The Highlander’s Hellion

by Eliza Knight

  He grunted and then searched through the satchel and tossed her a bannock cake. “I can only offer ye this cake and some cheese. There is jerky, but since ye dinna eat meat, that will not do. And I doubt ye want the meat the men have brought back.” He nodded behind her, and she glanced back to see that a few of the warriors had returned with their catches tied to a thick stick.

  “Aye.” She tossed back the sack of almonds. “Cheese and bannocks are perfect.”

  Grim passed her a hunk of aged white cheese, and she bit into it, savoring the rich flavor as it melted on her tongue. Then she bit into the bannock and was surprised it wasn’t as stale as the ones she’d had on the road before. This one appeared to be fresh baked.

  He watched her eat, eying her as though he were inspecting her. “Ye’re not too thin.”

  She nearly choked on her bite of bannock and inhaled a few crumbs. She started to cough, and Grim leapt up from his spot across from her to loom behind and pound on her back, which only made her cough harder.

  At last, she could breathe again. She sipped at the waterskin he passed her, and he settled beside her, his knee brushing hers. She held her breath, afraid any gasp she made might send her into a fresh whirl of coughing.

  When she could speak, she said, “That is not something I would repeat to any woman, especially if she happens to be one ye’re courting. I’m not saying we’re courting, only that I offer ye advice, as a woman. Though ’tis fashionable to have a bit of meat on one’s bones, dinna ever tell her she’s not too thin. Ye might as well call her a mighty cow.”

  Grim frowned for a minute, then tilted his head back and laughed so loud several birds who’d been sleeping in the branches above their heads took flight, and the men all jerked their gazes in his direction as though they’d never heard him laugh before now.

  “Ye misunderstand me, lass,” he said through fits of laughter, swiping at tears of mirth. “I but meant that abstaining from eating meat hadna left ye a bag of bones. Ye appear healthy. Ye look…good.”

  She looked…good.

  Greer felt her face heat and wished the sun were already setting so he couldn’t see just how embarrassed she was at the compliment. As it was now, she was certain her face flamed as red as her hair. For saying she looked good was indeed a compliment. As a matter of fact, no other man had ever remarked on her figure before, and she felt the urge to ask him more. Her mother would be horrified, but Greer had learned a long time ago that when she tried to conform to what was right instead of doing what she wanted, she usually ended up doing the latter anyway, and in a disastrous way.

  So in this case, she tilted her face toward his, finished swallowing a fresh bite of cheese, and asked, “Good how?”

  Now it was Grim’s turn to nearly choke on his bannock. She passed him the waterskin this time and pounded on his strong back until he’d finished choking on whatever it was he’d eaten.

  “Are ye all right?” she asked, laughing.

  “Aye.” He blew out a breath of relief and took another sip of water while she watched the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed.

  She was pretty certain that until this point in her life, she’d never so fully studied a man before.

  Grim turned her way, winging a brow. “Has anyone told ye ye’re verra forward?”

  That took her aback. “Forward? I assure ye I am not.”

  “Bold then.” He leaned once more to grab his satchel and his knee brushed hers.

  As if he had any right to talk about boldness. She had half a mind to point it out, but then he might stop touching her, unintentional as it was.

  “Again, not a good word choice for a maiden such as myself.” Saints, but she was having fun teasing him.

  “Direct?” He offered her another bannock, but she shook her head.

  “Direct will suit.”

  “All right, my lady. Has anyone ever told ye that ye’re verra direct?”

  Now, she grinned and shrugged her shoulders. “All the time.”

  He chuckled and bit into his bannock.

  “Well, now that we’ve established that,” she said, picking up a wee pebble that was beneath her foot, “are ye going to answer the question, or just choke some more?”

  “Och, but I thought ye’d nae be making me explain.”

  Was she seeing things, or were his cheeks turning a little bit pink?

  “I’m curious. Indulge me.”

  “Ye look good as in…healthy.”

  He eyed her now, his gaze roving from the top of her head down to where her boots were tucked up against her bottom. And she felt that gaze as it roamed the length of her, making her feel hot and yet covered in gooseflesh all at once. There was a glimpse of hunger in his eyes that she felt keenly in her gut. Good God, what was happening to her? She swallowed but that didn’t help any.

  “Ye have a…rounded figure.”

  Greer groaned and fell backward in exaggeration, flopping her arm over her face as though he’d given her a fit of vapors. “A rounded figure? Again, I’m thinking cow, sir.”

  “Oh dear God, are ye jesting with me?”

  She peeked up at him to see he was staring down at her with genuine concern. Slowly, she shook her head, trying for her most serious face. Teasing him was entirely too much fun. “I never jest about these things.”

  He leapt to his feet, once more drawing the attention of his men, who just as suddenly busied themselves with other tasks.

  With a hand shoved through his hair, and stuffing his face full of food, he paced in front of her for several minutes before finally turning to face her. “I shouldna be saying this to ye, but I will, because ye appear overly curious. Ye’re a verra bonny lass, with hair of fire and a personality to boot. Ye’ve a figure that makes me take a second look. Makes them…” He nodded toward his men, and then shook his head. “Never mind. Let us just say ye have a bonny figure, lass. And if ye should tell anyone I’ve said these things, I will have to commit a sin and lie, denying this conversation ever took place.”

  Greer covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. With every word he’d uttered, her body had heated into little fiery tingles. He liked what he saw. A lot, from what it seemed. And she liked that he liked looking. For she felt very much the same way.

  From behind the shield of her palm, she said, “Thank ye verra much, Grim. I’ll not tell a soul. I swear it.” Then, just as boldly as she pleased, she added, “And for what ’tis worth, I feel verra much the same way, about me liking what I see, not about your men taking a second look, that is. Although I canna speak for all.”

  He stood there speechless and then noted that she was teasing him. He picked up a handful of fallen leaves and tossed them at her as she fell over in a fit of giggles.

  Greer dusted herself off between laughs and then pitched the rest of her bannock at him, hitting him squarely in the nose.

  “I ought to thrash ye for that,” he taunted, a twinkle of mirth in his eyes.

  “I’d like to see ye catch me,” she challenged, feeling more playful than she had in the longest time.

  “Catch ye?”

  Greer didn’t give him a chance to figure out her meaning, she simply lifted her skirts, turned on her heel, and started to run toward the forest. The men she passed regarded her as though she’d grown two heads, but she just smiled at them and kept on running. Once she reached the cover of the trees, she dared a peek behind her, only to come face-to-chest with Roderick. The grin he wore may just have been bigger than her own. It was a grin that said, I’ve got ye now, in a way that sent a shiver of wonder up her spine.

  Chapter Eight

  Knocking into Roderick the Grim had to be the same as running smack into a stone wall. His broad chest was hard with muscle, and his stance unbreakable.

  Greer let out a shriek as she bounced off him and started to fall backward. She grappled for anything, her fingers grazing over those same muscles. The man had the audacity to laugh at her, even as he caught her. His strong grasp wrapped
around the small of her back as he tugged her forward. The heat of his touch sent tingles racing all over her. If this was what it was like for him to catch her…

  “Ye thought ye were quick,” he said, voice full of mischief, “but ye didna realize I have a skill at chase—no one ever hears me coming.” He winked at her, arms still about her, and Greer thought her knees might buckle.

  She grabbed hold of his upper arms, marveling at the rippling muscle as she gazed up at him. “Ye’re quite right about that,” she said. “I didna hear ye at all. Seems unfair.”

  “Ye were running like I might imagine a giant would thump through the woods with tree stumps for boots. Ye might have passed the horse-racing test, but ye’ve failed at this one.”

  Greer frowned. “I didna realize it was a test. How about another round? Now that I know ye’ve a talent for being sneaky?”

  Grim chuckled, pulling her a little closer. “Och, lass, while the idea is very enticing, I must remind ye that traipsing about the wood is nae safe.”

  “What have I to be afraid of? Ye? Are ye dangerous, Grim?” she goaded.

  His gaze slipped down toward her mouth, and she had the sudden sense that though they were talking of danger from the outside world, there was also the immediate risk of him kissing her. And if he did, she was certain she’d not pull away. That was a threat worth facing. Her own gaze slipped to his mouth as she thought it. Oh, what would it be like to feel those wide, soft lips on her own?

  “There are other dangers.” His voice had dipped and was now gravelly with a hint of hunger.

  Was it just her, or was he getting closer? Was her grip on his arm tighter? She was closer…her body was flush to his now, and their mouths were only inches apart. Her breath hitched, and it was all she could do not to lean in the extra couple of inches to make it so their lips had nowhere to go but to each other.

  Oh, kiss me!

  But that would be reckless…deliciously so.

  “What other dangers?” She licked her lip, barely recognizing her own voice. It was so husky and filled with…want.

  She leaned closer. He did the same, until there was only a breath between them, and it seemed as though the world around them were disappearing.

  The sound of a twig snapping had them both jerking back, but there was no one there. A warning from nature?

  Grim slipped his hands from her back and took an obvious step backward. “There are things in the forest, lass. Outlaws, raiders, boars. We canna control them. Best we remain on our guard and nae go running off.”

  A knot formed in her belly and felt like it roped up into her throat. “I ken that well…” She thought back to Bella, who’d been attacked on the road with her husband, and again by their own castle. She glanced toward the ground. “I know better. Though only for a bit of amusement, running off was reckless.”

  “Ye seem good at that, being reckless.”

  “Ye’d nae be the first to say so.” She flashed a tight smile, feeling embarrassed.

  “I aim to keep ye safe.”

  It was not a rebuke, but an honest admission, and his voice was soft in the delivery of it. For that, she was grateful.

  “I promise not to be so…hasty.”

  “Och, lass, but that is part of your charm,” he teased, “and has given us cause to come together more than once. Alas, it is probably best on this trip if we use caution, aye?”

  She had the wonderful feeling he was indulging her, which she found to be exceedingly charming. The man was a laird, and a warrior. He did not need to indulge her, especially since she was probably inconveniencing him greatly. But, he was, and that warmed her heart.

  “Ye’re a good man, Roderick.”

  “’Tis a high honor for ye to say so.” He gripped her hand and brought it to his lips. The warmth of his mouth on her knuckles, of his breath fanning over the back of her hand, made the hair on her arm rise, and her knees go weak once more.

  All too soon, his lips left her skin, but his grasp remained as he walked backward and tugged her toward camp.

  “Your hands are cold again, my lady. Let’s get ye by the fire to warm up.”

  Greer nodded in a daze, following him as though she were a docile lamb, when everyone knew she was more like Jewel on a tear.

  The men watched their return with curiosity. As soon as they were within sight, Roderick dropped her hand and marched ahead to the campfire as though they’d not been about to kiss.

  No matter. As soon as she sat down and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders to ward off the evening chill, he stretched out on the ground beside her with his back against a tree. His long legs were crossed at the ankles and his arms were folded behind his head as he stared up at the slowly darkening sky.

  “I used to think the stars were the torches lighting up castles in England,” she admitted with a laugh. “My brother, Liam, used to tease me and say that if I didna behave, the English would come charging from the sky and sweep me back to their dungeons.”

  Grim chuckled and glanced back at her. “How old were ye when ye finally realized he was teasing?”

  “Older than I care to admit?”

  “Last spring then?”

  Now it was her turn to laugh. “Not quite. It was winter, if ye must know,” she jested.

  They talked late into the evening, and neither of them seemed to notice when the sky darkened. Roderick had been spending most of his time gazing at Greer, though whenever she caught him, he quickly glanced away. Aye, he’d considered a match with her before, and those same reasons were all flooding back to him. The way she’d felt in his arms when he held her in the woods had been incredible. But her impulsiveness had already got him a life-threatening injury once—who was to say that she wouldn’t be the death of him next time?

  All those thoughts erupted in his mind, distracting him until he finally shoved them away. What was the point of dwelling on it now? He would return her to where she belonged, and then take care of Ina Ross. Getting caught up in the whirlwind that was Greer was not feasible at the moment, nor was it smart.

  And so he listened. Greer told him about her sisters and brothers. How she always felt like she was the odd one out given her penchant for mischief. He told her about his own brother, and how when they’d been wee lads, they’d love to play seek and find in the forest, which drove their mother mad.

  To this, Greer claimed that no one could play seek and find like her. She admitted he might be able to win at sneaking up on her, but she could hide like no other. Roderick wasn’t so sure. He could find anything. Even the smallest of grains in his porridge.

  “One time, I stayed put in the same spot from the early morning hours until late into the night, only finally giving up when my father promised me a mountain of sweets if I’d only come out.”

  “Och, lass, I canna believe ye gave up for sweets. We once played a game of seek and find that took three days.”

  As they laughed, Roderick told her about how he’d made the childhood game of seek and find into a training task with his men. He grew quiet when he thought how much Jessica had loved it also.

  Greer touched his arm, soft, beautiful eyes searched his, little flecks of golden fire reflected in their blue depths. She did not say a word, but understanding was there plain as day. A feeling of comfort came over him, and he patted her hand, caressing the soft delicateness of her skin, wanting to bring it to his lips as he had impulsively in the wood. It would seem that her bad habits were rubbing off on him.

  The gesture was more intimate than it should have been, and for the first time, he thought maybe it would have been a good idea to bring along the old healer, if only to have someone who could slap their wrists and tell them what they were doing was not appropriate.

  As it was, he’d already nearly kissed her in the woods. She was so magnetizing, he was faltering in his vow of remaining diligent and protective.

  But he supposed that was one of the things that drew him to Greer. She did not do what was expected of her.
She was a light in the dark. A spark when one needed to light a fire. With the way he’d been so glum for months, years even, she was the energy he seemed to need. Because around her, he felt himself coming alive.

  He glanced down at their joined hands, realizing then that his touch was lasting a little too long. He jerked his hand away, ran it through his hair, and turned his gaze to the flames. It felt oddly cooler than when he looked at her.

  Clearing his throat, he said, “’Tis time for my shift on watch. Why do ye nae get some rest? I’ll get ye an extra plaid. The night will only get a bit more chilly.”

  “I am rather fatigued,” she said, shifting to stand and stretch her arms over her head. “I’ll need to find some privacy beforehand.”

  Och, why did she have to stretch like that? It made the fabric of her borrowed gown stretch across her breasts, an enticing sight to be sure.

  “Aye.” He offered her his elbow. “I’ll lead ye there so ye dinna get lost. Or try to hide.” The latter he said with a bit of humor in his tone, hoping it would do away with the heated tension building between them.

  But when she touched his elbow and threaded her hand around his arm, her touch sent a flash of yearning through him. It’d been months since he’d taken a woman to bed. Not for lack of offers, of which there were many. Roderick wasn’t the sentimental type, and yet when he was with a woman for only mutual pleasurable satisfaction, he found he was missing something. He was growing tired of that feeling of emptiness. But he refused to think about what that emptiness might mean.

  They walked in silence into the woods, but not too far from camp given the moon was not clearly lighting the woods as much as it did on other nights.

  “I’ll be just over here. Call out if ye need me.”

  She murmured her agreement and then hid behind a tree. When they were both finished, he brought her back to camp and furnished her with the extra plaid, which she took gratefully.

  “Good night, then,” she said, spreading the plaid out on the ground. “And thank ye.”

  “Ye need not thank me, lass.”