by Ria Cantrell
*****
Kiera had returned to her room later that night to pack a few things. When she got there, the fire had been lit and she scanned her bedroom for Derek. He was nowhere to be seen. Kiera had hoped that he would be whole outside of the tower walls, but it seemed that perhaps he was not. As she dropped her packages onto her bed, she knew she would need to pack some things so that she and Derek could spend the night together in the tower. It was already dark, so she would need a flashlight to guide her through the woods. While the thought of traipsing through the dark woods terrified her, the idea of leaving Derek to sleep alone was too hard for her now to think about. The chill of the night air was quite daunting and Kiera stood and warmed herself by the fire. She knew she needed to get going, but her fears of walking through the dark woods alone were working on her. She rubbed her hands together and she leaned momentarily on the mantle.
Another shard of wood seemed to crumble away from the larger gouge now forming in the breach of the wood. Kiera picked up the splinter and she looked at the ever growing hole. She would need to get some wood putty or something to stop the disintegration of the timber. It seemed to be falling apart a little more each day. Once again, she could not resist putting her finger into the cleft and when the tip of it touched what seemed like a metal intrusion, Kiera was again filled with revulsion. A physical shudder of foreboding coursed through her. She tried to shake it off and she chided herself saying, “You are just being ridiculous. It’s an old wooden mantle. It probably has a metal shank within it to hold it together.”
Only the dread continued to creep into her and she vowed to get the void in the mantle filled the next day. She just could not help herself from touching it and the last thing she needed was to have to fork over money for the ruined antique. Kiera pulled her hand away from the mantle as if she had been burned and when she turned around, she saw Derek standing in the doorway, munching on an apple.
“Oh my God, you are here. I was packing some things to bring to you…but you are here…and you are eating.”
“It seems, my love, ye’ have broken the spell completely.”
With the feeling of foreboding dissolving into the mists, Kiera ran to him and threw her arms around him. The solid feel of him in her arms made the last remnants of her unfounded fear fade away. It was true. He was here in the flesh and he was eating! That simple act warmed her heart beyond reason. Ghosts didn’t eat. They certainly didn’t do the things they had done last night together. It seemed that somehow what they shared in the tower had indeed unlocked Derek from his life of limbo. Burying his lips in her hair, he took a deep breath and filled his lungs with the sweet scent of her. It seemed that all his senses had come alive and it was the headiest thing he had ever experienced.
“I dinna’ want ye’ to walk through the woods alone and unprotected. I came back to the Keep and raided the kitchens. I think I scared the hell out of one of the cooks but I explained I was a friend of yours. She said I could help myself to something to eat, but she made me a…sand something and gave me an apple.”
“Sandwich.”
“Mm, aye, sandwich.”
Kiera smiled thinking about how the cook must have been startled to see a man in a kilt standing before her. He did not just look like a guy donning a modern-day kilt as many of his country men were wont to do. His powerful wrists were cuffed with heavy leather bands. His sturdy boots were laced about his muscular legs. His long hair spilled down his back. While he was the most delicious thing Kiera had ever seen, no doubt the cook might not have agreed. Kiera suppressed a giggle at the thought.
Kiera felt his strength and his love and she forced herself out of his arms and said, “I bought you some modern clothes.”
Taking a final bite of his apple and tossing the core into the flames of the fire, Derek said, “Oh, show me. I want to be a modern man, my beautiful one.”
Kiera laughed softly. “You will never be a modern man, Derek but at least you can dress like one.”
Kiera unfolded the pairs of jeans she had selected for Derek. She also bought him some underwear, but she was not certain he would want to wear those. Still, she opened the pack and she handed him a pair of cotton briefs. With a raised eyebrow he asked, “I dinna’ know men wore panties in yer’ time.”
Kiera laughed so hard at that, she could barely speak. Derek stood by smirking silently, not understanding what she thought was so funny, but her laughter was rather infectious.
Finally, wiping tears from her eyes, she calmed down enough to say, “Most men don’t wear panties…well I guess there are a few…what I mean is that they are not called that for men. Panties are what I wore…”
“And quickly lost, as I recall,” he said with a devilish grin.
“Never mind that…these are called underpants or particularly, briefs.”
“Do I have to wear them?”
“No, but you might find it more comfortable to wear them under the jeans. Jeans can be tight and well, you just might think it is more comfortable.”
“What a good lass…wanting to protect my privates…”
“You are a cad.”
Derek smiled and nodded in agreement to the title she had given him. Snatching his underwear from her, he dropped his kilt and started to put them on as he had witnessed Kiera do with her own panties that morning. They fit snugly, but they were not uncomfortable. Kiera nearly drooled as he took his time pulling them up his muscular legs and thighs. He had no modesty whatsoever, but Kiera enjoyed his little exhibitionist display as he tucked himself into the strange undergarment. He stepped into the denim trews and he tugged them over his narrow hips. Kiera stood before him and she gently buttoned the top button and then she grasped the toggle of the zipper. Making certain nothing was going to get caught in it, she yanked it up and zipped him in the tight fitting jeans that looked magnificent on him.
“Easy, there lass. Ye’ dunna’ want to be squeezing me too much into these tight fitting trews, for I plan to thoroughly make love to ye’ quite soon.”
Kiera ignored his promising claim for the moment and she said, “Never mind that. How do they feel?”
Derek tested moving in the jeans and he said, “Oddly, they feel quite comfortable.”
“They look fantastic on you.”
“Yes, but the question is…do they make me look hot?”
“Most definitely. Why, my mouth is watering just looking at you in them,” she said honestly. Imitating his words to her from the previous night, she said, “Take them off.”
Swallowing hard, he bowed before her and said, “Aye, m’lady.”
He unzipped the jeans and peeled them off of his legs, tugging the briefs with them. Tossing them unceremoniously next to the bed, he stood before her, naked and in all his glory. Kiera almost felt her knees buckle at his beautiful male perfection. It was a good thing he had discarded those jeans, for surely now they would not fit!
If she hadn’t wanted him moments ago, she was quite certain that she did right now. She moaned softly just looking at him and he smiled with false innocence. Kiera moved up to him and taking hold of him in her hand most forwardly, she leaned close and pulled his head down to her mouth, where she whispered very naughty and sexual things she hoped he would understand despite their communication gaps. With a little groan as her hand encased his manhood, he certainly understood everything she said, even if he had never heard it said in such a way before. He pulled her into his arms, and he unfastened her jeans. He felt her kick out of them and he pushed her sweater over her head. He had watched her unfasten her bra last night and he deftly and easily dispensed with that as well. Finally, he knelt before her and he tugged her panties down her legs. He kissed her beautifully adorned little navel and he rested his head against the soft swell of her stomach for a moment. He slid his fingers between her legs and he felt her legs quake at his sensuous touch. She was wet! Gripping her buttocks in his hands, he kissed her stomach and then stood up. He scooped her up and carried her to her to t
he gigantic bed. Derek watched as she parted her legs unshyly for him. “I want you, Derek,” she said adamantly.
“As I do ye’, lass. Ye’ are a passionate woman, Kiera for it seems ye’ are already wet and ready for me.”
“Yesssss,” she purred.
“Well, I shall no’ make ye’ wait, lassie. I have need of ye’, too.”
As he slipped blissfully inside of her, he knew that this was what love felt like. All the others were simply passing fancies, but this woman…this one woman, was what made it feel like to have his soul awakening in so many ways. As love poured from his heart to hers, making love to her fortified it as their bodies became one.
Later, when they were both spent and sated, they laid together just enjoying being able to touch. Derek’s hands seemed to never tire of touching her and Kiera definitely thought she would happily get used to his stroking. They talked about many things and Kiera loved that he was so thirsty for knowledge about things from her time. She was equally curious about the things she had seen that he had collected over time in the tower room. He promised to show her all of his “treasures” when next she came to visit there. She, in turn, promised to teach him all she could to prepare him for a life spent living in a century so far removed from his own. When Kiera thought he would be daunted by it all, he proved that instead, he was exuberant to learn everything. Kiera wanted Derek to experience every marvel and wonder from her time and Derek was ecstatic to have Kiera school him.
Wickedly, he planned to school her in lessons of his own, that would unlock every inhibition she had carried until these moments spent in passionate love making with him. He was as excited at that prospect as he was to learn whatever he could be taught about the twenty-first century.
One of the first things, beside the food that Derek was going to learn to enjoy was the thing Kiera called ‘taking a shower’. She had wanted to take one after they had made love a second time and Derek followed her to the bathroom, watching her turn on a spray of water that came out of the wall. He passed his hand under it and found it to be deliciously warm. He watched Kiera step underneath the water and she held out her hand for him to join her. She explained that she took a shower at least once every day and while he had enjoyed the invigorating swims in the frigid loch, he was more than pleased with the warmth of the spray that showered over him. He turned his face up into it and felt the water sliding down his neck and shoulders. Kiera picked up a bar of soap and she began rubbing it into his flesh. Derek moaned from the pleasure of it and after Kiera rinsed him and then cleaned herself, she shampooed both their hair. The massage of her fingers in his scalp sent tingles of sensations through him. That was the scent that had lingered in her hair and it sent desire for her coursing through him yet again. Grabbing her and lifting her into his arms, he pushed her against the cool tile of the wall of the shower and he plunged into her less gently than he wanted. He had never wanted to hurt her, but he was so overcome with desire, he just forgot about gentleness for the moment. Instead of feeling her resist him, he felt her wrap her legs around his waist and rock against him as he plunged deeply into her. She clung to him as he thrusted intensely into her, and the splash of water gushed over them. Kiera cried out, loving the feel of him inside of her. Despite it being less than gentle, Derek murmured words of love to her, both in English and in Gaelic. Even though she did not know what he said, she felt the meaning in her heart. He was telling her he loved her. He was encouraging her to let go of the past with his ancient words of love. When they came together in a soul-sealing climax, Kiera knew that the past was where it finally should be and that the future now rested in her powerful warrior’s hands.
Chapter 35
In the next several weeks, Kiera and Derek spent every moment they could with each other. Kiera was amazed how much Derek seemed to absorb everything that Kiera showed him. Not only that, he was a quick learner, rapidly mastering things that took most people years. Kiera had learned that Derek had been prompted to read by his grandfather, Laird Gavin, when he had been a young boy, but he could only read the Latin manuscripts written by the monks at a local abbey. Kiera realized that even if she had Latin for him to read, it would not be the same that he had learned back in the 1300’s. That he could read at all, was a feat unto itself, but having met Gavin, she was not surprised that he would encourage his charges to learn that skill, when so many could not. Kiera set about trying to teach Derek to read words in English and in the modern vernacular.
He struggled a bit at first, but quickly learned the patterns of letters that formed words. He excelled at it in a quick span of time. Kiera was getting used to returning to her apartments in the keep only to find Derek, sitting before the fire, with a book in one hand and some sort of food item in the other. He savored words as much as he savored the taste of food. He balanced it all with sword practice in the outer bailey, which worked his honed muscles and kept him fit, and Kiera supposed, kept him linked to the ties of his own time. The tourists soon became accustomed to seeing Derek as well, as he would work his sword, albeit, alone, daily outside of the keep. It became part of the attraction and no one questioned where he had come from. They all just thought he was part of the charm of the place and Kiera felt pride well in her heart for him. He was more than part of the charm. He was its lifeblood and bridge to the history that lived within its granite walls.
Kiera loved to watch him. Whether it was eating some sort of new treat, reading a book, trying some new gadget, or swinging his sword in his ancient warrior’s dance, Kiera could not tire of observing him. Everything he did, he did with a hunger for life and with passion that was not only present in their bed, but in all he experienced throughout the day. He enjoyed car rides, and train rides, and modern conveniences that Kiera had probably taken for granted. Somehow watching Derek experience things for the first time, made her appreciate the world she had been born into. She realized how lucky she was to not have to struggle for her daily existence as men from his time had to do. Kiera also realized she had no right to have ever judged him. Now, as love blossomed in her heart for this man, with all his past challenges, Kiera learned to also love herself. That had been quite a hard lesson. The total acceptance Derek bestowed upon her was the lesson Kiera needed most in learning acceptance of herself, shortcomings and all.
At night, or sometimes during the day when she could steal away from the tours, they would make love. Kiera was certain she had never experienced the desire and subsequent fulfillment that she did when she was with Derek. She also knew that she had never felt more loved and cherished as she did by this man. The world had truly become their oyster and Kiera was happy to watch him enjoy all that life suddenly had to offer him. She also learned he never took one thing for granted. As he cherished her, Derek cherished and appreciated every aspect of his new found life.
One night, Kiera thought to surprise Derek. She procured medieval attire from a costume site on the internet. She had hidden the rich velvet emerald gown in her closet and waited for Derek to return from the kitchens bearing snacks he would need to sustain them for a night planned for lovemaking. She dressed carefully in the beautiful medieval gown, tightening the lacing up her back with a gentle tug and adjusting the cascading sleeves over her arms. Bands of Celtic knot work adorned the sleeves and hemline. This gown was not just some Halloween cheesy costume, but one that had been made with loving hands of someone who believed in preserving and re-creating history. The gown fit her perfectly, sweeping over her body and accentuating her sultry curves to their best advantage. She hoped Derek would like her in it. She just wanted to give a nod to his past and let him know that she accepted him, too. All of him, past and present! She wove her hair into a thick plait, which hung over her shoulder like the image of Jenna Brandham’s portrait, and she waited for Derek to return. She felt beautiful and sexy, even though she was well covered in this sort of attire. It made her feel feminine in ways that her tight little jeans never could.
She stood before the mantle,
not wanting to touch that disintegrating part of the heavy wood shelf because it still gave her the “heebie jeebies” for some reason. The warmth of the fire was comforting. Autumn was upon them and the Highlands were cooler than the weather she had been used to in New York. The heavy velvet gown offered her warmth and she understood why this sort of garment was worn in the time of Derek’s past.
When he walked through the door, carrying his usual platter of food, he beheld her with his stormy gaze. Kiera saw unspoken emotions play across his face. He placed the tray down on the table near the chairs and slowly walking toward her, he said, “What is this?”
“I thought maybe you missed women being dressed like this. I thought you would enjoy seeing me dressed like women dressed in your time. Does it please you?”
He nodded numbly. All of a sudden, it was like he was back in time and he was not sure the past was where he wanted to go there,again. Not if it meant Kiera was not there with him. Only, she was there. She was right before him and he thought she never looked more beautiful. He knelt before her and took her hand into his. He brought her fingers to his lips and he murmured something in his ancient tongue. Then as her eyes betrayed her confusion, he said, “I want ye’ to be my wife, Kiera MacCollum. Please say ye’ will honor me and marry me.”
She had gotten used to him calling her that, but she was not prepared for him to propose to her. Tears filled her eyes and gently spilled down her cheeks. She nodded silently. Derek kissed her hand again and just stayed on his knee gazing up at her. This was love. This was what it meant to be complete. He swallowed down the emotion that suddenly rose to the surface as she stood before him, dressed as a lady from his own century. He nuzzled her thigh and he felt her hand stroke his head, cradling it against her hip.