Highland Warrior Woman (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (9 page)

“What is it, lad?”

“Ye have to come see. I’ve no’ seen the likes ever before,” Alistair said excitedly, prancing from foot to foot.

“What are ye talking aboot?”

“Ye wouldnae believe me. Just hurry.”

Alistair tugged on Calum’s hand, and since his curiosity was piqued, he followed. The lad led him to the top of the hill as the bailey gave way to numerous sod-and-wood shacks that his people lived in. There was a crowd of women, children, and the elderly seated along the hill. A few of them clapped and cheered, and Alistair pointed off to the left at the base of the hummock. What Calum saw caused a lump of fear to form in his chest. His heart pounded against his ribs and he struggled to draw breath.

Maeghan was riding his destrier without a saddle. Her long hair flew out in a stream behind her, and she had a look of such joy on her face. She nudged his horse from a canter into a gallop and held on to his stallion’s mane for balance. He couldn’t believe his eyes when she leaped from straddling the mount to her knees, and then one foot after the other landed on the horse’s back. Her feet were bare and she was standing on his warhorse, her toes curling into his coat as if to hold on. It was only then that he realized she was wearing breeches, which showed off the length of her slim, shapely legs and gently rounded hips, her plaid nowhere to be seen.

What in God’s name does she think she is doing? Doesnae she know that she is courting danger, injury, or even death?

Calum didn’t remember moving, but moments later he was at the bottom of the rise and sprinting after her. He heard a roar of fury and realized it had come from him when Maeghan’s head whipped around toward him. She blanched and her face paled, but then her eyes narrowed and she glared at him. The next thing he knew she was once more straddling his horse and slowing him down.

He stopped and waited to see what she would do. He also needed time to calm his rage. When she finally brought the animal to a halt, she was fifty feet away. With another nudge she turned the horse side-on so she could see him. She lifted her stubborn little chin into the air as if daring him to berate her.

Calum had never been so angry in his life. He clenched his fists at his sides to stop them trembling. His legs felt as if they would collapse from beneath him at any moment, and it was all due to one stubborn, reckless lass.

“Maeghan, come here,” Calum roared.

She looked at him warily and pushed her chin up another notch. Then, to his amazement, she turned the horse away from him, presenting its ass insultingly.

Calum knew that she was doing this to challenge him. He didn’t want his clan bearing witness to her discipline when he caught her, so he turned and glared at the spectators.

“I’m sure ye have better things to do than sit around watching a reckless girl’s stupidity. Leave us and go aboot yer business.”

He waited until they had all left and glanced toward the top of the hillock. Ewan and Hamish had started down the incline toward him.

“What is going on?” Ewan questioned.

Calum explained what he had found Maeghan doing, and his brothers cursed loud and long. As one they all turned toward her to see that she was nudging the horse away from them and was trying to escape.

“Come here, now, Maeghan!” he bellowed.

“Donnae ye yell at me, Campbell. I donnae take orders from ye.” Maeghan shouted her reply.

Calum began moving toward her, keeping his eyes on her so he would see the signals she gave his horse. He saw his brothers moving at the edges of his vision. They all spread out, hoping to cage off her escape.

“Now that would be where ye are wrong, lass,” Ewan said loud enough for her to hear, drawing her attention. “Calum is yer laird, and ye would do well to remember it.”

“Just because someone tells me he is my laird doesnae make it so.”

“Aye, in this case, it does,” Ewan stated emphatically. “What did ye think ye were doing, Maeghan? If ye had been thrown or slipped from the horse’s back, ye could have been killed.”

“I knew what I was doing. I would often ride one of the warhorses at home to entertain the young and old.”

“Did Alec or his warriors know what ye were up to?” Hamish asked.

Calum was glad that he had his brothers’ help. They were keeping Maeghan’s eyes from him as he stalked her. When he got hold of the lass, he was going to give her ass a sound spanking.

“Nay,” she replied, and the look of sadness and loneliness which passed across her face made Calum’s chest ache. She seemed to realize she had shown too much emotion, because when she looked toward Hamish, her expression was blank.

“Why do ye do it, Maeghan?” Hamish queried.

“I donnae like to be bored. I need to keep busy. I have spent my whole life alone except for my good friend, Lauren, and I only befriended her after I was moved from my old home to a smaller one so a family could live in it, five months ago.” She looked at both of his brothers, but instead of seeing anger in her eyes, Calum saw sadness.

“Do ye know what it’s like to be ignored? To be looked at and turned from just because ye were raised differently from others? Nay, ye could not. Ye are used to giving orders and having yer every word obeyed. I have been spurned by my own clan, men and women, because my father raised me like a lad. I’m used to hunting for my own food and making cloth and selling it so I can buy more supplies. The men dinnae know what to make of a lass being able to care for herself, so they gave me a wide berth. The older women told their daughters that I was the spawn of the devil because I can take care of myself.

“I wasn’t even worthy enough for my own laird to find a place for me in our clan. It was up to me to find ways to keep myself busy. I need more in my life than walking around the village and bailey talking to yer people. What better way to keep busy than to entertain the young and old?”

No wonder Maeghan was reluctant to give up her independence and freedom and proclaimed that she was bored. Calum and his brothers were going to have to give her things to do to keep her busy and away from harm. He would talk to them later when she was asleep. But he couldn’t allow her to do such dangerous things. There was no way she was going to get away with her impertinence either.

“Why did ye no’ come to us if ye wanted something to do?” Ewan asked, drawing her eyes to his.

Calum took a wide arc around her so she couldn’t see him. He moved in closer.

“Why would I do that? I have a brain, do I no’?” she asked belligerently.

Since she had been conversing with his brothers, Maeghan and her mount had come to a standstill, which allowed Calum to get within a few feet of her. He took another step and hoped she wouldn’t turn to look for him.

Just when he was within reaching distance, she whipped her head around and gasped. She tightened the fist she had on the horse’s mane and kicked it in the sides. The horse leapt forward, but Calum was faster. Using the strong muscles in his legs, he bounded a couple of steps forward and vaulted onto the back of the horse.

Maeghan squealed and swung her leg over the horse’s head. If he hadn’t wrapped an arm around her waist, she would have jumped to the ground and out of his clutches.

“Let me go, y−ye big brute.”

Calum only tightened his hold on her when she pushed against his arm. Her legs kicked out but didn’t connect with him or his horse since she was sitting sideways with her curvy little ass between his splayed thighs.

“Settle down, ye little wildcat,” Calum commanded, trying to control the skittish stallion with his knees.

“Ye are a−a barbarian. Let me down.”

“Cease!”

“Nay. Not until ye let me go.”

Calum didn’t answer. He made sure he had a good hold on her and headed into the trees. The sounds of feet moving quickly behind let him know Ewan and Hamish were following them at a run. When the sounds of the babbling brook grew closer, he stopped the horse and dismounted, pulling Maeghan with him. He didn’t let her feet touch the ground, knowing that if he did she would begin to struggle again. Shifting her weight slightly, he slid an arm beneath her knees and carried her to the grassy bank, keeping her in his arms until Ewan and Hamish drew near.

With reluctance he tried hard not to show, he let her feet down and held her steady until she had her balance. When he let her go, she took a few steps away from him, her eyes lowered. Calum didn’t like that all the fight in her seemed to have dissipated so quickly. He wanted a woman who would stand up to him, and he wanted to be able to yell back at her without having to worry he would scare her off. He was a big man, and so were his brothers. They needed a strong woman to stand at their sides and challenge them instead of a meek, mild female. There were plenty of those in his clan, and in their company he’d always soon found himself bored and disinterested.

“Look at me, Maeghan.”

Calum waited impatiently for her to do as he bid and had just about given up on her obeying him when she finally lifted her head. The fire in her eyes gave him pause and grabbed hold of his cock and his balls. Her blue eyes were lit with such rage that he wondered if she would give him a tongue lashing.

Instead, she pulled her lips into a tight, thin line and glared at him. Never had he seen a more passionate woman, and he prayed he would be able to get her to direct that emotion at him and his brothers as desire rather than wrath.

“If I ever see ye do something like that again, I will lock ye in yer chamber and not let ye oot.”

“Ye donnae have the authority to tell me what to do,” she spat.

Calum silently rubbed his hands together, knowing this was a battle worth fighting. He didn’t want to break Maeghan’s spirit, but he did want her to stop and think before behaving so heedlessly. Keeping his eyes on hers, he took a step forward, and when she didn’t back away, he drew even closer. He was within an arm’s reach before he came to a halt. She craned her head to keep their gazes connected, still looking very angry.

“I am yer laird, Maeghan. I do have the authority to tell ye what to do, as do Ewan and Hamish.”

“I am leaving. I will not stay here and obey yer commands. I donnae belong here.”

When she took a step back, Ewan and Hamish moved in close behind her, blocking her way. Her breath left on a gasp when she backed into Ewan, and then she turned her head to look over her shoulder.

“Ye belong to the Campbell clan now, lass. Why would ye be wanting to go back to the MacTavishes? Here ye donnae have to work for yer food.”

“I like being able to do what I like when I like. I will not have ye or yer brothers dictating to me.”

“Ye need to learn that when we give a command it is to be obeyed, lass. Maybe a spanking will help to remind ye what will happen if ye donnae listen to us. Ye will no’ put yerself in danger again, Maeghan.”

“What did ye say?” Maeghan screeched and stepped to the side, obviously looking for a way to leave.

“Donnae be frightened of us, lass,” Hamish said quietly and clasped her wrist. “We would never hurt ye.”

Maeghan snorted and tried to tug her hand away, but Hamish didn’t release her. Calum could see even though his brother had her in a secure hold that he wasn’t holding her tight enough to cause pain. She sighed and her shoulders slumped as if she had given up all expectation of escape.

Calum moved in, preparing to lift her up and then position her over his knees, but his little she-cat struck before he could even lay a hand on her. He was left speechless when she twisted in Hamish’s hold, stepped into his brother, and bent over. Hamish flipped over Maeghan’s small body and landed on the ground with an “oomph” and a thud. Turning quickly, she lifted one of her legs to the height of her shoulder and landed her bare foot in the middle of Ewan’s chest. Since his other sibling was standing with his mouth gaping, he stumbled back a couple of steps. His little wildcat took advantage of his shock and landed a fist against Ewan’s jaw.

Calum was so flabbergasted that he stood staring at her like a simpleton and didn’t give chase until she was twenty yards away. She was no match for him with her shorter legs, but she was no easy prey either. Maeghan used her brain as well as her body, darting in and out of small spaces, over logs and around trees. She might even have escaped him if she hadn’t turned to look over her shoulder to see if they were following. Her foot caught on an upraised root and she went sprawling to the ground face-first.

“Are ye hurt, lass?” Calum queried and became concerned when she didn’t answer. Just as he knelt to see if she was injured, she kicked back, her small foot connecting with his groin.

He gasped with pain but shot out a hand to clasp her other ankle and crawled up over her, using his body weight to keep her still. When his hips were level with her buttocks, he pushed his hard cock against her ass.

He heard her gasp, and she froze beneath him, still panting heavily.

Maeghan felt the engorged cock against her ass and froze. Her pussy was wet with need and she was excited after testing the three brothers. They hadn’t let her escape, and she knew deep down that they never would. They were worthy opponents and even more worthy of her heart. Not once in all the time she had been with the Campbells had they hurt or humiliated her in any way. She pushed her hips up against his erection and a moan escaped her mouth. Even though she was nervous and excited, she wasn’t scared. For some reason she knew the three Campbell brothers would never hurt her.