The Elusive Highlander
Page 9
He would have liked to observe himself making love to her, but the crystal went blank. When he came out of the trance, his hand was encircling his stiff cock, which was truly aching for release now.
He couldn’t say he was surprised at the image he had seen in the crystal. He wanted Coira from the moment he had first laid eyes on her. Something about her appealed to him on a level that he could not ignore. He did not know what he would have done had she turned out to be a spy as he had first thought. With the confirmation of the vision and the evidence of her desire for him, he could not wait to have her, this woman who defied him at every turn, beautiful, fearless Coira. She was a blend of curiosity and contradictions with a sensuality that was an inherent part of her.
Never before had he met a woman like Coira. He was unconcerned, even if she was remotely related to the MacDougalls. He had to have her, and apparently the fates had seen fit to give him what he wanted if the images in the ball were to be believed. Who was he to argue with the fates? He would take what was given to him and enjoy it as he knew he would.
His one hesitation was the thought of her leaving him behind when she grew old and died, as eventually she would. He didn’t know how he would handle it. Alasdair just knew he intended to make the most of his time and live a little.
He tossed his mane of hair away from his face and, with the aftermath of the trance still racing through his body, he took the shield and walked out of his chambers. He would try it out during practice later that day, but for now, he made his way to Coira’s room. He intended to wed her as soon as possible, but after seeing her engaged in the sexual act, while he was in the trance, he would have her this night.
* * * *
Coira stood before the mirror trying on the dresses as she had been before she was interrupted by Alasdair. She couldn’t get over how beautiful the dresses were. They’d give designers in New York a run for their money. She especially liked the blue one with the white beads. It clinched in her waist and made it appear smaller than it was and played up her height to perfection. She did not recognize the person in the reflection. She would get Imogene to dress her hair in a style to go with the dress, and she would wear it to her first dinner date with Alasdair. Coira knew it wasn’t really a date, yet she preferred to think of it as such.
She couldn’t deny he made her come alive. She felt things she’d never felt before every time he was around her, and when they had kissed, that had been out of this world. Alasdair knew how to kiss. He used his tongue in a manner that was positively indecent. She was looking forward to her date with him tonight.
She forgot to ask if there was an exact time for dinner. She would take a rest and hope Imogene came by to check up on her. She didn’t want to venture outside of her room for fear of running into Alasdair or any of his men. She also wanted to take the time to figure out a way to get herself back into the twenty-first century.
The problem with her situation was she had no idea what she’d done to get transported through time. She had only been following him into his office. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that it had been, indeed, Alasdair she had been following. A different looking Alasdair, but it was Alasdair nonetheless. That he couldn’t remember the incident was beyond her. And as was to be expected, thinking about New York brought her dad to mind. She was worried about her dad. She didn’t want anything to happen to him before she was able to return home.
Every day she was away made the possibility of something happening to him more real, and she was in the middle of her second week. Lying on the bed, she felt so helpless, a feeling that was, quite frankly, foreign to her. Coira couldn’t stop the tears that were running down her face. She buried her face into the pillow to stop the flow. The next thing she knew she had fallen asleep and was immediately caught up in a dream that was like no dream she’d ever had before.
She was running through a field of purple heather, laughing and playing. She was happy and trying to escape someone who was pursuing her. She wanted him to catch her, and the excitement was making her breathless with anticipation. She came to a spot where the taller trees provided a barrier, and she stopped to make certain he’d seen where she was going. As she turned to continue, he was on her and pulled her farther into the trees. She was about to let out a scream when he covered her mouth with his and kissed her with a hunger that had her almost in a swoon.
“Ye canna escape me, Coira” he said as he tried to lift her skirt.
“Ye have to wait, Dair. We are not man and wife yet. If my brothers know ye are trying to corrupt me before we wed, they would have ye hanged and quartered.”
“Thay wull nae know. Who wull tell thaim, ye?”
“Ye know I want ye just as much as ye want me. I won’t tell thaim, but if ye keep this up, thay wull fin' oot.”
“I will nae go all the wey in. Ah juist wantae feel yer wetness, juist a feel.”
Coira turned to look at him as he pushed his kilt aside and circled his stiff cock with his right hand, prepared to rub it against her opening. It was a beautiful penis, the head broad and red, jutting out of the thatch of red pubic hairs peeking out of his kilt. She came to the decision to let him have his way with her. After all, they were to be married in two days. Who’d know if she gave him a taste?
Having come to that decision, she turned and presented her buttock to him as she braced herself for the pain. The pain never came. She could hear knocking, and she was thinking, why doesn’t whoever it is go away? The knocking became louder, more insistent, waking her from the dream.
It was a dream, damn!
“I’m coming,” she yelled out as she tried to get her feet to behave properly to get off the bed. She rushed to the door, praying it was not the person she was just dreaming about. She was in luck; it was Imogene.
“M’lady, is everything all right?”
“Yes, why do you think everything is not all right?”
“Ye locked yerself in.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Imogene. I was trying on my new clothes and didn’t want to be interrupted.”
“Oh, I wanted to help ye, m’lady. How were they?”
“Excellent. I’ll be wearing one to dinner tonight. The Laird invited me.”
“Good, m’lady! I’ll help ye get ready.”
“I was going to ask you to help me with my hair. And, by the way, what time is the meal served? I forgot to ask the Laird.”
“Two hours from now, at sundown. I’ll help ye with yer bath. Let me fetch the hot water.”
“Thanks, Imogene. You’re a big help.”
“’Tis my pleasure, m’lady. I enjoy waiting on ye. Ye will make a beautiful bride for the Laird.”
Thinking it was better to keep her opinion about being a beautiful bride to herself, Coira just smiled and didn’t accept or deny the title.
She sat down in one of the chairs and waited while Imogene made several trips carrying the hot water for her bath. When the tub was filled, she crushed some fresh herbs in the water, which gave it a nice minty scent.
Coira lowered herself into the water, trying to keep the towel, which Imogene had wrapped around her hair to keep it from getting wet, from coming undone. There was no time to dry her hair before dinner if it were to get wet.
She was becoming excited about dinner. Who was she kidding? She was looking forward to seeing Alasdair. She was very curious about him after having such a vivid dream with him in the starring role.
Imogene fixed her hair, arranging it in loose ringlets that made her look younger than her twenty-something years, and put some color on her lips, which Imogene told her was made from a paste of the red berry she had at breakfast. She applied a dab to her cheeks also, and it heightened her color, making her look as if she was wearing a permanent blush.
After her hair and face was fixed, she stepped into the gown and had Imogene fasten the dozen or so tiny buttons in the back. She would have never been able to get herself dressed without Imogene’s assistance.
It was a good thing she did; all eyes were upon her as she entered and stood at a loss where to sit. She didn’t have long to wait before the serving wench came to show her to her seat. She was seated at the opposite end of the table from where the Laird sat at the head. He was surrounded on either side by his most trusted men.
She was pleased to see Tristan had arrived, and he occupied the seat next to Dair. Evidently, their unwelcome visitors had left the keep. Coira purposely kept her eyes away from him, knowing how mischievous he could be.
Coira was pleased to see there was quite a spread. It was almost as lavish as the breakfast tray that had been served to her. There were fresh cream, cheeses, milk, vegetables, roasted venison, and baked lamb. She ate sparingly, not wanting to feel too uncomfortable in her tight dress. Several times she’d caught the Laird staring at her.
When she tried to discern whether he was pleased with her appearance, his usual mask would slip into place and she was left wondering. He did appear to be in a more affable mood, which could be because his brother was once again with him. They laughed and joked together and very seldom included the others at the table in their conversation. She was too far away to hear what they were saying. She also didn’t want to appear too interested in their conversations, so she lowered her head and enjoyed her dinner.
From time to time, during the course of the meal, she stole furtive glances at him. It was during one of those glances that their eyes met, and feeling secured by the distance that separated them, she gave him a smile and muttered, “Thank you.”
He gave her a brief nod. He was too far away to do or say anything else. When the dessert was served, she couldn’t resist the fresh berries topped with warm clotted goat cheese sprinkled liberally with fresh honey. It was indeed a feast befitting a king.
She was still enjoying her dessert when she saw him leave his seat and come over to her. Coira took the opportunity, again, to say thanks to him.
“For what, lass?” he asked as he made short work of the dish of clotted cream and fruits he was holding.
“For all this.” She gestured to the table at large.
“Ye don’t have to thank me. Ye are to be my wife, and as such, the sooner ye assume yer role, the better.”
“When did you change your mind, from not marrying me to now marrying me?”
“When I saw ye in my bed.”
“When did you see me in your bed… In your dreams?”
“Aye, how did you know”?
“That’s funny. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about the wife thing anymore.”
“Why not? ’Tis inevitable. I have made up my mind, and I do not intend to change it; I see no reason to.”
“This meal was very well prepared,” she said, trying to bring the conversation back to a safer topic. “Where do all the milk and cheese come from?”
“It comes from our livestock: sheep, goats, and cattle. The ground is very arid here, our livestock does well, and we are fortunate for being so close to the loch. It feeds the soil.”
“The cheese is delicious, and I love the cream. I should take a tour to observe how the cream is being made.”
“I will take ye around in the morning, after training.”
“You train every day?”
“Aye, we have to. We are preparing for war and have to be ready for the call any day.”
Her heart did a funny little flip. She didn’t like to think of them going into battle. Although she could tell they were fierce warriors, she had grown attached to him and would not like anything to happen to him. And, though Coira knew what they were fighting for, she had to pretend ignorance and ask because he believed they’d win the war.
“We fight with Robert the Bruce for Scotland’s independence.”
“Independence from England?” she asked.
“Aye. We Scots want to be rulers of our own destiny.”
It was unfortunate that they would still be under British rule in the twenty-first century, but that was neither here nor there. She had no way of circumventing the future. The Scots had to do what the Scots had to do.
The conversation was becoming depressing. “Can I have another serving of cream?” she asked.
He signaled the serving girl to refill her dessert cup. “Ye like the cream just as much as I do.”
“Yes,” she admitted. “It’s very light and sweet.”
She was so focused on him she didn’t realize everyone had left the table, even Tristan. She’d wanted to say hello to him but guessed she’d have to wait. He was too busy socializing with the other men, who had all retired to another room. She wondered if all the men at the table were Templar Knights because the majority of the men ate elsewhere. Only a handful was always around the Laird.
The time was approaching when she knew she had to leave the room. Much as she would have liked to linger downstairs a bit, she realized, apart from the serving women, she was the only other woman in the room, so she quietly stood and thanked her host for an excellent meal again before walking out of the room.
Coira was pleased with her performance. She had a good time at dinner and managed to keep the thoughts she was thinking about the Laird from her face. Now that she was on her way to her room, she couldn’t help wondering if he looked as good underneath his kilt.
Alasdair seemed to like that mode of dressing. He was even dressed in a kilt tonight, although from what she’d seen of the paintings on the wall, he was dressed in semi-formal attire. He wore a kilt tartan in his clan colors. He had some massive calves and such beautiful knees. What was she talking about? Everything about this man was gorgeous.
She managed to make it to her room without any incident. She removed her shoes, which turned out to be very comfortable, and placed them next to her Christian Louboutin spikes.
Now she had to wait for Imogene to come and help her out of the dress. She was about to attempt the process herself when there was a knock on her door. “It’s open, Imogene,” she said, not bothering to get off the bed where she had stretched out.
The door opened. It wasn’t Imogene standing there but the Laird. Coira flew off the bed and would have injured herself had he not moved fast enough to catch her before she hit the floor.
“What are ye doing, lass? Trying to injure yerself?”
“Shouldn’t I be the one asking what you’re doing here?”
“Ye might well ask. I came to offer ye my services. Ye left the table so suddenly I didn’t have time to make the offer.”
“What services might that be?”
“The one ye need right now… the one ye thought Imogene was coming to attend ye for.”
“You mean to help me undress?”
“Among other things,” he said with the raise of one brow.
“No thank you. I’ll wait for Imogene. I know you have many talents and skills, but I don’t want to put your skills as lady's maid to the test.”
“Why not? I am offering. Use me.”
Hearing him offer himself to her to be used was too much for Coira. She was almost at the end of her control, and those words catapulted her over it. Grasping at straws, she reminded him, “Imogene will be here soon.”
“Nay, she wull nae.”
“What do you mean?” She feared she didn’t want to hear what she knew he was about to say.
“Don’t tell me you dismissed her?” Coira began to breathe heavily. “Why?”
“I have already told ye. I will wait on ye myself.”
“And I ask again, why? First you accused me of being a spy and treated me like a prisoner, and then you proceeded to kiss me. At dinner you informed me that you intended to make me your wife. Now you want to undress me. These things don’t go together. You can’t tre
at me one way one day and then turn around and treat me differently the next.”
“After my initial shock of seeing ye in my keep, I have been nothing but nice to ye.”
“You call the way you treated me being nice?”
“Aye. Keeping ye locked in yer room was for yer protection. My men wanted me to get rid of ye. They were convinced ye were a spy from one of our rival clans. I didn’t believe you were a spy, but until I knew differently, I had to go along with their thinking. I did not put ye in chains. I kept ye from wondering the keep, and gave ye the use of a room in my home. Ye are still not totally safe, even now.”
“I was locked in. Is that how you treat a guest?”
‘Tis was for your protection.”
“What about the way you treated me while we were traveling here. For two days you went around with a mean look on your face and put me though the most grueling trip of my life.”
“It was important that we left Castle Campbell. It was too close to the other clans. I didn’t want them knowing about you. Also, I just received some troubling news that made me question everything I believed in. It made me want to protect you even more than I had been doing before.”
“How so? You don’t even know me.”
“I have seen enough of ye to know I could not have chosen better myself. Everything about ye fascinates me, from the way ye look to the way ye stand up to me and never cower. A lesser woman would have run screaming, not ye. Ye gave as good as ye got, even when I kissed ye.”
“Don’t remind me,” she said. “I was only doing to you what you were doing to me.”
“Good, I want to continue that exchange. Can we?”
“I don’t think so.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Coira moved swiftly, putting distance between her and her tormentor. She couldn’t stand being this close to him and not kissing him. She averted her gaze with effort. “I’m not interested in being your plaything, Laird.”
“I want ye to be my plaything. And, besides, we will soon be wed, and I will be undressing ye every night. Ye will share my bed.”