His Highland Prize (The Clan Sinclair Book 3)

by Celeste Barclay

  He had only been conscious again for a matter of minutes, but his cock was fully alert. He dreamed of her over and over as he tried to fight through the blackness that enveloped him for what felt like years. He saw her so clearly and reached for her so many times, but she always managed to slip beyond his grasp. He saw her in his mind running away over and over, but she was not running from him. Instead, she seemed to be trying to find him. Each time he searched for her and nearly rescued her, only to watch a faceless man in chain mail ride off with her. She always reached for him and mouthed the words, “I love ye,” as she was carried away. Now that she was within reach, he intended to savor every moment he could spend touching her.

  “Brie, I am fine. It isnae bleeding, just a few spots. Come back to bed.” He lightly grasped her wrist and tugged her towards the bed.

  “But Alex, I need to look more closely.”

  “And I need to feel ye in ma arms again. Brie, please.”

  Brighde looked up when she heard the note of pleading in his voice. She glanced down once more and nodded. She walked back around to her side of the bed and climbed back on more gingerly than she had gotten off.

  “I amnae going to break.” He scowled as she slowly inched closer. Impatient, he scooped his arm under her again and pulled her over him. She landed with an “oomph” as she tried to brace herself from putting her full weight on him.

  “Alex, ye have been seriously ill and badly injured. Do ye ken how long it has been since the battle? Ye have been unconscious for a fortnight.”

  “Aye, and it has felt more like a century. Brie, I need to hold ye. I dreamed over and over that ye were taken from me. I chased after ye, but I was on foot and the mon was on a horse. I ken it was de Soules who I could see so clearly. He had ye even though ye fought against him, fought to get to me. Brighde, I need to feel ye now to ken the nightmare is over.” He held the back of her head in the palm of his hand and pressed gently to bring her closer. Their lips met, and this time it was tenderness that passed between them. It started out softly as they stroked one another’s tongue and explored each other’s mouths. Again, Alex pulled Brighde’s chemise up, so he could reach her satiny skin. His other hand found the neck opening and plunged below the collar to reach for her breast. His groan of pleasure encouraged Brighde to straddle one of his legs. The pressure of his firm thigh against the sensitive skin between her own thighs made her writhe. Alex’s hand pressed against her backside and guided her into a rhythm that had her riding his leg.

  “Alex, ye arenae ready for this. It’s too soon.” She panted as she felt his fingers slide down between the cheeks of her buttocks. They found the damp entrance and plunged inside. She could not stop the throaty moan that escaped her. “Alex, too soon,” was all she could manage before he plunged his tongue into her mouth and matched the pace of his fingers. From then on, she was lost. All she could do was rock back and forth. Alex pushed the bed sheets all the way down and then kicked free of them. Her hand slid down his front and encircled his erect shaft. He felt like hot steel covered in silk. She held firmly as she stroked him. The harder he pressed into her sheath, the faster she stroked him.

  “Climb on.”

  “Nay, ye canna do this yet. It is too soon, Alex. I will hurt ye.”

  “The only thing ye will hurt if ye dinna is ma cock. It’s ready to explode, and this time, I will be spilling ma seed into ma wife and nae onto a blanket.”

  “Alex, I’m scared of hurting ye.”

  “Then be gentle.”

  “There isnae aught that is gentle aboot what I want to do and feel.”

  “Then just be careful.”

  He lifted her up so that she straddled both of his hips. He watched as she pulled her chemise over her head and leaned forward. He feasted on her breasts as though they might be his final meal.

  I could die now, and I would be satisfied that they were ma last supper. They are indeed divine.

  He kneaded and massaged the flesh as his thumbs ran over the peaks of her nipples making them into darts that he laved and swirled with his tongue. He felt her take hold of his rod again and nearly climaxed the moment he felt his tip brush against her now soaked slit. He pressed upwards as she pressed downwards until she was fully seated, and he was sheathed to the hilt.

  Brighde was still frightened that she was going to hurt Alex, but he demanded no quarter. His hands gripped her hips as he pushed and pulled her into a slow slide back and forth. The barest movement was all it took for them. Their inflamed and sensitive skin had gone too long without finding release with each other. Alex could feel the tingle begin at the base of his spine as Brighde felt the tightening of her core and the wave of pleasure beginning to surge. Alex thrust into her once more and they both peaked.

  “Brighde!”

  “Alex!”

  Brighde collapsed to the uninjured side of his chest as he held her snuggly to him, both basking in the remaining tremors of their release. Brighde tilted her head back, and they pressed their lips together softly. They were still joined together as their breathing began to slow. While she was still lost to the euphoria, he heard boots in the passageway and then the rattle of the door handle. He snatched up a blanket and tossed it across Brighde just in time to shield her from Tavish and Magnus who jostled one another to get through the doorway. Once inside, both brothers froze as they realized the newly married couple had just finished making love. Alex lifted his head and tucked Brighde’s more firmly against his chest. He cocked one eyebrow and challenged his brothers to dare say a word that might embarrass his wife.

  “We, uh, heard screams and worried something might have happened.” Magnus choked out.

  “Aye, something happened alright,” Tavish said under his breath. To Alex, he said, “it is good to see ye awake and up.” He could not keep from smirking. The double entendre was not lost on any of the brothers, and from how Alex felt Brighde freeze, she understood the innuendo too.

  “I am hail and well taken care of, by ma wife,” Alex stressed, reminding his brothers that this was not some barmaid they walked in on. Both men nodded their heads and backed out of the room, shutting the door as they left.

  “Wonderful. Now yer brothers are going to think me wanton for bedding ye within minutes of coming around.”

  “Or they will congratulate me on ma prowess for being able to satisfy ye so soon after being out cold for a fortnight.” Alex grinned. He looked so boyish in his good humor that Brighde forgot to be embarrassed or upset. She settled next to him and ran her hand lightly over his chest as her eyes suddenly felt heavy again.

  “An duine agam,” my husband she breathed out on a sigh as she drifted back to sleep.

  The dark circles under her eyes and the tightness of the skin across her ribs and middle did not go unnoticed by Alex. It was clear she suffered much too during his illness. He remembered the fraught nerves and weariness he experienced when he cared for her. He could not blame her for being exhausted. He lay still, watching his bride sleep in the crook of his arm. He marveled at the realization that they were finally wed and sharing the chamber he had thought of as theirs for weeks but had not been able to share. He watched a peacefulness settle over her features as they relaxed when she drifted into a deeper sleep. He was fascinated with the slight pout her lips formed as her breathing deepened further. He ran his index finger across her forehead and down the bridge of her nose. Then he looked down at the hand that rested on his chest. He entwined their fingers, and his thumb stroked the spot where a ring should lay.

  If I amnae able to take her to the kirk by the end of tomorrow, then the priest will be coming to this bed to wed and bless us. I amnae waiting longer than another day to be really and truly wed to this woman. I willnae have aught stand between us and our future. She is as much mine as I am hers, and it shall be that way always.

  Those last thoughts floated through his mind as he drifted back to sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  B

  righde f
ound herself drifting back into the present when she heard a knocking at the door. She looked down at Alex who was still asleep.

  “Come,” she called softly. Wrapping the sheet around her chest, she sat up to see who was there.

  She watched as her new sisters-by-marriage, she smiled at that thought, entered with a tray heaping with food.

  “Sister, ye need to eat,” Mairghread announced. Brighde could not put into words the joy she felt hearing her own thoughts vocalized. She was excited to finally have siblings who wanted her and appreciated her.

  “Aileen says that Alex can have soup with vegetables today, and if he can hold that down, he might be ready for some meat tomorrow,” Siùsan stated softly.

  “I am ready for some meat now. Mairghread, I’m starved. Dinna feed me that watered-down broth I ken ye have. If ye willna fetch me real food, I will find it maself.” Alex said with his eyes still closed.

  “Is he back to being delirious? He must be because he kens a patient canna have something so substantial after being ill for so long. Arrogant, mon. Be glad we brought ye aught,” Mairghread tsked at him but laid a kiss on his cheek before swatting at him. “Ye arenae getting aught more than this until ye can prove ye can keep it down.”

  “Aye and that gruel would be kept down more easily if there was some meat or bread to soak it up,” Alex grumbled good-naturedly. He opened his eyes and attempted to sit up. Trying to keep the sheet tucked above her breasts, Brighde helped prop pillows behind him.

  Once the tray was settled on a table near the bedside, the two women left saying they had their own pig-headed husbands along with a stubborn little boy to ensure were fed.

  Brighde climbed from the bed and searched for her chemise. Finding it raffled up in the sheets, she pulled it loose and slipped it over her head. She came to Alex’s side of the bed and picked up a bowl, but before she could bring it to his mouth, he shook his head.

  “I amnae that hungry yet. Ye eat.” He nodded toward the tray that had a full meal waiting for Brighde.

  She looked between the tray and Alex but shook her head.

  “Brie, ye’ve lost quite a lot of weight since I was wounded. I dinna like how thin ye are. It worries me.”

  “Alex, I am fine. Dinna be silly. There’s naught to worry aboot me for. Ye’re the one who needs to mend and get back on yer feet.”

  “Mo chridhe, I amnae taking a sip of that soup until I have seen ye eat to ma satisfaction.” The words were said softly, but there was a hard edge to them. One look at his fierce expression and Brighde knew Alex would not back down until he was convinced she ate enough.

  “Vera well.”

  She put the bowl back down and found a few things from the tray that mildly interested her. She picked at them until she looked over at Alex. Somehow, even in bed with a sheet slung low over his belly and a massive bandage wrapped around him, he managed to look intimidating with his arms crossed and legs apart.

  “Ye arenae fooling me, so unless ye’d like me to feed ye, I suggest ye eat properly.” Alex sounded like he was admonishing a wayward child, and it rankled, but Brighde could also admit that he was right. She would be of little use to his recovery if she fell ill too. She nodded her head and began to eat seriously. It was not long before she realized just how famished she was. She found cheese and bread along with cold chicken on the tray. She ate what she could, but days of barely eating at all shrank her appetite.

  “Alex, I really canna eat more without making maself sick.”

  “Vera well. I ken yer appetite is nae what it was, but I am happy that ye are now well fed. I will have some of that soup now.” He tried not to scrunch up his nose as she brought the bowl to his lips. After several long sips, he pressed it away. “I wouldnae tell anyone if ye were to give me a few bites of that chicken.”

  Brighde looked at it and seriously considered it before she shook her head.

  “Brie, ye can either give it to me now, or I will find a way to get it when ye arenae looking. If ye would just give it to me, then ye would save us both the trouble of me getting out of bed.”

  Brie was not pleased with his announcement, but she also knew he was telling the truth. She did not want him to harm himself with his own stubbornness. Giving him a few bites of chicken seemed the lesser of the two evils.

  After he had feasted on the five bites she was willing to give him, Alex looked up at her. He lifted her hand to his mouth and slowly licked the juices from her fingers and pressed kisses to the tips of each.

  “If I canna walk to the kirk by tomorrow eve, the priest will come here to properly marry us.”

  His announcement took her by surprise since she was not expecting the topic, but she nodded her head without reserve.

  “I dinna think ye should be trying to walk as far as that, so I will summon the priest maself.”

  “So ye are in agreement then?”

  “Of course,” she said indignantly.

  “Vera well,” he grinned wolfishly.

  They could not help but laugh at one another. They finished the meal while chatting about what had been happening around the keep during his illness. She regretted to admit she really knew very little because she had barely seen --or heard-- from anyone. When she let it slip that she had not left their chamber since they walked in together, Alex bellowed for his father.

  Laird Sinclair rushed through the door only to find what looked like a perfectly tranquil domestic scene, if not for the fact that his son was propped up in bed with bandages around his middle.

  “Da, why did ye nae insist that Brighde take a break from caring for me? She has been trapped in this chamber for nearly a fortnight. Why didna anyone help her more?”

  “Alex, dinna take that tone with yer father. It was ma choice to remain here. In fact, Callum tried to carry me out of the room, and I kicked him in the shins and vera nearly bit him. I amnae proud of that little scene, but it was me who refused to leave nae anyone neglecting me.”

  “Ye’re a right pair, the lot of ye. Ye’re both as stubborn as mules when it comes to caring for one another. He wasna much better during yer illness. In a moon, I think he left this chamber all of three times.” Laird Sinclair shook his head. “By the by, ye brothers will help ye to the kirk as soon as ye’re ready. Father Peter has agreed to waive the bans under the circumstances.” His eyes skimming over the disheveled bedsheets.

  “Since ye have already wed by consent, the banns seem a bit pointless.” Laird Sinclair shrugged before walking back out of the room. He left husband and wife staring after him.

  ~~~

  It was not long before Alex and Brighde became tired after eating more than they were accustomed to, so they retired after Alex had the opportunity to watch Brighde bathe. He was sorely tempted to try and help her, but even he had to admit that was beyond his physical abilities at the moment. While he was able to make love to her lying flat on his back, he knew he could not bend over the tub. Afterward, she sat on the bed between his legs and let her eyes drift closed as he ran the comb through her hair. It had been ages since anyone had done it as slowly and gently as he did now. It was lulling her to sleep, so when her head bobbed more than once, Alex set the comb aside and helped her ease over to her side of the bed. She had come to bed naked, and it had taken every last shred of Alex’s self-control not to fondle her as he worked through the tangles in her hair. Now, as he leaned over her to gently set her head on the pillow and she turned on her side, his hand brushed across the side of her breasts. His cocked twitched. He knew she was aware of his arousal. There was no way she could not have been when she sat between his legs. He ran his fingertips down her ribs and splayed his hand across her belly. He had only found his release within her once, but he wondered if it had been enough to create a new life. He had always been so careful with the women in his past, never spilling inside one or only allowing himself to do so where he was sure he could not create a babe. The desire to build a family with Brighde was powerful, but part of him hoped they might
have a little longer as just a couple. He prayed he would become the man his father was and be the type of father he was blessed to have.

  “Are ye wondering if ye’ve planted a bairn in there?”

  Alex looked over Brighde’s shoulder to see she was wide awake.

  “Aye.”

  She shifted to be able to see him more clearly.

  “Is it wrong that part of me desperately wants to carry yer bairn, and another part of me longs to nae have share ye with another person?”

  Alex pulled her flush to his chest and slid his arm between her breasts cupping the side of her neck. He held her close and breathed in the scent he had become so accustomed to he almost did not notice it anymore. He held her for so long she thought he would not answer.

  “It isnae wrong at all. I was just thinking the same thing.” His other arm slid beneath her, he hugged her from behind. “We can wait to try to make a bairn if ye wish.”

  “I dinna ken how that can be. I ken that when a man leaves his seed inside a woman there is always a chance she might conceive. And to be truthful, I dinna like it at all when ye pull out from me. I dinna like that feeling of emptiness just before I find ma release. It leaves me feeling hollow in some way.”

  Alex appreciated her candor and was pleased she felt comfortable talking about the more intimate parts of their relationship.

  “There are ways to prevent getting ye with child that dinna involve me pulling out. There are sheep’s bladders that can be used to keep ma seed from entering ye even though I am inside ye. There are different teas and tinctures ye can use, but I dinna care for that as I amnae entirely convinced they are safe. There is also another part of ye that I can come in.”

  “Ye mean ma mouth?” Brighde asked just above a whisper.

  “There is that. But I didna mean that.” Alex gently nudged her with his hard length. It slid between her buttocks and tapped her most sacred of spaces. Alex peered over her shoulder to see her reaction. His cock pulsed as he saw her mouth form a silent “oh.” His mind immediately flashed to having her mouth around him. It was over a moon since their first trip to the beach. He almost choked when he felt her hand guide his tip to her rosebud as she tilted her hips back.