“But Helena was no more than a babe,” Kylie murmured. It made no sense. “Did he say why?”
“Nay, but I had to convince him that Helena was mine. When he came back, Helena was seven, and he remembered me. He apologized for scaring me all those years ago and took some time to bounce Mary, for she was but a toddler then, on his knee. The man had aged, and he seemed so sad. I never did know what he wanted.”
A toddler. A child. Maybe Kylie had it all wrong. Maybe Erksine wasn’t looking for her. She certainly wasn’t a threat to him as a baby. If so, then who was Erksine looking for, and how did it connect to Kylie?
Had it led to her parents’ deaths?
“Thank ye for yer time. If ye or yer husband think of anything else, will ye please let us know?” Kylie asked quietly as she stood. Her whole body trembled. Instead of finding answers, she was just bringing up more questions. Would she ever discover why her parents had to die?
Everything that she’d sacrificed, and she was no closer to the truth.
Afraid that she would cry, she hastily retreated from the cottage and leaned against a nearby tree to take a deep breath. The pain and despair were overwhelming.
A gentle hand pulled her away, and she found herself embraced in Moira’s arms. “I can see ye are in pain, Kylie. Please know that ye can talk to us. That ye can cry,” Moira said.
And so she did. She let the tears fall, and while Moira held her, Cora rubbed her back. Finally, she straightened and wiped her cheeks. “Come,” Cora said as she reached into her satchel and pulled out a bag. “It’s not noon, but I think we can relax and have some cheese and break.”
They didn’t ask Kylie any questions but shared their own stories, both of which were heartbreaking and uplifting. Cora had lost the father she barely knew and lived in terror until she’d learned to trust Alec, and Moira had spent years thinking she’d lost the only man she’d ever loved.
They had happened endings, and clearly, they wanted her to know that she could have a happy ending too.
Afterward, they visited the rest of the families that Moira thought could help, and they all corroborated Edna’s story. Erksine had come twice looking for the same child about six years apart.
No one knew why.
Afterward, she opted to skip dinner again and requested a tray be brought to her chambers. Leaning against the window, she looked out at the stars twinkling against the black backdrop and wondered if maybe she really did need to move on. She would most likely be safe there. Maybe it was time to forget about her quest and look to the rest of her life.
She could ask for a small place to live and work the land for the clan. She had a talent with a needle and thread, so she could make some clothes and be useful.
A knock on the door signaled the arrival of her dinner, so she opened it, but it wasn’t a servant on the other side; it was Creighton, and he was carefully balancing two trays.
“May I join ye?” he asked softly.
Kylie tried not to scowl. He was being polite, and all she wanted to do was fight and yell and work out her frustrations. “I dinnae think I will be good company tonight.”
“‘Tis all right. I am used to ye not being good company.” Then, without asking again, he walked by her and set the trays on the table. “Moira and Cora said that ye had some unexpected news when ye were talking to the villagers, and that was why ye didnae want to join everyone.”
“Aye, but ‘tis not yer concern. Ye are supposed to spending time finding yer bride.”
He didn’t say anything but held out his hand to her. Knowing that it was a bad idea, she gave it to him and joined him at the table.
Then, as they ate, she told him everything.
21
Creighton listened without interrupting. Every now and then, he nudged her food toward her to remind her to eat. She was angry and unfocused. And disappointed.
But strangely, as she spoke, she didn’t seem disappointed in the news that she was wrong. She seemed disappointed in herself. After she’d finished her meal, she leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. Her pain was written all over her face, and he knew how she felt. She’d lost someone, even if it was all those years ago, and she didn’t have answers.
He, at least, knew who had taken his family away, but he often wondered what had happened to his brother that had made him turn on them—and if there was something he could have done differently.
Kylie was hurting, and he knew it was unfair of him to try and stop her, but while she was in pain, at least she was there.
“Marcus treated me like a daughter,” she said softly as she pushed her half-eaten tray away. She was clearly done, and Creighton wished she’d eaten more. The fear and doubt weighed on her, and she seemed to be wasting away. He hated it. “I could have accepted that he loved me, that he was my family, but I knew he was lying to me, and I couldn’t let that go.”
“Aye, I know how that feels,” he said.
She chuckled dryly. “Aye, I suppose ye do. He warned me what could happen if I went digging, but I suppose he didn’t anticipate what did happen.”
“The attack?”
After a moment, she closed her eyes. “He hadn’t allowed me to come with him on that trip. He was worried about the stability in the clan on the account that it had a new laird, but I snuck into the cart. He didn’t find me until the caravan was too far out to turn back, and he was furious.”
So she had practice forcing her escorts.
“He didnae want to take me to the market, but he also didnae want to leave me alone, so he left me with the young son of one of the other merchants. Of course, he scampered off to sample an Armstrong lass, and I went straight to the keep.”
Creighton immediately straightened. Was she finally going to give him the name of her lover?
“I wasnae family with the keep, or any keeps, so I wandered and asked the first guard who was alone if I could speak to the laird. He smiled so accommodatingly and ushered me into a room to wait. I had no idea what would happen until I was pinned beneath him, and I discovered that day just what I would sacrifice by ignoring Marcus.”
Fury punched him, hard and fast, and he didn’t even realize he was growling until her eyes popped open. “Did ye learn his name?”
“Nay,” she said softly.
“Why didn’t ye tell me?”
“I havenae been in control of anything since leaving MacDougal lands. Everything seems to be spiraling out of control, but I didnae want to admit how far my idiocy had taken me. This secret I could keep, and ye were so disgusted when ye thought I had given myself to another man that ye didnae want to touch me. I thought it was safer that way, but now I am running out of time.”
“Out of time for what?”
“Ye are going to pick a bride soon, and I will regret not asking ye to show me what it is supposed to feel like between a man and a woman,” she whispered, and when she opened her eyes, there was a mixture of need and fear. “So I am telling ye the truth. I didnae choose someone willingly.”
Standing so quickly, he knocked the chair over and reached for her hand. She gave it to him slowly, and he pulled her up and closer to him. “It wouldnae have mattered to me, Kylie, whether ye had gone to someone willingly or not. It doesnae stop how I feel about ye and what I want from ye. I want to kill the man who took without permission, but I amnae disgusted by ye. The only thing that has held me back these past few nights is the wall that ye put up between us. Ye werenae ready then.”
“I am ready now.” As she spread her trembling hands on his chest and looked up at him. “Please, Creighton.”
“Kylie, my body is yers tonight.” Silently vowing to help her forget all her pain, even just for the night, he leaned down and kissed her. He wanted it to be sweet and soft. He wanted to go slow and let her warm up to the idea of pleasure.
Then, she pulled up his shirt, touched his abdomen, and his control snapped.
* * *
One minute, she was enjoying her slow exploration of
his body, and the next, she was bouncing on the bed, and he was on her, lifting her legs and allowing the skirts of her dress to fall to her waist, baring everything under him.
“Creighton!” With a gasp, she tried to arrange her skirts, but he pressed a kiss to her ankle, and that simple action nearly stole her breath away.
“Dinnae hide yerself from me,” he said hoarsely. “I want to see all of ye tonight.”
“Are ye certain?”
“Aye.” His finger stroke down her calf, to the back of her knee, and she shuddered. “All of ye.”
When his fingers moved to her thighs, she felt herself dampen, and her cheeks heated. Could he see what was happening to her?
After sensing that she wasn’t ready, he dropped her legs around his body and began to work on the laces of her dress. “Lift yer hips, Kylie,” he said.
Kylie. Not Kaitlyn. Suddenly, she knew that she didn’t want to be called anything else.
Planting her heels in the bed, she lifted her hips, and he moved her dress up past them. As soon as she relaxed, he pulled her up and pulled the dress over her head.
She felt like a doll in his hands, and she fell back to the bed, naked.
“Beautiful,” he whispered, even as she scrambled to try and pull the blanket over her. “Let me look, my sweet. Let me see yer beauty.”
“‘Tis not fair. Ye can see all of me, but I cannae see all of ye.”
“In due time. If I undress now, I dinnae know if I can control myself.”
She shuddered. What would it look like for the laird to break? Would he ravish her like she heard lasses whisper and giggle about?
After his gaze swept over every inch of her, he touched her again, softly sweeping his hands up her thighs and fluttering across her abdomen. Then, a flick over her nipples, and a smile when she jerked and gasped.
“Tell me if I do something that ye like,” he murmured, and she whimpered just a little. It felt a little too wonton to tell him when she liked something. Even more so considering that so far, she liked everything.
“Kylie,” he commanded and pinched her. With a yelp, she nearly came off the bed as pain mixed with pleasure. “Tell me what ye like.”
“I...” Her cheeks flamed. “I think I like that.”
“Oh, aye, I think ye do too.” Leaning down, he languidly slid his tongue over her nipple, causing her toes to curl, and just when she closed her eyes to let the pleasure wash over her, he nipped her.
“Creighton!”
Laughing, he slid his hands down her body and parted her legs. “Ye are so beautiful. I will need weeks to just explore ye, lass.”
She knew he hadn’t thought his words through, but when she looked into his eyes, she saw the weight of the knowledge that they didn’t have weeks. They just had tonight.
Leaning down, he kissed her, playing with her tongue as he slid a finger inside her. He was rough, almost angry, and she welcomed it—anything to make her forget that this couldn’t last.
Wanting to do more, she reached for him and undid the belt of his kilt. Creighton grunted in approval and let her release the folds until the fabric fell away, and she could explore his hard length. It should have terrified her, but he pulsed in her hands, shifted his body to accommodate her, and she realized that this was power.
Just as he commanded her body, she could command his.
So she squeezed him, stroked him, and he shuddered when she found all of his pleasure spots.
Then, with a growl, he pushed her hand away and rolled over on top of her.
The memory flashed, and she winced.
Creighton froze.
“‘Tis all right,” he said as he kissed her forehead. “There is another way.”
“I am all right,” she insisted, but he gripped her hips and rolled in the bed. Suddenly, she was sprawled on top of him, her knees naturally falling to either side of his, and her body sliding against him. His hardness nestled right between her thighs, and she realized what he wanted.
“Oh!” She bit her lower lip. “I dinnae know if I can do this.”
“Yer body will do what feels good, lass, and ye will have all the control. Whenever ye want to stop, ye can, and ye can take things however slow or fast that ye want.”
It really did feel like he was giving up control, and that was so unlike him. Kylie didn’t want to let the opportunity pass her by, so she planted her hands on his chest and slowly pushed herself up.
“Nice and slow,” he told her and positioned himself under her. As she lowered herself onto him, she bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes. He was large, so large that for a moment, she wasn’t sure this was going to work, but then he slid his finger over the most sensitive part of her, the part that made her toes curl and her whole body quiver, and she took more of him.
Inch-by-inch, she sank onto him, until he was fully sheathed, and they were both breathing hard.
“Do what feels good,” he told her, and she began to move experimentally. She swiveled her hips and undulated. Creighton kept his hands on her hips, allowing her control but guiding her until she found a pattern that they both liked, and then his hands roamed as did hers.
She touched all over, exploring the body she’d thought so much about when it was clothed, wondering what it would feel like when he was against her; soft, smooth skin pulled over hard rippling muscles. They came together with ease, and in all that pleasure, she was able to forget about what kept them apart. She rode him, harder and faster, until she was shouting his name and exploding around him.
Then, he took over, flipping them so he was on top and moving slowly as he watched her, but the fear that had taken hold of her before no longer applied, and she happily gave herself to him. He gave her one more rolling orgasm before he shouted her name and shuddered inside of her.
22
Connor and Alec both shook his hand as they prepared for the trip. If they were to arrive before Godfrey did, they would have a brutal pace ahead of them, so there wasn’t much time for goodbyes. Even now, the sun barely peeked over the horizon, and Kylie weaved back and forth on her feet.
He’d kept her up the first night deliberately, wanting to taste every inch of her, but last night, it had been to distract her. He wanted her, of course, but she was pacing back and forth in her room and wearing out the rug.
“I am sorry that ye didnae find what ye were looking for,” Connor said until he followed Creighton’s gaze to Kylie. “Or maybe ye have. Allow me to again offer her my protection. She can stay here.”
“She cannae,” Creighton said grimly. Harry’s message had been very clear. Kylie was not safe in Sinclair. If he could, he would stay and keep an eye on her, but an enemy moved even now to his borders. He had to protect his people—and protect Kylie, so she would come with him, and maybe at some point, she would come to her senses and marry him.
“Thank ye again for what ye have done for us, and I am sorry if I am leaving ye disappointed.”
“Not disappointed, Creighton. I wanted ye to be happy, and it seems that ye are. Keep her close and marry her.”
Not wanting to admit that he’d asked and been denied, he just nodded. Kylie was still saying her goodbyes, but afterward, he helped her mount.
“‘Twill be a fast pace, but if ye tire or need anything, ye will let us know?”
Her face drawn tight, she nodded, and he moved to his stallion. He was just about to mount when a shout caught his attention, and he looked back to see Father Benedict riding toward them. “Laird Armstrong, I am hoping ye wouldnae mind if I accompany ye. There is nothing for me here, and Laird Sinclair has been so kind as to offer me a mount. Perhaps I can spend some time in yer lands...”
“Converting the godless?” Creighton said with an arched eyebrow. “We have a priest, Father Benedict.”
“I doubt I will stay long. Despite what happened, ‘tis still my wish to travel. With ye, perhaps I can do it safely.”
“This wilnae be a leisurely trip, Father. Ye must be able to keep up, or I
may have to leave ye behind,” Creighton warned.
The father grinned. “I dinnae think ye will find that necessary. I am a strong rider.”
“Vera well.” Kylie seemed to have bonded with the priest while she was here, and he knew she would enjoy being able to speak with him further. At least now, when she looked at him, she didn’t carry that guilt in her eyes.
They rode hard and fast, stopping only when the sun dipped too low for them to see, and they were careful with their campfire. The priest’s presence didn’t keep Creighton from holding Kylie at night, although he was mindful that they had an audience. Even while he did ease himself inside her, he knew that she needed her sleep. She never made a sound as they rode, but he could tell that she was struggling.
The priest surprised them all. Creighton thought for certain that he wouldn’t be able to keep up, and Andrew had already agreed to escort the priest back if that happened, but Father Benedict rode well.
It should have been a six-day journey, but they made it in five, and they arrived on his lands near midnight.
All was quiet.
“Kylie, Clement and Andrew are going to see ye to the keep. Someone will run a bath for ye and get ye some dinner. I need to speak to the patrols and to Walter before I retire. Father, if ye continue to head north, ye will find the church. Father Harold will be happy to accommodate ye with anything that ye need.”
“Aye, thank ye lad. I cannae thank ye enough for doing this. I feel something pulling me toward the lass. I would like to see her smile again.” He aimed a hard look at Creighton. “And perhaps wed before I move on, eh?”
Creighton grimaced. If only it were so easy. He’d only told Andrew of his proposal to Kylie, not wanting his friend to also ask for her hand but so that he would know Creighton’s intentions.
Highlander’s Elusive Bride: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance Page 12