The Highlander Takes a Bride (7 page)

Saidh hesitated, knowing she should gather her dignity, cover herself up, get on her horse and return to the castle, but she didn’t want to. She wanted more of what he’d shown her so far. She’d never known it could be like this between a man and a woman. And she’d never been a shy young thing. With seven brothers she’d had to fight for every little thing she wanted, and she wanted Greer.

His hands were on her legs, simply resting there. Saidh caught them and raised them, placing them over her breasts. “Show me what to do.”

Greer’s eyes darkened, and his hands tightened briefly on her breasts, but then he took a deep breath and started to shake his head.

“Please,” Saidh said quickly. “You make me feel—I want . . .” She shook her head with frustration, and repeated, “Show me what to do.”

Greer hesitated, but then began to caress her breasts, squeezing and kneading the soft globes and then pinching at the nipples.

Saidh moaned, and let her head fall back, simply enjoying the sensation. Completely unaware that she was shifting her hips against him as she did, rubbing her soft core against his hardness through their clothes. Greer continued to caress her for a moment more, then suddenly shifted them both again, forcing her onto her back. This time he came to rest on top of her, his legs urging hers open to cradle him as he settled between them.

Greer released her breasts to plant his hands on the ground on either side of her to take the worst of his weight as he then kissed her. His hips shifted against her as his tongue thrust into her, and his chest moved over hers, exciting her nipples to an almost painful degree even as his hardness rubbed repeatedly against the soft spot between her legs.

Saidh’s body was tightening in response to the lovely friction, straining toward some glorious end she could only imagine, and then it was suddenly as if a dam in her body was torn away and pleasure and release stormed through her like a wildfire in a dry wood. Saidh screamed her release, her body convulsing and legs clenching around Greer’s hips, as he continued to rub himself against her, and then he too stiffened and convulsed, a somewhat familiar roar sending the birds shrieking from the trees.

Greer rolled onto his back in the grass, pulling Saidh with him to lie across his chest. She nestled there like a contented cat, almost purring her pleasure as she tucked her head beneath his chin. It made him smile, and he rubbed one hand lazily down her back as he caught his breath and pondered the amazing thing that had just happened. He hadn’t enjoyed such a spectacular release in some time, if ever. Even more amazing to him was that he’d experienced it while they’d both had their clothes still on, him humping on her like a green lad without actually entering and merging their bodies.

What would it be like with her without their clothes?

That question was one Greer was almost desperate to know the answer to, and he’d have her braies off and her skirts up over her head right now in search of the answer if Saidh weren’t a lady.

Saidh murmured sleepily, and shifted slightly on him, revealing one bare breast. Greer couldn’t resist reaching down to run a finger lightly over the nipple. Saidh moaned, her back arching and the nipple growing and hardening under the touch, and his groin immediately tightened. The woman was so damned responsive.

She had caught him by surprise when she’d tripped him up and sent them both tumbling to the ground, but the action had smartened him up somewhat, reminding him of the situation and that she was a lady, not to be trifled with. He’d intended to get them both to their feet and behave himself, until she’d taken his hands in hers and placed them over her breasts, then begun to rock on him, her body sliding over his already burgeoning erection. He hadn’t had the strength to bring an end to it then. But he’d had enough sense not to take her innocence. She was a lady whether she liked to admit it or not, and not just by blood. She might curse like a warrior, which he actually enjoyed, and she might wear braies and a sword, but she was as innocent as a babe for all that. While she’d been eager and responsive, and as passionate as could be, he was quite sure she’d never even been kissed before today. Certainly, she hadn’t known what the hell she was doing, although she’d learned quick enough.

“Oh Greer,” Saidh moaned, snuggling closer and he realized that his hand had found its way from her back down to her bottom and was squeezing and kneading the flesh while forcing her front against his hip. Her response was most gratifying, and he couldn’t resist catching her nipple between thumb and finger and rolling it gently.

While Saidh gasped, and shifted, throwing one leg over both of his, instinctively rubbing her core against his hip, Greer was quite sure she was still asleep. Her leg shifted again, rolling over his cock then and he almost groaned aloud at the sensation, dismayed to find he was already hard again. Fighting the urge to roll on top of her, Greer forced himself to still both his hands. He desperately wanted to do what he had managed not to do the first time. It would take little effort to slide her braes down her hips and sink himself in all that wet heat he knew awaited him. He was quite sure Saidh would not only allow it, but engage in it eagerly, however she was a lady and deserved better than a roll in the grass . . . whether she’d enjoy it or not.

Determined to take the high road, Greer eased gently out from beneath Saidh and got to his feet, smiling faintly when she grumbled unhappily in her sleep at the loss of him. The smile died though when his plaid slapped wet against his thigh and he glanced to see the mess that this little adventure had left on his plaid. There was no doubting what the stain was, nor the one on the front of her gown, he realized with a frown as he glanced to Saidh and noted it. It would seem his plaid had risen as he humped her and they’d both received a portion of his pleasure when he’d found it.

It had been a hell of a lot of pleasure, he noted, somewhat impressed with himself, and then he bent to scoop her up in his arms. They couldn’t return to the castle in this state or all would know what they’d been about. He wouldn’t see her ruined that way. He had plans for her that did not include leaving her reputation in tatters.

Saidh snuggled her face into his neck with a happy little sigh, her breath warm against his throat, and Greer found himself smiling once again. The woman was like a soft sweet kitten, nuzzling him like that, he thought as he started into the water. A kitten with claws was his next thought when the cold water reached her and she came awake with a squawk of dismay and began to fight for her release.

“ ’Tis a’right,” Greer soothed, continuing forward into the water. “We jest need to—” His words ended on a roar of pain as her nails dug into his neck and shoulder, and he instinctively loosened his hold, not thinking, just eager to escape the pain even if it meant dropping her in the water. But Saidh had no intention of going into the water, in fact that was what she was trying to escape and rather than drop like a stone, she stuck her feet into his leg and groin, dug her claws into his head and neck and tried to climb out of the water using him as the ladder.

Greer wrestled with her briefly, trying to disengage her and then simply threw himself forward so that they both went under. It didn’t exactly have the desired effect, for rather than release him and lunge for the surface, Saidh tried to climb on top of him, pushing him down in the water as she struggled upward. He ended up facedown at the bottom of the lake with her standing on his arse. Greer was about to force himself to his knees and upward, uncaring that it would knock her off and under the water’s surface again, when she was suddenly off his arse and he found himself being tugged upward by a hand tangled in his hair.

“What are ye trying to do? Drown yerself?” she bellowed, yanking his head out of the water.

Greer sputtered out the water he’d swallowed and pulled her hand from his hair as he found his feet and straightened in the chest-deep water. He then turned to glower at the woman. “Nay. Yer the one who was trying to do that.”

“Me?” she squawked with disbelief. “The last thing I remember I was curled up on dry land, and then I was suddenly plunged into ice cold water. I’m no’ the one trying to drown anyone. Ye were.” Her eyes narrowed on his still scowling face. “Did ye drown Allen too? Lull him into a nice nap and then toss him into the lake to drown?”

“O’ course not. I’d hardly do to Allen what we just did,” he pointed out dryly, but his temper was cooling now. Probably a combination of the ice cold water and the fact that the woman much resembled the cat he’d been thinking of her as, but a drowned cat this time. Smiling crookedly, he explained, “I made a mess o’ both o’ us when we found our pleasure. We could no’ return to the castle in the state we were in, so I thought it best we take a quick dip in the water to wash it away.”

He saw the bewilderment on her face, and knew she didn’t have a clue what he meant. Then she scowled and said, “Well, next time warn a lass. I did no’ ken what was happening.”

Greer merely grunted, then caught her arm and began to drag her toward shore, knowing that getting out of the water with her wet clothes dragging her down would be a struggle without his aid. He scooped her up into his arms once they were only knee-deep in the loch, and then staggered under the weight. Damn, women’s clothing was heavy as hell when wet, he thought grimly once he’d regained his balance.

“Thank ye,” Saidh said once he’d set her on her horse, but he couldn’t help noticing that she sounded more resentful than grateful.

Shaking his head, he moved to his own mount without comment.

Chapter 5

“W
here ha’e ye been?”

Saidh winced at Fenella’s shriek and pushed her chamber door closed with resignation. Calmly she replied, “I came to check on ye this morn but ye were in yer bath, so I went fer a short ride.”

“Short?” Fenella asked with amazement. “Ye were gone fer hours.”

“ ’Twas no’ that long,” Saidh argued weakly, although she wasn’t really sure. It had seemed like a moment and a lifetime all at the same time. What she’d experienced had been life altering, to Saidh’s mind, and she couldn’t wait to go back to the loch for more battle practice with Greer. If he was willing, she thought with a sudden frown. He hadn’t said anything about meeting by the loch again.

“Did ye enjoy yer ride?” Fenella asked on a sigh.

“Oh, aye,” Saidh answered with a smile, recalling how she’d straddled Greer, her hips shifting and body rubbing against his as he caressed her breasts. It had been a most enjoyable ride. Although she’d liked it better when he’d rolled her over and come down on top of her, his body pressing urgently against her own.

“Did ye get wet?”

Saidh blinked at the question. She had indeed gotten wet, but didn’t think Fenella was talking about the dampness between her legs that her excitement had caused, and she hadn’t told the girl about getting dunked in the loch.

“ ’Twas cloudy this morning and looked as if it might rain,” Fenella explained. “Did it? Were ye caught in a rain during yer ride?”

“Oh. Nay.” Saidh forced a smile and then raised her eyebrows. “What would ye like to do today?”

“Nothing,” Fenella said miserably, dropping to sit on the side of her bed.

Saidh bit her lip, and then moved to stand in front of her and said gently, “Do ye no’ think it would be good fer ye to get out o’ this room and take some air?”

“Nay.” The word was followed by a sniffle.

Afraid the woman was going to start in sobbing again, Saidh caught her hand and hurried for the door dragging Fenella behind. “Well, I do. Ye’ll make yerself ill if ye stay in this room. I think a nice little walk would be good fer ye. Just a short one,” Saidh added when Fenella began to protest. “A quick one in the bailey so ye can get some sun. That way yer maid can air out yer room while yer gone.”

“But I do no’ want to walk,” Fenella complained, tugging ineffectually at her hand.

Mouth tightening, Saidh pulled her down the stairs to the great hall. “Ye can no’ stay abed in that room fer the rest o’ yer life, Fenella. Ye’re still young, and ye’re no’ the one who died.”

“Nay, me husband did,” Fenella cried as they reached the bottom of the stairs. She then jerked her hand from Saidh’s and covered her face as she burst into tears.

“Damn,” Saidh breathed, not knowing what the hell to do now. It wasn’t like she’d been faced with this situation before. Her brothers weren’t the sort to stand about sobbing fit to break yer heart, and despite all the trials and tribulations Joan and Murine had suffered of late, neither of them had done it either. Even on learning of her father’s death, Murine had stood straight and tall, silent tears trailing down her cheeks that she’d dashed away before saying, “I should go pack.” She’d then walked away, head high, shoulders straight. Saidh could tell she was hurting, but the woman hadn’t broken down. She’d born her pain stoically, and Saidh wished to hell that Fenella was more like that.

Sighing, Saidh shifted sideways toward the woman, patted her back awkwardly and then said, “I’ll fetch yer maid, shall I?”

She didn’t wait for a response, but hurried toward the kitchens, sure the woman would be found in there, or, if not, that someone there would know where to find her.

It took a couple moments to round up the wench. Fenella’s maid had slipped out to the gardens to pick flowers for her lady, hoping to cheer her. Saidh helped her carry the flowers back in, and led the woman into the great hall, only to come to an abrupt halt. Fenella was still there, but she was also sobbing in Greer’s arms.

Saidh’s gaze narrowed on the couple, and she crushed the flowers she carried, only realizing she was doing it when a thorn pricked her fingers. Relaxing her hold on the flowers, Saidh straightened her shoulders and crossed the great hall to the couple.

“I found Sorcha,” she announced grimly as she reached them. “And look, she picked flowers fer ye.”

Fenella pulled away from Greer far enough to turn and look at the flowers both women were carrying, then burst into renewed sobs and threw herself against Greer wailing miserably. For Greer’s part, he looked rather like a deer in the face of oncoming riders. Body stiff and neck red, he stared down with horror at the woman sobbing all over the clean, dry plaid he’d donned on returning to the keep. He then turned his gaze to Saidh, eyebrows rising in question as he mouthed, “What do I do?”

Finding the anger that had gripped her when she’d first seen Fenella in his arms suddenly slipping away, Saidh grinned and shrugged.

Greer scowled at her for her lack of aid, then scooped Fenella up in his arms and started up the stairs, muttering, “Come, Sorcha’ll put ye to bed.”

Saidh grinned, but turned to dump the flowers she carried on top of the ones Sorcha already held, then backed away from the stairs. There was no damned way she was going to be stuck up in that room all day with the sobbing woman.

“Oh!”

That startled sound from behind her accompanied Saidh’s trouncing on something soft. Whirling around, she saw at once that it was Lady MacDonnell’s foot. The woman stood behind her smiling weakly as she raised her foot to rub the end.

“Oh, dear, I’m sorry m’lady,” Saidh murmured, taking the woman’s arm to help her maintain her balance. “I was no’ watching where I was going.”

“Neither was I,” Lady MacDonnell admitted with a wry little twist to her lips. She gave up rubbing her injured toes and straightened with a little sigh and then glanced from Saidh to the trio disappearing up the stairs. When anger immediately darkened her face, Saidh decided some distraction was needed and asked, “Were ye going above stairs?”

Lady MacDonnell glanced to her, expression briefly blank and then she nodded. “Aye. I was going to fetch me maid to help me with some sewing.”

“I can help ye,” Saidh offered. “I’m no’ the best seamstress in the world, but I can sew a straight line.”

“Oh, is no’ that sweet o’ ye?” Lady MacDonnell beamed at her. “Well, if ye do no’ mind and ha’e a few minutes to spare, I’d appreciate yer aid.”

Saidh nodded at once and followed her to the chairs by the fire. She even managed a smile, which did not usually come to her expression at the thought of sewing. But in this case, she didn’t mind at all. It meant she had an excuse to avoid Fenella until she’d spent the worst of her tears and calmed a bit. While Saidh had agreed to stay when Fenella had asked her to, standing about patting her cousin’s back, saying “there, there” while Fenella sobbed all day and night was not something she really wished to do. She would wait until the woman had spent her tears and then try to offer her some comfort and distraction, but until then, sewing seemed a more attractive pastime.

Much to Saidh’s relief the sewing Lady MacDonnell was tending to was simple mending. There were no fancy stitches for her to fret over, as straight lines were all that were required. They worked in silence at first, though it didn’t feel awkward to Saidh. It was when Greer came back downstairs and cast a brief scowl at her on his way out of the keep that they began to speak.

“Oh dear, Greer appears annoyed with ye.” Lady MacDonnell sounded most amused at the fact and Saidh bit her lip, then smiled and admitted:

“Aye, ’tis sure I am he is. I fear I left him to Fenella’s damp mercies earlier.”

“Ah.” Lady MacDonnell said grimly. “I came up as he was carrying her above stairs. Crying on his shoulder again, was she?”

Saidh nodded, but lowered her gaze to the stocking she was mending and muttered, “Crying seems to be all she does.”

“Aye, and ’tis damned annoying,” Lady MacDonnell said, drawing Saidh’s startled gaze. Smiling, the woman informed her, “I have verra good hearing, me dear.”

“Oh.” Saidh swallowed and nodded with a weak smile.

After a moment, the lady commented, “Ye do no’ seem to care much fer yer cousin.”

Saidh stared at the stocking in her hands and then sighed. “In truth, I’m no’ sure whether I do or no’. I barely know her, m’lady.”

Lady MacDonnell raised her eyebrows at that, and Saidh nodded firmly.

“She stayed with us fer a week or two when we were children while her mother was ill, and then I attended her wedding when I was sixteen. But other than those two times . . .” She shrugged. “This is only the third occasion that I’ve spent time around her.”

“I see,” she said thoughtfully, and then asked, “What was she like as a girl?”

“She was always crying then too,” Saidh said with a grimace, and then to be fair, added, “But I suppose that was me fault.”

“How is that?” Lady MacDonnell asked curiously.

“I grew up playing with me brothers. ’Twas what I’d always done, so when she arrived, I thought, ‘Grand, another playmate,’ and expected her to want to muddy her face, wrap a fur around her waist, climb the trees and swing from branches yelling war cries too.”

“Muddy her face?”

“Aye, well me brothers and I liked to play at being warrior Britons, but we had no blue paint so made do with mud.”

“Ah, I see,” Lady MacDonnell sat back, grinning and nodding. “I imagine that was fun.”

“Aye,” Saidh assured her with a laugh, but the amusement faded quickly from her face and she sighed. “Fenella did no’ agree. She was a little lady. I could be a dastardly Briton if I liked, but she would no’. In fact, she decided I could be the dastardly Briton warrior trying to kidnap and harm her, and me brothers could be her valiant guards who rescued her from me filthy pagan hands.”

“Do ye no’ ha’e seven brothers?” Lady MacDonnell asked with a frown.

“Aye.”

“Well, those hardly seem fair odds,” she said dryly. “One little Briton warrior against seven bigger boys.”

“I won,” Saidh informed her with a wolfish smile.

“Nay!” Lady MacDonnell said with disbelief.

Saidh nodded. “Me brothers got a severe punishment did they ever actually harm me, but I was no’ bound by the same rule. After all, how much harm could a wee lass do?” she asked with feigned innocence. “So, while they tried to capture and pin me down without harming me, I was free to pull their hair, punch and kick to me heart’s content . . . and I trounced all seven o’ them.”

Lady MacDonnell’s eyes widened incredulously and then she burst into laughter.

Saidh smiled at her amusement, and added, “Fenella was most annoyed that her champions failed her so.”

“Oh, I can imagine she would be,” the woman said dryly.

“Especially when she began to cry and I got so annoyed I tied her to a tree and left her there through the nooning meal.”

“Oh, my sweet Lord,” Lady MacDonnell breathed with admiration. “I do believe I like ye, Saidh Buchanan.”

“Why thank ye,” Saidh said with surprised pleasure. “Ye seem a right nice lady yerself.”

They grinned at each other briefly, and then Lady MacDonnell picked up her mending again. “So Fenella has always been a crier when she does no’ get her way.”

Saidh glanced up with surprise, but then slow realization rolled through her. Fenella had cried every time she hadn’t gotten her way as a child. When she’d first arrived, Fenella had expected Saidh to play with the dolls she’d brought with her. But Saidh hadn’t been interested, preferring to run about with her brothers as she always did. Fenella had cried.

Her mother had then taken Saidh aside and suggested it would be kind to play dolls with her cousin. When she’d protested that she didn’t want to play with dolls, her mother had insisted, saying that first she should play with the dolls with her cousin, and then the next day Fenella would play what she wanted to play. So Saidh had suffered through the doll business, but the next day, Fenella had refused to join her and her brothers in a game of hide-and-seek, and had burst into tears when Saidh had shrugged and simply gone out to play with them anyway. It was her day after all, and she didn’t care if Fenella joined in or not.

Fenella had gone weeping to her mother, and Saidh had feared she would be stuck playing dolls again, but her mother had kept to her original rules. If Saidh wished to play hide-and-seek, then Fenella could either join in, or sit with her all day. Fenella had chosen to sit with Saidh’s mother that day and for two days following, but on the third day had finally come out to play with them. That was the day they’d played at being Britons and Saidh had left her tied to a tree. She had paid for that by having to play dolls the next day after Fenella had gone weeping to Saidh’s mother again and tattled.

And so Fenella’s stay at Buchanan had gone. If she didn’t get her way, she wept, which quite often got her her way. At least from Saidh’s mother and brothers. Since Saidh was not a crier, her brothers were unused to dealing with a weeping female and did whatever they could to shut the girl up. Saidh, however, not being a crier, just found the copious tears annoying and did her best to avoid the lass during her long visit. She’d been greatly relieved when Fenella’s father had come to take her home.

But she hadn’t held any of that against Fenella when her family had gone to attend the girl’s wedding to Hammish Kennedy. And Fenella didn’t appear to bear a grudge either. They’d got along well enough then during the little time they’d spent together before the wedding, although Saidh had found herself feeling somewhat awkward and lacking next to the dainty, ladylike woman Fenella had grown into. She still did, she supposed.

Frowning, Saidh glanced at Lady MacDonnell and asked, “Do ye really think Fenella killed yer son?”

“Aye,” Lady MacDonnell said at once, her expression hard, and then conflict crossed her face and she admitted, “I do no’ ken. There is just something . . .” Sighing, she eyed Saidh and asked, “Do ye think she is capable o’ it?”

Saidh turned her face down to her stitching. She knew Fenella was capable of it. She’d killed her first husband after all, but that had been under much different circumstances and after he’d abused her horribly. However, Fenella claimed Allen was nothing like Hammish Kennedy. In fact, from what Fenella had said, Allen had been the perfect man for her.