"Ye are a stubborn mon, cousin."
"Why? Because I feel a stronger loyalty to one of my own blood than to a wee lass tossed at my feet, to the sister of the mon who dishonored my sister? If matters were t'other way round, Avery would feel the same. She would stand firm by her blood kin, by her clansmen. And she would expect me to understand that."
"Ah, but that would imply that she has a sense of loyalty and honor, and ye cannae seem to believe that any lass could have either,” Leargan drawled. Then he nudged his horse ahead of Cameron's, signaling an end to the discussion.
Cameron cursed and followed his cousin. He had begun to see that, perhaps there were a few flaws in his beliefs about women. It was a change of attitude he fought against, however. His cynicism, his complete lack of faith in women, was part of his shield against the allure of Avery, and he was determined not to lose it.
He was pleased to have all discussion about Avery ended, too. Leargan's suggestion about marrying the lass was not one he wanted to hear too often, nor any arguments that would reveal it to be in any way possible. It was tempting, too tempting. Now that he had tasted her passion, he would like nothing better than to hold her in his bed, to have the right to reach for her any time he felt so inclined. To his utter dismay, he could all too easily envision a future with her, could even see the children they could raise together. Nay, even the word marriage was enough to start him thinking, and he could not afford to. Avery would be sent away. What they shared now was only a passing thing. For his own sake, and for Katherine's, he could not allow it to be anything more.
Avery sighed with pleasure as she eased her body down into the hot herbal-scented bath. She found it a little amusing that Cameron toted along the huge bathing tub as well as his feather mattress, although she was deeply grateful for both. Since they were settled in one spot for more than one night, he had had his tub and his mattress unpacked. The man plainly liked his comforts. She suspected he had also anticipated very little trouble along the way, which was comforting.
As she lounged in the bath, letting the heat soothe away each and every twinge, she thought about how she should deal with Cameron now. He was her lover now, and it would be hard to change that even if she had any inclination to do so. Cameron was a very stubborn man, and he had his mind set on using her to force Payton to marry Katherine. He also did not trust women. That left her in the awkward position of having to prove herself to him, of making him see that she was just what he needed. She had saved the lives of him and his people, done her fair share of the work of keeping his men fed, clothed, and comfortable, and nursed his wounded men. Now she warmed his bed, and she did not think it was vanity that made her certain she did that very well indeed. As far as Avery could see, there was not a whole lot more she could do.
Briefly, she considered telling him what lay in her heart, but she quickly cast aside that idea. Cameron would think she played some kind of game. His distrust of women would make him see her words of love as no more than some attempt to get him to do as she wanted. That would hurt—far more than she even cared to think about.
So, she mused, that left her with the passion they shared. Although he did not seem to sense it, she put her love for him behind every kiss, every touch, every sigh of delight. Eventually that might work to soften his heart, make him rethink his plans. That, and just continuing to behave as she had been. Cameron was not stupid. At some point, he had to realize that not all women were like the ones whose betrayals had so soured him.
Avery grimaced as she started to wash herself. Perhaps, if she did no more than soften his attitude about women, she could find some solace in that. It would not warm her lonely bed after he had set her aside, nor mend her broken heart, but it would be an accomplishment she could take some pride in.
Suddenly, Cameron appeared at the side of her tub, naked and grinning. Avery knew she was staring at him stupidly as he climbed into the tub, but she could not help herself. He was such a beautiful man, the mere sight of him was enough to stir her desire. She was also startled to realize that she had been sunk so deeply into her own thoughts that she had not even heard him enter the tent and undress.
"Are ye sure this tub can hold both of us?” she asked as he slowly sank down into the water, his long body crowding her up against the far end.
"Aye, although I may regret this.” He scooped up a handful of water, sniffed it, and grimaced. “My men will think I smell far too pretty. Ah, weel, at least it is nae roses. And, getting all hot and sweaty afterward should dim some of the stench."
"And just what do ye plan to do to get all hot and sweaty?” she asked, although the heated look in his eyes gave her a very good idea. “Hunt? Train the men? Wrestle?"
"Wrestle. With ye. All night long,” he added, drawing out each word as he plucked the soap and washing cloth from her hands. “Come, turn round, lass, and I will wash your back."
Even as she did what he told her to, she muttered, “I was almost done bathing."
"Ah, but ye have nae done your back yet, have ye?"
"Weel, nay,” she replied, certain he had far more in mind than just assisting her in her bath.
Avery trembled slightly as he began to wash her back; she was mildly disgusted with herself. He was not doing anything seductive. In fact, he barely touched her with his hands, yet the way he rubbed her with the washing rag was enough to stir her blood. Obviously, as concerned her passion for Cameron, there was little hope for control. Now that she knew the full delight they could share, her weakness for him had clearly grown tenfold.
"Stand up, lass, so that I can finish the back of you,” Cameron said.
There was a trace of huskiness in his deep voice that told Avery he was not completely unmoved. She found some comfort in that. It was also a little sad, she decided as she stood up. One instinctively tried to guard oneself against such a weakness. It was possible that they could spend what little time they had together both fighting hard against becoming helpless victims of their own passions. Love would find a hard time taking root under such conditions.
She caught her breath as he began to wash her legs and backside. There was a change in the way he touched her. He was using his hands to soap her skin now, and he was stroking her. When he rinsed the soap away, she breathed a sigh of relief pleased that that torment was over, only to nearly stumble to her knees when he kissed her at the very base of her spine. She clenched her hands into tight fists when he took his kisses even lower.
"Turn around, loving,” he ordered, grasping her firmly by the hips and gently forcing her to obey him.
It was hard for Avery to decide which heated her cheeks more: her rising desire or her embarrassment. She felt horribly exposed, yet the taut look of passion on his dark face kept her from trying to shield herself from his gaze. When he nudged her legs apart to wash between them, she grasped hold of his head, her knees so weak that she felt a need to support herself. She was shaking slightly by the time he rinsed the soap away, but when she tried to step away, he held her in place. A cry of shock and delight escaped her when he kissed the soft curls he had so gently bathed.
"Nay, Cameron,” she protested.
"Aye, Avery. Oh, most definitely, aye."
With but a few strokes of his tongue, he silenced her embarrassed protests. Avery closed her eyes and gave herself over fully to the pleasure he was giving her. Very quickly she did not care what he saw or what he did, so long as he did not stop. With his fingers and his mouth, he drove her mad, pushing her to the edge time and time again only to draw back. He teased and tormented her until she was demanding that he end this torture.
He stopped her attempt to join their bodies, taking her to her release with his kisses. Even as she shuddered from the strength of it, he pulled her down onto his lap, impaling her on himself. He bent her back over his arm and turned his greedy, sensuous attentions upon her breasts. With his hands upon her hips, he moved her body on his until she felt her passion soaring again. This time when she cried out i
n release, he was with her.
Although several moments had passed, Avery was still dazed from his lovemaking when she let him lift her from the bath and dry her off. When he was done, she had recovered enough to snatch the drying cloth from his hands. She began to rub him dry, determined to push him to the brink of madness as he had done to her.
By the time she was kneeling in front of him, painstakingly drying his legs, Cameron was breathing hard. Her own desire rising rapidly, Avery meticulously dried his groin, savoring his every gasp and groan as she stroked him. She then tossed aside the cloth, placed her hands on his trim hips, and ever so slowly ran her tongue up the full length of his erection. The groan that escaped him seemed to shake his whole body.
Cameron stared down at her as she kissed and licked him. His hands were clenched into tight fists at his side as he fought for the control to enjoy her loving. When she captured his gaze with hers and then eased him into her warm mouth, he knew that was a pleasure he did not have the strength to savor for very long at all.
Finally, with a harsh cry that was a mixture of pleasure and disappointment over his own inability to control himself, he gripped her beneath her arms and carried her to the bed. Even as he thought to apologize for not being able to take the time to stir her passions to an equal height, he plunged into her and found her more than ready for him. That proof that she had been nearly as aroused as he by loving him only inflamed him more. What ensued was a frenzied mating, but Avery met and equaled his ferocity. When his release shuddered through him, she was but a heartbeat behind with her own.
He collapsed into her arms. Although Cameron suspected he was too heavy for her, he was too wrung out to move. After a few minutes, he felt her squirm a little beneath him and he mustered just enough strength to flop over onto his back and pull her up against his side. If they kept indulging their passion for each other with such ferocity, he would be entering Cairnmoor on a litter. When he recalled that reaching his home would signal the end of his affair with Avery, he swiftly pushed such thoughts right out of his mind. He did not want to think of endings when his body still thrummed from the delights he had just enjoyed.
"I think we need to practice some caution, lass,” he said, brushing a lazy kiss over her forehead. “Much more of this greedy behavior and I willnae be able to sit a horse."
"Dinnae have the stamina ye had when ye were young, is that it?” she murmured, lightly rubbing her hand over his hip.
"Verra amusing. Ye should be too exhausted to be so impertinent."
"I recover fast.” She yawned and rubbed her cheek against his chest. “Was that, weel ... normal?"
Cameron laughed softly. “Afraid ye may be excommunicated or something?” He stroked her back, then began to fondle her backside, unable to stop touching her. “If ye confessed all this, ye would probably have to do a penance or two since the church considers most all pleasures a sin. Aye, they scowl upon anything more than a hurried rutting in the dark whilst nearly fully clothed. Dinnae fret o'er it, lass. We havenae done anything many another hasnae done, and I dinnae think ‘tis the devil leading ye along."
Nay, just my loins, she mused, but she only nodded. From what she had occasionally overheard the men in her family talk about, most everyone was indeed indulging themselves whenever the opportunity arose. If enjoying such pleasures was enough to consign oneself to hell's fires, she would not be lonely, for most of her family would probably be roasting right alongside her.
"Humph, ye have gotten me all a-sweat,” she mumbled, glancing toward the bath.
"Want me to scrub your back?” he offered with a grin as she scrambled over his body and walked toward the tub.
Shivering slightly as she hastily washed up with the now-cooled water, she limited her response to one brief, thoroughly-disgusted look his way. She wrapped the drying cloth around herself and hurried back to bed. Even as she crawled back beneath the blankets, Cameron grabbed the drying cloth off her and went to wash up. She squeaked with surprise when he got back into bed a few minutes later and yanked her into his arms.
"Cameron, ye are cold all over,” she protested.
"I ken it,” he said, holding her even closer. “Ye will warm me up."
He slid his hand over her stomach and between her thighs. Her gasp of shock quickly turned to a murmur of delight. Cameron found the way she responded so swiftly and sweetly to him one of the greatest pleasures he had ever known. He hooked her leg back over his hip, opening her more fully to his touch.
"I am definitely feeling warmer now,” he murmured against her ear.
Avery shivered, feeling the deep rumble of his voice all the way down to her toes “I thought ye were going to curb our greedy behavior.” She gasped as he suddenly turned her onto her back and crouched over her, the size of his erection telling her that he was certainly feeling greedy again.
"I was thinking that our recent gluttonous behavior has fed my fever weel enough that, this time, I can go slowly.” He dragged his tongue over her nipple. “I can savor you, play with you, linger over each and every delicious inch of you."
His soft, husky words made her skin tingle with anticipation. “Ye were worried about being unable to sit your horse,” she reminded him.
"I can walk, or, mayhap I will just have Leargan carry me about.” He kissed each of her hipbones.
When he settled himself between her legs and licked the inside of each thigh, she whispered, “Ye plan to drive me completely insane, dinnae ye?"
He hooked her legs over his shoulders, slid his hands beneath her bottom, and touched a kiss to her nether curls. “Completely."
"Oh, sweet Mary,” she groaned. She suspected it would be the last coherent thing she would say for a very long time.
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Chapter Ten
"'Tis the DeVeaux again."
Cameron stared at Leargan in utter disbelief, then softly cursed.
Although he and Leargan had ridden ahead of the others to make sure the trail they followed was safe, he had not really expected to find any trouble. They were making good time in their journey to the port they would sail from—such good time that they had almost made up for the four days lost waiting for the wounded men to heal enough to travel safely. In truth, he was undoubtedly pushing his people harder than was needed. He had heard a few grumbles, but he fought to ignore them. It was probably not completely rational, yet he felt that if he took his time, everyone would think it was because he wished to hold onto Avery a little longer. Since that was exactly what he did want to do, he strove hard to do the exact opposite. In his current state of emotional turmoil, confronting DeVeau's men was not something he wanted to deal with.
"After all the men they lost in the last attack, ye would think they would give up,” Cameron said. “The mon didnae pay us that weel. Jesu, he would pay nearly as much now just to replace the men he lost."
"Aye, it makes no sense. Perhaps we should try to spy upon them for a wee bit. They may not even be looking for us."
After considering the idea for a moment, Cameron nodded. They rode closer to where the De Veaux were camped, then dismounted and secured their horses. Slipping through the trees, they reached the very edge of the camp and crouched in the shadows. Cameron nearly cursed aloud when a familiar figure stepped out of a tent a few feet away. Sir Charles DeVeau rarely rode with his men. Cameron found the man's presence ominous.
As they watched, a small table was set up. A fine linen cloth was spread over it and it was set with rich plates, eating utensils, and a goblet. Cameron nearly grunted in disgust when an ornate padded chair was set before the table. Sir Charles sat down and a nervous little man hurried over to serve what was obviously the first course of a many-course dinner. Cameron doubted the man fed his soldiers with such care and bounty.
Sir Charles was into the third course of his elaborate meal and Cameron was thinking that he and Leargan were wasting their time, when one of the DeVeau soldiers marched up. “Where are the MacAlpins?
” Sir Charles asked after dabbing at his mouth with a lace-trimmed linen napkin.
"Not far from here, my lord,” the man replied.
"And the prize I seek?"
"Should be along shortly. Luck was with us. We gained the prize without even alerting the camp."
A chill snaked down Cameron's spine. He knew they were not talking about the coin. That was stored with the baggage and could not possibly be taken without someone being alerted, for it would be set in the very heart of his camp. His unease grew as he mulled over every other possibility, continuously coming back to the same answer. DeVeau had sent his men to kidnap someone and, recalling that there was an old, bitter feud between the DeVeaux and the Murrays and Lucettes, he had a bone-chilling idea of just who they might be seeking.
He looked at Leargan and found no reassurances in that man's dark expression. It was clear that his cousin had reached the same conclusion. Cameron silently asked, “Stay?” and Leargan nodded. Tense and fighting to stay calm and clearheaded, Cameron waited, all the while praying that he was wrong.
Avery slipped away from camp for a moment of privacy. She half smiled when her guard watched her leave, looked to see that Gillyanne was still in the camp, and returned to his work. The guards had obviously decided that, if she and Gillyanne were not together, there was little chance she would try to escape. Avery was a little tempted to make a dash for it just to stir things up, but she knew that Cameron would never believe she had only meant it as a tease.
Feeling a need to stretch her legs after riding all day, she walked slowly through the wood, keeping the camp within hearing distance if not always in sight. For a week now they had been riding steadily toward the port from which they would sail to Scotland. It seemed as if Cameron was pushing them hard. Although she could understand his need to return home to sort out his sister's troubles, or even because he missed Scotland after being away for so long, it still hurt that he would hurry so. As far as she knew, he still planned to be rid of her once they reached Cairnmoor. Despite telling herself not to be foolish, that it was vain to think everything the man did was somehow about her, and despite the greed with which he still reached for her in the night, Avery could not stop herself from occasionally thinking that he was in a painful hurry to be rid of her.
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