Playboy's Challenge (Highlander's Series)

by Jo Barrett

  “Macconach has plans to meet with Gorin at the ruins,” Deidra said.

  “Before,” Adam interjected. “Now, when he finds her gone, he may change his plans.”

  “Nay,” Ian said.

  That one word, echoed in Adam’s head, drowning out the conversation happening around him. It was one of many words that slipped from his father’s lips every once in a while, and upon those occasions he’d usually grimace then quickly correct himself. But not this time.

  It was his life, his mother said. The reality of that statement hit him square between the eyes. His father was a seventeenth century English nobleman. He’d learned how to ride and use a sword because it was the only way to survive.

  All this time he’d been playacting, pretending to belong in the twenty-first century. Trying to be what he was supposed to be, when deep down he was nothing like the man Adam thought he knew.

  “Are you going to sit there all night?” Ian asked.

  “What? Oh, um, no. No, just thinking,” he said, and slid from his horse. Stunned to realize that Deidra had already dismounted and crossed to where her brother and the others were discussing their next step.

  Adam fell in step beside his father, crossing the small clearing to where Colin was drawing out a plan in the dirt. He’d sent two men on ahead to watch for Macconach and his men.

  Deidra wasn’t happy about his edict that she would return to the keep, flanked by guards and Erin.

  “But I wish to ride with you, Da,” Erin said.

  “And that you will. But I need ye ta see that the keep is secure first, and then bring more men. I doona wish ta give the whoresons any chance of escape.”

  “I have every right to see the man dead,” Deidra said, her lips pulled into a deep frown.

  Adam was distracted all over again as he remembered how she felt, how she tasted. How her lips glistened in the moonlight, wet from his kisses.

  “’Tis no’ a discussion, Dee. Ye will go back ta the keep with Erin,” Colin said, and returned to his planning. “And once ye arrive home, ye are no’ ta tell your mum about any of this.”

  She folded her arms with a huff, but didn’t exactly agree. Stubborn didn’t begin to describe her, and regardless of the wrong he’d committed, Adam couldn’t contain his smile. She was such a beautiful sight.

  “I mean it, lass. She isna’ ta be told. ’Tis for her safety and yers.”

  With a sigh, she dropped her arms. “Verra well.”

  Satisfied with her answer, although Adam wouldn’t put it past her to have something up her sleeve, Colin continued with his plan. Once word returned of Macconach’s movements, they would intercept him at the ruins and put an end to Gorin’s schemes once and for all.

  With some murmured agreements from the guard and Adam’s father, Colin put Deidra atop a horse and pointed her in the direction of home. She glanced in Adam’s direction, but it lasted barely an instant before she was riding away.

  He shook his head with a sigh. When he screwed up, he screwed up royally. The regret he’d seen in her eyes would turn to revulsion, and what little friendship they might be able to muster from the debacle would turn to dust. It was a good thing he was going home soon, back to his own time.

  A hard slap to Adam’s back, nearly toppled him to the ground.

  “I am proud of you, son,” Ian said.

  His gaze flew to his father’s. “Um, yeah, well, I had a hunch and went with it. But knowing Deidra, she would’ve found her own way out eventually,” he said with a forced chuckle.

  His father squeezed his shoulder and grinned. “No doubt, but ’twas your quick thinking on the matter and that you acted, regardless of the danger, that should be applauded.” He glanced in the direction Deidra had ridden.

  “Although, I suspect, your mother is likely to take a few strips off your hide for taking on the task alone. But today, you showed the world what I have known all along. That you are a good man, a good son, and I could not have asked for better.” He pulled him into a quick and hearty embrace, forcing the air from Adam’s lungs.

  For the first time in more years than he could remember, Adam hugged his father and hid the happy tears behind his lids.

  Another slap on the back and hearty chuckle echoed around them, and he and his father broke apart.

  “Well now, you two Sassenachs,” Colin said, a bright smile on his burly face as he squeezed the back of both Adam and his father’s necks. “Are ye up for a bit of a battle?”

  With a hoarse chuckle and a wide smile, his father replied, “A bit of sport sounds like the very thing, old friend.”

  “Sport?” Adam shook his head with a rough laugh. “You two are nuts, but…count me in.”

  ****

  Deidra bit back her tears as she rode home. Now was not the time to wallow in self-pity. Macconach and Gorin had to be stopped, and she was determined to have a hand in their end.

  Setting her teeth, she twisted the pain and loss in her heart into the need for vengeance. She refused to be any man’s pawn.

  Once she arrived and was released from her mother’s powerful embrace, she explained what had happened, leaving out the details her father forbade her to divulge. But her mother was no one’s fool.

  “Why that sneaky old Scot,” Tuck said with a huff. “As if I wouldn’t know exactly what he was up to.”

  “I didna’ think it was worth the effort to conceal it, but he demanded that I do so,” Deidra said.

  “I’ll just bet he did.” Her mother put an arm around her shoulder and the other around Jenny’s. “So, ladies, are we up for a little subterfuge?”

  “Why do I feel like that was too easy?” Erin asked no one in particular.

  With a light-hearted laugh, the women entered the castle leaving a group of perplexed men standing in the bailey.

  Usually when her father behaved in such a way, her mother would bathe the air with curses upon his head. But this laugh, this look, was much more lethal and her poor brother had no idea.

  ****

  Hours later, as sunlight touched the treetops with the beginning of a new day, Erin had no knowledge that his guard had grown by three. Disguised as men and careful to hover in the back where they wouldn’t be noticed as easily, the women joined them on their ride back to the clearing where Colin and the others waited.

  Deidra worried over allowing her aunt Jenny to come with them, her lack of fighting abilities and limited riding skills a detriment to their plan, but she’d insisted. Her concern for Adam and Ian shone clearly in her eyes.

  Upon their arrival, as they rode into the clearing, the three women slipped from their mounts and hid among the milling band of men, using their horses as shields.

  “Do you think Da will recognize us?” Deidra whispered.

  Her mum snorted as she tightened the cinch of her saddle. “He’s nobody’s fool,” she’d said. “He knows I’m here.”

  Deidra’s head snapped up, and she quickly grabbed the cowl that covered her head before it could fall away. “But then why—”

  “I would have to agree,” Jenny said. “The odds of you staying behind to wait in such a situation is more than one point three million to one.”

  Her mother cast her a crooked grin. “Don’t worry about it, Dee. He knows we’ll stay out of the way.” She paused and glanced toward her father. “Then again, he’s probably not counting on you two, so we need to stay in disguise or else this operation will come to a screeching halt.”

  Deidra moved closer to her horse. “He wouldna’ be pleased.”

  Jenny giggled lowly. “That is an understatement. None of the men would be pleased.”

  “’Tis time to ride,” Colin shouted, and they were underway without anyone saying a word to the women.

  “How far are these ruins?” Jenny asked whispered. “I don’t believe we’ve ever been there.”

  “No, you haven’t. They can be treacherous, so it’s not exactly a picnic spot. Not much of them left, I guess, in the twenty-first centu
ry except for a few standing stones,” Tuck said. “But I’d say we’ve got about a two hour ride.”

  Jenny gave a nod and they fell into silence, each thinking of the men they followed and the men they pursued.

  ****

  Adam felt a chill crawl up his spine as they arrived at the ruin. It wasn’t much to look at, but it had a creepy factor all its own. Or maybe he was just thinking of what had almost had happened to Deidra. Either way, the sooner they got the lunatic responsible, the sooner they could get back to the castle.

  A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach reminded him that he had no rights to her, no right to even touch her. Once he got back to the castle, he’d ask his mother to send him home. Being around Deidra, seeing her and knowing he could never touch her, hold her, kiss her again, would be torture. He knew his parents would want to stick around for a while to visit, but he just couldn’t bring himself to even consider it.

  They set up a temporary camp and began the wait. Gorin would walk right into Colin’s trap and the deed would be done.

  “You’ve a lost look on your face, son,” Ian said, taking a seat beside him on a large stone.

  “When this is over, I want—need to go home.”

  His father’s mouth turned down and he looked about at the many men, his gaze settling on a small group in the background. “I see. And this need to get home, would it have anything to do with Deidra?”

  “Let’s just say I lived up to my rep and let her down.”

  Ian’s head jerked to the side. “What the bloody hell are you talking about? You saved her life, my boy.”

  He tossed a twig to the ground. “Yeah.”

  “I think you’re being too hard on yourself.”

  Adam chuckled. “And I think time travel has done a number on you, Pop. We both know I’m no good.”

  Ian clasped him by the neck and squeezed. “Nonsense. As I said before, you are a good man and a good son.”

  “Come on, Dad. I’ve let you and everyone else down over and over again since I can remember.”

  Ian released his neck and clasped his hands before him, his gaze on the ground at their feet. “You know, after you left, your mother and I had a long talk. But not until now did I see that the reason you made so many, let us say, questionable choices in your life, was because you did not have the support and encouragement you needed from me, which led to your self-destructive lifestyle.” He lifted his head and looked into Adam’s eyes.

  “For that, son, I am deeply sorry. It is I who let everyone, especially you, down. It was I who should have done more, worked harder, and strived to build a proper bond between us. I suppose I still have a lot of my own father in me,” he said with a shake of his head. “I know that I cannot get those lost years back, but I love you. You are my son, and I would not trade you for any other.”

  Ian rose to his feet and with a slight pat on his shoulder, turned and walked away. Adam was speechless. He’d never heard his father talk that way, doubted he ever would again, but deep down in his heart, he knew that everything he said was true.

  Except one thing. He should’ve tried harder too. He should’ve done more to be a good son to both of them.

  Feeling his gut twisting and turning inside, he rose and turned toward the woods. A walk would help him clear his head and get things into perspective. He had still let Deidra down, but she’d known, had always known that he would leave one day. Still she wanted to be with him. There had to be something in that, some sort of comfort, but he was hard-pressed to find it.

  A few yards into the wood, away from the ruins and the rest of the clan, he stumbled upon a somewhat shocking site. One of Colin’s men stood leaning against a tree with his back to him, but the hood that had once covered his head had fallen back, allowing a cascade of long black hair to tumble down his back.

  He grabbed Deidra by the arm and spun her around. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  She emitted a small squeak before jerking away from him with a curse. “Doona sneak up on a body that way!”

  He grabbed her by the arms and rested the urge to shake her. “Sneak? Have you lost your mind? I could’ve been anyone, I could’ve been Macconach or Gorin!”

  “Doona be ridiculous. They couldna’ get beyond the camp without notice,” she said, squiggling to get away, but not trying all that hard. And he refused to release her.

  “You shouldn’t be here. It’s too dangerous.”

  “Aye, for Gorin and his henchmen. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

  Adam pulled her closer. “Is that so,” he said, his voice lowering. “And explain to me how you got caught the last time.”

  Her body relaxed against his, and he savored the fact that she was comfortable in his arms. Maybe even wanted to be in his arms, whether it was right or wrong.

  “That was different. He caught me in the garden. I wasna’ prepared for an attack in my own home.”

  “And yet I surprised you without even trying in a remote patch of woods far from the castle.”

  “Aye, you surprised me,” she said with a breathiness in her voice as her lips eased closer.

  “And you surprised me,” he murmured, and lowered his mouth to hers.

  It was a kiss so unlike the others, not soft, not sweet, but pure blissful heat. His entire body throbbed with want, with need. There was no other woman in the world, in any century that could set him on fire so fast with just a kiss.

  “If this isna’ a disturbing sight,” Erin said with a chuckle.

  They leapt apart and spun to face him.

  “This isn’t what you think, buddy,” Adam said, although it was probably exactly what he thought, but he wasn’t about to admit it.

  He smiled wide. “You canna’ stand there and tell me that this is about a bleedin’ exchange for a pie. I’m no’ so blind as that.”

  “’Tis none of your business what it is, Erin MacLean,” Deidra said, her tone as cool as ice, which was an amazing thing, considering the heated exchange they just shared.

  Adam’s blood was still surging through his veins at a frightening pace, and there was little doubt that his rock-hard cock wasn’t obvious to the whole world.

  Erin threw back his head with a laugh. “Of all the things I never thought I would see. Wait until Da hears about this.”

  Deidra marched the few feet to meet him nose to nose. “You say one word to Da or anyone else, and I will make sure no’ a maid on the whole of the isle will look twice at you!”

  She gave Erin a firm shove, then stormed back to the camp, tugging her hood over her head.

  “Regardless of what you think you saw, we’ve got to tell your father she’s here,” Adam said, hoping to distract his friend from a very uncomfortable discussion.

  “Aye, we will, but first there is one thing,” Erin said, then threw a punch that sent him slamming into a tree.

  And there he stayed, waiting for the next blow. It was the least he deserved, and he refused to fight his best friend. But when no blow followed, he cracked open one eye to find Erin staring at him with a lost look on his face.

  “I’ll no’ hit you again,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “She has chosen you, and I willna’ do what I am sure will be against her wishes. But I had to strike you at least once.”

  “I understand.” Adam tested his nose, relieved to feel it wasn’t broken—bloody but still intact. “I think.”

  “’Tis because you will leave, ye ken?”

  “I do care about her.”

  “Aye, but you doona wish to be here. Any more than I do,” he added under his breath as he turned away.

  Adam had always suspected that Erin didn’t want to be laird, but he hadn’t expected him to not want to live on the island, or perhaps in the past, when he knew so much about the future.

  He followed his friend back to the camp. “You could visit, you know,” Adam said.

  Erin paused, thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I canna.”

 
“Because you don’t think you’ll want to come back, is that it?”

  With a grim nod, he resumed his trek toward the camp and Adam followed without another word.

  Chapter Twelve

  Deidra wondered if she could be more furious or more embarrassed. To be caught kissing and by her brother, no less, was pure mortification. And he knew Adam was leaving. She paused in mid stride, her gaze on the ground but not seeing anything in particular.

  Would her own brother think her a lightskirt? Surely not. But then wasn’t that what she was?

  She shook her head at the silly argument rambling through her thoughts. She gave Adam her body and her heart. He just wasn’t aware of the latter. Still, she had to make sure that Erin didn’t tell her father what he’d seen, or worse, expound on it with wild exaggerations.

  But before she could lift her gaze from the forest floor, her thoughts were sent flying from her head as someone struck her from behind and she fell into oblivion.

  ****

  Adam emerged from the woods with Erin, and instantly began a surreptitious hunt for Deidra. His hand landed on Erin’s arm, halting his steps.

  “What is it?” Erin asked.

  “I don’t see her.”

  Erin searched the campsite with his gaze, neither wanting to alarm anyone, but mostly because they feared she’d take off in another huff. The last thing they needed was her to be unguarded while Gorin was still on the loose.

  “My sister couldna’ hide that well. ’Tis the lagging behind that kept her from sight before,” Erin said.

  “I have a very bad feeling about this.”

  “Come, we must tell Da.”

  It was barely a few moments after they spoke to Colin about Deidra that one of his men reported seeing Gorin. There was little time to plan anything more than a frontal assault.

  ****

  Deidra tried to shake the grogginess from her mind. When would these cowardly men fight her instead of sneaking up on her? She would be the first to admit that stealth had never been her strong suit. Her mother was a bit loathe to say anything, but she knew her lack had been a disappointment.

  Now Deidra wished she’d paid more attention to that portion of her training. But honestly, when would she have ever thought to need such a skill? Protect herself from an attack, certainly. Men could be brutish, especially when deep in their cups, but why would she ever have had the need to sneak about or detect someone sneaking up on her?