his arms around her waist and swinging her in the air, his lips connecting with hers. His fiery kiss ignited the passion within her. A month was too long for her to go without his kiss, his touch. She crushed her mouth to his, pushing her way inside with her tongue, to taste him. His mouth tasted sweet like fruit, and the velvet of his tongue was almost more than she could handle.
Lainie shifted to place tiny kisses along his face and then slid her mouth back to his. She couldn’t believe he was back. Her body and mind hummed with excitement. “I missed you so much,” she said into his kiss.
“And I ye. In my time, I was a laird with no heart left to give,” he murmured. “Ye gave it back to me.”
They broke apart to stare at one another. “I was scared it wouldn’t work.” Lainie led him to the couch, her hands clasped in his. The wine was all but forgotten; all she wanted to do was touch him, hold him, kiss him.
“I was, too. When I returned home, all I could think about was when ye’d call for me. I went to the cave every day. My clan has been worried about me because I kept brooding, wishing I could bring myself to ye.”
“Oh, Donell, I wish you could have!” Lainie placed her hand on his thigh instinctively and shivered at the feel of his hot skin beneath her fingertips. The prickliness of his curly leg hairs tickled her senses.
“Lainie, there is somethin’ we must discuss.” His gaze was serious, and her heart sank just a bit. Did he want her to send him back? What if he never wanted to return to her again? “Aw, honey, ‘tis not so bad, dinna cry.”
Donell’s large yet tender fingers wiped at the tears beginning to spill with his words. She grabbed his hands and pressed them to her lips.
“My love, I have made a decision, and I hope ‘tis somethin’ ye can accept.”
Closing her eyes for a moment, Lainie took a deep breath. “I understand, Donell.” She braced herself for his words.
“My brother and I are verra close.”
“Ian?”
“Aye, Ian. He is my twin. I was named laird because I was born twelve minutes before him.” Donell chuckled.
