Time Travel Romances Boxed Set (57 page)

Another shadow separated itself from an
alleyway and advanced, this young man a close copy of the first.
“Hey, she’s a cute wee bird.” He chuckled darkly. “We could have us
some fun, we could.”

Morgan’s blood ran cold. Justine had been
right.

Again.

But it was a little bit late for second
thoughts.

“
C’mon! C’mon!”

Morgan eyed the pair of thieves and realized
she’d be lucky to get out of this with just the loss of her
purse.

Suddenly a bellow echoed through the empty
street. It sounded like a boar had gotten loose and wasn’t too
pleased about its situation.

Morgan saw no more than a tawny blur before
the glint of the knife disappeared. She backed away from the
scuffle, uncertain whether the new arrival had come to her rescue
of simply wanted the spoils for himself.

The first attacker went down with a yelp and
his head hit the pavement with a sick thud. Blood trickled across
the sidewalk. A great shadowed figure pivoted and dove after the
second attacker, who made the mistake of trying to flee.

He managed to take four steps before he was
snatched up from behind.

The boy gave a good fight and cursed
eloquently. Morgan caught a glimpse of dirty plaid and the brassy
glint of her defender’s hair, and her heart began to pound.
Although she knew she should run, Morgan couldn’t help but
watch.

No more than a moment later, Alasdair kicked
the limp body of the second thief aside. He spat on the pavement
between the two, who looked a lot younger than they had just
moments before, then his simmering blue gaze locked on Morgan.

She took a cautious step backward, her heart
racing.

“
What in the holy name of
God do you think you are doing?” he roared, then came after
her.

Now Morgan ran.

Actually, she hobbled, one heel up and one
heel down. But even as she ran, Morgan couldn’t help but wonder hat
Alasdair intended to do to her. Hadn’t he said before that he’d
toss her over his shoulder and have his way with her?

As much as she hated to admit it, a part of
her really liked the idea. She was running as much from that
realization as from the highlander.

But she didn’t get far before Alasdair
scooped her off her feet and tossed her over his shoulder in one
bold move, muttering all the while. Morgan struggled, but his one
hand was clamped so firmly over her knees that she wasn’t going
anywhere that Alasdair didn’t want her to go.

Her mouth went dry.

“
Of all the fool things to
be doing, I never would have imagined the likes of you to have so
little sense as this!” he raged. “And what manner of foul kingdom
is it you have that the common folk show no respect for a queen
within their own filthy ranks?”

Alasdair stalked down a shadowed street, and
Morgan was surprised to note that it didn’t look so bad on closer
inspection. Within moments, they emerged onto a brightly lit and
very busy thoroughfare.

“
Never have I seen the like
of it, though the fault is as much yours as theirs. Did Justine not
warn you to not walk alone on these streets? What manner of queen
employs advisors, then ignores their counsel?”

Morgan was embarrassed and annoyed to
realize how close she had been to comparative safety. Alasdair
rounded the corner and strode into a throng of people who eyed them
with curiosity.

She wriggled, to no discernible effect. “Um,
you can put me down now.”

But Alasdair showed no signs of setting
Morgan on her feet. She wasn’t even sure he’d heard her.

“
Mere lads they were! Not
more than thirteen summers!” His disgust was evident. “What manner
of town is it that a boy can find himself such trouble? Where are
their sires and their mothers? Have they not decent work to pursue,
rather than thieving from women?”

Morgan struggled, not trusting the way her
skin heated everywhere she touched Alasdair. The strength of his
hand locked around her knees sent unwelcome shivers all through
her.

But he was evidently not interested in any
thoughts Morgan had on the matter.

He ranted, waving his free hand as he
stomped down the street. “And what manner of advisors have you by
your side that they would be so quick to leave you unattended when
such danger lurks at every turn?”

“
They are not my advisors!
Now, put me down.”

Alasdair growled on as though Morgan hadn’t
said anything at all. “You may be assured, my lady, that they were
not the first to be interested in your bonny curves. Had I not been
busy with the last, these would never have gotten so close.”

He muttered an expletive that made even more
people turn to look, and his voice dropped lower. “Aye, were you a
woman of mine, I would be having fine words for your lack of
interest in your own safe keeping…”

“
But I’m not a woman of
yours,” Morgan retorted. “So please put me down.”

Alasdair stopped suddenly, and Morgan braced
herself for trouble. She couldn’t help but wonder why he had heard
that one comment.

“
Aye,” he acknowledged in a
dangerously soft tone. “That you are not.”

His hands were suddenly on her hips, moving
with the sure touch of a caress. The heat of his palms launched a
tingle over her flesh that Morgan would have preferred to have been
without.

Then those hands lifted her high. Morgan’s
mouth went dry as Alasdair let her slide slowly down the length of
him until they stood toe to toe. His hand still rested
proprietarily on her waist and his gaze blazed into hers. She
barely dared to breathe as she stared up at her self-appointed
protector and felt his thumbs tracing little circles on her
back.

Morgan was fully aware of his erection. If
she’d had any doubt of what she’d felt, she had none now. His
hardness pressed against her stomach as though there wasn’t all
this clothing between them.

And the glint in Alasdair’s eyes was
unabashedly sensual.

Nothing else could have fired her blood like
the evidence of Alasdair’s arousal. Matt’s continued pursuit of
other women – and his avoidance of intimacy with his wife – had
left a deep scar in Morgan’s belief in her own attractiveness.

To have this aggressively masculine man
desire her was a siren’s call Morgan couldn’t ignore.

But Alasdair was waiting. And when Morgan
looked deeply into his eyes, she understood why.

He was waiting for her to decide how to
proceed. Morgan knew not only that Alasdair wanted her but that she
could push him away with one fingertip.

And if she did, he would go.

Just having the choice made Morgan want to
choose otherwise. She eyed his firm lips and wondered…

It had to be the glass of wine she’d had
with dinner.

Or maybe it was the adrenaline rush of
barely escaping a mugging.

But the truth was that Morgan didn’t care.
She wanted to kiss Alasdair, just once, just a little kiss, just
because she had the choice.

Maybe not such a little kiss.

Right here, right now, she had the perfect
excuse.

Alasdair’s grip tightened ever so slightly
on Morgan’s waist. “You are not going to be so foolish as to run
off again, are you?” he demanded, his fair brows bristling. “You
may be sure that I shall see you safely to your abode.”

Morgan could smell Alasdair’s scent, and her
toes curled inside her mutilated shoes.

“
No.” Her voice was no more
than a whisper. She was vaguely aware of catcalls and whistles
around them, but couldn’t have cared less about anything beyond
this man.

Alasdair arched a brow. “Promise?”

The “r” rumbled in his chest, the vibration
startling against Morgan’s breasts. She felt her nipples tighten as
her imagination concocted what she could have expected if she had
been Alasdair’s woman.

How would he kiss?

“
Promise,” she agreed,
breathless.

Alasdair smiled then and lifted one hand to
gently touch her cheek. “Are you unharmed by those ruffians, then,
my lady? Hale and hearty?”

His protective concern was the icing on the
cake. No one other than Justine and Auntie Gillian had ever been so
concerned for Morgan’s welfare. Certainly, no one had ever saved
her from thugs.

“
Yes.” Her voice was
breathy, like some silver screen movie star. “I’m just
fine.”

“
Good.” Alasdair nodded
emphatically and started to step away.

It was Morgan’s last chance.

Before she could lose her nerve, she
stretched to her toes. Alasdair froze, obviously uncertain of what
she meant to do. Morgan paused, a finger’s breath from his firm
lips and looked into those blue, blue eyes.

“
Thank you,” she whispered,
then kissed him.

Morgan had been thinking of just brushing
her lips across his, sort of a sisterly buss of affection, but
Alasdair evidently had different ideas. He stiffened for just a
moment, as though surprised, then made a quick recovery. He angled
his mouth across Morgan’s and lifted her against him.

Possessive, passionate and powerful.

Perfect.

Some of that tentativeness lingered in in
his touch, reassuring Morgan that she could rebuff him – if she
wanted to. She melted at that certainty and wound her arms around
his neck.

And he deepened his kiss.

Morgan’s imagination hadn’t begun to do
Alasdair’s kiss justice.

Her eyes closed in pleasure as Alasdair’s
one hand cupped her buttock and the other cradled her shoulder. Her
lips parted of their own accord, and the sleek heat of Alasdair’s
tongue slid between her teeth.

The whistles Morgan had heard earlier were
nothing compared to the ones echoing around them now.

But Alasdair tasted so good that she didn’t
care. Her arms twined around his sturdy neck, her fingers taking
note of the muscled strength of his shoulders before tangling in
the thick hair at his nape. Morgan could feel the thunder of his
heart against her own as his kiss became more demanding.

Alasdair wanted her.
Her
. Morgan’s
skin heated, and the tingle of desire in her belly grew to a roar.
She wanted to wrap her legs around Alasdair and drag him back to
her lair.

And ravish him all night long. Alasdair had
unlocked a barricaded door, setting ten years of pent-up desire
free.

Morgan didn’t want to cage it again.

Alasdair must have been thinking along the
same lines. He lifted his lips from hers, and his sapphire gaze
clung to hers for an electric moment.

Then he swung her up into his arms and began
to stride through the crowd.

And Morgan had a moment to think.

What on earth was she doing?

How could she have forgotten what Alasdair
had done?

*

The sorceress changed mood faster than an
autumn sky. No sooner had Alasdair acknowledged the not-unpleasant
feeling of having her nestled in his arms, than she twisted and
fought his grip like a wild thing.

“
Put me down!” she
demanded.

Only then did Alasdair realize his own
foolhardiness. He had lost himself in Morgaine le Fee’s kiss! He
was seven kinds of fool to be so careless with his own fate.

The enchantress did not need to repeat her
request. Alasdair dumped her on her feet without ceremony and
backed away. He wiped the taste of her kiss from his burning lips
with the back of his hand and surveyed her warily.

What witchery had she cast over him?

Morgaine looked as distressed as Alasdair
felt. Her cheeks were flushed in a most attractive way; her eyes
were flashing; her hair was tangled.

And her lips were temptingly swollen. Anger
rose hot within Alasdair that he had been so readily tricked.

“
How dare you touch
me?”

“
I touch
you
?”
Alasdair retorted. “You were the one as pressed yourself upon
me!”

“
You were the one who took
more than was offered!” the lady fired back, shaking an indignant
finger. “I was only going to give you a peck of
appreciation….”

Alasdair folded his arms across his chest
and glowered at her. He refused to think about the fire this one
would start when she
meant
to kiss a man soundly. “That was
no peck, my lady.”

“
It certainly wasn’t!” She
glared back at him, so full of vigor that Alasdair was tempted to
repeat the exchange.

Even if his better judgment demanded he keep
her at arm’s length. Alasdair fought against his desire and slowly
got his pulse under control.

His gallant words were forced through
gritted teeth. “Clearly, ’Twas no more at work than the fright we
both had have.”

Morgaine looked as though she would have
argued that point, then she nodded vehement agreement.

Alasdair wondered only for a moment whether
she had deliberately been testing her allure. Then, he shook such
whimsy from his mind and offered Morgaine his elbow, his manner as
coolly impersonal as he could make it. “My lady? I would accompany
you to your abode.”

“
You will not!” she snapped
and danced backward. She tossed her hair like a flighty filly. “I
can find my way there alone, thank you.”

Did the woman have so short a memory as
that? Alasdair folded his arms across his chest and knew his
skepticism showed. “Aye, you were doing a fine job of it when I
last came along.”

The lady flushed crimson and Alasdair’s
anger melted to naught.

“
I gave my word to Blake,”
he added gently when she seemed at a loss for words. “And I would
see it kept.”

Morgaine stared at him for a long moment.
“How do I know you don’t want to hurt me? You said you want the
stone - you might mug me and leave me in a gutter somewhere.”