“Ye wanted me?”
“Aye.” He drew her to his side.
He lay there quite for a few minutes. “Did ye ever find someone else ye cared for?”
She turned and met his gaze. “Aye.”
Alan’s expression darkened. “Who?”
“He is a bonny specimen.” She said it with the real admiration that she’d always had for him.
Alan leaned up on an elbow and loomed over her. “I need to ken who I should kill for touching ye.”
She couldn’t hide the wicked smile that spread across her lips. “I am certain he would fight ye for my affections. ’Twould probably trample all over ye.”
Alan’s jaw started to tick.
She’d taken this far enough. “Poseidon. He has had my heart from the moment I met him.”
“Is that no’ yer horses name?” His tense jaw slackened slightly.
“Aye, ’tis the only male I have had eyes for since I left Kentillie.” She gently pushed at his shoulder.
His muscles relaxed, and his eyes brightened. “Ye wench. Are ye trying to drive me mad?”
“Aye, I want ye mad with jealousy. So much so that ye run away with me and we never come out of hiding.” Och, she’d not meant to say that, not meant to give away her true heart.
She slid her fingers over his strong, firm abdomen and found his ribs. Her fingers frolicked across his skin. Alan folded over and laughed uncontrollably. The sound was like bells to her ears. It evoked memories of tickle fights and rolling around in the heather and playing chase on the hills near Kentillie.
She continued to tickle him as he twitched in all directions trying to escape. His hand shot up and caught her wrist and pulled it above her head, then took her injured arm by just above the elbow and gently did the same. He moved on top of her.
He caught his breath, and when his gaze met hers, they were hooded and dark. He wanted her. The hard length of his arousal pressed to her leg.
“Ah, kitten, looks like ye have put yerself in a vulnerable position.”
She felt the rise and fall of her breast as he held her arms above her head. She was pinned to the bed beneath him, helpless, no way to wrestle free and completely at his mercy. Somehow, this excited her more than anything he’d done to her.
Her hips rose and sought out the one thing that could sate the sudden craving that had taken over. A fierce yearning grabbed her.
“Mmm, I do like how eager ye are, lass, but I think I should teach ye a lesson for trying to get the upper hand.”
She tried to pull her arm free from his, just to reach out and touch him. If she could caress him, he would want to be inside her, and that would make this burning need go away.
“Ah, ye wanted to play, kitten, but ye should ken I am in charge.”
Her breasts ached to be held. She was so sensitive all over that she felt on fire. “Please. I call mercy. I want ye inside me.”
His lips spread in a wide, satisfied smile. His gaze flared with need as he moved one wrist to meet the other and then held both with one hand. It left his other free to slide down her arm, exciting the sensitized flesh as it slowly teased and dipped lower to change course. It skimmed across her collarbone to her neck then trailed a fine line to her engorged breast.
His heated gaze drank in the desire she couldn’t hide. He knew exactly what she wanted, and he was holding back and torturing her with her own clawing need.
He kneaded her flesh, and desire rushed through every part of her being. “Look at me,” he commanded, and she couldn’t help but obey the only person who could ever make her feel this way.
He pinched her nipple and then held it. Pleasure ignited in the spot and shot down to her legs. She inhaled sharply and arched up into him. She started to pant. “Please.” She wiggled her hips into his.
“Please what?”
“Take me. Alan, I need ye. Please.”
He thrust his penis inside her. Her tight insides stretched to accommodate his hard, ready staff. She rose off the bed to meet him. His free hand left her breast and slid behind her, grasping her bottom and pulling her up as he seated himself farther inside her.
Her eyes flew back to his, and she saw that he had lost the control he’d wielded so deftly just moments earlier. No sign of the calm, patient man was left. He was all beast and primitive male claiming what was his. His pelvic bone rubbed against her as he thrust and filled her.
Waves of pleasure assailed her as the pressure built and beckoned her beneath the current. She felt her eyes roll as she tried to focus on his intent gaze. Her breath was short and shallow and coming in pants.
His hands left her wrists and rear to grasp the sides of her face. He held her focus on him as the dam inside her broke and overflowed with pulse after pulse of shocks as her release claimed her.
He tensed almost immediately and groaned. She could still feel his seed filling her when his lips crashed down on hers. The kiss was hard and possessive and said everything she felt.
He pulled back, and they watched one another, lost in each other’s eyes. She didn’t know what to say, how to express the emotions swirling inside, so she just gazed into his soul. It was as if they understood each other and that their world had changed for the better. She felt in that moment that nothing could ever tear them apart again, and the certainty felt good. Surely after this, he would ask her to be his wife and bring her home.
When he finally slid down to her side, she turned, draping her arm around his chest. His fingers made small circles along her shoulder. He didn’t say anything, but she couldn’t talk, either. After what they had just shared, she was happy just to be in his arms.
Chapter Eleven
Alan trailed his fingers along Kirstie’s silky smooth skin as she lay sleeping in his arms. She had always had a special place in his heart, and if anything ever happened to her, his world would crash down around him.
He was already planning their years together, and he hadn’t even been able to speak to Lachlan yet. What if his friend really didn’t approve? And if his laird had known both his and Kirstie’s true feelings, why had he not pushed to bring them together earlier? What if it was because he truly didn’t approve of the match? He couldn’t betray Lachlan, but neither could he give up Kirstie. It would be a tough conversation to have with the man who was his laird, his brother, and his friend.
He’d been so angry with Kirstie that he could have turned into the devil himself, but he’d never had the urge to lay a hand on her. After years of telling himself he was like his father and their family, he had finally realized he wasn’t like his blood kin; he was like the family that raised him. The cycle had been broken. Kirstie would be safe with him.
He looked forward to quiet nights alone with her and whatever bairn they were blessed with. He would make sure their children were brought up like the Camerons had raised him, with love, understanding, kindness, and a good education. In the evenings, he would play with them and Kirstie would read to them until they fell asleep, with him patiently listening until he could take her to bed each night.
The sun rose high in the sky, and he thought about the day ahead. He looked forward to going back to being a Cameron and forgetting this farce, going home with Kirstie and his family to start the life he should have made for them years ago.
He felt confident the Covenanters would tell him the plan tonight. He would get word to his brothers and make certain Kirstie and the other lasses were sequestered in the castle where no harm could come to them. The last thing he needed while protecting her brothers was worrying over her safety in the mix. He wouldn’t be able to think clearly if she were in danger.
Reluctantly he shifted, and the light weight of her arm fell from his chest. She was such a heavy sleeper; he admired that, because he woke with every sound. Probably due his nights worrying about his father coming home drunk and angry.
Dipping his head, he kissed her sweet red lips. He stretched back and noticed she still slept but had a smile as if a pleasant dr
eam had claimed her. He looked forward to many mornings of waking her as he slid into her body.
It was time to get to this summit and put on the performance of a lifetime. He would pull it off for his family.
He shook her. “Kirstie, ’tis time to go.”
She shook her head with her eyes still closed. “Just a few more minutes.”
“Now,” he persisted.
She blinked and focused on him then gave a small, pleased smile that went straight to his heart.
“I have to get ye back to the castle and get to the summit. Take this.” He held out a holster and dirk he usually kept strapped to his thigh.
Her smile disappeared, but she took the knife. She rubbed her eyes and stretched. “What time is it?”
“Time to get moving. The meeting starts soon.”
She sat up slowly. “Och, can we no’ just take everyone and leave?”
“I wish we could, kitten, but this has to be done.”
She slid from beneath the covers and retrieved her clothes. She turned, and he hardened instantly. Her hair was disheveled and she was naked, and it was the bonniest sight he’d ever seen.
She reached down, and he was rewarded with a nice view of her backside and long legs leading to that sweet spot he wanted to dive into again. She pulled the shift on, and he inched toward the edge of the bed.
“What will ye do while the meeting is going on?”
“I will probably pace the floor outside the door.”
“Mayhap ye should take a ride with Blair and Finlay. ’Twill do ye and them good to get out.”
“Ye just want to keep me from spying.” After picking up his shirt, she threw it at his chest, but he easily caught it.
“That, too.”
“Ye dinnae have to worry. I learned my lesson. I willnae go into any rooms where I dinnae belong.”
“If I catch ye spying again, I will waste no time sending ye back to Kentillie.”
“I think ’twill do Blair some good to get out.”
“Is she all right?”
“I hope so. She does need a friend right now.”
“Ye arenae going to tell me what is going on.”
“Nae, tis no’ my place. What kind of friend would I be if I told ye all her secrets?”
He liked that about her. She was loyal.
“Can ye help me with the buttons?” Taking her long brown curls in hand, he draped them over her shoulder as he helped her fasten the gown.
“’Twas more fun undoing them.”
“Ye will get the chance to do it again soon enough.”
They finished dressing, and she placed the plaid over her head to once again hide her identity. Once Kirstie left the stable on his horse, she led the way to the fortress on the hill with just enough space ahead of him so he could keep an eye on her the whole way back, but no one would be able to tell they had been together.
At the castle, he found chairs were set on opposing sides of the great hall and a stand had been erected for those who wished to speak. The Covenanters had wanted to have this meeting at Greyfriars Kirk, but the Royalists had only agreed if it took place on neutral ground.
Niall and his cousin, the Earl of Argyll, weren’t yet present, so Alan went to Hamish’s side and put his facade in place. It was going to be a long day. Between the meeting and Hamish’s boring diatribes on religion, the day was sure to be divided between heated arguments and mind-numbing lectures.
Then he remembered he hadn’t talked to Kirstie about Hamish. She’d not said a word about the proposal, and he needed to make certain after this meeting, she was kept as far away from him as possible. He’d meant to ask her this morning, but once they’d arrived in his room, they had made love then talked about the past. For a while he’d been lost in her and the rightness of being together. The outside world had barely intruded.
Men with solemn determined demeanors drifted into the hall while Hamish proselytized on the virtues of the Presbyterian religion. Most of the points were good ones; it was just this forcing of religion on others Alan couldn’t abide.
Lachlan and Malcolm strode into the great hall and studiously avoided glancing his way. Good, he avoided theirs, as well. Any tell that he was acting could get him or them killed.
Niall and Argyll entered together and came straight toward Hamish and him. He was surprised they’d not gone directly to Robert Baillie, who moved toward the front to speak. It was a good sign they believed his ruse if Argyll himself was willing to sit with him.
After hours of contentious arguments and name-calling, it was clear no resolution would be met here today. Angry faces and shouts of outrage spilled from the room as men stomped out. Alan’s shoulders sank as he realized he would be walking with his enemies to a tavern to plan the death of his best friend.
…
Kirstie tried to cling to thoughts of how perfect the morning with Alan had been, but Blair’s unusual silence, Finlay’s solemn face, and dread of the coming afternoon filled her with gloom. The meeting had been going on for hours with loud voices occasionally reverberating from the closed room into the hollow halls where they echoed ominously.
She paced outside in the fresh air as heated words like traitor, king, and Parliament escaped through the open windows, but she knew in her heart neither side would give. The Covenanters wanted no less than the acceptance of their religion from the Royalists, who would never give it. The Royalist lairds couldn’t ask their clansman to fight for something they didn’t believe in.
It had been a beautiful afternoon, but the sun had started to sink and clouds skidded across the sky as if they were trying to outrun a coming storm. The gloomy shadows cast, as the sun ducked behind the white puffs, spread chills down her arm.
Kirstie had been able to convince Blair and Finlay to ride with her in Edinburgh today by saying she wanted a thorough tour of the city before they left. Upon returning to the stables, she took her time brushing out Poseidon. It gave her an opportunity to think while Finlay and Blair waited at the entrance to the stables. She heard Blair laugh for the first time all day. Too bad her friend had not given Finlay a chance before committing herself to such an arse like Henry.
Now, as they sat in the courtyard, Blair picked at imaginary lint on her skirts, and Finlay pretended to look out toward the Firth of Froth but secretly kept stealing glances at Blair. None of them spoke.
Heated murmurs erupted from the hall and spread in all directions. She scanned the crowd and came upon Lachlan and Malcolm first. After jumping up, she ran toward them.
“What happened?” she called before she had even reached them.
“’Twas useless. The Covenanters willnae budge unless we promise to sign the Solemn League and Covenant, and we refuse to side with the English parliament over the king. ’Twill be no peace.” Lachlan shook his head. His grim gaze would have told all she needed to know.
“We should leave now.” She prayed he would listen to her.
“Ye ken I cannae do that.” He turned his anger and frustration on her just as Finlay and Blair joined them.
“’Tis no’ safe here.” She stood her ground. Anyone else would have shrunk away from his imperious command, but she’d learned long ago to stand up for what she believed. She loved her brother, but in this instance he was wrong.
“That is why Finlay, Dougal, and a couple of the Macnab men will be guarding ye, Mother, and the Macnab lasses at the castle until ’tis time to leave.”
“Where is Alan?” She leaned in to whisper.
“He left with the Argyll and his men.” Alan had warned her about Argyll, but who was going to protect him if they figured out what he was up to?
“Do ye think he will be safe?” A prickle of unease swirled deep in her gut.
She felt helpless. She cared so deeply for all these men, and they were putting themselves in danger to protect an idea. She respected it but didn’t condone it.
“Alan Mackenzie is a traitor,” her brother roared.
Blinking at
his sudden and misplaced rage, she stumbled back and tried to make sense of his words.
“The moment he set his sights on ye, I disowned him.” Lachlan’s voice climbed again as chills spread down her back. “Alan is dead to me, and if he ever steps on Cameron lands again, I’ll drive my sword through his Covenanter arse.”
Her mouth fell open as tears rolled down her cheeks. She knew his words were lies, but they hurt to hear all the same.
“Come, let’s eat. Where’s Mother?” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and squeezed tight.
She caught a flash of anger in Finlay’s eyes and turned to see Blair’s brother John and Henry strolling toward them.
Lachlan looked at Finlay and tilted his head. “Do ye mind finding Mother?”
Finlay shook his head and walked away in the direction of the castle. He looked relieved not to have to watch Henry mistreat Blair.
They strode into the hall while discussing the meeting and took seats to dine, but the words floated over her like the elusive clouds that breezed by overhead. She scanned the crowds for Alan.
Finlay returned with Elspeth and Sara Macnab, who took seats opposite Blair and her. The room was eerily silent for the number of people. The only things that could be heard were hushed whispers and the clang and clank of utensils.
Roasted meats, buttery breads, and pastries were served along with baked summer vegetables of bright colors, but everything looked gray and unappetizing. The savory scents of rosemary and juicy fowl floating through the air normally would have made her mouth water, but today, the aromatic pungent smell turned her stomach and made her want to run for fresh air, run for Alan. But he and the Covenanters were gone.
She stumbled through the meal, barely aware of the movements of those around her. Even the usual, cheerful demeanors of her mother and Sara were transformed into a strange solemn reflection as they poked at their food, eyes downcast and tongues stilled.
Highland Temptation (Highland Pride) Page 16
