Highland Temptation (Highland Pride)

by Lori Ann Bailey

Taking her, he drew her into his arms again, kissing her until the fear he’d seen in her eyes vanished. He hoped she was as hot and needy as he was. His hands urged her toward the floor and onto the blankets.

  The bed was just a few feet away, but here, in front of the firelight, he would be able to see her face clearly. He would see the pleasure wash over her as he thrust in and out. He wanted to always remember this moment.

  Kirstie inhaled with surprise as he scooped her up in his arms. He’d held her like this once before. That time, she’d screamed and kicked as he threw her into the loch on a playful dare. This time, she gazed up with eyes that looked into his soul and pierced the part of his heart he’d kept locked away. She melted into him, and he took a moment to savor the feel of her.

  This is real.

  He sank down on one knee to lay her gently on the blanket, inhaling as he took in the beauty of her before him with the radiant warmth from the fire illuminating her skin. His side still hurt from the blow to his ribs, but he ignored it and nestled beside her.

  Braced on one elbow, he trailed a hand across her taut belly. She lay on her back, watching him with a spark of hesitance.

  “’Tis yer last chance to come to yer senses, lass,” he said as the hand on her midsection rose and grasped her breast, stroking his thumb over her pert nipple. The reluctance in her eyes was replaced with a heated stare that beckoned for him to touch more, taste more.

  His fingers pinched, and she answered by arching into his touch. Her head flew back and her mouth dropped open on a gasp. Turned to look at him once more with hooded, sultry eyes. Words seemed to be stuck on her tongue as she moved into him again.

  “If ye stop, I will go mad,” she purred. His kitten wanted him as much as he needed her. He couldn’t help the satisfied smile that curved his lips.

  His mouth dropped to the breast in his hand, and he kissed the mound tenderly then licked at the peak. His tongue tangled back and forth over the sensitive tip as she writhed beside him. He sucked the whole tip into his mouth, hard and long. She was panting when he released it.

  Hand drifting down her flat belly to her curly woman’s hair, he ran his fingers through the thick patch in circles, massaging the skin beneath and enjoying the feel as the silky strands slid around him.

  He plunged deeper and was met with a welcoming wetness. She was slick and soft. As he ran a finger up and down her folds, his mouth continued to work at her breast. When his finger slid across her tender clit, he felt her hands clench the blankets as she cried out.

  His cock throbbed as the need to claim her became overwhelming. Shifting, he was on top of her, pushing her legs apart with his knee. There was no resistance as she willingly opened to him.

  He sank down, and the engorged tip of his shaft touched her scalding hot center. Leaning over her with one arm, he took his cock in his other hand and rubbed it up and down her wet passage entrance. With each flick, he soaked up more of her juices. She spasmed beneath him as he rubbed against the sensitive nub at the top of her waiting passage.

  His gaze returned to hers, and he watched her, taking in the desire she so easily wore on her face. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips as sapphire orbs silently pleaded for him to sate the ache that matched his own.

  He slowly slid into her and only paused for a moment when her barrier stopped the invasion. Pushing harder, he broke through to her warm, tight center. Her arms left the blankets and grasped his ribs.

  The desire in her eyes lessened, but only slightly.

  “’Twill be all right. The rest will feel good,” he rasped out as he fought to keep his hips from moving on their own.

  She nodded, and he shifted forward to dip his lips to hers. She opened to him, and his tongue swirled inside and took with it any trepidation the breaking of her maidenhead had awoken. Kirstie shimmied, urging him to keep going, and he rose to see her eyes had once again dilated.

  Pulling back, he plunged into her again. He was rewarded with a soft feminine sigh. He did it again, and her hips rose up to meet his advance. Her head turned from side to side as he thrust again and again.

  She cried out below him with fevered gasps as he drove harder, her body arching and bowing beneath him. She glowed in the firelight as her eyes rolled up and the waves of pleasure took her under. He continued to plunge as she spiraled out of control.

  Kirstie was starting to catch her breath when he came undone. The spasms in her tight sheath clenched around his swollen cock until he was convulsing above her. His body quaked with each tremor until his seed spilled out and filled her womb.

  Leaning down on an elbow, he stayed inside her, not yet willing to let go of the connection between them. Kirstie’s hand traced the muscles on his chest and weaved in and out of his hair. She licked her lips and looked up at him.

  “Why have ye waited so long to do that to me?”

  He couldn’t help the smile that he felt all the way to his toes. He’d never dared to dream he would one day have Kirstie naked by his side.

  As he studied her, he knew, he would never raise a hand to her. She meant too much to him. He was nothing like his birth family. Her needs and wants would always come before his so that he could keep that heart rendering happiness on her face. Caressing her cheek, he kissed her one more time before he reluctantly slid from her body.

  Leaning on an elbow beside her, he ran his other fingers up and down her body, from her thigh to shoulder, paying special attention to each curve. Her skin was a golden color that had deepened in the dull light of the room.

  The rain continued, but they were warm and sated as the outside world disappeared, oblivious to the tranquil scene locked away in this room. It was like being wrapped in a warm blanket with everything he needed. Her cheeks still had a pink blush, and her lips were swollen. She glowed more beautiful in the firelight than he imagined any of the goddesses from the stories she’d read to him ever could.

  A sweet, demure smile turned up the corners of her lips.

  “I’ve never seen ye shy before.”

  “Dinnae get used to it. ’Twill no’ last.” Her smile turned into a playful smirk.

  “I like this side of ye. I may have to find more ways to make ye blush.” She turned a darker pink.

  “Did I please ye?”

  “Aye. Ye did more than please me.”

  She’d demolished the walls of his self-control and forever changed their lives. He wasn’t ready to tell her that she had made him feel complete, that she was his perfect match and he never wanted to go through another day without her. After ensuring her family was safe, then garnering Lachlan’s permission to wed her, he would confess all, but he couldn’t utter those words until he had proven himself.

  Spilling his seed inside her, he had shared himself in a way with her that he never had before. She could even now be carrying his babe. The thought made him want to take her again to ensure the chances, but he didn’t want to push her too far too fast.

  Their time in Edinburgh couldn’t end soon enough. He wanted to get her out of here and back to Kentillie where they both belonged together. He would have to let Lachlan, Malcolm, and Elspeth know of his intentions, and he would deal with the consequences as they came.

  “Ye are certain your brother isnae angry and would welcome a union between us?”

  It was a little late now to second-guess. Lingering doubts assailed him as her hand brushed across the sensitive spot on his cheek that would purple from Lachlan’s blow before the day was out.

  “Aye, they will be happy. They love ye and will be thankful for ye bringing me home.”

  Her gaze ventured from his face to glance appreciatively at his chest and then farther down. She turned onto her elbow and lowered her hand to graze her fingers along his ribs and down to the hair near his cock. An involuntary shudder ran through him, and he felt himself start to grow again.

  Her explorations took her back to his side and ribs. He flinched and stifled a laugh. A devilish smile crossed her lips. “I had for
gotten how ticklish ye are.”

  Kirstie swiped across his sensitive skin again, and he tried to pull back out of her reach as laughter exploded from him. She followed and rolled on top of his chest. His laughter stopped as she sat up and straddled to pin him while she attempted to tickle him again. All feeling from his side had moved to his newly erect cock. It was propped up and ready just behind her ass.

  “I always loved chasing ye around.”

  “Aye, and I can tolerate it if ye are going to sit astride me with no’ a stitch on.”

  He was certain his eyes darkened as her wet passage rubbed against his pubic area. He reached up and took her hands to still her, careful with the wrist that had been injured the evening before. “Ye are trying to drive me mad, kitten.”

  He pulled one hand behind her back and touched his cock with it. “Feel what ye do to me, lass.”

  His eyes fluttered back as her long fingers glided up his length. It was not a smart move on his part, because it pushed her breasts out for him to see and the caress of her hand nearly made him lose control.

  “Can we? Is it too soon?” The eager gleam in her eyes tempted him, and he grew harder.

  “I assure ye we can. But ’twill make ye sore.”

  “I dinnae mind. ’Twill only give me proof that this day wasnae a dream.”

  Oh to hell with waiting. He’d waited long enough.

  If she had more experience, he’d impale her and thrust into her from below. As much as he wanted her to ride astride him, it would be too much, so he gently rolled her over and took her again, but this time more slowly. Savoring the moment and disregarding the niggling worry that once they left this room, his newfound hope for the future would be ripped away like an unmoored boat in stormy water.

  Chapter Nine

  Kirstie wouldn’t say she was sore, but when she walked, there was a delicious ache that made her aware of her newly acquired state, accompanied by a subtle yearning for more. Alan had the innkeeper bring cheese, bread, and fresh water. He’d also had a basin and some cloths brought to the room. Wetting the soft material, he had leaned down to her private parts and washed away the evidence of their lovemaking. It had been a sensual act in itself.

  “Tell me about yer mother,” Kirstie said as they sat near the fire, wrapped in blankets.

  “I dinnae remember much about her other than her always being angry. I guess it was how she felt about her lot in life.” He shrugged.

  “I am glad my mother was there for ye, then.” She snuggled closer to him and relished the feel of his warm skin against her own.

  “I think she was always bitter about being cast out. She missed her family and blamed my father. Maybe it was one of the reasons he drank as much as he did.”

  “Did ye really think Mother and Lachlan would turn ye out if we were together?”

  “No’ just for being together, but that I didnae plan to wed ye. I thought I would turn out like my father, and I was no’ willing to pull ye into that kind of life.”

  “Now ye ken that isnae true.” She caressed his cheek, determined to get through to him that she was certain he would never raise a hand to her.

  “Aye, ’twas just something I had always believed, but ye let me look at it from a new perspective.” He placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles, eliciting small tingles of contentment to drift through her stated body.

  “Do ye still spend all yer time in the stables?”

  She shivered, not from cold—there was plenty of warmth next to him—but from the tenderness of the kiss.

  “Aye, taking care of the animals gives me a purpose I never had before.”

  “Wallace will be happy ye are back.” He let go, and she rested one hand on his bare leg.

  She smiled as an image of the old stable master from Kentillie appeared in her head, until it dawned on her, if she went back home, she would lose her status in the stables. Wallace was a nice man but old fashioned. He didn’t believe in lasses caring for the horses, and as a youth he’d shooed her out of the stalls every chance he had, despite that fact that he had many daughters and should understand a woman should do what called to her heart.

  “How are all his daughters?” she asked, pushing away the thought of a life without her horses.

  “I am sure they are fine. I dinnae spend so much time there anymore.”

  She turned her head to the side. “Ye used to be there all the time.”

  “Aye, ’twas so I could watch ye.” He peeked at her through his lashes.

  His admission stunned her. He had never once let on or encouraged her when she was younger. “Nae, ye never noticed me.”

  “’Twas no’ that I thought I had feelings for ye, but I always felt at ease with ye.”

  She thought back to the days she had cherished, where they had worked side by side, sometimes without a word as they took care of the horses.

  “I used to seek ye out by the loch. I always pretended to have something that I needed to wash,” she admitted. “Ye always seemed to be there when ye had something to think on.”

  “My father never went near the water, so it was comforting.”

  “Should we build a house by the loch or stay in Kentillie Castle?” Kirstie pushed, despite knowing he’d not yet committed to her.

  “What if we do both? Build our own private place and keep a room at the castle for when we are there. We can put a cot in the room for Elspeth to watch the babes when we need some time alone.” He gave her a wolfish grin and ran a finger up her arm. She trembled as his hand skimmed down her back and rested on her bottom.

  “Do ye want children, then?”

  “I never let myself think about it before.”

  “Ye would be a good father.”

  Visions of Alan with younger kids through the years played back in her head, then the memory from yesterday. She envisioned him hunched down tossing a potato in the air after he’d defended the wee child from some brute who was about to strike him. She’d pretended not to be watching, but it was near impossible to keep her gaze from wandering to him when he was in a room with her.

  “I need to start thinking about it, but we havenae gotten our laird’s approval yet.” His fingers skimmed across her belly.

  “How is yer side? Ye seem to be doing okay with it.” She had seen a faint bruise there, but he hadn’t complained.

  “I’ve had worse.”

  “’Tis no’ what I asked. Does it pain ye?”

  “Nae, how is yer wrist?”

  “’Tis doing better.” She held it up and wiggled her fingers to show him she had removed the bandage. “As long as I dinnae put pressure on it, ’tis fine.”

  “They havenae been able to find the scrawny one.”

  “Mayhap he is no’ threat without that brute he was with.”

  “If he stays in Edinburgh, we will find him.” Alan’s eyes went dark.

  They were lazy the rest of the afternoon. It had been a dream come true and she hadn’t wanted to go, but now she had to sneak back to the castle before anyone could find her. She also had the business of saving her brothers and keeping Alan safe.

  “I need to go.” She sighed.

  “Aye, ye probably should before Lachlan rushes through that door and unleashes his wrath to teach me a lesson for touching his little sister.”

  “Ye do believe me that he will be happy for us?”

  “Aye, we will work it out.” But doubt brewed in his eyes as she pulled her shift back over her head.

  It was the same reservation coursing through her veins at the thought of being nothing more than a wife. Could she give up the one thing that had given her life purpose? She would have to if she wanted Alan, and she did, she wanted him with every fiber of her being, but the thought of life without caring for the horses weighed heavy on her.

  “I’ll see ye back to the castle.” He rose and dressed along with her.

  “Ye cannae be seen with me.”

  “I’ll follow from a distance, just to be sure ye arrive.”
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br />   “See ye tonight,” she said as she slipped from the door, already missing him as she replaced the plaid over her head to hide her face. The rain had slackened, but it still kept the streets mostly deserted. The air had cooled, and it chilled her to the bone. By the time she arrived at the fortress on top of the hill, the peace of the afternoon had washed away. Everything that had seemed possible just a few moments ago now seemed out of her reach.

  Malcolm paced outside her chamber. “Where have ye been?” he hissed through clenched teeth as she got close enough to hear. The only other person in the hall was Finlay, several doors down, outside her mother’s room.

  “I went to see Alan.” She kept the plaid draped over her head.

  “Ye cannae be seen with him.”

  “Nae, ye are wrong. I can. I have been living with the Macnabs and have as much of a connection to the Covenanters as anyone. Me being seen with him will not be questioned.”

  “’Tis no’ a good idea.”

  “Aye, ’tis. I can pass information between ye if I need to. He’s already been seen with me multiple times this week, so no one will suspect it.”

  “I’ll talk to Lachlan, but I dinnae like it, and dinnae go back to his inn. They could be watching him.”

  “I was careful.”

  “Ye cannae be too cautious where these men are concerned.”

  Nodding, she pushed past him and entered her room, leaving him in the hall. She was still angry with him for not telling her the truth as soon as they had arrived.

  After telling Blair she’d spent the afternoon wandering around looking for Alan, and in the stables with Poseidon, they dressed and made their way down for dinner. She hated the lie but vowed she’d tell her friend the truth as soon as everyone was safe and away from Edinburgh. For now, she had to try one more time to see if the Covenanters would slip up and reveal some hint of their plan at dinner.

  …

  When they arrived at the great hall, both her brothers and Alan were absent. She recognized it as irrational, but a fear came over her that something had happened to them, so she told Blair she would be back shortly and took off in the direction of Malcolm’s room.