His Highland Surprise (The Clan Sinclair Book 1)

by Celeste Barclay

  Once the boy had the candy in his mouth, Ceit continued along. The rumble of voices carried towards her, and she guessed they must have been coming from the kitchens. They were men and agitated ones.

  “We canna let Lord Hay lose. We willna have aught to eat and willna get paid for keeping the lass in her chamber. She is a hellion. He’d be better off sticking with that bitch Lady Mary. At least she doesnae kick and bite.”

  “She also wasna kidnapped by her own parents. Bluidy hell! Look! In the shadows across the way, isnae that the lass?”

  Ceit listened to the men’s conversation and drew the dirks from her pockets. She held her sgian dubh in her left hand and her full-length blade in the other. She had sharpened both that morning after the knives’ encounter with the wolf. She pressed her back against the wall until she made out the running footsteps of the two men. She thanked the heavens that the space where the keep formed a U was so narrow that the men had to go single file. They were not looking in the shadow but rather racing towards the fight, so neither noticed the woman lurking there. Ceit waited for both men to pass before she leapt forward. She used her above average height to give her the advantage of wrapping one arm around the guard’s neck as she raised her other arm and stabbed the sgian dubh into his neck. Blood shot from the wound and spattered across her face and the walls. At the sound of the death gurgle, the guard in front turned and looked over his shoulder. It left the opening Ceit needed to plunge her dirk into the hollow at the base of his neck. She wiped both knives on the dead guard’s doublet. She returned the knives to their home in her skirt pockets and used the bottom of her skirts to wipe her face, neck, and hands clean. Deirdre was watching and Ceit had a moment of panic, but Deirdre’s attention shifted back to Magnus and where Lord Hay lay sprawled on the ground. An ear-piercing screech came from the other side of the wall, and Deirdre surged forward with her own dirk pointing forward. Ceit watched as Deirdre collided with Lady Mary Kerr and thrust her dirk into the woman’s belly. In the confusion that followed the end of the fight and Magnus running to Deirdre, Ceit rushed back to stand next to Whisky. She hoped that Tavish’s attention remained fixed on Magnus and that he would not have noticed her absence.

  The shade of red that Tavish’s face took on was almost the same shade as the Comyn’s hunting plaid. As she approached, she noticed the vein throbbing in both his temple and his neck. She also observed sweat beading on his forehead. His sword was drawn, and it wobbled as his body vibrated anger. He stalked over to her and stopped close enough for their toes to rub. Ceit opened her mouth to explain.

  “Dinna. Dinna even try.”

  Tavish yanked her against his body and buried his nose in her hair. He breathed in the spicy scent, catching rosemary the most. He ran his free hand over her arm and back before cupping her jaw. He brought his mouth down for what Ceit expected would be a tender kiss, however, it was anything but. It was hard and punishing. It was demanding and unrelenting. She gripped his leine partially to keep her balance but largely to pull him closer. She walked them back into the shadows until her back hit the wall. Tavish sheathed his sword by touch and then used both hands to cup her breasts. Ceit tore at his leine and pulled it loose from his plaid and belt. She slid her hands under his leine and ran her fingertips along the ripples of his abdomen, moaning at the pure strength contained throughout his body. She scored her nails down his back as a draft swirled around her ankles. His hand glided up her calf to her thigh before he lifted it to rest on his hip. His fingers were on a merciless quest to find her core. He teased the outer lips of her sheath and sensed her dew on his fingers. He pulled back to look at her.

  “Do ye ken what I want to do? Do ye understand that I want to make ye come apart in ma arms?”

  Ceit searched his eyes and saw desire but a hardness she did not expect.

  “Are ye doing this to punish me?”

  “What? Nay. I’m doing it because I thank God ye are in one piece. I looked for ye and couldnae find ye. I’m doing this because I want ye all around me after fearing I lost ye. Again.”

  His answer surprised Ceit but a warmth unrelated to her arousal surged through her.

  “I dinna ken what ye will do, but I ken why ye want to do it. Is there aught I can do for ye?”

  Tavish almost released her when her naïve question brought the reality of her innocence crashing down. He did not want her first experience at love play to be against the wall of a strange keep.

  “Why do ye look like ye dinna want to do this anymore? Did I say the wrong thing?

  “Nay. I dinna want to take advantage of ye. And if ye did aught for me it would be over before ye kenned what happened. Ye have me hard as a poleax.”

  Tavish’s words built a fever inside her and an itch only he could scratch.

  “Tav, dinna stop. I want this with ye. Only ye.” They had been whispering, but she finished so softly, he almost did not catch the end.

  He scanned her eyes again and relaxed for the first time since he realized she snuck off. His fingers ran along her seam, and he dipped one finger into her entrance. She moaned as she rested her head against his shoulder. When she did not reject the intrusion, he slid two fingers in to his knuckles. Her hips bucked forward as her hands gripped his ribs. Tavish’s thumb found her hidden button that appeared as her arousal increased. He ran the pad of his thumb over it, and she sucked in a breath. He added pressure as he hooked his fingers forward to rub the spot within her he was sure she never realized existed.

  Ceit was shocked how her hips moved of their own volition. They rocked against Tavish’s hand as her mound sought the hardness pressing against it. She had not even noticed when Tavish must have spun his sporran out of the way. She understood what was there. She grew up in the Highlands in a large keep where couples often mated at night within the Great Hall. She learned the noises coming from them, and her mother explained the mechanics of the act. She already understood it was meant to be pleasant for both parties, only she had not anticipated how much she would enjoy it. She rubbed hard against Tavish wishing to climb onto, into, him. She experienced a hollowness, an ache, that his fingers helped sooth, but it was not enough. She craved something she did not comprehend but imagined only his cock would satisfy.

  “Tavish, more,” she breathed near his ear.

  Tavish groaned as he slid a third finger into Ceit and circled her bud harder. He worried that he would hurt her if he was too rough her first time. He did not want his fingers to breach her maidenhead either. But Ceit’s insistence had him pressing his own hips forward as his fingers pistoned within her. His release built at the base of his spine. He refused to climax before her, and he counted having his thick plaid as a blessing to disguise the outcome of their tryst.

  An unexpected tightening low in her belly sent a wave of sensation growing from the sensitive skin Tavish continued to rub with his thumb. His fingers satisfied her as her body tensed. The intense wave of pleasure crashed over her, and her mouth searched his. She wanted every part she reached to connect to him.

  Tavish did not need further invitation. The hand he did not realize was still clutching her breast slid up to tangle in her hair. He cradled her head as their tongues battled one another, Ceit winning as she sucked on his. The sensation shot straight to Tavish’s cock causing him to erupt in a release more intense that any he had with another woman or with his own hand. He freed his hand from her hair and braced himself against the wall. Once his other hand was free of Ceit’s skirts, he turned them, so his back rested against the wall since he worried he would not support himself much longer and did not want to crush the treasure that hung limp against him. He held Ceit against him as they both continued to shake from the exertion and intensity of emotions. Neither was ready to admit to them, but both accepted they would have to explore them on their own.

  “I didna ken that’s what happened when people coupled. I understand now the noises I’ve overheard.” Ceit looked up at Tavish who kissed her nose. “I hope I wasna th
at loud. I dinna want anyone coming to check on us.”

  “Nay, ye were vera quiet. Ceit, I—” Tavish was not sure what he wanted to say. His emotions were so heightened that he wanted to declare himself, but he discerned it was not the right moment, and he was not even certain if they were genuine or just the aftershocks of euphoria. He looked at her and tried again, “Ceit, I didna ken it could be like that either. It’s never been like that before.”

  “Did something different happen? I didna realize aught might happen differently for men. I assumed it is what it is.”

  Tavish was unable to keep from chuckling at her practicality.

  “It’s different because it was with ye. I—I care for ye.” Tavish held his breath to see how she would react before he was willing to put himself out further. When her chest pressed against his, he was ready to continue. “I care for ye in a way I have never cared for another woman. This had emotion. This was not just a passing entertainment or just about physical enjoyment. I want ye to ken that. I want ye to ken I wanted this, I did this, because of what ma heart tells me.”

  Ceit was silent for so long that Tavish became afraid that he had scared her off. Just when he was about to set her back and slide from the wall, her hands crept up to cup his face, and she pulled him for a tender kiss.

  “I wouldnae have let ye do that. I wouldnae have let maself do that if I didna care for ye too. I wanted this as much as ye. Dinna doubt that, Tavish Sinclair. I want ye, too.” She pressed another swift kiss before backing away.

  She reached out her hand, and Tavish took it as they went in search of Magnus and Deidre. When they entered the bailey, they realized that their tryst had not taken as long as they assumed. Deidre was in Magnus’s arms, and he was checking her over and over, not convinced that she was as well as she looked. Convinced that his bride was in one piece, the group turned towards the horses.

  Chapter Nine

  They mounted their horses with Deidre riding in front of Magnus. As they trotted towards the gate, Ceit prayed Tavish would look straight ahead, but when his horse sidestepped towards the left side of the bailey, she was aware he spotted the two dead guardsmen. Even with the shadows and the blood pooling around their heads, their means of death were obvious. Tavish’s eyes darted to Ceit as he moved back next to her. She saw his nostrils pinch closed as he sucked in air. She watched the vein pulsing in his neck and his temple once again.

  “I amnae going to pull Whisky to a stop again, but dinna think for even a moment that this is over.” Tavish seethed and spoke through gritted teeth.

  The small group rode for close to an hour before Tavish trusted it was safe for him to stop with Ceit. He was furious that she risked her life by sneaking away, and he was livid that she took on the two guards by herself. He was not even sure after an hour of riding if he had the calm to form a complete sentence. He looked down and saw his hands were still shaking.

  “Magnus, we will catch up to ye in a little while. Listen for ma call.” Tavish looked over at Ceit after he saw his brother nod his head. Magnus was too intent on Deirdre to turn back and look. “Ye with me now.”

  Ceit sighed and moved her horse to the side of the road.

  This will be quite the dressing down. I dinna assume I will be getting any kisses this time though I wouldnae mind a repeat of earlier. That was the most amazing thing that has ever happened. Oh Lord, he’s walking over, and if I didna ken he wouldnae harm me, I’d be bluidy terrified. This is the warrior, and that’s it.

  Tavish raised his arms and waited for Ceit to lean over. He pulled her from the saddle and pulled her tight against him.

  “Ye are due for a reckoning. I dinna blame ye for getting trapped by the wolf. Ye hadnae gone that far, and it might have happened to me as easily as it happened to ye. But today. Today. I canna even put into words. If ye were ma wife, I’d turn ye over ma knee. I’ve half a mind to do just that. I have never, ever, considered spanking a woman before. Nae out of anger or even during love play, but ye, ye are pushing me past the brink.”

  Tavish grasped her wrist and tugged her towards a fallen log. His grip tightened like a manacle, but Ceit sensed that if she tried to break loose, he would release her. She wondered if he would bend her over his knee when they arrived at the log. Instead, Tavish put light pressure on her shoulders and sat beside her.

  “Explain.”

  “Explain? Ye mean why I went to help Deirdre or why I protected the rest of ye?”

  Tavish left forth a growl and a string of curses, some of which had never before reached Ceit’s ears.

  “What in the name of all the angels and saints do ye mean ye were protecting us? Are ye that vain to presume ye would single-handedly save the four of us? Ye were more likely to get yerself killed.”

  “But I didna.”

  “Nae this time.” Tavish ground his teeth and tried not to spit out his words, but his terror and anger coagulated into a pool of fury. “Do ye ken why the Sinclairs are always victorious? Do ye ken why all four brothers and our da live despite the battles we’ve fought? We survive because we dinna go off on our own. We fight back to back, never alone. That is why I stayed with Magnus. It was his fight, but dinna suppose for a moment I wouldnae have jumped in if he was in danger of harm or death. But ye, ye decided to creep off without telling anyone. Ye decided to take on two grown, trained guardsmen with just yer three dirks without telling anyone and by yerself. Ye may have gone to help Deirdre, but ye came out of the shadows a goodly distance from where she encountered Mary. Ye didna stay with her. Ye went off alone. Do ye have any idea the fear that slammed through me when I couldnae see ye, when I couldnae find ye, when I didna ken where ye were? Do ye understand the panic I was in to find ye? Mayhap ye realized ma relief once I kenned ye were safe, but ye havenae any clue what those minutes were like. I had to choose between ye and ma brother. Do ye ken who I chose, dammit?” Tavish hung his head, and his shoulders shook. When he looked up, his eyes filled with sadness rather than anger.

  Ceit listened to all Tavish said. It was all very reasonable, and it all made sense, but she was used to doing things on her own. She was not accustomed to being accountable to anyone except for a few. Tavish’s last words were the ones that forced a lump into her throat. She had no idea, and had not even considered, he might have to choose between her and his brother. This brought on waves of guilt she tried to swallow down. She blinked several times but refused to allow the tears to fall. It was not pride that made her struggle to control her emotions. She did not want Tavish to assume she cried to manipulate him. He was entitled to his anger.

  “Ceit, I saw how those men died. There is nay way this is the first time ye’ve done this. Ye have some serious explaining to do. How did ye ken? How did ye have the strength?”

  These were questions that Ceit had hoped to avoid. She would not share secrets that were not her own. She did not want to lie to Tavish, but she did not want to endanger him either.

  “I grew up in the Highlands just as ye. I’ve been hunting plenty of times, so I ken where the weakest spots are to kill an animal. A man is nae different.”

  Tavish looked at her as though she was a stranger.

  “Ye are nae only selfish but ye are a liar too,” he whispered as he stood. “When we return to court, I will speak to the king. We will nae marry.”

  Tavish moved toward his horse and was ready to mount when Ceit ran after him, grasping his arm.

  “I amnae a liar. I didna say aught that was false.”

  “Nay. It’s worse. Ye lied by omission. Ye must find me a stupid mon if ye assumed I wouldnae see past what ye said to what ye’re hiding. I dinna want a devious wife. I dinna trust ye anymore.”

  Tavish put his foot in the stir up and pulled himself up until a solid weight pulled him backwards. The momentum of his large body changing planes was enough nearly to knock them both to the ground.

  “Tavish, wait.” Ceit had no desire to share the information she held in secret or what she did, but the stakes we
re much higher than she expected. She was not willing to let Tavish walk away, and she was certain she did not want him to presume the worst of her. “Please come back and sit with me. I will tell ye all I can and answer all of yer questions that I can.”

  Tavish’s heart constricted so tight he feared he was about to have apoplexy and breathe his last. His head pounded, and for the first time since his mother died, he worried he might cry. The disappointment of discovering Ceit was not as he perceived crushed him. He would not marry a woman he was unable to trust, not only for his sake but for his clan’s. He was the laird’s son. He did not have the luxury of making such a mistake. He wanted to shake his head and ride on to meet Magnus, but Ceit looked so forthright that he nodded. She was not begging, bribing, or bargaining with him. Her request was earnest.

  They walked back to the log, and once they sat, Ceit reached for Tavish’s hand but snatched hers back when she realized what she was doing. Tavish wanted the contact. He wanted to tell himself this was not the end. He pulled her hand into his lap and entwined her fingers. Her hands had gone cold, and he brought her other hand in between his and rubbed them. The heat from his body warmed her, and she smiled tightly before speaking.

  “Ye ken ma clan is persona non grata within most of Scotland. When ma father’s cousin died at Greyfriars, there was a division among the lairds. Most followed the king, but there were still a few that followed ma cousin once removed. It was a dangerous time to be related to him. Ma father made sure that ma sisters and I were all taught to defend ourselves. As the oldest of the girls, I took on a duty to protect ma sisters, and so I did everything to learn and practice. I got good at throwing dirks and handling them in a close fight. When ma uncle fled, the anger towards ma clan resurfaced. Ma father has done what he can to distance us and his earldom from his brother, but blood is thicker than water, and most see the Comyns as all of one kind. Ma father was doubly insistent that we be able to protect ourselves.