Highland Lover: Book 3 Scottish Knights Trilogy (39 page)

Grinning, Jake let her have her way and was delighted when she moved over him, following paths similar to those he had taken in kissing her, clearly enjoying herself and doing much to satisfy her feminine curiosity. As she explored his body with her soft hands, fingers, lips, and tongue, he savored the scent and taste of her all over again and soon slid a hand down to cup her silken mound.

Encouraging her to do as she pleased, he employed his skills to heighten her passions, and his own. Slipping a finger inside her, then two, he soon discovered that she felt only pleasure and no lingering pain from their consummation. When she gripped his cock a bit too hard, he moved his free hand to show her how better to excite it. Hearing her chuckle low in her throat, he grinned again.

“Art pleased with yourself, lass?” he murmured.

“I was not sure what to do, but this seems to work well.”

It was working too well. He did not want to finish before showing her what she could feel, so he took command until she moaned and whimpered her pleasure. Then he eased inside and brought her to her climax before pounding to his own. When his cock exhausted itself, he rolled so that she lay atop him.

“Mercy,” she said, looking into his eyes. “I had no idea.”

“Sweetheart, there is much more to discover, and we’ll explore every possibility together. But now, we must sleep.”

He awoke once during the night, heard her breathing
softly beside him, and fell back asleep in contentment. When he awoke the next morning, recalling her insistence that her family would visit whenever they liked, he wondered if she had bewitched him. Perhaps their marriage was a mistake, but even if it was, he was in it for a lifetime and would feel his way. He smiled then at the thought of how
she
had felt and had made him feel the night before.

Getting out of bed, he glanced back and saw her smiling wistfully.

Enticed again to kiss her, he did so and said, “Go back to sleep, love. I’ll leave after breakfast.”

“We still have matters to discuss.”

“We do, aye, but we’ll discuss them when I return.” He kissed her again, lingering to savor her taste.

Downstairs, he found Will awaiting him in the great chamber.

“Them other men said ye’d told ’em tae go back tae town, sir. But they didna ken what tae do wi’ me. So I thought I’d watch for ye and ask could I go with ye tae see his grace. I’d like tae tell him—”

“Ye’ll ha’ to stay here, laddie,” Jake interjected gently. “I trow ye’ve said nowt to anyone about where I go.” Will shook his head dismally, so Jake added, “I need ye here to keep your eyes on m’lady for me. Can ye do that?”

“I can, aye. I’ll keep a good watch over her whilst ye’re gone.”

“Good lad.”

The feelings Jake had had, of having put himself in the trap he’d sworn would never snare him, vanished only to reappear when he found a sleek, well-muscled black horse awaiting him at the stable, along with Ranald MacGillivray.

Alyson did not go back to sleep after Jake left but lay in bed for a time, pondering a strong sense of ill usage. The thought of facing alone the members of her family downstairs, as well as those arriving from the Highlands for Parliament and the bishop’s consecration, made her wish that Jake had wakened her earlier.

Then they might have had time to talk. She’d have liked to tell him what she thought of him for abandoning her so soon. Clearly, he had not wanted to discuss that. Nor had he wanted to talk of such matters as how long they would stay at MacGillivray House or where they’d go when they left.

He’d distracted her from conversation the previous night—admittedly in a delightful way. But his sense of relief at having reason to leave that morning had been nearly palpable. Doubtless, she had annoyed him by saying he’d be away from her more than Niall had been, but she was sure that that was true.

Memory stirred then of her relief and the heady sense of freedom that she had felt as she and Niall had ridden away from MacGillivray House to meet the
Maryenknyght
. She suspected that Jake harbored similar feelings of freedom now from her parents, her brother, and other kinsmen whom he doubtless viewed as chains binding her, and thus now binding him, too.

However, memory of the freedom she had felt, leaving with Niall, also made her wonder what impulse had led her to defend her kinsmen’s habit of visiting—often for long periods. Even Highland hospitality did not demand that one allow leechlike kinsmen to stay indefinitely.

“What if he doesn’t come back?”

Shutting her eyes in astonished annoyance at even muttering such a thought about a man who had proven himself honorable, she got up and poured water into the basin to wash her face and clear her mind. Jake
would
come back.

She smiled then, realizing that whatever he thought of her kinsmen, he’d come back because Ivor, Fin Cameron, and their families were coming to Perth. Jake would return as soon as possible if only to keep Ivor from fetching him.

She was still smiling when she went downstairs to break her fast and see to her customary duties. Her great-aunt’s voice welcomed her.

“There you are, Alyson,” she said. “You are late this morning, and I arose early. Sithee, I’ve taken certain liberties here that I must explain to you.”

Having met Ranald in the stableyard and noted that, besides the black horse, he’d tied a good-looking bay to a rail behind him, Jake realized that the lad meant to go with him after all. When Ranald avoided his gaze, Jake supposed he was sulking and wished he’d never expressed willingness to accept his company. He hoped Farigaig had not ordered him to go.

When Jake greeted him and extended a hand, Ranald shook it, looking wary.

Understanding then that Ranald feared he might have changed his mind, Jake said, “ ’Tis a fine mount you’re lending me, lad. Art ready to ride?”

“Aye, for you said you wanted to be away early. Are you sure you dinna mind if I go?”

“I say what I mean,” Jake said, mounting the black.

Untying the bay and flinging himself onto it, Ranald said, “I didna ken if you’d want an armed escort. We have few men-at-arms here, because my da keeps those we have in Perth at Braehead, our hunting tower. ’Tis nobbut three miles or so from here if ye want a proper tail.”

“If I’d wanted a tail, I’d have summoned my lads,” Jake said. “I’ve two score of them at the harbor. Forbye, I’d liefer go quietly. I see you brought your sword and dirk. D’ye ken how to use them?”

Ranald grimaced and said, “I’m not as good as my brothers were, if that’s what you mean.”

“It would mean nowt to me if you’d said you
were
as good,” Jake said. “I’ve nae ken of your brothers, lad. Just answer my question, and don’t be putting thoughts in my head. Like as not, they won’t match the ones I’ve got.”

“I know how to use my weapons,” Ranald said.

“Good, then.”

They rode in silence for nearly half an hour, long enough to pass through the town and two miles along the Stirling Road.

Having confirmed his notion that Ranald compared himself unfavorably to his brothers, and aware that Farigaig had, too, Jake decided to let the lad choose when next to talk. He always enjoyed good conversation, but the day was fine and their pace would get them to Stirling in five hours or so.

The sensible thing would be to spend the night there and leave at dawn for Rothesay. But he knew the Glasgow road and decided he’d press on to Dunipace, a village seven miles beyond the river Forth bridge in Stirling.

It boasted a fine alehouse with excellent food and good
beds. If they stayed there, they’d make it to Rothesay Castle before noon the next day.

Alyson had listened to Lady Beatha’s description of her “improvements,” seen naught amiss that could not be mended after her great-aunt left, and thanked her sincerely for taking such interest in the household. Then, leaving her to her stitchery with Lady Farigaig, Alyson sought her father’s steward to learn what remained to do before their guests arrived. She was deep in conversation with him when Will came running to tell her that the porter had sent him to fetch her.

“I dinna ken why,” he replied when she asked. “I’d heard riders, and when I got downstairs, someone were a-knocking. Malcolm were watching ’em through the squint and said tae hie m’self and tell ye ye’d better come.”

Shaking out her skirts and hoping that if unexpected guests had arrived, she would not greet them with smudges on her face, Alyson hurried upstairs from the kitchen area toward the entry. She stopped with a gasp several steps below the landing when she saw who awaited her. Both men had their backs to her, facing the main stairway to the upper floors, but she recognized them easily.

Behind her, she heard a soft, “Coo, that be them, the
pair
o’ them.”

Feeling faint and putting one shaking hand behind her to wave Will away, she collected herself and continued to the entry at a dignified pace.

Certain that Malcolm would never offer information about the family other than answers to specific questions from someone entitled to ask them, and certain that the
men watching the upper stairway had
not
asked for her, she watched them as she said, “I see we have more visitors, Malcolm.”

Both men whirled to face her, and she could not decide which one looked more astonished or paler of face. Mungo’s color returned in a flush, but Niall recovered his voice first. “Allie! Thank the Fates! We thought you were dead.”

“It is no thanks to you that I’m not, Niall,” she said. “The two of you left me to drown.” She heard Malcolm gasp but kept her eyes on Niall.

He reddened and glanced at Mungo, clearly seeking assistance.

Mungo looked sternly back at him but said only, “That was through no fault of ours, my lady, I assure you.”

“Don’t take me for a dafty,” she retorted. “You fled that ship without sparing a thought for me.”

“Now, Allie, that is
not
true,” Niall said. Flicking a glance at Mungo, who nodded, he added coaxingly, “You don’t understand, lass. Those pirates captured us. To escape them, we had to fling ourselves off their ship and swim for shore. We could do nowt for the
Maryenknyght
or anyone on her. She’d already sunk.”