Chapter 32
Kendrick
Aileana never failed to surprise and please him. Her gift was perfect. He gazed at a stunning pendant necklace made in gold with a sturdy gold chain. The flat round disc was of a long-haired woman sitting on a surfboard, floating near rocks in the surf, a seal in the water close to the surfboard. The woman and the seal were looking at each other. The image was done in relief. Kendrick absolutely loved this pendant; he would wear it and always have a part of her close to his heart. He could wear it under his Selkie pelt. He would never have believed he would have received such a meaningful gift.
“Ye designed this? Ye had too, no one else would understand the true meaning of this piece of jewelry! I will wear it forever and have ye close to my heart always,” he stated.
He was impatient to have her open his gifts to her. He placed the medium-sized box in her hands. The gift was wrapped in gold foil paper with seashells attached to the green ribbon tied around the package. She looked into his eyes and smiled.
“The box seems a little small to be a Harley of my own,” she grinned.
“Och, ye dinna mean ye wanted a toy model of a Harley? I guess I misunderstood yer hints!” He laughed.
“Yeah, right, dude! I can’t ride a toy! Besides, I wasn’t hinting at any kind of gifts.” She laughed along with him.
Aileana removed the paper wrapping from the gift and peered inside the box. Her eyes started tearing up again as she pulled out the carved wood sculpture of the stunning woman leaning back against a resting seal.
“Kendrick, it’s us! Did you carve this?” she exclaimed.
“Aye, it is us, and aye, I made it for ye. I wanted something to remind ye of us when I am out on the oil platform working.”
“It’s a gorgeous piece of art that captures our essence perfectly. I’ll treasure it always.”
“Ye both were thinking the same thoughts when ye choose yer gifts to each other,” Skye observed.
Aileana expressed to him how much she loved her gift; she reached over and threw her arms around his neck. She pulled him close to her face and let her sweet lips skim across his. He reacted in the way his body wanted. He pulled her closer and let his tongue glide across the seam of her mouth, till her lips opened to let his tongue slide inside. Kendrick felt himself rise to the occasion. He pulled her on his lap and placed her luscious bottom on top of his hard shaft. He thought her sweet grandmother didn’t need to see what was going on in his lap, but she wasn’t an eejit.
Kendrick murmured in her ear about the things he planned to do to her just as soon as they left her grandmother’s home and were in his big bed. “Oh, Mr. Selkie, do tell.” She laughed.
“Aileana, I have one more gift for ye.”
He reached across to his leather jacket draped over the back of the sofa and pulled out a small wrapped package. She tore the paper off with childlike enthusiasm. She opened the blue velvet box and smiled as she viewed the pink teardrop-shaped pearl earrings he had the jeweler make for her. He’d wanted her to have earrings that matched the pearl he’d given her when they’d met.
“Kendrick, I love them, they’re gorgeous. They’ll look wonderful with my necklace.”
“I had them set in a mounting to match the setting ye chose for the necklace. It means a lot to me to see ye wear the necklace. It is significant to me. I want to believe it must have meant something to ye. Otherwise, ye wouldn’t have worn the pearl all this time since that summer we met.”
“You have no idea how much meant to me. It was my first gift from a ‘boyfriend.’ That is what I always told myself. That you were my first boyfriend, even though we never even kissed.”
“I knew ye were special, but I had no idea just how special ye would be to my life. Ye have to remember ye were just a young cailin at the time.”
“Not so young. I noticed you were the hottest guy I’d ever seen.”
“I like my women more mature than their teen years, but I knew even then that someday ye would be a stunning heartbreaker.”
“Heartbreaker? Not me, that’s something that is done to me.”
“Weel, mo chride, this male will never break yer heart ever.” He gazed into her eyes as he said the words.
Skye cleared her throat and asked if they would like dessert before she headed off to bed. “I made a Tipsy Laird Trifle fur dessert,” she said.
“Skye, that sounds delicious, but I will have to pass tonight. I’m still stuffed from dinner, but maybe tomorrow I can sample your trifle.”
“Seanmhair, I’m going to pass on dessert tonight. Kendrick and I are going on over to his cottage now.”
Kisses and hugs were exchanged all around. They gathered up coats, mittens, and put on warm shoes for their walk to Kendrick’s cottage.
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In the cottage he walked over to the hearth to stoke the fire, to chase the chill from the cottage. Next, he went to the kitchen and grabbed two highball glasses and the bottle of Highland Scotch. He thought they could use a bit of whiskey to warm them up until the fire warmed the room. He wanted to take the time and to enjoy every moment of their first of many holidays to come with each other.
Kendrick followed his woman into the bedroom and handed her one of the glasses of whiskey and said, “To us, mo chride,” as he used his foot to push the bedroom door shut.