Mayhap it was guilt, plain and simple. Nothing more, nothing less, but either way he still needed ta find out, one way or the other.
CHAPTER NINE
BLOWING ROCK, NORTH CAROLINA
The Cottage Property- Present Day
“Straight flush,” Gavin said triumphantly and laid down his cards.
“How do you keep doing that?” This was his third straight flush.
“I’m just lucky, I suppose.” A wicked gleam entered his eyes.
If I didn’t know better I would think he was cheating.
“Hand over my candies.” He stuck out his hand for the aforementioned foil wrapped candies.
“Fine,” I grumbled and begrudgingly handed them over.
“Do ye want to play another hand?” He shuffled the cards.
I sat back in the chair and pulled my hair up into a messy bun. “No. I’m out of candy.”
“We can always play for something else.” He lifted his brow daringly.
“Like what?”
He rolled his shoulders. “Ye could always give me a massage, like ye did when we were back at Greystone.”
My mind went straight to the gutter as my face heated with the remembrance. “Now?”
“If ye like.”
“But I have to do the dishes and …” What is wrong with me?
His brows creased. “The dishes can wait.” He stood up from the table.
“Um…” Just thinking about giving Gavin a massage made me feel warm and tingly. “All right.”
He grinned and rubbed his hands together. “Where do ye want me?”
Anyway, I can have you. “How about the couch?”
He gave the couch a doubtful look. “Are ye sure it’s big enough?”
“Where do you want me to give you a massage?” I picked up the cards and put them away in the case.
“The bed is bigger.”
He had a point.
“Okay.” I fanned my face.
His grin widened. “Are ye undressing me with yer eyes again?”
“I am doing no such a thing.” I turned and put the cards in the drawer of the table to hide my expression.
“There’s no need ta lie to me, lass. I can see ye can no wait ta have yer hands on my fine form.”
“Oh, please.” I rolled my eyes. Of course, that was exactly what I was thinking.
“No need ta beg, lass.”
“I wasn’t…”
He laughed then—a deep boisterous one. “I am only playing with ye, lass.”
“I know that.” I wiped my sweaty palms on my leggings.
“Come, lass.” He crooked his finger and gestured for her to follow as he walked down the hall.
CHAPTER TEN
BLOWING ROCK, NORTH CAROLINA
The Cottage Property- Present Day
By the time I got to the bedroom, Gavin was lying face down on the floral comforter with his eyes shut. His tan upper torso was in stark contrast with his perfectly rounded, albeit pale, buttocks. He looked just like one of those hot underwear ads for men, except he wasn’t wearing any underwear. A surge of warmth spread through my body at the sight. He was, without a doubt, the most exquisite man I had ever laid eyes on.
He cracked an eye open. “What are ye waiting for, lass?”
I started from the sound of his voice and guiltily jerked my eyes away. “Nothing. I mean, I was just getting some oil.”
“Oil?” He lifted his head up.
“You will like it. I promise.”
“There is no need ta make promises ta me, lass.”
For some reason, his answer made me think he wasn’t talking about the oil. A queasy feeling twisted in my gut. It had been happening a lot lately. This feeling, that something between us was not quite... right.
Squashing the queasy feeling down, I grabbed the oil and climbed on the bed. Kneeling, beside him, I opened the bottle, poured some of the oil on my hands, and then rubbed them together. Taking a deep breath, I placed my hands on his back. His muscles flinched underneath as I began massaging his shoulders.
“Och, lass,” he groaned. “That feels nice.” His eyes drifted shut once more.
“Gavin…”
“Hmm?”
I was going to ask him about the games, and what his intentions were after he found the gypsy, but lost my nerve.
“Never mind.
I continued kneading, massaging, exploring every hard plane and knotted muscle as my hands drifted lower to the curve at the base of his back. Normally when I got to this point, he would turn over.
I waited for him to move but when his breathing became heavy, I knew he had drifted off to sleep. The evening romp I was hoping for pretty much flew out the window. Dang it.
♦
Gavin was dreaming. He knew this for fact and yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was not a dream at all, but instead, something forgotten he had suppressed within his mind.
A white swirling fog snaked around his legs, much like the mist that would come creeping inland from the waters of Loch Morar when the moon was full.
He stood with his back to the castle facing the most breathtaking woman he had ever seen. She had long, curling, red hair, which fell in a cascade of waves down her back and he knew if she were not wearing a gown, the ends would touch the top of her heart shaped bottom. When she turned her ice blue gaze in his direction, his heart seemed stop.
“Jillian,” he sighed her name.
Aye, he knew her name as well as his own.
“What are you waiting for?” Her lilting voice drifted on the cool breeze towards where he stood.
Gavin’s tongue felt heavy in his mouth, and his legs, anchored to the ground beneath his feet.
“I thought you said you wanted a race?”
His heart pounded faster. “Aye, that I did,” he said, falling back into the familiar banter they once shared with one another.
“Then what are you waiting for?”
“I…I…” The words he wanted to say stuck in his throat.
“My Laird, have I tied your tongue, then?” Her crystalline gaze widened.
Finding his voice, he shook his head. “Nay, lass. I am merely giving ye a head start.”
“Who say’s I need a head start?”
“Tis only fair,” he reprimanded. “Ye run like a girl.”
“My Laird…” She clasped her hands to her chest in mock horror. “I am a girl.”
“Aye, lass that ye are.” He smiled.
“And you love me.” Grabbing up her skirts, she turned and fled. Her long hair billowed out in a wave of crimson in the setting sun
His chest tightened at the sight. “Aye, lass, I do… more than ye will ever know.”
He would have followed her, but he couldn’t.
Not because he didn’t want to, but because that is where his memory ended.
Instead, of letting go, like he knew he should, he held fast to the vision until she disappeared from his sight.
♦
Where one dream ended, another took its place.
♦
Gavin was back a Loch Morar and this time, Jillian was there but she didn’t look the same. His lass, Paige, was there as well. He couldn’t quite grasp why he was seeing both of them at the same time. Paige was standing in front of the Loch and Jillian was laughing. Not at him, but at his lass. His heart tugged in two separate directions.
“What are ye doing?” he asked and his voice vibrated strangely in his ears.
“I’m helping you get the treasure,” she said, gleefully.
The answer was innocent enough, he supposed, but something about her demeanor set his nerves on edge. “How?”
“We are going to use her.” Jillian pointed her finger at Paige.
Gavin shook his head. “Jillian, she is no going ta be a sacrifice.”
“Of course, she is. That’s what she is here for.”
“Nay.” He shook his head again. “There must be another way.”
“No,
my Laird.” She laughed again and her voice crackled eerily reminding him of someone else. “Why else would she be here? She is the one you have fallen in love with and now, she must be sacrificed.”
“Nay, Jillian, I love ye.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew what he was saying was no longer true. He loved her at one time, aye, but not now.
“See,” she taunted. “You have just come to realize what I’ve known all along.”
Before Gavin could move, or say another word, the monster emerged from the Loch. The scaly head listed back and forth about to strike his lass.
“Naaaaay….”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
BLOWING ROCK, NORTH CAROLINA
The Cottage Property- Present Day
Moonlight poured in from the open curtains, casting an eerie white illumination on Gavin’s face as he stared down at me. There was such pain and yearning in his eyes, I couldn’t quite grasp if I was still dreaming because his expression didn’t make sense to me.
“What’s wrong?” I lifted my hand to touch his face. His cheek felt wet—had he been crying?
Before I could ask, he lowered his mouth to mine, ravaging it with his own. As his tongue plundered, the scruff of his beard rasped my face. His kisses were different from what I was used to—they were more harried…rough.
He pushed my nightgown up, and shoved my legs apart.
“Gavin,” I gasped, breaking from the forceful kiss; trying to shut my legs at the same time.
“Please…” It was only one word but he said it with such raw emotion, I could not deny him.
Relaxing my legs, I let them fall open again.
Gavin hooked his arms under my knees and pushed upward until my buttocks were lifting off the bed.
Wiggling, I tried to get my bottom back down.
“Hold still,” he growled.
His erection jutted upward between my thighs, pressing against the sensitive flesh. With one hand still hooked under my knee, he released my other leg and fisted the base of his shaft.
His breathing was ragged and beads of sweat covered his brow and chest, glistening in the moonlight.
Pressing my hands down on the bed, I pushed back, trying to put some distance between our bodies. “Gavin!”
He didn’t seem to hear.
It was like he was someplace else.
Gavin, still wrapped in the pain of his dream, jerked her leg upward and thrust forward until he was buried deep between her thighs.
Hissing out a feral groan, he clenched his buttocks, thrusting again and again, pounding into her warmth like a man possessed.
He couldn’t stop.
On and on he continued with his relentless pace until she was writhing beneath him, and screaming out his name.
Hearing his name brought him back from the brink of desperation and only then was he able to let go.
With one last forceful thrust, he gave over to the moment. Still shaking from his orgasm, Gavin pulled out from her body and fell onto his back. Still reeling from his orgasm, he pulled her into his arms and held on. In moments, he could hear her even breathing and realized she must have fallen asleep. He laid there for a bit longer, trying to force the remnants of the nightmare from his mind, but it was of no use.
Gavin gingerly pulled his arm out from under his lass, and sat up. The dregs of the nightmare still hovered on the periphery of his mind like a Spector, waiting to pounce on him when he was unawares. Like it did whilst he was sleeping. He wasn’t sure what had come over him—one moment he was dreaming or was he remembering? He wasn’t even sure any longer. Every thought, or memory he had, seemed to have blurred together into one confusing mess after another. He scrubbed his hands over his face, trying to get his emotions in check. Was that ta be the fate of his lass, if he brought her back? Was his fear for her well-being wreaking havoc with his emotions?
Was he truly cursed like his father had told him?
MEMORY
Greystone Castle, Loch Morar
“Lad, one day ye will laird of this fine bit o’ rock and when that day comes ye will have ta make difficult decisions.”
“What kind of decisions, father?” a young Gavin asked.
“Ye will have ta chose between the people ye love and this place.”
“Why would I need to choose?”
“Because ye are cursed. We all are.”
“Why would we be cursed, father?”
“It’s a long story lad, one that does not bear repeating right now. Someday, when ye are older, I will explain the curse of Greystone ta ye.”
“All right, father,” Gavin said.
His father reached forward and ruffled his hair. “Now get on with ye, and see if ye mother needs help tending ta supper.”
“Aye, father.” He ran off towards the cook room to do just that.
♦
Gavin expelled a shaky breath as the memory faded. He never did find out about the ‘supposed’ curse of Greystone—because his father died before he told him.
CHAPTER TWELVE
BLOWING ROCK, NORTH CAROLINA
The Cottage Property- Present Day
The following morning when I woke, just like in the past, Gavin was already gone from the bed. Rolling over, I glanced at the clock. It was still early, only eight o’clock, but since Gavin was an early riser, I didn’t think much of him being gone.
Throwing back the comforter, I climbed from the bed and winced a little. Last night came rushing back. I didn’t know what to make of it—he seemed like a different person. As I made my way to the bathroom, I couldn’t help wondering why. Did he have another bad dream? He certainly looked like he had.
And while his lovemaking was always a bit intense, I had never seen him like he was last night—he seemed to be a man possessed.
It was almost as if he was another person. Shaking the memory away, I made my way to the bathroom to take a quick shower.
After the water ran cold, I climbed out of the shower and quickly got dressed, and then made the bed. Tossing my hair up, I left my room to go brew some coffee. I had some orders to pack up and needed to switch out the vases in the kiln with more fairies that I needed to ship out to my online buyers.
Business was booming, for once, which I was glad for, but I also missed the days when I would go down to the great hall and find the men waiting for me to cook them breakfast. Granted, I didn’t like cooking but it was nice to be needed.
Of course, like it always did now, a deep sadness accompanied the memory. Since over half the men were now gone, murdered by that filthy traitor, Broderick.
Still, I couldn’t help but wonder how Callum and Muir were, as well as Alec and Graham. Obviously, they were long dead now, in this time, but if I was back in their time, I couldn’t help but wonder if they would still be residing within the walls of Greystone or would they have already made lives for themselves elsewhere?
And if they did, were they happy?
I hoped so.
Sighing, I pushed those thoughts from my mind and walked over to the counter to fill my cup with coffee. After adding some Sugar in the Raw and some half and half, I lifted my cup and took a sip. As usual of late, my mind drifted back to Callum, Muir, Alec and Graham, wondering what had happened to them.
With them in mind, I decided to do some investigating on the internet while Gavin was down at the stream, even though a large part of me was tempted to go down there to see what he was doing. It didn’t go unnoticed to me how strange he was acting last night while we made love. Of course, I was using the word ‘love’ loosely.
Obviously, I was in love with him, but as far as his feelings for me, I was still as much in the dark as I had been in the past.
Lifting my laptop from the basket, I set it on the table and turned it on.
While it booted up, I went out to the screened porch and quickly switched out the vases for the fairies, then reset the kiln.
“Good morning, Paige!”
I recognized the disembodied voi
ce at once and leaned to look out the screen door. “Hello.” I waved at Mr. Tomkins as he set a bucket of vegetables on the steps outside the door.
“I have another bucket of vegetables for you.” He shoved his hand through his white hair and replaced his cap.
“Great. Thank you.”
“No problem,” he said.
“Now, you be sure to take some home for Mrs. Tomkins,” I told him.
“Thank you.” He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the sweat from his brow. “She will like that,” he said and put his handkerchief back in the pocket of his tan work trousers.
“Do you want some coffee?” I asked, opening the screen door. “I just brewed a pot.”
“No. But thank you. I’ve got to get to town to pick up some more feed for the birds. I keep telling the Misses that they ate just fine before she started feeding them.” He shook his head despondently. “And now she wants me to start buying critter food.” He rolled his eyes.
“Well, they have to eat, too,” I joked.
He cut his gray eyes in my direction.
“You sound just like her,” he grumbled.
“Well, they do need to eat,” I told him, poking fun.
“I suppose.” He shook his head. “Well, I better get going.”
“Mr. Tomkins,” I called, remembering that I was leaving soon. “I will be out of town for a while so just take all the vegetables home until I get back.”
He frowned. “Are you sure?”
“Of course, I’m sure. I’d hate for them to go to waste.”
“Thank you, kindly.” He inclined his head. “I’m sure the Misses will appreciate it.”
“Oh, and I will make sure you get paid through October as well.”
Lost in the Highlands, Volume Two Page 4
