Highland Sparks (Clan Grant #5) (9 page)

“I had a suspicion you might bind your breasts. I like the idea.” He stood back, a sly grin on his face. “Would love to see them unbound and free.”

Suddenly aware of all that had taken place, she shoved at his hands. “Aye, ‘tis the only way I can shoot. Keep your hands to yourself.”

“A moment ago, you didn’t mind my hands on you.” He cocked his head as he gazed at her.

“Aye, well, now I do. We’re done, Ramsay.” She blushed and turned away from him.

“Suit yourself.” With a soft shrug, he moved to go back inside, and before he closed the door behind him, he turned back to her and said, “I love the taste of you, lass. I want more.” Then he left with a wink.

Gwyneth hugged herself, shivering, before she brought a finger up to brush her bottom lip, the taste of him still sweet. What exactly did he mean by his last sentence? Not having any experience with men, she didn’t understand what had just happened, and it completely unnerved her.

She had just experienced her first kiss, and she’d liked it.

Chapter Ten

Two days after Logan kissed Gwyneth in the parapets, Caralyn and Robbie arrived safely at the Grant Keep, and the girls were ecstatic to have their mama home. There hadn’t been a chance for him to find Gwyneth alone again, and he sensed she hid from him. Her surprised reaction had told him it could have been her first kiss. Perhaps he had gone too far, but the simple truth was he had enjoyed every minute of having Gwyneth in his arms. After her initial shock, she had turned into a passionate lass, and if she hadn’t stopped him, he might not have been able to stop himself. Hellfire, but they were good together.

He was getting restless, and after another two days, he realized it was time to move on. Gwyneth had told Alex and Robbie she wanted to return to Glasgow, so he would lead her back through the Highlands to be sure she was safe. Then he could check on Micheil and his mother at their clan in Lothian. Brenna and Quade had agreed to stay in the Highlands until Maddie birthed her bairn.

Logan had looked for Gwyneth all day to no avail. At first he thought she must have been with her friend, but then he learned that Caralyn was shuttered with the Grants in Alex’s solar. Hellfire, he had to find the woman. If she had headed back to Glasgow on her own without an escort, she would hear his bellow all the way from the castle.

After waiting patiently outside the door, he could tell the meeting was about to break up. Unable to wait any longer, he rushed in, stopping directly in front of Caralyn. “Where’s Gwyneth?”

Caralyn shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not sure. I have not seen her this morn.”

“Did she tell you she was leaving?” God’s teeth, he had to know and now.

Caralyn nodded. “She said she planned to leave shortly.”

“Where was she going?”

“In search of someone in Glasgow.”

“Who?” Logan inched closer to Caralyn, towering over her.

Robbie jumped in front of him. “Stay away from her.”

“She has information I need,” Logan declared, hands on his hips.

“Then ask her politely and mayhap she will answer.” Robbie glared at his friend.

“Slud. Have it your way, Grant. Caralyn, would you please tell me where Gwyneth has gone?” He tipped his head with a smirk, looking at her from over Robbie’s shoulder.

Robbie nodded and stepped back; apparently satisfied Logan treated Caralyn with the respect she deserved.

“She has gone after the man who sold her, Duff Erskine.”

“She left alone?”

“Aye. She has her bow and arrows, and her dagger, too.” Caralyn glanced from Robbie to Logan. “Gwyneth always travels alone, except the time Duff caught her.”

“And what is her purpose?”

Caralyn stared at her feet, nervously shuffling them.

Robbie stepped back in front of her and turned to face her. “Caralyn?”

“She’s going to kill him.”

Logan growled. “Foolish lass.” He cursed a couple of times before he started to turn away.

Caralyn stopped him. “And Logan?”

“Aye?”

“She will not quit until he is dead.”

It was enough to make Logan pivot and immediately run out the door. Quade came up just as Logan was leaving. “Now where are you going?”

“To find Gwyneth.”

By the time the others stepped into the great hall after him, Logan had already grabbed another plaid, a loaf of bread, a chunk of cheese, and his satchel. He moved toward the door.

Quade yelled after him. “Good luck, aye? See you, brother.”

“Och, aye,” Logan yelled over his shoulder as he tore down the steps. All the while, he kept thinking of Gwyneth alone in the woods. The woman was daft, just plain daft. Just because she whipped him in some silly contest, she thought she could travel all the way back to Glasgow on her own safely, then find her target and kill him.

God’s teeth, why in hell had he fallen for such a difficult woman? Stubborn, daft, foolish…what else could he add to her list of faults? A lass who did naught but needlework would have gone much easier on him. When he caught up with her, she would regret acting in such a brazen, overly hasty way.

***

Gwyneth had to admit she was a wee bit jumpy moving through the Highlands. Mayhap she should have waited for Ramsay to travel with her after all. She had considered it before leaving, but after the kiss they’d shared in the parapets the other night, she just didn’t trust herself with him…particularly if it were just the two of them traveling alone.

Ramsay confused her. Part of her wanted to shove him away and never see him again, yet another part of her wanted to fuse her body with his and never let go. Why? After all the disgusting things she knew and had heard about rutting, why did it suddenly sound so appealing? Late last night, she had awakened in a sweat, dreaming of Logan’s bare skin pressed against hers, her breasts unbound and in his hands, his mouth. She had thought of other things she would never dare admit to another person. Shaking her head, she hoped to banish such thoughts from her mind. They were distracting, and traveling alone through the Highlands as she was, distraction was not something she could afford. Worse, something was rustling behind her and had been for some time as she made her way down the trail.

Gwyneth jumped off her horse and crept through the bushes, searching for the source of the noise. Her bow ready, she hoped she wasn’t about to run into a group of wild boar. Hell have it, she shouldn’t have headed out on her own. She had made it through one night, but there were many more to follow.

She rounded a bush and let her breath out in a rush, but she found nothing. Staring up at the treetops, she wished she didn’t have an awful fear of heights. She could have climbed one to see where the bastards were. She could fire fast at one boar, but she might not be able to nock her second arrow fast enough if more than one was headed straight for her.

Sweat dripped down her forehead, even though the evening air was crisp. The dampness of her palms forced her to continuously swipe them on her tunic. The rustling sound stilled, but rather than feeling relief, she was more nervous than before. Her heartbeat pounded in her chest and echoed in her ears. She was too unfamiliar with the smells of the Highlands to know if aught was different here.

Not daring to move yet, she held her ground, peering in each direction. If she dared get back on her horse, she would gallop out of this area as fast as she could.

A fresh rustle to her left caught her attention. She turned her bow and readied herself to fire. A loud squealing wrenched the air just before a huge boar launched at her at full speed. She released her arrow and stopped him dead in his tracks, but not before a second and third beast came barreling out of the copse of trees, both headed for her. Grabbing another arrow, she sent it flying and connected with her target. The second boar went down, but she didn’t know if she could shoot the third in time.

He gained on her as she reached in her quiver for another arrow, and she turned a few degrees to aim. The bastard was closer than she’d thought and he leaped straight at her, catching her in the chest with his hooves enough to knock her to the ground.
This is it. He’s going to kill me. All this training will have been for naught. The boar is going to end my life in a second.

His squealing continued, masking all other sounds of the night. As he aimed his tusks straight at her face, she grabbed her knife and was about to stab him anywhere she could. Just then, the pitch of his squeal changed and he fell to the side of her. Another squeal sounded close to her, reaching the same eerie pitch before cutting off.

Gwyneth panted in fear, not knowing what would happen next. Her heart was racing so fast, she was afraid to move. She pushed herself to a sitting position, just then noticing the warm blood trickling down her arm from a small wound. The loudest bellow she’d ever heard cut through the night and her eyes flew to the source.
Ramsay.

“Gwyneth, have you no sense at all, you daft woman! Get up before another comes. They travel together. How the hell could a lass as smart as you leave on your own? You can’t travel through the Highlands alone.”

He reached her side as she started to sob, and pulled her to her feet. As soon as he saw her tears, he stopped his bellowing and reached for her.

She threw her arms around his neck, sobbing freely. She had only been this frightened a few times in her life, and she didn’t like it. Thanking the Lord he had come along, she clung to Logan, swearing she would never let go.

He wrapped her tight in his embrace, but then pulled back to stare at her. “Lass, you’re bleeding. Is it your blood or the beast’s?”

Chapter Eleven

“‘Tis just a scratch. Never mind that, just hold me,” Gwyneth cried.

She couldn’t let him go. Not having cried since the attack by the Norse, she didn’t understand this need, but she had no control over it. She’d held in her pain for this long, so why had it forced its way out today? One thought overtook all others—Logan had come for her.

Frightened out of her mind, she pulled back and swiped at her tears. “Thank you, my thanks for following me. I was a dead woman. He would have killed me.”

“Aye, he would have, especially with another on his heels. What were you thinking? These are the Highlands, not the Lowlands.” He brushed the hair away from her face, wiping the tears from her cheeks as he held her.

Gwyneth could no longer deny what she wanted. She wanted Logan Ramsay. After that kiss on the parapets, she had thought of naught else. And he had cared enough to race after her.
He saved my life.

Staring at his mouth, she gave serious thought to what she was about to do, but she didn’t care. She wanted Logan Ramsay and she wanted him now. There had never been any foolish thoughts of marriage in her mind before, so what did it matter if she gave in to her desire. Her body told her what she needed from Logan. She licked her lips as he gazed at her, following her tongue with his eyes.

Logan crushed her into his arms with a groan, capturing her lips with his. She fell against him and wrapped her arms around his waist parting her lips so he could invade her mouth with his tongue, teasing and tantalizing her with his hot desire. Boldly following his initiative, Gwyneth tasted him in return, only to find herself tugged closer to him, his hands encasing her bum and holding her tight enough for her to feel his hardness against her belly.

She pulled back, panting, barely able to speak. “Are we safe? Do you think we’re safe?”

Watching Logan struggle to catch his breath as much as she did made her heady with power. He wanted her as much as she wanted him and she delighted in that realization. Her gaze caught his with a question.

“Aye, through here. I think we got all of them, but I want to be closer to Paz. He’ll alert us to intruders.”

Gwyneth followed him a short distance until they found a soft spot near the horses. Logan dropped his plaid and settled it on the ground. “Are you sure about this, lass?”

Gwyneth nodded and removed her tunic, flinging it off to the side along with her belt, her quiver and her leggings.

She began to unbind her breasts when Logan jumped, “Please, allow me.”

After he was finished, she stood in front of him, waiting for him to do the same. Somehow, she had felt no shame standing in front of him this way, and the look in his eyes made her feel like a queen. She could tell how pleased he was with her just by the way he let his breath out.

“Lass, you’re beautiful.” Logan’s gaze raked her body before he ripped off the rest of his own clothes.

Gwyneth blushed, but then smiled, happy that she pleased him. He pulled her back to him and cupped her cheeks, kissing her tenderly this time, stroking her tongue with his until she thought her legs would buckle.

He helped her onto the soft plaid, and gazed into her eyes. “Do you know how much I want you?” His hand slid down her side, cupped her breast, then trailed down her hip until he found her hand and placed it on his hard length. “Can you see what you do to me, Gwyneth? You, just you.”

Gwyneth was surprised at the feel of his hardness in her hand, which sent another thrill of power thrumming through her. She let him go and tugged him down for another kiss, letting him tease her with his tongue until she was crazed with need. Grinding her hips against him, she hoped to encourage him to speed things up. She wanted him.

“Relax, lass. We have no need to rush.”

“Aye, we do. When I need something, I don’t like to wait.”

He chuckled as his lips followed her neckline and he cupped her breast in his hand, rubbing his thumb across her nipple until he brought it to a taut peak. His fingers trailed a slow path over one breast, then the other, finally shifting down across her belly and into the dense curls at her sex. He teased her folds and she spread her legs for him, allowing him access to her sheath. He smiled and he slid a finger in and out of her passage.

“Logan, please.” Lord, but she couldn’t understand all the sensations this man was causing her to feel. Her nipples ached, and the spot between her thighs throbbed with a need she didn’t quite comprehend, forcing her to thrust forward in a most unladylike manner. Her entire body thrummed with a sensation completely new to her, but one she rather liked.

“Gwyneth, is this your first time?”

She nodded, and her breathing hitched as he removed his hand from her core and returned it to her nipple, gently rubbing the sensitive tip until she wanted to scream.

“You know ‘twill be painful your first time? I’ll do my best to ease your pain.”

She nodded again. Aye, she had heard it would hurt, but she was a warrior and could handle pain. “Get on with it, I can handle it.”

“Lass, I have no doubt you can, but I wish to make this as pleasurable for you as I can. Relax and enjoy.”

Gwyneth sighed in frustration and then her eyes widened as Logan lowered his head and took her nipple in his mouth. Lord, but she had never experienced such pleasure. He licked and suckled as she moaned in delight, squirming as his lips transferred from one breast to the other. While he continued his assault on her aching breasts, his hands found their way back down her belly, finding her core again and parting her folds with his finger. She moaned in sheer ecstasy as he plunged his finger inside her again and again, tormenting her with a sweet torture that reduced her to begging.

“Och, lass, you are so wet and hot for me. Do you know how that excites me?”

“Logan, please.” She grasped his arms as she moved her pelvis back and forth in response to the pleasure building in her sex.

He brought his lips back to hers and kissed her deeply again. “Aye, lass, I want you as much as you want me.” He settled himself on top of her, supporting his weight on his elbows. “I can’t wait any longer, you make me wild with wanting you.”

Logan teased her entrance a bit more with his shaft before he entered her just enough to cause her to spread her legs in welcome.

“Logan, aye, this is what I want. Please do it now.” She grabbed his hips in an attempt to bring him closer, but he was too strong for her.

“Hang on, love.” Logan paused to kiss her, then plunged inside her and broke through her barrier.

She gave a brief yelp at the sting, but stilled and gazed at Logan for guidance.

“I’m sorry, lass, but that was the worst of it. I won’t move again until you tell me.”

She noted the clenching in his jaw and the tension in his face as he held still, waiting for her. The pain subsided so she moved against him until the ache returned. She pushed ahead as need possessed her again. Logan moaned and pulled back before entering her again swiftly.

Gwyneth did the only thing that felt right, though her boldness embarrassed her. She bent her legs, hoping he could fill her more, get in deeper, and he growled in response.

Logan rammed her hard and she moaned in sheer ecstasy as he picked up his pace, rocking her, hitting her tender pearl just where she needed him. A force was building inside her, coiling with each push, growing as he stoked her to a frenzied peak, faster and harder, intensifying with every jolt against her until the release she had searched for finally let loose, catapulting her over the edge with a scream as she clenched Logan, yelling his name and convulsing with a pleasure she had never known.

Through her bliss, she heard Logan roar as he emptied his seed into her and she swallowed, trying to get her breathing under control so she could watch him as he shuddered against her.

When they had both reached a point where they could speak, Gwyneth met Logan’s eyes and said, “Good Lord, Ramsay. I had no idea.”

Logan grinned and kissed her. “We’re fantastic together, lass.”