by Eliza Knight
Greer laughed at that, tossing a tiny remnant of stick at him. “I’m glad for that. And thank ye. I dinna often sit and listen to my heart, or anything else. I’m a whirlwind.” She held such an endearing expression at that moment, the protector in him felt an intense need to wrap her up in his arms and fight all of her battles for her.
Alas, he knew that wasn’t the way. Just as it hadn’t been for his sister. Aye, he could be her armor, but that wouldn’t help what was crumbling on the inside.
“Ye’re an amazing woman. Dinna ever doubt the power of your heart, for it is strong.” Roderick tucked an errant lock behind her ear and then jerked his hand away, but she caught it, much like he’d caught her in the cave.
“Dinna pull away this time, please,” she whispered, pressing his palm back against her face.
Suddenly, his throat felt very tight. Too tight. He tried to swallow, but he couldn’t. And then he was nodding, accepting what she said, and smoothing his thumb over the arch of her cheek.
The feel of her skin against his palm was a decadent pleasure. Never before had he been so moved by touching a woman’s face. Roderick was a man of many pleasures and had more than a few lovers. None of them had caused such a reaction from a simple, unassuming touch. Just like everything else with Greer. What would be normal for some was incredible with her.
But it was more than desire racing through him. Something caught in his chest, tightening it. He wanted to embrace her and never let go.
“We should go back,” he found himself saying, trying to stop whatever it was that was happening between them. But his words didn’t even sound convincing to his own ears.
“Aye. That is probably best.” But her gaze was on his, and her hand now cupped the outside of his own. She turned her face, her eyelids dipping closed. Then she pressed her lips to his palm, and a jolt of pleasure rocked him. “Thank ye for taking care of me.”
Good God, his entire body tensed at the feel of her lips, the faint wash of her breath on his skin. His head bobbed, and a few ridiculous comments came to mind, such as, Thank ye for washing up on my shore.
There was no way he could walk away from her now without kissing her. He had to. Was compelled to. Wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t.
Roderick stepped closer, feeling the soft wool of her plaid gown against his bare knees. She peered up at him, wide bluebells unwavering.
“When we were in the woods, when we were in the cave—” He swallowed hard. “Hell, ever since the first time I saw ye, I’ve wanted to kiss ye.”
Her lips parted, eyes dewy with desire, and she sucked in a breath before saying, “And I wanted ye to, so verra much.”
But was that permission enough?
He touched her waist, fiddling with her gown and tugging slightly as he slipped his free arm around to the small of her back. “I want to kiss ye right now.”
He watched her eyebrows rise up in surprise, and she flicked a delicate pink tongue over her lower lip. “I…I still want ye to.”
Mo chreach. There was absolutely no stopping him now.
Threading his hand into her hair and pressing gently against her spine, he brought her completely flush against him, feeling every line and curve of her body against his. He massaged the arc of her cheek with his thumb and searched her face, but he found only eagerness and anticipation there. Blast it all. He was done for.
Roderick lowered his face to hers, watching as her eyelids dipped closed, and then he too was letting his lids dip closed as the softness of her lips touched his.
A sigh escaped her as soon as they touched, and she caressed his arms until she clutched to his shoulders, singeing him. Roderick wrapped both arms around her, lifting her slightly into the air as his mouth slanted over hers, claiming her. He slipped a tongue over the seam of her lips and teased until she opened for him, and then he swept inside, swallowing her gasp. She tasted sweet and wild, like the berries she’d just eaten, and just like her.
A deep yearning to consume all of her filled him. How was he ever going to go back to a normal life having tasted her? No other woman would ever be able to compare. No other life could be lived if it were not lived beside her.
Her tongue pushed against his in gentle exploration, and he grew weak with desire. If he did not end this kiss soon, it was going to be harder and harder to pull away. As it was, he was planning his life around this kiss, which seemed imprudent. This was just a kiss. A blood-pumping, delicious kiss from an incredible woman. A kiss he’d been waiting for what felt like a lifetime to have.
Was being so moved by a kiss possible? Or had he just been worked up after waiting days—hell, years—before he could claim her?
Or mayhap, it was only that he hadn’t taken a woman to his bed in a long while, and she was the first one for him to have touched since then. Aye, there had to be some logical explanation behind it.
For one simply did not plan their entire life around a simple kiss.
Chapter Thirteen
Greer was floating, and not merely because her feet were no longer on the ground. She was swept up in a maelstrom of delight, and it was all Roderick’s doing.
His kiss dominated her senses. All she could do was return his touch and feel. Really feel. The sensations ricocheting through her body were intoxicating. Tendrils of warmth and pleasure stroked over her limbs and curled through her insides.
She’d never been kissed before, and she was certain she’d never want to be kissed by anyone else again. How could they ever compare?
With her arms wrapped around Roderick’s neck, her lips fastened to his, her tongue mirroring the velvet strokes of his own, and her body crushed against him as he held her, Greer was certain she never wanted to be let down. If the world were to implode right then and there, she was content to know she’d leave this realm with the last thing she’d ever done being kiss this handsome warrior.
His beard tickled her face, but not in a way that made her want to bat him away or laugh, but in a more seductive way that had her wanting to sigh and gasp and rub her skin all over him.
Slowly, she felt herself being lowered, her feet once more planted on the ground, though not firmly. She was completely off-balance, and so she clung to him, curling her fingers into his shirt, massaging the thick muscles beneath her fingertips. Their mouths still hungrily sought out each other, pleasure for pleasure, stroke for stroke. Goodness…she could barely breathe. Her heart pounded, and all she could think about was the rapture of this moment.
But what did she know of pleasure? She’d only ever kissed this one man, right now. Sure, she’d seen plenty of men and women sneaking into alcoves, heard the rustling under blankets in the great hall on cold winter nights when they’d all camped out for warmth. Even watched a stallion mate with a mare once, though when her mother found her hiding behind a stack of hay, she’d warned Greer it wasn’t ladylike to spy on animals doing their business.
At the time, she’d not known what that meant, but as she’d grown older, she’d been plenty aware that doing one’s business could mean rutting. This was why she’d thought for quite some time, her father and his men were engaging in such behaviors when they retired to his study for what they called “business.” Of course, she’d been mortified when she’d confessed this to her older brother Liam, and he’d laughed so hard she was certain he was going to bust open his guts.
Oh, why did words and deeds have to be so complicated?
Between their lips, she felt the slide of Roderick’s thumb, as though he couldn’t break himself away from her without the help of his finger. Their lips peeled apart, and she gazed up at him with eyes that were heavy and blurred. He watched her much the same way, lips red and slick, and cheeks as flushed as hers felt.
As soon as their gazes met, she felt a rush of heat to her face and was embarrassed, though she wasn’t certain why. Maybe it wasn’t embarrassment; maybe it was shyness and an inability to figure out what to do with her hands.
Greer unwound
her arms from around Roderick’s neck where her hands had become entangled with his hair without her even realizing it. She slid her palms over his shoulders and paused on his chest where she could still feel his heart thumping.
“That was…” Her voice caught in her throat. What did one say after having received a kiss?
A life-altering kiss?
“Incredible.” He stole the sentiment right from her mouth.
“Aye. Incredible.”
“I…” This time it was him who was at a loss for words as he ran his hand through his thick hair. “I should get ye back to camp.”
Those were not the words she wanted to hear. She wanted him to hold her hand, kiss her knuckles, and declare her the most beautiful lass in all of Scotland. To proclaim that he must kiss her again, right then and there, and that he’d die if he could not taste her lips just once more.
He slid his fingers down her arm and squeezed her hand, but he did not hold on to it. Her arm fell limp at her side, and the warmth in her limbs seemed to slip away as quickly as water going over a waterfall.
She was certain she was making a bigger deal out of it than she should. While this was her first kiss, Roderick had to have kissed a dozen lassies at least. Why would he think she was anything special? She wasn’t experienced with kissing, and maybe she wasn’t even that good. Though he had said she was incredible; that had to mean something, didn’t it?
Alas, the longer she stood there speechless, the more foolish she felt. “A good idea,” she agreed. “They will wonder where we went.”
“Nay, they willna.” His brows furrowed, and the telltale grimace she’d come to associate with him when they first met returned.
“What is it?”
“They will know I was kissing ye. Take one glimpse of ye and see.”
Greer reached up to touch her face, feeling the heat of her cheeks and the ruffled hair that had fallen out of the plait when he threaded his fingers against her scalp. Her lips felt swollen and tingly.
“Then we could stay here a while longer, until I am presentable again.” She raked a hand over her skirt, then stilled, her gaze cutting back to his. “Will I be presentable again?”
Roderick grinned, a slow wink dipping his eye closed and open. “Only if I dinna kiss ye again. And if we stay behind any longer, I canna promise that will nae.”
“Oh.” She breathed out, touched her lips, and felt their heat against her fingertips. That was what she’d wanted. It was near enough a declaration for her. Enough that the foolishness she’d felt slipped away, allowing the elation of what they’d shared to return. Even if he didn’t kiss her again, just knowing he wanted to was more than satisfactory. “Let me at least fix my hair.”
His grin widened. “Allow me?”
“What?” She was so shocked at his suggestion that her hands stilled in mid-air toward the back of her head.
Roderick shrugged. “I can give it a go.”
Greer raised her brows but pulled out the ribbon holding what was left her plait. She turned around, presenting him her back. Her eyelids fluttered when he gently threaded his fingers through the remains of her braid until her hair lay flat on her back. Her scalp tingled. This act seemed strangely intimate. No one had ever touched her hair, save for her maid, her mother, and her sisters. And now Roderick, in the middle of the forest, after kissing her breathless. Goodness…
“’Tis a lot like braiding leather,” he murmured as she felt him line up the pieces and begin weaving them around each other. “Save softer.”
Greer smiled. “Grateful I am that ’tis softer than leather.”
Roderick chuckled and then reached over her shoulder, fumbling for the ribbon in her hand.
He tied her braid, and she slid her hands over the woven locks. They were straight and even. “Nicely done, warrior. Seems ye’re good at more things than warring and kissing.”
He waggled his brows. “So ye think I’m good at kissing?”
Greer gave a sheepish grin. “Aye. And me? Was I nae too terrible?”
“Was it your first kiss?” He offered his elbow, and she took it as they made their way back to camp.
“That bad?”
“I didna say that.”
“I’m nae sure ye had to.”
He chuckled. “I could tell at first ye’d nae done much kissing, but by the end, ye were verra, verra good.” He gave an exaggerated sigh. “Verra, verra good.”
Luckily, no one stared at her strangely, either, though there were a few knowing smiles tossed their way when they returned.
Was it really so obvious?
She’d never thought before that one could look kissed, but that was before she’d done the deed herself and seen the result on Roderick. His skin was darker from the sun, and his jawline was covered in stubble, his chin covered in a beard. A flush to his skin was not as easily noticeable as one on her paler, softer visage.
While Greer snacked with great joy on bannocks and a few almonds Angus found in his bag, Roderick talked in hushed tones with his men. The way he stood, shoulders slightly stiff, hands on his hips, and the set of his jaw, she could tell that whatever news he’d received was not good. The excitement of what they’d shared was now buried beneath a flood of worry. Was the enemy close?
They did not stay put long. They remounted before Greer had finished her second bannock and rode for several hours in silence. Roderick was stiff behind her, and the men mirrored their leader. Any attempt she tried to make at small talk failed, so she became quiet, watching the moors and crags pass them by.
When they stopped once more, Roderick waved her away with Angus to make use of a bush, and then they were swiftly on their way again until they came to the River Beauly. She was disappointed not to have him for company, but he was still deep in discussions with his men, and the scouts who circled back every so often.
They slowed near the bank of a river, the men letting the reins slacken enough for the horses to dip their heads and take a sip.
“I’m afraid we’re going to have to ford River Beauly, lass.”
“I trust ye.” But even as she said it, she watched the water rushing past and scanned the sky above that was darkening well before the sunset. Gray, ominous clouds swarmed closer, clashing overhead. They were in for a storm, a brutal one. Across the river, a large stone fortress loomed, the only thing giving it away as a house of God was the stone cross at its peak. Was it too much to hope that when they crossed, Roderick would suggest they stop for a respite?
She glanced behind her at Roderick. “Should we not wait out the storm?”
He grimaced and shifted uncomfortably in the saddle. “We dinna have time.”
Greer gave a curt nod. Was the fluttering in her chest simply nerves from having nearly drowned herself less than a week ago, or a warning about what could happen if they walked into the water?
Angus appeared at Roderick’s side. “Wind is picking up.”
“Aye.” Roderick stared down river, possibly studying the swells. “If we go, we need to go now. Before the storm starts.”
Greer closed her eyes as they took their first shaky steps into the water. The horses snorted as if they, too, knew the danger, which they likely did. Animals acted on instinct. But other than the snorts and the slight prancing, they did not buck their riders, so it seemed that perhaps the river was not yet as bad as it could be.
Besides, they were well-trained warhorses. They must have been in worse situations.
Unable to keep her eyes closed any longer, her imagination making up all sorts of scenarios, Greer studied each and every horse, twisting in her saddle to make certain all was well.
They went forward about five feet and the water inched slowly up the legs of their horses. By the time they had gone ten feet, the water was about halfway up the horses’ legs. From this position, Beauly seemed wider than the earth itself, but in reality, she knew it couldn’t be wider than the river they’d forded previously.
Despite that, the farther they
went into the water, the farther the shore seemed to be. River water rushed past them at speeds she was certain would have swept her away had there not been a horse beneath her and a warrior holding her tightly.
And then their horses were swimming, and the cold water was rushing up over her legs. Greer shivered. It was freezing. Bone-chilling water seemed to sink deep inside her instantly. She’d barely warmed from the last trek through the river, and after her adventure in the firth, getting warm seemed a near impossibility. The only saving grace was Roderick’s heated chest at her back and his thighs beneath her rear.
Unlike their first river crossing, where he’d talked her through it, he was silent this time. Judging from his death grip on the reins, he was worried. The horses were slowing, their snorts and whinnies growing louder as the river swirled against their bodies, trying to pull them in a different direction than what their masters commanded. Even she could feel the drag of the current.
“Steady,” Roderick directed, as did the other men to their mounts.
Greer worked to breathe in through her nose and out of her mouth, slowing her trembling as best she could, so as not to make the horse more nervous.
On the left end, Clayton let out a shout as his horse broke formation and started swimming back the way they’d come. Clayton’s soothing and tugging at the reins did not stop his horse’s hurried strokes in the opposite direction. Panic-fueled survival instincts overtook the animal’s training.
Roderick cursed under his breath and shouted out an order for Clayton to get his mount under control. The man to Clayton’s right took hold of the horse’s bridle, trying to encourage the horse to return to the formation, but that only seemed to make the horse more desperate to be away. The other horses seemed to sense his panic and were also becoming jittery.
Another expletive left Roderick’s mouth. Greer felt completely helpless, but what could she do?
