That same strange look Esme had gotten earlier crossed the young girl’s face again—the look that said she feared she’d said too much and wished she could rewind her words. She waved a hand at Sadie and avoided looking her in the eye. “As Da would say, ‘dinna fash yerself.’ Alec’s always been a tad on the broody side.” She pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and tapped the screen several times with her thumb. As she put the phone to her ear, she winked. “Da says Alec gets that from Máthair too.”
Sadie gathered a healthy handful of skirt in each hand and followed Esme to the front of the shop. This much clothing would definitely take some getting used to. She hoped Ramsay didn’t drive a compact model. She’d never get this much yardage and her butt into anything smaller than a side-door-opening utility van.
Chapter 16
“Ye dinna feel it’s a bit soon to show her the Heartstone and reveal the MacDara history?” Dwyn didn’t look up from the phone he held in his left hand while he scribbled notes on a paper in front of him with his right. He frowned down at the phone, squinting closer at the screen. “What the hell does that mean?” he muttered as he shook his head and continued writing in a feverish scrawl.
“I didna say I was going to tell her everything…exactly.” Alec shifted in place, wishing like hell that Dwyn would look him in the eye so he could get a better read on the demigod’s thoughts. “I mean to ease her into it. I feel a visit to Castle Danu is a fine place to start.”
“Ease her into it, ye say?” Dwyn tossed his phone to the desk and leaned back in the sumptuous depths of the leather wingback chair. “How the hell do ye ease someone into the truth that the MacDaras are the chosen line of druids entrusted with the sacred Heartstone and the goddesses’ weapons?” He laced his fingers together, primly folding his hands across his middle. “And how in blazes do ye mean to explain that ye were born in approximately 880 A.D.?”
“The same way a single Highlander eats an entire stag at one sitting—in wee bites patiently tendered one at a time.” Alec paced back and forth in front of the massive mahogany desk that dwarfed the man sitting behind it. He had no idea how he was going to explain all that needed saying. All he knew was that he needed Sadie to hear it in its entirety and accept it. He needed her to trust him. Believe him. Fully connect. If she accepted the unexplainable, then she also accepted him.
Dwyn didn’t speak, just pursed his lips and thoughtfully tapped a finger against the arm of his chair. He slowly turned the seat back and forth with just enough movement to set it to squeaking with an annoying rhythm. The sound echoed through the empty office, rasping across Alec’s tensed nerves like a rusty saw.
Alec slammed his fist onto the desk. “Sit still, damn ye!”
Dwyn chuckled, slowly shaking his head as he straightened in the chair and pulled open the center desk drawer. “Aye, lad. Ye’ve got it bad. The goddesses said it was so. I shouldha known better than to doubt the wise ones.” He pulled a purple velvet pouch out of the drawer and gently placed it in the center of the deep green desk blotter. “Here. They bade me give this to ye along with their blessin’.”
“What is it?” Alec asked.
Dwyn didn’t answer, just relaxed back in his chair and nodded toward the object on the desk.
Alec rubbed his fingertips with his thumbs, never once taking his eyes from the drawstring pouch sitting on the desk. A gift from the goddesses. A blessing. He swallowed hard, praying the tension knotted in his throat wouldna strangle him. Sometimes a blessing from the goddesses quickly became a curse. He looked up at Dwyn, failing to read the man’s expression.
Dwyn just stared back at him, not even bothering to blink.
“Dammit!” Alec hissed. “This is insane.”
He snatched up the cloth bag, worked free the miniature golden ropes around the opening, and reached inside. A cool, smooth surface. Stone and metal with a bit of weight to it. Alec pulled the thing free of the bag, words failing him as he beheld the beauty lying in the palm of his hand.
A large oval brooch of intricately fashioned silver cradled the most beautiful cabochon of finely polished Scottish agate that Alec had e’er beheld. The lines and layers of the agate came to life with rich, deep hues of burgundies, blacks, and browns shimmering in the light. The swirling lines of the gemstone formed a mesmerizing pattern that perfectly matched the triple knot of his blessed goddesses—the same knot of hope, love, and creativity gracing the surface of the Heartstone.
“Give it to her when ye deem the proper time has come—as your father gifted such a brooch to yer mother when he pledged his soul to hers.” Dwyn rose and walked out from behind the desk to rest his hand on Alec’s shoulder. “I’m glad ye finally found yer other half. I’d begun to fear I was to be the one tendin’ to ye when ye’d grown so old ye couldna remember yer own name.”
Alec closed his hand around the rare piece of jewelry, praying he’d know the right time and place to give it to Sadie and ask her to be his own.
“Aye,” he finally whispered aloud more to himself than to Dwyn. “I feared the same as well.”
Chapter 17
“No way will I fit through that door.”
“Sure you will,” Esme said. “I’ll pull you from the inside and Alec can shove you in from the back.”
“You make me sound like the prize bull being loaded up for the fair.” Sadie caught one corner of her lip between her teeth, closed one eye, and tilted her head to the side. Nope. The narrow door to the horse-drawn carriage Alec had ordered for the evening didn’t look any larger from that angle. There was absolutely no way her wrapped-in-layers-of-linen-and-velvet ass was getting through that door—at least not without a healthy coat of nonstick spray and a pry bar. “Are you sure this thing isn’t a miniature model meant for display purposes only?”
Sarinda blew past them like a small tornado, huffing and puffing with exasperation. “Ye’ve no’ opened both the doors, ye eejits.” She stood on tiptoe, flipped loose two inconspicuous latches that had perfectly blended in with the panels of the carriage, and folded back the second door. She turned back and glared at Alec and Esme as though she couldn’t believe she’d raised such a pair of empty-headed children. “Yer a fine mess, the two of ye, I swear that ye are.”
She pulled her wrap tighter about her shoulders and walked to the edge of the porte cochere. Squinting up into the velvety blanket of the starless sky, Sarinda shivered. “Ye packed blankets and ensured plenty of firewood was at the ready, aye? There’s nothin’ colder than a damp castle with nary an ember glowin’ in its hearths.”
“Aye, Máthair,” Alec assured her in a strained tone.
Sadie bit the tip of her tongue to keep from snickering. How amusing was it for a mountain of a man to take a scolding from his tiny slip of a mother?
“And ye’ve all the food Miss Lydia packed? And the wine as well as the glasses? And the cloth for the table along with the silverware?” Sarinda tapped each of her fingers as she named off the items she feared her son might have forgotten. “And did ye remember—”
“Máthair!” Alec gently took his mother by the shoulders and steered her back toward the keep. “We’ll be at the castle but a few hours. ’Tis no’ as though we’re movin’ there permanently.”
Esme took Sadie by the hand and pulled her toward the carriage. “Come on. I’ll help you get in. It’s bad karma for a woman to see her man get his arse tanned by his mother.”
My man. A delicious shiver warmed Sadie’s blood and set her to tingling. Who cared if there was a fire at the castle? Alec would have her spontaneously combusting in no time. Just as she reached for the carriage handle, she paused with one foot on the step. “Who’s driving? I don’t want to ride inside all by myself.” She resisted the urge to fan herself as the thought of the carriage’s rocking motion offered up infinite possibilities and heated her blood even more.
Ramsay appeared from behind the carriage, snugging his leather gloves higher up his wrists. “I’ll be drivin’. I promised Hamish
I’d come for a visit. He and I can take our nightly stroll whilst ye enjoy yer supper with Alec.”
“Hamish?” That was a new name she’d not heard the MacDaras mention before. “Is he the castle’s caretaker?”
Ramsay laughed as he launched himself up onto the driver’s perch at the front of the boxy carriage. “Hamish is an owl I befriended when I was but a wee lad. I doubt ye’ll see him unless ye visit the owlery. He’s a bit of a loner.”
“We’ll no’ be visitin’ the owlery this evenin’.” Alec kissed his mother’s cheek, then moved to Sadie’s side. “And ye can trust that Ramsay will give us our privacy,” he whispered into Sadie’s hair.
Her foot nearly slipping off the step, Sadie fluttered her fingers against her flaming décolleté. Lord have mercy, I’m on fire. I bet I’m as red as a beet. A quick glance downward confirmed her fears. Her olive-toned skin wasn’t red, but she’d definitely taken on a telltale glow.
“Allow me to help ye.” Alec gallantly took her hand in his and steadied her as she stepped up into the coach.
“Thank you,” Sadie murmured as she settled into the seat and arranged her skirts so there was room for Alec to join her. Her heart pounded out a breathtaking rhythm, whether from the excitement and romance of her first carriage ride or from the certainty that this evening was sure to be one she’d never forget, she didn’t know. Either way, she could hardly catch her breath. Maybe my kirtle’s tied too tight. She wiggled her fingers under the hem of the snug garment and sucked in a lung-expanding breath. Nope. It wasn’t the kirtle. She was high on erotic adrenaline and fantasy overload.
Alec reached across her and pulled the shades down over the windows as he rapped his knuckles against the ceiling of the carriage. When they lurched forward, he nodded first to Esme and then his mother before pulling the shades down on his side of the carriage as well. He leaned back, slid his hand under Sadie’s, and lifted it to his lips. “By coach, we’re nearly an hour’s ride from the castle. If ye’ll recall, the path is narrow, and safety demands we travel verra slowly.”
“An hour?” Sadie snuggled closer, mesmerized by Alec’s lips nibbling a suggestive trail across her palm. “Whatever shall we do to pass the time?”
Moving to her mouth, Alec sucked and nibbled at her bottom lip while his fingers danced a fiery teasing pattern across the bare mounds of her bosoms straining to be free of her dress. His breath was warm against her throat as his tastings moved even lower. “I’m certain we shall think of something to do. Yer fine dress framin’ yer beauty has given me many ideas.” He rained kisses across her collarbone, softly groaning as he nuzzled his face deeper into her cleavage.
Sadie found herself sliding down in the seat until both her feet were comfortably cushioned on the opposite bench. She cradled Alec to her bosoms, arching into his delightful mouth as he slid one hand behind her back and tugged free the laces of her kirtle. The front of her costume obliged by loosening and shifting down to her waist. The chilly air kissed her flesh, puckering her already hardened nipples even tighter.
“Such sweet delights,” Alec murmured as he cupped her breast closer and sucked her nipple deep and hard.
Blissful tingles shot through her with every pull of his mouth. The carriage rocked back and forth, making her ache for more. Sadie slid her hand beneath Alec’s kilt, a surge of hot wetness between her thighs insisting that she hurry. A breathless groan escaped her as she wrapped her fingers around his rock-hard erection and stroked him in time with the sway of the coach.
“I want to taste you,” she whispered, shifting out from under Alec’s mouth and burrowing through the bunched-up material between them to lick her way around the ridge of his engorged head. “And then I want to ride you,” she added right before she took his shaft into her mouth as far as it would go.
Alec groaned, straightening his long legs as much as he could as he stretched across the carriage. He braced his feet on the opposite seat and splayed a hand against each of the walls. “Do as ye will, m’love. Do as ye will.”
Crouching between his bent legs, Sadie squeezed Alec’s ass cheek with one hand as she pumped him with the other. Sucking and licking up and down his shaft in time with her strokes, she shuddered and nearly came herself each time Alec bucked or groaned.
“I can’t wait any longer,” she gasped. Shoving the sagging kirtle out of the way, Sadie slid her fingers along the inside of her skirt’s waistband until she found the cleverly hidden pocket that had been the perfect size for a condom packet. She ripped it open and smoothed it down over Alec’s more-than-ready cock. Climbing up him until her knees were resting on the bench on either side of him, she looped her hands through the straps hanging from the back wall, then smiled down at Alec. “I don’t know what these are here for, but they’re perfect for what I’ve got in mind.”
Alec grinned up at her as he slid his hands up her thighs. He squeezed her ass in both hands, then lunged upward at the same time that he pulled her down, impaling her in the best possible way. “Ride me, love. Ride me hard.”
Hanging on tight to the leather straps, Sadie rocked and swayed, driving his cock even deeper. “Son of a bitch,” she gasped as the ride grew slicker and hotter with her freely flowing juices. The carriage bumped and shuddered across a rough patch of road. “Oh my God,” Sadie groaned as wave after wave of her orgasm crashed across her like a stormy tide.
Alec shouted something in a language that Sadie didn’t understand, but judging from the way he was hanging on and pumping inside her, she had a pretty good idea that he’d just unleashed a damn fine orgasm of his own. He shuddered one last time, then blew out a gasping breath as he shifted backward to a seated position on the bench, one arm tight around Sadie, pulling her with him and keeping himself well buried inside her. He nuzzled his face into her neck, kissing and panting against her throat. “I firmly believe we should wear these period clothes at all times. Do ye agree?”
A giggle escaped Sadie as she cuddled tight against his chest and softly kissed the salty-sweet skin of his neck. “They’re definitely easy access. Those Scots knew what they were doing back in those days.”
She purred out a happy sigh. Was there anything better than spending the after-orgasm glow lying on top of your man’s chest and feeling him still hot and heavy inside you? Drowsy and contented with deliciously satisfied exhaustion, Sadie vaguely noticed the motion of the carriage slowing. She didn’t rouse from Alec’s embrace nor bother opening her eyes. If the carriage was slowing, they’d probably reached the part of the path that was extremely narrow. That also meant their final destination wasn’t very much farther—fifteen or twenty minutes, tops.
“I guess we need to think about getting dressed so we don’t shock your brother.” She didn’t really want to move. Maybe Alec would have an alternate plan. After all, the man excelled in creativity.
His arms tightened around her and his honeyed voice rumbled with an even more seductive tone. “Ramsay will park the carriage in the bailey, unhook the horses, and see that they’re fed and stabled. Then he’ll go find Hamish in the owlery.” Alec kissed the top of her head. “We can stay in the carriage all night if ye like, but I believe ye might enjoy a tour of the castle—and some of the comforts to be found inside it,” he added in a deep, throaty whisper. “Who’s t’say? We might even give ye a few more ideas for those lovely scenes ye owe yer sister.”
Sadie sat upright and wiggled her dress back up in place. Holding the bodice tight against her bosoms, she leaned forward a bit and turned. “Tie me up, would you?” Then a fit of giggles escaped the fingers she clamped across her mouth.
Pulling the laces of her kirtle tight and tying them with a gentle jerk, Alec completely failed at glaring at her with a mock-stern expression. “And would ye mind tellin’ me what ye find so amusing?”
“Nothing. I’m just a bit giddy from the afterglow, I guess.” Alec obviously hadn’t read some of the books she’d enjoyed and had no idea about the double connotation of “tie me up.” Fo
dder for another evening, perhaps? Sadie pecked a kiss to the end of his nose, then reluctantly dismounted and slid to the bench.
The carriage came to a halt with a creaking groan and the cheerful rattling of the horses’ bridles and reins. A solid thud hit the door, then Ramsay shouted from the other side, “Make yerselves decent whilst I unhook the horses and see to their feed. Then I’ll be off and ye can carry on with the enjoyin’ of yer evenin’.” His rumbling chuckle sounded a bit farther away when he called out, “Although if ye enjoy yerselves verra much more, I’ll surely be meetin’ a wee niece or nephew by springtime.”
Sadie pressed both hands to her flaming cheeks and whispered, “Do you think he heard us? I thought the creaks and rattling from the coach would camouflage any…uhm…noises.”
Alec smiled and raked his fingers back through his hair, then shook out the folds of his kilt. “Ramsay has the hearing of a wolf. I guarantee he heard us.” He leaned forward, tucked a knuckle under her chin, then lifted her face to his. “And I also guarantee that I dinna give a sweet damn if all North Carolina heard us.”
“Me neither,” Sadie murmured as she wrapped her arms around Alec’s neck and leaned back, pulling him over with her. “How about if we make a little more noise until it’s time to go inside?” No matter how many times or how hard she’d come, just the sight of Alec made her hungry for more.
“A fine idea, lass,” Alec rumbled as he shoved her skirts back up around her waist and knelt between her knees. “A fine idea, indeed.”
Sadie's Highlander Page 16