Capturing A Highland Knight

by Hyman, F. S.

  Colm looked back at Annabelle, and to everyone’s surprise, gathered her up in an embrace. Derek immediately scowled. Annabelle shrieked in shock.

  “I thought ye were gone forever,” he said, and put Annabelle away from him. He grinned.

  Derek watched the exchange between his wife and friend. He did not know what to make of Colm’s actions, but he felt the familiar jealousy rise up. Annabelle smiled at Colm.

  “Nay, it seems I am here to stay,” she jested.

  Colm laughed and walked back over to the table. He sat down and began drinking the ale Ainsley put before him.

  “What was that all about?” Derek growled at her.

  Annabelle looked at her husband and saw the jealousy in his eyes.

  “Derek, Colm is yer friend. He would never betray ye,” she smiled at him. “And neither would I.”

  Derek visibly relaxed. He looked back over at his friend who was talking with Aster.

  “Aye,” he said.

  At that moment, there was a commotion at the great hall entrance.

  “Where is my daughter? I have come to ensure that she is indeed fine,” a booming voice said, preceding a large man into the hall. He was followed by a small woman.

  Annabelle stared in shock as her father and mother entered the hall. She stood rooted to the spot, her hand covering the sobs from her mouth. Her parents were alive.

  She was finally able to make her legs move and she ran to throw herself in her father’s waiting arms.

  “Da,” she whispered past her tears. His strong hug was like coming home.

  “My Annabelle,” he replied, squeezing a little tighter.

  “I worried that ye had been murdered with Laird Harold! I don’t know what I would have done if…” she said between sobs, holding on to her father tighter.

  “Shhh, we are all fine,” he said wrapping his strong arms around her, lifting her off the floor. The pain he had felt when he had thought that he had lost his only daughter had almost been too much for him to bear. To be holding her now in his arms was a gift.

  “How did ye escape? Everyone had drunk the ale and eaten the food,” she said searching their faces for answers.

  “We hadn’t. We stopped to talk to the priest before he left. He had another appointment and was on his way out of the keep when we caught him. We were just about to return to the hall when all the chaos began. Cullen thought that we should leave, although I did not want to leave without ye. Angus said that he saw ye run from the hall, so we thought ye were safe and we would see ye at Kinloch. When ye did not return, we feared that ye had also died and we mourned for ye,” Cadha explained wiping more tears from her face.

  “But when we received a messenger from Dunkirk inquiring about ye by yer husband, our hope returned that ye had not perished but were alive. Since we kenned that ye were safe her at Dunkirk, we continued to bury our dead and try to restore normalcy to Kinloch. Now we are here to see fer ourselves that ye are indeed alright,” she continued.

  “Angus is alive as well?” she asked turning to her father

  “Aye, he is here,” he said.

  Annabelle looked around her father and saw Angus standing by the door. She smiled and raced to him.

  “I am so glad ye are alright, Angus. I doona think I could bear it if ye had perished also,” she said hugging him.

  “Ye ken I doona like to drink with the other men. I hadnae even entered the hall when the commotion started,” he said hugging her back.

  Derek walked up to them with a frown on his face. So this was Angus. Derek easily toward over the lad, and was broader. Annabelle turned and looked at him as he approached.

  “Angus, this is my husband, Derek,” she smiled.

  “I kenned ye would one day find a strong man to take ye on. There was no one at Kinloch that could handle yer spirit,” he winked at her and extended his arm to Derek.

  Derek instantly liked Angus. He could see why Annabelle called him friend. He grabbed the younger man’s arm in greeting.

  “’Tis time we begin our celebration,” Brighid said turning toward the kitchen. “To welcome Annabelle back and to welcome the MacAlpins to our family and as our allies.”

  Everyone agreed. Ainsley and Megan followed Brighid into the kitchen. Annabelle started to follow but Derek wrapped his arm around her waist.

  “Nay, lass, not ye. I willnae let ye out of my sight again,” he said nuzzling her neck.

  “But, Derek…,” she protested.

  “It may be years before I let ye leave my side,” he smiled against her neck.

  “Years?” she asked breathlessly.

  “Oh a long, long time.”

  “Sounds reasonable to me,” she said letting him capture her lips with his own.

  The kiss began sweetly but quickly progressed into a kiss filled with hunger. They tried to devour each other like a man starved for bread. They had been apart for a long time, and they wanted to make up for lost time. Derek scooped Annabelle into his arms. He took the stairs two at a time to their bedchamber.

  As soon as the door was closed, they tore at each other’s clothes. Derek caught his kilt as it fell and laid it on a chair.

  “Ye are so beautiful,” Derek said in awe when Annabelle stood naked before him.

  “So are ye,” she replied, her eyes roving over him in appreciation.

  He bent down and captured her mouth again. She tasted so sweet, and he drank the nectar from her lips as if he thirsted. She responded with equal fervor. They could not get enough of touching each other.

  Derek backed her to the bed. He followed her down as she fell on the counterpane. He kissed her neck, the hollow of her collarbone and in the valley between her breasts. Annabelle gasped in pleasure, her fingers tightening in his hair with each kiss and nibble.

  “I have missed ye, Annabelle. I hunger for ye. I canna get enough,” he growled as he suckled her already hardened nipple into his mouth.

  “I feel the same, Derek. Ye are my love, my everything,” she said on a sigh. Her back arched as Derek went to minister the other nipple.

  “I have to be inside of ye now, Annabelle. I canna wait,” he said positioning himself to enter her.

  “I doona want to ye to, for I burn for ye,” she said as his mouth captured hers again.

  Derek drove hard into her welcoming warmth. Annabelle lifted up to match his thrust. She tilted her hips so that she could take as much of him inside of her as she could. She felt so full and complete as he began to thrust in and out of her at a fast but steady rhythm.

  They both rode the tide of pleasure, each wave bigger than the last. Annabelle clung to Derek, her nails scoring his back as he thrust in her again and again. They both yelled each other’s names as they climaxed together.

  Derek rested on Annabelle for a few seconds before he rolled off of her and gathered her against his side. He squeezed her into a tight hug and kissed her on her forehead.

  After a few minutes, Annabelle stirred and lifted her head to look at him. He was so handsome, and she was very glad that he had found her.

  “When did ye ken that ye loved me, Derek?” she asked him quietly, drawing little circles on his smooth chest.

  Derek smiled at her. She was gorgeous with her lips still plump from their passionate kisses and her silky red hair tussled on her head.

  “The night before we left for court was when I was finally able to admit it to myself,” he said running his hand up and down her back. She made a sound like a purr.

  Annabelle looked at him in surprise.

  “How can that be? Ye didnae say anything and ye dinna stay in our room.”

  “Ye werenae speaking to me, Annabelle, but I kenned that I couldnae live without ye. I sat and watched ye sleep until we left the next morning,” he answered with a lopsided grin.

  Annabelle just looked at him, and she could tell that he was telling the truth.

  “I believed Eilidh when she said that ye spent the night with her planning yer future” she put her
head back down on his chest.

  “Nay, lass, but my future is with ye and our bairn.”

  She took in a deep breath.

  “On the road to Bondlach, I saw a different side of ye, and I think I began to fall in love with ye then, Derek. But I was afraid that I couldnae compete with the other women,” she said quietly.

  Derek was quiet for a minute.

  “I am sorry to have put ye through that, Annabelle,” he said wrapping his arms tighter around her.

  “Aye, I dinna ken that ye loved me in return or if ye could.”

  “Annabelle, I was stubborn and stupid. Fergive me,” he said quietly.

  Annabelle snuggled against him and planted a kiss on his chest.

  “I think we should return to the great hall. All of the celebration preparation should be complete by now,” Annabelle said nudging him.

  “I doona want to. I want to stay like this ferever,” Derek whispered kissing her neck again, starting a new fire in her belly.

  Annabelle chuckled. She wanted nothing more herself.

  “But the celebration is in my honor, Derek,” she pouted.

  Derek sighed.

  “Fine, we will go,” he grumbled.

  Annabelle chuckled again as they hurriedly dressed and headed back downstairs. Everything was ready, and the celebration had already begun.

  “’Tis about time ye return,” Jace laughed as he clapped his brother on the back.

  Derek just grinned. He was finally happy. He had found more than he had bargained for.