“The life I could have had with ye. The bairns we would have had. The talking and laughing. Having ye to share me burden with. Yer smile, yer laugh, yer cock, yer—”
“Me cock?” Conran choked out with amazement.
Evina frowned at him for the interruption, but admitted, “Aye. I quite like it.”
“Oh—I—That’s . . . good?” he finished lamely.
“Aye, well, I realize that may be surprising,” she admitted. “I mean, I didn’t at first as ye ken.” When he nodded weakly, she assured him, “But, as I told Saidh, I’ve become quite fond of it o’ late.”
“Ye told Saidh that?” he asked with alarm.
“Well, aye. We were discussing how painful the first time was fer me, and I had to assure her that we had got past that,” she explained.
“Ah, I see,” he said, and then cleared his throat. “Well, I’m flattered, o’ course. But mayhap ye might refrain from mentioning that to any o’ the other women.”
Evina raised her eyebrows. “So ye don’t want me to tell anyone how ye’ve a big cock and it gives me much pleasure?”
Conran opened his mouth, closed it again briefly to consider and then began to smile and said, “Well . . . I suppose ye can mention it to—Nay,” he cut himself off suddenly, shaking his head firmly. “As much as I would enjoy such rumors spreading around about my . . . er . . . virility, ye probably, definitely, shouldn’t say it to the other ladies,” he decided.
Evina nodded, but said, “Too late.”
“What?” he asked, aghast.
Evina scowled at his dismay. “Well, what the devil do ye think we women talk about when ye men aren’t around? The weather?”
Horror began to dawn on his face. “Surely, ye don’t talk about . . .”
“Aye,” she said when he couldn’t finish.
“Oh.” He stared at her blankly for a minute, and then seeming to realize she was waiting for him to say something, he cleared his throat and got out, “Well . . . I’m quite fond of yer . . . lady parts too.”
“Really?” Evina asked dryly. “I can say cock, but ye can’t bring yerself to say—”
Conran covered her mouth quickly and glanced around as if expecting someone to appear in the empty room. Reassured that they were alone, he turned back and half whispered, “Wife, I’m a Highlander. And Highlanders don’t use that word in front of ladies. Me mother drummed that into me at a young age. We could say any other curse we wished, but no’ that one.”
“A Highlander,” Evina murmured with a small smile. “My Highlander.” Shaking her head then, she asked, “Is it no’ funny?”
“What?” he asked uncertainly.
“If I hadn’t kidnapped the wrong Highlander that day, we may ne’er ha’e met,” she pointed out.
Conran relaxed, no doubt relieved at the change of subject. But then he asked, “Are ye sorry?”
“That I kidnapped ye and no’ Rory?” she asked.
“Aye. But ’twas no’ kidnapping,” he reminded her. “At least, we’ll ne’er admit ’twas to our children.”
“Really? We can no’ tell them the truth o’ how we met?” she asked with surprise.
“Definitely no’. Especially if they are lasses,” he added grimly, and then said, “Now tell me. Are ye sorry ye kidnapped me and no’ Rory?”
“Nay,” she assured him. “I may have kidnapped the wrong Highlander, but ye were the right man fer me.”
“Oh, lass,” Conran sighed, pulling her into his arms. “I fear I love ye too.”
“And why do ye fear that?” she asked uncertainly as he began to press kisses along her throat.
“Because now I want to show ye just how much,” he murmured, his hands sliding down to cup her bottom and lift her against him until his hardness pressed between her legs.
“Aye, well, Lord Pleasure-Cock, ye’ll have to wait until after the wedding for that,” Aulay growled impatiently from the door. “The entire population o’ Maclean, plus yer brothers, sister and their mates, as well as the Sinclairs, are all waiting at the damned church fer ye and have been fer quite a while now. Get a move on, ye two.”
Sighing, Conran eased her back to the ground. “We’ll have to continue this later.”
Nodding, Evina let him take her arm and urge her toward the door.
“Did I mention how lovely ye look yet?” Conran asked as they stepped out into the hall.
“Nay,” she answered at once.
“Well, ye do. Ye quite take me breath away every time I look at ye, ye’re so lovely,” he assured her.
“Thank ye,” she murmured, and then eyed his face curiously, and asked,