Highland Secrets

by Elizabeth Rose

  He walked up and slipped his hands around her waist, nuzzling her behind the ear. “Ye are a bad lassie. I should turn ye over my knee for that.” He kissed her on the cheek and then turned her and kissed her hard and long, claiming her as his own. Damn this woman excited him. If he hadn’t already promised he wouldn’t take her virginity, he’d throw her down on the bed right now, and couple with her hard and fast.

  She reached up and took his head in her hands, looking deeply into his eyes. “Would ye do that?”

  “If I bared yer bottom and turned ye over my knee would ye object?” Heat soared through him at the erotic thought of the action.

  “Alastair MacPherson, I’m surprised at ye. Ye scold me one minute and excite me the next. Now, which one is it goin’ to be?” She smiled coyly and tilted her head.

  “Dinna tempt me, vixen. I will no’ put up with yer flirtatious games anymore. I will let my actions speak for me instead.”

  Once again, Fia had pushed him too hard. She toyed with him, trying to be flirtatious the way her cousin, Willow, was with all the men. Fia only did it because she wanted Alastair to like her. Plus, she didn’t think anything would happen since he promised to leave her virginity intact until she was married. Well, she was wrong.

  Alastair scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder and headed back to the bed. She squealed, being surprised and excited, wondering what he was going to do next.

  He sat on the edge of the bed. And, to her surprise, he did turn her face down over his lap. She couldn’t stop laughing. She figured he only did it to scare her, but when he pushed up her gown and pulled down her braies, her laughing stopped.

  “Alastair . . . what are ye doin’?”

  “Ye will no’ call my bluff again, Fia.” His palm cupped her bare bottom end, and she heard him moan. He tapped her ever so gently.

  “It is like two ripe peaches callin’ out to me to taste their sweet nectar.” He squeezed her cheeks, causing her to jolt.

  “Taste?” she asked, not knowing where he was going with this. After rubbing his hands over her bottom, he leaned forward. Then, to her surprise, he kissed her on her rear end. A playful nip of his teeth followed.

  It was a sensuous act that made her squirm. “Alastair, this isna appropriate,” she said in a breathy whisper, turning over. His actions aroused her and were causing her to come to life.

  “I have never been appropriate, and I willna start now.”

  “What in heaven’s name are ye doin’?”

  “Heaven is the word for what ye’ll be experiencin’ in a minute. Now close yer eyes and relax.”

  “Close my eyes? Why? What are ye goin’ to do?”

  “Just trust me, Fia.”

  She did trust him, and closed her eyes, surprised when he pulled her to the edge of the bed and spread her legs apart. Then his hands slid slowly up her inner thighs until his fingers fondled her most private part and played with her womanly folds.

  “Oooh,” she said, breathing deeper, falling back slightly to her elbows. And when she felt something wet between her thighs, she realized it was her own liquid passion. His fingers continued to do magic as he stroked her, petting her like a kitten. She found herself almost purring by his action. When she heard him move off the bed, she opened her eyes to see the top of Alastair’s head between her legs. She sat up sharply, but his hands roamed to her knees. Then he reached out and gently pushed her backward.

  “Relax, lassie. This is the part I think ye are goin’ to love.”

  “I – I dinna ken about this, Alastair. It seems . . . so naughty.”

  “Sometimes, it’s all right to be a naughty girl. Now, dinna fight me, Fia. I promise ye will enjoy this.”

  His tongue shot out, and he looked up at her as he licked her inner thigh. Shocked by his action, she couldn’t bring herself to say a word. Then his hands slid up her legs, slipping around her bottom. He licked her again, but this time the action was longer, trailing up even higher.

  “Ye – ye’re are no’ goin’ to –”

  “Shhh,” he said, smiling and winking. The next time his tongue trailed over her skin, he got so close to her womanhood that she felt his hot breath at her door. And before she could object to what she figured was coming next, he pulled her closer, burying his head between her thighs, licking her somewhere else. Her body tingled and her eyes closed. His tongue traced her nether lips and after a few passes, she felt his wet, hot heat enter her body.

  “Oh!” she cried, feeling vibrations she had never felt before. He flicked his tongue and teased her, taking her sensitive nub between his lips, making her cry out in unbridled passion. Her back arched and she gripped his hair as her womanhood came to life. She was so hot she thought she’d melt. Never had she experienced anything like this before. It honestly felt heavenly, just as he’d promised. Fia needed and wanted more.

  “Do ye like that, lass?” he asked before continuing to stroke her with his hands as well as his tongue. He was driving her mad with lust. She wanted him so desperately that she no longer cared that she wasn’t acting like a lady. Naughty was exciting and made her feel randy and very much alive.

  Her senses reeled and her legs spread apart further on their own as she accepted his intimate actions and longed for more. “I – do,” she said, just as his tongue dipped into her again, making her scream out in pure passion. Then he lifted her legs up and over his shoulders, burying his face against her. She gripped his hair, moaning and trying to hold back her screams of passion.

  “Cry out,” he told her. “Let me hear yer release.”

  She did scream, letting her senses take control of her actions. “Alastair, oh, Alastair,” she cried as she climbed higher and higher to the top of the precipice where she had never been before. Her back arched off the bed, and her knees closed in around him as she screamed out in ecstasy one more time when he managed to bring her to completion with just his mouth.

  In total exhaustion, she removed her legs from around him and fell back on the bed. Alastair leaned over her, kissing her, caressing her, and making her still feel strong with desire. Then he lay down next to her, taking her hand and guiding it up and under his plaid.

  “Alastair, what are ye doin’?” she asked.

  “I told ye I would keep yer virginity intact and so I will. But now that ye have been satisfied, I need to be sated, too.”

  With her hand in his, he closed his fingers around his erection and guided her to stroke him in much the same way that he had done to her with his tongue. And when he covered her mouth with his, her lips tingled from the vibrations of his moans of pleasure. Faster and faster he guided her hand, stroking his hard length. He felt like satin over steel. She reveled in the feel of having his arousal pressed into her palm. It didn’t take long before his breathing labored and he cried out as he released his seed.

  Then they lay in each other’s arms, breathing heavy, and not saying a word. No words would be appropriate right now because they would only ruin the magic she’d experienced and she didn’t want to ever forget the feeling.

  Things had just changed between them. She no longer felt like his prisoner or his enemy. Nay, she felt as if they were lovers. It was going to be harder for him to trade her to the enemy now . . . and even more difficult for her to ever tell him the truth of what she did with the crown. She had no idea where this was going to lead. All she knew was that even if she never saw Alastair MacPherson again, she would always remember this intimate time they shared together. It would be her new secret – her secret of the heart.

  Chapter 17

  After spending two nights of holding and kissing and pleasuring each other without actually coupling, Fia was starting to think Alastair had forgotten all about using her as a trade for his father. But she was wrong.

  This morning, Alastair had left the solar before Fia even awoke. And when she went out to the courtyard with Caitlin, they found Alastair’s men saddling their horses and collecting weapons as if they were preparing for batt
le.

  “What is happenin’?” Fia asked Caitlin.

  Cerberus picked up Alastair’s waist pouch and ran in circles.

  “Bring that back here,” growled Alastair, trying to catch the dog. Every time he got close, the dog barked with the pouch in its mouth and ran further away from him, making him angrier.

  “They are preparin’ for battle,” Caitlin told her.

  “Are ye sure?” asked Fia in disbelief. “Richard’s troops went back to England. There is no one to fight.”

  “It is no’ King Richard they are preparin’ to fight. They are goin’ to bring back my faither.”

  “Yer faither?” Fia’s heart jumped into her throat. If they were going to confront Clan Grant, that meant Alastair did not forget about the silly feud after all.

  “Fia, that means ye’ll be leavin’ with them, and I’ll never see ye again,” said Caitlin. “I will miss ye. Ye have been my only friend.”

  “Dinna say that.” Fia took the girl’s hand in hers to comfort her. “I’m no’ goin’ anywhere.”

  “But if ye dinna go – my faither will never come home.” Caitlin’s eyes filled with tears. Fia looked over to Alastair. He managed to get his pouch from the dog and was pulling on one end while the hound pulled on the other. She would miss Cluny Castle and Caitlin and even the dog. And most of all, she would miss Alastair. The time they had spent together was special to her. She had lost her heart to him, and now he was about to break it. She had thought possibly of hiding or running or convincing Alastair to let her stay. But now, after seeing the tears in Caitlin’s eyes, she realized it would be selfish for her to refuse to go. Caitlin needed her father. So did Alastair. Like Alastair said, sometimes you have to do things for the good of the masses and put your own needs aside. That is what she had to do right now.

  “I will find a way to get back to Cluny Castle, I promise. And I will see to it personally that the Grants return yer faither.” She pulled Caitlin to her in a hug, thinking of her sister and cousins back in Rothbury. They were probably frightened, wondering what happened to her. She was also sure, in time, her father would hear about this and come looking for her. If she was with Clan Grant, she could hopefully contact her parents and let them know where to find her.

  She walked over to Alastair still struggling with the dog. When the dog saw her, he brought her the pouch. “Guid dog,” she said, handing the waist pouch to Alastair. He shook his head and took it, tying it onto his belt.

  “I’m ready to go,” she told him.

  He adjusted the leather harness that held his sword on his back, not looking at her. “Go where?”

  “I ken ye are goin’ to meet with the Grants.”

  “That’s right I am. But ye are stayin’ here with Caitlin.”

  “Nay, I am to be the trade for yer faither. Ye need to take me.”

  “Niven, let’s go,” Alastair shouted, mounting his horse. “Fia, go back to the keep.”

  “Ye said I was the only leverage ye had. I need to go with ye.”

  “I changed my mind.” He turned his horse, riding over to join Brohain and Rhodric and the other men of the clan. “Guidbye, Fia.”

  Fia stood there not knowing what to do. She had been the one fighting him all along, but now he was telling her that she was staying behind. Determined not to let him leave without her, she ran after him. From his side, she spoke while he rode atop his horse.

  “Alastair, ye need me. What will ye use for a trade if I am no’ there?”

  “Well now, I was hoping that fancy crown of yers would have served as a backup but, then again, we dinna have it any more, do we?”

  “I took it,” she blurted out, thinking he would get so angry with her that he would bring her along after all.

  “I ken,” was all he said, looking forward.

  “Dinna ye want to ken why I did it or where it is?”

  “Ye told me that ye dinna ken where it is.”

  “I really dinna ken where it is right now, and I am sorry, Alastair.”

  “It’s all right, Fia. It was yer crown. If ye didna trust me and wanted to hide it to keep it secure, ye had a right. Now, please go back to the keep. I have business to attend to.”

  “Nay! Dinna leave without me, Alastair,” she called out as he and his men rode away. Her heart ached. The Grants were a fierce clan and outnumbered Alastair and his men. If they approached the Grants at their castle to fight, there was no chance of winning, let alone coming back alive. She had to do something to help him, and she had to think fast.

  Niven rode by next, followed by a covered supply wagon being pulled by one horse.

  “Niven, take me with ye,” she said.

  “Nay, Fia. Alastair wants ye to stay here.” Niven rode on.

  She stood staring after him as Caitlin ran up to join her.

  “Fia, what are ye doin’?” asked Caitlin.

  “I need to help Alastair. I canna let them leave without me.”

  “What are ye goin’ to do?”

  Fia spied the back of the cover of the supply wagon flapping in the breeze. This was her only chance, and she had to take it. Aye, she would risk it all for Alastair and Caitlin and the good of Clan MacPherson.

  “I’m goin’ with them, Caitlin. And I will keep my promise to ye that yer faither will return, no matter what I have to do to make it happen.” Fia darted after the wagon with Cerberus running and nipping at her heels. She jumped onto the back and slipped under the canvas, hoping this wasn’t going to be the biggest mistake of her life.

  “We’ll stop here to refresh the horses,” Alastair called out three hours later as they neared Grant Castle.

  “My laird, Cerberus is barkin’ again and willna leave the food and supply cart alone,” Niven told him.

  “Bid the devil, why didna that blame hound stay back at the castle? He is only goin’ to cause trouble.”

  “I’m no’ sure, my laird. Did ye want me to tie him up?”

  “No need. I’ll do it myself.” Alastair headed to the back of the wagon where Cerberus was nipping at the canvas flap and barking. “Leave it,” he called out, almost wishing Fia were here to calm the dog. She had a way with Cerberus that demanded respect. He admired her for not only her expertise with animals but also her patience. Patience was something he was short on at the moment.

  “My laird,” said Rhodric, heading him off. “Why didna ye bring the girl along? She was our only means of gettin’ yer faither released.”

  “I decided against it,” he said, knowing there would be repercussions because of his decision. For three long years, they had waited for something that would tempt the Grants, and they finally had it. A daughter of not only a legendary bastard that they were already aligned with, but a granddaughter of the late English king was something they wouldn’t be able to turn down. If naught else, the Grants could get a pretty ransom from King Richard for the return of his cousin.

  However, after spending several sleepless nights thinking about it, Alastair decided he could not offer up Fia like a sacrificial lamb, even if it meant he would risk not having his father returned.

  Something about her touched his heart, and he couldn’t put her in the path of danger. He would give his life to protect her instead.

  “Aye, what’s this all about?” snorted Brohain, coming to join them. “Without a trade, approachin’ the Grants on their own land will be nothin’ short of a massacre. What were ye thinkin’, Alastair?”

  The dog continued to bark and pull at the tarp. When Alastair walked over to stop it, he saw inside the wagon, and his heart dropped.

  “Fia,” he said, surprised to see her there.

  “There’s the girl,” said Rhodric. “Guid. Now we have a chance.”

  “Go see to the horses,” Alastair told the men. “Tell the others to sharpen their weapons. We’re no’ ten minutes’ ride from Grant Castle. Let’s get this over with so we can head back home.”

  “Aye, my laird,” said Brohain. He glared at Fia. “Guid thin
g ye showed up. I woulda came and hauled ye here myself if I had to.”

  “Go!” commanded Alastair, sending them all away. “And bid the devil, Cerberus, stop yer infernal barkin’.” Alastair could barely think straight because of all the noise.

  “Here, Cerberus, go chew on this.” Fia gave the dog a piece of dried meat from inside the cart, sending Cerberus away happy.

  “What are ye doin’ here, Fia?” It took all of Alastair’s strength not to strangle the girl for sneaking into the wagon. This was the worst situation he could be in at the moment. In trying to protect her, he had caused her to do something that put her directly in the line of fire. “I told ye to stay back at the keep.”

  “I am sorry, but I couldna do that.” She slid out of the wagon and stood, brushing off her gown. “I ken I disobeyed ye, but I did it for the guid of the entire clan.”

  “God’s eyes, what are ye talkin’ about?”

  “Alastair, ye said yerself that sometimes we need to make decisions that concern others and no’ just ourselves.”

  “I said that when I still had a mind to trade ye to the Grants.”

  “I think ye still should.”

  “Fia, what are ye sayin’?” Alastair realized most of his men stood watching, so he took Fia’s arm and guided her to the edge of the forest to speak in private.

  “Alastair, ye have no choice. Ye have to use me as a trade so the Grants will release yer faither.”

  “I am no’ nearly as worried about my faither as I am about ye and what Clan Grant might do to ye.”

  Fia straightened her back and flipped her long braid over her shoulder. “I am a Gordon and am aligned with them. Plus, I am a granddaughter of the late King of England. They willna harm me. If they do, they will have to deal with my faither.”

  “And do ye think that scares them?”

  Her green eyes opened wide. “I think it does. Everyone is afeard of my faither as well as my uncles. They were once kent as the Demon Thief. They are the Legendary Bastards of the Crown. No one wants to anger bastards of the king.”