But looking up at him, his dark eyes glowing in the moonlight that filtered through the window, his dark hair falling across his face, she couldn't resist. It was all she could do not to throw herself into his arms… the idea of just letting him walk away was impossible. So, she cleared her throat softly, leaned a little closer, whispered a question she couldn't hold back.
"Do you want to come in?"
He looked at her for the longest moment, his eyes dancing — and then, wordless, he nodded. She pulled the door open and they slipped into her room together, giggling a little at the sudden furtiveness in their movements, the determination to keep this secret — and then the door was shut, and they were finally, blessedly alone together. Hugh looked down at her, his eyes full of a desire that reflected hers perfectly — and, unable to resist him any longer, she threw herself into his arms, closing the distance between them with a deep, searing kiss that seemed to wake up every single inch of her body.
Chapter 16
Dawn came far too soon for Carissa's liking, the light creeping in through the window and beginning to illuminate their tangled, sweaty bodies. She was lying with her head pillowed against Hugh's naked chest when she realized she could see through the dark a lot more clearly than she'd been able to. Her first reaction was delight — a better view of the gorgeous naked man in her bed was always a good thing — followed immediately by consternation.
"Oh my God," she murmured, her voice hoarse. "We stayed up all night."
"No, we didn't," Hugh murmured back, squeezing her against him with one powerful arm and making her grin against his throat. "It's still dark, we've still got all night –"
"It's dawn," she insisted, pointing towards the lightening sky through the window — then squeaked in surprise as she felt his hand slip over her eyes.
"Don't be silly," he purred into her ear, making her giggle again. "It's pitch dark, see?"
"Hugh, we've been in bed all night. It's getting light. People are going to see you leaving my room."
That made him pay attention. He heaved a sigh, propping himself up on one elbow to gaze down at her in the half-light of dawn. He was rather a beautiful sight, she had to admit… his dark eyes seemed to glow in the gathering dawn and his hair was tangled from their exertions where it fell across his handsome face. The smile that curved his lips was genuine, if regretful.
"Do I have to leave?"
"Presumably, you have duties to attend to," she said archly. "Or have the stables developed the ability to stablemaster themselves?" She hesitated. "Besides… I know how much the servants gossip. I'm not especially keen to be the subject…"
He sobered a little more at that. "Aye, that's a fair concern. Well, if you're so cruelly kicking me out –"
She laughed, punching him gently on the shoulder in rebuke. "If it were up to me we'd stay in bed all day as well as all night. But haven't we both a reputation to uphold?"
He slid from the bed, shivering theatrically in the cold air, and she pulled the blankets up to her chin, rather pleased that she could stay in the warmth of the bed while he had to go. She watched him dress, a little saddened by the sight of his lean muscles and powerful frame disappearing beneath the layers of fabric that kept him warm and protected from the bitter sea winds. He leaned down to kiss her goodbye before he left, and she felt dizzy when they finally broke apart, her body already craving his touch again despite the indulgent night they'd spent together. And with one last, lingering look at her, he was gone, the door clicking gently shut behind him.
Had anyone seen him? she wondered. It was possible — the servants were usually up and about well before dawn, getting started on the work of the day. From what she could tell, they seemed to work in shifts, with some getting up early, and some staying up late into the night. She wondered idly if Hugh leaving her room was something that would draw attention. She'd been a little surprised by the attitude of the people generally to sex before marriage. For some reason, she'd assumed that medieval times would naturally necessitate a puritanical attitude to sex, that there would be great shame in any kind of extra-marital shenanigans… but to her surprise, everyone had been fairly liberal about it. Sure, marriage was something that young women seemed to hope and look forward to — but the idea of sex necessarily being an act that required marriage first hadn't been as prevalent as she'd thought.
That, or she was just being sheltered from the more negative opinions, she thought, rolling over in bed and sighing as her eyes fell on the gown she'd made with Niamh's help. She'd all but forgotten about the girl in the whirlwind of the afternoon and evening — of learning what she'd learned about Hugh's family, and then the ride home thick with expectation, the excitement of finally consummating the spark that had been building between them ever since that first night they'd met in the stables… but Niamh was going to stay a problem, she suspected. The girl just seemed too set on Hugh to let a brief setback stop her.
That was a sobering thought. What if Niamh had been spying on them when they got back to the castle? They'd been as quiet as they could, of course, but there were no end of places to hide in the castle… and Niamh had proved herself an adept gossip, clearly very good at finding out things that didn't concern her. Was it possible that she'd been lurking in a corner or something, either last night or this morning, waiting to see exactly who came and went from Carissa's room? After all, hadn't she made herself an enemy of the girl?
No sense worrying about it, she decided firmly. What she did with Hugh, in the end, was none of Niamh's business… and after all, what could the girl do? The worst case scenario was that Niamh found out about their relationship and spread the word to everyone in the castle. And so what if she did? Carissa was already planning on telling Maria and Edith, her new friends, about her blossoming relationship with Hugh — it didn't really matter to her one way or another if the rest of the castle found out, though the idea did irritate her a little. She realized with a jolt that she was thinking about Hugh very seriously. This wasn't a brief infatuation — she could see a future with this man, to her great surprise. Would it jinx it, to spread the news of their relationship to the rest of the castle?
No sense worrying about it, she told herself firmly, settling deep into the warm embrace of the bed and hoping that sleep would come to claim her. Niamh might not even know about what was going on… and if she did, it was out of Carissa's control. No sense worrying about what you couldn't change, that was what her mother always said. She felt another pang of loneliness at the thought of her mother, hundreds of miles and years away from her. She would have adored Hugh… Carissa bit her lip, wishing fiercely that there was some way of letting her know that she'd finally found someone who treated her well, someone she'd have been proud to introduce to her parents. Someone kind, and strong — someone who admired her, who cared about her and not just what she could do for him…
With thoughts of Hugh in her mind, she drifted off to sleep, interrupted only by very sweet dreams inspired by a combination of her feelings for him — and her memories of the passionate night they'd shared. All else aside, she had to admit they had explosive compatibility on the sexual front. That was a surprise even to her. She and Jim… well, they just hadn't liked the same things — that was all. But that was absolutely not the case here. It was as though everything that felt good to her felt twice as good to Hugh… and vice versa. She was blushing when she woke up… and already looking forward to the next time she could see him. Would it be too bold to invite him to stay the night again? she wondered as she slid out of bed and started dressing. The sun was high — she'd definitely missed breakfast, but lunch was probably about to be served.
Dressed and ready, she headed down the hallway, humming to herself and realizing with some amusement that she was in an incredibly good mood. It was funny what a bit of physical activity could do… and she wasn't thinking about the ride to Erin's cottage. Grinning to herself, she headed into the dining hall, knowing from the smell in the air that lunch was abo
ut to be served.
"Carissa! Missed you last night and this morning." That was Edith, and she turned to see her and Maria waiting for her with raised eyebrows.
"We were beginning to think someone had stolen you away," Maria added, a wicked grin on her face.
The blush that rose to Carissa's cheeks seemed to answer the detective's implied question better than words could have, and Edith uttered a bark of laughter that sounded more like a cackle than a chuckle.
"I knew it!" she said, clapping her hands over her mouth to suppress her laughter. "You were with someone! Who?"
"Who do you think?" Maria said, rolling her eyes with affectionate exasperation. "Who else but our handsome stablemaster –"
"Do you even need me for this conversation?" Carissa asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because I'm pretty hungry, actually, so I might just go and grab lunch while you two discuss my personal life –"
But she wasn't getting away from them that easily. Her friends grabbed her by the arms and marched her over to their table, laughing as they peppered her with questions. There was no way of hiding any of it from them, so she gave in fairly quickly, laughing as she filled them in on what had happened the night before — and in the leadup, for that matter. Their long nights in the stables, the way he'd swooped in and kissed her… the way they'd held themselves back from doing anything more serious until she'd met his family and learned more about them…
She hesitated here, not sure whether she should say anything about Erin's secret. But Maria spared her the effort, glancing around the hall and lowering her voice. "We know," she said simply. "I'm glad you know, too. But we won't talk about it here, hm?"
She nodded, glancing up the table where a servant was tidying away some dishes. Gossip was an enemy.
Edith was frowning. "I do hope this doesn't cause any more trouble with Niamh," she said softly. "I still remember how upset she was when Hugh rejected her… she might be stirred up even more to find out he's chosen another."
The warmth in her chest at the thought of Hugh choosing her in the first place was quickly chased away by her concern. "I've been thinking about that too, and she already knows that, she busted into my room when Hugh came to take me to his mother's cottage," she said heavily, shaking her head. "At least she's not assigned to me anymore — right, Maria?"
"Yes, I made sure she's been given duties elsewhere," the woman agreed. "Good duties, too, nothing unpleasant. Not that that one's particularly easy to please," she added with a roll of her eyes. "She's lucky she's so damn good at sewing or I'd kick her out of the castle entirely like Hugh asked. She's trouble, that girl."
"I had friends like her in high school," Carissa said, shaking her head. "Well, 'friends' is a strong term for it. 'Bullies', more like."
Edith squeezed her hand sympathetically. "Don't let it bother you, sweetness. We'll keep you safe. You just enjoy your time with Hugh," she added, her eyes sparkling.
"Speaking of…" It made her blush, but while they were on the subject, what was the point of being coy? It certainly seemed like the two of them already knew everything there was to know about the relationship… "I didn't exactly bring my birth control pills with me."
Maria's eyes widened a little. "Right. Of course." She tilted her head. "How regular are you? The rhythm method's more effective than you'd think."
"Uh — not regular enough that I'd trust it," she said, feeling her blush spread. Still, it was good to have a brains trust to rely on.
"I'm not exactly one to ask," Edith pointed out drily, gesturing to the discreet swell of her belly. "But I know there are herbs that interfere with fertility."
"Of course!" She smacked herself on the forehead, exasperated that it hadn't occurred to her sooner. "Erin literally asked me if I wanted to study herbs with her. I'll talk to her." She flushed again. "Unless that would be unbelievably awkward, asking about contraception when she knows I'm seeing her son –"
Maria chuckled. "Erin's a smart woman. She'll have figured it out by now. You can always say you're asking for a friend, though?"
Carissa laughed. Somehow, she felt like a practicing witch just might see through a lie that thin.
Chapter 17
The rest of the day passed in a dreamy haze. She was a little sleep deprived — not that she minded — and she ended up returning to her room in the early afternoon for another catnap. Refreshed and looking forward to dinner, she headed down again — and found her feet carrying her inevitably toward the stables. And why not? It was the medieval era — she wasn't going to waste her time translating stupid games about not seeming too eager. She liked this man… and unless she was completely mad, he liked her too. Why else would he have taken her to meet his family? Why else would he have entrusted her with such a serious secret about them?
Sure enough, there he was — emerging from the tack room with a sleepy smile on his face that spread wide when he saw her. After a quick glance around the stable to make sure nobody was around, he swept her into his arms and held her tight, and she inhaled the sweet scent of him, like hay and horses and something else, too, something that was just him… she giggled as he lifted her slightly off her feet then set her back down.
"Did you sleep?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "Or have you been polishing tack all day?"
"I slept all afternoon," he admitted with a grin. "And you?"
"Similar." She'd been tossing up about whether this was too forward, but being here with him, looking up into his face, seeing the light in his eyes as he smiled at her, she had no idea why she'd bothered with worrying about seeming too eager. "So, I'm definitely ready to stay up all night again –"
"I was going to say the same thing." He laughed, lowering his voice as he leaned in to kiss her.
"We're going to end up nocturnal." She grinned, rolling her eyes. "Dinner?"
"Aye, I think so," he said with a smile.
They headed into the dining hall together, and she couldn't help but beam when he slipped his hand into hers, natural as anything. There was something about it that felt right — so right that it banished all her worries, all her concerns. They caught a few thoughtful glances from servants and guards as they headed into the castle, but she couldn't bring herself to care. So, what if they knew? Let the whole world know.
And so, the days passed. Hugh stayed with her almost every night, for at least some of the evening — a few times he made his escape early, while it was still dark, but more often than not dawn found them still entwined in each other's arms as the early light crept across the floor. She hadn't heard from Niamh at all, and neither had her friends — it seemed the girl was over Hugh, or at the very least was choosing to leave him alone with his new lover.
She started visiting regularly with Erin, too, starting up the herbalism lessons that they'd talked about that first night. It was a few days after she'd learned the secret that she borrowed Scath from the stables and made the ride to the cottage by herself, having received the all-clear from Hugh to ride on her own.
"Are you sure I'll be safe?" she joked, remembering what he'd said the first time they rode down together.
He chuckled. "Aye, I'll trust Scath to look after you," he said firmly, patting the black gelding on the shoulder.
The horse whinnied as if in agreement, and the two of them laughed.
It was a beautiful ride, and she took a few deep breaths, enjoying the fresh air and the sounds and scents of the countryside. The city that she'd made her home for so long had never seemed so far away — she could barely remember the sounds of traffic, the smell of pollution, the smog that filled the air on some mornings and made it hard to breathe. Why on Earth had people stopped living like this? What had driven them to abandon the beauty of nature for high rises and cars? Maybe that was old-fashioned of her, and romantic — but she couldn't be blamed for being in a romantic frame of mind at the moment, could she?
It was odd, she thought as she rode. She hadn't written much poetry since she'd been here. Sure, she'
d been writing in her journal every night — most of it about Hugh lately, she thought with a grin twitching at her lips. But the urge to write poetry just hadn't struck her. Poetry had always been a kind of wish fulfilment activity for her… an attempt to describe things that she was lacking in her life, a strange way of claiming things that she didn't have. But she was so happy at the moment, so excited and fulfilled by everything she was doing… was it possible that her creativity had been dulled by her happiness? She rolled her eyes at that thought. Even if it was true, she didn't care. She'd choose happiness over creative output every time. Besides, it wasn't like she didn't have anything to write about — she was just so busy living that she didn't have time to sit in her room for hours on end, trying to come up with the right words to capture it.
Erin was in the garden when she arrived, fussing with one of the dozens of garden beds that Carissa had so admired when she'd first visited, and she straightened up, waving cheerfully when she recognized her riding down the road.
"Perfect timing!" she said brightly, gesturing to the garden in front of her. "I was just transplanting some seedlings. We can start with these."
Carissa tethered the gelding to a tree, leaving him on a long rein so he could crop the sweet grass that grew by the roadside. Erin smiled when she recognized the horse, nodding to him.
"I see you've made friends with Scath."
"He was the first friend I met here, actually," she said with a grin.
Erin chuckled. "That doesn't surprise me. He's a special horse."
"He is?"
"I wouldn't have let Hugh give him a name like that if he wasn't," she said with a smile. "Has Hugh told you much of the legend of Scathach?"
"Not really," she admitted as she knelt beside Erin, turning her attention to the little seedlings that they were transplanting into the garden. "She was the witch who built the castle, or something?"
Hold A Highlander: A Scottish Time Travel Romance (A Highlander Across Time Book 3) Page 10