He shook his head. “The risk is too great. I can no take ye back with me.”
“For God’s sake, I’ve already been there. What’s the big deal?”
“Ye almost got us killed.”
“Well, you were the one who thought getting a treasure was more important than staying with me.”
“Och, lass. I came back for ye, didn’t I?”
“After I was about to be eaten by the disgusting monster in that damn loch of yours.”
Gavin threw up his hands and paced the room. “Stubborn wench,” he mumbled under his breath.
“I can hear you,” she yelled, letting her anger take hold once again. Pushing back from the table, she stood up.
“Och, I know ye can hear me but ye don’t listen worth a damn.”
“I don’t listen?” She stomped her foot. “You are the one that has a hearing problem.”
“I can hear jes fine,” Gavin railed. “Ye speak so loud how could I not.”
“Well, at least I don’t mumble under my breath like a buffoon.”
“Ye think I am a buffoon, do ye?” His face hardened.
“Well, no,” she hedged, thinking she may have went too far by the expression on his face, “but you certainly act like one.”
“I was only trying ta keep ye alive and that is the thanks I get?”
“I kept you alive, remember?”
The Highlander that had been standing silently in the corner looked over to Tilde seated at the table and lifted his brows knowingly.
Tilde smiled from ear to ear watching the two of them bicker amongst themselves, thinking that she hadn’t had this much fun in a very long time…a very long time, indeed.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
HIGHLAND GAMES, CENTRAL VIRGINIA
Out in the field-The Festival- Present Day
“Now what?” Paige asked, pulling her jacket closer against her body, to ward off the chill.
“We wait,” Gavin said, turning away from her once more and leaning back against the tree in the designated area the gypsy had instructed them to wait. He crossed his arms and stared out into the darkness. He was still a mite put out with the way the lass had yelled at him in the tent. Granted, he probably deserved most of what she said but it still pricked his ego. And that damnable witch, or gypsy, whatever she was, only added fuel to the flames with her commentary. He barely made it out of the tent in one piece. At least that is the way it seemed to him.
After he and the lass had gotten into a shouting match at one another, and gearing up for another battle, the gypsy informed them both that the time was nearing to go back, if that was what they intended.
He didn’t want ta take the lass back but he wasn’t left much choice in the matter because she informed him under no uncertain terms that she was going with him whether he liked it or not.
And that was the end of that.
Paige looked over at Gavin. His face barely visible in the darkness was still an unreadable mask. Fine. Unreadable was a bit mild since she knew he was upset with her, but that was too bad. He would get over it eventually, or at least that is what she told herself.
After they had bickered for a good half hour the gypsy woman slammed her hands down on the table, which shut them both up rather quickly and informed them that they better get before the mist came.
The Highlander, the big one that was even taller than Gavin had lifted the tent flap and showed them the door, so to speak. After he explained where to go, he sent them on their merry, or miserable way, depending on how one looked at it.
Paige was merry.
Gavin was apparently miserable.
And for the first fifteen minutes of their departure, Paige was good with that. Now, however, the longer they stood under this stupid tree in the darkness, she began to wonder why in the hell she wanted so badly to go with Gavin in the first place, especially when he didn’t seem to even want her with him. At odds with herself, her gut said stay while her brain was telling her to go. Irritated at her contrary emotions, she pulled her bag back on her shoulder and walked over in front of him.
“Gavin,” she said, looking up at where she knew his face was, the outline barely visible.
He exhaled. “What do ye want.”
“I’m sorry I yelled at you.”
“Good.”
“That’s it!” Her temper flared again.
“What do ye want from me, lass?”
“I want you to tell me that you are sorry too, and that you want me to go with you.”
“I am sorry for raising my voice with ye lass, but I can no do the other thing ye want from me.”
“Why?” A sudden burst of hot tears sprang to her eyes and her throat constricted, making it hard to speak.
“I’ve already told ye why?”
“Do you even care about me at all?” She sounded like a croaking frog.
Gavin could hear how upset she was and it pulled at his heart strings, making his chest feel tight. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, but he also didn’t want her to come back with him because of the deal he made with the witch.
He just didn’t know how to explain that to her.
“Aye, I do.”
“Then why?” She sniffed, trying hard not to cry.
Gavin knew what he had to say to get her ta leave even if it was not the truth. The problem was, he knew once he said the words, she would hate him. And he wasn’t sure if he could bear that.
“Och, lass, do not cry.” Unable to stop himself, he reached out, pulled her pliable body tightly against his chest, and held her in his arms. Up and down, he caressed her back with his hand.
Paige blubbered into his shirt, letting her tears finally flow freely from her eyes. There was no measuring of time when she was with him, and she tried not to think about him leaving—and especially what she knew she needed to do—which was to let him go. She loved him enough for that. Another old saying from her Grans bubbled up unbidden. “If you love someone, set them free, if they come back they are yours, if not, it was never meant to be…” Stupid saying, get out of my mind, she wanted to scream, but deep down, she knew what she had to do. Pulling back just a bit, Paige lifted her tear stained face up to his. “I won’t go.”
The words were like a spear to his heart and his breath caught on itself. “Ye do not want ta go back with me?”
“Not if you don’t want me too.”
Gavin closed his eyes and tried to garner the strength he needed and finally said, “It is for the best.”
“Yeah, I guess.” The tears that she thought had dried up were coming back in full force. She let out a self-deprecating laugh that was more of a sob, sniffing. “God, sorry. I hate crying.”
“I hate ta see ye cry as well.” And he did. It was twisting his innards ta see her thusly. He pushed her back, setting her away from him. He had too before he changed his mind and begged her to come with him.
Of course, Paige had no idea what he was thinking and took him pushing her away as another mortal blow to her already dwindling self-esteem.
“Safe travels,” she said, trying to sound cheery, unfazed, but ended up choking on the words as another sob escaped her throat.
Gavin grabbed hold of the tree, digging his fingers into the bark. “Aye, I will endeavor ta try.”
“Tell Callum, Muir, Graham and Alec, that I said hello and to be…” another sob erupted from her throat, “safe,” she forced out.
Gavin’s throat constricted as wetness gathered behind his eyes. “Aye, I will.”
Forcing her leaden feet to move, Paige took another step away from him. “Don’t forget to eat. You’ll need to keep your strength up.” God, she sounded like an idiot.
“Aye, I will try ta remember that.” His innards twisted again.
Stalling for more time, she said, “Hey, do you want to bring my bag with you?”
“The goodie bag?”
“Yes. The goodie bag.”
“Only if ye want ta give it ta me.”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to give it to you.”
“Aye, then, I would appreciate that.”
Even though it had taken her ten minutes to get ten feet away from him, it only took her seconds to run back to him. She dropped the bag on the ground at his feet and threw her arms around his neck.
Gavin didn’t expect the intense reaction that he felt once she was against his body again. It was like the wind was knocked from his lungs. He let go of the tree and jerked her body against his.
“Lass, what ye do ta me,” he half moaned/sighed as he lowered his mouth and kissed her with all the pent-up emotion he was feeling.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
HIGHLAND GAMES, CENTRAL VIRGINIA
Out in the field-The Festival- Present Day
It didn’t take long for them both to get back to exactly the same point they always got to when they were together—hot and bothered.
His hands roamed freely down her back covering the soft curve of her delectable backside as he pressed in closer.
A moan escaped her lips from the fire of desire pooling between her thighs at his merest touch. Being with Gavin was hot—so hot! How could she ever find someone else to even remotely get her as hot as he did? What would she do when he was gone? Turn into a hermit again? Read books and wish she was the heroine? Even as much as she loved her books, her friends, that kept her company on many a cold night—they were never as fulfilling as the real thing or hot as this, as being with him.
Those fantasies were short lived but Gavin was real—as real as her love for him. And knowing he would be gone soon, increased the ache for him yearning deep inside as his hands slid down into the back of her jeans.
Gavin was thinking much the same thing. He didn’t know what he would do when he was gone from the lass in his arms. She had become more to him than a means to an end. Somehow, she had shoved her way into his heart and taken up residence there and he wasn’t sure he could get her out again or if he even wanted to. Jillian, who he thought was the love of his life, his only love, was now a distant memory, one he didn’t even want to ponder any longer.
Both so enmeshed in their own thoughts and desires, riding on the crest of their passion for one another—neither noticed the mists swirling over the damp grass towards the tree where they were intertwined.
Feeling emboldened by the fact that this was probably going to be their last time together, Paige dropped one of her hands from his shoulder and slid it down the front of his kilt, reaching underneath until her fingers curled around his jutting erection. The skin, soft, velvety, sprang upward from contact.
“Och lass,” he hissed between clenched teeth as soon as her fingers touched him.
“You like that?” She nuzzled his neck, nipping playfully with her teeth on his tender flesh as her hand caressed his length.
“Aye, that I do,” his voice was deep, husky, the passion he was feeling evident in the way he spoke.
Returning the favor, he pulled out one of his hands from the back of her jeans and slid it down between the juncture of her thighs.
Her body clenched, on the verge of having an explosive orgasm just from the heat of his touch.
“Ye like that, lass?” He rubbed harder.
“Yes…,” she nearly yelled, pressing closer to the exquisite torture he was eliciting from her with the merest of touches. A fire was building, hell, it was more of a raging out-of-control wildfire at this point—she felt like she would explode at any moment.
Gavin couldn’t define what he was feeling—it was all encompassing. Every nerve, every fiber of his being was sparking with desire. He felt it from the tips of his toes to the top of his head—he was utterly, totally, enraptured by the feelings coursing through his body—and he didn’t want it to end…
“Take these off, lass,” he said, pulling at her jeans.
Paige reached down and quickly unfastened her jeans. In one swift jerk, she pulled them down along with her panties and stepped out of one side. Her other foot was caught in the bag strap, but she didn’t even care.
Gavin grabbed her free leg and lifted it to his side until the tip of his erection pressed against her wetness. “I can no wait,” he said gruffly, fighting the urge to thrust deep inside of her before she was ready.
“It’s all right,” she told him, holding on.
“Are ye sure?”
“Yes!”
He readjusted, and in one deep push he was inside. “Och, lass,” he moaned in bliss as his mouth captured hers once more.
Lost in the moment, she let her body take control and forced her mind on only one thing…her love for Gavin. In moments, her orgasm tore through her with shattering force.
Feeling her pliable body writhing in his arms was his undoing. Two more thrusts and he too, found his own explosive release.
Gavin held her body in his arms and stroked his hand down her hair for what would surely be the last time as a mixture of his emotions warred within. He wanted to yell out the injustice of it all—how was he going to live without her? Without her smiling face, even her shrewish tongue—oh, how he would miss it all. But what was he to do? Tell her how he felt? But how could he, knowing he would soon be gone from her forever?
Paige was trying hard not to bawl her eyes out. She tightened her grip on him. She didn’t want to let go. She was afraid the moment she did, he would disappear from her grasp and she would never see him again.
And even though theirs was not the love story written in books, she loved him and she was pretty positive, well, almost positive, that in time he would someday realize he felt the same for her. But if he was gone—how could she ever make him see that?
In the end, it didn’t matter because as they held on to one another, battling their emotions, neither saying what they should to the other, the mist made up their minds for them and ripped them both back to the past.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
LOCH MORAR, SCOTLAND
Sometime during the reign of King James
“Damn it, Gavin, “she yelled. “ Stop!”
He turned his fierce gaze on her and she almost lost her nerve. ‘Almost’ being the operative word.
“It’s not my fault,” she said for the third time since they had been ripped back to the past together. At least that is where she gathered they were from the expanse of rolling green hills, rocks and large body of water to her left—that she remembered all too well from her last visit here.
“What do ye want from me?”
“I want you to stop walking away from me while I am trying to have a conversation with you.”
“And I told ye, we had better get moving before nightfall.”
“Well it’s already damn near dark so what difference does it make?”
He gave the loch a wary look and then turned his eyes back to her.
“Oh.” She swallowed hard. “Do you think the monster is still here?”
He shrugged his massive shoulders. “I can no be sure and do no want ta take any chances.”
“I thought that thing only came out when there was a full moon?”
“How do ye think we got here, lass.” To validate his comment, he pointed upward.
Her eyes slowly followed his hand and she gulped. Even though darkness was not fully upon them, in the distance she could see the outline of the moon and it did look like it was going to be a full one.
“Well, Hell.” She tugged her bag of goodies off the ground that she was somehow able to drag to the past, which might have had to do with the fact it was looped around her leg at the time and ran up the rock laden hill to catch up with him.
“Are you mad at me?” she asked once she was beside him again.
He exhaled and swiped his hand over his face and then dropped it back to his side. “Nay, lass, I am no mad at ye.”
“Then why are you so quiet?”
“I am listening to the sounds around us, ta make sure we have not been spotted.”
“Spotted by who?�
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He lifted his brow, giving her a look like she was slow on the uptake. She ignored it. “You think Broderick is still here?”
“I am no saying he is, but I do not want ta take any chances.”
Fine. She could see his reasoning, now, but that didn’t help alleviate the sickening feeling twisting in her gut. Traveling to the past a second time and waking up with her pants around her ankles was a bit humiliating to say the least. The only good part about it was that the goodie bag was wrapped around one of her legs. Well, there were three good parts, she amended.
She was with Gavin and thankfully, he was still out cold when she woke, so she was able to pull her pants back up before he saw her bare ass sticking up in the air. So now that she compartmentalized it, she guessed it wasn’t as bad as the first time. At least this time she wasn’t in a bog of mud. “Where are we going?”
“Back to the castle.”
“What if Broderick is still there?”
“He won’t be for long.”
The tone of his voice sent shivers of dread racing up her spine. And she didn’t need to ask what he meant by that.
“What if his other men are there too?”
“I will cross that bridge when I come ta it.”
It still amazed Paige how Gavin spoke. One minute he sounded like a Scottish man from the past and other times, like this, he sounded the same as she did—well…with an accent—she wasn’t sure which she preferred more. And that wasn’t the only thing that was getting to Paige at the moment. He didn’t even say he was happy she was with him, which kind of pissed her off. Come on. He could have hugged her or something. But no, not Gavin, brooder that he was, really irked her.
Not to mention her feet were killing her and the damn goodie bag was getting really heavy as she half dragged, carried, the damn thing up another hill.
Lost in the Highlands, Volume Two Page 31
