Highlander's Bride (Heart of the Highlander Series Book 1) (10 page)

The approval in her voice pleased him. Perhaps
there was more to her than just the lust she inspired simply with her presence.
"Lass, since we're soon to be wed, 'twould be more pleasant to address
each other by our given names. Do you not agree?"

"Aye… Alexander." 

He watched, enthralled, as the sun shone down on
her hair, bathing her face in a golden light, and her deep blue eyes sparkled with
apparent friendship. A feeling of peace invaded his senses and he found himself
searching her features for a similar response. 'Twas the first time he'd ever
bared his soul so. What was it about her that he acted differently when he was
with her? Under her tender attentions, the cloak he wore to hide his emotions
seemed to fall away with ease.

Gently, he pulled her to him. Wrapping one arm
around her waist, he ran his other hand tenderly across her cheek and through
her hair. "Ah, lass, you are so lovely. Your golden hair delights me. I
vow it shines with a glow of its own. Do you know your eyes are the bluest I
have ever seen?" He reached into his sporran and pulled out her betrothal
ring. "Katherine, it would please me if you would wear this."

For a moment, she stood motionless and silent.
Then she nodded and held her hand out to him. He slipped the ring on her finger
and gently squeezed her hand.

A breeze stirred, scattering a few leaves along
the path and against his bare legs. He watched as the wind lifted her golden
tresses so that they blended and joined with his own darker hair, creating a
fiery blend of colors in the light. Flaxen and auburn strands twined and mated
before his eyes, stirring his passion.

He pulled her closer, lowered his head, and gently
captured her lips with his own. A fiery jolt seared through him as their lips
met. He could no more pull away from her than he could fly over the garden
walls. Never before had he known such burning desire with a mere first kiss.
She trembled in his arms as she leaned further into his embrace and returned
his kiss. By the saints, did she feel the same?

Her response to his embrace sparked intensity in
him he'd never known before. Aye, it fired his lust, yet it evoked a curious
need to protect her from other men. Ones who would take her simple trust and
use it to her dishonor.

Raw energy flowed from her fingertips into his
flesh when she wrapped her arms behind his neck. He held her tighter, the
muscles in his arms constricting like iron bands. His breathing quickened and
his lips crushed hers in a deeper demand. Aye, he alone was meant to taste her
sweetness. To bring her to the same fevered pitch of desire that now consumed
him. He grew hard, heavy. All sane thoughts vanished as a fire started in the
pit of his stomach. It grew and spread until he felt its heat blaze its way to
the very end of his manhood, leaving him breathless. Needing. Hungry.

Their burning embrace continued to stoke the fire
building within him. Aroused with an almost overpowering need to possess her,
he pulled Katherine down to a garden bench and pressed her backward against it.

The bench was made of granite. Hard and unbending,
just as he was. His senses began to whirl out of control. He felt her lush body
follow his lead. Pillow him with her softness. How was it he'd never known such
an overpowering longing before? It engulfed him. Burned him.

Roughly, he closed the distance between their
bodies. He pushed her back further and spread out across her as he enveloped
her within his heated embrace. His gaze drank in her beauty. God, he'd fallen
under her spell.

The sun's glow filtered through the leaves of a
tree branch. It painted her delicate features in light and shadow. The bright
blue of her eyes turned a dark indigo. Her skin's pale peach luster deepened to
a dusky rose.

He trailed his fingers across the top of her gown.
Her breasts rose and fell quickly beneath his touch. He lowered his lips to
meet them. They were fragrant, soft and full. Alexander lifted his mouth to hers
and plundered it with his tongue. His fevered fingers found the laces at the
front of her gown. Soon. All he had to do was untie them to free her beauty
from its silken prison. Aye, there. There was the impediment. Only another
moment and he would have her open, unadorned beneath him. She needed no laces
and ribbons. Her beauty was stunning, breathtaking.

He was almost there.

"No, Alexander. I… we… mustn't do this. I
won't give myself to you this way before we are wed. Please, let me go."

Her voice wrenched him back to reality. He stared
down into her face and tried to draw air into his burning lungs. His mind noted
her withdrawal, but his manhood continued to press against her, urgently
seeking an entrance through their layers of clothing.

Frustration burned like poison through his veins.
Damn. What had she done to him? Honor demanded he protect her virtue until they
were man and wife. Yet once again, he'd let passion overrule his thinking,
sending his emotions flying out of control.

Angry with himself for thinking only of his
physical desire, he stood up abruptly. He shook his head fiercely, forcing his
passion-glazed mind to clear. His slowly fading lust mixed with confusion and
anger. Scowling, he thrust out his hands to help her rise.

Katherine drew back sharply from him. When he
continued to reach for her, she flailed out and sharply slapped his face.
"No! You will not force me!"

Her voice echoed in the sudden silence around
them. Nothing moved or made a sound. She lay huddled on the garden bench, staring
up at him. Quickly, she drew in a ragged breath and crossed her arms across her
breasts, as if to shield herself from him.

The sting of his skin was nothing compared to the
look he saw in her eyes. He rubbed the back of his hand across his face where
her slap had scorched his cheek. By God, he had not tried to force her. She had
been as willing as he.

A shrill cry of a black bird shattered the air.
Its high-pitched call resounded like a woman's scream in the stillness. The
piercing shriek reminded him of Fiona's frightened cry two days before.

Katherine's violent attack startled him with its
similarity. As before, he was surprised by her unprovoked temper. It was just
as Fiona had said. Didn't she tell him this woman had turned on her, become
violent for no reason? Was this beautiful lass prone to violent fits? Did she
suffer from some madness? Was that why her parents wished for her to marry so
quickly? God's teeth! What sort of woman had he pledged himself to? No, it
couldn't be. Da had known the family for years. He wouldn't force him to wed a
lass who was plagued with such a malady, no matter how great his friendship
with Angus Gordon. 

Alexander drew a deep breath and willed his
emotions under control. The girl was just spoiled and willful. Aye, she merely
toyed with him. She knew she had the ability to enflame a man. It was naught
but a game to her. Did she truly expect him to partake in her passionate
teasing and then willingly retreat like a docile lap dog?

So, the lass attempted to control him already. She
merely used his attraction to her to tease his lust. He must steel himself
against becoming fond of her. Damn it, he wouldn't submit to her game.

Anger welled up inside his chest like a burning
brand. "So, woman, you think to control me with your shrewish temper? I
see you like to tease a man but never show true feelings for him. You may keep
your deceitful, selfish heart. Aye, there are others who are not so harsh. I'm
not a man who forces himself on a cold, unwilling maid."

Contempt for her deceit ate at him and he glared
down at her. Her feigned look of frightened bewilderment infuriated him
further. God's wrath. He must leave before he said anything more. Gravel
scattered beneath his boots as he spun around and stalked out of the garden.

**

Thick fog muted the sounds of lapping waves and the
cry of ocean birds. It would be dawn soon. The sun could not burn away the
damned fog fast enough to please him.

Phillipe Ja Bier peered out his carriage window
impatiently. Foul weather over the last fortnight had delayed his plans, making
his temper shorter than usual. A slight movement inside the carriage caught his
attention. A small yellow butterfly fluttered to the floor, flexing its
iridescent wings open and closed. Ja Bier watched its silent beauty for a
moment before he slowly lifted his foot and ground it beneath his heel. No, he
was not known for his pleasant demeanor.

"
Monsieur
, the fog is lifting. The
captain should set sail soon."

Ja Bier stepped out of the carriage and wiped his
boot clean on the man's coat where it lay in a pile of goods waiting to be
loaded onboard. His cold gaze settled on the man before him dressed in a ragged
plaid and he pressed his perfumed handkerchief to his nose. "Be careful
that you do not exceed your disguise, Jules. Not everyone in Scotland is a
filthy Scot."

"
Oui
,
Monsieur
."

 Ja Bier watched a small boat pull away from the
side of the ship and turn toward shore.  He waited in silence as it was rowed
toward them. When a sailor jumped out of the small craft and pulled it onto the
sand, Ja Bier reached inside his coat and retrieved a small bag of coins.

He handed them to the man before him. "You
know what to do when you reach Scotland. When you have found Katherine, send me
word immediately. I expect to hear from you within the month."

"
Oui
,
Monsieur
, I will not fail
you."

Ja Bier lifted his elegant walking stick and pointed
it at Jules. With a flick of a hidden lever, a razor sharp blade protruded from
the end of the cane, a mere inch from the man's face. "No, Jules, I am
certain you will not."

**

Angus Gordon looked up from his drink as the
MacGregors and his wife and daughter warmed themselves before the large
fireplace in the great hall. "Katherine, lass, will you sing for us as you
do at home? I wish our friends to hear your lovely voice."

Heat suffused her face as Alexander's eyes turned
toward her. Her voice caught in her throat. "I'm sorry, Da, but I have no
instrument here. I fear I wouldn't please you with my efforts."

Ian spoke up. "Ah, lassie, 'tis no problem,
that. Alexander and William are both good musicians with the pipes and lute.
Dinna deny us the pleasure of a woman's song in During Castle once again. Lads,
fetch yer instruments and give the fair lassie some bonnie music to sing
to."

William nodded. "Aye, brother, let us show
your lady the way it was when Mam used to sing here."

When Alexander didn't respond immediately, Ian
glowered over the edge of his tankard and set it down with a loud thunk,
splashing ale onto the arm of his chair.

Katherine darted a glance from Alexander to his
father. "'Tis all right, Laird MacGregor. Perhaps I can sing for you
another time."

Alexander frowned and pushed his chair back.
"Come, William."

The young man looked at him and shook his head.
"'Tis no need for us both to leave. I can bring my lute and your pipes.
You stay and try to make amends for barely speaking to anyone tonight."
Clapping his older brother on the back, he turned and left the hall.

Katherine swallowed nervously. It seemed there was
no way out, but to sing. She glanced at her father. "Da, what would you
have me sing?" 

He smiled and patted Monique's hand. "Sing
the one about the mermaid. 'Tis one of your mother's favorites."

Katherine nodded. The words to the ancient ballad
told of a lonely mermaid who fell in love with a human who didn't return her
love. It was a favorite among the people of Scotland.

Within minutes, William walked in, his arms filled
with lute and bagpipes.

She darted a glance at the all too apparent
expression of impatience on her betrothed's face. "Alexander, do you and
Sir William know the ballad, Lament of the Maighdean Chuain?" 

Ian, it seemed was quick to notice her use of his
son's given name. "Ah, so 'tis Alexander, is it now? Angus, did you know
these two had become such fond friends in so wee short a time?"

Alexander frowned at his father. "'Tis no
need to heap such import on her use of my given name. She and I would have done
so, soon enough. 'Twill make the times we must converse, less formal, 'tis
all."

Katherine cringed. The gentle friendship they'd
shared when he told her the history of the castle seemed to have vanished. Ever
since their passions had taken over in the garden, everything had gone wrong.
How long did he plan to punish her with his anger?

She clasped her hands together in her lap. Whether
she wished it or not, their course was set. They had no choice except to wed.
But if they were to have any chance at happiness, somehow she must find a way
to appease him. They couldn't continue this way forever.

William's voice drew her from her thoughts. 
"Aye, Lady Katherine, we know the song." He nudged his brother and
they began to play.

Her heart swelled with emotion as she sang of the
young mermaid who gave up her life in the sea to be with her love. When Katherine
reached the part where the man cruelly scorned the mermaid, saying he would wed
a lass better than she, her voice trembled. She darted an embarrassed glance
toward Alexander.

His expression seemed to study her, as if he was
not sure what to think. The apparent look of puzzled interest that she saw in
his eyes unnerved her. She drew a quick breath to steady her voice. Or was it
her pulse?

The sweet clear notes of the bagpipe droned on in
the background. She sang of the mermaid who was left on the beach to weep
eternally and whose tears created the foam of every wave that lapped the shore.
By the time she finished the ballad a hush had grown over the entire hall.

As the last strains of the bagpipe and lute faded
along with her voice, a loud sniffle came from the doorway. Katherine looked up
to see the maid, Gillian, wipe a tear from her face then turn red with
embarrassment.