Lost in the Highlands, Volume Two

by Lorraine Beaumont

  “Don’t you dare…” She jerked forward, trying to break free.

  Gavin froze. “Am I hurting ye, lass?”

  She laughed then. It wasn’t a simple laugh either—the sound of it made icy fingers of dread race down his spine bringing a buried memory back ta the surface—his mother laughed much the same way right before she died.

  Placing his hand on her forehead, he checked ta see if she was hot ta the touch. She was warm but did not have the blistering heat he had felt on his mother’s skin before she died.

  Jillian grabbed his hand and shoved it down into the soft curls between her thighs. “You like that, don’t you,” she purred, moving his hand further still, until he was touching himself and her at the same time.

  Wet heat covered his fingers from the honeyed nectar spilling from her body. “Aye, I do.”

  She jerked his hand away and turned in his arms. Forcefully, she shoved him back on the bed and climbed on top of him. Her long hair fell forward over his chest, tickling his skin as she impaled herself on his length.

  His breath hitched in his throat. “Lass, what are ye doing?”

  “I’m taking what I want.”

  “Lass, there is no need ta take what I am offering freely.”

  “That’s what you think.” She leaned forward and bit his lip savagely, nearly drawing blood.

  “Och, lass…” He grabbed her hands in his own and pushed her back.

  Jillian wasn’t having any of that. She started to cry. “Why do you keep doing this to me?”

  Gavin felt an uncomfortable tightening in his chest. The last thing he wanted ta do was cause her distress. “Lass, I…”

  “Don’t say another word,” she warned, placing her fingers on his lips. Wrapping her free hand around his length, she squeezed, hard.

  Gavin groaned and gritted his teeth.

  Jillian released him and placed her hands on his chest, digging her nails into his skin as she rocked back and pushed down again, impaling herself further.

  Gavin closed his eyes. There was something holy unnatural about the love play betwixt the two of them but he was in too deep ta stop now. Wanting the business over sooner rather than later he took matters into his own hands. Reaching up, he grabbed hold of her waist and flipped her over so he was the one on top.

  Pushing her legs up, he buried himself to the hilt. “Ye like that?”

  “Yes…” she panted, trying to reach up and grab hold of him again.

  Gavin clasped his hands in hers to stop her from clawing away more skin from his body and thrust hard, again and again...and again… until she was writhing and screaming with need underneath him. Her heels dug into his buttocks and still he continued his relentless assault, losing himself in the moment until he brought them both to an explosive release.

  ♦

  Much later, he stared up at the blackened ceiling in his bedchamber wondering what he would do with her. Jillian was so unlike the other witches that had been sent ta him over the past few months. She was the comeliest one as well. Granted, Gavin had bedded many a woman in his time, so many, in fact, he had lost count. The first he would always remember, though. She was older and skilled in the art of love play, which is why his father picked her especially for Gavin. But she was also a seer, or what some called a wanderer, traveling with a band of gypsies that had visited the keep to sell their wares or services in exchange for a place to rest their heads and food ta fill their bellies.

  After the gypsy had her way with his person, she told Gavin he was damned, just like his father and his father, before him.

  O’ course, Gavin didn’t believe her. But now, as he lay in bed beside Jillian, completely sated, he couldn’t help but wonder if that prediction held true. He cared deeply for the lass at his side, more so than he ever thought imaginable. Whenever he looked at her face, his heart beat a little faster and sweat beaded on his skin.

  There were other indicators as well. The fact he could scarce get her out of his mind long enough to do his duties around the keep or train with his men. But she did have a flaw, or two—she had a temper, a real mean streak. She was not a kind person, especially to Callum.

  Gavin thought that was the strangest thing of all since Callum had the best disposition with Muir running a close second out of all of the men.

  Jillian favored Broderick. She always lorded praise upon his head, and in turn Broderick would do anything she asked of him.

  Gavin often wondered if there was more to it than that and had asked Jillian as much.

  The day he did, that temper of hers was immediately directed at him in full force. Her sharp tongue unleashed a bounty of insults upon his head and hearing it from her lips had wounded him deeply, even more so than he thought possible.

  He knew the reason.

  He was in love with her, regardless of her cruelty towards his men, he loved her like no other before.

  She had somehow bewitched him—and he found that he was helpless to circumvent the demon that had surely taken hold of her to make her behave in such a way.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  HIGHLAND GAMES, WEST VIRGINIA

  The Hotel - Present Day

  The sound of rain splattering in sharp pings against the windows brought his mind back to the present and with it a burning question that he was surprised he had not thought of before now…

  Why would Broderick kill Jillian? Especially, feeling the way that he did about her? And she, about him? Did they have a falling out? Was it from jealousy that he, Gavin, spent so much time with her?

  Scrubbing his hands over his face, Gavin sat forward, feeling strangely at odds with himself.

  He had no answers readily available to any of his questions swirling in his mind and unfortunately, at this juncture, he did not think he ever would.

  Standing, he crossed the room and looked down at his lass, as she slept. She was so different from Jillian. Not only in looks but also her disposition—they were complete opposites in that way. He cared a great deal for the lass, that much was true.

  Did he love her, though?

  He thought he might. But in matters of the heart, especially ones like this, nothing was ever easy. At least that is the way it seemed to Gavin.

  Not having any answers readily available, he gave up trying to figure them out, at least for now.

  Pulling off his clothes, he stripped naked and climbed into bed beside his lass. He snuggled beside her and closed his eyes. After a while, he finally, albeit reluctantly, drifted off to sleep.

  ♦

  I opened my eyes a crack and immediately shut them again. My head was pounding and I had a bad case of cottonmouth. Rolling over, I sat up and pushed my hair away from my face. My stomach roiled from the action.

  The bed shifted.

  Trying not to make any sudden movements, I turned my head slowly and was shocked to see Gavin still sleeping.

  I turned just as slowly in the other direction and looked at the clock on the bedside table.

  It was ten in the morning.

  We should have been on the road by now, and frankly, I was a little more than surprised to find that Gavin was still asleep.

  He never slept in.

  The room was cloaked in shadows and the sky outside was gray and a steady stream of rain made soft pings against the windows. It was a good sleeping day. When it was like this at home, I would make a soup or chili and let it simmer in the crockpot all day while I curled up with a good book on the sofa.

  Putting my hand on the bed, I pushed up to standing. I felt terrible. If I didn’t have to use the bathroom I would have climbed right back in bed.

  As quietly as I could, I made my way to the bathroom and closed the door. Once the door was shut, I decided to take a shower in the hopes that it would revive me somewhat. Stripping out of my clothes from yesterday, I climbed in the shower.

  The hot spray of the water eased my aching head and body. There wasn’t much I remembered from last night, save for driving back from the
games. After that, everything was a bit blurry in my muddled mind.

  Once the water started to cool, I reached up and turned off the shower. Grabbing a fluffy white towel off the rack, I wrapped it under my arms and tucked the ends in the front. The tiles were cold and damp under my bare feet as I stepped out of the shower and walked over to the sink. Using a small hand towel, I wiped the steam from the mirror.

  The reflection staring back at me told me what I already knew.

  I looked like crap.

  It was fitting, I supposed, since I felt like crap too. Fighting back the urge to puke, I brushed my hair and teeth. All I wanted to do was go back to sleep for a bit. With that thought in mind, I opened the door to the bathroom and was relieved to see Gavin still sleeping. Making up my mind, I grabbed the phone and called the front desk. It took all of five minutes to reserve the room for another night. It was raining anyway, and we didn’t have to be in Central Virginia until the end of the week.

  After I finished securing the room for another night, I pulled on a pair of sweats and her souvenir t-shirt from Grandfather Mountain.

  Once I was dressed, and took two aspirins with water, I climbed right back in bed. I would tell Gavin about staying another night, later, after he woke, or so I told myself as I carefully lay my aching head back down on the pillow at his side and promptly fell asleep once more.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  HIGHLAND GAMES, WEST VIRGINIA

  The Hotel - Present Day

  “Och, so ye are finally awake I see.” He sat forward in the chair, bracing his arms on his thighs.

  “Yeah, I am.” I sat up and was thankful the room had stopped spinning. I looked out the window and was surprised to see it was almost dark.

  “Do ye feel better?”

  “Yes,” I said, surprised he even knew I was feeling bad to begin with. “Did you sleep well?”

  He shrugged his broad shoulders and used the remote to turn the television off. “I suppose I did.”

  I frowned at his tone.

  He didn’t seem nearly as chipper as he usually did which meant he probably had another one of his nightmares. “Would you like to talk about it?”

  He gave me a surprised look and then shook his head.

  “Nay, lass….” He shook his head again. “There is no point in discussing things that I can no change.”

  “All righty then.” I pulled a pillow onto my lap. “Are you hungry?”

  At the mention of getting something to eat, Gavin’s eyes brightened considerably. “Aye that would be nice.”

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I rented the room for another night since we don’t have to be in Virginia until the end of the week.”

  “Makes no never mind ta me, lass.” His expression turned guarded again.

  That was new. Reaching over, I grabbed the phone and set it on the bed. “What would you like to eat?”

  “Lass, mayhap ye can decide again since I do not know the names for the food.”

  “Okay.” Cradling the phone to my ear, I dialed the room service. Like the day before, I ordered just about everything on the menu I thought he might enjoy. “You want dessert too?” I covered the receiver.

  “Aye.” He picked up a magazine off the table and flipped the pages.

  Uncovering the receiver, I added on two chocolate mousse deserts and a piece of triple chocolate layer cake to share.

  Done ordering, I put the phone back on the bedside table. “It will be about an hour.”

  He looked up briefly from the magazine but once our eyes met, he looked back down again.

  Odd. I rubbed my forehead. He was acting different. Granted he always acted a bit different but I felt for the first time since we were together, in this time, that there might be something more going on in his mind other than the residual effects of a bad dream. I just didn’t know what.

  ♦

  Dinner was much the same as it had been every night since they started this journey together. Not much talking, just eating. Afterwards, I pushed the cart back out into the hall.

  When I came back into the room, Gavin was once again staring down at a magazine. He wasn’t reading it, I knew, but seemed enthralled with whatever he was looking at. If I didn’t know better, I would think he was avoiding talking to me. But why would he do that? I couldn’t help but wonder.

  ♦

  Gavin felt guilty after his latest dream about Jillian. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at his lass for fear she would somehow know he had dreamt of another woman. He didn’t want to. He wanted to forget about Jillian but somehow, someway, thoughts of her kept shoving their way back into his mind. So instead of talking or looking at his lass, he kept his eyes trained on the pages inside the magazine not really seeing any of what he was looking at.

  ♦

  “You want to play some cards?” I asked, hoping to pull him out of his obvious funk.

  “Nay lass, not tonight,” he said, standing up from the chair and tossing the magazine back on the table. Crossing over to the bathroom, he stood in the doorway.

  “I am going ta use this room for a bit.”

  Before I could respond, he shut the door and I heard him lock it. And that was the end of that.

  “What’s his problem?” A flair of annoyance shot through me. When I finally felt like I gained an inch, he pushed me back a mile.

  Not having anything better to do, she grabbed the remote and turned on the television.

  ♦

  After Gavin spent as much time as he could in the bathroom, he finally decided to venture out into the other room.

  Opening the door as quietly as he could, he looked for his lass. She was lying on the bed with her eyes closed. A wave of relief washed over him. He was glad ta see she was sleeping. He didn’t want ta face her just now. It had been hard enough through dinner and although the food was good, and little chocolate pots and cake, delicious, he had a difficult time enjoying any of it. The feelings of guilt were too prominent in his mind from his dream.

  As stealthily as he could, he crossed the room and sat down in the chair he had occupied for most of the day. He rubbed his face and settled back into the cushions. He wanted this business of finding the damnable gypsy over and done with sooner, rather than later. He needed ta make amends, and then perhaps his conflicting feelings would become clearer. He didn’t put much stock in that though, for when he did find the gypsy he would be leaving his lass for good. She just didn’t know that yet…or did she? He couldn’t help but wonder.

  The rain was still coming down heavily, slashing against the windows and every so often joined by rolls of thunder and lightning flashes illuminating the night sky in disjointed intervals. He found that fitting. The storm seemed to be just as confused as he was.

  CHAPTER TWENTY- NINE

  HIGHLAND GAMES, WEST VIRGINIA

  On the way - Present Day

  A cloying dampness hung in the air as I stepped out of the hotel the following day. It had stopped raining but they skies were still gray and overcast. I didn’t mind it too much since it fit my mood. Gavin didn’t say more than three words to me this morning, even during breakfast, and I was starting to wonder if he was going to at all. With a to-go cup of coffee in my hand, I crossed the parking lot, and unlocked the trunk.

  Gavin stopped and threw the bags inside a bit more forcefully than was warranted.

  “What did that luggage ever do to you?” I joked, pulling my jacket closer to my body to ward off the chill in the air.

  He gave her a sheepish look. “It slipped.”

  “Hmm.” I doubted that but didn’t challenge him on it—apparently, we were both in foul moods.

  Gavin walked over and waited on the other side of the car. He wasn’t looking forward to another ride in the metal beast, but there was nothing to be done about it now.

  It was hard not to notice the dark circles under his eyes. I knew he wasn’t sleeping well, but I didn’t know why exactly because he was too stubborn to confide in me�
��or afraid to, my mind chided. “I guess we better get going.”

  “Aye, we should.”

  Another surge of irritation shot through me at his lackadaisical attitude and instead of walking over and unlocking his door first, I headed over to my side of the car, unlocked my door, and climbed inside.

  Reaching over, I unlocked his door and then started the car.

  Gavin opened the door and climbed inside. After he put on his seatbelt, he leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes. “I am ready.”

  I turned and looked over at him—his expression made me nearly laugh but I squelched it back. “Here we go,” I said, putting the car in drive and pulling out of the parking lot. Immediately my stomach swirled and not in a good way. I felt sick at the prospect of leaving. Not because the hotel here was all that great but because it meant we getting closer to Gavin finding that damnable gypsy and returning, if he could, to his time, without me, or so he thought—I was still working on figuring that part out.

  ♦

  It didn’t take nearly as long to get to the other hotel as it did to the first one. I only had to stop once to refuel and use the bathroom at one of the rest stops. As usual, when we stopped, after Gavin used the rest room he gathered up just about every free brochure on the surrounding sights and when his eyes weren’t shut, he was staring at the pictures.

  “Did you find anything interesting,” I asked after about three hours into the drive.

  “Aye.” He turned in the seat and flashed a brochure of the Natural Bridge and some caverns.

  “Do you want to stop at them?”