“She’s not here,” Victoria told him with a cocked eyebrow. “I don’t know why you don’t admit it. You are smitten with Cailyn, and she with you. It’s silly, for you to go. Why not stay and court her?”
Jamie moved away from his sister. “I have business to complete. I am not a man of leisure. Someone who spends life at sea cannot expect his wife to remain alone for months at a time.”
“Bah!” She waved his comment off. “You have enough money to allow yourself to no longer sail about the ocean hither and yon.” Victoria crossed her arms and glared at him. “Personally I think you are afraid, dear brother. Love terrifies you.”
He ignored her comments and bent to kiss her brow. “I take my leave, Victoria. I’ve already given my appreciation and farewell to the laird and your husband.”
After a last hug, he left the keep and Cailyn, with no plans to return in the near future.
On the road, his men kept sliding questioning gazes at him, and Jamie ignored them. Sure he’d barked at them several times, but it shouldn’t cause them to act so uneasy. Admittedly, in all the years as captain of his ship, he’d ruled with a soft-spoken, but firm manner. After all, most of his sailors were men who’d proven themselves before joining him. Men who preferred to remain neutral during the Scottish-English war, each with good reason to not take sides.
“Captain Westcott,” his first mate and close friend, Geoffrey, finally spoke. “Will we go directly to the ship?”
“Aye.” Jamie frowned at him. “Why do you ask?”
“I thought perhaps you’d like to stop at a brothel and see about your dour disposition.” The man had the gall to grin.
“There is no need for it,” Jamie snapped.
“Perhaps you require something else then. Whatever it is, there is no need for you to take it out on the men.” Geoffrey rode alongside him, his steed prancing.
“What else could I possibly need?”
“I cannot say Captain. However, there is something I must share with you. We all have a purpose in life and sometimes it’s easier to accept that we don’t always control our own destiny.” Geoffrey’s eyes bore into his. “I for one know what mine is. I will return home once we set upon English land, I’ve been too long away from me wife and family. I will no longer sail with ye, Captain.”
“I did not know you were married.” Jamie studied the stout, ruddy man, imagining him with children.
Geoffrey chuckled. “Made time for it, Cap’n. Have four children actually.” The man gazed toward the distance. “My oldest boy is about to marry, start a family of ’is own.”
“Well good on you mate,” Jamie told him meaning it.
“I will miss the seas, but I miss me family more.” With a grin, Geoffrey urged his mount forward, and one of the other men brought the first mate into conversation.
Jamie pondered his friend’s words. What was his destiny? Was he fighting it? Cailyn’s face appeared instantly in his mind. Was he a coward to not accept he more than cared for her?
“Geoffrey!” He called reining his horse to a stop. “Take the ships to England. I will stay in Scotland for the winter season.”
“Aye, Captain,” Geoffrey waved over his shoulder, and the men galloped off without him.
“I’m not hungry,” Cailyn repeated once again. This time her brother, Conor, was the one to ask. “I will eat later.”
The sound of the door closing made her let out a breath. Ever since Jamie left, she’d been in the room where he slept. Pretending to straighten it and fighting not to cry.
“Augh.” She punched at the bedding. She was a McDougall, a strong Scottish woman. She did not need to be sulking over a man who’d left without as much as a farewell. In fact, she should ride after him and throttle him. It would be a good lesson for his lack of chivalry.
Anger rose and she clenched her hands into fists. Then again.
Cailyn stalked to the door and continued on to the stables.
Moments later, rider and horse galloped toward the path Jamie had taken.
Just an hour into her unintended trip, Victoria slowed and climbed down from her horse. Walking to a clearing, she sank down onto a fallen tree trunk. This was a mistake. Jamie had chosen to leave. She was a fool to go after him.
The sound of hooves alerted her to a rider approaching and Cailyn jumped to her feet. She reached for her dirk, only to realize she’d left it behind in her haste.
Dropping her horse’s reins, she darted to the tree line and hid behind a tree.
A rider came into the clearing, and took in her horse before scanning the foliage.
Cailyn stepped from behind the thicket. “What brings you here?”
Jamie dismounted and stood beside his steed. “I am returning to Somerset. I must speak with you.”
She took in the proud man who stood rigid, his chiseled, handsome face impassive and sea-green eyes locked with hers. “You were returning to speak to me?” Cailyn looked past him. “Where are your men?”
He shrugged a wide shoulder. “Going to the ship.” He motioned to her horse. “Where are you headed? What brings you to this clearing?”
“I considered catching up to you and giving you a piece of my mind for leaving without a proper goodbye. Then I realized it wasn’t worth the effort for a man without decency.”
“You are correct, I am without honor.” He stepped closer to her. “I am a man who is not worthy of a woman like you.”
She took a step toward him and stopped. “True. So why come back then?”
“I came back because you stay with me here.” Jamie pointed to his chest and closed the distance between them. He then cupped her face kissed her. His lips crushed hers and he began to kiss her with so much force she couldn’t breathe. Finally when he moved back, both were breathing hard.
He held his hand out to her. As she took it, the unspoken message of what both needed at the moment passed between them. Pulling a blanket roll from his saddle, Jamie led her toward a patch of grass.
He spread the blanket and they went to their knees, facing each other. Cailyn threw herself against him and they fell over, onto the blanket. “You left without saying goodbye,” she kissed his mouth. “That was not only rude…” she pecked the cleft in his chin. “But absolutely horrible of you.” She pressed another kiss onto the side of his neck.
“Precisely why I was returning,” Jamie rolled her onto her back and lay over her. “There was that and the absolute need to have you again.”
His hand slid up her skirts and he took her mouth again. His tongue probed past her lips into her mouth, and she relished the taste of him.
Smooth fingertips traced over the skin of her leg, when he reached her inner thigh, heat rushed to her core. “Too many clothes,” he mumbled between kisses.
Cailyn pushed his jacket from his shoulders and slipped her hands under the fabric of his shirt. Without hesitating, she slid her palms up his back, pushing it off too. Jamie lifted off her and helped her take off the garment. He stood to remove his breeches while she watched entranced, never tiring at the sight of his sleek, muscular body. When he smiled at her, the sight of it taking her breath away.
His eyes slid to her lips and down to her chest. “I want to see all of you, as well, Cailyn.”
She allowed him to pull her up to her knees. His thick cock jutted proudly at eye level. Cailyn leaned forward to press a kiss onto the head, and Jamie’s breath hitched. Encouraged, Cailyn swirled her tongue around the tip, while sliding one hand up to his taut ass, and another down the length of him.
His hips thrust forward and she took the tip of his cock into her mouth. “Cailyn…” he gasped when she began to suckle. Invigorated by his grunts of pleasure, she wrapped her fingers around the length, gliding them up and down, while letting him slide in and out of her mouth.
“So…so good,” Jamie stuttered, and his legs quaked. “I must stop you before you bring me to come undone.” He put his hands on her face and pulled out from between her lips.
He wasted no time now undressing her. Pieces of clothing fell one-by-one to the ground and Cailyn shivered at the cool breeze on her nude skin.
“Now, Jamie, hurry. My brothers will notice my absence and may come searching for me.” She fell onto her back and held her arms up to him.
Jamie positioned himself between her legs and took his cock in hand. “I will try to be gentle.” He began to slide in slowly, until fully seated within her.
The exquisite feel of his smooth skin sliding in, only to move back out, made Cailyn cry out. His slow and precise movements drew her toward the edge of reason. Gliding her hands up his arms, she held on allowing him to set the pace.
Jamie’s tongue traced a pattern at her throat and he nipped at the sensitive area. The tempo of his movements began to increase. He placed his hands under her hips and lifted Cailyn, allowing him deeper access.
“Harder,” Cailyn cried, “I’m so close.”
“You feel too good, I don’t think I will be able to last much longer,” Jamie grunted. His deep green eyes met hers as he slammed in and out of her, until both screamed out in unison.
Jamie rolled to his side, taking her with him.
Moments later, Cailyn closed her eyes and pressed her face into his chest. “Must you go now?”
“Roll over,” Jamie commanded, not exactly answering her question. He guided her onto her side, facing away from him. “I must remain with you here a bit longer; I am already hard for you again.” He pressed into her, proving the point.
His hands caressed her hips and moved to her crux, his deft fingers going to her already reawakened center. The light touch sent a bolt of heat through her and she arched into his hand.
Jamie strummed the tip of his finger back and forth against her core until she began to mewl with want. He bit into the soft skin of her shoulder the combination of sensations tipping her toward cresting. “Come for me, beauty.” He pushed two fingers into her, and at the same time pushed his cock between her rear cheeks. The friction of him sliding between them, along with her movements, brought her closer.
“Jamie!” Cailyn began to crest, only to explode into fragments when he lifted her leg and thrust into her. His thickness filled her, and she screamed his name as he drove into her, while his fingers continue to flick across her now-engorged center.
The continued slapping of their bodies as she floated downward told her he’d not come yet. Cailyn reached between them and cupped his sack. He bucked hard at it, and she squeezed him gently.
“I cannot get enough of you,” he grunted against her ear, and continued to pump, his thighs hitting against hers. With a loud groan, Jamie climaxed, his entire body shuddering against hers.
They remained joined, and he drew her against his chest. Cailyn tried to wiggle away, but he held her firm in place.
“Don’t move away. Not yet.” Jamie whispered. “I …” the sound of approaching horses spurred them to action. They pulled apart and rose.
Cailyn grabbed her discarded clothing and ran to the trees, Jamie behind her, holding his clothes and sword as well.
Just in time, they finished dressing when the familiar sound of Conor’s voice rang over the clearing. “Cailyn?”
Chapter Seventeen
“What plans do you have, Captain Westcott?” The laird asked, his eyes boring into Jamie’s. “It is obvious my sister cannot live on a ship.”
Jamie cleared his throat and looked from one brother to the other. Both large men, and although he himself was not a small man, the scowling Scots made him ill at ease. “I plan to marry her if she will accept me and take her to live on my estate in England, Laird.”
“You want to take her away from Scotland?” Conor, the younger brother looked to Cailyn, who sat next to him, her hands folded on her lap.
Concern etched on her brow, Cailyn responded, “I can come back to visit. I suppose I didn’t consider having to move.” A tear trickled down her cheek, and Jamie fought the urge to wipe it away.
Distress replaced the scowls on both brothers’ faces when they turned their attention back to Jamie.
The Laird reached for Cailyn’s hand and patted it. “My sister should remain in Scotland. It has not been long since the war ended; I do not think it safe for her to live in England.”
Anger rose, and Jamie clenched his jaw. “I can provide more than suitable protection for her. My own mother is Scottish, she fairs well.”
The room became silent until Victoria burst through the door. Hands on her hips, she eyed both the McDougall men and then Jamie. His beautiful sister went to Cailyn and put a hand on her shoulder. “God’s foot, why do men have to make things so complicated? Jamie, our family has an estate in the lowlands, why don’t you move there? It’s not so far away we cannot visit regularly and they…” she motioned to Conor and Calum, “can be assured of Cailyn’s safety.”
“The property is your estate,” Jamie responded, not sure he wanted to take Victoria’s land from her.
His beautiful sister rolled her eyes. “Once the stubborn lot of you agrees on the terms because, you and Cailyn must marry, it will be my wedding gift to you.” She smiled at Cailyn, who looked at him with a hopeful expression. “Come now Cailyn, let us have tea. You look exhausted.”
The women walked out without a backwards glance.
Dinner that evening was a festive occasion. Cailyn finally relaxed when her brothers and Jamie lifted their cups to toast their upcoming nuptials. Not really a surprise, since Conor had immediately surmised what they’d been doing when he’d come upon them.
Conor looked to his wife and she blushed prettily under his heated scrutiny. He leaned to her ear. “In a few moments you’ll lay under me screaming.”
Victoria’s eyes widened and she slapped at his shoulder, but her hand slid under the table.
Calum eyed the group at the table. “Well, there is still a matter I must see completed. Since our clan must stop this needless war with the McNeil’s, we will join with them, as planned.”
“Who’s going to marry Lisbeth?” Cailyn asked. Everyone’s attention riveted to Calum.
“Dugan.” The laird lifted his cup and motioned at her cousin, who at the moment was too busy flirting with a serving wench to pay much attention.
“The missive has been delivered, and the McNeil has agreed. Lisbeth McNeil and Dugan McDougall will marry next week.”
“What?” Dugan’s ale flew from his mouth and he began to sputter.
Cailyn laughed and leaned into the wonderful warmth of Jamie’s arm.
“Good on you, Dugan.”
The toasting resumed.
Cailyn’s eyes fixed on Jamie’s face as her hand slid up his thigh. “What say you, Captain Westcott, should our wedding be as quick?”
He took her hand and pressed it over his hardened cock. “It most certainly should, Miss McDougall.”
A chair fell backward with a loud thud as Dugan stormed from the room a wench over his shoulder.
“Oh goodness,” Victoria said watching the man’s abrupt departure. “He may not marry.”
“Oh he will,” Conor replied, “hopefully the bride will be Lisbeth McNeil.”
Everyone except Calum laughed.
The End
The McDougalls Series
Highlander’s Captive
Highlander’s Conquest
Highlander’s Claim
About the Author
Hildie McQueen is my pseudonym. Writing is my dream come true. There is nothing I love more than bringing my characters and stories to life and sharing them with you. I live in a small town in Georgia with my husband and two unruly little dogs.
If you enjoyed Highlander’s Captive please recommend it to you friends and family. I would appreciate a review.
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www.Hildi
eMcQueen.com
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A Ghostly Tale of Forbidden Love
Madeline Martin
About the Book
Senara becomes a lady’s maid at Castle of Park to help ease the financial burden of her beloved family. She does not expect to have such a wicked mistress any more than she expects to find a handsome laird…or a ghost with a burning need for retribution.
Gavin vowed on his father’s death bed to watch over his aunt, and regrets it every day. Especially when her new maid arrives. The woman is extraordinarily fascinating, which not only stirs his interest, but also his aunt’s ire. Can he protect Senara from his aunt? Even more important, can he keep himself from giving in to his longing for the country lass?
Dedication
To Mr. Awesome for being worthy of so wonderful a name and for your unending support. I’m so fortunate to have you in my life.
Acknowledgments
First of all, a huge thank you to Kathryn Le Veque for organizing this wonderful box set and thank you to all the fellow Romantic Legends box set authors: Catherine Kean, Victoria Vane, Meara Platt, Elizabeth Rose, Anna Markland, Hildie MacQueen, and Collette Cameron – it’s been so fun getting this put together with so many amazing ladies!
Thank you so much to Lorrie for everything she does always and to Janet Kazmirski for always doing a final read-through for me for last minute input and changes, and for always being so incredibly supportive.
Thank you to my amazing beta readers who helped make this story so much more with their wonderful suggestions: Kacy Stanfield, Karen Archer, and Alli Preslar.
Romantic Legends Page 42
