10 Timeless Heroes; A Time Travel Romance Boxed Set

by P. L. Parker, Beth Trissel, L. L. Muir, Skhye Moncrief, Sky Purington, Nancy Lee Badger, Caroline Clemmons, Bess McBride, Donna Michaels

  Haven focused on Kirk, who straightened to his full height then fisted his hands on his hips. “I agreed to go through with the marriage to a virtual stranger for one reason only; to satisfy King James’ call for the Highland clans to attain a peaceful solution to the bloodshed. Alternatively, we would suffer death and destruction under his Fire-and-Sword proclamation. I intended to marry for the future well-being of my clan.”

  Mackenzie turned his gaze toward Haven. “Lady Fia and I fell in love before her uncle concocted the marriage agreement. We had met at the faire on Beltane. I visited her several times later, secretly, and fell in love. When I asked her uncle for her hand, I received a near fatal beating.”

  Haven gasped and moved closer. Kirk’s arm slipped around her waist, pulling her into his side. She smiled at his apparent jealousy.

  “I did my best to thwart Kirk’s plans from the moment I heard of the accord.”

  “I never planned to go through with the ceremony,” Fia added. She slipped her arms around his shoulders and nuzzled his neck. Haven watched as Mackenzie’s eyes slid shut with pleasure. A moan escaped his lips. A happy ever after ending existed for some people. She’d give anything to have Kirk’s physical desire for her turn to love.

  “I have no money or land.” Marcas said, clasping a hand over Fia’s.

  “Lady Fia, couldn’t you talk to your uncle?” Haven asked.

  “As long as Kirkwall Gunn lives, my uncle vows to follow the course. He has need of strong warriors offering allegiance.”

  “Is this true?” Mackenzie asked Fia, turning to face her.

  “We are not a wealthy clan, but we do have the finest warriors this side of the Sutherland border,” Kirk explained, “and we pledged to protect the Keith holdings and to leave warriors here to guard Castle Ruadh. Such a deal meant no more war between us. Then I came to my senses.”

  Haven’s mouth dropped open when her giant turned to stare down at her.

  “Lady Fia,” Kirk said, without taking his eyes off Haven, “if Marcas kills me, will yer uncle give ye two his blessing?”

  “Nay. He would seek out another in order to guard his land. We have no cause to harm ye. We want to be long gone before he knows of my escape. Will ye help us?”

  “I am hard-pressed to lend aid to a man who has brought pain and sadness to my life. My cousin is wounded. Balfour lays dead.” He stroked his scarred face.

  Mackenzie had given Kirk the scar. He had also been the cause of his first fiancée’s death. She whispered, “Are you remembering Cora?”

  He nodded. Mackenzie caught her words and jumped to his feet.

  “Balfour attacked my men. In defending themselves, they cut him down is what I have heard. Cora’s death ‘twas not at my hand.”

  “Explain.”

  “Yes, I had her kidnapped. We do this all the time in the Highlands.” A slight smile lent youth to his formerly haggard expression. “Due to one of my men’s carelessness, he accidently stabbed her when she attempted to escape.”

  Kirk and Fia’s raised eyebrows added to the tension that filled the small room. Haven wished she could turn invisible, slip out through the crack beneath the door, and go find Cameron. A bloody wound sounded easier to cope with than dead former lovers.

  “Let us return to the problem at hand,” Kirk said. “Lady Fia’s uncle assumes the wedding will commence upon my arrival. The Keith clan has been our enemy for eons. How can we stop the bloodshed if this marriage is forfeit?”

  “Help us protest this contract. Women of Scotland have a choice in who they wed. Her uncle is breaking the law,” Mackenzie said.

  “Aye. And Lady Fia’s reason for her choice is obvious.” Kirk’s knuckles slid across his scarred face.

  “Not true! I fell in love with Marcas the same day I met ye at the faire. Yer recent injury has no bearing. Our love grows each day.”

  “I will step down if Lady Fia refuses me in public.” Kirk lowered his hand then glared at Haven.

  Did he wonder if she thought him ugly? His scar had nothing to do with her heart’s decision. When tears threatened, she turned toward the door. Maybe she would go find Cameron. Then she’d forget all about Kirkwall Gunn. She’d remake the potion, find a lightning storm, and go home.

  “What am I saying?” She gasped as pain squeezed her heart.

  “Haven? Are ye well?”

  The concern evident in his soft voice sent her spinning back into the conversation. She had to bide her time then slip away, unnoticed. Only then will her heart have a chance at love. He didn’t love her. He mourned Cora. She couldn’t fight a ghost.

  “I’m fine,” she lied.

  “ ‘Tis true. She must refuse yer suit in public. Otherwise, her uncle will lose face,” Mackenzie said.

  “Agreed. But, we cannot give our king cause to send his army.”

  “And, I cannot pay the bride price.” Mackenzie’s head drooped.

  “Have ye anything of value?” Kirk crossed his arms and stared at the man.

  Did he mean to demand payment for Lady Fia? Haven huffed and bolted for the door. She needed air. Cool fingers grabbed her shoulders before she made good her escape.

  “Ye and I shall talk once I have fixed this situation.”

  “Fix it? Do you mean by forcing this man to buy the love of his life? You are a cruel bastard and I cannot wait to get back to my time…I mean, my home.”

  Three faces locked on hers and she knew she’d said too much. Her eyes snapped shut and a groan escaped her lips.

  “I said ye and I shall talk. In private. Lord Mackenzie,” he pulled Haven toward the embracing couple and held her tighter. “What have ye of value?”

  “Naught but my men, mounts, and weapons.”

  “Will ye pledge all to the service of Clan Keith? Will ye protect them as my clan had agreed to do as part of the marriage contract?”

  “Yes. But, where shall we live? My lands are forfeit.”

  “Uncle will allocate the east wing overlooking the sea to our own particular use. Before he died, Father made him swear I be allowed those rooms as long as I lived. The servants are clansmen loyal to my father and to me. The furniture is plain, yet sturdy. We will be happy. All we need is—”

  “What?” Haven whispered.

  “A bed.” Lady Fia’s face glowed with love.

  Mackenzie turned and swept her inside the circle of his arms. He pulled her into his lap and kissed her with such passion, Haven’s chest ached and she had to shut her eyes to their happiness. She worked to hide her jealousy, evident by the instant heat spreading across her cheeks.

  When two arms wrapped her tightly into a muscled chest, joy stole her breath. Kirk closed the door behind them, then carried her down the hall to a room she assumed held the wounded Cameron. Darkness shrouded its interior except for a fire in the brazier in one corner. A huge bed graced the other side.

  An empty bed.

  “Whose room is this?”

  “Ours.”

  Haven wriggled from his grasp and bolted for the door. When he grabbed her around the waist and spun her toward the bed, she growled. Kirk’s deep laugh echoed through the room. The sweet sound of joy coming from her gruff giant mesmerized her, until her pain rose like bile. He’d lost two fiancées and probably saw Haven as an easy alternative.

  “Kirk, you are too easy to read. Mackenzie has Fia, but good old Haven is right here. Wrong.” She dove around him, out of his reach, and headed for the window.

  “I love ye.”

  “What?” She swung around and resisted the urge to fall into his arms. “I must be dreaming.”

  “Haven, I knew ye were the one the moment yer vision interrupted a battle to the death between me and The Mackenzie. From that life-changing moment, I dreamed of ye, burned for ye, and hardened at the thought of ye. Then a miracle occurred. I saw ye in the flesh and smelled yer fragrance; wildflowers and honey, sweeter than Balfour’s best brew. Amid swirling fog or a magical mist, I cared not except ye had returned.”
>
  “My potions didn’t quite work until my third try. The real miracle occurred during the unwanted advances of a hooded man. He scared the life out of me.” She shivered, and wrapped her arms around herself.

  “What hooded man?”

  “Hell if I know. He was creepy, carried a cane, and threw me to the ground.”

  “You escaped.”

  “Yep. Been doing a lot of that, the last few days.” Haven chuckled, but the sound died on her lips when she focused on his shadowy face.

  “I am sorry for yer troubles.”

  “That’s okay. I’m stronger than I look. I managed to save Cameron, and that deer.”

  “And a lucky man ‘twas I when ye flushed that stag. I recognized yer beauty from my dreams and my body went on full alert. Like now.” He loosened his weapon belt and his dirk fell to the floor with a thud.

  “That, my dear Highlander, is lust.”

  “I feel more than the need to get ye naked and under me.” He chuckled. “Hear me out. Ye bewitched me. I was spellbound when I met ye, but honor-bound by an oath, my pledge to marry the Lady Fia. Now I find I am fated to do yer bidding.

  “Sorry, but I will not share a bed with you.”

  “Please,” he pleaded, then padded across the small room. He glared at her, his face inches away.

  She watched, frozen, as his shirt fluttered to the floor. Clad only in a final swath of plaid, he reached for her. Haven’s knees trembled like jelly, but his piercing gaze held her tight. Energy zapped from his fingertips and heated her blood as he stared at her face with a longing she couldn’t describe. Did he see it reflected in her face?

  “Then again, who needs a bed?” she said, when she found her voice. Her body hummed with pleasure.

  His chest heaved at her words, and his mouth gaped. Kirk’s body was suddenly too close. He ground his hips into hers while his arousal pressed against her sex. Sighing, Haven closed her eyes to the sensation, raised her hands to his chest, and purred.

  Kirk leaned forward and kissed the sensitive skin just under her ear. He smelled scrumptious, a combination of spice and leather and man.

  Haven moaned and kneaded the muscles of his upper arms. He backed her toward a small dressing cabinet. When her back thumped against its doors, the sturdy oak armoire creaked in protest.

  She shoved him back several inches in order to read his face. Was this anger? Haven took a chance and trailed her trembling fingertips along his fading scar. When he tried to turn away, she cupped his chin. She gently forced him to meet her gaze.

  “Look at me, Kirkwall Gunn, Chieftain of Clan Gunn. I am a stranger to you. I gathered common herbs, some ordinary minerals, made a potion, got caught in a powerful storm, and was transported here. I hadn’t planned to travel to the Highlands of Scotland, so I must return home. This cannot work. I have to go back.”

  “My sister, Skye, says odd things such as ye. She claims to use witchery to make our fields to flower and our cows to fatten. She means no harm.”

  “Neither do I, but I’m no witch.”

  “Yer a healer.”

  She pondered his words. “Yes, I take after the women in my family. Anyone can do what I do with the proper knowledge of herbs and botanicals.”

  “Nay. ‘Tis a gift.” Kirk’s brows arched, and pain speared across his face. He drew back.

  She immediately missed his body’s warmth and strength. “What’s wrong, Kirk?”

  “I fear ye cast a spell on me. Did ye make me fall in love with ye?”

  Haven smiled. The man asked the strangest questions at the most inopportune time. “No. I simply asked to find the man I am destined to love for eternity. I didn’t realize it would thrust me here. I swear I would never toy with another human being’s affections.”

  Haven purred with pleasure when he pulled her close, again.

  How can I give this up?

  “I witnessed the good ye do. Ye mended Balfour’s burns and eased his pain. My scar fades. Reid’s shoulder heals. For these I thank ye.” He pressed feathery kisses on her hungry lips. Her sex throbbed with anticipation, yet he kept talking. His gratitude was impeding her need to taste him. Everywhere.

  “Kirk. Listen to me. You don’t even know my name.” She raised her voice to get his attention while he nibbled her chin then her earlobe.

  “If it pleases ye, share with me yer true name. With love bursting within my much-scarred heart, I do not care if ye be the devil incarnate.”

  She inhaled a deep breath. Love? With a heart scarred like his handsome face? When she left for home, would he curse her memory? She clasped her hands on his cheeks and made sure his interest trained on her words and not her breasts. “I was born Haven MacKay.”

  “I recall we defeated the MacKays in 1517 at the battle of Torran Dubh. The battle occurred over eighty years ago, and I do not believe either of us participated. I hold no long-term hatred of the Mackays. God’s teeth, woman.” He pushed away from her once more then ran fingers through his auburn hair before grabbing her in his embrace. “If I can forgive The Mackenzie over the death of my Cora, I can forgive most anything.”

  “You don’t understand. I was born in the United States of America.”

  Confusion furrowed his brow. “Ye be right. I do not understand.”

  “I was born in the twenty-first century. I’m from the future. Four hundred years in the future.”

  His hesitation plunged the room into silence. Time ticked by agonizingly slow. Coals in the brazier crackled, and the wind howled outside the window while Haven waited for her words to sink in.

  Kirk raised his eyes, focused on her face, and stepped forward, again. He gathered her in his arms and kissed her.

  Soundly.

  Repeatedly.

  He broke the connection and took a breath, while Haven grew dizzy with need. “Haven, I care not. If ye had fallen from the moon, I could not love ye more.”

  “But, I have to go ho—” She never finished explaining, because his mouth fitted against hers, and she felt her soul fall beneath his spell.

  CHAPTER 23

  Her clothes fell to the floor as if by magic. A cool breeze tickled her back, and her breasts brushed against his curly chest hair. Kirk’s erection pulsed beneath his kilt.

  When he pressed his groin closer, teasingly, she wondered why he still wore clothing. She slipped her hands up to circle his neck while she nuzzled his ear. Every ounce of her body felt alive with energy.

  I shouldn’t give in to these urges.

  Nerve endings sparked to life. Even as she planned her escape back to her own time, Haven’s body trembled from head to toe. Heat and desire pooled between her thighs.

  Naked as the day she’d been born—four hundred years in the future—her love for this Highlander lightened her heart. Just as quick, her heart ached at the thought of leaving him behind.

  In her time he was already dead and buried. Everything would change if she left.

  Their lovemaking, up until this point in time, consisted of kisses and gentle touches. She didn’t need to be a mind reader to know where this was headed. A fierce throbbing motivated her to continue. She needed him inside her and soon.

  I want this.

  If she could only find a way to stay in his life without sacrificing everything then maybe they’d have a chance at true happiness.

  “You taste like apples,” she said without breaking contact.

  “I discovered a basket filled with fruit when I confronted my betrothed. I mean, Lady Fia.”

  “And you didn’t think to share?” Her stomach growled and she giggled. With eyes that had adjusted to the dark, she watched as he rifled through a pile of belongings as if to snatch one for her. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back into her embrace. “I’m kidding. I’d rather eat you.”

  Focusing on her face, his eyes darkened then widened when he remembered a previous tasting. “Aye. I shall like to do the same to ye. The sweet fragrance of aroused female is intoxicating. God’s teeth, how I lov
e ye.”

  “How sweet. Poor Fia never got to know the man behind the scar as I have. If she had taken the time, she would have fallen in love with you and wouldn’t have given Mackenzie the time of day,” she whispered.

  She pulled him back into her arms. His body vibrated and, when she nibbled his scar and gently kissed the fading wound, his eyes drifted closed. The muscles in his jaw slackened.

  “Relax, Kirk. Let me love you in my own way. Please?”

  “Whatever my lady commands,” he whispered. His meaty hand, circling her waist, was moist with perspiration. His skin felt hot where he slid his other hand down her back to cup her right buttock. One hard knee edged a path between her thighs, forcing them open. With one fluid motion, she flew upward with her back pressed tightly against the armoire.

  “I love ye, Haven.” He growled the words, and she knew he held back the urge to plunge inside, hard and fast. She appreciated a chance to grow accustomed to his silken penetration as her body slid open to the intrusion. Kirk’s erection swelled and pulsed. She gasped. He felt thicker and longer in comparison to her ex-boyfriend. For a moment she worried Kirk would never fit.

  A small giggle escaped, then she groaned from the pleasure that slid higher and higher with each push. When she suddenly cried out, he stifled a grunt and froze.

  “Have I hurt ye, lass?” His body shuddered as if suddenly chilled, but she knew his restraint cost him plenty. Heat pulsed off him with each raspy breath.

  “I’m fine. Keep going,” she pleaded, so close to bursting into flames like a spark from a lightning bolt on dry tinder. A million sensations flooded her body as every sense went on alert. The sweetness of a half-eaten apple swirled amongst the scrumptious smell of his sweat. When she leaned forward and licked his neck, the tang of salt and the heat that pulsed beneath his ear brought tears of joy to her eyes.

  “How can someone simple and naïve like me bring such pleasure to a Highland warrior?” She opened her eyes to hear his answer, but focused on a surreal mist that slowly formed between his back and the wall beyond.

  “No!”

  “Have I caused ye pain? Ye admitted I am not the first, so I assumed—”