Highlander's Moonlight Seduction (Scottish Medieval Historical Romance)

by Adamina Young

  “Just to be clear, I am not sanctioning this marriage until I am certain that ye will treat my Moira right.”

  “Uncle,” she reminded him gently. “I am of age. I doonae need yer permission.”

  “’Tis all right. Yer uncle has a right to ask his questions,” Connor said with a wry grin. “Settle. Rest, and we will speak at length.”

  “Oh yes, we will.”

  Men! Moira had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Hamish stopped in front of her, took her hand, and kissed it. Next to her, Connor grumbled, but Moira shot him a warning look. Hamish had done nothing improper, and it wasn’t like Connor was affectionate with her.

  When they were younger, he touched her constantly. Holding her hand. Teasing her hair. Tugging at her ribbons. Now, he kept his hands behind his back as if he was disgusted at the thought of touching her again.

  She joined her uncle in his chambers and waited for him to yell at her. The only thing she regretted about her decision to leave was to know that she would disappoint him. After her mother had died, he’d stepped in to care for her. Unlike her father, he never believed she’d had anything to do with the siege on the Sinclair keep. He was her rock when she felt like her life was spiraling out of control.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, he looked at her with a heavy expression on his face. “Moira, ye know that I never had children of my own. Ye have always been the bright spot in my life. When I agreed to step up as laird, I did it for ye. When the king wanted ye to marry, I refused to force ye. I put ye before the clan, and I would do it all over again. I love ye, my dear.”

  Her heart broke, and she rushed forward and took his hands. “Uncle Tyree, I love ye too, and I am so sorry that I left, but I knew Hamish was the best choice for the clan. Ye were going to step down soon, and ye didnae need me anymore.”

  “Moira, ye spent years avoiding Connor Sinclair. If ye are marrying him now for some kind of vengeance—”

  “No!” Horrified at the idea, she shook her head vehemently. “No, I would never. I can admit that it has been easy for me to deal with what happened by not hating Connor, but he made a rash decision while dealing with the most horrific of events.”

  “What happened to ye when ye journeyed home…”

  Immediately, she pulled her hands away and wrapped them around herself. “I willnae talk about that.”

  His face fell just a little, and in that moment, he looked far older than his sixty years. “Will ye be happy here? I know what ye felt for Connor all those years ago. I still have that letter ye sent, and the determination when ye wrote that ye were going to marry him.”

  “Words of a girl,” she said dismissively, even though she knew those feelings were still buried deep inside of her. “Connor understands that there will be no love between us. We willnae even live together.”

  “Moira, ye will be the mother to his children. Ye will raise them. Do ye really believe that he will let ye raise them in a cottage? Connor is not the kind of man who will ignore his children. He will have a part. Ye will raise them together. Ye will have that bond.”

  She had thought about that, and it did weigh on her shoulders, but while she’d never thought she’d have children, she always did want them. This was her chance. “There are married couples who reside in different homes and still raise their children together. Connor and I will find a way. ’Tis not like we hate each other.”

  “Child, I fear this will break yer heart. I doonae want to see ye suffer, my dear. If ye want a cottage and solitude, then I will step down today, and we will retire at the borderlands. No one will bother ye.”

  “Uncle, I know that before ye had to step up for my father, ye were courting Margaret, and she is still waiting for ye. Retire. As soon as ye return, live the rest of yer life with the love that ye deserve.” She would not take away the future that he deserved by insisting that he look after her. “I have made my decision, and I stand by it.”

  “Vera well. I will speak to Connor myself and ascertain his reasons for this. Then I will stay for the wedding. I may not approve, but I wouldnae miss the opportunity to see ye on yer big day.”

  Relieved, she reached up and hugged him tightly. “And I want ye there as well. Vera much.”

  Her uncle was the last obstacle. With him on board, there was nothing stopping her from marrying Connor Sinclair.

  The groom in question was waiting for her by her door when she retired for the evening. She was dragging her feet. The announcement had gone over better than she’d expected, but it was a long night of questions and openly curious stares. All she wanted was to lock her door, stoke the fire in her hearth, and curl up with a book.

  “Ye arenae limping,” he noted. “Yer shoulder?”

  “No pain.” Moira flexed her shoulders to prove the point. “Is there something wrong?”

  “Ye were quiet at dinner, and ye and yer uncle didnae converse much. Does he intend to take ye back to Hamilton lands?”

  As she opened her door, she watched him carefully, but as usual, she couldn’t read his face. Was he hoping that Tyree was going to drag her back so he didn’t have to honor his offer? “Nay, he is worried for me, but he is allowing me to make my own decision.”

  “Good.” To her surprise, he stalked in after her. “I willnae stand for ye changing yer mind.”

  “Connor, I havenae changed my mind. If anything, I thought perhaps ye might change yer mind, depending on how yer clan reacted.”

  “They trust me.” His voice was oddly quiet, and he closed the door behind them. “And they are eager for me to have an heir.”

  Suddenly aware of how just very alone they were, she straightened and arched an eyebrow. “Do ye intend to try for that heir tonight?”

  Blowing out his breath, he ran his hands through his hair and looked lost. “I want ye, Moira. From the moment I laid eyes on ye, I wanted ye in my arms.”

  He wants me? It was the last thing she’d expected him to say. “Want me? Connor, ye barely look at me. Ye doonae even touch me.”

  “Aye. I find ye test my control lass.” He took another step toward her, and she didn’t retreat. “I just wanted ye to know that when we wed, I have every intention of having ye in my bed. Ye may do as ye wish during the day, but yer nights will belong to me.”

  “Kiss me, Connor.”

  At her demand, his eyes widened. “Now?”

  “Aye. When I was last here, I waited every day for ye to kiss me, and it never happened. No one else has kissed me, Connor. No one. I doonae want my first kiss to be with everyone looking on.”

  With a growl, he moved so fast that she barely had time to gasp before his hands were curling gently around her elbows. “Why, Moira? Why have ye not allowed anyone to kiss ye?”

  Her mouth was incredibly dry, and she licked her lips nervously. “I couldnae trust their intentions,” she whispered. “They didnae want me for me. They wanted to be laird.”

  “And Hamish? He still wanted ye after he was named heir. Why did ye not allow him to kiss ye?”

  The intensity in his demand made her heart skip a beat. She could tell him that even after everything he’d done, she’d never been able to forget the way he made her belly flutter or the way her skin flushed when he looked at her. How, years after they’d parted, she’d still dreamed of him even as she hated herself for it. How, when every man took her hand and proposed marriage, she’d pictured Connor in their place.

  “By then I had decided to leave,” she lied.

  “Nay, Moira. Tell me the truth. Why did ye not let Hamish kiss ye?”

  “I didnae want his kiss.”

  “But ye want mine?”

  Lifting her chin, she met his gaze, met his challenge, and refused to back down. “If I didnae want ye kiss, then I wouldnae have asked for it, would I?”

  “Ah, Moira,” he groaned. “Ye are still full of surprises.” Then he bent his head and pressed his lips to hers.

  They were soft and warm, whereas his body was hard and scorching. Instinctiv
ely, she lifted herself onto her toes, desperate to feel more of him, but he kept the kiss light and gentle. Frustrated, she placed her palms on his chest, slid them up, and hooked them around his neck as she arched into him.

  “Easy, lass.” He skimmed his lips over her cheek. “’Twill be a chaste kiss at the altar.”

  “We arenae at the altar, Connor. There is no one watching us here. We are alone.”

  His gaze never left her. “No. No one is here, Moira. Just us.”

  Then he kissed her, and it was nothing like before. Heat flared between them, and he coaxed her mouth open. She accepted him, eager to discover all he could show her. At the taste of him, pleasure assaulted her, and her knees weakened, but he had a strong grip on her.

  “So sweet,” he muttered as he trailed his kisses down her neck. His hands stroked down her body, cupping her bottom and pulling her up against him. With a gasp, she felt his full arousal.

  “That is what ye do to me, my sweet. This is how ye make me feel. I ache for ye, painfully.” Connor pulled up the skirts of her dress until he could touch her bare thighs. “If I put my hands between yer thighs, will ye be wet for me, Moira? Do ye want me as badly as I want ye?”

  “Connor,” she whimpered. “My body is so hot.” Hot for something she didn’t understand. Oh, she knew well enough what happened between a man and a woman, and she knew that it would bring pleasure to a man, but she had no idea that it would make her feel this way. There was a need clawing inside of her, demanding to be assuaged.

  “Aye, my love. I can help. Let me touch ye, Moira. Just touch. Just to stroke ye until ye feel pleasure.”

  “Yes,” she moaned and closed her eyes. Whatever it took. She just needed to feel him.

  Then his mouth was back on her, and his fingers were at the apex of her desire. Shivering, she clung to him as he stroked through her curls and along her wetness. When he slid a finger inside of her, her whole body went taut.

  “Relax, Moira. I willnae hurt ye. Trust me.”

  Trust him? After everything, she wasn’t sure she could trust anyone, but here, she had no choice. She felt like she would die without relief.

  As his finger stroked her, another touched that small spot that ached so, and she buried her head in his chest as she screamed. Pleasure like she’d never known wracked her body, and she shuddered as he held her tight. “Connor,” she whimpered. “Oh. Oh!”

  “I have ye.” Gently he stroked her hair as he pulled her skirts down. It wasn’t until she’d finished shivering that he stepped back. “Moira…I…I had not meant to do that.”

  “Please do not apologize.” Already embarrassed, she stepped back and tried to right her hair. “I am most certainly not sorry.”

  “Neither am I, my love, but I willnae do more until ye are my wife. I willnae dishonor ye that way. Go to sleep, and fear not. We will wed as soon as possible.”

  After kissing her on the top of her head, he turned and left her room through the adjoining door. Mystified, she stared at him. If he felt anywhere near as desperate as she did, then he had to be hurting, and yet he wanted nothing in return.

  But soon, she would have all that he would give to her, and she would give to him all that she was able. Maybe it would be enough.

  7

  Connor was used to breaking his fast alone and in his room. Long ago, Alec and Grace used to eat in the morning together, but Alec was gone, and Grace liked to use the time to bombard him about marriage so that she would no longer have to act as mistress of the keep. It meant starting the day off with a headache, so eating quickly gave him the excuse to miss those less-than-pleasurable moments.

  Only today, as he rose, one of the servants delivered a message from Tyree. The laird of Hamilton wanted them to dine together. Although they hadn’t had a chance to speak in private, he had a feeling last night that the man had plenty more to say to him.

  Accepting the invitation, he dressed and stepped toward the door separating him from Moira. After last night, he wanted to check on her. To make sure that she was still all right with what had passed between them. When he first proposed, he’d known that she was too young. He was prepared to give her time, but he knew that this was what would be between them.

  She was older now, ready for those feelings, but she was still so innocent, and she had no one to talk to her. No one to help her understand what was happening.

  Connor didn’t regret it. How could he regret getting closer to her? But he didn’t want to rush her.

  If Tyree knew what Connor had done last night, he wouldn’t push for a quicker wedding. He’d probably try and take Connor’s head off.

  It wasn’t an unpleasant thought. He was happy that the woman had someone in her corner to fight for her, but now she had Connor, and he would fight until his last breath to keep her happy.

  The older man was already at the table when Connor arrived, and they acknowledged each other with grunts. “Chamber all right with ye?” Connor asked gruffly as he drank from his tea and filled his plate.

  “Aye. Fine. Yer keep has always been impressive. Ye were just a tyke the last time I was here, but yer mother took great pride in her home. I am pleased to see that ye have not changed much of it.”

  The pain had numbed over the years, but it was still there. “Aye. I feel like I keep her spirit around.”

  “One night, yer father and I were both a little deep into our cups.” Tyree grinned. “We got into a spat and knocked down one of her tapestries. It fell right on a table still covered with plates of food and cups of drink. I had faced death in battle, but I didnae know true fear until silence settled in the room and yer mother looked on in horror and a terrifying fury. Rumor was that yer father wasnae allowed to sleep in his own chamber for a week.”

  It triggered something familiar in Connor, and he chuckled. “I do remember that. My father slept with Alec and I. Told us never to get married.”

  Without realizing it, he’d given Tyree the opening that he needed. Moira’s uncle leveled a look at him. “Ye are not taking his advice.”

  “Doonae be coy, Tyree. Ye made yer case when ye got here that ye are unhappy with me, yet ye are still allowing me to marry her, so say what is on yer mind. More threats, if it pleases ye.”

  Across the table, the Hamilton leaned back in his chair and sipped his tea. “No more threats, Connor. Moira is quiet and collected, but when she returned that summer, she was a changed woman. She learned how to defend herself, and became almost obsessive about it. If ye hurt her, she doesnae need me to take her revenge.”

  What had happened to her that she needed to take such drastic measures? “I have no plans to hurt her. I have done her wrong in the past. I intend to make that right.”

  “My brother told me that when ye made yer bid for her hand, ye wrote that ye loved her,” Tyree said softly. “Do ye still?”

  “Much has happened since then.” Connor didn’t want to lie to the man. “I amnae the same man who proposed to her just as she isnae the same girl. Love is rare, Tyree. I am sure ye know that, and I…doonae believe that ‘tis for me, but I have affection for Moira, and I will do what I can to make her happy.”

  “So ye are trying to alleviate yer guilt?”

  Tyree’s voice was hard, and Connor narrowed his eyes. “We spent the night together in a cave, Tyree. Nothing happened, but she had no chaperone. No matter where I had taken her, her reputation would have been ruined. She didnae care, but I did. Aye, I will marry her to right some wrongs, but I am also marrying her to protect her.”

  The older man was silent for a moment. “I didnae think of that. I only wanted her safe. I knew that people talked, but I didnae realize how difficult things were for her. Maybe if I had done more, this never would have happened.”

  “Are ye truly so against me marrying her?”

  “She has been cleared of all implications in the death of yer parents, but I am certain yer clan members will still wonder. I fear that deep down, there will always be doubt in ye as well. Moira
should not have to live with that.”

  “She willnae. She has asked to live separately, and I will allow it.”

  “And when she is raising yer children?” Tyree demanded. “Will ye allow them to grow up in a cottage, away from ye?”

  It didn’t sit well with Connor, but they would make it work. “’Tis not unusual for children to grow up away from their father, but I willnae be absent from their lives. I will be a good father to them.” At the thought of Moira with children, he smiled a little. “And she will be a good mother.”

  “Aye. She will. Hamish will be taking over soon. When I retire, I intend to visit my niece, and ye willnae deny me. Especially when she has kids. Aye, I think I will like being a great-uncle vera much.”

  Connor was lost in a daydream. Sweet little Moira, and a few lads and lasses around her. He’d only indicated that he wanted one heir, but he wanted a whole brood, especially if they had Moira’s lovely honey locks.

  “Laird Sinclair!” A young lad rushed into the breakfast room, his hair dark tousled and his eyes wide. “Laird!”

  “Easy, Liam. Where are yer manners?” Connor said as he pushed his chair back.

  “Apologies, Laird, but there is a purty lady at the border. She done been hurt, and she is alone. She says she be Grace’s friend. My da sent me to fetch ye.”

  “A lady?” Connor frowned. “Do ye know her name, lad?”

  “Covington, Laird. Says her name is Covington.”

  “Ainsley,” Connor breathed. One of Grace’s oldest friends, Ainsely Carruthers, had married into the Covington clan. What was she doing here? “Liam, get one of the maids to tell ye where Grace is and tell her to prepare a room. Tyree, I am afraid that breakfast will have to be cut short.”

  “Shall I accompany ye?”

  “Nay. Until I know what happened to her, I doonae want to overwhelm her. We will speak again today once I know if we are in danger.” He had no quarrel with the Covingtons. They kept to themselves and rarely caused problems, but Ainsley’s husband was cousin to the laird. She could very well be here on a personal matter, but if not, then he would need to be prepared.