Celtic Mann: A Historical Viking Scottish Romance (Heart of the Battle Series Book 3)

by Lexy Timms

  She was moody and aggressive, her hair draped around her face and her breasts hanging large and heavy as she climbed up his body. Erik reached down and lost his fingers in the thickness of it, his voice guttural and commanding.

  "Put your mouth on me, lass. Let me watch you take as much inside of you as you can handle. Taste me and tell me you want more."

  "Yes," she whispered as his body set on fire. Her eyes told him that he wouldn't soon forget the moment.

  He stroked again, and again, harder and harder until he cried out, his body tensing tightly as the water splashed around him in the tub.

  "Linzi. Look at me and watch what you do to me, lass." He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth as she licked along the length of him, her fingers creating havoc as her teeth and tongue pulled him closer to the edge.

  He lifted his hips and positioned her full lips over his hardness, sliding himself into her as she groaned against his sensitive skin. Her nails dug painfully into his thighs and he lost control, thrusting as she took every inch of him and seemed hungry for more.

  He grunted his pleasure as he jerked in the water, the image so real. He worked himself until he had nothing left to give, his body worn, his heart ripping in two again. What had he done? How had he given up the one thing he had wanted since he was a boy? Would he ever get back to her? In all of his life he had yet to meet anyone like her... was she even real? Did he imagine her as he had moments ago? A figment of desire to make life easier?

  Erik stood, reaching for the towel and drying off quickly. He needed rest. Nothing made sense and his mood was showing the results of his fragmenting mind.

  They needed a King and he was giving them a heartbroken fool.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Linzi

  Four Months Later

  It was time. A conversation over the swell of her stomach was needed. She had been dressing in Kenton's shirts for the last few weeks, and her father commented on them often. Time had been good to her, and healing to some degree. Luke had been by her side, their friendship growing into something strong. He was a good man and she knew it was only a matter of time before he asked for her hand in marriage. It was the way he looked at her, the shift of his lips as she spoke, the light in his eyes as she laughed.

  It was time. Time to stop thinking that Erik would return. It had been five months and a bit more since he left her there. His promise to return was something to cling to for a while, but as all things fantasy, she needed to let the hope of it die.

  Linzi walked in from the field, the autumn harvest having been good and the field starting to die from the onset of an early winter. Her father looked up from his lunch, Sara standing behind him as she rubbed his shoulders. Their relationship had developed just past a casual friendship and for that, Linzi was grateful. Her father had been without a woman for so long. Surely the gods would bless him with another chance.

  "I know you're tired of me saying it, lass, but you're never going to get Luke to stop thinking of you as a friend and start looking at you as a woman if you keep wearing boy clothing." Her father lifted his eyebrow as she stopped in front of the table.

  "Luke already looks at me like a woman." She shrugged. "I'm sure he’ll become more than a friend to me in the coming year."

  "Is that something you want?" Sara asked, her voice filled with hidden emotion.

  "It's the way things are progressing. My desires aren't really important in the long-run. I need a husband and I pray Luke will still want me after I speak with him today."

  "Why would you need to pray he would want you? The boy has been after you for as long as I can remember him coming over here with Kenton. He just hid it well, or so he thought he did." Her father chuckled. He reached up and took Sara's hand, moving her to sit beside him.

  "I've been hiding beneath these shirts because I'm five months gone."

  "What?" Her father stood, his expression moving from kind and welcoming, to fury. "Did Luke touch you when he got here, lass? I'll kill that boy!"

  Sara stood and put her arms around his shoulders. "Let the girl talk."

  "I made a mistake and I assume my punishment is to raise our child alone." The first burn of tears since Erik left took her breath. She reached down and pressed her fingertips on the table, the first one rolling over her cheek. "I'm sorry to disappoint you. The child is Erik’s."

  "The child is no mistake, but a gift. I’ll help you with him," Sara spoke softly, moving from beside Linzi's father to wrap her in a tight hug.

  A painful sob left Linzi. The pain of loss and desire wrapped tightly together, leaving her breathless and aching. The strength of her father's arms wrapping around both of them caused her to cry harder.

  How she hated to be weak and yet nothing could save her from the need to bleed out the torrent of emotion that Erik left her with. Whether Luke would still accept her or not was another concern, but knowing that her father and Sara would, helped significantly.

  "What's the matter?" The sound of Luke's voice caused Linzi to pull from the warmth offered.

  "The girl just has some things she dealing with. How’s that old tree coming?" Her father turned, taking the conversation upon himself for a moment.

  "It's good. I finally finished chopping it down." Luke moved to the side, working to get around the older man until he reached Linzi. He took her hand and tugged her toward him. "What's the matter? Are you hurt?"

  "No," Linzi whispered, trying to swallow the hot lump of fear in her throat. She didn't need a husband, didn't want another man in her life besides Erik, but her child deserved a father. She glanced toward her own father as tears rose up in her eyes again. How could she have survived thus far without the protection, strength and wisdom of her da’?

  "What's the matter? Let me make it right." Luke leaned in, pulling her close and wrapping her in a hug. She pressed her face to the rough cotton of his shirt, his smell that of the fields.

  Sara and her father walked out of the house, leaving the two of them alone in the small kitchen. Linzi moved back, lifting Kenton's old shirt to wipe at her face. How would she begin this conversation? Lying would be easy. Erik had his way with me and I'm pregnant with his child. I didn't want him, but he took me? She sighed, realizing that she was bold, if anything.

  "Linzi. Stop deciding how to tell me what's wrong and just tell me. Do you want me to leave? Have I outworn my welcome? Is there..." he took a shallow breath, "is there someone else?"

  "No." She reached for the bottom of the shirt, pulling it over her head and standing in her skirt and bra in front of Luke. His eyes moved across her, the heat in them almost immediate.

  "I've seen the inking, Linzi. It's not something I would choose to have on your body, but if you wanted it, I suppose I understand." He reached to touch the side of her face, but she caught his hand, moving it to her stomach where the tight skin stretched slightly. His eyes moved down to her belly, his breath catching.

  "I thought he was my forever. I slept with him and I'm carrying his child." She moved back, pulling the shirt back on. Suddenly her bold spirit seemed to crumble. She should have just kept the secret to herself. But then what? When the child came? There was no way anyone would raise her babe but her.

  "I... I don't know what to say." Luke’s face turned several shades of red.

  Was he embarrassed or angry? Probably both. She was. Linzi’s hands went to her hips. "Then don't say anything. I wanted to come clean with you. I know you're looking for a wife. I’ve tainted myself, but I’m okay with it." She took a long breath, but refused to shy away from him or the conversation. She had begun the path toward truth and there was no turning back. She didn't want a husband, but needed one. Luke would suffice, as they had a friendship that lay tucked beneath the lie, leaving her able to care for him as a woman should.

  He reached out and slid his hand along the side of her stomach, his other into her hair as he tilted her face up toward him. "Is Erik coming back?"

  "No," she whispered as another tear
raced down her cheek.

  "Do you want him to?" Luke's eyes filled with tears as well, the blue almost electric with the emotions that pulsed through him.

  She wanted to be truthful and keep herself clear of falsehood, but seeing him there, wanting so badly to be loved by someone, anyone… by her. She couldn't whisper how badly she missed Erik and wanted him to come back. It was something that would never happen. "No. I want you."

  Luke pulled her close, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. She closed her eyes, letting the strong boy turned man become for her an outlet of her passion. She pressed her tongue against his lips, sliding it along his as he opened his mouth. A sound of surprise left him before he wrapped his strong arms around her and tightened his grip.

  Linzi took her time with the kiss, giving him the attention he was sure to need, had to have wanted. He would be Erik to her as she closed her eyes, but that was a secret she would take to her grave.

  Luke broke the kiss, his breathing off centered as he stared down at her, his eyes wide in surprise and hunger.

  She reached up and brushed his hair back, a soft smile playing on her lips. "I want to cut your hair for you. Would you allow me?" She wanted to run to the forest and cry, but that was not an option.

  "Sure." Luke ran his fingers down the side of her face. "I want to make a promise to each other now. If we're going to become a married couple, then I want the child to believe himself to be mine. If it's a boy. I don't want him wondering why his father left him before birth. He doesn't need that burden on his little heart. I will take you and him if you will hold true to that promise with me."

  Linzi pressed her hand against her chest, just above her heart, as pain laced her again. How could the man before her be willing to do anything for her? She didn't deserve his kindness and certainly not his forgiveness of her sins. It was a fair deal. "I will do just that."

  "Good. Then tomorrow we go to the village that remains down the street and find a man of the cloth that can marry us." He reached for her and she took the last step to wrap her arms around his waist. "Tomorrow night I’ll make love to you. Do you know how long I've wanted to? I've dreamt about it since I was a boy, Linzi."

  She smiled and rose up on her toes, pressing her lips to his and breaking the kiss with a forced smile. She didn’t want to make love to him, but she didn’t have a choice. "Since you were a boy?"

  "Well, in a sense. Tomorrow a woman’s going to make me into a proper man." He smirked.

  Linzi turned from him. "Stop being improper and take a seat. I'll cut your hair in time for the wedding."

  "Wedding?" Sara walked into the kitchen, Linzi's dad just behind her.

  "Were you listening around the corner?" Linzi asked as she searched the kitchen for a sharp knife.

  "No, but the walls are paper thin. We assumed with the silence all of a sudden that the two of you were gone or had come to some agreement." Sara moved into the kitchen and pulled Linzi into a hug.

  Her father walked across the room to Luke and extended his hand. "I'm proud of you, son. You'll make a great addition to the family."

  "Yes Sir. I hate to say this, but I'm sure Kenton is turning over in his grave right now. The last thing he told me before we went into battle was that I was not to touch his sister... at least not until I married her." Luke laughed and glanced over at Linzi, the warmth in his gaze far more than she deserved.

  They would be married the next day and she would become the wife of a good man. Too bad it wasn’t to the Viking that stole her dreams and would forever be the only regret unfulfilled in her life.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Erik

  He woke to the sound of someone knocking at his bedroom door, his body bare and laid out on the large bed his father had constructed when he reached twelve.

  "What?" he growled as he turned, pulling the covers with him.

  "Master Erik, your mother said you need to prepare. The dinner and coronation will start in an hour." Jackson walked in, his smile tight, but Erik was glad to see a familiar face.

  "Tell her I'm not coming." Erik covered his head with a pillow, much like he did as a boy.

  Jackson laughed and pulled the pillow from him, tugging at it as Erik tugged back.

  "I'm not a child anymore, old man. No taking my pillow from me."

  "Yes, and if you want it that bad, I'm not interested in fighting a Viking commander." Jackson released the pillow and Erik almost rolled off the bed from the force. The two men laughed for a few minutes, Erik standing and pulling the pillow in front of his nakedness.

  "How long do these fooking things last?"

  "Usually only a few hours. The wine will be flowing, so just enjoy yourself and try and get lost in the celebration. The crowning is done at the very beginning, so you should be able to get through the pleasantries and then resign yourself to the liquor."

  "Good. How long do I have?" Erik asked, dropping the pillow and walking to where his clothes hung. "What am I to wear to this shite?"

  "Make sure you dress in your finest and watch your language. Your mother will come unglued if you speak like a barbarian." Jackson moved to the door as Erik turned and smirked toward the old man.

  "I am a barbarian."

  "Good. That's exactly what we need in our King." He started to shut the door, but paused. "I'm glad you’re home, Sire. We've missed you, and your death almost killed half of us with you."

  "I'm sorry for that." Erik nodded and turned back to his things, pulling a silky white shirt from the hangers and black pants that his mother would be proud of. How he had gone from barely wearing anything and being coated in blood and dirt to dressing like a woman was beyond him.

  This life wasn't for him. Hopefully someone would realize that and release him from his responsibilities. It wasn't going to happen, but one could hope.

  "All rise and recognize our crowned prince. Erik of Denmark."

  The room went mad with shouts and catcalls as Erik rose beside his mother, a gold crown on his head that fit perfectly somehow. The last few hours had been spent speaking to people he didn't know, nor did he want to know. The news of his death had hit them hard, several of the members of his extended family weeping loudly as they clung to him.

  If he ever got through the night without knifing someone with the cake cutter it would be a miracle. The crowd cheered again as Erik turned and kissed his mother on the cheek.

  "You look brilliant. I'm so glad you're home, son."

  "I'll always be here for you mother."

  "Now, go enjoy yourself, but please remember you’re our ruler. Act as such."

  "Of course." He kissed her again and walked down the steps of the large platform toward John. His friend stood and bowed before Erik, a look of respect on the other man's face.

  "I'm thinking my first act as King is going to be to tell all of these bastards to stop eating all my food and get the fook out of here. What do you think?"

  John laughed and pulled Erik into a manly hug. "I think that would be bloody brilliant."

  "I need to get drunk. Can you help me with that?" Erik pulled back and looked John in the eye.

  "Of course I can. Come over here and let's taste the different drinks they have on display tonight. All in your honor of course." John smirked as Erik moved with him, the crowds parting as if he had the plague. He wanted to take the crown from his head and the robe from his shoulders, but it was too early to do so.

  Several of his men moved in around him, jumping up and down and singing an old song they used on the battlefield. It was about honor and courage, blood and war. It ended with the ritual chant that most songs did.

  "Drink! Drink! Drink!"

  Erik laughed, resigning himself to having a bit of fun. He lifted his mug to his lips and tilted it back, the wine for the women and the dark mead for him and his boys. The flavor rolled across his tongue and he couldn't help but think of Linzi. How delicious the drink would be to her, how ballsy she was for a woman. She would fit beautifully in the cas
tle, all prim and proper, as well as she would at the campfire on the edge of the battlefield, cursing and telling stories of times past.

  He took the next glass handed to him and tipped it back, repeating the motion over and over until the room spun.

  The evening went on for several hours, his mother and those that came to support her making haste to leave as the celebration turned into an all-out party. The mead flowed from several large barrels and the musicians played song after song as the center portion of the large room turned into a dance floor. The traditional songs were played and Erik beckoned to the force of his peers, taking his turn bowing down to the movements of their history.

  The music slowed a little as he moved from the floor, his eyes on the long train of stairs that would lead up to his bed. He wanted rest and needed it soon.

  "Not so fast, your highness." A buxom lass with long copper locks pulled him back, slipping her arms around his waist. "Dance with me once so that I might tell my friends back home a wild tale of the handsome prince of Denmark falling deeply in luv with me."

  He wrapped his arms around her, the resemblance to Linzi warming his blood.

  "Where are you from, lass?" He leaned in, pressing his mouth to her ear as she moved sensually to the music being played.

  "The highlands, but I'm here on a fishing boat. Me da’ owns a ship and has pledged his loyalty to the Viking. I’m not a threat."

  Erik moved back, letting his eyes take in the beautiful girl as he growled under his breath. "Far more of a threat than you think."

  She laughed and pulled him into the center of the floor, taking his mug and handing it off to a servant that moved past them. "How about after this dance you take me to your room and show me what all the fuss is about ye Vikings?"

  "Ahhhh, I would love to do just that, but my heart belongs to another." Erik touched his nose to the girls, the world spinning from the liquor in his system.