by Katy Baker
She snorted a laugh. “I’ll introduce you to the delights of cocktails one day. Pina Colada, Mojito, Bellini. Or just a plain old glass of red would do.”
After the meal, Rabbie brought out a small stringed instrument a little like a guitar with a rounded body. He nestled the instrument against his chest and plucked at a few of the strings.
“Ah, perfectly in tune,” he announced.
He launched into a jaunty melody that had them all tapping their feet and clapping along. After a moment Elspeth started to sing. Her voice was lovely and it melded perfectly with the notes from the instrument. It was some sort of folk song about a brewer and his wife and their efforts to swindle some villagers out of their money. It was bawdy enough in places to make Beth raise her eyebrow and brought plenty of laughs.
When the tune fell silent Rabbie reached behind him and came up holding a wooden flute. “Still reckon ye’ve got it?” he said to Cam.
“Got it?” Cam said incredulously. “Toss that thing here! I’ll show ye who’s got it!”
With a grin Rabbie threw the flute over. Much to Beth’s astonishment, Cam set the instrument to his lips and began to play. The sound was high and lilting, Cam’s fingers moving across the holes expertly. Beth snapped her mouth shut. Would this man ever stop surprising her?
Rabbie listened for a few bars, following the melody, then he joined in with the lute and the two of them played a quick, cheerful tune that Elspeth and Travis clapped along with. After a few bars all three MacGoverns began to sing. Rabbie’s voice was rough but Travis’s was smooth and sweet, almost as beautiful as his mother’s. They sang loudly, grins on their faces, as Rabbie and Cam filled the glade with music. It was an easy tune to follow and the chorus repeated after every verse. Beth listened a few times and then joined in.
It was a long time since Beth had done any singing and her singing voice left a lot to be desired but nobody seemed to mind that. Elspeth shot her a grin and Cam winked at her as she filled her lungs and joined in with this impromptu choir. She soon found herself enjoying it immensely, all cares forgotten in the simple joy of good companionship.
As they all fell about laughing when the song ended, Beth realized she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had this much fun. Elspeth, Rabbie and Travis had accepted her without question. They’d welcomed her into their home and treated her like and old friend. She’d known them for only a day and yet she felt utterly at ease.
And then there was Cam. She glanced at him. He was sharing a joke with Travis. The little boy suddenly guffawed with laughter, holding his stomach and doubling over. Something inside her shifted. A feeling stole over her, one she couldn’t quite describe. She didn’t have anything like this back home. Sure, she had friends but they were all so busy with their jobs and their hectic lives that they never really spent much time together. A quick email, a text and a catch-up at lunchtime were the best they could manage.
But here? Here these people forged bonds that went deeper than friendship. Cam might not be related to the MacGoverns by blood but even so, Beth could see that they were family. They reveled in each other’s company, each finding solace and strength from being near the others. It was...wonderful.
Travis let out a huge yawn, stuffing his hand over his mouth to hide it.
Elspeth didn’t miss it. “Right! Time for bed, little man!”
“But I’m not tired, Ma!” Travis protested. “Can I stay up a little longer? Beth is gonna tell me all about this hero they have in her land called Spider Man.”
“And I will,” Beth said with a smile. “In the morning.”
Travis nodded reluctantly then bade them all good night and allowed his mother and father to wheel him into the house.
Beth watched them go and then cleared her throat. “Well, I suppose I’d better turn in too. Goodnight, Cam.”
He nodded, a small smile curling his lips. “Aye, goodnight, lass.”
Beth rose to her feet and crossed to the door. She paused on the threshold and looked back. Cam stared into the flames, his outline a silhouette against the orange. Beth turned away and made her way to the room Elspeth and Rabbie had set aside for her. She suspected that Travis had been turned out of it and now shared with his parents but nobody had said and she was too polite to ask.
She undressed and climbed into the narrow bed. Blowing out the candle, she pulled up the blanket and tried to sleep. Her thoughts turned to Cam. Was he still sitting by the fire? Or had he retired to his own bed in the stable? Was he thinking of her even as she thought of him?
She turned over. Stop it! she told herself. Stop thinking about him! You’ll be going home soon and you’d be better off concentrating on that!
She sat up in bed. It was so dark she could barely see her hand in front of her face and the groan of creaking beams sounded softly as the house settled. Somewhere outside, an owl hooted.
It was no good. Her thoughts were too frenzied for sleep.
Throwing back the blanket, she climbed out of bed and dressed. On cat’s paws she crept through the sleeping house and made her way outside. The fire had died down to embers and she saw no sign of Cam. Involuntarily her eyes strayed to the stable. She hesitated. For a moment she was taken with the almost overwhelming urge to go to him.
Instead she crossed the barnyard and took the trail she and Cam had walked that afternoon. Restless energy filled her and she always found that walking helped when her thoughts wouldn’t settle. When she’d first come to Scotland after...what happened, she’d often been unable to sleep. She’d found herself wandering the university campus in the small hours with only the foxes for company.
At length she came out onto the banks of the lake. In the moonlight its surface shimmered like quicksilver. With a sigh she flopped onto the bank and propped her chin in her hand, staring out over the darkened landscape as thoughts tumbled through her head like blown leaves.
She didn’t know how long she’d sat like that before a noise in the undergrowth startled her from her thoughts. Cam stepped out of the trees.
“My apologies,” he said, holding up his hands. “I didnae mean to scare ye.” He sat on the bank by her side.
“Couldn’t you sleep either?” she asked.
“Nay, I dinna sleep much these days. I got up for some air and saw yer footprints. Damn near broke my ankle tripping over Rabbie’s lute on the way,” he grumbled.
Remembering their impromptu concert, Beth smiled to herself. “I didn’t know you could play the flute.”
“Aye,” he replied with a smile. “One of my many talents.”
“So I see. Who taught you?”
A shadow passed across his face. “My mother. Long ago. She taught all of us. Logan was hopeless. I, only a little better, but Finlay? Ah, ye should hear my little brother play! He has a gift. There isnae an instrument on God’s Earth that he couldnae make sing like the angels.”
Beth smiled wryly. “When I was little my mother sent me for piano lessons. I hated it. I had this crotchety old instructor who used to whack my fingers with a ruler when I got the notes wrong. Needless to say, I didn’t keep it up.”
Cam laughed. “Sounds like my old sword-master. Lord, if that man smiled I reckon it would crack his face.” He fell silent for a moment but then looked at her quizzically. “What are ye doing out here, lass?”
“I don’t know,” she replied. “Thinking.”
“About what?”
About how confused I am, Beth thought. About how I ought to be desperate to go home but I’m not. How that thought terrifies me.
But she didn’t say any of this. She just shrugged then went back to staring at the water.
“Ye know,” Cam said after a moment. “That is the first time ye’ve told me anything about yer kin, lass. They must be missing ye dearly by now.”
Beth said nothing. His words stirred unwelcome feelings. She thought back to the easy camaraderie the MacGoverns had shown around the camp fire. It had reminded her how much she was missing. How
empty her life had become.
But returning home won’t fix that, she thought. Not anymore.
Cam waited patiently without speaking.
She gathered a deep breath. Oh god. She didn’t want to talk about this. She never wanted to talk about this. But something about Cam’s calm, reassuring presence made the words come bubbling to the surface.
“I have no family. I was an only child and my parents died when I was eighteen.”
Cam sucked in a breath. “Ah, lass. I’m sorry. What happened?”
The memory opened in her mind like a diseased bud and she was powerless to stop it. She remembered the bite of the cold wind as she’d opened the door that winter night. She remembered the expressions on the faces of the police officers standing there. She remembered the sick dread that had filled her stomach because she knew...she knew what they were going to say...
“They were killed,” she told Cam. “Murdered as they walked home after going to the theater. And for what?” She couldn’t keep the anger and bitterness from seeping into her voice. “For a few hundred dollars that my dad had in his wallet. That’s why I came to Scotland—to escape the memories. That’s why I trained to be a lawyer, so that I could spend my life putting people like those who took my parents behind bars and standing up to injustice wherever I found it.”
Camdan said nothing for a moment. Then he let out a long, low breath. “Ah, lass. I’m sorry. Sorry that happened to ye. Sorry ye have to put up with a man like me. I must embody everything ye loathe.”
She looked at him sharply. Loathe? Hardly. Yes, when she’d first met him she’d thought him the worst kind of thug, the kind of man she would happily see rotting in a jail cell. But now? Now she’d gotten to know him?
“You scared me to start with,” she admitted. “Imagine it: the first person I meet in this time is some crazy, plaid-wearing, sword-swinging maniac who’s doing his best to chop bits off people.”
“And yet ye came to my aid anyway,” Cam observed with a smile. “That was either brave or stupid.”
“Oh, definitely stupid,” Beth replied. “I’ve never claimed to be brave.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I beg to differ. Ye are one of the bravest people I’ve ever met.”
Right now Beth didn’t feel brave. She felt terrified and it had nothing to do with Fae or curses or traveling through time. She was terrified because the way Cam was looking at her sent a tingle right down her spine and caused her heart to flutter in her chest.
He reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “And now?” he asked gently. “Do I still scare ye?”
“Only with your singing,” she replied.
Cam bellowed a laugh, the sound of it rumbling out into the night and lifting Beth’s heart. “Aye, I think I probably deserved that. Didnae I tell ye that it’s Finlay who’s the singer?”
She smiled. “Well, we all have our cross to bear.” Then she sobered abruptly. “But in answer to your question: no, you don’t scare me anymore. You make me feel safe, Cam.”
And alive, she wanted to add. And full of joy and wonder. You make me feel things I never knew existed.
“I’m mighty glad to hear ye say that,” he breathed. He brushed the tips of his fingers across her cheek. Only the lightest of touches, little more than a whisper, but the contact sent a tremor through her body.
“Cam, I—”
She didn’t get any further. Camdan leaned close and kissed her.
For a moment she went rigid with shock. For a moment. Then her body responded. As his mouth covered hers she scooted closer, allowed Cam to catch her in his arms and press her tight against him. His lips were warm, his kiss hard and insistent. It lit her body like a torch.
Her nerves roared into raging, glorious life. She was suddenly minutely aware of every place his body touched hers: his strong arms around her waist, the palms of his hands pressing into her back, his lips soft and insistent against hers.
Before she knew it, her tongue was dancing with his and her fingers had tangled in his red-gold hair. Lord help her, but she’d never wanted any man like she wanted Cam right now.
But Cam pulled back suddenly. In the moonlight she saw that his eyes had gone dark, his pupils huge. Raw desire shone in them, barely contained.
“Beth,” he said, his voice low and husky with need. “I willnae be able to stop myself if this goes any further. If ye wish to stop, ye must say so now.” His voice trembled, on the edge of control.
“I don’t want you to stop,” she gasped.
It was all the invitation he needed. With a growl he yanked her against him, his kiss fierce and full of passion. Beth answered him with equal ardor, knotting her fists in the front of his plaid and pulling him close. Her fingers found their way to the knot that tied his plaid and she tugged frantically at the bindings until they came loose and the plaid fell away, exposing his naked chest in the moonlight.
The contours of his chest were filled with light and shadow, the myriad little scars showing white against the darkness. To Beth they were beautiful. Gently she ran her fingertips across his chest, tracing the line of the scars, and Cam shuddered under her touch.
He pushed her down into the grass, pinning her beneath him as his lips caressed her neck and his hands trailed lower, tracing the line of her belly and hips. His touch was electric. She wanted to feel his skin against hers, wanted nothing between them but their own body heat.
Cam had the same idea. He gripped the laces that held closed the bodice of Beth’s dress and tugged savagely. She heard a ripping sound as the fabric tore slightly then the garment came loose and Cam pushed it impatiently off her shoulders. Beth shivered as her breasts were exposed to the cool night air, sending goose bumps riding across her pale skin. But the discomfort was replaced by searing heat a moment later as Cam bent and took one nipple in his mouth.
Beth gasped, arching under him as his tongue licked and flicked, his other hand tracing a line of fire down her hip. Taking the bunched up dress in both hands, Cam tugged it down and Beth obliged by wriggling out of it completely. She felt not in the least embarrassed as Cam looked her over with an expression of raw, naked lust. In fact, she felt emboldened, more free than she ever had before.
There was no doubting how much Cam wanted her. Desire rolled off him in waves and the way his plaid tented around his groin was testament to his urgent desire.
But he held himself back. He bent slowly to lay gentle caresses on her stomach, kisses that made her shudder as tingles of electricity writhed right through her body. Pleased with her reaction, Cam’s kisses traveled lower, down to her navel and back up again. It was too much. Beth grabbed his shoulders, pulled him down atop her.
Cam obeyed her silent command. Nudging her knees apart, he positioned himself between her legs, propping himself up with hands to either side of her head so he could look down at her. Then, with a thrust of his hips, he drove himself inside her. Beth cried out as their bodies joined, Cam filling her completely. They began to move against each other. Cam’s muscles bunched and relaxed as he drove inside, slowly at first but with an increasing tempo, and Beth matched his movements, her fingers digging into the hard muscles of his shoulders as her hips ground against his.
His eyes, normally so pale, had gone so dark as to seem almost black, glittering with reflected moonlight but his tattoo, Beth noticed, was beginning to glow. Its heat matched his passion and as its power increased so too did the urgency of Cam’s lovemaking. He took Beth with him. Never in her life had she experienced the all-consuming sensations that his body provoked in hers. Every nerve seemed to come alive, her veins filling with liquid fire.
He thrust into her and she arched under him, her nails digging into his skin as she finally, irrevocably reached her climax. Screaming his name to the stars, Beth shuddered beneath him and came apart, all sense of self obliterated by the tide of bliss he swept her up in.
A moment later he shuddered and reached his own climax, letting out a gasp that was
more like the low, guttural snarl of a wolf. For the longest moment he held himself inside her and she clung to him, eyes screwed tight shut as she tried to piece together her fragmented thoughts and regain control.
Finally, after a passage of time she couldn’t measure, the euphoria began to ebb and Beth came back to herself. She opened her eyes to find Cam gazing down at her. His tattoo was no longer glowing and the raw lust was gone from his eyes, to be replaced by a warmth that made Beth’s stomach flip. Holy shit, but he was beautiful.
She reached up and cupped his face with one hand. He said not a word, only turned his head and kissed her hand before slowly leaning down and pressing his lips to her forehead. Then he rolled away to grab his plaid before laying it over them both. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him in a protective embrace. Beth rested her head on his shoulder and Cam kissed the top of her head.
“Beth,” he murmured into her hair. “Are ye all right? I didnae hurt ye?”
“No,” she murmured, tipping her head back and softly kissing the line of stubble along his jaw. “You didn’t hurt me.”
He smiled at her. “Ye are beautiful. So beautiful. Ye set my blood afire, lass. What witchery have ye cast on me?”
Beth didn’t answer. Instead she continued laying kisses along his jawline and then down his neck to his hard chest. Cam groaned, his breath escaping him in a hiss.
“You mean that kind of witchery?” Beth said, arching an eyebrow.
“Aye,” he breathed, rolling towards her. “That’s exactly what I mean. Now come here, my little witch.”
Beth giggled as he grabbed her then his kiss robbed her of the ability to speak. Arousal flared and everything else was forgotten.
Chapter 11
Cam woke just as dawn light was starting to filter through the trees. He opened his eyes to a clear sky and streamers of mist rising off the lake. He shifted his weight and Beth, snuggled close against his side, groaned softly but didn’t wake.
Cam gazed down at her, still hardly able to believe that last night had really happened, that it hadn’t been some dream his mind had conjured up to torture him with what he most fervently desired. But here she was: whole and real and naked next to him, her weight against his chest a luxury that made his stomach tighten with joy.
