by Eliza Knight
The woman had outdone herself. Glittering candles lined the windows. A table in the corner served as a bar and held every imaginable drink possible. The long trestle table was laden with delicious desserts, cheeses, breads, fruits, cold sandwiches and more. The center of the room was covered in a lush rug with dozens of soft, cushy pillows. Beside that, a few games were stacked. No doubt the naughty games Sophie had told her they should play.
A makeshift dance floor had been set out with a metal pole in the middle. Amanda walked up to it, held the cool metal in her hand and swung around. Tonight, there would be music blaring and lots of dancing going on. A sudden sadness gripped her. Would Camden want to join in?
“Over here is the music station.” Sophie walked over to a complicated system. She lifted up a compact disc and wiggled her brows. “I’ve brought some music. I’m sure the dancers will bring their own, but just in case, this is perfect.”
“Thank you so much, Sophie.”
“Dinna mention it. There’s more food in the kitchen for refills. I’ll be back in the morning to clean up.” With one last longing look at Camden, she let herself out.
Amanda turned to Camden. “Do you think you’ll stay for the party?”
He lifted the corner of his lip in a smile. “Ach, of course, I will, lass. Canna have ye running off with some other dancer.” He pumped his hips back and forth, gyrating his body in a sexual dance. Damn! He could have been one of the dancers, and she would have never known.
Amanda whistled low in her throat. “Keep that up, and neither one of us will be here for the party.”
He laughed and reached out, tweaking her nipple. Frissons of heat spiked through her limbs. “All in good time, angel.” His face turned serious. “I do need to take a look around. See if there is something I’ve missed—especially in the room at the very top of the Fairy Tower. I’ll come down when I finish.”
“Could I come?” She hated how desperate she was feeling, but an ache settled in her chest when she thought of being apart from him, and she feared that when he found what he was looking for, he’d disappear before she had the chance to say goodbye.
“Nay, lass.” His tone was gentle despite his negative answer. Camden leaned in and kissed her all too briefly. “I’ll be back, I promise. Ye take care of your friends.”
Amanda watched him walk away, a hollow sensation taking over her heart. Would she ever see him again?
Walking through the darkened corridors of Dunvegan Castle, Camden could have been in his own time. Although the scents and sounds were different, the shadows on the walls and the twists and turns were all the same. When he reached the top of the Fairy Tower, otherworldly sensations curved their way around his spine and through his veins, but that was it. He could sense someone or something—or maybe it was just that he wanted to sense it.
Nothing happened. Nothing came to him.
If anything, he felt more of a pull toward Amanda, a sense of urgency to return to her. Maybe the answer to returning to his own time didn’t lie in this little room. Perhaps he had to be with Amanda. Could the unyielding lure to be with her have something to do with it? Was she the key?
He walked to the window and gazed out at the moonlit night, the loch and surrounding grounds below. Twinkling stars reflected off the water, making the whole scene magical. Glittering light was everywhere as if the fairies themselves had sprinkled gold dust across the loch, land and sky. Nostalgia gripped him. Before coming here, he’d been so fixated on his duties he’d never taken the time to gaze at the stars. Especially after Maura…No, he’d quit living for anything but his clan after her. Maybe that was part of the purpose of coming here—to really see what life was about, to really live. Sticking his hand out the window, he could almost feel the spray of the salty sea mist against his flesh.
He stood there for a long moment, thinking. Something he hadn’t done in quite some time. He contemplated his life, the events that had led up to this very moment. His future. Amanda.
His clan meant everything to him. Duty, honor, those were the rules he lived by. He couldn’t help feeling that he was letting his people down. His brother, Eaghan, had to be devastated at Camden’s disappearance. Sadness crept over him.
He pulled his eyes away from the window and headed back down to the party. He wasn’t sure why but the thought of being with Amanda comforted him. Music echoed off the stone walls, and merriment was evident in the hoots, laughs and chatter coming from the great hall. Camden smiled with true joy. It was almost like being back home again for one of his feasts. He was only too aware that what he’d encounter would be nothing like home.
As soon as he entered, women swarmed around him, cooing and caressing him, but he had eyes only for one bonny lass. Amanda hung in the background, sipping what looked like wine from a sheer glass. Men danced, pumping their bodies, swinging on the pole, and some of the ladies were stuffing rectangles of paper in the men’s—what the hell? Those looked like the same type of panties that Amanda wore.
He shook his head and, hoping to not injure any of his admirers’ feelings, made his way to Amanda’s side.
“Enjoying your party, lass?”
“Oh, yes. And you? Are you going to join the other men and dance?”
Camden took her glass and sipped the dark red liquid. “Verra good wine.”
Amanda tilted her head back and laughed, drawing attention from some of the other ladies. “I take that as a no.”
He winked at her slowly, setting her glass on a nearby table, then grasped her lush hips. Dear Lord, the woman was made like a goddess. He started to dance, pumping his hips in and out, rubbing his cock along the front of her. She whimpered and chewed on her lip, and Camden could only imagine what was happening to her body. Leaning in, he took in her feminine scent, letting the tip of his nose and lips graze her neck.
“Ye smell like heaven, angel.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, tilting her neck farther to the side for him.
“No, thank ye.” He skimmed his lips up her neck to her chin, sucked her lower lip in his mouth for a taste, then let go, wanting to tease her just the way her body teased his as he massaged the curves of her hips and small of her back. He continued to dance, his hips in cadence with the beat of the music. Amanda’s hips met his, almost like they were making love, fully clothed in a room filled with people.
“They call this dirty dancing, warrior.”
Oh, and it felt dirty—naughty, wicked, sexual…His cock was rock-hard, and all he wanted to do was slide her gown up over her hips and take a dip inside her sweet spot.
Dear God! He’d never danced like this before, and damn if it didn’t have the most erotic feel to it.
“Woot! Amanda’s getting a private dance!” a female voice shouted from across the room.
Amanda laughed, her hooded eyes opening slightly.
“He’s all mine, Tessa,” she called back, and Camden almost lost what little shred of control he had left when her hands skimmed down his back then up and over his chest. She started to unbutton his shirt. “Aren’t you?”
Camden nodded, the muscle in his jaw clenched with anticipation. The look of pure lust in her eyes was enough to bring him to the edge.
The buttons were all undone, and she slid her hands up his naked chest, gooseflesh following in their wake. Slowly, she slid the fabric of his shirt down over his shoulders and biceps, leaning in to kiss him on the collarbone. He shivered and moved his hands over her hips to grip her arse.
His shirt fluttered to the ground, and they continued to dance. Her fingertips slid inside the belt, holding his kilt in place, nails skimming the skin above his cock.
“Take it off, warrior,” she breathed against his ear.
Camden growled deep in his throat and captured her lips, claiming her. His tongue thrust into her mouth. Never before had he wanted a woman this much.
“Not here…Ye know there’s nothing underneath,” he whispered against her lips.
“Yes, there is…a rock-hard—”<
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“All for ye, angel.” To emphasize his words, he pressed his cock deep between the apex of her thighs, lifting her leg to nestle himself securely against her cunny as they continued to dance.
“Oh, Camden…I want you now.”
He put her leg down and kissed her on the nose. “Come with me, then.” Grasping her hand, he pulled her from the room amid the hoots and hollers of the men and women. They all knew what was about to happen, and it only made Camden’s smile broader. He took her through a series of corridors, up twirling stairs, stopping every so often to plunge his tongue inside her mouth, nip his way to her neck, down her chest, sucking hardened nipples.
She writhed and moaned against him.
“Almost there, love.” He kept pulling her, taking her all the way to the top, outside onto the battlements. “I want to make love to ye under the stars.”
“It’s so romantic.” She turned to him, a smile curling her lips, her blue eyes cloudy with desire. Gorgeous honey locks swirled about her face.
“Ye’re so beautiful, Amanda,” he whispered before lowering his lips to hers again. At that moment, he felt that if he never went back to his own time, he would be okay. Being with Amanda seemed to be all that mattered to him. “I want to see ye in the moonlight.”
He lifted the hem of her gown and pulled it up over her body, then flung it to the ground. She wore nothing underneath. Creamy skin shimmered, rosy-tipped breasts called to him, and her delicate folds were covered with just a sprinkle of blonde curls. He licked his lips, wanting to taste once again the essence of her womanhood. Dropping to his knees, he grasped her hips in his hands. He backed her up against the wall and with his thumbs spread her apart, her pink pearl peered through.
“Mmm…” She moaned as he flicked his tongue over the nub. Her hands threaded through his hair, pulling him closer.
He spread her folds wider. With slow measure, he slid three fingers into her and continued to suck and tease her. He drove his fingers deep, curling them inside to rub that secret erotic spot before pulling out and plunging in again.
“Oh yes, Camden,” she moaned, hips bucking against him.
He quickened his pace—plunge, curl, out…suck, flick, lave—until her screams and shouts of pleasure filled the moonlit sky. The walls of her sex clenched and unclenched, sucking his fingers deeper as she came. Her legs shook, fingers yanked on his hair. He moaned against her, his own hips rocking, waiting for the moment he could take the place of his fingers and thrust his cock into her tight slick center. When her orgasm subsided, he quickly stood and shed his kilt. He spread her legs wide, lifting one around his hip.
“Amanda, I love it when ye come.” He dipped his head to tease her nipples and the valley in between as he gripped his cock, found her slit and thrust inside. She cried out, rolling her hips forward against him.
“Ye like it when I’m inside ye?” He pumped harder, for she was so wet and tight. Camden reached between them, teasing her sensitive flesh with his fingers.
Her hand came down over his, pressing him closer, making him rub harder. Her other hand came up to grip the back of his head.
“Yes…oh yes…” she panted, hips rolling quicker and quicker against his thrusting cock.
With one hand rubbing her hot little bud, the other gripping her leg, he drove into her with vigor. He skimmed his teeth over her shoulders, whispering nonsensical words. She murmured in answer. Their pace quickened, the sounds of pants, groans and moans filling the nighttime air. She jerked against him, her body convulsing as she screamed out his name. Camden pumped harder, his own war cry splitting the air.
With bodies still trembling, their gazes locked. In that one moment, something passed between them, where they realized they were more important to each other than just a few very satisfying romps.
8
Despite having drunk more than her fair share of wine and making sweet delicious love to Camden as if there were no tomorrow—with pictures to prove it—Amanda had no problem waking up in the morning. She rolled over and trailed her fingers across the muscles of his broad back. He opened one eye, and a slow smile spread over his lips.
“Ye’re a sight for these eyes in the morning,” he murmured.
Amanda laughed. “Is that good or bad?”
He joined her laughter and rolled over, pulling her down to lie on his chest. “I’ll never tell.”
She tickled his ribs in response. He retaliated until they were both exhausted from the feat and collapsed into each other’s arms.
“What happened during your exploration of the tower last night? Did you find anything?” Amanda held her breath as she waited for his answer. Part of her wished him luck in his endeavor to return home, but the other part, the selfish part, wanted him to stay with her forever.
“I felt the pull of magic but ’twasna strong. Nothing happened.” He hesitated on the last part, making it sound as though he was holding something back from her. “In the past, the power came from the fairies when a MacLeod was distressed. I’m wondering if I need to be in distress, or maybe…if I need to be in the little magical room with ye.”
“With me?”
“Aye, since ye put on the necklace and called me forth.”
That made sense to her, but she wondered about his hesitation. What was he thinking? “Maybe we can go up there together later today. I’m supposed to do some shopping with the girls this afternoon.” She hoped he didn’t feel like she was abandoning him.
“A good plan, angel. I’ll explore the rest of the castle while ye are out. But this morning, I’d like ye to join me for a ride around the grounds. Do ye know how to ride?”
She raised her eyebrows wickedly and climbed on top of him, moving her hips back and forth. Camden grasped her chin and gave her mouth a thorough plundering.
“Ye certainly are a naughty lass. But I meant a horse.”
“I don’t know if the owners would allow that. I haven’t discussed it with them.”
“Owners? I’m the MacLeod. What can they say to that?”
Amanda looked away, not wanting to upset Camden. “Yes, you are, but they don’t know it.”
He sighed, and she could feel the frustration rising in his chest. She stroked his shoulders and chin, trying to soothe him. “We’ll try it anyway. I’m sure as soon as they see you, they won’t think twice about it. But first, I’m starving. Are you?”
“Oh, aye.”
But the hungry look in his eyes had nothing to do with food, and soon he feasted on her body until they were both sated and dreamy smiles covered their lips.
Nobody tried to stop Camden and Amanda from saddling up two horses and taking them out of the barn. Wherever the stable master was, for it was obvious by the cleanliness of the stalls and the full barrels of oats and water for the horses that he was about somewhere, he didn’t bother to make an appearance. Perhaps the current owners of Dunvegan had made it clear he was to remain scarce this weekend.
“The lands have changed some over the last five hundred years, but I think I can still get myself around. Want to see a spot I often went to think…and bathe?” He wiggled his brows suggestively, and all Amanda could do was think of his hard, powerful body diving nude into a crystal pool of water.
He led the way over the fields and moorland beside the loch, following an invisible path. Camden sat his horse just as she imagined a warrior would, his muscular thighs gripping the horse’s sides. They rode for nearly half an hour before he pulled his horse to a stop.
Amanda came up beside him and gazed around. Her breath caught in her throat. It was gorgeous. Although they’d been riding over the moors, they’d somehow come to a small patch of wooded area, feeling out of place. In the center was a clearing. Wildflowers were scattered about. Heather and honeysuckle lined the outer ring, their scents permeating the air. The trees opened up above, allowing the sun to shine down on a large pond fed by a creek that no doubt led to the loch itself. The water was as crystal clear as she’d imagined.
> “Wow, Camden,” she gulped.
“’Tis a beauty, is it not? Few knew of it in my own time. I doubt anyone knows of it now.”
She shook her head, still shocked at the serenity and pureness surrounding her. Their own secret paradise.
Camden dismounted, affording her a glimpse of his taut buttocks beneath his kilt. She bit her lip as he sauntered toward her, all sexy male.
“My lady,” he said, extending his hand to her.
She slipped her hand in his, smiling broadly, and allowed him to lift her down from her seat.
“Come, let us enjoy nature, without any of the amenities your time has to offer. Let me show ye a little piece of my time.”
Amanda nodded. He grasped the blanket and satchel they’d brought, and together they walked toward the edge of the pond. After setting out the blanket and picnic, they sat beside each other. They drank sparkling water, ate the fruit, freshly baked bread and chicken they’d pilfered from the kitchen.
Amanda lay back against the blanket, her hands behind her head. “Camden, this is magical. I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”
He lounged next to her, and together, they watched birds and the occasional white puffy cloud overhead.
Without looking at her, Camden spoke. “Is there a man in your life, Amanda?” But before she could answer, he continued, “I know things are different now than in my time. I, um…Do men and women still marry?” The strain in his voice gave away how hard it was for him to ask the question.
Amanda smiled up at the sky. She was glad he’d broached the topic since she herself had waffled over the right time to bring it up. She’d been split in two, part of her wanting to ask him whether or not there was a wife waiting for him five hundred years ago, and part of her not wanting to hear his answer.
“Things aren’t all that different, Camden. Women just have more rights these days, and people actually marry for love instead of having their marriages arranged.” She giggled a little, knowing he’d be shocked by her next words. “There are more options than just a man marrying a woman. Men can marry men and women marry women.”
