“Aye, because any moment ye could leave or be taken from me,” he snarled.
She stood and walked over to him. “Is that what this is about? I was hurt, and you are worried that you’re not doing enough to protect me? Lindsey was hurt, too. We are lucky that she wasnae killed! What do ye think will happen if ye married me, Creighton? The Erksines may go to battle with ye! Who knows how many could die!”
“The Armstrongs can hold their own against a battle, and they would gladly defend one of their own. That isnae what this is about, and ye know it! Tell me what is keeping ye from wedding me.”
A sudden thought occurred to him. Maybe she was holding out for love, and she didn’t love him.
The thought broke his heart, so he straightened and gripped her wrists. Bending down, he kissed her hard, pouring all of his frustrations and fears into that kiss. Kylie wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body up against him as she took everything he gave.
“Can ye not feel me, lass?” He groaned. “Ye would walk from this?”
Sliding his hands down her body, he lifted the skirt of her shift, lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around him. She wore nothing underneath, and his manhood nestled right into her slick folds.
“We have to stop.” Undulating against him, she closed her eyes tight. “Creighton, we cannae keep doing this.”
Pausing, he touched his forehead to hers. She was arched against him, rubbing herself against him, making him even harder as desire shot through him. Would he ever get tired of her?
Would he ever be able to let this go?
“I love ye, Kylie,” he whispered.
Her lips parted, trembled, and at the sound of her small cry, he plunged into her and took her hard and fast right against the wall. Only when he remembered her head injury did he stop and stumble to the bed with her still riding him. They fell together, and he landed on top of her, thrusting even deeper, and she clamped around him and screamed as her orgasm ripped through her.
More. He needed more. Now, more than ever, he worried that this would be the last time he would touch her. The last time he could hold her.
“Stay,” he growled. “Even if ye cannae wed me, stay. I’ll not wed another. We can have this every night. I will still be yers.”
He was pleading with her now, and he never pleaded with anyone. He never begged a single day in his life, but the idea of losing her was taking him to the darkest moments of his life.
She was his light.
Kylie shuddered again, sucked on his lower lip, and sent him into a dizzy spin of need and fear as he lost control and hammered into her, spilling himself inside her.
Afterward, he rolled them over and covered them with a blanket, all while refusing to let her go.
She didn’t even try to wiggle away but rested her head on his chest and linked her fingers with his, holding him just as tightly.
She’d decided. He knew it without even asking. He could see the pain she was feeling. She’d decided to leave him, but she wouldn’t tell him tonight. Maybe tomorrow, but tonight, she wanted this.
They stayed awake well into the night, holding each other and not saying a word, but eventually, they slipped into sleep, and Creighton feared that in the morning, she would be gone.
The next morning, Kylie woke up, grabbed her dress, and slipped into Creighton’s chambers to dress and do her hair, so she didn’t wake him up. The sun wasn’t up yet, and she’d only gotten a couple of hours of sleep, but she just couldn’t handle speaking with him this morning. It hurt too much.
When she headed down to the breakfast room, she was surprised to discover that she wasn’t the first one up. Lindsey was already at the table, as was Father Benedict. “Good morning,” she greeted quietly as she took her seat. “Lindsey, how are ye feeling?”
The bruise on her jaw had darkened and spread to her cheek. “Better than you, I imagine,” Lindsey said as she reached over and squeezed Kylie’s hand. “How is your head?”
“Yes,” the father asked with concern in his voice. “I had heard about yer mishap. I am vera glad the two of ye are all right.”
“It still aches some, but ‘tis not so bad. Father Benedict, how are ye settling in?”
“I was just telling Miss Lindsey here that while I appreciate the two of ye letting me tag along, I fear I may be moving on sooner than I had expected. The priest in residence has heard that the priest in the neighboring MacTavish lands has passed away. I may find myself a temporary home there.”
“Why temporary? Surely they will let ye stay on?” Lindsey asked, echoing Kylie’s feelings.
“Perhaps. I do enjoy my travels, but maybe ‘tis time for me to settle down.” He smiled faintly. “I suppose the mountain roads are getting more dangerous.”
At his dry humor, Kylie just shook her head. “When would ye leave?”
“Right after I finish breakfast. I am glad that I have had the chance to tell ye goodbye.”
“And I am glad that I have had the chance to know ye. I am so sorry for all yer troubles, Father.”
“Life is full of troubles, lass. There is no need for ye to take on my burdens. Would I be able to say goodbye to the laird before I leave?”
Lindsey’s face turned to her expectantly as well, and Kylie shifted in her seat. “I dinnae know where Creighton is at the moment or what his plans are,” she murmured. It wouldn’t do to tell the father that the laird had still been sleeping peacefully in her bed when she left.
“‘Tis just as well. He may want to send me an escort, and I dinnae wish to be a burden.” Finishing his water, he stood. “‘Tis been an honor to know ye, Lady Kylie. I wonder if we will see each other again?”
Kylie doubted it, but she stood and hugged him. He’d been a comfort to her when she needed it, and it still pained her to know that he’d been hurt on her behalf.
He left, and when Kylie sat back down, Lindsey gave her an accusing look. “I heard that Creighton proposed to you, and you turned him down. I did not think you were daft when I first met you, but now I have cause to wonder.”
“It’s not that simple,” Kylie murmured.
“Why? Because you are worried that you are going to die soon? That Erksine is going to kill you? That there’s too much danger around you? This is the Highlands, Kylie. I shouldn’t have to tell you that danger is everywhere! I can tell Creighton loves you. Anyone who sees the way he looks at you knows it, and it’s obvious that you feel the same when you look at him!”
“And what of ye and Andrew?” Kylie said hotly. “Are ye telling me that I am imagining things with the two of ye?”
Lindsey paled and shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She was lying, but she also seemed scared. Not terrified of Andrew but maybe scared of how she felt about him.
Kylie knew all too well how that felt. “I remember vera little of my mother, but I do remember her telling me to guard my heart against love. If I can remember that, then there must be a reason. The ones we love can hurt us.”
“So that is it,” Creighton said stonily from behind her. “Ye refuse to marry me because of something a woman ye cannae even remember said, and yet ye belittle me for having trust issues because of a brother I lost not two years ago.”
Pain swept over her, and she stilled. How had she not heard him come in? The man was so big but so quiet on his feet.
“Creighton,” she whispered as tears filled her eyes.
“The Erksine group has been spotted. I will be riding out to meet them. Stay in the keep, Kylie. I mean it. Dinnae leave. Should anything happen to me, the guards will keep ye safe.”
Kylie whipped her head around in horror, but he was already leaving, and before she could say a word, the door closed behind him.
25
Creighton’s anger fueled him while he and his men rode out to meet the Erksine guards. He’d been worried there would be a small army with him despite Harry’s words that it was a small group.
Under
the Erksine banner, ten men rode. It was hardly an army, but Creighton had men riding in the woods, searching for scavengers who might be lying in wait.
“Laird Armstrong,” the man called as he stepped forward. He was powerfully built and carried furs indicating he was from the northernmost region. Creighton guesstimated that they might be close to the same age, putting him only a few years older than Kylie. “I am Godfrey Erksine, and I ride with the approval of my laird and father, Rowan Erksine.”
“Godfrey,” Creighton said as he halted his horse and studied the small group, “what is yer purpose for traveling to my lands?”
There was nothing on Godfrey’s expression that indicated what the man was thinking. “I have reason to speak to a lass that I believe has been traveling with ye.”
Creighton was surprised that he was so honest. “A lass?”
“Aye. I confess that I dinnae know her name, but my father believes she is the woman he has been searching for. I would like to ascertain that for myself before I return home and get his hopes up. He would be here himself, but he has been ill and unable to travel for some time.”
Creighton considered it. As of right now, Godfrey didn’t travel with enough men to be considered dangerous, but if he were alone with Kylie, he could kill her in an instant.
“Tell me yer reasons for wanting to speak to her.”
Godfrey hesitated. “Are ye married to her?”
That took Creighton by surprise. “Nay, but she is under my protection.”
“Be that as it may, my business with her is private. If she wishes for ye to be there when I speak to her, then I will disclose my business.” Godfrey sighed and shook his head. “Hell, Creighton, I want to tell ye. If it were me, I would want to know before I allowed someone like me onto yer lands, but the lass is my priority.”
“The lass is my priority too,” Creighton said softly, but he saw honestly on Godfrey’s face. That didn’t mean there wasn’t deception lurking under the surface.
Creighton decided that he would be honest as well. “Kylie, my men, and I were attacked while we were traveling by mercenaries who claimed they’d been hired by ye. A priest was badly hurt in the process.”
“Kylie? Is that the name she is using? Was she hurt?” Godfrey demanded. Creighton didn’t say anything, and Godfrey bared his teeth. “Ye dinnae know me, but trust me when I say that if I need something done, I am perfectly capable of doing it myself, and if I were so cowardly to hide behind mercenaries, I would not be so foolish to give them my name.”
Slowly, Creighton nodded. “I will escort ye back, and we will give ye one night on our lands. If Kylie wants to speak with ye, I will allow it, but ye will never be alone with her.”
“I understand yer concern, but what I have to tell her is private.”
“Then I suggest ye learn to whisper. That is all I can offer ye.”
“Vera well. Under the circumstances, I can understand yer concern. I had not anticipated the suspicion, and I will get to the bottom of these mercenaries.”
“One more thing,” Creighton said. “How did ye discover that Kylie was with me?”
“I didnae know her name, but my father has asked many men over the years to keep him apprised of any lasses who might be asking about him. A message came that there was such a lass on MacSeaver lands but had left with ye.”
“Spies,” Creighton growled.
Godfrey chuckled. “Hardly. If anything, my father was making himself sick at the thought that the men who knew of his situation were growing old and dying off. We dinnae have some secret army, Creighton. I know that ye were betrayed recently, but I only want with a word with...why is Kylie traveling with ye?”
Was it Creighton’s imagination, or was Godfrey sounding protective now?
“‘Tis a long story,” Creighton said and jerked his head. “Follow me.”
Pacing in her chambers, Kylie twisted her fingers nervously as she waited. Lindsey sat by the window and told her anytime one of the guards rode past. So far, no Creighton.
“If you keep moving like that, you’re going to make me dizzy,” Lindsey sighed. “When something happens, we will know.”
“What if we learn it too late to help?”
“How do you think we are going to help, Kylie? We don’t even know what Godfrey is doing here.”
True. How was it that most of the time, she felt so helpless? She’d become friends with some of the strongest women she’d ever met, and here she was, pacing nervously because there was nothing she could do to protect someone she cared about...someone she loved.
“Distract me,” she told Lindsey. “Tell me what ye are doing here and how ye feel about Andrew.”
“Oh.” Lindsey blew out her breath. “Yes, I suppose that would distract you.”
Kylie waited, but her friend just stared at her hands. She realized that whatever kept Lindsey so quiet must have weighed on her more than Kylie realized. She’d only known the woman for a couple of days.
“Ye dinnae have to tell me. Ye can tell me something else instead.”
“No, it’s all right. It might be nice to have a friend. I was betrothed when I was twelve to Baron Trolloway. He was a disgusting and despicable man, and he would have married me at that age had my poor father not insisted that he waited until I was eighteen. My father loved me and hated the idea that he could not protect me, but he had debts, and if he went to debtors’ prison, he wouldn’t be able to protect me at all. The baron was an older man. I think my father hoped he would die before I was eighteen.”
Kylie growled. “Tell me he is dead now.”
“I don’t know, but probably not. Evil men tend to hang around,” she said with a faint smile. “My father grew very ill when I was seventeen, and we knew only the worst would happen when he passed. We were terrified, so he told me that I needed to have an affair, a very public one that would humiliate the baron so he wouldn’t want me anymore. It would ruin me, and I was facing destitution when my father died, but I would have control of my life.”
“‘Tis telling that lying with a man gives us control over our lives,” Kylie muttered. “So what did ye do?”
“I did as he asked. On the night that my father died, I dressed in my finest gown, went to a ball, and made sure the whole party knew that I was going home with him. He was kind and sweet, and it was a nice night despite the fact that I was terrified. My only regret is that my father was alone when he died.”
Tears pricked her eyes, and Kylie walked over and squeezed her hand. “I am sorry.”
“Yes, ye know what ‘tis like to lose yer father,” Lindsey said softly. “Anyway, gossip spread, and the baron was furious. He threatened to wed me anyway as punishment but hated the thought of having me when I wasnae pure. He decided that instead, he would sell me.”
“Sell ye? Ye can do that in England?”
Lindsey chuckled. “They do it here, too, Kylie. Anyway, Daniel Armstrong was the winner. The baron had hoped that he would be horrible to me; the truth was that he was kind. I only got to know him for a few days before he died. I mourned him, but when Creighton tried to send me back, I realized what might happen with the baron. He might try and control me again.”
“Did ye tell him the truth?”
“No. I didn’t know him very well, and I was worried that he might sell me. I know differently now, but he has his own problems, and enough time has passed. I’m certain that the baron is tormenting someone else now.”
“And Andrew?”
Lindsey stiffened. “Whatever you think is between Andrew and I, you are wrong.”
Kylie was about to argue, but an action outside the window drew both of their attention, and Lindsey reached out and grabbed her hands. “They’re back.”
“He brought them here.” Kylie tried to remember to breathe. “Am I finally going to get my answer?”
“I hope so, but you can’t run down there. Let Creighton make certain that it is safe.”
“He hates me now.”
&nbs
p; “No, he doesn’t. But perhaps he knows you a little better now, and he will adjust to that.”
They sat there in silence and waited. When someone finally knocked on the door, they both jumped and laughed nervously. Kylie ran to the door and opened it.
Creighton stared at her for a moment, his expression unreadable.
“I am glad ye are all right,” she whispered.
His expression closed off even more. “Godfrey brought only a small group of men with him, and he claims he desires a private word with ye, a message from his father. He seems to have no knowledge of the mercenaries, but I have told him that he cannae be alone with ye. If ye dinnae want anyone to overhear yer conversation, then ye can have it in the courtyard, surrounded by my men but far enough that ye can have yer privacy.”
“Do...do ye have reason to believe that he will be sharing news that ye wouldnae want to hear?”
“I have no idea what Godfrey is going to tell ye, Kylie.”
He continued to watch her, and she took a deep breath. “Ye have been with me this long and seen me through. Ye deserve to know the truth.”
“Vera well. He is waiting in a private meeting chamber. It will just be the three of us unless ye would like another guard in the room. Or several.”
“I trust ye.”
“Nay,” he sighed. “Ye dinnae. Come on.”
This would normally be when he would take her hand, but he just stepped aside and waited for her to follow him. Her heart hammered with nerves and excitement, but she also felt hollow inside.
The truth was finally at her fingertips. The idea terrified her, and she stopped suddenly and put her hand on the wall. Her vision darkened just a little, and she heard Marcus’s voice in her head, asking her what she was willing to lose for the truth.
“Kylie.” His voice wrapped around her, soothing and warm. “If ye want him gone, say the word, but if ye want yer answers, then I will be there for ye.”
“No, I need to see this through. So many people have been hurt.”
Highlander’s Elusive Bride: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance Page 14
