The Capture of Highland Desire (The Mac Coinnach Brothers) (9 page)

“Aye, there is.  That and more.  Let me in and I’ll show ye pleasure like ye’ve never even imagined.”  He slid his thumb slowly over her full bottom lip and her eyes fluttered closed.  “It all starts with just a kiss.”  He had her… she was trembling, just a little, but he could still feel it.  She wanted him, thank god!  What he had seen in her eyes up on that hill had been real, not just his own wishful thinking.  For a moment he had thought he might be losing his touch.  He leaned closer again to let his lips just brush the perfect shell of her ear.  The scent of her skin was intoxicating…sweet… he could breathe her in all night and still not have enough.  There was no way she could resist him now, no woman could if he was determined to have her in his bed.  He had long ago honed and perfected his skills of seduction.  In fact he had become so good at it, it wasn’t even much of a sport anymore.  Often times after he bedded a lass, and it was just too easy, he felt empty inside, rather than satisfied, and he was left just wanting more of… something he couldn’t quite define.  This lass had at least amused him for a time by putting up a good fight.  Oh, she was about to lose, but at least the anticipation and the undeniable heat between them had been something to savor.  He moved to her other ear, speaking softly.

             
“I want ye, lass.  Come to my bed tonight, or say that I can come to yers.  I swear no one but the two of us will ever ken.”  Damn, how he wanted her!  His cock was rock hard and aching, more so than he could ever remember it being, as it had been practically all day.  He wanted nothing more in this moment than to rip her gown from her body and sink deep inside her.  He was so on edge that he almost moaned out loud at the very thought of it, could almost feel what it would be like… the pleasure, the release of this need that had been riding him for days.  No, he couldn’t remember ever being this desperate for a woman…any woman.  It seemed he hungered for her to his very bones.  Tonight…

             
But she had stiffened in his arms… was pushing him away.

             
“No”, she said.  He wasn’t sure he heard her right.

             
“Lass…”

             
“I said no.”

             
Surprise made his grip loosen for a moment, and just like that, she was walking away from him.  He stared after her in disbelief, but it wasn’t long before the women who had been all over him earlier saw their opening and had surrounded him again.  He didn’t want them anywhere near him.  All of them were lovely in their own way, with lush figures and pretty faces, but none of them were the one he wanted. 

Damn
. 

For the life of
him, Eian didn’t understand it, because he wasn’t usually so particular.  What was it about Allia?  He was acting almost as if she was his mate or…

A zing of
cold shock went down his spine at the thought and for a second he stopped breathing.

No. 
Absolutely not
.  He wasn’t the kind of man who settled down with one woman, and he certainly wasn’t the kind who had a soul mate. 
Never
.  He just wasn’t a one-woman kind of man.  The very thought terrified him like nothing else.  He was
not
ready to give up bachelorhood any time soon, not when there was still so much living to be done… new experiences to have.  Hundreds of women to tup.  Bren could take care of the settling down and starting a family end of things just fine without Eian getting involved in that sort of thing.  

With little other choice
for the time being, he let the giggling women lead him to a table, where he grabbed a cup of whiskey and downed it in one swallow, before reaching for the jug and pouring himself some more. Then another.  The liquor burned in his gut, but did nothing at all to quench the lust still burning hotly in his veins.  He had had her in his arms, felt her flesh beneath his hands, soft yet firm.  He longed to touch all of her, taste all of her.  He looked up at the high table, where Allia had returned to her seat and was now talking with an older woman who must be one of the guests that had arrived earlier today from some castle to the south.  He sighed as the empty cup in his hand slammed down on the table.  The lass was a vision of absolute perfection, and he couldn’t have her, well, at least not tonight.  He still had tomorrow.  It figured, the one woman he
really
wanted was the one who wouldn’t have him. For the first time, he had
failed
with a woman, but he supposed it was bound to happen sooner or later.  It might be a blow to his ego, but he’d get over it in a few days.  Eian shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  Well, at least tonight he could do something about the currently overwhelming needs of his body.

             
He pushed back his chair and stood, starting for the door.  A quick, practiced glance over his shoulder all the invitation the women needed.  He would take a couple of them to the stable, he decided.  He’d be quick about it, sate his lust, and send them on their way.  The stables would have to do, because somehow it felt wrong to bring them to his room in the keep when Allia was so close, though he couldn’t imagine why that would bother him.  She wasn’t his, nor did she even want him. 

Aye, h
e would relieve the ache and be done with it, then maybe he would be more like himself again.  He glanced back to see the giggling women gladly following him and gritted his teeth, the sinking feeling that had begun in his stomach getting worse by the moment.  For the first time in his life, he had two pretty women following after him eager to do his bidding, and he wasn’t at all looking forward to it.  In fact, the thought of touching them was actually making him a bit nauseous.  He suddenly found himself casting about for an excuse.  Bloody hell, what had come over him?  He couldn’t do it… he just couldn’t. 
Mate
… said a voice from somewhere in his mind. 
No!  Not me, not now
.  Maybe never.  He blocked the voice from his mind, resolutely ignoring it.

Realizing that h
e was not up for any sort of fun, Eian told the now pouting women he had just remembered he had to be somewhere, and then he went to his room alone.  The hour was already late, so he stripped naked and got into the bed.  His brothers would think him ill, he thought, if they could see him now.  He
never
turned down a good tup.  He told himself that he was just holding out for the woman he had his eye on, and maybe he was just becoming a little more discerning in his bed partners.  Certainly there was nothing wrong with that.  Then he took his aching cock in his hand and thought of what it would be like to sink it deep between Allia’s thighs.  He came hard with only a few strokes, but in the end he did not feel anywhere near satisfied. 

              She had seen Eian leave the hall with no less than two fawning women and a coy come-hither smile on his face.  And her gut had clenched.  Allia took a deep breath and tried to follow the conversation going on around her.  She had turned him down.  Of
course
he was going to go off with someone else, and to be honest it hurt less that it was
two
someone elses, because that somehow seemed less personal, less intimate. But why did it hurt at all?  This was a ridiculous reaction to be having.  She didn’t want a man like that, who thought one woman was as good as the next, as long as she let him stick his cock between her legs! 
Ugh
,
enough
!   She would
not
be jealous over Eian Mac Coinnach, he didn’t deserve it.  She didn’t even know the man, but god, a larger part of her than she was willing to admit to wished that it was
her
alone with Eian right now.  It might be only physical attraction between them, but it was undeniably strong. 

Allia
pasted a smile to her face and nodded at the elderly woman next to her, whose name she already couldn’t remember and who was saying something inane about the weather, until it was finally appropriate to take her leave for the evening.

Chapter
7

He was watching her
, and the man must be a visitor to Lochain because she didn’t recognize his plaid.  She wasn't sure of it before, but now she was positive, and it was giving her chills down her spine.   

After a restless night’s sleep and an hour pacing the castle
corridors wondering what to do with herself, Allia was now on her knees in the garden industriously pulling weeds from a long-neglected rose bed.  And there he was, a stranger, leaning against a wall perhaps thirty feet away, casually talking with some of the stable hands. But his eyes were glued to her, in a way that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up on end.  She had no idea who he was, only that she hadn't seen him until today.  She peeked up at him from under her lashes, not wanting to meet his gaze.  He was good looking, she could tell that even from a distance.  Tall, muscled, dark blond hair falling to his shoulders, a regular Adonis.  But why was he staring at
her
?  Was she suddenly destined to attract the undivided attention of every gorgeous man in Scotland?  The thought had merit, she thought wryly.  But no, she could hardly take advantage of all those men like that. 

Amused, she finished pulling the last of the weeds and sat back to admire her work.  Much better.  If she was going to be stuck here with nothing to do for much longer, the entire castle grounds were going to end up re-landscaped. 
And her uncle still hadn’t spoken of what his plans were for her, so she was pretty much waiting around for the other shoe to drop, to see if she should stay or run. 

With a little sigh, she stood and brushed off her skirts, making her way to a nearby water trough to wash the
worst of the dirt from her hands.  When she looked up, the strange man was standing right in front of her.  Allia gasped and took a step back, pressing her hand to her chest in surprise.

             
He smiled, a row of perfect white teeth making the Adonis-look complete.  "My Lady, I didna mean to startle ye.  I only wanted to introduce myself, I'm Murdo McDermont.  I'm visiting Lochain for the week, on clan business."

             
Allia managed at last to gather her wits and smiled politely, whether or not she wanted to.  "I'm Allia, the Laird's niece."

             
"I ken.  I already asked about ye."

             
"Oh.  You did?" Somehow, that made her nervous, because it implied that he had been watching her before now, and without her knowing.

             
He smiled that dazzling smile again.  "Would ye walk with me for a moment?"

             
Allia glanced around, unsure.  Despite his physical beauty, she wasn't getting the best of vibes from this guy.  Something seemed a little... off, and though she couldn't put her finger on what it was, she trusted her instincts.  But it was the middle of the day, and there were plenty of people around.  And of course she didn't want to be rude to a guest of her uncle's, now that she was on her best behavior.

             
"Yes... um…all right."

             
He offered his arm and she hesitantly took it as he led her past the stable and towards the herb beds.  After a moment, she realized that unlike with Eian touching
this
man, as handsome as he was, did nothing for her.  She furrowed her brow in thought and not a little irritation.  Whenever she had touched Eian, there had been so much heat between them she thought she might just burn up on the spot. 
Damn him
.  Why did it have to be the bad-boy womanizer she had super-hot chemistry with?  Why couldn't it be some nice, honorable man that would be happy just to have
her
...   not the man she was currently walking with though, he was questionable at best.  She glanced up at him suspiciously, but he was looking straight ahead and didn’t seem to notice.

             
"I saw ye tending the roses.  Ye enjoy working in the gardens?"

             
"Aye.  I find it passes the time.  And I like to be outside.”  She paused, searching for something else to say.  “And what do you do, Murdo?"

             
"Ah, I'm just a warrior for my Chief, and a sometimes messenger when there's no battles to be fought."

             
Yeah, I don’t think so… 
“So what brings you to Lochain then?”

             
“Just passing through on my way south.  I needed a rest and some good company.”

Apparently, small, isolated Lochain was becoming a major crossroads. 
Trying to think of another question that would make Murdo give away any ulterior motives, it took Allia a moment to realize they had stopped walking.  She looked around, surprised that they had already come to the orchard at the edge of the wood. Murdo had turned to stand in front of her, his large frame towering over her five and a half feet.  Something akin to fear skittered down her back, but she shook it off.  After all, she only had to shout if she got into trouble.  Her uncle's guards weren't far, and they would likely be watching her from a distance even now.  If she screamed, someone would come running.