Highlanders (11 page)

CHAPTER THREE

T
HE
MOONLIGHT
LIT
the unfamiliar path as James led the horse along it. He had walked this way several times since arriving here in Lairig Dubh, never dreaming that it would be his escape route. Though he understood all the dangers and the repercussions of the actions they took now, each step grew lighter and more decisive.

Glancing ahead and behind to make certain no one followed or knew of his plan, he made his way to the place they’d met before and held his breath. Staring into the shadows of the copse of trees, he watched as a slim figure moved and became visible to him.

“Elizabeth,” he whispered, as she drew closer. Her smaller hand slipped into his and he squeezed it. “I hoped... I hoped.”

At first glance, it appeared that she wore sensible garments, but as his gaze moved down to her legs now encased in a man’s trews, his body tightened in response. Had she any idea of the man he became around her? Or the effect she had on his ability to think logically? He was throwing aside his heritage, his name and possibly his life to have her and none of it worried him now that she was in his grasp.

“What now?” she whispered back.

“We must be on our way. With the full moon above and clear weather for once, we can be miles away before morning.”

He secured the bag she held to the saddle and then mounted. Holding his hand down to her, he helped her mount behind him. Once she had settled, and as he tried to ignore her legs against his, he urged the horse on with his knees.

James had studied maps of the area owned by Connor and drawn his own, planning a journey that would follow part of the same path they’d taken from the south. Once nearer to the coast, they would go east along the borders to reach the lands of a distant cousin, where they could stay while making plans. He had coin to buy what they needed along the way.

The silence of the night surrounded them as they rode farther and farther away from Lairig Dubh. Only the sound of the horse’s hooves along the beaten dirt path or the occasional night bird or owl broke the quiet. Each minute moved them further from their old life and toward their new one.

When the road changed pitch or angle, Elizabeth’s hands tightened around his waist, sometimes her fingers would grab hold of the fabric of his cloak. She shifted once or twice, bringing her more in contact with him, so close that he could feel her heart pounding against his back. Or mayhap that was his own? After riding for some time, James knew he needed to give Elizabeth a break.

He eased them to a slower pace and then let the horse walk a distance to cool down. Once he drew to a halt, he slid off and reached up to help Elizabeth down. His hands spanned her waist with ease, but the contact of her legs sliding down his made his grasp a tenuous one. When her face was level to his, he leaned in and kissed her. Her reaction surprised him, for she wrapped her arms and legs around him and opened to him. All manner of images filled his brain even as blood raced through his body, readying it to claim her.

This was not his intention when he stopped their journey, but, hell, she was his and she was in his arms. He slid his arms around her, holding her tightly against him while he savored the feel of her lovely curves. She was his and his alone. He tasted her deeply and took in the soft moan of pleasure that echoed in the silence around them. With each touch of their mouths, her hold on him and his on her tightened and their bodies melded in an imitation of how they would join their flesh. When a cold wind rustled the trees around them and reminded James of both the lateness and the miles yet ahead of them, he lifted his head and smiled at her.

“You tempt me to folly, lass,” he whispered as he eased her down to stand. “Clouds gather.” He nodded above to where the thickening clouds began to shroud the full moon...and its light. “If you can still ride, we should cover whatever distance we can before the weather breaks.”

“I can,” Elizabeth said. At first she glanced away but then she met his gaze once more. “You tempt me as well, James.”

For a man who’d planned to live his life by making practical choices and decisions, he’d given himself over to passion and desire’s control very quickly. Filled with anticipation of their future together, James reluctantly released her.

“See to your needs, Elizabeth. And then we’ll be on our way.”

“Where are we going?” she asked. “This looks like the road we took back from Perth.”

“It is. We’ll follow this until we reach the road that heads south to Glasgow. There is a small village near there...and a priest who will marry us.”

“How did you find it?” she asked, smiling at him in a way that warmed his heart.

“I noticed the village as we passed through it. When I decided I...
we
must elope, I asked about it.”

“Wasn’t that dangerous?”

“Lady MacLerie seemed very forthcoming in her suggestions.”

“The lady knows about us?” Elizabeth gasped. “About this?”

“Although I did not tell her specifically, but aye, I believe she knows what I planned to do. She spoke about a cousin of the earl’s who was married by a priest of the Old Church.” He smiled, now realizing how detailed the lady’s directions were to him. “No one knows anything about our plans—yet. I left a note behind to explain, but it will not be found until morning. So, we are safe for now.”

She nodded and turned from him then and he watched as her long legs, encased in and outlined by the trews she wore, carried her away from him. He might have even taken a step after her before he realized she needed some privacy. Laughing, he turned back and checked the saddle and bags tied in place, looking for some of the food he’d packed.

Elizabeth finished her task and found Jamie waiting for her where she’d left him. He held out a chunk of bread to her and she nodded her thanks as she took it. Her stomach had churned through most of the day, including the midday meal at the keep and the dinner that her mother had made, so it did not surprise her when it now grumbled with hunger.

“I did not eat much today,” she admitted to him. “I was too nervous after speaking to you.”

“Here, have this, too, then,” he said, holding out a small piece of yellow cheese and another chunk of bread. “You will need your strength.” Their gazes met as she thought about what was ahead of them. The guilty expression that filled his blue eyes told her they thought on different matters.

She accepted the proffered food without comment and ate it all. By the time she’d swallowed the last bite, he held out a skin of ale to her and she drank some. Then, he stored everything in their bags and mounted first. She grasped his hand and pulled herself up behind him, easing her body into position so as to not startle the horse. Elizabeth gathered her cloak around her and slid her arms around his waist to steady herself as they rode.

In truth, she liked riding like this.

She could embrace him, feeling the strength of his muscles beneath her hands and arms as they rode. With her legs pressed against his came a new awareness of heat between them. She’d shamelessly pilfered a pair of her brother’s trews, believing that it would be easier to travel unnoticed in them. She never considered the pleasure of holding Jamie between them.

As they crossed the miles through the night, she fell asleep against his back, clutching his cloak to hold on and enjoying the heat of his body against her. He even held onto her hands to keep her secure as they rode. They interrupted their journey for a few, brief stops—always seeing to their comfort and traveling on. Then, not long after the first light of dawn began to brighten the skies above, thunder echoed above them, warning of approaching storms.

The first drops of rain did not bother them, but as it turned into torrents, Jamie guided the horse to a slower and safer pace and finally brought them to a halt under a thick copse of trees. Even the meager shelter offered there was better than nothing and they waited a short time, hoping the rains would cease or at least ease up. Jamie helped her down and she shook the rain from her cloak as he did.

Gazing into the rain, she realized they were still on MacLerie lands, out in the western grazing lands used for their cattle. That meant...

“There,” she said, pointing up on the side of the mountain to the west of them. “A shieling.”

It was a crud hut, turf-roofed with a low foundation of stones, but it would keep them out of the worst of it. Because of the way it was built into the side of the mountain, it was not easily seen from where they stood. Jamie turned and sought out what she saw. He smiled and nodded.

“Just what we need for shelter from this storm.”

They decided it would be quicker to walk and guide the horse along the narrow path on the mountainside than to ride, so Elizabeth pulled her cloak over her head and around her to keep as much rain off as possible. By the time they reached the hut, she was drenched. Jamie led the horse to the side where the trees formed a shelter while she opened the door to the shieling. Elizabeth had to lean into it, for it was stuck from the elements and the age of it. She’d just pushed it open when Jamie joined her, bringing their bags and supplies with him.

Elizabeth ducked her head to enter through the low opening. The hut was small but clean. Though the drovers had long since taken the cattle to the markets in the south, the shieling was left stocked with some meager supplies—a jar of oats, another of flour and one of honey, a griddle pan, some battered metal cups, and some woolen blankets folded on a shelf. The MacLerie steward kept these shelters stocked and clean, and many times these places had saved lives when surprise winter storms moved through the mountains and caught his people outside.

A good thing for them right at this moment.

A quick glance showed the inside was dry, too, with only a small leak in one, easily avoidable corner of the shieling. Other than two low stools, it was empty of furnishings. She moved out of the way so Jamie could enter.

“Not our usual accommodations, but it will keep us dry for now,” he said, putting the bags down. “Here, let me have your cloak.”

She unfastened it and he lifted the sodden garment from her shoulders. Looking down at the rest of her, she wondered if he was shocked by the trews she wore. Her brother was much taller and larger than she, so she’d been forced to roll them up at the waist to pull the extra fabric into place. It had been years since she and Ciara had worn the scandalous trews, while running through the forests at play. Sliding her hands down onto her thighs, she realized they were soaked through as well. She shivered as the cold, wet fabric plastered itself to her skin.

Jamie had busied himself starting a fire in the small metal brazier after hanging her cloak and his on pegs next to the door. Proving himself quite self-sufficient for a nobleman, he then brought in some chopped blocks of peat to add to it. It would be smoky but would warm them and help dry their cloaks. Soon, the heat of the fire began to fill the hut.

“That should help,” he said, facing her. He frowned and shook his head. “You should change out of those wet clothes. I brought your bag in.”

He reached for her bag and discovered exactly what she knew would be true—the heavy fabric bag had absorbed as much water as the rest of her had and the gowns inside were wet. When he discovered their condition, he shrugged.

“Well, that is not a choice now, is it?” He pulled one of the blankets from the shelf and shook it out. “At least this will keep you warm while your garments dry.”

Now, shivers of another kind shot through her, as she considered undressing with him so close and watching. She knew it would come to that, once they married, or even before while yet on this journey, but was that to be now? Being as bold as she could, she reached out to take the blanket from him.

CHAPTER FOUR

J
AMES
WATCHED
AS
the uncertainty in her gaze changed and she reached out for the blanket he offered. He understood she’d only just comprehended that they were truly alone and truly well into this brave or foolhardy adventure. And accepted the way that it would end—with their marriage and her being bedded, well-bedded, before returning to their families. A lovely blush crept up into her fair-skinned cheeks and her mouth opened slightly as he smiled at her.

Only by taking vows and consummating them would she be protected by the claim of marriage. And whether the vows or the consummation would happen first was not something he’d thought much on...until now!

“Are you worried, Elizabeth? About what will happen between us?” he asked quietly.

Only the sound of the rain outside echoed around them. He had not considered that she would be afraid, not after her bold acceptance of his proposal and their elopement last night. But, her reputation would be ruined if his offer was not honorable. Did she know worry on that?

She let out of breath and sighed. Shaking her head, she turned her back to him and began untying the belt that held the trews up. He snatched up the blanket and held it around her, so she would not be chilled...or embarrassed. Though, truth be told, he wanted to see her naked. Naked and beneath him. Naked, covered only by the length of her brown hair.

James shook himself free of such thoughts, since there would be time enough for all of that, and turned his head away, staring instead at the door. He was not some untried youth who needed to pounce on the woman he wanted, especially since she would be his wife soon enough. And as his wife, they would have a long life ahead of them. So, how they started was an important step and one he would not stumble upon taking.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, as he avoided peeking over the curtain he formed with the blanket.

“A bit,” she said, taking the edges of the woolen covering and wrapping it around her shoulders. “I have some food in my bag as well. My mother made meat pies and there were several left. If you look in the bottom of the bag, they are wrapped.”

Searching for the meat pies kept him from staring at the lovely, enticing bare shoulders. Or the way she gathered up her wet garments and hung them from various places around the hut. Or the scent of her now-loosened hair as she eased past him and crouched closer to the heat of the peat fire. His hands fisted and relaxed as he reminded himself that he could control the growing desire for her. When the edge of the blanket slipped from her grasp and exposed the slope of her breasts, he sucked in a harsh breath through his clenched teeth.

Turning back his attention to finding the food, he found the pies and removed them, along with some other foodstuffs, and placed them on the shelf. He retrieved the supplies he’d pilfered from the MacLerie kitchen and added them, so they could see what they had and plan how and what they would need.

It would take them no more than one full day of riding to reach the split in the road and the village just beyond it. The priest Lady MacLerie spoke of lived just outside that village, serving the people in the area as a priest in the Old Church. But, until the rains eased and the dirt paths dried out, travel would be nigh to impossible. If they waited out the storms here, at least they would be dry.

“Are you not wet, too?” Her soft voice broke into his moment of inattention.

He stopped himself from tearing loose his own trews and taking his shirt off. But only just, before facing her. A mischievous smile curled the edges of her mouth and her eyes twinkled. He tried to understand her expression—was this an invitation?

“A bit. But hungrier than wet,” he said, lifting one of the meat pies from the shelf and, having a care for any sauce that might drip from it, breaking it into two pieces. He offered her one and she approached him to get it. “As you must be?”

Her reply came in the form of action—she took the smaller half and bit into it, lapping the sauce from her lower lip before chewing. James watched her, fascinated by everything she did. If being tired, wet and hungry had not vanquished her good spirits, he wondered what would.

“Here, sit closer to the heat. You will never dry if you do not.” He pulled one of the stools nearer to the fire and stepped aside.

And he found himself praying both that the blanket around her would slip again and that it would stay in place. Elizabeth grasped the edges firmly as she sat down, arranging the heavy woven fabric around her. She finished the pie as he did, in only a few bites.

“Your mother is a good cook. I hope you have her skills.”

“I’ve learned at her side for years, though I would not suggest you try any bread that I bake,” she said, laughing softly. “That has long been my failure.” He eased himself down on the other stool, interested in learning more about this side of her.

“What is your favorite thing to make then? Pies like these? Or something sweet?” He had a weakness for the cakes and treats his family’s cook made. She blushed then and glanced away before trying to answer him. Now, he was even more curious!

“My father says that I make the best...heather ale of all the brewers in the Lairig Dubh.”

He leaned his head back and laughed. Not once had she mentioned such a thing during the times they’d talked. And he’d heard no inkling of her talent, but then he was betrothed to Ciara and most of the talk centered on her and her extensive—and rather formidable—skills and talents. Not on her shadow, Elizabeth, who’d grown up in the village and whose parents served the laird.

“And did your mother teach you that as well?” Though these Highlanders were known more for their
uisge beatha
, ale was the favored drink of the Lowlands and the lands that had belonged, and some that did still, to the Norse in the north.

“Nay,” she said. “My mother is known for her cooking, but her sister is known for her ale.” She laughed then, the sound of it warming his heart. “Now that she is widowed, the earl has offered to buy a place for her in the burgh of Glasgow or in Aberdeen to set up her own business. They would be partners.”

“‘tis a good thing to know, Elizabeth. At least my wife might have employment.” She watched him with widened eyes then, as though divining his meaning.

“Is that what you think will happen after—” she waved her hand between them “—this?” When he hesitated, she slid down to her knees, bringing her with reach before him. “Please, I pray you, tell me.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders and rubbed her arms, gently easing up and down in an effort to offer comfort after he’d upset her. Insulting a man like Connor and breaking faith with him was more dangerous than he wanted to dwell upon. With the earl’s allies and connections across the kingdom and beyond, the Murray name would be deemed dishonored by his actions now—if the MacLerie wished it so.

“I do not know what to expect. Although I spoke with the MacLerie, I do not expect him to be happy with the choice I made. But you are his kin and I don’t think he will take action against you.” That was why James’s note spoke of his abduction of Elizabeth rather than making it seem that she was a willing partner in this. It
might
protect her from Connor’s wrath.

“What would he do to you?” she whispered, her gaze filled with worry. Though he would rather not think on these matters now, they must discuss it.

“I understood when I asked you to marry me that it would violate the contracts negotiated by my father. Not just the marriage contract, but trade arrangements as well. And the MacLerie does not like to be defied,” he said. She nodded, knowing the earl better than he did and knowing the truth of the rumors and tales of his harsh actions and past sins. “I think it just depends on how angry my father is and how much damage the earl wants to inflict.”

She paled then, losing the color in her cheeks until he thought she might faint. Drawing her closer, he held her against him. “Once our marriage is a fact he cannot argue with, we will return and face him. Face my father also. But, first I think we should let the anger cool.”

“Better to face them with the deed done then?” she asked, lifting her face until it was but a scant inch from his own. Deed done? Aye, he wanted a certain deed to be done at this moment!

“Aye. Better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission, I think,” he said, surprised at how rough his voice sounded as he spoke. Thick. It was thick with the rising desire he felt for her.

He could resist no more. Her rosy lips, parted slightly in invitation, called to him. James gave in, taking her mouth with his even as he grabbed the blanket she wore around her to hold her where he wanted her. If they would be together, he wanted it to begin now. Now, before anything or anyone came between them.

“Elizabeth, be mine? Now?” he whispered against her lips.

She answered without words. He felt her hands release the blanket and creep up around his neck to embrace him. As her bare skin touched his wet clothing, she shivered even as the heat of her mouth burned his.

“Here, let me,” he said, drawing back a few inches.

He tugged the wet shirt off—as he’d wanted to do before—and then loosened his belt and pushed his trews down, kicking them aside. James took hold of the blanket’s edges once more and brought Elizabeth back to him. He watched her face for any sign of fear or dismay or hesitation and saw none. But for a quick glance down as he faced her, she met his gaze and then accepted his embrace.

His cock rose against his groin and the softness of her bare skin against it simply made him want her more. The tightened nipples pressed against his chest, and his blood caught fire and raced through his veins.

Elizabeth did not want to breathe. She did not want to see. She simply wanted to feel, to feel all the sensations as Jamie claimed her body as he had her heart. Only nervous about his reaction to her impure condition, she did not hesitate when he tugged her to him. Leaning against the hard ridge of flesh that showed he desired her, she rubbed her belly against him.

And felt his reaction.

Her breasts lay heavy against his muscular chest, the sprinkling of curly hair there teasing the now-sensitive tips and making her gasp with each movement. An aching heat began to throb in the center of her.

Was it sinful, as her mother had said, to want to lay with him? To be his even before their vows were spoken? He had taken such risks to marry her—alienating his family, angering one of the most powerful and most dangerous men in the kingdom, risking everything to be with her. Her indecision lasted a brief moment as she understood that he was worth risking what she could give him—her heart, her body, her love and her support as his wife.

She slid her fingers into his hair, entangling them as he moved his hands over her skin, caressing her until she reached up and offered her mouth to him. He teased her skin and her mouth with light, feathery touches until she wanted to scream out in pleasure and frustration. He laughed then and met her gaze for a moment before tilting his head and taking her mouth...and her very breath!

Now, his fingers kneaded the muscles of her back as his tongue tasted her deeply. Then, his strong hands grasped her buttocks and pulled her up and against his erection. When her legs spread open to encircle his hips, she moaned as the hard flesh rubbed against that heated, aching place. Without clothing between them, this was almost too pleasurable to bear. Elizabeth clenched her knees tightly to hold him close and then arched against him.

His reaction was swift. Jamie lifted his mouth from hers and trailed kisses—hungry, ravenous kisses—down her neck. Lifting her higher, he used his teeth against her breasts until he took one of her nipples fully into his mouth. She arched without thought, as though there was a string being pulled through her with each touch. His teeth teased the tip until she did scream out. His caress turned into a gentle suckling, but her body was like a wild thing of its own against him. His hands moved but did not release her and she could do nothing but enjoy his attentions.

With her hands tangled in his hair, she did not know if she held him in place or urged him on. She did not care. When his mouth took the other breast and his tongue relentlessly laved its tip, her head dropped back and she panted as everything within her tightened to an almost-unbearable tension. She sought the release she knew waited for her by rubbing harder and faster against him, but it remained just out of her reach.

Finally, Jamie held her as he knelt down on the blanket she now realized he’d tossed aside some time before. With his body pressing hers to the floor of the croft, she waited for him to seek his release within her. Only by clenching her teeth together did she prevent the begging words from being keened out to him. It would take little action on his part to lift himself and plunge within her, and she urged him to do so with her hips and that hot, wet place between her legs.

He laughed then, a deep-throated sound that came out hoarse with passion and lust. It was time. It was time. It had to be...

She almost yelled at him when he eased to his side, but the touch of his hand between her legs made it impossible to speak. He stared at her, watching her as he pressed down with the heel of his hand and slipped a finger into her. It both eased the tension and spurred it on and made it worse. The second finger moved along with the first and she dropped her knees open so he could touch her more fully.

“Elizabeth,” he whispered, as those two fingers became implements of a sensuous torture. “Open for me, lass,” he urged. When he kissed her breasts and began to suckle one and then the other, in a pace matching his fingers, she knew she would fall apart soon.

Jamie moved his hand and used his thumb, finding at last that small nub that ached the most. One flick was all it took to send her screaming into release. But he did not stop, he stroked her over and over as her muscles tightened throughout her body and then everything broke free within her. Pleasure and heat flowed deep inside of her as she spasmed in time with his caresses. Her mind wandered as her body shivered and shook.