“Dance with me.”
No response.
His silence caused her to return her attention to the gown in question. The silk fabric shimmered, and the deep blue color would compliment her brown eyes. Lace peeked from the long sleeves, and the ties under her breasts would accentuate her curves. From the waist down, the gown flowed as if kissed by a breath of air. The neckline plunged low enough to reveal the rounded tops of her breasts.
“This one. Though I rarely dance, this dress will make dancing easy.” Slipping it from the hanger, she headed toward the bed, but Gavin blocked her path.
“Excuse me.”
“No’ until ye pay the toll. Ye owe me a kiss.”
“What? Listen, you. I am not your flavor of the month. I kiss who I want, when I want.”
He laughed, but stepped aside. Laying the dress on the bed, she returned for the boots. Gavin let her pass. The toll joke and the throaty laugh were so unlike him. When she turned off the light, and threw the closet into darkness, she shivered.
Bad move.
Gavin inched closer, his silhouette framed by his iridescent pink aura. Heat pulsed from his body, and the scent of aroused male tickled her nose. The man was in a romantic frame of mind, and when she asked herself what could possibly go wrong with a little foreplay, the lump in her throat caught her off guard.
Of course I want him. Who wouldn’t?
Who would blame her for kissing such a hunk? Another thought intruded, and cooled her body’s reaction to his breath upon her cheek. Until he returned to his own time, he wouldn’t allow any other men to get close to her. How arrogant!
“You’re like a dog with a bone, aren’t you?” He must have taken her words as surrender, and not impertinence, because she was suddenly in his arms, crushed against the wall. While blind, the darkness caused her other senses to grow stronger.
He smelled like rainwater, leather, and musk, as he swept kisses along her forehead, down her nose, and landed on her mouth. His lips were generous and soft, and the pressure against her mouth grew, until his tongue intruded. Licking and sweeping inside her mouth, the taste of him reminded her of honey and smooth, Scottish whisky. At first stiff with alarm, her body slowly relaxed, and when his delicious tongue and lips lifted away, she blinked. The little room was too dark to see much of anything.
“Gavin? Don’t.” Was she telling him to stop, or to continue? Dizzy with passion and want, she had no idea.
Groaning, he pressed his rugged length against her, and the hard plane of his chest, and sinewy muscles, melded to her body. His rigid thighs captured her legs, and the steely length of his erection strained against the zipper of his modern jeans, teasing her.
He pressed closer. Feeling boneless, she wanted nothing more than to collapse into a puddle on the floor, while he covered her like a blanket. She couldn’t fall, because his strong arms held her upright.
This kiss reminds me of our one night together.
That was the night she’d wanted him to do more, but he had stopped, before going much further. Tonight, things were different. She was home, and this was her world. She was in charge, and if he wanted to make love to her, she prayed he didn’t stop, this time.
“Yer smiling against my mouth, lass. Does my lovemaking please ye?”
She tried to answer him, but he didn’t give her a chance. His mouth roamed over her lips, pressing, then nibbling, then pressing once more. Besides, she didn’t want to add to his arrogance. She should treat him like any other man.
Right. Too bad this is not any other man.
When his hand slipped beneath her scrubs, pushing the work shirt above her navel, her stomach muscles trembled. His fingers roamed higher, until they cupped her breast. He gently squeezed her nipple, hardening it into a sensitive bud. When he dipped his head, and suckled the tender bud through her shirt, her legs weakened, and her womb clenched.
Sensations flourished under the gentle touch of his fingers, which made sense. His reputation for seducing women back in his time, was legendary. The thought intruded, and she nudged him back an inch, enough to catch her breath.
His eyes glittered in the low light streaming from her bedroom, but she couldn’t read them. Would he make love to her, then leave her the first chance he got? Her breasts ached, and she wanted to unhook her bra, allowing his mouth to cover the hardened nipples, but she slowly regained her sanity.
Jenny pressed an open palm against his chest, and felt the thudding beat of his heart. “You kiss very nicely. It is exactly what I needed after a grueling day.”
“Nice? I must be kissing ye wrong.” He dipped his head, and devoured her.
***
She tasted like spun sugar, and Gavin inhaled the scent of wildflowers and…dog? How could he forget she was a healer of beasties? He had spent his day in an envious frame of mind when he thought of Rae spending the day with her. He should not complain. Had he not asked Rae to watch over her?
She was home, she was happy, and she had not come to any harm. Her kisses, returned with enthusiasm, shouted her joy. Why should he not take advantage of a delicious, sweet-smelling woman? In the small room, while cloaked in the privacy the dark offered, he should make love to her until her screams echoed throughout her home.
The dark reminded him of the barn’s loft, swathed in darkness as black as pitch, until moonlight had broken through the rotted roof. He recalled tangled fingers, and starving mouths. Though she had admitted she was no longer a virgin, he had willed his body to keep its distance. They had kissed and he had caressed her, but it was not the time nor place for intimacy.
She had given him pleasure with her sweet lips, and her delicate fingers, until they fell asleep beneath his cloak. Until this day, he worried that she regretted that night, spent in each other’s arms.
“Mmm, I remember these lips,” she murmured.
“It seems a lifetime ago, love.”
“Gavin?”
His name was as a whisper, but a pounding reverberated through the darkened space. He was starving, needing to taste more of her, but he held his body rigid, and responded. “Aye, love?”
“We have to stop. Someone’s knocking.”
“Let them knock.”
“Denise and Rae will wonder where we are.”
He grimaced. It would be unseemly to catch them inside a small, dark room. “Aye, I will see to them.”
She flicked on the light, and smoothed her scrubs down, covering her naked stomach. The snippet of white skin made his breath catch. Dizzy, he headed toward the bedchamber door. He pulled it open and faced Rae, who stood with his fist raised.
“We heard ye the first time.”
“Are ye planning to join us this night?”
Gavin’s gaze followed Rae’s to the large bed in the middle of the room. Rae’s eyebrows wiggled, but his thoughts were unreadable.
“Are ye suggesting we both join her for bed play?”
Rae coughed, and glanced over Gavin’s shoulder. When Gavin followed his gaze, Jenny’s glare bore into his chest.
“Excuse me? No one is joining me in this bed. Get out!”
Rae chuckled as Gavin stepped past him into the hall, and the bedroom door slammed behind him. Gavin saw no humor in Jenny’s anger. He had hoped to make love to her. He wanted to strip her bare, pose her white nakedness on the bedcovers, and taste the sweet nectar of her secret womanly juncture.
Rae’s interruption, and insincere joke, had cooled Jenny’s lust as quickly as winter snow, and he returned all thoughts to the task of ensuring Jenny’s protection. Since he had slept several hours, and night approached, Rae’s task to watch over her was at an end. If she attended the ceilidh, Gavin would join her.
‘Tis no better way to protect her than to keep others under my watchful gaze.
Heading toward the guest room, he glanced over his shoulder. “Rae, ye doono’ need to attend this night’s ceilidh. Yer duty has ended.”
Close on his heels, Rae laughed. “I would no’ miss a
chance to admire a comely lass, or two. Besides, her friend Denise insisted that we all attend. We shall all watch over Jenny, because three pairs of eyes be better than one.”
Refusing to discount his statement, Gavin nodded. “Something evil approaches, yet I canno’ detect the source. I feel it best to keep our options of escape open. We should head to the dance on Falcon and Balfour.”
“Wear yer best garb, and clean plaid. These folk refer to it as Highland dress.” Rae grunted, then headed toward his room.
Gavin had cleaned his plaid, as best he could, in a rain barrel he had discovered near the barn. It had dried after he hung it on the paddock fence, away from where Balfour and Falcon grazed. After slipping into one of Jake’s black Highland shirts, he headed to the barn. He found a whetstone among Jake’s blacksmith’s tools. Within moments his sword, dirk, and sgian dubh were sharp and ready to defend against anyone who dared lash out at Jenny. After folding his plaid into several pleats, he wrapped it around his waist. Buckling his belt, he pulled on his hose and boots. He hid the stone Dorcas had given him in his boot, beside his boot knife, and pinned the amethyst brooch near his left shoulder, settling his sporran over his groin.
Dressed and armed, he stepped outside the barn. He had polished his boots with a rag found beside another pair of boots in Jake’s closet, boots belonging to a man who now lived in 1603 Scotland.
Shall I ever see my home world again?
Rae stepped out of the shadows, with two saddled horses behind him, and they exchanged glances. Rae had added a heavy brown belt and sporran to his attire, and finely stitched boots. Familiar boots, no less.
“I borrowed a few items from Jake. I dinno’ feel he would mind,” Rae said, as if he had read Gavin’s thoughts. A white shirt, laced at the neck, fitted beneath his brown leather jerkin. The jacket looked worn, yet acceptable as part of a costume. It must belong to Jake, a leaner man, because it stretched across Rae’s wider shoulders.
“ ‘Twill serve ye, this night.” Gavin walked toward Jenny’s apartment.
“I agree, my Laird.” Falcon and Balfour followed behind them.
Gavin whispered, “Doona’ call me that.”
Rae chuckled, then suddenly went quiet.
Gavin gasped, halting as if his shiny boots had frozen to the ground. Falcon nudged his back, but he ignored the black beast. His attention was locked on the vision in blue, who stood above them, on the landing.
“Hello, boys,” Jenny said. Her hair was gathered atop her head with gold ribbons. Her breasts all but threatened to spill from the low-cut bodice of her blue gown. A breeze teased the hem, revealing ankle-high boots of pale brown leather, and milky-white calves.
“An angel has fallen to earth,” Rae whispered.
CHAPTER 18
Gavin agreed with Rae’s words. “An angel has fallen to earth,” and Jenny had captured Gavin’s lonely heart. He dropped Falcon’s reins and marched toward her, before he realized he had moved.
“You two look very nice,” she said.
When Gavin reached the top of the steps, he glanced at her mouth as she spoke. Her berry-red lips, still swollen from his kisses, parted, and a pink tongue slipped out to sweep along her upper lip. She had dusted her eyelids with smoke. Her cheeks pinked, and when she raised her eyes to meet his, he read happiness in her gaze.
Lust gripped him in its talons, but he forced the feelings aside. This was not a woman to meddle with, for a night’s enjoyment. The woman standing in front of him was destined to stand beside him, bear his children, and grow old with him, if he did not scare her away, again.
“Mine.”
Her eyes widened, lit by anger, and he realized he had spoken his thoughts aloud. When she fisted her hands on her hips, and stomped one booted foot on his right toe, the pain was sudden, yet not unexpected.
“My apologies, dear lady. Yer beauty astounds me.”
“Makes your brain a bit addled, I think. Step aside, or we’ll be late.” After she pushed past him, walked down the steps, and slid to a stop, she must have noticed the saddled beasties. “What is this?”
“We have decided to arrive astride. Ye may ride with me.” Gavin swept past her and retrieved Falcon’s reins. His animal snickered, as if reading his jumbled thoughts. He must keep his mind clear, and off the seductiveness of Jenny in silk, in order to keep her safe.
Once mounted, he offered her his hand. Rae had already mounted Balfour, and was headed toward a woodland trail. He mentioned he had scouted the trail, when he had ridden old Balfour home the previous day. Rae had spoken of a small waterfall that had tempted him to dismount, remove his plaid, and swim, but recalled his duty to Jenny’s safety.
“You’re going to have to help me up,” Jenny said.
His obligations were a heavy weight upon his shoulders, especially when Jenny’s warm fingers wrapped around his. He pulled her into his lap, and the swirl of silk floated above her thighs, revealing a pair of long, shapely legs. Her skin glowed beneath the single porch light, before the material settled over them. His body reacted, and he pulled her close.
Jenny’s head whipped around, and her eyes were wide and knowing.
“Aye, ye make me want ye every time ye touch me. The verra’ scent of ye stirs my lust. ‘Tis a long night, I fear. Then I pray I shall have ye to myself.”
“Not likely. You’re only supposed to watch over me. Nothing more.”
He muttered a few Gaelic curses beneath his breath, as Falcon trotted toward the trail.
“Oh!” To keep from falling, Jenny wrapped her arms around his waist. “Don’t let me fall, you arrogant nutcase.”
“Arrogant I understand, but why do ye call me food for squirrels?” He nuzzled her neck, but she moved away. Responding to Gavin’s kneed commands, Falcon galloped after Rae, which pressed Jenny into Gavin’s chest.
“Riding sidesaddle is not my favorite position.”
Thoughts of her riding him, while he lay prone on a bed, shoved all breath from his lungs. He tightened his hold on the reins with his left hand, and encircled her waist with the right. His fingers traced the curve of a breast, and it swelled inside the gown’s tight bodice.
“Watch those fingers, buster.”
She squirmed anew, and he tensed, as her soft hip ground into his hardening length, stirring untimely ideas. Clenching his knees, Gavin tamped down his lust. In response to Gavin’s unwitting command, Falcon reared.
“Eek!”
Dropping his hand from his prize, he grabbed his steed’s reins with both hands. Jenny’s arms rose and gripped his neck, nearly strangling him, but they remained seated.
“Easy, lad. Be calm, Falcon.”
“Him? Calm him? What about me? I thought for sure we were going to fall.” Jenny’s breathing, fast and labored, worried him.
All color had drained from her face, and her gown had slipped off one shoulder. The rounded top of her right breast peeked from the rich fabric, and his mouth watered. Had she noticed his reaction? How could she not? He was as rigid as a pike, and pressed against the hip prodding his groin.
“I know not what spooked Falcon, so we must catch up to Rae. If danger lurks, two sword arms are better than one.”
“Rae doesn’t carry a sword. You should have let him rummage around Jake’s blacksmith shop for a weapon. Hey…what’s that?” She pointed straight ahead. The sky had darkened, but bits of light shone through the trees, and landed on a swirl of what, at first. appeared to be smoke. It twirled up from piles of dead leaves lining their path.
“Nothing good, I swear.” Within a heartbeat, it grew into a large column of thick, gray spew. The odor of burning flesh filled Gavin’s lungs.
“Yuck! It smells like--”
“Evil magic. Hold tight, lass.” He kneed Falcon, and turned the stallion away from the threat with a tug of the reins. If his sire had found them, this might be a potion sent to choke the life from them. “I will no’ allow anything to harm ye, love.”
As Falcon leapt over bu
shes, and downed tree trunks, Jenny burrowed into Gavin’s chest. He sensed her fear mingled with anger. She was a strong woman and would overcome her fear. Several times, she had proven to him that she was worthy to lead his people.
Nay, I will no’ force her to share my darkness.
They escaped the evil by galloping deeper into the forest, and Jenny’s arms slid down, circling his waist. She pressed her face into the hollow of his neck, and her hip slipped farther from his groin. His need lessened, but when he found the trail ahead clear and open, a muffled sound came from the woman in his arms.
Does she weep?
“Lass, be at ease. I will no’ allow anyone to hurt ye. This I swear, upon my heart.”
Without raising her head, her whispered response reached his ears. “You’re admitting you have a heart? Could’ve fooled me.”
Her words hurt. A crushing tightness surrounded the organ in question, while another organ grew limp. She doubted that he had feelings?
“What kind of monster do ye take me for?”
“Listen Laird Sinclair, you won’t give me the time of day.”
“I doono’ feel--”
“You’re correct. You don’t feel. You just stick your tongue down my throat, when it’s convenient. What am I supposed to think?”
“Lass, I am intrigued by ye. Aye, I lust for ye. Yer beauty canno’ be ignored, but ‘tis all I can give. My obligations are many, and ye--”
“I know, I know. I’m just another obligation.”
Falcon broke free of the dark forest, and emerged into an open meadow. Lights blazed nearby, shining down on several parked vehicles. Jenny sat up straight, as if searching for Rae or Denise.
Anything, than to continue their argument.
“Let me down this instant,” she ordered.
She would never believe his heart tumbled in his chest, each time he smelled her flowery fragrance.
I have lost this battle, but the war still wages.
He helped her slide down his thigh, and over his boot, to the ground. Music blared from a grand tent, and raised voices and clanking tankards pointed toward the joyous melee. Worried she would run into the fray unprotected, he called to her, as he dismounted.
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