Much Ado About Highlanders (The Scottish Relic Trilogy)

by May McGoldrick

  That’s what making love in that cave had done to her.

  She had a vague recollection of being angry with him, but she couldn’t remember what she’d been upset about. This man did something to her brain when she was this close to him; rational thought evaporated like a morning mist in the sun. Nothing was left in her head but thoughts of his lips on her breasts and his arousal against her.

  “Seriously?” he asked, opening the trunk as if it weighed no more than a feather. “You couldn’t open this?”

  There wasn’t enough room for Kenna to reach for the clothing at her feet without bumping in to him.

  “You’re weaker than I thought, lass. A solid meal tonight should help.”

  “Aye, no doubt. Now get out, you lump.”

  He turned and, as his eyes drifted over her body, a devilish gleam came into his eyes.

  “I see I’ve been summoned here on false pretenses.”

  Kenna tried to step back, but she had nowhere to go. The way his eyes raked over her breasts and down the length of her body made her shiver in spite of herself. She tried to cover her breasts, but he took hold of her wrists.

  “Nay, woman. Not after doing this to me.”

  “Doing what?”

  He turned her around and pushed her hands flat against the wall. She tried to lower them, but he pushed them back up and held them with one hand. The tip of a finger moved down along her spine, starting at the nape of her neck and slowly caressing every inch until he reached the cleft of her bottom. Gently, he pushed her feet apart with one boot and released her hands. She gasped when he took hold of her hips and stepped between her legs.

  “Doing this.”

  She felt his teeth scrape over the skin beneath her ear. His kilt pressed to her back. No layer of tartan could hide his arousal. She’d done that to him.

  “I . . . I didn’t plan it,” she whispered, already shaking with need as one hand lifted the weight of her breast and the other caressed her stomach and slid still lower. His fingers found her already damp folds and liquid fire instantly coursed through her. He suckled her earlobe, and she leaned her head back against him.

  “You don’t need to be shy with me.”

  He squeezed her breast and the play of his fingers in and out of her flesh had her body humming to the most tantalizing song.

  “I . . . I . . .” Too lost in the waves of pleasure, she couldn’t imagine what she was about to say. Her eyes closed as the pressures within suddenly carried her upward. At that moment, Kenna gave herself to Alexander to do as he wished, welcoming it, aching for it. She had no control. She wanted none. She was his.

  Then, the release came in a rush. She grabbed his wrist but then soared an instant later when he didn’t ease his touch.

  In that moment, she didn’t know if she was standing or floating. She couldn’t even recall the floor beneath her feet. It didn’t matter. His voice came to her from a distant cloud.

  “This is exactly how I dreamed you would be. You are the woman I imagined.”

  She leaned to one side and dug her fingers in his hair, kissing him deeply.

  The force of his passion was dizzying. He turned her in his arms and pressed her back against the wall.

  “Put your legs around me.”

  She did as he lifted her. He slid into her, and she sighed with pleasure.

  Kenna wrapped her arms around his neck. She moved her hips, drawing him in, feeling the length and size of him inside. Her body ached for him to move.

  “I’m sorry that I can’t go through that door right now and take my time making love to you.”

  She shook her head in agreement. “I think we might alarm your sailors.”

  He lifted her buttocks and then slid hard into her once. His voice was husky with feeling. “Only you and I will be here for dinner.”

  She arched her back and rocked, wanting more.

  “And after?” she asked. “Will you make love to me after?”

  Six months ago, no one sang the praises of this aspect of marriage. No one thought to mention the miracle of how bodies fit together. No one even hinted at the pleasures to be found in mating.

  He lifted her, slid into her almost to the end of his cock and then drove into her again. She gasped at the exquisite pleasure of him.

  “Aye, after dinner,” he growled, “and for as many times as you’ll have me. So long as you don’t kill me.”

  “Really? I can kill you with lovemaking?”

  “Aye, love. And I hope you remember to try.”

  Putting his shoulder to the door that separated them, James shoved as hard as he could, but his legs couldn’t budge it. The door was thick and solid, and the latch and hinges were on Emily’s side.

  They’d brought her in, awake. He had a dozen questions she might be able to answer. Where they were, where they’d captured her, how many men were guarding them, possible routes of escape. Anything that she had seen that might shed some light on their situation. But all of that would have to wait. He guessed the dawn would bring greater troubles.

  “So much has happened since I saw you last. I was so hoping I’d get a chance to speak to you,” Emily whispered.

  He was trying to keep their talk and any noise to a minimum. He didn’t want to attract the attention of their jailors.

  “Try the latch . . . the hinges. Are you sure there’s no way to open it?”

  He heard the noise of rusty metal protesting. She was trying the bolt again. There was a grunt, knocking.

  “The bolt won’t budge. It looks to be rusted in place.”

  He could tell she was kneeling by the door.

  “It looks like we’re stuck here,” she said. “Can I tell you about a talk I had with my father when I got back to Craignock Castle?”

  “Not now. There’s no time. We have to hurry,” he said. “There’s a high window here in this cell. There must be one in yours, too. If I can get this one open, I’ll climb out through and fetch you from outside of your window.”

  There was a momentary pause. “Oh, please James, don’t. Don’t leave me with these animals.”

  “Listen. I won’t leave you. I’ll be—”

  “Wait,” she interrupted. “The top hinge. It looks rusted and cracked.”

  James looked around his cell and tried to imagine if hers looked any different. “Can you see anything you can use to break it? Something heavy to hit the hinge with? Or something to pry it free.”

  “Wait. I’ll look.”

  James moved to the corridor door, peering through the holes, listening for any steps that might be coming their way. A loud reverberating bang came from Emily’s cell. He rushed to the connecting door. “What are you doing?”

  “I found a large rock under some sacks of grain in one corner. It’s heavy, but I’m trying to knock off the hinge.”

  “Take aim and do it quickly. Hit it with all your strength, but just once.”

  There was another loud bang. James looked from one door to the other, waiting for their guards to come charging down the hall.

  Another bang and there was the sound of wood splintering.

  “I did it! The top hinge is gone.”

  “Step back.”

  “Can you push the door open now?”

  He backed up until he reached the opposite wall. Steeling himself, he dropped his shoulder and rushed the door. The thick oak portal flew open with a crack and he found himself sprawled on the packed dirt floor of the adjoining cell.

  As he rolled over to stand, Emily rushed into his arms, clutching him around the neck.

  “Thank you. Thank you, James. You’ve saved my life.”

  “Not yet I haven’t.” Prying himself free, he pushed her back so he could see her. “What did they do to you, lass?”

  Even in the darkness, he saw that her clothes were in disarray and her dress and hair were covered with dust and straw. In spite of it all, she looked beautiful to him. Her misty eyes looked up into his with adoration. Her breasts rose and fell with
each breath.

  “I can’t tell you how happy I am,” she said, “that you’re here, too.”

  “You wanted me to be captured?”

  “Nay, of course not. I mean . . .” she faltered. “But I have so much to tell you.”

  “Not now—there’s not enough time.” James knew he had to act quickly. He had no idea how long it would be before dawn. Still, coming face to face with her, he realized that he’d missed her more than he could ever admit. Whether it was Emily who moved into his arms again or James who pulled her in, it didn’t matter. She was there, every warm curve pressed against him. And he held on to her for longer than he had any right to. Finally, he pushed her away.

  “About my talk with my father,” she started.

  “Not now.” He searched the dark corners of the cell for anything that might be of use to them. The stone was large enough to crush a man’s skull. And there were more sacks of grain here than he’d found in his cell.

  James peered up at the window. It was barred and latched as his was, but one of the bars was missing. He started stacking sacks of grain on top of each other.

  “How did they get you?”

  “I went out with three of Kester’s men to check on the bairn Kenna delivered. They overpowered us.”

  “How far away were you from Craignock?”

  “Just a few hours north.”

  “Why would you ride that far away?” he asked, suddenly angry. “You’ve seen how ruthless these bastards are. But what castle is this?”

  “Stop lecturing me.” She dragged a sack of oats to him.

  James promised himself that he’d give her a serious lecture as soon as they were out of here. “Did you see where they were taking you?”

  “They bound me and tied a bag over my head and tossed me in the back of a hay wain.”

  “How long were you in the cart?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. I was too upset to pay attention.”

  James climbed up the sacks. Balancing himself, he jumped and his fingers caught hold of the sill. He pulled himself up.

  “Where are you going?” She was up on the sacks and tugging at his kilt. James cursed under his breath. She had no idea what a distraction she was. He lowered himself back down.

  “I need to see what we’re dealing with.”

  “You said you wouldn’t leave me here.”

  “I’m not leaving you.”

  James pulled himself up again. As with the window in his cell, this opening was for delivering grain to the cellars. The bars were meant to keep thieves out. But with one of the bars missing, the opening was large enough for a child, or possibly a woman.

  He looked out at an alleyway. On the ground across the way, the missing bar lay in the dirt against a wall. He looked in both directions as far as he could.

  “What do you see?”

  “A dark alleyway. No one is in sight. At the end of the building, there’s a hay wain.”

  “Perhaps the one they brought me in.”

  He let go and landed on the sacks. She was standing just below him.

  “I have an idea,” he said. “I don’t like it, but if you can squeeze through that window, the other bar is in the alley. You give it to me so that I can pry the window open. Then I follow you out.”

  “Let’s wait here until daylight, when there are more people about. We could blend in and escape then.”

  James shook his head. “It’s not safe to stay here. They could come back for us.”

  “Not in the middle of the night.”

  “We have to get out now,” he ordered. James reached down to help Emily climb up next to him. But the sacks shifted, and she lost her balance. Clutching at his hips, she pulled him with her, and the two of them tumbled to the ground. She landed with a soft “Oomph!” on top of him.

  He tried to cushion her fall, and his hand inadvertently found a breast. He yanked his hand away but somehow ended up holding on to her buttocks as they rolled. Now, with her beneath him and his cock nestled intimately between her legs, James found himself staring into large round eyes.

  He couldn’t believe it. He was becoming aroused even as danger threatened their very lives.

  “Well, lass, this is a first,” he said under his breath.

  She never pushed him away, but bent her knees, which only made matters worse.

  “A first what?”

  “I don’t think this is a discussion we should be having.”

  Even in the dim light, he saw the look change in her eyes, and the fire surged in his loins.

  He jumped up before his brain ceased to function. Moving away from her, he piled the stacks up again and climbed to the top.

  “You’re in such a hurry to get out of here. Fine, help me up.”

  She started scaling the side of his body, using him like a ladder before he was ready to lift her.

  He lifted her up. And a sharp knee bone dug into his shoulder. Skirts draped around his head. Another push, and somewhere under those layers of cloth, he touched the silkiest skin he’d ever encountered. And then she was out through the window.

  Her blond head appeared. “Stay there, until I come for you.”

  “Do you see the bar? Hand it to me.”

  “Wait. I have to hide. Someone’s coming.”

  Chapter 20

  Man is a giddy thing, and this is my conclusion.

  The dinner Alexander arranged for his wife was not as grand as something from the kitchens of Benmore or Castle Varrich, but it was the best his cook could prepare, considering the short notice and limited supplies.

  Sitting across from Kenna and watching her eye the platters with little interest, Alexander decided the limited selection was not the source of her discontent. She’d had the same expression on her face since coming out of the smaller cabin wearing a green dress that she’d covered with a large blanket. With the bloody thing draped over her shoulder, she’d hidden every bit of herself, from neck to knee.

  He knew better to ask what was going on with her. Whatever problem was banging about in that beautiful head of hers, it would surface soon enough, and she’d let him have it.

  And when he’d weathered that storm, whatever it was, he’d lure her to bed.

  Alexander started eating. He was going to need all of his strength, if there was any justice in the universe.

  One savory piece of mutton and a half cup of wine later, and she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

  “Well, aren’t you going to ask me?”

  He looked up innocently into the flashing eyes and immediately became hard at the recollection of what they’d been doing in that tiny cabin such a short time ago.

  Down, wanton, he told himself. Too soon. Too fast. Focus on something else, man.

  She’d braided her hair into a single rope that draped over one shoulder. And if Kenna thought that he wouldn’t find that appealing, he’d show her a few ways to use that braid to his advantage when they made love. And that would be soon, very soon. He smiled.

  “Ask me,” she ordered, stabbing some mutton with her knife and depositing it on her trencher.

  “Ask you what?” He should have removed all sharp objects from her reach.

  “Ask me why I am wearing this blanket.”

  “Because you’re cold?”

  “Nay, I’m not cold.”

  “Because you were cold?”

  “I wasn’t cold.”

  “Because you plan to be cold?”

  “Stop with the cold. It’s July!” she snapped. The meat was on her plate, but the knife was waving about dangerously. “The cold has nothing to do with why I’m wearing this.”

  “Very well. Let me see. You were embarrassed.”

  “About what?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?’ He cocked his head toward the other cabin. “I open that door and find you standing there naked as a sea nymph, intent on luring me in, attacking me, and making what some might call brazen sexual demands. Now you’re a wee bit embarrassed, so yo
u’re overreacting with this horse blanket.”

  The colors in her face would have put a bonfire to shame. She opened her mouth a couple of times before the words spilled out. “You . . . are . . . a . . . I never . . . I didn’t—”

  “Didn’t enjoy it, wife?” he asked, reaching under the table, touching her knee. She immediately moved out of his reach.

  “Don’t distract me.”

  “Did you or didn’t you?”

  “You’re changing the subject entirely.”

  He sat back in the chair, goblet in hand. “If you’re annoyed because our lovemaking was too short . . .”

  “It wasn’t too short.”

  “But I didn’t please you.”

  “You . . . you . . .” Still holding the knife, she shoved to her feet with such force that the chair tumbled back and the blanket fell from her shoulder.

  Alexander’s gaze was immediately drawn to the neckline of the dress. The bodice was tight, and her breasts were nearly spilling. Ah, yes. Thank you, Lord. There is justice.

  The pouch Kenna wore around her neck was now hanging from a ribbon at her waist. He put the cup of wine on the table. He wanted his hands free.

  She came around the table and he pushed back his chair, watching her with a great deal of interest. If today was any indication of what their future life would be, Alexander knew he may have found heaven on earth.

  “I’m angry with you and you’re smiling.”

  “I can’t help it. You entertain me.” He took hold of the hand with the knife as she reached him. “Let go of this, love.”

  “Why? I have designs on using it.”

  “Nay, you don’t. We both know how you feel about me. So as soon as you’d stab me, then you’d have to heal me. And since we’re starting the next stage in our journey in the morning, I think we can find far better use for the night hours.”

  She paused for a moment, her eyes spitting fire. Pulling her hand out of his grasp, she tossed the knife onto the table.

  “Now, words, Kenna. Not temper. Words.”

  Hands on her hips, she exploded. “A trunk full of women’s clothes, you artless measle. You, a married man and yet you have enough clothes in there to dress ten mistresses. And don’t try to tell me that they belong to Diarmad.”