Highland Spirit: Highland Chronicles Series - Book 2

by Rose, Elizabeth

  “I want to tell ye things, honest I do. But ye have to believe me when I say I canna.”

  “Why? That makes no sense.” He stood up and started pacing the floor.

  “Because if I do, those I love might be hurt.”

  He stopped pacing. “Too late for that,” he said, hearing the sarcasm dripping from his own words. Still, he didn’t care. It no longer mattered. “Mayhap this was a mistake bringin’ ye here,” he said, heading for the door. “Ye can stay here tonight and in the mornin’ I’ll personally take ye back to yer castle and we’ll never have to see each other again.”

  “Nay, dinna be that way, Ethan.”

  He pulled open the door and was about to step out into the cold when her next words stopped him in his tracks.

  “Ye wanted to ken who Isobel’s faither is, so I’m goin’ to tell ye.”

  Suddenly, Ethan felt as if he didn’t really want to know. “I dinna care,” he said without turning around, taking a step outside. “Mayhap some things in life are better off left unkenned.”

  “It’s ye,” she said as he was shutting the door. He froze in his tracks and slowly turned around.

  “What did ye say?” he asked, thinking he’d misheard her, but hoping he had not.

  “Ye are Isobel’s faither.” Tears streamed down her cheeks.

  He stepped back into the hut and slowly closed the door. He didn’t know how to react. Elation, joy, surprise . . . and also anger shot through him all at once.

  “Are ye sayin’ I’ve had a daughter for the past five years and ye couldna bother to tell me? What kind of lassie are ye?”

  Alana’s mouth dropped open. For some reason, she thought Ethan would be happy to know he’d sired a child. But instead, he seemed to think she was some kind of ogre for not telling him sooner.

  “I’m sorry, Ethan, but I wasna here to tell ye. I lived in Ireland up to this past year. And I was ill after birthin’ Isobel for a long time. I nearly died to bring her into this world.” She couldn’t hold her tears back and began crying more.

  “Och, I’m sorry about that,” he said in a half-whisper. “I didna ken.”

  “I didna ken I was pregnant until right before our weddin’ day. I wanted to surprise ye and tell ye after we’d said our vows, but that never happened. I – I had to leave, and so I did.”

  He came toward her slowly, stalking her in a way. “Ye had to leave or ye chose to leave?” he asked, putting her in an awkward position.

  “I was called away the day of our weddin’. I had to go.”

  “To steal another herd besides the MacKeefes?”

  “Nay!” she spat. “I didna ken anythin’ about that, no matter if ye believe it or no’. I had to leave quickly and had no time to say guidbye. It was urgent. My family needed me.”

  “And what about me, Lanny? Didna ye think I might have needed ye, too? And what about Isobel? Who does she think her faither is?”

  “I never told her. Since she doesna have a faither, she decided he was dead. She doesna ask questions about it.”

  “And does that make it right?” he challenged her.

  “Nay,” she said, shaking her head, feeling guilty on so many levels. “I’m a horrible person for the things I’ve done to ye, but I had to make a choice that day and it changed my life in ways I never expected – and they werena guid. I did the only thing I could at the time. I was told my mathair’s life was in danger, my uncle had died, and my faither was runnin’ for his life. I swear, I didna ken it was goin’ to end up this way. I only hope someday ye will be able to forgive me.”

  “When ye stop lyin’ to me, mayhap I will. But that is yet to be seen.”

  “That’s the truth, Ethan. It is no’ a lie. Hold me,” she said, her body trembling, tears streaming down her face. “I need ye. Isobel needs ye. I am livin’ a life of hell and I dinna ken how to make things right.”

  “Oh, Lanny,” he said, reaching out and resting his hands on her shoulders. “Ye ken it is my weakness when ye cry.”

  “I never meant to hurt ye, Ethan. Ye’ve got to believe me.”

  He looked into her eyes and sighed. “I might be the biggest fool to walk the earth, but I do believe ye, sweetheart. I see the turmoil in yer eyes. I dinna ken what ye are goin’ through but I want to help ye if I can. However, I canna do that if ye willna tell me everythin’.”

  “I ken,” she said, knowing she should tell him more, but worried about his reaction. “I told ye that ye have a daughter, and yet ye dinna even seem to care.”

  “Ye’re wrong,” said Ethan, holding her shoulders and looking into her eyes. “I am thrilled beyond measure that yer bairn is mine and no’ another man’s.”

  “But do ye like her? Do ye think ye can learn to love Isobel someday?”

  “I do. But I also want to tell ye that I never stopped lovin’ ye either.”

  With that, he pulled her to him and kissed her passionately on the mouth. Her head fell back and her eyes closed as her body came to life under Ethan’s touch. Her lips parted slightly. As the kiss deepened, his tongue shot out and entered her mouth, making her almost cry out.

  This reminded her so much of the first . . . and only time they’d made love. It was the day they’d gotten betrothed. They’d been celebrating and both had a little too much Mountain Magic that night. They should have waited until the wedding to couple, but neither of them could wait. They’d made love that night and it was the best night of her life. One time was all it took to create something so wonderful between them that she could barely even believe it happened.

  His hands slid down her back and rested on her rear, making her warm up quickly. As he continued to kiss her, he gave her bottom end a little squeeze and his moan of pleasure vibrated against her lips. Alana melted in his arms. She’d missed this so much over the years that she’d dreamed about it almost every night. She always felt so protected when she was in Ethan’s arms. Protected, and loved.

  “Lay with me, Ethan,” she begged him, gently reaching up and nibbling on his ear. When he shifted slightly and she leaned in closer to him, she felt the hard bulge beneath his plaid and knew he wanted it too.

  “What did ye say, lassie?” He pulled back and looked into her eyes.

  “I’m sorry for everythin’,” she said. “And I want ye to ken that I’ve never been with any other man but ye.”

  “Really?” he asked, seeming surprised as well as pleased.

  “I’ve been forced to make some choices that have made both of us miserable through the years. I –”

  Her words were cut off when Ethan kissed her again, picking her up into his arms. “No more talkin’ tonight,” he said against her lips as he carried her over to the bed and lay her down upon it. “The way I see it, we have five years of catchin’ up to do.”

  When tears of joy slipped down her cheeks, he reached out with his thumb and wiped her tears away.

  “Do ye mean it?” she asked, her breathing becoming deep as she watched the rise and fall of her own chest. The thought of making love with Ethan already had her tingling from head to toe.

  “I dinna want to see ye cry, lass. I just found out I have a daughter and I’d like to spend some intimate time with her mathair if ye dinna object.”

  “I’d like that, Ethan,” she said, feeling like she didn’t deserve him, but happy that he decided he wanted her in this way after all. Mayhap she could find that happiness again that she’d known with Ethan when life was so much simpler and before her world had come crashing down around her.

  “I dinna want to push, Lanny. But when ye are ready to tell me everythin’, I am here to listen. I want to ken. We have a lifetime to figure out the answers to our problems . . . together,” he told her, reaching out and untying the lacing on her bodice. “But right now, all of that can wait. There is somethin’ else I think this is long overdue.”

  “I agree,” she whispered as he pulled open her bodice, reaching down and pressing his mouth against her skin at the base of her neck. Her body
heated under his mouth – under his touch – as he left a trail of kisses down her cleavage, getting nearer and nearer to her breasts. The anticipation already had her breasts aching to be touched. She wanted him to suckle her and lick every part of her body.

  “What’s this?” he asked, picking up the key she wore on a string around her neck along with their wedding ring. She had almost forgotten it was there.

  “It’s nothin’,” she said as he perused the key in the palm of his hand.

  “It looks auld. What does it open? And is that our weddin’ ring? Did ye steal it, Lanny? How could ye?”

  “I didna steal it. I . . . found it, down at the boat the day I left. I am no’ sure how it got there.”

  “I was told Slink stole the ring, so mayhap that is the answer. What about the key?”

  “It’s just a momento from my late mathair,” she said, taking it from him and slipping the string over her neck, placing the key down next to her on the bed along with the ring. “I dinna even ken what that key opens. It’s no’ important.”

  As he exposed one of her breasts, she gasped at the feel of his hand cupping her and his thumb flicking over her nipple, making it instantly taut. And when he lowered his head to her, she closed her eyes and arched her back, pulling him closer as he took her into his mouth.

  He closed his lips over her nipple, suckling at her like a babe to its mother, making her moan in delight. Then he released her and flicked his tongue over her hard peak, about driving her out of her mind.

  “Ye like that, lass?” he whispered in a sultry voice.

  “Mmmm,” she answered, breathing heavily, barely able to speak.

  But as good as that felt, it was nothing compared to what he did next. He pushed up her skirt and pulled down her braies slowly, letting his hot hands run the length of her thighs, making her quiver. Tossing her undergarments to the floor, he focused his gaze on her nether regions, already triggering a wetness between her thighs.

  “Lookin’ at yer beauty in the firelight, it makes me feel like it’s the first time again that we’ve ever made love.”

  “Let’s pretend it is,” she whispered back, reaching out and running her hands over his hard chest, letting her fingers slip underneath his leine.

  “Och, these clothes are just gettin’ in the way,” he said impatiently, standing up and removing every stitch of clothing and kicking off his boots as well. Her mouth went dry when she took in the view of his hard chest and thick, corded muscles in his upper arms. Her gaze slid down his toned body, past his flat stomach and down past his waist to his dark, curly hair. His erection was bigger than she’d remembered and she wondered if he was as desperate for a good bedding as she was right now.

  Her attention was diverted when Trapper whined from the corner, curling up near the fire. She’d almost forgotten that the dog was even there, nor did she care. All she could think about was being alone again with Ethan – the man she admired, adored, and loved.

  “Ethan,” she said, pushing up to her elbows, drinking in the enticing sight of his naked body. Her breathing labored as her eyes scanned down his body and settled below his waist once more. He was hard and ready and she’d never seen him this engorged. “Ye really do want me,” she said, the thought of making love with him exciting her even more.

  “We’ll never do this unless ye remove some clothin’ as well.”

  Kneeling down next to the bed, he kissed her, taking hold of her skirt in both hands. “I like how ye look wearin’ the MacKeefe plaid,” he told her. “It’s what ye should be wearin’, lass.”

  “Aye. I like it, too,” she admitted as he slipped her tunic over her head and removed the plaid, leaving her naked.

  “God, I missed ye, Lanny.” He ran his hands up her torso, making her shiver with delicious anticipation of what was yet to come. Then he leaned forward and licked her stomach, making her squirm.

  “Ye are drivin’ me mad, Ethan MacKeefe,” she said in a breathy whisper, feeling like she was going to lose control.

  “Well, then ye ken how I have felt for the last five years.” One hand cupped her breast while his mouth closed over the other nipple. In his sensuous way, he drew her in, as his nimble fingers played with her other peak. His thumb teased her tip again until she arched up off the bed.

  “I want ye, Ethan,” she whispered against his neck, kissing him and running her hands around the back of him, playfully squeezing his tight buttocks.

  “Och,” he mumbled, pushing his hardened form up against her womanhood. “Lanny, ye ken I like foreplay more than anyone. But in this case, it has been so long that I feel as if I am goin’ to burst. If I dinna enter ye now, it’s goin’ to be over before it goes any further.”

  “There’s no need to wait, Ethan. I am ready and more than willing.”

  That was all he needed to hear. He used his hands to spread her legs, settling himself between them, running his fingers over her womanly mound, testing her readiness by playing with her folds and slipping a finger inside her.

  She gasped as she climbed higher, almost ready to shatter just under his touch. With her eyes closed and her body awakened, she could no longer wait.

  “I told ye I am ready, Ethan. Please, do no’ tease me any longer.”

  “I’d like this to last forever since it’s been so long, but I willna tempt either of us further.”

  A moan of ecstasy left her lips as her lover slid his hardened form into her. He felt so hot, so big. She wet her lips with her tongue, breathing heavily, waiting in anticipation for what was to come next.

  And when he slid his shaft in and out, guided by her liquid passion, she could no longer hold back, and cried out as she found her release.

  “Ooooooh, Ethan!” she cooed, squirming beneath him, wanting to feel every bit of his manly beauty as he took her as his lover. They did the dance of love, and she instantly forgot about all her troubles. No longer was she living in hell, because this felt like heaven.

  “Aaaah,” he moaned in pleasure, matching her. “This feels so guid.”

  And then his seed of life filled her as he was brought to the precipice of delight and took a leap over the edge.

  The idea of possibly getting pregnant with another child of Ethan’s was all Alana had been able to think about since Isobel was born. She pulled him to her, clinging to him, crying again, but this time because she was so happy.

  “Losh me,” he said through rugged breaths, pulling out and lying next to her, holding her tightly in his arms. “Ye’re cryin’ again. I didna please ye. It’s goin’ to take me a few minutes to regain my composure, but mayhap I can do somethin’ else to make ye smile.”

  “Nay, Ethan,” she said, burying her head against his chest. “I am pleased, believe me. I am only cryin’ because I am so happy. In yer arms is where I feel I belong.”

  “Ye do belong here,” he told her, kissing her atop her head. “And I’ve decided that ye and Isobel will stay here at the MacKeefe camp from now on.”

  “What?” she asked, her smile fading since she wasn’t expecting him to say this – especially not right now.

  “We’ll tell Isobel in the mornin’ that I am her faither. And then we’ll get married right away.”

  “But – but Ethan, I need to go back to the castle,” she told him, suddenly feeling very frightened again. Thoughts filled her head of Diarmad and how angry he’d be if she did not return. She pictured her pregnant sister being beaten and her brother possibly being flogged by the man. She could almost see her poor father still chained to the bed, trying to help but falling over dead since he was so ill and weak. One thought after another cascaded through her mind until all the joy and happiness she’d felt making love with Ethan had disappeared. “My siblin’s and my faither are still there on the isle.”

  “It’s all right. We’ll bring them all here,” he told her nonchalantly as if it would be no problem at all. “I’m sure I can convince Storm to let them stay at the MacKeefe camp for as long as they want. If yer clan w
illna welcome ye back, mayhap the MacKeefes can take ye in instead.”

  “I see,” she said, realizing Ethan was living in a dream world. No clan would ever welcome her father with open arms. The MacKeefes might not be as willing as he thought to take her back either. After all, she heard the comments from them when she’d first arrived. She was sure she was not welcome, no matter what Ethan thought.

  She wondered now if telling him he was a father as well as lying with him was perhaps a big mistake. If she didn’t return to the isle, there would be trouble. As it was, she needed to hide the fact she was here at all. If Diarmad thought she told the MacKeefes about the smuggling ring, he was going to be furious. She wasn’t sure what would happen, but it wasn’t a risk she wanted to take. She had to sneak back before Diarmad even realized she and her daughter were missing. There was no other way.

  Once again, Alana felt doomed, having to make a hard decision. She could no longer stay here, but she couldn’t very well take her daughter away from Ethan either. Sadly, she realized that mayhap she couldn’t protect her daughter after all.

  There was only one thing she could do, and it was going to be even harder than leaving Ethan in the first place. She’d have to leave Isobel here in Ethan’s care, and go back to the castle without her. It was the only chance she had of Ethan not coming after her and getting killed by Diarmad and his men. He would never stay put now that he knew Isobel was his daughter. But if she left the girl here, at least Ethan and the MacKeefes would keep her safe until Alana decided how she was going to fix the mess she was in. Hopefully, she could figure out a way to escape Diarmad, bring Kirstine and Finn here, and also clear her father’s name. There didn’t seem to be much hope, but she believed in miracles.

  Alana had one chance to do this, and she had to make it work. If not, and if she failed, she was going to lose someone she loved.

  All she had to do now was wait for Ethan to fall asleep, and sneak back to Blackbriar Castle to try to make things right.

  Chapter 11