Celtic Blizzard
Page 19
Sinead fairly snorted at the question. “No, thank God. Typical. You would rather imagine me raped than willing. No, Jamie. Women make their own choices and they for the most part decide if they will sleep with someone or if they will marry someone or not and the one does not always have anything to do with the other. I’m sorry, Jamie. This is not going to work. The sooner I can return to my world the better it would be for both of us.”
Sinead felt the pricking of tears forming again. What was the matter with her? She was never so prone to crying as she suddenly seemed to be. It was then that she vowed she would not cry in front of this man. She had no idea why his words upset her so much, but she felt wounded and hurt.
Jamie warred with the revelation of what he had learned. Part of him was filled with revulsion at the thought of Sinead lying with some other man, but part of him also heard what she had said and he understood the truth in her words. It was a double standard and it was wrong to impose his expectations when he had not been chaste. He did not know how to apologize because he could see that he had offended her. He knew he needed to say something because she was going to go away. When he had seen her talking to Shawn, his guts had twisted painfully and he had realized that he most definitely had feelings concerning this mysterious and beautiful woman. He had acted like a possessive ass. Sinead was right about that, too.
He said, “Wait, please dunna’ go. I truly am sorry.”
“What are you sorry for, Jamie? That you insinuated that I was a whore or that you are sorry that you won’t be the one to deflower me?”
“In truth, lass, I am sorry for all of it. I can see ye’ are no whore. And as for the other…well, a man does not want to think about another man being with his woman.”
His woman! Did he actually just say that? What the hell made him admit that?
“Jamie, by your own admission, you said that I am not your woman. You can’t have it both ways.”
“I…can’t marry…not just ye’ lass…any lass.”
Sinead remembered Morag’s words and she understood the burden Jamie carried. She softened her heart to the man who held the responsibility of the clan and his brother Ruiri like the weight of stones. She stood up on her toes and with tears crystalizing on her long lashes, she kissed his mouth softly. She said, “Goodbye, Jamie.”
Jamie reached out and clasped her hand firmly. He said earnestly, “Wait. Please dunna’ go. I want ye’ to stay.”
“Well, until those Guardians or whatever they are called see fit to send me back, I am stuck here. I just thought we should not see each other. I will move out of your room and find another place to sleep until I can get back home.”
Jamie shook his head. “Nay. Ye’ still need to heal and I’ll nay have ye’ seeking lodging elsewhere. Ye’ need a warm place to rest. I want ye’ to have my quarters…until the day ye’ are granted yer’ return.”
“We’ll see. I should go now.”
Sinead slipped her hand out of his and felt the warmth instantly leave it. There was something quite comforting about the big dolt, even if he did think she was a whore. She turned away and wanted to pick up her skirts and run as far away from him as she could but her legs felt heavy and leaded. It was as if the forces that had brought her to this place were holding her to her spot and in her humiliation she could not bring herself to move. When she felt his hands on her shoulders, Sinead held her breath. He pushed her hair from her neck and placed a soft kiss there. Sinead had never felt her knees go weak from the touch of a man before, but they practically trembled beneath her as his lips brushed beneath her earlobe.
“Dunna’ go, Sinead.”
Something about the way he said her name was more halting than the feel of his mouth on her neck. She felt the press of his lips against her heating flesh and she sighed. His big hands were resting gently on her shoulders and he whispered close to her ear so that she could feel the warmth of his breath as he spoke. “Sinead, please dunna’ go,” he said again.
Sinead arched her neck to the side and she felt his fingers fist into her hair to gently move it out of the way. As his lips planted soft kisses there and over her collar bone, Sinead’s legs seemed to suddenly turn to jelly. In between the gentlest of nibbles, he whispered, “Stay. Stay with me.”
One of his hands shifted from her shoulder to hold her around her waist and as he drew her into his own body, Sinead suddenly felt like she never wanted to return to her time if it meant being kissed like Jamie had started to do. The feel of his hand moving from her waist to her hip was very erotic. His touch was firm, but gentle and Sinead liked the perfect combination of pressure of his fingers against her. He bit ever so softly with the most delicious nibble into her exposed skin somewhere below her ear. She heard herself moan and she turned to face him. When she looked up at him, his eyes had darkened with unmistaken desire. She felt it, too. Placing a palm against his jaw and feeling the roughened stubble forming there sent a wave of pulses through her hand. She licked her lips which had gone dry and then as her eyes met his, she said, “I’m still not a virgin, Jamie.”
He nodded and he said, “Neither am I.” He punctuated that statement with a more disarming grin than she had seen from Shawn only moments ago. God when he smiled he was irresistible. Sinead stood on her tiptoes again and she reached up to kiss him fully on his mouth, now sweetened with a smile. As he felt her initiate the kiss, he pulled her fully into his arms. Her soft form seemed to melt warmly into him and she loved the feel of her lush curves, which fit perfectly against his hard body. He leaned down and kissed her deeply, bending enough so that she did not have to stretch to reach him. He wanted to feel her responding to him easily and he wanted nothing to impede her now that she was no longer singeing his ears with her sharp tongue. Nay, he had better uses for that at the moment and he lifted his tongue to meet hers. Her arms seemed to stretch around his neck, making their bodies touch completely. He knew then that he wanted her. Jamie more than wanted her! He did not want to let her go. He did not understand where that had all come from, but she had been correct to accuse him of claiming her. He had claimed her, quite publically, in fact and now that he had, Jamie needed to figure out what that meant and just what he should do about it. Claiming was not to be taken lightly. When the time came, could he let her go? Suddenly Jamie was certain he could not.
As his tongue rose to meet hers, so did the desire he felt for her. She felt it too; hell, how could she not. Kilts did not leave much for the imagination and she could feel him grow harder as she fit snuggly against his body. She wanted him, too. There was no denying it now. She was about to tell him when there was a loud disturbance that seemed to come from the area of the kitchens. Sinead pulled away and Jamie made a dash toward the doors where smoke billowed out and the acrid smell of something burning filled the air. Something was on fire. Dear God, was there a fire in the keep?
Forgetting Sinead and his desire for the moment, Jamie ran toward the obvious disaster that seemed to be unfolding only footsteps away. He picked up one of the water jars that most people would not even be able to lift and he hefted it under his arm. Some of the cool contents sloshed upon his liene but he was determined to douse whatever it was that had caught fire.
Chapter 27
Hugh had been given a place near the servants quarters to lodge and he was about to grab some grub when a very interesting development happened in his line of vision. He ambled into the main hall, where lunch was being doled out and he caught sight of none other than the laird’s son, Jamie MacCollum involved in a heated discussion with some pretty woman. Could she be the one that had been spoken of? She certainly did nay look like what he thought a banshee would appear to be. She was actually quite lovely but there was definitely something odd about her. For one thing, she had physically pushed Jamie and was giving him a tongue lashing. That in itself was strange, but stranger still was the way in which she spoke. Hugh had traveled around quite a bit as a mercenary and he had never come upon an accent such as hers.
Hugh hobbled toward the kitchens and he tapped the flask for assurance. He kept his eye on the couple who were heatedly arguing. He would have to leave their sight for the moment, but he would be able to listen more closely once his ruse was done. As he leaned on his staff, he got closer to the burning fire beneath the big hearth that served to warm the great room and the outlying hallways. As luck would have it, there was a shard of splintered firewood just beneath his boot. He precariously stooped down to retrieve it.
He would have to work quickly and Hugh was not certain he could bring the ember fast enough to set his distraction, what with his slow moving leg and all, but it seemed too perfect an opportunity to not at least try. It was merely a sliver of wood, really and it would burn down rapidly, so Hugh had to make haste. He stuck the fragment toward the open fire and he could feel the intense heat of it nearly burn his hand but he pushed through the discomfort of it until the splinter ignited. He held it between two fingers and cupped it within his hand so as to not make it go out. All he needed was for it to remain a glowing pinprick for it to work, but if it was to burn out, Hugh’s little plan for a distraction would not happen.
Hugh dragged his leg in an attempt to reach the kitchen archway and he saw the staff busily bringing new loaves of barley bread out from the ovens. The woman given the task of Cook who oversaw all that went in and out of her kitchens spotted Hugh’s intrusion immediately. He did not know her and she did not appear to recognize him. That was good!
“What do ye’ want”, she thundered, thinking he was a vagabond who had come for a hand out. In a sense, he truly was. He said, “Only a bit of bread, Madam. I am a guest, despite what ye’ think and the laird has given me lodging until the storm passes.”
The woman grumbled but turned to fetch him a haft of bread. There near a work table, was a bundle of dried twigs tied together with twine in order to keep the fire kindled. Beside it was a whisk broom. It was almost better than he had imagined. He checked his ember and found it had nearly burned down to his palm. He rested his staff against the wall and he hastily opened his flask, pouring out some of its contents near the broom and twigs. Just as the ember was about to scorch his own flesh, he tossed it right into the broom skirt and he took his staff and hobbled off. By the time the cook had come to give him the bread he had requested, the broom was already beginning to smolder.
Hugh wanted to laugh but he hurried as best he could back out to see to the couple and their argument, only they were no longer in the hall. Hugh muttered a curse and he pulled heavily on his staff to see if he could find where they had gone off to. He had to carefully place the staff with each step because it could easily make tell-tale thud as he landed it to help him walk.
Now where did that girl and Jamie MacCollum go?
Hugh rounded the corner of one of the twisted corridors and he stopped in his tracks. There, hidden in a darkened alcove was none other than the two he had hoped to spy on within the great hall. They seemed to no longer be arguing and it looked like a much more intimate situation was about to arise. The lad was kissing her neck and she seemed none too adverse to his advances. In fact, she turned and practically threw herself into his arms. So they were lovers, after all. That would explain why she had gone to save Jamie. T’was nothing supernatural about it. She was neither a ghostie, banshee or a demon. She was just a girl trying to warn her lover of danger. Wait, how did she come to know there was danger and why would Jamie let her tag along making her a target for death? No man in his right mind would allow a lass to accompany them on an outing even though they had not known about the ambush. Something was not right about the girl, after all.
As Hugh watched like a lecher as the couple groped one another, pandemonium finally broke out and there was a loud explosive burst from within the kitchens as smoke poured out of the open archway. As soon as it was discovered, the lovers broke free from their embrace and Jamie was the first one to delve head first into the fray. In his haste, he had practically set Hugh on his arse, and in an instant, had grabbed a water jug to help put out whatever it was that had caught fire in the kitchens. Hugh knew very well what it was and as he watched Jamie hurry into the thick of it all, Hugh spied the lass standing there, almost dumbfounded at being left in the middle of what looked to be quite an ardent kiss.
Sinead shook off the surprise and she picked up her skirts to hurry into the kitchens to see if there was anything she could do. She saw a cloth covering some rising dough and she knew that could help matters as those were usually moistened to aid the process of the yeast. As Jamie doused the growing flames with the water, Sinead took the damp cloth and beat any flying sparks that sprayed about. As quick as it had started, the fire was contained. The awful smell of burnt broom remained heavy and cloying and the fog of the smoke lingered, hanging thickly like a viscous cloud.
“What the hell happened here,” Jamie demanded, as he watched Sinead on her hands and knees still putting out the glowing embers. Stooping down, he offered her his hand and he helped to pull her up. The cook curtseyed and with bowed head, she said contritely, “M’lord, I beg yer’ pardon. Somehow, an ember found its way to the broom and I could nay prevent the dry bristles from catching fire. I humbly apologize for the mishap.”
Jamie looked at the woman before him and he glanced at Sinead, who was still holding onto his arm. Feeling her hand about his upper arm, turned his anger instantly into compassion. She had once again thrown herself into a situation that could have been dangerous without giving thought to her own safety. Even though the fire was easily put out, it could have quickly escalated and Sinead just jumped right in after him and with swift thinking, she had helped to prevent any further damage. He looked at the cook and his expression softened. He said, “Accidents happen. We saw to it in time, with not so much harm done. I suspect yer’ broom faired not as well.”
The cook curtseyed and said, “Aye, m’lord. Thank ye’ m’lord and yer’ lady, too.”
Sinead looked at Jamie and he smiled into her face. Her hair looked tussled from her struggles to keep the embers from catching on anything else, including the dry wood planking of the floor and the workspace used for food preparation. In a closed room with no windows, the situation could have turned dangerous in a matter of minutes. He guessed he could no longer deny that Sinead was his lady, whatever that meant. He himself had claimed her and more people seemed in agreement, even without knowing. Since Sinead did not deny it, Jamie just nodded, and said, “I would wager yer’ sweeping implements will be well kept from anything that could scorch them again. Now, if there is no further need for our assistance, please excuse us.”
Jamie made no sign of hesitation, when he caught Sinead’s delicate fingers in his big hand and left the kitchens with her. She tried to tame her disarrayed tresses as she walked along side of Jamie and she said, “Phew, that was a close one.”
“Indeed. Now, I do believe we were interrupted. What was it that we were tending to,” he asked with a wink.
“Hmm, yes. I think I may need reminding,” Sinead replied wistfully.
Jamie turned her toward him and putting a finger under her chin, he lifted her face gently and he bent his neck slightly to kiss her. It was almost a chaste kiss and before it could get any deeper, he said, “Alas, I do have business to see to.”
When Sinead’s eyes betrayed her disappointment, Jamie kissed her again and said, “Fret not, lass. It seems that ye’ are my woman, after all.”
“Yes, so it seems, for you did not deny it to the cook.”
“Nor did ye’, lass, as I recall,” Jamie said with that delicious grin spreading
on his lips. Sinead was starting to understand what it meant to be smitten with the man. She could not recall when she had ever felt like she did about someone, as she suddenly did about Jamie.
“Well, perhaps we should not rush things. We can take our time to develop our relationship. It appears that Time is what I have plenty of right now.”
“I suppose we should let it happen as it is wont to do. Thank ye’, lass, for yer’ help in the kitchens.”
Blushing, Sinead said, “Oh, it wasn’t anything. Thank goodness no further damage happened. We should have other items in place to help with such a thing in the future. It was lucky you were able grab that water jug and that it was filled. Firemen in my time are considered heroes. You’d make a great one.”
“Firemen?”
“Yes, well they are men who work to put out fires and they save people all the time. There are a lot of people where I live and the apartments are very close together. If one was to burn, many people would be in danger. So they have people called firefighters and they make sure any fires in homes or places are put out. Lots of women find firefighters quite sexy, uhm, I mean enticing.”
Stroking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, Jamie said, “And ye’? What do ye’ find sexy in a man?”
Sinead put her hands on both his biceps as she felt his hands circle about her waist and she looked up into his handsome face. His tan eyes were filled with warmth and admiration. God, could she ever drown in their depths!
“Well,” she said. “I like a man to be strong and protective. I like a man to be kind, nice and gentle, too, though.”
“I would be gentle with ye’, lass.”
“I’m not worried, Jamie.”
“What else?”
“Why is it so important, Jamie? You already know I think you are….”
“Sexy?” He winked at her again liking the word. It told it like it sounded.
“Damn, as if you didn’t know, you cad!”