Tearlach and Lucy glanced at each other as they recognized William’s hissed call. They then both rose cautiously and eased around the bales to peer down into the stables.
“There you are,” the stable master breathed with relief, and then announced, “they’ve gone into the inn, but I think it’s best if the two of you just stay up there until they leave. I’m worried they might see you crossing the courtyard. They’ve only stopped for a meal. We’ll serve them quick and try to get them out in a hurry. It will be safer for you to come down then.”
Tearlach nodded at the suggestion. It seemed the most sensible idea.
Relaxing slightly at the easy agreement, William nodded and moved back to the doors. “I’ll go help get them fed.”
They watched him leave, then Lucy turned and moved back to the spot they’d found behind the bales. She eased down to sit on the straw and leaned her back against the bales with a little sigh, then glanced up at him expectantly.
Tearlach hesitated briefly, but there really wasn’t anywhere else to sit that would offer cover. The bales took up almost half of this end of the loft, but the rest of it was open to view. Casting one last glance down into the stables, he followed her and settled himself on the straw.
“Thank you for bringing me here, you saved my life.”
Tearlach blinked at the soft words, and then glanced at her with amusement. “Lass, ye’ve saved me more than a handful of times. ‘Twas time I did a little savin’ o’ me own. ‘Sides,” he added wryly, “I hardly saved ye. I just brought ye to Betty. She did the savin’.”
“She could not have done so had you not brought me. And you saved me from that Scot in the bothy too,” she pointed out and then added, “I only saved you once. When I unlocked your chains in the dungeon.”
Tearlach gave a short laugh at the claim. “Ye unlocked me chains, practically carried me oot o’ the dungeons, brought me the lad to feed on in the cave, and then got me oot o’ the sun that morning in the clearing when...” His voice slowed and he looked away from her, swamped by memories of what they’d nearly done in that clearing before the sun had forced a halt.
Feeling his shaft harden at the recollections, Tearlach forced the memories away and added, “And ye brought that Scottish soldier for me to feed on in the bothy after I was burnt fighting the first one.”
“Actually, I did not bring the second Scottish soldier,” she admitted quietly. “I intended to go out and find you someone, but he found us first.”
“Oh, well...” Unable to think of anything to say to that, Tearlach fell silent, his gaze dropping away from her face. Unfortunately, it landed directly on the cleavage that seemed to be bursting out of the top of her blue gown. Knowing the dress she’d been wearing at Rosscurrach had been ruined when she was injured, he supposed she’d had to borrow this one from Betty. The redhead was obviously a good bit smaller than Lucy, at least when it came to bosoms. While the gown fit well enough in the waist, her breasts were squeezed tight and appeared to be trying to crawl right out of it.
Tearlach stared at the bountiful flesh and found himself licking suddenly dry lips. Dear Lord, they had to find her a properly fitting gown ere they left for court. He could not ride that distance with her dressed in such a way without touching her...And he’d be damned if those lascivious idiots at court were going to see her dressed so.
“Tearlach? What is it?”
He lifted his gaze to her face in time to see her glance down at her own bosom as if expecting to find something there. Obviously, she’d noted the direction his gaze had taken.
Apparently not finding anything amiss, she lifted confused eyes to his.
Rather than look like a complete arse who couldn’t stop staring at her breasts, Tearlach lied.
“There’s just this bit o’ straw...” he said and then couldn’t resist leaning forward and reaching out to pretend to pluck the nonexistent bit of straw from the soft, upper swell of one breast. Purely to support the lie, he assured himself.
Lucy glanced down, then back up, and turned toward him to speak as he leaned forward, but then froze as their lips met.
Tearlach froze too, his fingers pausing mid-pluck, his lips soft against hers. He knew he should back up and end the unintentional caress, but couldn’t seem to bring himself to do so. Both of them just stayed frozen, both seeming to hold their breath for a minute, then Lucy released a little sigh that brushed over his lips and Tearlach was lost.
Lucy heard the groan come from deep in Tearlach’s throat in response to her sigh, but it didn’t prepare her for what followed. The sigh had been a result of her certainty that he was about to pull away from her rather than kiss her as she would like. But rather than pull away, that groan was like the opening of flood gates. Tearlach suddenly pressed his lips more firmly over hers, his tongue slipping out to request entrance.
Hardly able to believe he was finally kissing her again, Lucy opened to him at once, her arms creeping tentatively up around his neck as his tongue filled her. The action brought a riot of sensation to life in her, and she groaned into his mouth, her upper body arching invitingly as she scraped her nails over his scalp.
Murmuring something into her mouth, Tearlach deepened the kiss, his fingers rising to run over the soft flesh revealed by her décolletage before giving one side of the material the barest tug. It was all that was needed to free the breast on that side from the tight gown encasing it and Lucy gasped as she felt his warm, callused hand immediately close over it. Shuddering with pleasure, she arched her back further, pressing into the touch.
Her response to his kiss became somewhat frantic as Tearlach kneaded the sensitive flesh, and she almost bit his tongue when he caught her erect nipple between thumb and finger and tweaked it.
Breaking the kiss then, Tearlach ducked his head to catch the nipple in his mouth. Groaning, Lucy twisted her head and let it fall back, then cried out and tangled her fingers in his hair as his tongue rasped over the sensitive nipple.
“We shouldnae be doin’ this,” he groaned suddenly, lifting his head. “Yer a lady. Ye deserve more than a tumble in the hay.”
Lucy’s eyes blinked open with dismay as his words made their way through her passion-soaked mind.
“I like hay,” she insisted as he began to withdraw his hands. Then, afraid he would stop and trying to make sure he didn’t, Lucy released her own hold on him and reached between them to press her fingers against his erection. She wasn’t at all sure what she was doing was right, but the way Tearlach growled and bucked violently against her touch suggested she might be, so she closed her hand and squeezed slightly.
His reaction was most gratifying. The next thing she knew, Tearlach was pushing her onto her back in the straw and kneeling above her, tugging his tunic off over his head.
“Oh,” Lucy breathed, reaching for his chest as it was revealed. He was so wide, so strong, so beautiful. Her hands ran across the marble-like skin with pleasure, sweeping across his upper chest, then down across his stomach until he caught them. Her eyes shot anxiously to his face, but he wasn’t stopping. Tearlach merely kissed the back of first one hand and then the other before holding them out of the way in one hand so that he could reach down and free her second breast from the gown with a quick tug. Once it was revealed, he released her hands and bent to feast on her flesh.
Lucy clutched at his upper shoulders as Tearlach laved first one breast and then the other, his tongue and teeth scraping gently over her erect nipples. She was arching into the attention, her legs shifting and writhing restlessly when she felt his fingers slide beneath her skirt and begin to run up her leg. She froze then, stomach muscles clenching and breath coming in short, excited gasps as her attention was torn between what he was doing to her breasts and the slow, almost tickling caress of his fingers creeping up her thigh.
Lucy instinctively tried to close her legs when his hand reached the top of her thigh, then immediately forced them open again to give him access.
“Oh, Tearlach,�
�� she gasped, pressing her heels into the straw and thrusting upward as his fingers brushed lightly over the warm, slick skin that awaited him.
“Aye,” he growled, releasing her breast and shifting up her body to kiss her as his clever fingers worked their magic.
Lucy put everything she had into her response, all her need, all her love, and all the desire he was bringing to life. She alternately sucked at his tongue and allowed her own to wrestle with it, but then tore her mouth away with a cry as he slid one finger into her.
“Please,” she gasped breathlessly, her hips thrusting of their own accord, seeking the release she’d experienced in the clearing. Tearlach’s mouth immediately covered hers again, silencing Lucy as he continued to fan her need.
Lucy knew she should be quiet, that she risked making their presence known should the men return, but she couldn’t help herself. She felt sure Tearlach was going to drive her mad with his caresses...and then he suddenly withdrew his touch. Her eyes immediately blinked open, filled with the fear that he would stop, but he merely urged her thighs further apart, and quickly freed himself from his braies as he settled in the cradle of her thighs.
Lucy instinctively pressed her feet flat to the floor and drew her knees up as he nudged against her and then he was pushing his way inside. She went stiff, biting hard on her lip to keep from crying out as pain replaced the pleasure she’d been experiencing just moments ago.
Tearlach froze at once, allowing her body to adjust, and then kissed her as he eased one hand between them to begin caressing her again. Much to her amazement the pain was soon a memory and the pleasure slowly began to grow once more. Lucy was soon responding to his kiss, a moan rising up her throat.
The moment her hips shifted of their own accord, Tearlach removed his hand and used it to lever some of his weight off of her as he started to withdraw. She cried out in protest, but realized he wasn’t stopping when he eased back in.
Clutching at his shoulders, she arched into Tearlach’s movement, gasping as he rubbed against the sensitive nub between her legs as he entered. Desperate for the release she knew waited, Lucy gave up her hold on his shoulders and reached down to close her hands over his behind, squeezing and urging him on as her earlier tension returned and grew.
Tearlach answered her demand, his movements becoming faster, thrusting deeper until he brought them both the release she craved.
Lucy was still shuddering and gasping when Tearlach suddenly rolled to the side, taking her with him. Completely exhausted, she allowed her eyes to close, and lay limp and satisfied, barely able to appreciate the gesture as he arranged her to rest on top of him, her head nestled on his chest rather than the prickly straw.
“Hello?”
Tearlach blinked his eyes open at that call, his gaze shooting briefly around with confusion before he recalled where he was and why. Glancing down at Lucy’s sleepy face as she blinked her own eyes open, he lifted a finger to his mouth, signaling for her to remain silent. He then eased them both upright and reached for his tunic.
“Tearlach? My lady?”
“William?” Tearlach called, recognizing the man’s voice.
“Aye.”
In the silence that followed that word, Tearlach quickly tugged his tunic on and then William said, “Are you not coming down? The men are gone.”
“Aye. I’ll be right there,” Tearlach answered.
Grabbing up Lucy’s borrowed dress, he handed it to her, then—spotting the panic on her face—couldn’t resist catching her by the back of the head and drawing her to him for a quick, reassuring kiss that turned into a longer one than he’d intended. Breaking the kiss on a sigh, he hugged her briefly, whispering, “All is well. Take yer time. I’ll see what he wants.”
When she nodded, he stood and drew on the braies he’d been forced to wear since escaping Carbonnel. As he hopped around trying to get them up his legs, he couldn’t help thinking it would be nice to return to wearing a plaid.
“Tearlach?” William called again, sounding as if he were at the bottom of the ladder now.
“I’m coming,” he snapped, finally getting the braies on, and then paused to send Lucy a reassuring smile before moving around the bales.
A glance down showed the stable master at the foot of the ladder, peering up. Tearlach grimaced, and then quickly descended to the stable floor.
“Did you not hear them leave?” William asked, backing out of the way as Tearlach stepped off the ladder.
“We dozed off waitin’,” he muttered.
“Hmm.” William looked rather amused, and then said, “You’ve straw sticking out of your shirt.”
Scowling, Tearlach glanced down and plucked out the offending item.
“And in your hair,” William said once he was done.
Tearlach gave his hair an impatient comb through with his fingers to get out any bits of straw there, and then took William’s arm to urge him toward the door of the stables. “As Lucy is oop and aboot now, I’m thinkin’ we should set out soon. Mayhap at sunset on the morrow.”
“I was afraid you’d say that,” William muttered on a sigh, then paused to face him and announced, “I overheard Carbonnel’s men talking.”
Tearlach smiled faintly, knowing the man hadn’t overheard at all, but had deliberately listened in to their conversation. William was a good man. As were the rest of his family. All of them had quickly realized that he was a vampire and seemed to accept it without issue.
“From what I overheard,” William continued, reclaiming his attention, “it seems they have search parties scouring the area between Blytheswood and court.”
Tearlach grimaced at having his earlier worries verified. “We’ll ha’e tae travel off the main trails then. Stick to the woods and keep an eye out.”
“‘Tis risky,” William pointed out.
“Aye. But Lucy has tae get tae court and ha’e Carbonnel removed froom Blytheswood. Who kens what he’s doin’ tae the people there. With no young women to rape and torment, he may turn his attention tae beatin’ the older women or even the men. He seems tae like tae hurt people.”
“Aye,” William agreed on a sigh, and then said, “I have been thinking...We are not far from the sea here. Mayhap rather than head straight south toward court, you would do better to head south east, toward Skegness. They won’t be watching in that direction and once there you could hire a boat to sail you down to London. They wouldn’t be expecting or watching for that.”
Tearlach blinked in surprise at the suggestion. It was a good one. William was a clever man. “I presume there’s a reason yer suggestin’ Skegness and no’ one o’ the closer coastal villages further north?”
“I have a cousin in Skegness who has a small boat,” William admitted, and then offered, “I could take you to him and get him to take you.”
Tearlach considered the matter. It was a good idea. His only concern was whether they could travel at night by boat without difficulty, and if they couldn’t and had to do so during the day was there somewhere for him to shelter from the sun? Just how big was this small boat? And what of their horses?
“Tearlach?”
He turned to see Lucy stepping off the ladder and hurrying toward them. She’d done a much better job of making herself look presentable than he had. Her hair was tucked up in a tidy bun, and her clothes were a tad wrinkled, but otherwise fine. There wasn’t a stray bit of straw anywhere that he could see and he gave her a most thorough examination as she approached. His eyes roved over every inch of her, his mind recalling what they’d done in the loft. The memory was enough to tempt him to turn her around and chase her back up into the loft to do it again.
Controlling that urge, he scowled instead and said, “We leave fer court tomorrow night.”
“We do?” she asked with surprise.
“Aye, so ye’d best go inside and ha’e Harold’s wife feed ye. Ye need tae build up yer strength fer the journey.”
“Oh.” She hesitated and then asked, “Will you not c
ome with me?”
“Nay. William and I ha’e planning tae do fer the journey.” Seeing the disappointment on her face, he allowed his voice to soften and added, “I shall join ye in a bit. Now go on. Eat.”
Managing a smile, Lucy nodded and turned away to continue out of the stables. Tearlach moved to the door to watch. He stayed there until she was safely inside the inn, only then turning back to William. “Tell me about this boat yer cousin has.”
Ten
Lucy smiled faintly as she leaned out her bedchamber window and watched Agatha berate one of the men in the bailey below. At more than eighty summers, Agatha was the oldest person Lucy knew, and the most crotchety as well. The soldier below would surely attest to that. He’d been suffering her scolding for several minutes now.
Shaking her head slightly, Lucy let her gaze run over the unfortunate soldier, sighing as she noted that he was similar in looks to Tearlach. At least, he would be if his hair was longer, and he was a little taller, and his nose was not so crooked, and...
Lucy grimaced with disgust at she admitted that the man really looked nothing like Tearlach. It was just that everyone and everything made her think of him. She missed the Scot.
It had been two months since the night they’d set out for court. William had accompanied them on the journey to his cousin’s in Skegness. They’d arrived well into the second night of their journey.
Dragged from his bed in the wee hours, Arthur had been reluctant at first to help them, but between William’s persuasion and the coins Lucy had offered to pay him for his time once she was back at home at Blytheswood, he’d relented.
The next problem had been the horses. Arthur’s boat was small, used to fish for his living. There had been no room for the horses. Finally it was decided that William would wait in Skegness for Tearlach to return and collect the mount Harold had loaned him. While the Scot rode home, William would take Trinket back to the inn. Once Lucy was back at Blytheswood, he, Betty, and Will Jr. would return, bringing the mare with them.
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