by Laura Eno
This man was more erotic than Abbie knew what to do with. She was ready to scream now.
“You need to stop,” she panted, but he didn’t stop.
“Why do you keep stopping me, Abbie? I can feel your desire; I sense your arousal.”
He started to push her skirts up out of the way as he balanced her against the wall.
“No…stop.” She was overwhelmed and more than a little scared. It was all happening too fast for her to adjust to.
Gavin felt her stiffen and reluctantly put her down. She would surely be the death of him if he didn’t have her soon.
“All right, we will talk then. Why were you talking to the Fae earlier? What is your connection to her?”
“The brunette…her name is Fay? I don’t know her.”
“Nae, that’s not her name. She is Fae. What is your business with her?”
Abbie noticed that Gavin’s demeanor had undergone a transformation from seductive lover to aggressive Laird and she didn’t appreciate the change.
“I said I don’t know her. Why are you taking such a high-handed attitude?”
“If you have no business with her then why would she address you?”
“I don’t know. Go ask her, and quit being a jerk!”
Abbie stalked back around the castle, but Gavin remained where he was. He had no wish for her to draw her knee up again and suspected she would in her present mood. Katherine was present during the conversation; she would know what was said. He went to find her.
Gavin had found Katherine in the kitchen garden, consulting with the cook. He drew her aside and asked.
“Nae, Abbie didna seem to know the woman.”
“What did she say?”
“The woman asked Abbie if she was enjoying her stay here. That was it except I found it verra odd that the woman spoke to her in English. Also, I’ve never seen her in the village before. Do ye know who she is?”
Katherine noticed that he had gone quite still, a faraway look in his eyes.
“Gavin, what's wrong?”
“She is Fae.” He turned and walked out of the garden.
“Och nae,” Katherine muttered.
Chapter Six
Taking the stairs two at a time, Gavin knocked on Abbie’s door but she didn’t answer. He tried to open it but she'd barred his entrance.
“Abbie, please let me in. I need to speak with you, lass.”
“Well, I don’t need to speak with you, so go away.”
“It's verra important that I speak with you now.”
Gavin’s voice was a bit louder that time, she noticed. He rolled his r’s more when he was angry, too. She waited in silence.
“You canna bar me out of my own house,” he roared. The only answer he received was a loud thump as something was thrown against the door.
She heard his angry footsteps walk away and breathed a sigh of relief. Abbie had no wish to talk to him right now. Her thoughts were too conflicted and whatever she said was sure to come out wrong. A part of her was still angry, and yet after watching him in the hall this morning she really did understand how he needed to interrogate people in order to get to the heart of the matter quickly. As long as he only acted that way with everybody else, and not her, things would be just fine between them.
Abbie let some time pass while she collected her thoughts, deciding that now might be a good time to seek out Katherine and talk to her. Unbarring the door and opening it, she almost tripped over Gavin as he fell into the doorway.
“You’ve been sitting out there waiting for me to open the door? Has anyone ever told you that you’re stubborn and arrogant?”
“Not lately.”
He smiled with his overabundance of charm and her heart did a little dance. The man was impossible to resist.
“It is of the utmost importance that I speak with you right now, lass.”
“I’m listening…”
“May I come in and sit down?” Gavin didn’t want to have this discussion in the doorway while lying on his back.
Abbie reluctantly agreed and moved aside. He was careful not to touch her, instead moving over to the chairs by the hearth. One kiss from her and he would forget the reason for his being here.
“The woman you spoke with today…”
“I told you, I don’t know her!”
“Aye, I understand that now. Please listen carefully. The woman is dangerous and I wish to figure out the connection to you. Have you had encounters with the Fae before?” Perhaps they had meddled in Abbie’s life before this.
“What do you mean by the Fae?” Abbie wasn’t following any of this.
Gavin studied her for a long time in silence before answering. Where was she really from that she wouldn’t know who he was talking about? He tried again.
“The Sidhe…Tuatha De Danann?” He wasn’t getting any look of recognition from her.
“Legends? You mean like little fairies with wings and elves in fairytale books?” Abbie started smiling, wondering where he was going with this.
“Nae, Abbie. These are not small creatures from storybooks. They are powerful immortal beings who can cause great mischief for us.” A fact that I should have remembered before bedding one, he thought bitterly.
Gavin looked so serious that Abbie grew solemn, taking his hand in hers for comfort.
“Please tell me what you were doing right before you came to be sitting at my feet.” Perhaps her story of time travel was true, if the Fae were involved.
Abbie thought for a moment. “I was sorting laundry, the floor tilted and started to spin, everything turned black and then I was here.” She shrugged helplessly. The experience had been unnerving, to say the least.
Gavin shook his head. “I dinna see any connection to the Fae.” If they didn’t have anything to do with her arrival, Abbie’s story was just that – a tale out of her imagination.
"You still don’t believe that I’m from the future, do you?"
Her eyes narrowed, although at this point she was more saddened by his disbelief than mad. It was rather farfetched. She was the one living it and she hardly believed it herself. Why should he?
“I’m going to go talk to Katherine. Maybe she’ll listen to me.”
She started to go, but Gavin held onto her hand.
“Promise me you’ll stay away from the Fae.”
He looked genuinely concerned for her so she agreed. Abbie had no wish to run into that woman again anyway, especially if she really was who he said.
Abbie found Katherine outside, in the garden. The older woman was sitting on a bench, staring out across the vista.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you,” Abbie began.
“Yer doing nae such thing, lass. I was just resting my bones a bit. Come sit down and bide a wee. Ye look as if ye have something on yer mind.”
Abbie sat down and thought about where to begin, deciding to just come to the heart of the matter right away.
“I know that nobody believes me about coming from the future, but it’s a fact. I also don’t know how to get back home, so I’m wondering if you think there’s a chance for me to fit in here. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be doing right now.”
Katherine looked deep into her eyes for a moment and Abbie felt a shiver go through her, like she was reading her soul.
“Do ye want to go back to yer own time?”
She had asked the question softly, encouraging an honest answer.
“No, not really. I feel drawn to this place, like this is where I belong. I can’t explain the feeling, though.”
Katherine patted her hand and smiled.
“For what it’s worth, I believe ye. And, aye, ye fit in just fine here. Dinna worry overmuch about it. Just be yerself.”
“Thank you. Your support means a lot to me. I only wish that Gavin believed me.”
“Give him time, lass. He will. If ye like, right now ye can help me gather some blaeberries.”
Abbie spent the rest of the afternoon in pleasant conv
ersation with Katherine while picking the wild berries. They got back just in time for supper, but Gavin didn’t join them and Abbie wasn’t about to stoop low enough to ask where he was. She wasn’t going to chase the stubborn man. Let him figure it out for himself.
With supper over, Abbie asked if it would be an imposition to have more hot water brought up for a bath. That was one thing she would highly miss from her century – indoor plumbing. At least there were garderobes in the castle, so she didn’t have to go traipsing around outside looking for an outhouse.
Soaking in a tub in front of a fire did have a decadent feeling to it, Abbie decided as she lathered her body with lilac scented soap. The infuriating man had removed the bar from her door after she left so she’d dragged a small dresser in front of it. Gavin would still be able to push his way through, but at least she could deliver a message about privacy to him.
***
Gavin and Thomas rode into the village in preparation for Lughnasadh. Orders for the supplies needed to be placed now, as the celebration was in less than a fortnight. Afterwards, they stopped by the tavern before heading home.
“Am I still leaving next week to collect Iona?” Thomas wondered where recent events had placed that errand. He could see the interest sparked in his Laird by the arrival of Abbie.
Gavin stared morosely at his whisky. “Aye. What choice do I have?”
“Mayhap one will be found, if you but think on it. True love is rare, you know.”
Gavin was startled. “Why do you speak of true love?”
Thomas laughed at his good friend and slapped him on the back. “Have you looked in the mirror lately?”
Thomas’s words gave Gavin much to think about on the ride back. He found Katherine in the study, sitting before the fire.
“I’ve been waiting on ye.”
“Aye?” Gavin poured a drink for her and sat down.
“Thank ye, lad. She doesna wish to go back, ye know.”
“Go back where…to her home? Did you find out where she’s from?”
“She doesna want to return to her own time.”
“You believe her story? How is that possible?”
Katherine smiled at him. “Dinna be daft. If the Fae are involved, anything’s possible.”
Gavin thought it over for a moment and Katherine now saw acceptance dawn on his face.
“Ye’ve got some thinking to do and decisions to make.”
“How can I break the word of my father?” Gavin looked at her with despair in his eyes.
“Yer da loved ye something fierce, lad. He wouldna stand in yer way. Ye never knew this, but he was contracted to marry elsewhere. He kidnapped yer ma right from under the noses of her kinsmen and married her in the fires of Beltane before bringing her back here. He would give ye his blessing, that he would.”
Gavin hugged the woman who had raised him as her own.
“Thank you for telling me. It eases my heart. Do you know where Abbie is?”
“Aye, but mind yer manners, she’s taking a bath.”
He grinned at the thought. “Good. I think I’ll go see her.”
Katherine just shook her head as he left, but smiled to herself as she finished her drink.
The briefest of intervals ensued between the knock on the door and the crash as it opened into the dresser.
“What is blocking the door?”
“Someone removed the bar from the door,” Abbie replied sweetly. “I’ve retired for the night. You’ll have to see me in the morning.”
Gavin could hear splashing as she bathed and the furniture in the way wasn’t helping his mood. Why was the lass so contrary?
“Lass, I only wish to talk with you. Please let me enter.”
“Sorry, I’m busy.” She held her breath as she waited for his reply.
“I will give you tonight then, Abbie. But know this, tomorrow you are mine.”
Thunder echoed in his voice, sending shivers through her. Abbie wasn’t sure if they were from excitement or intimidation. Probably both. One thing was sure, she thought while listening to him stalk down the hallway, tomorrow her life would be changed forever.
***
“Have you been walking amongst the humans again?” Midir stroked the velvet smooth skin on Shilanna’s leg as they stretched out on the white sands of the hidden isle belonging to their race, the Tuatha De Danann.
“Yes, I have. It amuses me.” Her sultry voice purred in a beguiling manner. “I ruined a man’s upcoming marriage by bringing another woman to him through a Stone of Destiny.”
Midir’s rich laugh roared through the stillness of the air. He mocked Shilanna with his high humor. “All you’ve succeeded in doing, my dear, is delivering the man’s destiny to him - in the form of his true love.”
Shilanna was not amused. “We’ll see about that.”
Chapter Seven
Abbie spent another restless night struggling with her options. Phantom Fae chased her between dreams of Gavin lowering his magnificent body onto hers as she cried out her desire. She awoke with no sense of having slept at all.
A palpable tension filled the air at breakfast; a charged atmosphere that everyone noticed, even if they pretended not to. Their normally affable Laird sat silent, staring at the lass with brooding intent.
Abbie nervously picked at her food. Each time she glanced at Gavin his smoldering eyes tied knots in her stomach.
“You’re not eating, lass. You need to keep up your strength.”
His seductive voice rippled with a sexual heat that hit its target, causing Abbie to stifle a moan. Get a hold of yourself, she thought sternly. Don’t give him the upper hand right from the start.
“You should take your own advice,” she answered sweetly, motioning to his own plate of untouched food.
Gavin’s nostrils flared and the heat in the room seemed to rise a couple of degrees. He laughed low in his throat, marveling at the lass. She didn’t intimidate easily. Today he would unleash that wanton spirit and drink his fill. She had held him at bay for far too long.
“Since it seems we are both finished with our meal, perhaps you’d enjoy a stroll?” Gavin stood up and walked over to her chair, taking her unresisting hand in his.
“Certainly.” Maybe a stroll first would calm her nerves for what she knew was coming.
Instead of walking out the door, Gavin steered her toward the staircase.
“I thought we were going outside?” Abbie started to pull away, fear suddenly latching onto her with a firm grip, but Gavin held her tightly about the waist.
“I dinna recall mentioning outside, lass.”
Abbie noticed his Scottish brogue increasing, as she’d heard before when he was angry. Perhaps it wasn’t anger, but passion that drove it. Her fight or flight responses were kicking in, despite the fact that she wanted this big, beautiful man to make love to her.
Gavin sensed her fear and couldn’t understand it. Why would she fear him? No matter, Abbie would soon move past that. Mayhap she feared banishment once she’d given herself to him.
“I willna turn you out once I’ve had you, if that is your worry.” He didn’t think that was even possible. She did things to his emotions that he’d never experienced before.
Anger burned through Abbie hearing those words, replacing her fear.
“You are so arrogant!” She attempted to wrench free of him but he laughed and held her aloft, swinging her over his shoulder.
“Put me down!”
“I think not. You are mine now.”
His large hand splayed across her butt, rubbing suggestively as he took the stairs, two at a time. Even in her anger, Abbie realized she wanted this man beyond all reason.
They entered a room Abbie hadn’t seen before, down at the far end of the hallway. From her vantage point she couldn’t see much of it yet but it must be Gavin’s own bedroom, judging from the spacious size.
Gavin lowered her slowly, sliding her body down his in a show of dominance and reminding her that he had
control. Maybe he did, Abbie thought with a smile, but that didn’t mean she had no say in the proceedings.
Abbie surprised him by wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a passionate kiss. He groaned as he held her locked against his body, his desire for her threatening to consume him. She unbound his hair from the leather strap that held it in place, letting it fall free.
Continuing to rub Abbie’s luscious ass, Gavin showered kisses along her neck. The minx arched her back, exposing her lovely breasts for his taking. He lowered her until she could stand, letting his stiff member slide along her body.
“Remove your clothing for me, Abbie. Let me see your lovely body.” He could see fear and excitement battling for supremacy upon her face as she slowly let her gown drop to a puddle on the floor.
“And the rest, lass.”
His grin spoke of heated sex to her. Abbie didn’t quite know what she was letting herself in for, but she’d never wanted anything so much as this man. She removed her shift and stood before him, watching his eyes burn as he looked at her.
“You are beautiful.” Gavin felt like worshipping at her feet and fought for his normal, legendary control. Where had it fled to?
He knelt before her and kissed the inside of her thighs, causing Abbie to sway.
“Dinna drop on me now.” Gavin spoke with a guttural purr, sending a lance of heat racing through Abbie’s body.
His tongue flicked back and forth in a delicate manner, causing Abbie to gasp at the intimacy. Her knees buckled from the sensation. Gavin caught her and carried her over to his bed.
She watched as he undressed, trying to conquer her fear. Gavin saw her reaction and smiled seductively.
“Dinna be concerned. We will fit well together.” He had experienced that initial reaction many times before.
He continued to kiss her all over and Abbie soon relaxed enough to daringly reach for the object of her consternation. She traced her fingers over the velvety soft skin in wonder, causing it to buck in her hand.
Her touch ignited a flame within him and Gavin crushed his lips against hers. He sought to bring her to a peak as he spread on top of her, kissing her with a passion that knew no end. Abbie responded with such erotic movements that his lust threatened to overtake him.