Much Ado About Highlanders (The Scottish Relic Trilogy)

by May McGoldrick

  “I really don’t think they’d look as good on him as this one does on you.”

  “And then,” she sailed on, ignoring him, “you’re tickle-brained enough to expect me to wear one of them. How in the devil’s name could a beast sink so low—”

  “My mother’s,” he said calmly. “And Tess’s.”

  “What?” She stopped.

  “Aye, lass. I’m not the only Macpherson that uses this ship. Colin spends more time in command of this vessel than I do. And more often than not, Tess is with him. And my parents still travel, you know. That dress belongs to Fiona or Tess, though I’ll be damned if I know which one.”

  “Oh.”

  Alexander held her gaze. “And as for mistresses, when I said I haven’t been with another woman since we exchanged our marriage vows, I meant it.”

  Her blush ran to an even deeper hue than before, and it spread nicely down the neckline of her creamy skin. He wanted to follow it with his mouth, and he felt the stirrings of sex.

  “Speechless for the second time in a matter of minutes.” He smiled, taking hold of her hips and drawing her between his legs.

  “You should have told me.”

  “You should have asked me.”

  “I thought . . . I assumed the worst.” She was staring at his shoulder, avoiding his eyes.

  He ran his hands up her sides, using his thumbs to trace the curves beneath her breasts, admiring the fullness. He felt the intake of breath, the expansion of her ribs.

  “You, my wee, knife-wielding warrior. What am I going to do with you?”

  “Keep me, perhaps?” She leaned into him. “And somehow put up with my bursts of temper?”

  Alexander raised her chin until their gazes locked. “I will, but maybe you don’t need to be pointing a dagger at me anytime you don’t have the answer to a question.”

  “I can’t stop being who I am. I was raised by men, and I have a mind of my own. I’ll be a complete embarrassment to you.”

  “I very much doubt that.” He brought her closer and brushed his lips across the skin beneath her ear, on her neck, placing soft kisses on top of each breast. “And I cherish this wild side of you. You’re a Highland lass, born and bred, and I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

  “I’ll remind you of that the next time you’re chewing my head off because of something I’ve done.”

  “No fear, Kenna. I never lose my temper.”

  “Alexander?” she drawled. “We’re speaking honestly now.”

  “Just so.” He pulled her closer, unable to stop himself. “But you see, I’ve decided never to be angry with you. You’re all passion and fire. This is who you are.”

  “I’m going to have you say that before witnesses.”

  “I’ll sign it in blood, if you like.”

  She looked into his eyes. “I see. Now I know why you’re talking so sweetly to me.”

  “Do you, now. And why is that?”

  “You’re determined that I be carrying your child before we reach Benmore.”

  Alexander’s throat tightened at the thought of their children romping through the halls at Benmore Castle. He wondered if she said it because she wanted it, too.

  “Well, wife, making love to you is a noble pursuit.” He kissed her smiling lips, but gently, knowing that if he pressed her too much right now, she’d fight him.

  Instead, she leaned into his touch as he fondled her breast, and her breath caught as he stroked the nipple.

  “But right now, I’d like to take my time.”

  She edged closer into the angle of his legs, pushing against the cloth of his kilt until his hardening cock pressed against her thigh.

  “Impossible,” she whispered. “Every time we make love, it’s faster and more powerful than the time before. We’re like a spark to dry wood. The flame bursts upward, consuming us instantly. How much time can we possibly have?”

  “Are you doubting me?”

  “I’m questioning myself. You touch me . . . and I come apart.” She pressed her lips into his hair as he pulled at the laces that held her gown together.

  “Well, that’s a high praise, but tonight I intend to feast repeatedly on your body. Unlike our first time, no one will interrupt us.”

  “And if they do?”

  “They will have short shrift before going overboard. And I made that clear.”

  “So, of the two of us, you’re the only one feasting tonight?”

  She took a sharp breath as Alexander’s fingers pulled open the dress. She sank against him as his lips found the curves above the neckline of the silk shift.

  “Aye,” he growled. “I’m the only one.”

  Slowly, ever so slowly, he peeled the dress down her shoulders, worked it over her hips, and let it pool at her feet. He pushed it away with a boot.

  The thin linen cloth molded to her body. Her breasts strained to break free of the tight confines.

  “Everything I tried was too small. I’m larger than your mother and Tess.”

  She tried to cover herself but Alexander took hold of her hands and pulled them away. He gazed in rapt admiration at the creation before him.

  “You’re perfect, a goddess,” he whispered, his voice husky with desire.

  Alexander’s thumbs crossed her ribs, and he felt her shiver as he gently caressed the subtle curves of her belly.

  “I look forward to our bairn growing inside you.” He stopped, cursing himself. He’d forbidden himself from mentioning it, but his mouth ran ahead of his resolution.

  He felt her grow tense in his grasp.

  “It’s difficult to think of such things with so much danger haunting me. We must think about Evers and Maxwell.”

  He reached up and pressed a finger to her lips. “They’ll be taken care of. I promise you that. They’ll not be haunting you for long.”

  She kissed his finger and nodded. “If the time ever comes that we have a bairn, both our clans will be celebrating for days.”

  “And what about you?” He searched her face. “Will you be happy, too?”

  She bit her lip. The blush was back again, blooming in her cheeks. Alexander didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath until he saw her nod.

  “I believe I will. But I want a child only after we’ve put an end to the evil dogging our steps.”

  “I swear that I will keep you and our bairn safe and out of harm’s reach.”

  “And I swear I’ll cherish motherhood when I have tamed you enough that you submit to all of my fantasies, to every one of my hidden wishes.”

  Fantasies? Hidden wishes? It was becoming increasingly difficult to focus on words when she stood before him, a seductress. She would win any battle with him negotiating in such state of undress.

  “Tell me about these . . . these hidden wishes.”

  One of the shoulder straps fell on her arm, revealing the milky-white flesh of her breast.

  “You will obey all of my commands.”

  “You know we’ll have summer flowers in winter before such day comes.” Alexander pulled both of the straps down her arms and drew her onto his lap, holding her captive.

  “Barbarian.”

  “But before you pull your dirk on me again, know that failing to obey commands has always been a quality I take pride in. I follow my own path.”

  She punched him in the chest. “Even the most beef-witted of men can do that.”

  “But I will respect you, my wife.” He placed a kiss on her exposed shoulders, tasting her soft flesh. Kenna didn’t try to resist. “Now tell me about these fantasies of yours.”

  “The list is long.”

  “We have all night. Tell me.”

  “In a moment. But first, before we reach Benmore Castle, I want you to tell me everything there is to know about your family. Your parents, your brothers, their likes and dislikes. I want the absolute truth and no tomfoolery. I want to make a good impression on them. I’ve put myself at a disadvantage already.”

  “To hell with all of t
hem. You’ve married me. Not them.”

  “Alexander?” She pulled open the front of his shirt and paused with her lips hovering over his skin. “I thought you were going to be agreeable.”

  “Very well. I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

  She kissed him and then laid her head on his shoulder. He traced the edge of her gown where the tops of her breasts rose and fell alluringly.

  “And I want to go home to Castle Varrich for a time.”

  “Nay, lass. That’s impossible.”

  “I need to make peace with my father.”

  “He’ll be coming to Benmore. I’ve already sent a message to him.”

  “It’s been too long since I’ve seen my brothers.”

  “I’ll make arrangements for them to come to you, too.”

  She looked into his eyes. “You’re being disagreeable.”

  He pulled the chemise down below her breasts. He ached with desire for her. “I want to hear about the fantasies, whatever that means.”

  She pulled the silky fabric back up. “I’ve been sharing my wishes with you.”

  “So far, they’ve all been orders.”

  “They’re my wishes.”

  “Then perhaps you should throw in a fantasy here and there to keep my attention.”

  Her fingers stroked the soft wool of Alexander’s kilt, moving from his knee toward his groin.

  “Will you be agreeable to going north to Castle Varrich if I go along with this game of yours?”

  “Nay, lass. I’ll listen to your arguments, but that’s the end of it.”

  “Not enough,” she snorted. “You need to learn to compromise.”

  Alexander looked into her flushed face, working hard to ignore the heavenly pleasure of her hand on his thigh. She wasn’t giving up. Finally, he nodded.

  “We’ll both compromise.” He kissed her lips. “Now, it’s time for a fantasy.”

  She stared at his bare chest.

  “I want you to show me how to please you.”

  This is what she calls fantasy? he thought. This is heaven.

  “Please me? Lass, you do please me. I am . . . beyond gratified.”

  Kenna stood and turned in his arms until she faced him. Their gazes never wavered when she leaned down, placing a kiss on his lips. “Tell me or show me or I have to venture into this on my own.”

  Alexander’s eyes dropped to her breasts, the nipples barely holding on to the silk. The heat was pulsing into his loins. He was in trouble. All he could think about was having her straddle him where he sat and burying himself in her.

  She grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled back until his gaze lifted from her breasts to her face. “Tell me what I should do or I go back to wishes.”

  Alexander gripped her thighs. Then, slowly—very slowly—he began to gather the shift below her knees. “Just use your imagination, Kenna. Do whatever you want to me.”

  She shivered when his hands slid under the raised hem, moving his palms across her naked buttocks. Taking his advice to heart, she tugged his shirt up over his head. Dropping the linen garment beside her, she let her hands travel, exploring his back, his shoulders, his chest, tracing the scars and muscle.

  Alexander groaned when she followed her fingers’ trail with her mouth. She watched him—waiting for his reaction to the effect of her mouth on his skin. He tried to touch her, return the pleasure, but she pushed his hands away. She was in command of her curiosity, his body, his mind.

  Slowly, she lowered herself in front of him, and as her mouth traced a path down his stomach, he took a deep breath and held it for so long that he finally gasped for breath.

  Alexander’s hands reached for Kenna’s braid and pulled it back. Their eyes locked. “What are you doing to me?”

  “Using my imagination.”

  “You’re making me lose my mind.”

  She smiled. “You have my permission.”

  She placed her hands on his thighs and slid them slowly upward, pushing the kilt away. As her fingers found his manhood, encircling it, he closed his eyes and tilted his head back. She moved closer and reached down and, hesitantly, rubbed the warm crown against her cheek, her ear, her throat. Alexander groaned.

  The moment she slid her lips over him, taking him deep in her mouth, he lost control.

  Within him, passion surged, filling his chest with a tightness that constricted all breathing. With her lips and tongue, she was driving him to the edge of release. When he knew he could take no more, he again grabbed her hair and pulled her head back until her face looked up into his. Their eyes met, and he saw her own matching desire. Desire that permeated the space between them. Desire that hung like a glistening jewel in their locked gazes.

  His mouth descended upon her still-parted lips. His tongue thrust deeply into her warmth. He tasted all she had in her. Alexander’s hands cradled Kenna’s face, then moved to draw the silk shift up. He lifted it over her head. Taking her hands, he gazed on the vision looking up at him. She slowly, wordlessly, stood up.

  Kenna shone as if lit from within. Like a goddess of some pagan rite, she stood motionless and hid nothing from him as his eyes did homage to her resplendent beauty. His gaze traveled from her face, down along the braided hair draped over one breast, past the curves of her belly to the triangle of soft hair that graced the junction of her long legs. He looked up into her exquisite face and violet eyes.

  “Like flame to tinder. I ignite with your gaze alone.”

  “It’s time I showed you a fire hotter than you’ve ever imagined.”

  Kenna touched his cheek, and Alexander kissed the palm of her hand. Then, placing her arm on his shoulder, he lifted her effortlessly as he stood, moving to the bed and laying her across it.

  He looked down at her as he kicked off his boots and unfastened the belt that held his kilt. Unwrapping it, he stood naked beside the bed, and Kenna watched him.

  She moved restlessly against the bedding. “I need your weight on me.”

  “Not yet.” Reaching down, Alexander took hold of Kenna’s legs, dragging her slowly toward him until her knees dangled at the edge of the bed. She began to raise herself, but he met her halfway, taking her wrists and pushing them back, trapping them with one hand above her head.

  “Do you remember the tree in the clearing when we camped on our first night on the road? There were things I wanted to do to you that night.”

  She smiled. “You tied me to that tree.”

  He nodded, eying her squirming body and trying to keep his sanity intact.

  “Imagine me tied.”

  Alexander’s mouth was rough as he took possession of hers, and Kenna responded, hooking one leg around his thigh.

  He tore his mouth from hers and kissed the hollow of her throat. He felt her body arch against him as his mouth descended, suckling a hardened nipple.

  She seemed to hold her breath when his lips moved slowly down the softness of her belly. He parted her legs and draped them over his shoulder. Their eyes locked when he reached under her buttocks and lifted her to his mouth.

  She gasped and Alexander’s tongue thrust into the sweet, moist darkness.

  Kenna could not take air into her lungs, but she was beyond caring as the blood roared wildly in her head. When she thought she couldn’t take another moment of this erotic torture, he still held her down, tasting, probing, and teasing her until she cried out with release.

  Moments later, she felt his weight upon her. Alexander took her into his arms and slid into her. Like two clay forms, their bodies molded together with a completeness that Kenna sensed more than thought. As they lay momentarily still, she felt his arms tightly around her, and she felt cherished, valued, loved.

  When Alexander began to move, Kenna went with him. Looking up through the haze that clouded her vision, she saw her husband’s eyes burning into her with intensity. Her hands moved over his chest to his face, and she clutched at his hair as he once again slid molten heat into the very center of her. A moan es
caped her lips, and a new urgency swept into her.

  Kenna felt no bedding beneath her, saw no ceiling above. The only things she knew to be real were her husband and the wild sensations that were threatening to lift her out of herself and into another dimension. She clung desperately to him, but still more quickly she rose, ever higher and higher, until her spirit tore through the gauzy curtain of the world as she knew it. With blinding speed, the sky opened above her, and like a bird thrown into flight, Kenna soared upward into an unknown, crystalline sphere.

  And Alexander was right there with her, stretching and circling, climbing into the blue-white reaches of another realm.

  Two voices drifted down through the window. Two men were coming down the alleyway, and James didn’t know where Emily was hiding. She was definitely in danger.

  The men were almost on top of the window.

  “And they already paid?”

  “Aye.” James heard the clink of coins. “Right here.”

  “Then where to?”

  “Beyond the new kirk and past the glen. Said just to take it to the bridge by the old mill.”

  “This ain’t a godly hour to be doing such a job.”

  The coins clinked again and the two men laughed.

  James shook his head. Scots doing their enemy’s bidding like it was nothing. He waited at the wall below the window.

  Steps. They were above him.

  “When’s that bairn o’ yers coming?”

  “Afore the harvest.”

  “Gor, lad. That must make a baker’s dozen you got running about.”

  “Aye. Shame the baker won’t feed ’em.”

  They laughed as they moved away. The steps never faltered.

  James pulled himself up and looked out through the opening. In the dark, the two appeared to be just farmers, one older and limping. No one else was in sight. No sign of Emily.

  The bar was now close to the window. Emily must have had moved it before she disappeared. James reached for it, and a moment later, he’d pried the window open. Squeezing through, he stood and pressed his back against the stone wall. By the time he reached the muddy alley at the end of the passage, the men had harnessed the oxen and were climbing up on the cart.