The fierce storm soon arrived bringing a damp, bone-chilling cold with it. Fires were lit in all the chambers and the great hall. Kara sat close to him for the body warmth. And what a warm body it was. What he thought would make him immune to her had stoked the desire.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
This trip had turned into something more than the scouting expedition Kara had planned on. Acting like she was on a date was the worst thing she could have done. And a picnic? There hadn't even been time to ask about the surrounding lands and the other clans. She had gotten swept up in the whole idea of being alone with a hot, Highland warrior, unleashing her sex kitten, something she didn't know she had by the way, that the reason she wanted to go on the ride had gotten completely lost. She'd still not recovered from the afternoon's delightful tryst and shivers climbed up and down her spine.
She was worried. I must be losing my mind. I think I'm falling in love with a dead man.
After her parents died, she had been packed and bundled, and shipped off to her grandparents' house, not given time enough to realize how her life was forever altered. Her grandparents were wonderful, and were always there for her. Still, she felt alone. The kind of alone that couldn't be supplanted by the number of friends she surrounded herself with.
Now, here she was, in a beautiful, foreign country with good people and a man who stirred deep emotions within her. Admittedly, she had been wondering what it would be like to live here all the time. She stopped at the work room door to watch the women mending clothes and weaving on the looms. Perhaps she liked being here because it reminded her of times she and Glynnis sat and talked while sewing or cooking. The loss of her grandmother played a definite part in her feelings for this place. She had never tired of hearing about Scotland and had hounded her grandmother endlessly with questions about the country.
Pull it together, Malone. You can't stay here. It would be her luck that by staying she'd wipe out the planet or at the very least, her entire family. "You've seen too many movies."
* * * *
The bright day gave good light for Alaxandar, Cuilén, Ramsey and the other men who came to repair and fortify the west wall.
"Come on, Cuilén, lift that stone. Where has all your strength gone, man?" Alaxandar threw the barb at his brother.
Cuilén blew out a breath. "Ye know where me strength has gone." His devil grin got them laughing.
"Ramsey? Ye canna seem to stay focused. Why ye be scanning the area?"
"Your sister shadows me since I have returned. I canna turn for fear of tripping on her," he spit out.
"Why dunna ye marrit the gel and be done with it?" Cuilén said.
Alaxandar watched the dark memory pass through Ramsey's eyes. He knew why Ramsey never planned to marry. He'd been a prisoner at some point in a place where unspeakable things were done to the captives.
Ramsey never spoke of it.
He bore the marks of the torture as well as battle scars. That was why he never went back to the MacLaren clan when he'd escaped captivity. Ramsey swore never again to be controlled by anyone. He'd as much admitted to Alaxandar one night when they'd been deep in their cups of ale. He went where he wanted for as long as he wanted then moved on. Alaxandar had met him on the battlefield. He was badly injured. Ramsey found him, patched him up, and nursed him back to health. They formed a bond of friendship, kinsman. They had gone to battle many times together since then, watching each other's backs. When the last war ended, Alaxandar offered him a place to rest until he felt the need to go.
Alaxandar stood tall and glared at Ramsey before breaking into the MacLeod grin. "Well, she 'tis a MacLeod."
"Wait till ye be wed and see how ye fair," Cuilén teased.
"Aye," Alaxandar replied with a mixture of amusement and arrogance. Like his friend, he had no wish to be marrit. His homeland was forever in a war, whether it be with England or some other heavy-weight, trying to take what belonged to them. With each war, he left Dunvegan fully armed and ready for battle. Leaving a woman behind to worry and await his return would be distracting, lay heavy on his heart.
He would be chief of the clan someday. That came with a duty to bear an heir which meant the need of a wife. An occasional tryst between a woman's thighs was always pleasant, but something permanent did naught to ease him. What if he didn't return? Leaving a wife and child alone didn't appeal to him.
His thoughts strayed to Kara. Even now, she might have his babe within her. What a weak fool he'd been not to steel himself against her wiles. Her talk of returning home had been less of late which could mean she had decided to stay. Mayhap they could make an arrangement. She would be well cared for and he would present a wife to the clan, and possibly a child. He would speak with her this eve.
By early afternoon the repairs and refortifications were finished. "One last pass to check the walls?" Alaxandar said to Cuilén.
"Aye," Cuilén agreed. "I be needing to check on Ilysse."
And he was anxious to discuss his idea with Kara.
At quick glance, Alaxandar didn't notice the small hole behind the bush on the south side.
* * * *
Alaxandar and Kara took a walk that evening after the meal. "The chief has ordered the women and children to stay inside the walls. Dangerous things have been going on. He means to keep as many safe as possible."
He was anxious to pose his questions. The smell of hay and horse grew stronger as they neared the stables. The stable hands were at the keep taking their meal which left the place quiet. Alaxandar clasped Kara's hand and drew her within the wooden building, tugging her along until they got to the last stall. He tossed her down on the hay and dove in after her. She screamed and laughed as he tried to undress her.
"Stop it." She playfully slapped his shoulder.
"Nay, I wanna see your breasts." He pulled on her shirt, dislodging it.
She bit her lower lip between her teeth. "Should I tell you what I wanna see?" With a twinkle in her eyes, she let her gaze fall to his groin which tightened in response.
He straddled her hips. "Well now, I kin give ye what ye want, lass." He lifted his kilt and grabbed himself, stroking once, twice to enlarge his gift.
She ran her tongue across her lips. "Then maybe I can give you what you want as well." He shifted then she raised her shirt over her head, laying it behind her to protect her back from the scratchy straw. With her hands she grabbed each breast and held them up to him. She pinched her nipples.
"I be thinking ye should give me a show of your bounty. I willna be satisfied with just anything."
"Oh really," she scoffed.
Alaxandar dropped his covering and scooted to rest his back against the wall and stretch his long legs out in front of him. "I be a MacLeod, first born."
"So I've heard," she replied dryly.
He crossed his arms over his massive chest. "Well?" His right brow arched. "What have ye got for me?"
She would play his game, the arrogant male. She'd wager she could show him a few things women of this time were not likely to do. Positioning a bunch of hay behind her, Kara laid back so that she was facing Alaxandar. First, she pinched her nipples and rolled them between her fingers. "Hmmm," she moaned.
He sat up straighter.
With a sassy grin, she grabbed her skirt and raised it, not too fast, because she wanted to stretch out his longing. The deepening color of his eyes and the heavier breathing was a good sign.
Resting the skirt atop her stomach, she took her right hand and drew it across her mound. She spread her legs apart and bent her knees then ran her fingers over herself again. Parting her lips, she found her moist clit and began to massage it. The look on his face was exciting and her body felt ready to burst from her own manipulations. She increased the pressure and speed, taking one finger and dipping it inside herself. She'd never done anything like this in front of a man, but he seemed to be enjoying the show and it felt damn good. She laid her head back and closed her eyes. Her breathing grew rapid. Her hips moved o
f their own accord. "Oh, yeah," she murmured. In the next instant, she came and at that same moment, his lips replaced her fingers sucking on her clit, his tongue lapping up her juices. He made her come again so strong, so fast, she thought she would expire.
He rolled to his side and scooted over until her head rested on his chest. "Kara."
"Hmmmm?"
"Ye havna said much about home lately. I thought mayhap ye had decided to stay with us."
Kara sat up and pulled her skirt down, not wanting to look at him until she could figure out what to say. Lying there with one hand behind his head, he watched her. He had grown disturbingly quiet. "I can't stay, Alaxandar."
"Why?"
"It's complicated."
"What be complicated?"
"My life is complicated. Damn it, sometimes I—I mean these last couple of days have been wonderful and I thought maybe I could, but I can't because it might screw the world up and wipe out my family." She dropped her face to her hands. "Shit, I don't know what I'm doing."
He stared at her but didn't speak. She'd told him too much already.
"I had thought to ask ye to stay and mayhap stand by me side as a MacLeod."
Stunned, Kara took several breaths. The oxygen seemed not to be getting to her brain because she felt dizzy. Did he just ask her to marry him? This can't be happening to me.
Alaxandar came up to his elbow and lay one hand against her belly. "Ye may have me bairn and the next MacLeod heir here."
His warm eyes and loving tone undid her and she started to cry. "Pregnant?" She had gotten her birth control shot before she'd left, but does traveling through time change its effectiveness, or render it inactive? "Oh my God, I never gave that a thought and we didn't use any protection and we did it several—I mean numerous—oh, what am I going to do?"
"Calm ye, lass. I be here and I want ye to stay. I dunna understand your babbling but I kin make sure ye be never alone and the wee bairn will be a first-born MacLeod." He smiled at her.
"Stop! Just stop." Kara jumped up. "Stop with the first born crap. This is serious." She grabbed her shirt and pulled it on.
"Aye," he said still propped on his elbow in a relaxed pose.
She started tucking her shirt back in and repositioning her skirt. "I've got to find a way home. I don't belong here," she said as she brushed hay from her clothes and pulled the golden strands from her hair.
"Ye belong with me, Kara."
She stopped and looked at him. "Lord knows I wish I could believe that, Alaxandar, but you don't know the whole story."
He stood and marched over, grabbing her elbow and shaking her. "Then tell me what be so important for ye to return. We kin send a message to your clan and negotiate details if that be your wish."
"I'm not some piece of property that you can negotiate and pay a price for," she fumed. "I am a grown woman who makes her own decisions and runs her own life."
He laughed.
"You think I jest?"
"Aye, ye be a wicked piece." He winked. "But I would be happy to take ye on whenever and wherever you like."
"Ooo," she growled. She shoved him backwards into the stall and he fell into the hay laughing as she stormed off.
Kara's nerves had gone over the edge and she threw up alongside the garden on her way back to the keep. Pregnant. "He's messing with my psyche that's all. I'm not pregnant. I can't be. I just can't be."
When she got back to her room, she sat down on the bed and ran her fingers gently over her flat stomach. What would it be like to carry a child? Alaxandar's child? "Then I'd never be able to go home. I best keep my distance. I can't afford to mess things up any further."
She extinguished the candles and went to bed. This had been an exhausting day and she'd had enough. Tomorrow she'd wake with fresh eyes and start coming up with a plan for her next move in finding a way home.
"Damn," Kara said a short time later. She bounced out of bed and began to pace on the cold stone floor. Too many thoughts filled her head and her brain wouldn't relax long enough to let her sleep.
Deciding to take a walk to get some fresh air, she threw on her clothes and grabbed her shoes. The moon had started its waxing phase. It was a clear night. Kara strolled along the catwalk where the guards kept watch. Restless, unanswered questions infested her thoughts. She wrestled with her temper and how Alaxandar so lazily brought up the subject of children. She yawned. Maybe the evening air and exercise took its effect and she would drift to sleep. From out of nowhere, Jamie MacLeod appeared. The big Highlander reeked of alcohol. Kara didn't like the feral look in his eye.
"Well now, lass. Ye be looking good to me," he stated as he stumbled closer.
"That's because you're drunk."
She tried to pass him, but he grabbed her shoulders and threw her against the stone wall, knocking the breath from her. If he pushed too hard, she could very well go over the wall and to her death. He seized her arms and dragged her to a small alcove by the stairwell.
This was no scare tactic.
Jamie pushed against her with his body and his fingers did some walking up her thigh, grabbing material and bringing it along. A large, hairy, muscular leg positioned itself between her thighs.
"What are you doing?" She shoved his chest.
"You're a smart lass. I think ye know why I be here." He grabbed her right breast through her shirt and squeezed hard.
She pushed against him, her fists pounding his chest and shoulders, but it did little good. In the position he had her, there was no way she could lift a knee to his groin.
"Dunna fuss, lass. I have come for a bit of what Alaxandar's been getting."
His large, callused hand covered her mouth when she opened it to scream. "I like ye to fight. The rougher, the better."
Fear was replaced by anger. Now he's just pissing me off. She kicked his shin and punched as Jamie leaned his body across the top of her. He spoke with a slur and the alcohol stench permeated his breath.
"Get off," she mumbled through his fingers as she continued to squirm, trying to buck him off.
He reached down between them and lifted his covering. "I be ready to have ye, wench. Me cock be primed for your saucy piece." He pumped himself and crushed his mouth to hers.
No matter how hard she struggled, Kara knew she wasn't strong enough. He sneered. Grabbing the material of her skirt, he jerked it up to expose her. He leaned in until she could feel the snake he would use to violate her. She pressed her legs closed and scratched at his arms.
Suddenly, his enormous weight lifted. Her eyes popped open and she saw two shadowy figures fighting in the dark. She heard the blows as punches were thrown. A loud grunt and exhale sounded as one body connected with the wall.
"Take your play elsewhere, Jamie MacLeod, afore I break ye in two." He shoved Jamie across the walkway and further away from her.
Alaxandar.
He looked larger than life standing there, breathing heavily, watching to make sure Jamie left.
"Are ye hurt? Did he…" he hesitated before finishing. His eyes scanned her face, arms and body. He lightly passed his hands over her skin where Jamie's rough beard had scraped it.
"No, I'm all right." She straightened her clothes and fluffed her hair. "He pissed me off though, the bastard." When her heartbeat settled down, she asked, "How did you find me?"
"I was talking to the guards and I heard a stifled scream."
"My hero," she smiled.
Frowning, he tilted her head to check her neck and moved her shirt aside to look at the skin on her shoulders where she'd been thrown against the wall. She winced. Bruises were forming. He coaxed her into his arms until her head rested on his chest. Jamie MacLeod had gone too far. Alaxandar would speak with the chief on the morrow.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Kara woke early the next morning alone in her room. Her breast and shoulder ached from the bruises, but otherwise she felt all right. The comfort of Alaxandar's arms and steady heartbeat had lulled her to sleep last night. He'd
risen before the dawn this morning and gone about his duties.
Thoughts of last night lingered in Kara's mind. As she dressed, her fingers fumbled and her hands shook. This situation made things more difficult. Anger radiated from Jamie every time he looked at her. His actions last night were of desperation because he thought her an enemy to the clan, or maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was jealous of Alaxandar and what lingered between them. Thankfully, the bruises were in areas no one would see. How would she have explained to this family, who had taken her in, that one of their own had tried to force himself on her? And what would Alaxandar do to Jamie when he saw him again?
"You can't stay locked in here all day." The ordeal had been unsettling but Alaxandar had arrived before things had gone too far and she was still no closer to her goal. She wouldn't wallow in pity or cower in fear. Jamie's actions further confirmed the fact that she didn't belong here. Her lack of knowledge burdened her progress. She'd be more careful and ready when she next met Jamie MacLeod.
Opening the door a crack, she peered into the hallway and came face-to-face with the guard she'd had when she'd first arrived. "What are you doing here?"
He bowed. "Alaxandar ordered me to watch over ye."
"Oh." She should have known he would do something like that. "Come on then. I'm hungry." She headed straight for the great hall with her shadow following a respectable distance behind her.
The sun graced the morning with its brilliant light. Her eyes darted from side to side, half expecting Jamie to jump out of a hidden doorway. Get a grip.
* * * *
Alaxandar half heard Cuilén explain the plans for the day, which included finishing the rest of the outer dwellings and checking the castle and its buildings one last time for needed repairs. Over the rim of his cup, Alaxandar watched the gentle sway of Kara's hips as she approached the table. Disturbed by the events of last night, and how to handle it with the chief, he concentrated on her eyes, searching for signs of fear. His skin sizzled when she squeezed his thigh under the table. This would not be easy, but something had to be done. Damn Jamie MacLeod.
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