The Highlander's Conquest (22 page)

Yet, the hound’s hair was on end and he continued to snarl, staring at the same spot as Blane. He saw nothing.

Then he heard it. Just the faintest sound—a
soft,
swishing in the air. Someone crept toward them.
Blane contemplated running toward where he’d hidden Gunnar, but he had no idea how many surrounded them or where they all stood. He could run straight into a trap.

“Stay close, lass, be ready,” he said quietly.

“For what?” she whispered, fear in her voice.

“For a fight.”

“I am ready,” she said, and he heard her nock her arrow.

“Show yourself!” he shouted into the trees.

Less than a minute passed, feeling like forever, when Liam stepped from behind the trees, arms raised. “’Tis only us.”

From behind several other trees men from their entourage stepped forward. Frosty growled at the men, but with a flick of Blane’s hand sat on his haunches.

“Dinna sneak up on me like that again,” Blane ordered. “Although, I should be grateful the lot of ye did it so well.”

“Apologies, sir, we thought it m
ight
be ye, as we saw Gunnar tied to the tree, but one can never be too sure.”

“How long have
ye
been here?”

“Just now.”

Good. He hoped Liam told the
truth, else the man had seen Aliah’s lovely, nude form
.
“I take it ye were concerned when I didna meet ye at the hollow tree?”

“Aye,” Liam nodded, looking them both over. “Ye are unharmed.”

“Aye. We hid in the falls.” Blane sheathed his sword. “What of our group?”

“Seamus took a nasty wound, but we’ve sew
n
him up, poured enough whisky down his throat
so
he’s snoring like a
bairn
.
Angus was not so lucky.
” Liam frowned.

“Angus is dead?” Regret filled Blane. He hated to lose a man.

“Aye.”

“Dammit,” Blane said through gritted teeth. “Who was it?”

“I didna recognize the men who attacked.”

“How many were there?”

“About a dozen or more.”

The familiar feeling churned in his gut. “English?”

Liam shook his head. “Well, a few English, but mostly Scots.”

“Clan?” Every muscle tensed in Blane’s body.

Again Liam shook his head. “I dinna know. They wore old, ragged looking plaids
—outlaws it would seem
. They were a fierce lot. Not loyal to Scotland, we gathered that much.”

Mo
creach
! Blane swallowed the bile rising in his throat. They sounded like the men he’d been searching
well
over a decade
for
.

“And the Sassenachs, did ye get a name?”

“Surrey.”

Aliah gasped.

“Damn,” Blane muttered. The same men who’d been at the
Kerrs
. He prayed his dear friends were safe and it was only a coincidence. “They were at the Fir Tree.”

Liam looked surprised to hear it. “But the men at the
Kerrs
were going to bed down for a night or two.”

Blane huffed a breath. “Something must have sparked them to follow us.”

“You don’t think—”

“No, the
Kerrs
would never intentionally betray me.”

That made him wonder how they had come to follow them. Mayhap t
he scoundrels had
left something
in the barn and
witnessed
Blane and his men take off
when they went to retrieve it
. Or mayhap
Master Kerr
hadn’t been able to come up with a reasonable excuse as to why Gunnar was gone. Maybe he’d even told the English lord the horse had been stolen, which only made Surrey want it more. The possibilities were endless—and the last one that came to mind was even more disturbing, but he thrust it aside. None of his men would betray him. They’d been together too long. He would have ferretted out a traitor long ago.

“What of the enemy? How did ye leave them?”

“We killed at least three of the S
cotsmen,
but the rest ran.”

“Damn,” Blane said again,
disappointed
. “Let us hasten to Dunrobin, so I might reunite Lady Aliah with her family. As
soon as we’ve rested the horses we’ll set out and meet Surrey and his band of traitors once more. We’ll not let
that
mob of maggots hurt another.”

Liam nodded as did his other men, vengeance lighting in their eyes.
The men retrieved their horses and Blane took Aliah by the hand
and moved
toward where he’d tied Gunnar.
After se
ttling the saddle, bit and pack in place, Blane helped Aliah to the top, then took his place behind her.

When they reached the hollow tree, Seamus was cursing fiercely, and the men were trying to get him to calm down enough to swallow a large portion of whisky. Aliah look
ed on,
horrified at the blood-stained bandage thickly wrapped around his middle. Catching Liam’s eye, he nodded. He’d let his men attend to Seamus and keep Aliah away until they’d had a chance to calm him.
Blane took her to the stream a short distance away, and hidden by trees.

“Will he live?” she as
ked, dipping her hand into the
water and bringing a sip to her mouth.

“I dinna know.”

She nodded. “He is bleeding much.”

“’Tis more a fever I worry over.”

“Will we stay here until he’s able to travel?”

Blane shook his head. “Nay. He must travel with us.”

“How?”

“He will be tied to one of the other men. With an enemy upon us, staying
in
one place too long is impossible and dangerous.”

Again she nodded, looking into the distance, deep in thought.
Her brow was wrinkled and her mouth thinned in concern.

Blane knelt beside her, lifted her chin. “Tell me.”

She shrugged. “I was just thinking about my brother Samuel. He is fighting for King Edward in France. I hope that he has men surrounding him as honorable as you.”

Honestly, if they were English, Blane doubted it, but Aliah and her sister Arbella had proven that not all the English were as he thought. “If he’s as good as ye, then I’m sure he’s endeared himself to his men.”

Her eyes lit a little at that. “He is a good man. The best of men.”

“Surely, not
the
best,” he teased.

Aliah laughed. “Are you wanting to be the best?”

“Only for ye.”

Her gaze turned serious, eyes flaring with emotion, desire. “For me, you have been.”

Blane’s chest tightened uncomfortably and his stomach did a little flip. Aliah was so beautiful, courageous, intelligent, fun… He didn’t deserve her.

Montgomery’s words came back to haunt him.
When a man falls for a woman, he always thinks she deserves better. He canna imagine that she would desire him, for he holds her so high above him. I’m not sure it’s a feeling that ever leaves a man
.

Was that what was happening? He’d refused to believe it before. Didn’t want to acknowledge the possibilities, but now… Blane shook his head, took Aliah by the hands and stood. He would banish such thoughts from his mind the only way he knew how. Placing his hands on either side of her face, he bent low and kissed her. At first, he meant it to be a sweet
kis
s. To calm her, comfort her. However, as soon as her warm lips touched his and
he felt the velvet of her tongue
, he lost the ability to k
iss her sweetly. Judging by the whimpers coming from the back of her throat, and the way she molded her body to his, rubbing wantonly, Aliah didn’t want to be kissed sweetly.

Blane threaded his fingers into her
hair
, unwinding the tight plait she’d
formed at the cave
. He loved the feel of her silky hair, loved how it tickled his palms. He moaned against her soft lips as she wrapped her arms around his waist, mass
ag
ing the sides of his spine.

He was surprised by how right she felt against him. How perfectly she fit against his frame. Kissing her was like a dream he never wanted to wake from. Heaven on earth.

“I feel so hot,” Aliah whispered against his lips.

Holy Mary
…

“’Tis the heat we create whenever we kiss,” he murmured. “Whenever I look at ye.” He nuzzled down her neck, taking in the soft moans she made and becoming all the more entranced by her.

Oh, how he wanted to make love to her again… To sweep her up in his arms and—

Aliah’s leg came up, hooking around his hip and she pushed her pelvis into his. Blane groaned, his cock straining to reach for what she offered.

“Aliah… If we dinna stop, I
willna
be able to.”

“Then don’t.”

Who was this bold temptress that lured a man into the warmth and sensuality of her embrace? She was the perfect match for him… A woman who could take him away from his worries, make him believe he was better than the fate he’d given himself.

“Are you worried about your men hearing? Do you think they will come to find us?” she asked, starting to pull away.

He couldn’t have that, not when he’d just admitted to himself how he truly felt about her. Blane loved her. If she was offering him another chance to feel that love, to express it in the best way he knew how, he
would
, for in a few days he
may end up
break
ing
her heart and he hoped she’d at least remember
these tender moments
.

“Nay, they
willna
. They’re busy with Seamus.”

Blane stroked down her back, gripp
ed
her bottom in both hands and lifted her off the ground.
The sun hit them at the perfect angle, warming the air unusually for late fall.
Aliah wrapped her legs around his hips, her arms around his shoulders.
Glancing around, Blane found a tree with a nice
patch of grass beneath it. Whipping off his plaid
and shirt
, he laid
them
on top of the grass and sat down, leaning against the tree. Aliah stared at him,
her eyes riveted to his swollen cock. Blane curled his lip in a wicked smile. He beckoned her forward.

Blane could almost see her breath catch. Aliah stepped forward, then stepped back.

“Come here,” he said, his voice coming out husky.

Aliah shook her head, then pulled
off
her gown, her chemise next, until she stood naked before him
, shivering slightly.

“Ye didna have to take it off, ’tis cold,” he said
softly
.

“I wanted to,” she answered. “’Tis not so cold.”

In the full light of the mid-morning sun, she was even more glorious than by the light of the moon. Her shoulders sloped onto slender, shapely arms. Breasts, rosy tipped and the perfect size to fit in his hands. Her belly was flat, smooth. Hips round, full and legs that went on forever.
Between her thighs, a light thatch of golden curls.
Now it was Blane’s turn for his breath to catch.

She sauntered toward him like some fairy nymph, bent on seducing him and making away with his belongings. Well, she could have whatever she wanted as long as she stayed naked just like that.

Blane beckoned her
further
.
This time Aliah didn’t hesitate until she reached him, placing her toes on the bottom of his foot and stroking lightly.

“Shall I
lie
beside you?”

Blane shook his head, held out his hands. “I want ye to ride me,
mo chridhe
.”

Aliah’s eyes widened, but still she came forward, planting a foot on either side of his thighs. His cock twitched
as he
star
ed
up at her, so boldly placed before him. He wondered if she had any idea how much she affected him. Blane ran his
hands up and down her silky calves, tickling the backs of her knees.

“Now kneel down.”

She did as he instructed, the heat of her channel settling on top of him. Blane let out a short groan.

“Like this?” she asked, scooting even closer to him. She placed her hands on his shoulders, positioning her opening on the tip of his shaft.

Swallowing hard, he tried not to thrust upward and take her completely. “Aye, like that.”