The Highlander's Secret Maiden: A Scottish Historical Romance Novel

by Lydia Kendall

  Lots of whooping and cheering sounded out from the crowd, and the dance floor quickly filled up with pairs of men and women dancing out unfamiliar steps with lots of laughter and smiles. It looks like such fun, but however will I keep up?

  She didn’t have much time to worry, however, as Marcas took her hand with a grin and pulled her onto the dance floor. He proved to be an excellent leader, showing her the steps and moving her in the right direction throughout the reel so that they could fly across the dance floor just like everyone else.

  Just when she was getting the hang of it, the music slowed to a halt and the musician announced the next dance as the “Dashing White Sergeant.” A new tune started up and all the dancers took their places before stepping and whirling their way across the dance floor once more.

  Although she’d almost stepped on Marcas’ feet several times and was relying on watching the other dancers to figure out the cues and what she was to do, Georgina had never had so much fun. She laughed out loud as Marcas’ own grin caught hers before he spun her around under his arm, causing her hair to fan out behind her.

  After a few dances, they stopped for a break, and Marcas led her to the table to find something to drink.

  “Why that was certainly an experience,” Georgina praised.

  “Aye, not quite what ye were expecting eh?” Marcas asked, passing her a nip of whisky.

  “It was certainly different from my usual ball experiences,” Georgina said, taking the glass gratefully.

  As they sipped their drinks, Georgina looked about the room. She was struck by the infectious atmosphere in the air. She’d always found balls to be rather stuffy, the dances stiff and carefully orchestrated, but this was altogether an entirely different experience.

  People were smiling, laughing, and calling out to each other across the room. Drinks flowed freely as did the conversation and she’d received nothing but warmth from the other guests so far, despite being a stranger to them. Oh, I never want to leave, this certainly is the life.

  Across the room, she watched as Alpin held out his hand to Fiona, asking her to dance. She nudged Marcas and pointed out this turn of events to him.

  “Don’t you think that Alpin and Fiona would ever make such an advantageous match?” she hinted.

  “Aye indeed. If he’d only man up and stop clowning aboot,” Marcas agreed.

  “Well it certainly looks like he is paying her the attention she deserves,” Georgina reasoned.

  “I suppose ye’re right,” Marcas said as he watched them on the dance floor together. “He is my oldest friend and it would be fine tae see Fiona happy and all.”

  Conall on the other hand, had inserted himself into a group of local women, looking like he was laying on the charm. I hope at least one of them has enough sense to get him to act like a gentleman for a change.

  “And now folks, line up fer “Strip the Willow!” the musician announced to a host of delighted cheers.

  “Come on, we cannae miss this,” Marcas said excitedly, draining his whisky and grabbing Georgina by the hand.

  “What on earth is ‘Strip the Willow?’” she demanded.

  “Strip the Willow” turned out to be a dance. The men lined up at one side of the room, the women forming a line at the other so that they were facing their partners. The pair right at the start kicked things off — skipping into the middle and linking arms to turn, before working their way down the line to join each person in a spin around the middle.

  Once the first couple had begun, the next pair started too. So soon the dance had really gotten underway and Georgina found herself spun around by every kilted man in the room, before it was her turn to skip towards Marcas, making their way down the waiting line.

  She reached Alpin’s spot, Marcas heading towards Fiona. “Ye keepin’ up lass?” he called out as they linked arms to spin around in a circle.

  “Yes indeed, why I’m having a wonderful time,” she called out in response.

  Suddenly she was launched forward right into Conall’s waiting arm, where he gleefully slid his waiting arm into hers and made a show of practically lifting her off her feet as he spun her around.

  “Ye still savin’ that dance fer me?” he asked cheekily.

  “No, I’m having rather too much fun with Marcas actually,” she said. “and you can desist with your flirty remarks, Conall.”

  “Ye don’t know what yer missin’,” he was cut off and she was whisked off by the next partner before she could make out what he had said next. Oh, well, I said my piece so that’s what matters.

  All too soon, the dancing was over, the drinks began to run dry and people began to stagger and sway off of the dance floor to head home.

  “Shall we?” Marcas whispered into her ear and she nodded willingly. Fiona and Alpin were nowhere to be seen and Conall had left with his arm around some girl’s waist a while ago. It looked like Georgina and Marcas were finally alone.

  She slipped her hand into his as they made to leave, Marcas waving heartily to some acquaintances across the room without stopping to talk. It was a beautiful moonlit night outside, the countryside bathed in the gentle shimmer from the moon, and the sky peppered with hundreds of gleaming stars.

  “Oh, isn’t this just the most perfect night?” Georgina exclaimed, “Look how beautiful it is.”

  “Yes, it is,” Marcas said, his gaze entirely fixated on her. He gently pulled her toward him under the night sky, kissing her on the lips. She responded eagerly, feeling a wave of emotion rise up within her as they paused to look into each other’s eyes.

  An understanding passed between them silently, and they kissed some more, before wordlessly beginning the short journey home, the air heavy with anticipation as they walked.

  Chapter 24

  Georgina’s heart was hammering as she felt Marcas kiss her neck, his lips travelling down to the base of her throat. His fingers were lightly caressing her back as he did so, slowly unlacing first the back of her bodice and then the front. Her skirt dropped to the floor.

  Ohhhh that feels good. She felt like she was melting from pleasure. Her entire body was on fire, every little touch felt incredible and there was a base longing deep inside her that seemed to take over. His rugged manliness was overwhelming this close up and it was exciting. I just want him to throw me down on the bed and ravish me.

  They kissed again, hungrily, and suddenly her inexperience didn’t matter any longer. This is Marcas. We’re meant to be together and I can’t think of anything more right in the entire world.

  His hands were everywhere, sliding his fingertips over every curve, exploring places that they’d never touched before. He undid the tie on her shift, slowly sliding it down her shoulders and onto the floor. She gasped as his hands finally caressed her bare skin, travelling up to cup her breasts.

  Ohhhh more, more, keep going.

  “Does that feel good?” he asked huskily at the sound of her gasp.

  “Yes, please, don’t stop,” she gasped, grabbing on to his arms and guiding his hands right to where it felt good. His smile was predatory as she did so, igniting her own desire all the more.

  His eyes returned to hers, after being transfixed by her bare breasts, and she felt her nipples tingle and harden at his touch. He took her hands and slowly guided her over to the bed and gently onto her back. He stood over her and she hungrily drank in the sight of his tall, muscular frame, dying to know what he looked like underneath his clothes.

  She reached up and pull him down on top of her, unable to bear them being separated even for just a moment. Then she kissed him deeply, this time leading with her tongue, teasing the inside of his mouth and tasting him as he met her tongue with his own.

  His mouth began to travel down her neck again. This time he kept going right down to her chest, flicking her right nipple gently with his tongue. She was unable to stop from groaning out loud, the pleasure was so intense. Then, he took the nipple into his mouth and slowly ran his tongue right around it, nibbling ever
so gently with his teeth.

  “Oh … yes … Marcas … oh, that feels so good,” she moaned.

  Just when she thought she couldn’t stand it any longer, he moved on to her left nipple, repeating all the same actions with his tongue while using his fingers to play with the other one. Ohhhh this feels incredible.

  “Yer body is so perfect,” Marcas said, his eyes running over her breasts, her stomach, her thighs with an animal-like hunger before he reached down to keep kissing every inch of her.

  She melted into him as his mouth kept traveling down her torso, his hands in a tantalizingly smooth motion. She raised her hips feeling an ever more intense need pulse inside of her as his hands caressed the curve of her bottom and down the back of her thighs.

  “Oh, Marcas, I want you so bad,” she gasped out loud. He merely grinned up at her, continuing to tease her with feather-like touches behind her knees up the back of her thighs.

  “I want tae make ye feel pleasure like ye’ve never imagined,” he said. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of this and the passion in his voice.

  She audibly gasped when he kissed the inside of her thighs.

  Oh. My. God. I had no idea such pleasure was even possible.

  She felt her legs fall open to welcome his touch, unable to even think clearly anymore.

  “That feels so good. Oh, please don’t stop,” she encouraged, panting slightly, her breath quickening as she focused on his gliding fingertips.

  She cried out and bit her lower lip as the feel of his fingers right up against her sex caused another lurch of pleasure deep down inside of her.

  I never knew it could feel this incredible. “Ohh Marcas,” she breathed, feeling her body relax even more. He groaned out loud too as he touched her, and she heard his breathing quicken as he was in complete command of her body.

  “Ye like that?” he asked.

  “Oh, yes,” she gasped.

  “I like hearing the sounds you make,” he whispered. He slowly pulled himself up and knelt between her legs.

  She reached up to remove his shirt, but he was too tall. Helping her along, he pulled it up over his head and tossed it to the side along with her discarded clothes. His chest and torso were perfectly sculpted, bulging with muscles and he oozed an intoxicatingly manly smell. He looked every inch the perfect specimen of manhood.

  His mouth explored the entire length of her body, and she felt the tantalizing tickle travel up her inner thighs, causing an intense wave of pleasure as she succumbed to the incredible feeling of his tongue meeting her sex. She felt the gentle touch of his tongue generate wave after wave of pleasure.

  The more he kept going, the more intense the feeling got, building up until she could no longer stand it. Suddenly, a warm tingle began to spread throughout her body and she cried out as she felt herself explode underneath his tongue, her sex pulsating with pleasure, her breath gasping and her heart thundering.

  “Oh, yes! Yes!” she yelled out, unable to control herself as her body completely let go.

  He emerged from between her legs, gazing at her with a huge grin on his face before leaning down to kiss her. “Oh, my god. Marcas,” She gasped, unable to find the words so she grabbed hold of him and held him against her as tightly as she could.

  This time, she brushed her own hands against the hard, muscled surface of his body, feeling him tense at her touch. Slowly, she moved them down, intrigued to find out what was underneath his kilt.

  “Ye move yer hand just like that,” Marcas whispered, guiding her hands down his defined abs, tickling the trail of hair that led from his belly button right down to his groin.

  He deftly undid the kilt, throwing it aside so that they were both naked now. She looked down and gasped in pleasant surprise. He was erect and pointing directly upwards. His size startled her.

  He guided her hand to circle it with her thumb and index finger, showing her how to move it up and down the length of it. His skin down there was velvety soft, but he was rock solid underneath that skin. She heard his own breath speed up as he gasped at the feel of her touch.

  “Oh, yea, just like that,” he groaned, closing his eyes, his face utterly relaxed. It gave her a thrill to be able to make him feel good, like he had done to her. Daringly, she began to tease his balls with her other hand, surprised at the soft feel of them. He let out a blissful sigh at her touch.

  Unable to stand it any longer, she pulled him on top of her, longing to feel him inside of her. He kissed her deeply, guiding himself inside her.

  Gently he eased himself further and she gasped at this new sensation. “It might hurt a little bit to begin with,” he whispered, “I’ll be gentle.”

  She nodded, trying to relax as he continued to enter her. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain deep inside of her and she cried out. He kissed her gently and reassured her that it would feel nice, but the pain only lasted moments. After that, she felt him slide into her with ease and she was filled with nothing but pleasure.

  “Oh, yes, keep going, just like that,” she answered the question in his eyes, craving this feeling of fullness inside of her to keep lasting.

  He moved himself in and out and she instinctively moved her own hips up and down to meet his thrusts, gasping at the intensity of the feeling. They reached out to kiss, and she threaded her fingers through his locks of red hair, needing to pull him as close to her as physically possible.

  “Oh, Georgina,” Marcas breathed out, “ye’re incredible.”

  Soon, he began to speed up and she cried out as the feeling inside of her began to deepen, the pleasure building up again. Just when she thought it couldn’t possibly hold on, that burst of climax came again and she cried out, a few moments later Marcas did the same and she felt him pulsate inside of her.

  They lay there in each other’s arms trying to catch their breath. It could have been mere minutes or hours, she honestly didn’t know. All that she knew right now, at this moment, was that she had become a woman in the most incredible way.

  “Are ye good?” he whispered.

  “Oh, Marcas, I’m more than good. Who knew it was possible to feel such things?” she gasped out.

  She felt his chest shake as he laughed, “that’s good tae hear,” he said and smiled.

  “I love you,” she said boldly.

  “And I love ye too,” he said, kissing her cheek and then her lips once more. They shared a loving smile and he brushed her hair out of her face.

  “It’s going tae be time fer me tae leave soon,” he said.

  “Oh, no, Marcas I don’t want you to go,” she cried. She felt a stab of despair as he spoke the words. It felt like agony to have just experienced such closeness only to have it disappear so quickly.

  “Listen, Georgina, when I get back I plan tae ask yer faither fer yer hand in marriage. Whether he says yes or no, we’ll be together,” he said passionately, squeezing her hand.

  “Oh, Marcas, I long for that day,” she said, throwing her arms around him one last time before they moved to get up and embrace the world outside their bubble of intimacy.

  Chapter 25

  The day came too soon when Marcas loaded his battle gear onto his steed. It had been two nights of rest since their time together and all Marcas wondered was when sleep might come again. He could not get the sight of her out of his mind.

  Her soft sighs, her eagerness, the feel of her innocence. It was too much for him to say goodbye.

  And yet, he had to leave her just an hour before, saying farewell as she sobbed. It broke his heart to have to be so cruel, leaving her just as he promised to make her his wife.

  I’ll return, petal. It isnae going to be forever.

  The niggling voice deep inside him could not shut off the fact that there were always casualties in battle. But Marcas believed fully that it was his rebuke of this fact that had kept him alive thus far.

  “What’s on yer mind, then?” Conall asked with a sneer. The two had barely spoken in what seemed forever, but since the night of t
he gathering, Conall’s suspicions had grown and his jealousy deepened. Marcas could feel it palpably.

  “Just wondering how soon we can finish off the buggers and come home,” Marcas replied.

  “Ach, aye. I’m sure ye have no other thought than that,” Conall said sarcastically, subconsciously allowing his eyes to travel to the window of Georgina’s room.

  Marcas was irritated by the jab. If Conall had truly loved Georgina, he would not have left with another woman that night and he would not constantly make sexual digs at her. The comments had continued over the past few days and Marcas had grown weary of it.