Ian (7 page)

The cool water against her hot body felt good, and she wondered how she was
even going to sleep tonight, lying at his side by the fire. Damn, what was the matter with her that she couldn’t stop thinking about him? She’d seen the face of her husband-to-be in the flames of the fire, and it wasn’t Ian. She just had to accept that it was never going to be him, no matter how much she wanted it to be. She dipped under the water once more, than emerged and made her way to the shore to dress.

Ian wondered what was taking Kyla so long to come back with the horse. He’d already made the fire and set up camp, and thanks to his hound they were going to have two rabbits for supper. The hound was quite a hunter, and Ian knew it was probably because when he’d found it, it had been on its own for such a long time.

“Guid boy,” he said, hunkering down by the fire and running his hands through the hound’s
long, grey fur. The dog lay down and showed its belly and Ian rubbed it as well. “Ye are a guid hunter. I dinna ken where ye came from, but I am glad I kept Aidan from killin’ ye.”

He look
ed back again toward the stream. Still, no Kyla.

“I’m goin
’ te find her and make sure she’s all right,” he told the hound. “Ye stay and watch the camp and keep yer nose off our meal or ye’ll have te deal with me when I get back. And I warn ye, I’m no’ pleasant te be around when I’m hungry.”

The hound almost seemed to smile at him as it panted, and its tongue hun
g halfway to the ground. He figured the hound must have been someone’s pet before it ended up following him through the Highlands a few months ago, because it always seemed to understand him when he gave it an order.

“Kyla?” he called out as he walked towards the stream. It was nearly dark now, and he didn’t like the idea of her being
out here alone when the MacGillivrays were on a raiding rampage. Still, he would have known if they were near, so he was sure she was all right.

Then he spotted the horse t
hrough the trees and headed toward it. But he stopped in his tracks when he saw Kyla emerging from the water, naked, and bending over to wring out her long, wet hair.

She was beautiful. H
er breasts looked firm and round, yet perky. And while her skin was milky white, her nipples were dusky, and standing up straight from the cool water. Her waist was slim and her hips pleasantly rounded, just the way he liked his women. And the cheeks of her buttocks were so tempting, that he found himself wanting to grab on to them and enter her from behind, pumping into her until she screamed for more.

Damn, he realized he was hard under his plaid
now, thanks to her. And before he could turn to go back to camp, she stood up, spotting him, so he couldn’t get away.

“Och, I did
na ken ye were there,” she said, racing for her clothes and pulling them on quickly. “Why didna ye say somethin’ instead o’ watchin’ me like thet?”

“I did
na see ye until now,” he said. “I barely noticed ye were naked.”

She pulled up her bodice, hiding those perfect breast
s from his view, and glanced below his waist.

“Ye lie, Ian MacKeefe. Either thet, or mayhap ye always walk around with yer man
-sword ready te take a plunge.”

He looked down to see his plaid sticking out and knew there was no way
he was going to just be able to ignore this. Last time, he’d been ready to bed a lusty wench, but this time there was no doubt in either of their minds that his body wanted her badly.

“I’ll meet ye back at camp,” he said, turning to go.

“Wait,” she said, stopping him. “Here, take the horse so I can put on me shoes.”

He did as instructed and they walked back to the camp in silence. Then they sat down an
d ate the food, and he threw one of the rabbits to his hound in gratitude for the meal.

When he couldn’t stand the silence between them any longer, he decided he needed to start the conversation between them that they
truly needed to have.

“Kyla,” he said, taking a swig of mountain magic from the wineskin
, hoping the potent brew would numb him at least a little and help him get through this. He then handed it to her. “I’m sorry.”

“Aboot what?” She snatched the wineskin away from him and held it up to her mouth. His eyes focused on her throa
t as she swallowed, and curiously his gaze dropped lower to the pulsing hollow at the base of her throat, and then lower still, till he found himself focusing on her cleavage. His eyes snapped upward and he quickly looked away.

“Aboot . . . e’erythin’.”

“Why dinna ye jest admit thet ye liked the kiss between us as well as seeing me naked?”

“Kyla, don’t.” He
felt like he couldn’t have this conversation after all. Not with his good friend’s sister. He started to get up, but her hand on his arm stopped him.

“I’m no longer je
st Aidan’s wee sister,” she told him. “And I think ye noticed thet I am a woman, same as the ones ye take te yer bed.”

“Th
et’s where ye’re wrong,” he said. “Ye will always be Aidan’s wee sister te me, and although there is no denyin’ ye turned inte a woman and I didna notice til recently, ye are nothin’ like the lassies I bed.”

“Why no’?” Disappointment coated her words
. “Becooz I’m inexperienced and ye think I will no’ ken what te do once ye get me te yer bed?”

“Nay, Kyla. Thet’s no’ it at all. What I meant is thet the lassies I bed are more like . . . hoors. They are only doin’ it fer fun, the same as I am.”

“So ye’re sayin’ I wouldna have fun?”

How could he answer that? It would be fun al
l right, and he was sure they would both enjoy it. Damn, he had to stop thinking about this right now before he did something stupid.

“I’m sayin’ I dinna want te hurt ye
, lass.”

“O
ch,” she said, letting go of his arm and turning away from him, just shaking her head. There was no doubt in his mind that he hadn’t answered the way she wanted him to.

Kyla thought Ian would walk away after that, but to her surprise, she felt him scooting closer to her and putting his arm around her shoulders. She felt his warmth, and the hardness of his muscles in his upper arm as he brushed up against her. She liked the feel of it, and leaned her head back against him gently. It felt good. And oh, so right. This is exactly where she wanted to be.

“Dinna hate me, Kyla. Ye have te understand thet nothin’ can e’er happen between us.”
His words said one thing but his body was saying another. Why did he have his arm around her, pulling her closer, if he was trying to push her away?

Still, his words sounded so final
and she wondered for a moment if she was just fantasizing again and there was really nothing between them after all. Mayhap her expectations were set too high and she shouldn’t get her hopes up. Not when it had to do with Ian. She was confused, but had to know for sure.

“Somethin’ already has happened between us
,” she said, turning and looking up into his eyes. The firelight danced off his sun-kissed skin and the whole moment would have been special if only he would drop the walls between them.

“Nothin’ happened,” he said
, as if he truly believed it.

“Ye kissed me, Ian MacKeefe, and if ye say ye felt nothin’ between us then I say ye are the biggest liar I’ve e’er met.”

“I didna feel anythin’.”

She blinked once, then twice, not believing he was really acting like such a dolt.
She had to make him admit that he was lying. This may be the only chance she ever got.

“Prove it,
” she challenged him.

“What do ye mean?”

She raised her chin and looked him straight in the eye. “Kiss me again, and if ye can honestly say thet ye feel nothin’, then I swear I’ll leave ye alone and ne’er mention it again.”

He laughed then, and
the brightness of his smile as well as the deep, rich rumble in his chest vibrating against her, about drove her from her mind. Damn, why did he have to be so desirable?

He lowered his head and looked up from the corner of one hooded eye. One side of his mouth twisted wryly as he answered.
“I dinna want te play games, lassie,” he said in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper.

And
when he removed his arm from around her shoulders and started to move away, she decided she didn’t want to die without feeling Ian’s lips upon hers one more time. She daringly took hold of his shoulders and reached upward, pressing her lips firmly against his before he could object.

Then s
he pulled away quickly, her hand going to her mouth , unable to believe her own brashness, and she waited for his reaction. A sense of excitement surged through her and the exchange between them seemed to have set her mouth afire. She slowly lowered her hand, and wet her lips slightly with the tip of her tongue, tasting his essence of whisky and pure, male power. Then her eyes intermingled with his, and she felt her heart hammering in her chest as she waited for what seemed an eternity for him to respond to what she’d done.

He didn’t speak at first, only studied her with his intense, smoldering eyes. She felt a delicious shudder wash through her as she recognized
the way he was looking at her right now. It was the look of lust she’d seen every time he was with a woman he was about to bed. His hooded eyes drank her in, and he peered up through his long, black lashes that had no right belonging to a man. His hazelnut eyes turned soft and silky, then suddenly mixed with an intense fire that made him seem dangerous, yet too seductive for her to ever look away.

“Well? Did ye feel anythin’?” she asked
softly, almost choking on her words. Her own emotions were spiraling out of control from just one kiss, but she figured he was going to lie to her again, and act like he didn’t feel the strong attraction that was obvious between them.

“I dinna ken,” he said,
surprising her with his answer. He reached up and scratched at the side of his face, his hand blocking his mouth momentarily, but she didn’t miss the way his tongue darted out and flicked across his lips before he lowered his hand again. She wondered if he were tasting her essence as well. “It was too fast,” he said. “I’m used te kisses thet last a little longer.”

“So . . . should we try it again?” she asked
carefully, hoping this was what he was hinting at and that she wasn’t misreading him. She found herself staring at his mouth in anticipation.

“Mayhap we should.” H
e reached over and lifted her chin gently and brushed his thumb along her bottom lip. She closed her eyes, feeling a tingle run through her as she eagerly waited. “But this time, we need te try it slower so we can both see if we feel anythin’,” he told her.

“I agree
,” she said, holding her breath. And then his soft lips feather-kissed hers, teasing and taunting her in unspoken persuasion. She let her breath out with a sigh and leaned forward slightly, wanting more. His mouth came down upon hers again, but this time his lips caressed hers like a lover. She felt as if she were melting as he pulled her closer into his strong arms and their bodies melded to one. This kiss was not like the first, nor like the one in the stable. This one was slow and sensuous and made her feel so alive. The warmth of his uneven breathing against her cheek sent an exciting tingle flitting across her skin. She felt safe within his embrace, as if she were encompassed in some sort of protective cocoon.

And when he pulled away a little, she brought her lips back to his, and
they rejoined like a bee to a flower, their mouths hungrily devouring each other. There was no doubt in her mind now that he was feeling the same excitement that she felt between them.

“Ye taste so guid and yer skin is so soft
, lassie.” He dipped in for another kiss, and she didn’t object.

“So do ye,” she said
with her lips up against his. And to her surprise, his tongue shot out and quickly slipped between her parted lips, and he filled her mouth as he continued to explore. She felt excited, curious, and at the same time apprehensive. This must be one of those things he did to drive the lassies crazy. She realized a part of him was inside her right now, and that sent an overwhelming sense of elation flowing through her.

His hands
slowly slipped down her shoulders, hesitating for a second before grazing the sides of her breasts. She longed for him to touch her there. She needed to feel his fingers caressing her womanly parts. She could barely wait.

“Do it,” she whispered, and he stopped suddenly.

“Ye ken this isna right,” he said, his lips against hers as he spoke.

“Ye ken it is,” she whispered back. And this
time when they kissed, he caressed her breasts, gently at first and then a bit rougher, squeezing and weighing her mounds in his large hands. A moan lodge at the back of his throat, and she heard herself moaning with desire along with him. His fingers felt her nipples right through her clothes, and she gasped and opened her mouth wider, her body arching as she pressed her breasts forward. Then his finger lightly traced the neckline of her bodice, and his hand dipped inside, as he slipped his fingers around her naked breast, cupping her. This action triggered a pulsing sensation between her legs that she’d never felt before.

“Ye seem te like this,”
he said in between kisses, as his experienced fingers played with her nipple and she felt it going erect. She arched toward him more and almost lost her balance, moving her hand to catch herself and accidentally touching his groin in the process. She felt him jerk backward, his actions slowing slightly, and then she heard him moan in pleasure again as he started to grow beneath his plaid. That gave her the courage to explore further, and before she knew what she was doing, she was caressing that glorious length of his right through his clothes. That same part of him, that is, that she’d seen exposed in the stable.

“Kyla, if ye keep thet up, I willna be able te control meself
much longer.”

“Then dinna hold back.” She
removed her hand from his groin, and daringly slid it up his bare leg, pushing up his plaid and slipping her hand beneath it. She gasped when she felt his engorged manhood and realized he wasn’t wearing any braies. Her fingers caressed him faster, squeezing him slightly, delighted in the feel of silk over steel. She ran her hand along his entire shaft, feeling a drop of moisture when she cupped her palm over his tip.

“Och, lassie, ye are pushin’ me te me limits.”
He lay back and pulled her atop him, and before she knew what was happening, he’d exposed one of her breasts and was putting his mouth on her. As he suckled her like a bairn to a wet-nurse, she cried out, pushing herself further into his mouth, all the while filled with desire and elation. So this is how it felt to be tasted by Ian MacKeefe. He made circles with his tongue around her hardened nipple, and tugged at her gently with his lips. She squealed in excitement, finally knowing what she’d been missing all these years.

“Ian, I want ye,” she cried out. “Make love te me, please.”

And when his hands skimmed the back of her thighs and found their way beneath her skirts, she knew there was no stopping this now, and neither did she want there to be. His fingers grabbed roughly at her buttocks and he thrust his hips forward, and she found herself grinding against his hardened length right through his woolen plaid. And then something happened that she never expected, she climbed to heights she’d never known and found release just from being pressed up against him. Her world exploded in vibrant colors behind her closed lids, and she heard herself screaming out cries of passion.

“A
ye, this is guid,” she shouted, wanting to tell the whole world. “I finally ken what it feels like te be a woman.”

“Aye,” she heard him say. “Ye are more o’ a woman than I e’er imagined
, Kyla.”

“
I am no’ jest Aidan’s wee sister now,” she exclaimed, sure she was about to finally couple with a man for the first time in her life. But when those words left her mouth, he stopped fondling her and pulled his hands away. It was then that she knew she’d made a big mistake by mentioning the name of her brother.

He
rolled her off his body and sat up, staring at her and shaking his head.

“What’s the matter?” she asked
frantically. “Why did ye stop?”

“Kyla . . .
are ye a virgin?” he asked. His eyes squinted slightly as he perused her.

“O’ course I am. Ye ken thet.
”

“Och, I
wasna sure.” He shook his head again.

“Ye did
na ken I was a virgin?” she asked. “Why no’?”

“Becooz y
e are twenty years old, lassie. I didna think anyone thet old was still a virgin. I ne’er shoulda touched ye.”

“Well, ye have me br
athair, Aidan, te thank fer thet! He ne’er let any man have the chance te touch me, as he always scared them away.”

“Aidan,”
he repeated and made a face, his eyes staring into the fire. Then his hands balled up into fists and he threw back his head and let out a scream. “Arrrrgh, what the hell did I jest do?”

“Ye kissed me and almost coupled with me,” she told him. “And ye felt somethin’
the same as I did.” She pulled her clothes back into place and scooted close to him on the ground and put her hand on his arm. She felt his muscles beneath her fingers tighten. When she looked up to his face his eyes were closed, and his mouth was clenched so hard that she saw a muscle twitch in his jaw.

“I am . . .
so . . . damned sorry,” he whispered. He couldn’t even look at her any more.

“Dinna be. We both wanted it. And we both want so much more.”

“Nay!” He pushed her arm off of him and jumped up and walked to the other side of the fire and started pacing. “Ye tricked me inte it and I got caught up in the moment, nothin’ more. It didna mean anythin’ at all.”

“Ye were hard
beneath yer plaid. Yer body disna lie.”

“Nay, I dinna want ye, now jest leave me alone and dinna try te bewitch me again.”

“Is thet what ye think I was doin’?”

Ian finally turned to face Kyla, and when he did he saw the tears in her eyes. But she kept a firm-set jaw and Ian knew she was too hard-headed to allow herself to cry in front of him. She wouldn’t. He knew her all too well. She’d never even cried the day she broke her arm the first time she’d dove from a cliff into the water trying to keep up with the three madmen.

He knew now t
hat he never should have agreed to kiss her in the first place. Because now that they had kissed and they’d almost coupled, he knew he would never be able to put her out of his mind. He’d been so caught up in the moment, that if she hadn’t mentioned her brother’s name he would have been thrusting into her in another minute and finding his release as well. He was happy that she’d had her first kiss and also found release with him even if he hadn’t entered her. Damn, he thought, she must have had years of pent-up desire inside her to have come so fast, being the first time and all. For that, he was glad in a way, but for the fact he’d been the one to bring her to that point – he wasn’t proud.

He’d
almost ruined her, and he could never forgive himself for that. He was supposed to be protecting her from men trying to get beneath her skirts, but instead he was doing just the opposite of what he’d promised Aidan he would do.

He’d
almost taken her virginity, and now he knew he was going to have to tell his good friend the truth when he returned. Because something like this could not be kept a secret between friends. Not when it had to do with the man’s sister. What the hell had he been thinking?

“I’m sorry, Kyla,” he said
once again, walking toward her. “This ne’er should o’ happened.” He reached out for her but she moved away.

“Dinna be,” she said, and flashed a smile that he knew was fake. “I was only havin’ fun, jest like the rest o
’ the lassies ye bed. And it didna mean a thing te me either.”

“I canna be yer lover, nor yer husband, Kyla. Ye are the sister o’ me best friend, and now after what we’ve
done, I’ve probably ruined me friendship with Aidan as well.”

“I
was only havin’ fun,” she told him again, “nothin’ more. And I dinna want ye fer me husband, Ian MacKeefe. After all, I’ve seen me husband-to-be in the flames of the Samhain fire, and I assure ye – it wasna ye.”