“Ready?” he asked.
“Ready to go and talk with Fergus, though she did seem to want me to wear something besides your shirt,” Paisley said as she set her cup back on the tray.
“Hmmm, I dunna. I rather like ye wearing no’ but me shirt. And Fergus can wait a bit longer as I wanted ta spend today showing ye around so ye can get the lay of the land. Tomorrow will be soon enough ta start yer lessons with Fergus.”
Though Paisley wanted to argue that she needed to be returning to her home and her life in the next couple of days, the look in Ewan’s blue eyes had her shrugging. “I guess that would be okay.”
“Verra good,” Ewan said as he stood and went to the one door she had not looked behind.
When he opened it and stepped through, she saw that it appeared to be a sitting room, or office, or something. She could see a desk with a large chair behind it and another chair in front of it. A moment later, he returned, carrying her small suitcase and purse, which he carried across the room and lifted onto the bed.
“I’ll see about emptying some of the drawers in the closet for yer things, if ye’d like.”
“Don’t bother. I won’t be here that long,” she said as she stood and went to her suitcase.
Unzipping the top, she threw it back and pulled out the plastic bag she was keeping her souvenirs in. Then dug around the bottom and pulled out a pair of panties, a bra, and black leggings. She decided to wear Ewan’s shirt as it was big and comfortable and hid all her curves, unlike the T-shirts and jeans she had brought from home.
Besides, the shirt smelled like Ewan and felt like a warm, soft, and comforting hug. And that was something she needed right now when she was beginning to wonder whether she was crazy, or Ewan, Collin, and Fergus were.
Stepping into the bathroom, she stripped off the shirt, and then redressed from the skin out. Once finished, she returned to the bedroom to find it empty. She heard the deep tones of Ewan’s voice drift in through the open doorway to the next room, the one she had yet to explore.
Pausing in the doorway, she openly eavesdropped on Ewan’s side of the telephone conversation. When he turned and smiled at her, she tried to look innocent, but her burning cheeks told her she failed miserably. His smile grew as he held out one hand palm up, and bent his fingers in a “come here” gesture. Unable to do anything else, she crossed to him. Her gaze locked on his, she did not notice the rest of the room.
Instead of taking her hand in his, Ewan took a half step forward, slid his free arm around her back, and pulled her so close she could feel every bulge and ripple of his muscles. And knowing exactly what the jeans and T-shirt he wore today concealed, her body responded in kind.
Her pussy began to weep, her nipples grew long and stiff, and her core temperature rose a good ten degrees. When she shifted her hips against his, she felt his already hard cock twitch as it grew even longer and stronger. A sure sign she was not the only one feeling the attraction between them.
Ewan pulled her along with him as he shuffled back to the point where he could lean against the desk with her resting heavily on him.
Shifting her lower body, Paisley decided she wanted more than just a good morning hug. Since this trip was all about new experiences and stepping out of her comfort zone, it was time to take a major leap out of the comfortable box she had kept herself locked into for most of her adulthood.
Resting her head on his chest, she felt his heart beat under her cheek as she worked one hand between their bodies. As her fingers struggled to open the button and zipper of his jeans, she listened as his responses went from words and sentences apparently instructing the caller on something to do with sheep, to single words and then simple “Ayes,” “Ums,” and “Naes.”
He went completely silent when she pulled the shirttail up and slipped her fingers around his hard cock. She stroked him gently, her own hips pulsing with growing need. She needed more, but her heart wanted to give instead of pushing the man to the floor and impaling herself on his shaft.
Instead, she slid down his body and out of his arms. She ended up kneeling before him. She pulled his jeans down a few inches, until she could cup his balls with one hand while controlling the length of his thick cock with the other.
As she took the head between her lips and swirled her tongue around the soft skin to taste his pre-cum, Ewan found his voice once more. “Billy, I hafta go. I’ll call ye back later.”
There was a sharp clatter when she slid farther down, taking about half the shaft into her mouth. Large warm hands slid through her hair to cup her head as she began to bob up and down, trying to take more and more in as she sucked on what she could. Her own hips kept moving back and forth, everything between her legs tightening and pulsing as she worked toward her own release even as she pleasured Ewan.
Her pussy overflowed and drenched her panties as the fingers pressed against her skull tightened, and Ewan began to grunt as his hips began to snap forward, pushing deeper into her mouth as he thrust in and out. Needing just a bit more to join him in ecstasy, Paisley released her cupping hold on his scrotum and dropped her hand to press two fingers on her balled-up clit.
The touch was exactly what she needed to set off her orgasm. Her body jerked as she made keening noises even as she continued to suck and swallow on Ewan’s length. That sent Ewan flying past his limits. He roared as his cock pulsed and filled her mouth with his seed. She swallowed it easily, liking the salty, tangy taste as it crossed her tongue.
Afterward she licked his cock clean, earning numerous gasps and air-sucking noises as his softening length grew sensitive to even the gentlest of touches. Once she was finished, she gently kissed the tip before releasing him, licking her lips, and pushing to her feet. He leaned heavily against his desk with both hands planted on the top, his arms locked as if he were trying to keep from collapsing. Paisley smiled as she met his heavy-lidded, grinning countenance. Then, dropping her gaze, she carefully tucked his bits and pieces away and straightened his clothing.
“Good morning, ye,” he said as he pulled her to once more lean against him and cuddle. His voice was low and so deeply sexy that Paisley sucked in a breath as her clit clenched in response.
“Good morning yourself,” she returned softly. Just then another door into the room slammed open, causing Paisley to jump. Ewan’s arms tightened around her to keep her from moving far.
“Ewan MacGregor, yer a filthy sod of a man,” the black-haired man roared as he stepped into the room and planted himself with hands on hips, looking as if Ewan had better have his will validated and burial plans in order.
Paisley blinked then turned to look at Ewan. He did not look the least bit frightened. She, on the other hand, eyed the path to the bedroom as a possible escape route. But Ewan’s arms held her securely so she could not make a run for it.
“And ye, Duncan Kinsey, are an ill-manner lout with the worst timing in history. Dunna ye ken the proper way ta visit a man’s private office is ta knock and wait ta be admitted.”
The black-haired man just grinned at Ewan before turning his attention to her, and his expression turned to one of a leering horny male. “There’s nothin’ goin’ on I’m interruptin’ so far as I can see. Ye looked relaxed and even a little weak, boyo. Have ye picked up a bug? Or has the lass in yer arms been polishing yer knob?”
Before Paisley could decipher the brogue enough to take offense, Ewan set her aside, crossed to the visitor, and punched him in the stomach so hard the big man bent in half before his knees gave way.
Ewan then bent low over the man who was trying to catch his breath and said, “Ye’ll no’ be speakin’ abou’ me wife-ta-be tha’ way. She’s a proper lady from America who Fergus has deemed ta be the clan’s next healer.”
With that, Duncan lifted his head and looked Paisley up and down, this time with respect and almost fear in his expression. “Yer ta be the new Fergus? Well, why dinna somebody tell me? I’m verra sorry for the insult, melady.”
Paisley forced a po
lite smile on her lips as she nodded. Then she looked at Ewan. “I think I’ll go find Fergus now. That way, you two gentlemen can continue insulting and beating on one another in private.”
The men laughed heartily as she hurried across the room and through the bedroom door. She closed it behind her then moved to the doorway to the hall. Opening it, she looked left and then right, but found the hallway empty. There was no one to point the way to Fergus’s rooms, nor was there a convenient sign on the wall that said, “Seer’s lair thataway.”
She froze when the door behind her opened. “All the way down the hall ta yer left, lass. I’ll come and join ye when I’ve finished me business with Duncan.”
Paisley nodded and turned in the correct direction. As she walked, she wondered if and when someone would fill her in on exactly what the job was that Fergus had deemed her perfect for. Because right now she was feeling as lost and confused as Alice in Wonderland or Dorothy in Oz.
Chapter 8
Paisley slowed as she approached the end of the hall, wondering when she had decided to go along with Ewan and Fergus. When had she stopped fighting the need to rejoin the tour group who by now were on the other side of the country? When had she begun to accept that maybe this place, wherever they were, was the right place to be?
Had she given up her own agenda because it did indeed feel like a wrong fit? Because that part of her that she never acknowledged understood that the MacGregors were right? Or because she really was exhausted and in need of someone taking over, even if it was by telling her she was living the wrong life?
Whatever it was, as she walked down the stone-lined corridor, the heavy weight she had carried on her shoulders felt a little lighter, a little less oppressive. Then she wondered if she should have stopped long enough to clean up before meeting with Fergus. But when she’d left Ewan, it seemed more important to get away from the men than to worry about whether an old woman might be able to smell sex on her.
She was just lifting her hand to knock when the door swung open. She caught her breath and wondered if it was magic, when Fergus called out, “Go and tell Ewan that I need the woman more than he does and he’ll hae the rest of his life with her.”
“Yes, ma’am,” a young male voice answered. A moment later, a young man who looked to be about fifteen or so stepped around the door and into view.
Paisley stepped out of his way then around him and through the doorway. “No need to do that, Fergus, I’m here.”
“Verra good.” Fergus wheeled her chair around and looked her up and down with a narrowed critical eye. “Johnny, come back just before midday so ye can help me ta the hall for lunch.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Johnny said before he pulled the door close and left the two women alone.
Paisley looked around the room, the sheer volume of stuff in the room overwhelming her senses. Three walls were lined floor to ceiling with shelves above and cabinets below, all of which seemed to be full to overflowing with bottles and cloth bags and bowls and baskets.
She saw no order to anything in the room. Books and baskets and candles were piled together on some shelves, while what looked like small statues of animals and people vied for space with papers and bags and stuffed animals on others. The table that filled the middle of the room had been piled high with even more stuff, and she could see larger baskets and boxes stuffed under the table.
Immediately her head began to pound as she realized this was a hoarder’s haven, and her worst nightmare.
Instead of giving her a moment to catch her breath, Fergus began talking about her gift, and the best way to use it. Paisley was barely able to understand what the old woman said as she continued talking about grounding and recharging and protecting her gift and how Ewan would be able to help, but how she needed to be careful around other people.
Finally, overwhelmed by the sights and smells and Fergus’s seemingly never-ending sermon, Paisley had had enough. “How do you know I even have a gift? And how could I have lived my entire life without knowing about it or having anyone else telling me about it?”
“Because ye were raised in America, gel, where they dinna believe in the old ways. Even if there had been someone ta teach ye, ye would no’ hae taken ta the lessons because yer family would hae discouraged ye from it like they did most things ye wanted ta do. They probably would hae sent ye ta a head doctor or some such silliness instead of encouragin’ ye ta come ta me years ago as ye should hae. Now, here, with Ewan to ground ye and meself to lead ye, ye can uncover, embrace, and learn ta use the gifts ye were born with. The gifts fillin’ yer soul that are beggin’ ta be used. And once ye accept the truth, I promise ye the feelin’ of bein’ lost in yer own life will disappear like mist under the sun.”
“But I have to go home. I have a job and a home and people who are expecting me to return,” Paisley argued.
“Bah,” Fergus said with a wave of her hand. “Ye’ve got a job ye hate, and friends ye canna spend too much time with else they drain ye of yer energy because ye dinna ken how ta guard it. Ye’ve had a longin’ ta come ta Scotland for as long as ye can remember, but ye ne’er could explain why. I’ll wager ye canna e’en explain it ta yerself.”
Paisley did not answer. Fergus was so accurate in her assessment that it shocked her. “How do you know all that?” she asked after swallowing hard and licking suddenly dry lips.
“I ken because I see it in yer heart. I see it in yer eyes. Yer unhappiness with yer life radiates from ye like heat from a peat fire on a gloomy day.”
Paisley remained silent as she turned over Fergus’s words. Everything the old woman had said was true. So accurate it was painful to hear, which made Paisley feel defenseless.
Instead of arguing because she knew she had no foot to stand on, she took several deep breaths before asking, “So if what you say is true, what am I supposed to do about it?”
“Ye need ta stop fashing about leaving. Ye need ta relax, and rest yer soul ta restore yer energy levels. Then, when yer ready, we’ll begin yer trainin’ so’s ye’ll be able ta take o’er when I cross the veil.”
Paisley thought about it as she paced along one side of the room. Fergus was right. She did feel like a stranger in her life, never sure where she fit in or if what she was supposed to do was the right thing. Being in Scotland had felt right since the moment she stepped off the plane.
Maybe she should at least listen to what the old woman had to say. If nothing else, maybe she could learn how to keep her friends from draining her energy as they did. That in itself would be well worth the money she had laid out for the trip. And, if it meant spending more time with Ewan, then maybe it would be a good thing, though she still had to talk to Ewan about contacting her boss and making arrangements for some extra time off.
“So, where do we begin?” Paisley asked as she rounded the table and sat on the empty stool in the corner nearest to Fergus.
* * * *
By the time Ewan entered the great hall, late for lunch, he was hungry, tired, frustrated, and beginning to wonder if maybe he should resign his position as the clan’s second-in-command and follow Paisley back to her home in America. But then what would he do? He had been trained since he could toddle around his father on taking care of Fergus and taking care of the business side of things.
Most days he loved the work and dealing with the business of the clan and making sure everything ran smoothly with the members of the clan both locally as well as all over Scotland. The ones outside the borders he kept in loose touch with through the clan’s website, but mostly they were on their own.
Unfortunately, after Duncan’s unexpected visit, the rest of the morning had become one of those days meant to challenge the good humor and boundless patience for which he was famous. He had not fully resolved one crisis before two more popped up demanding his attention.
Paisley had been pushed to the back of his thoughts until just this minute when he saw that she and Fergus were sitting beside one of the four huge fireplaces in the gr
eat hall. Fergus was in her wheelchair and Paisley was slowly rocking in one of the rocking chairs that had been around the hall since long before his birth. Since it was August, the fireplace held only a large arrangement of flowers that one of the kitchen helpers had put together. Fergus was talking and knitting while Paisley nodded and wrote in the notebook open across her lap.
As usual at this time on a rainy day, the hall was busy with a group of children playing in one corner of the room, several men talking business over tea and shortbread in another, while several women were cleaning up the dining table. Fergus and Paisley seemed oblivious to everything, including him as he approached.
His aim was to nibble on the fine porcelain skin of the neck of the woman he wanted for his own before he sat down to whatever plate his cousin Amelie, who was head cook, had saved for him. He stopped behind Paisley’s chair, and was just bending to do so when she turned and looked up at him with a completely unsurprised look on her face.
“Hello.” She smiled at him. Those luscious lips turned up in that way sent blood pulsing from every part of his body straight to his cock. It looked like she and Fergus had come to some sort of an understanding as he felt a contented happiness radiating from her instead of the fearful wariness she had felt earlier.
After swallowing and shifting his hips to make room for the burgeoning flesh of his cock, he grinned back. “Hello.”
“Yer late, boyo, but just in time,” Fergus said, as she looked over and frowned at him. “Ye were supposed ta join us hours ago.”
Ewan continued staring at Paisley, who his heart was screaming was his and his alone. “Sorry, I’m late. ’Tis been a crazy day so far.”
“Have you eaten?” Paisley asked, sounding like the brogue was already starting to creep into her tongue.
Kiltnapped [Kilt, Kilty, Kilted 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 6