Celtic Spirit (Celtic Storm Series Book 4)

by Ria Cantrell

  “Aye, dreams are the bridges between yer’ world and mine.”

  Kiera felt his arms close across her back. They felt solid and filled with strength; the strength of a warrior…a lethal warrior. Somehow that no longer mattered. What mattered was that concrete strength that he now possessed; strength that came from years of battle and hardship. Kiera thought about those hardships briefly. This man’s life must have been filled with pain and suffering; the types of hardships that modern people could not fully understand. She wondered if the tables had been turned, would she have been able to survive in the world from which he had come. The answer was probably no, she would not.

  With this thought in the back of her mind, Kiera moved closer. She put her arms around him and felt his arms move tighter across her back. As Kiera settled against his chest, she would have sworn she could feel the steady beat of his heart. This was no ghost. No, this was a man; a virile, vibrant man with strength that yielded to this sudden surprising gentleness. Kiera took a deep breath. She could smell his scent of masculine sensuality mixed with leather and alder. It was heady and intoxicating. Kiera rubbed her cheek against his chest. She knew she should pull away, but what the hell? It was her dream and if she wanted to screw his brains out, by golly she would. It was safe to bed a dream lover. Dream lovers would do whatever she wanted them to do without the threat of faithless infidelity. A dream lover would not break her heart. He would be bound to do her will. Kiera was pretty sure she was going to like this dream. She already did, and so she just hoped she would not wake up prematurely. She murmured, “You smell delicious.”

  He buried his face against the soft silk of her hair and took a deep breath. He filled himself with her scent of wildflowers like heather in springtime and he said, “So do ye’, lass. Ye’ canna’ believe how wonderful yer’ scent is to me. I am starving to savor it.”

  Kiera laughed softly. Hell, she hoped this dream would progress to more than the two of them sniffing each other like dogs on the verge of mating. She was soon to get her wish, because this wicked ghost-become man bent closer to her and pressed his lips to hers. She felt her knees buckle at the kiss, but his arms grabbed her up and carried her to her own bed. Placing her down gently on top of the quilt, Derek leaned over her. He touched her face, careful to not frighten her by moving too quickly. Besides, he was going to savor her for as long as her dream lasted. His eyes seemed to darken to the color of a stormy sea. He moved closer to her and he kissed her again. This time, Kiera was glad for the solidity of the big bed beneath her back because she had never experienced such a kiss. It was soul shattering. Had she still been standing, she would have collapsed at his feet from the sheer passion of it. The kiss she returned was far from chaste and she felt herself opening up to Derek, despite her reservations about his character. She stomped those errant thoughts out of her mind. This was a dream dammit; a lovely dream and in her dream, Derek was real, and complete and not the bad guy she had wanted him to be. He was just a sexy man; quite possibly the sexiest man she had ever met and she was going to let him do whatever he pleased. It was only a dream, after all, so why shouldn’t she succumb to the charms and seduction of her dream lover. All rationale was lost as his lips claimed hers again. The kiss was not gentle, but not brutal either. His tongue delved deeper, tasting her, and battling her own for sensual dominance. She moaned softly and it gave him pause. He pulled back for a moment to look at her, and it almost seemed like he was not sure what he should do next, so Kiera took the lead and pulled him down onto her. His weight crushed her into the soft mattress and she relished the feeling of the heavy vibrancy and humanity that came with it. He looked deeply into her eyes. His brow creased with concern and he whispered huskily, “Easy, lass. Dunna’ forget it has been nearly 700 years since I coupled with a woman.”

  With an evil smirk, Kiera said, “Are you afraid you have forgotten how?”

  A slow grin formed on his delectable lips and he said, “Nay, lass. I think I remember. I just dunna’ want to…ye’ know…too fast.”

  “It’s my dream, remember. If you are going to make love to me in my dream, I think I shall want it passionate and then slow.”

  “Bossy Sassenach”, he hissed. There was that crazy word again. She did not think that he was calling her Bigfoot after all. “What does that mean?”

  “It means English.”

  “But I am not English…”

  He put a finger to her lips and he said, “Ssh.”

  He did not want to waste this precious time talking. There was only a limited amount of time he would be allowed to be with her in this state and he did not want to waste it with silly words. As he drew her into his arms, he shifted his weight to lie beside her. His hand inched its way up inside her nightshirt and he felt the warmth of her soft skin beneath his once battle hardened fingers. This time when he touched her, Kiera felt a chill, but it wasn’t like when he was a ghost. No, this time, it was a shiver that raced through her veins. She no longer could reason as she felt his hand rising toward one breast. She sucked in her breath when his big hand cupped it gently. She could feel her nipple instantly pearl against his palm. Raising himself over her again, he pushed up her nightshirt and looked at her deliciously full breasts begging for his touch. Lowering his head, he drew on one tautened nipple and he heard her gasp. He thought he may need to go slowly, that perhaps she may still be a maid, but before he could consider it, he watched her arching beneath him, thrusting her breasts up for him to savor. And savor he did! Perfect rosebuds puckered and beckoned him to suckle her. He drew each one into his mouth and lapped quickly at it until she was nearly writhing up against him. He blew gently on each moistened tip, fanning and cooling them. He looked down at her beautiful body. He kissed a path down her stomach but stopped when he got to her panties. She leaned up and laughed at the look of desire in his eyes.

  “Lass, what sort of garment is this?”

  “They are panties.”

  “Panties?”

  “Knickers.…”

  Laughing and shaking his head, Derek said, “Nay, lass, I never saw knickers that looked like these.”

  “That’s what women wear under their clothes in this time.”

  “Well, well, well. I daresay, I am going to like learning about these modern modes of attire after all.”

  Kiera laughed. She really hadn’t thought of panties as modern. Well, medieval or not, he was still a man and apparently good lingerie had the same effect on him as they tended to have on the modern male of the species. She sat up, once again, taking the lead. She consoled herself with the thought that it was still just a dream. She wanted to seduce him, too. She lifted her hips a little and slid those silken panties down her hips and thighs. She watched him swallow hard as she exposed herself to him. He was pretty sure lasses of his time did not behave so wantonly unless they were doxies, but he knew in his heart that this one was no doxie. He pondered it no further because as he gazed at her, he knew he needed to make love to her. He had to be inside of her. He stopped her hands and he said, “Wait. Dunna’ take them all the way off yet. I want to look at ye’ in these knickers…err, I mean panties.”

  He pressed his hand over her flat belly and then slowly began to work a path between her legs. It seemed that panties were not the only thing women donned in these times. The curls guarding her mound had been clipped short. He felt himself harden almost violently as he looked at her.

  “Oh, what do we have here,” he murmured as he began to explore her with sensuous touches. She giggled and said, “Oh that’s right. Women were…quite natural in your time. Today, many of us prefer to shave.”

  “Hmm, I’ll be fecked. Shaved are ye’?”

  “Does that bother you?”

  “Not at all. T’is quite hmm, enticing.”

  One of his large fingers traced the trimmed hair tentatively, but then he parted her and dipped that finger inside of her. She bucked up against the wonderful invasion and she moaned out loud again. He gently spread her an
d opened her so he could see all of her, and because it was part of her dream, she responded without any inhibition to him. He had to focus his energy to stay with her. As he explored and touched her he found she was wet. How long had it been since he felt the delicious dew of a woman? With a gentle pad of his finger, he sought out that spot that he had not forgotten pleasured a woman and circling it, he felt her cry out.

  Touching her felt absolutely sublime. He knew he wanted to taste her, too, but he had to force himself to go slowly. She had to still think it was a conjuring of her sleeping mind or it all might end rather abruptly. He couldn’t let that happen…not now.

  This was the best dream Kiera could ever remember having. As his finger explored and touched her, she opened her legs wider. He moved it into her and held it still for a moment. Only, he felt her rising up to pull his finger deeper. Yes, this is what she needed. It had been a long time since she enjoyed the pleasures brought about by being with a man. Granted, it was not a seven hundred year dry spell, but she felt tighter than a rubber band about to snap. “Please,” she said softly. “I want you.”

  “Do ye’ really, lass?”

  “Can’t you tell?”

  “Aye, I can tell. Ye’ are very wet, my love.”

  “Mmmm…well since this is my dream, I shall have you out of that plaid, if you will. You don’t have any diseases, do you?”

  “Ye’ mean the pox? Nay, lass I do not.”

  “No matter, you are my dream lover tonight. I want it to be unhindered.” He looked confused and she said, “Just you. I want to feel you inside of me.”

  He was not certain what she meant by the “just you” comment, but he was not about to deny her.

  While Kiera wasn’t usually so sexually aggressive when she was awake, dreams had a way of breaking down her shy inhibitions and walls. Derek kneeled between her legs, which had widened and parted to accommodate him. He unfastened his kilt and dropped it to the floor beside the bed. Kiera leaned up on her arms and she looked at him, not able to tear her eyes from his rigid length. She blew out air from her lips and said, “Sweet mercy. You have got to be kidding?”

  “Do ye’ find me lacking, Lass?”

  “Lacking? Seriously? You are huge.”

  “I willna’ hurt ye’, lass. I mean at first it might.”

  She laughed out loud and she said, “I am not a virgin, Derek. Sorry to disappoint you.”

  He found he was mildly disappointed, only because he wished he could give her the first taste of passion. Then he realized she was long past the age of a maiden. That must have been different in this time as well. He pushed thoughts of other men loving her to the side and he drew her legs around his hips. He lifted her backside up, softly kneading the flesh of her bum and he drew her up to take him. He inched himself inside of her and watched as she took him deeply. His eyes did not leave hers, so he could see them widen as he filled her. She cried out in unabashed abandoned and said, “Oh God, Derek. That feels wonderful. It has been too long.”

  “For me too, lass,” he said with a smile. Oh, yes, it felt like heaven to be inside of her. She took him fully; stretching as he filled her and she clenched around him. She felt filled by his thick, hard length, but it felt perfect. She sighed and through moans that belied her pleasure she said, “I would have never guessed a ghost could make love to me.”

  “In dreams, lass, I am not a spirit. I am fully a man.”

  Kiera did not hear his words actually. She was keening with each thrust, relishing the fullness of him deep inside of her. It was her dream and in her dream, she suddenly had the need to ride him so she shifted, moving from beneath him, and she felt him comply. Of course he would, because it was her dream. She kicked her panties off completely and moved on top of him. Once he was beneath her, she rose above him and rocked against him. Derek was pretty sure he had never felt such pleasure in all his days as he had with this beautiful sensual woman who was as good at giving as she got. He had to hold on because he thought he would dissipate at any moment from the shear exquisite wonder of making love to her. He felt all the real responses of his own body that had lain dormant for so long. She was unlocking him from his prison, even if it was only in her dream, for in a dream, a spirit has all the physical aspects that made him a man.

  Derek felt her pulsing around his manhood as her arms rested on his shoulders. He could not tear his eyes away from her as he watched her moving her hips in rhythm to his own. It was damned sexy, he had to admit. He held her arms above each elbow and he enjoyed the beautiful swaying of her perfectly formed breasts before his face. He was sure he could listen to the sweet sounds of her pleasure for the next eternity and as he was contemplating that, she tossed her head back, sending her lush tresses flying behind her. He felt her clenching around his shaft and she cried out, as pleasure took her. Her body seemed to quake over him as she reached her peak. Quickly turning her back over, Derek pinned her beneath him. He knew he had to finish it at that moment. He thrusted deeply and felt her contract around his throbbing cock. Then, as he felt her rippling around him in the throes of ecstasy, he came; harder than he had ever remembered coming in his life. He was not certain if the intensity was because of the length of time it had taken for him to feel a woman enveloping him again or because he was quickly and surprisingly falling in love with this beautiful lass from a distant time and land. Feeling love fill his heart suddenly made the experience so much more fulfilling; so much sharper in intensity. His own cry of pleasure filled the suite of rooms and he was glad that they were alone in the Keep, else someone would have come to the lass’ aid. He sank against her and kissed her deeply and passionately; drinking of the honeyed flavor of her tongue.

  She felt his seed, sure and real, spill into her and she was glad that he had made love to her in her dream. It was just what she needed. It was awesome!

  Derek bestowed more passion filled kisses on her beautiful lips and Kiera felt sated and sleepy. She murmured, “This was the best dream I have ever had.” Derek could see she was sinking further into a deeper level of unconsciousness. His time with her would end shortly…for now.

  And just like that, Derek felt her pass deeper into her slumber. She was no longer aware that he held her or kissed her; which he continued to do, with feather-light touches. He was just not ready to stop savoring her. He held her for as long as possible, thoroughly loving the feel of her in his arms and then he rose. Now that she was deeply asleep, he could no longer feel her as he had only moments before. He pulled on his kilt and he stood gazing at her for what seemed like ions.

  “Ahhh, my beautiful Kiera…ye’ will unlock me from the cursed prison cast about me. Sleep now, love, until I can come to ye’ again.” ~

  Chapter 25

  Kiera woke with a start. She must have overslept because the sun was streaking into her bedroom from the glass doors leading to the parapet. She was tangled in her bedding and felt as if she had been humped by a battering ram. Running a hand through her tousled hair, she sat up. She blew out her breath and said, “Jesus, that was some dream.”

  She had had some pretty sexy dreams in the past, but she never remembered actually coming in any of those. She would always end up waking just before reaching a climax. Last night was different. Kiera thought she had never come like that when actually making love with a man before. It had been powerful and real. Why even just thinking about it made her underpants damp. Underpants, oh my God! Kiera checked and found them missing. She shifted to look over the side of the bed, thinking she had tossed them during the erotic dream, expecting to see them haphazardly discarded on the floor. Swinging from side to side to hang over the bed to search the floor, Kiera could not find a trace of her wayward panties. What the hell? Perhaps, after her indulgence in the now half empty bottle of wine, she had gone to bed without them. Well, she could not waste much time to search for them now. It was already late and the first set of morning tours was scheduled to begin in a few minutes. Kiera dashed into the bathroom and had a quick icy
shower. She did not have time to wait for the water to warm up and she thought it was just as well. If she even thought of that dream, she felt heat flood her face and other places. A cold shower would do her good!

  She ran a comb through her gnarled hair and twisted it up into a mussed casual bun. Hastily cramming her damp body into her jeans and a teal tee shirt with a square neckline that she found to flatter her, Kiera felt ready to face the day. She was filled with new energy that she attributed to her very sexy dream and she did not want to admit it was because of her very sexy dream partner, as well. She did not know why she had carefully chosen a top that showed just the right amount of cleavage and left her neck looking graceful. If she was truthful to herself, it was because she wanted to look good, just in case…Kiera let her mind briefly wander to muse about Derek. She wondered if he would like what she was wearing. Kiera knew she had to stop that line of thinking immediately, of course. It should not matter if he liked how she looked or not. He had been nothing more than a dream lover who had satisfied a need gone too long ungratified. Subconsciously, or for that matter, consciously, Kiera had wanted to look enticing in the event that her delicious castle mate made an appearance. He may not be able to touch her, but he could definitely see her. He didn’t have to know that she dreamed of him taking her to sexual heights. That’s what made fantasies good. She knew it didn’t matter how she looked. It wouldn’t change anything. Derek would just remain someone to fantasize about. Still, whether she wanted to admit it or not, Kiera hoped to see the sometimes irritating, but devilishly handsome phantom that had invaded her dreams and made her feel things she had long since thought she would never experience.

  Kiera hurried to the starting spot for the tours to begin. She put the dream out of her mind as best as she could for the morning. It was too dangerous to ponder and she could not afford to be distracted during the tour. She was still too new to the job and so she had to keep her mind focused.