Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
When Niall brought her to the Gordon’s office on Monday morning, only Keir was there.
“Is your father ill?” Charlotte asked.
“Nae. He got called to Edinburgh on business over the weekend,” he answered. “I’m just finishing a few things, and then I’ll be closing the office for the week. Ye might as well go back home.”
Charlotte looked at Niall. “Weren’t you needing to go on to Dalcross today? Taking me back to Dounie will put you behind. The road is already muddy from last night’s rain, so I’ll slow you down.”
He shrugged, then grinned. “Ye could come with me.”
The idea of spending the whole day alone with Niall was definitely appealing. More than appealing. She knew in this century it would be totally improper, but then, she wasn’t from this century. Still, she glanced at Keir, but he only shrugged.
“My lips are sealed if ye want to go.” Then he smirked at Niall. “Or, I could take her home after I close up.”
Niall frowned. “Charlotte is coming with me.”
In the twenty-first century, Charlotte might have taken offense that the decision had been made for her. Vi certainly would. However, she rather liked the idea that Niall took the reins. He wanted her to spend the day with him. Who was she to argue?
“Let’s be off, then.”
They’d taken the wagon this morning since Niall needed to pick up supplies at Dalcross. That meant she got to share the driver’s bench with him, which really meant that she’d be able to sidle up against him, since the wind had picked up.
“I hope ye willna be too cold.” Niall spread a wool blanket over her lap. “’Tis nae much of a cover like the carriage would have been.”
“The carriage would not have held the lumber you need. You didn’t know you would be taking me along today, either.”
He smiled. “’Tis a nice surprise. I’m nae complaining.”
“Then…” She strove to keep a serious tone in her voice, just to tease him a bit. “…you won’t mind if I snuggle up to keep warm?”
He blinked and then the smile widened into a grin. “Ye can snuggle as close as ye wish, lass.” To emphasize his point, he put an arm around her shoulders and drew her close. “How’s this?”
This was very nice. Charlotte tucked the blanket tighter over her legs and burrowed into the warmth of his embrace. She placed her arm around his waist, feeling the taut muscles go tighter. She was tempted to let her hand slip down a bit, but restrained herself. They were hardly out of town and it wasn’t like they could just pull off the road for a bit of sport. Besides which—and maybe the eighteenth century was having an effect on her after all—she didn’t want to throw herself at him, like Fiona had done. She gave herself an inward shake. She didn’t want to think about Fiona, either. Especially not when she had the entire day to spend with Niall.
“I think I’ll stay just like this the whole time.” She frowned slightly. “That is, if you can drive with just one hand.”
His hand tightened on her shoulder. “I’ll manage, lass.”
“Good.” She burrowed closer and sniffed his welcoming scent. “You smell good.” The words were out before she thought about it. Feeling him tense, she wondered if she might have sounded too provocative. This was really not the time. “Besides, you’re warm,” she added practically, hoping to ease the sudden tension. “I think it’s getting colder.”
“Aye.” Niall squinted at the sky. “Most likely another storm brewing over the Forth.”
Charlotte looked up too. The clouds were definitely thicker and darker. “Do you think we’ll have another blizzard?” She wouldn’t mind being stuck at an inn in Dalcross with Niall overnight, although she didn’t voice that thought.
“I doona ken. Hopefully we’ll get home in time.”
Well. That put the pin in her balloon. Niall didn’t want to spend the night with her? Maybe she had misinterpreted his defense of her when he’d bowled Simon over in the yard? Maybe he was only being chivalrous, after all? Maybe he really did like Fiona? She straightened.
“I think I’m warm enough now.”
Niall gave her an odd look. “Are ye sure?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
He hesitated, searching her face, then slowly withdrew his arm and took the reins in both hands. “Tell me if ye get cold again.”
“I will.” She would not.
Niall gave her another odd look, then clicked the reins on the horse’s back to urge it to a trot once they’d reached a smooth part of the road which wasn’t rutted in mud. It just proved that he was eager to get business done and be on the way home.
The air grew much colder and Charlotte tried not to shiver. By the time they reached Dalcross, she was beginning to regret her determination not to embrace Niall’s warmth once more.
He stopped in front of the inn. “A cup of hot cider will help ye thaw out,” he said, as he helped her down from the bench. “Ye might get a bite, as well. I’ll collect the things I need and come back to pick ye up in about an hour.”
Cider did sound good—maybe she’d spike it with a bit of whisky—but the irony of walking into the inn with Niall for food—and not a room—made the all-too-familiar and frequent hysterical bubble rise. She squelched it. Obviously, she’d spent too much time writing historical romance novels. This was reality. Food. Beverage. Not bedding her hero.
“Don’t leave without me.” She’d meant that as a joke, but it came out sounding rather pathetic.
“Doona fash.” He squeezed her elbow and let go. “I’ll be back.”
The writer in her wanted to find a reassuring double entendre in that, but it had only been a statement. She really needed to remember where she was.
An hour later, warmed by both soup and cider—the innkeeper had put a dram of whisky in it—the air didn’t feel as cold when she stepped outside.
“It feels like it’s a bit warmer. I guess that means no blizzard.”
Niall didn’t answer right away. Instead, he searched the skies, then lifted head and sniffed much like a pointer dog would. “Snow’s in the air.”
That reminded her of the conversation she’d had with Thea and Vi at Hogmanay. Which seemed like centuries ago. She suppressed a giggle. Actually, it had been centuries…future ones. She shook her head to clear it. Maybe she’d had a bit too much whisky in the cider.
“You can smell snow?”
He shrugged. “In a way. It’s the freshness in the air, like after a spring rain. Besides, with the wind dying, the clouds are thickening. “We’d best get started for home.”
The reminder that he wanted to get home before a storm broke sobered her. “Of course. I’m ready.” That came out wrong. “To go home, I mean.”
He gave her that strange look again, although he stayed silent. By the time they’d gone a few miles, slowly this time since the horse was pulling a load, she began to feel sleepy and wished she hadn’t added alcohol to her cider. The thought of snuggling against Niall again was becoming more and more enticing She struggled to keep her eyes open and sit upright. The sway of the wagon was making it hard to stay awake. Then she felt the sting of something on her cheek and her eyes sprang open. Another sting struck and then another. She looked up as tiny ice pellets rained down.
“Sleet?”
“Aye.” His voice sounded grim. “Ye had best cover up with that blanket, lass.”
The pellets were coming faster and heavier, feeling like sharp jabs with a needle. Charlotte shook out the blanket and covered both their heads with it and threw caution to the winds as she wound her arm around Niall’s waist again and burrowed into his shoulder. She felt his arm go around her and she felt safe…and sleepy once more, now that she was cocooned in his embrace. They still had miles to go before they’d even reach Inverness. Maybe a nap wouldn’t be such a bad thing…
She felt a sudden lunge and heard Niall curse as the world suddenly turned sideways. She was falling…floating…and then came a hard thud.
When she opened her eyes, she saw swirling whiteness and a dark object looming over her.
****
Niall took one look at the broken axle as he leapt from the bench, his main attention focused on Charlotte, who had been thrown to the ground when the wagon tipped. He prayed—even though he’d just cursed a second ago, God forgive him—that she wasn’t badly hurt or even dead. It had been a sickening thud. As he started to kneel beside her, she opened her eyes. He breathed another prayer of thanks.
“Lie still until I can check to make sure nae bones are broken.”
She blinked at him and he wasn’t sure if she understood. He ran his fingers gently over her shoulders and arms, then moved aside her cloak so he could trace the outline of her ribs. Her eyes widened and she inhaled sharply.
“Does it hurt when I touch ye?”
She blinked again. He was beginning to worry that she’d had a concussion when she giggled. “It tickles.”
If she could laugh, nothing was probably broken. Still. He wanted to make sure. He spanned the side of her hips and the outside of her thighs when she made a completely different noise, something between a moan and a squeal as she squirmed beneath his hands. He suddenly became very aware of where he was touching. His manhood hardened instantly, even as he dropped his hands. He fought to concentrate on something other than rapidly rising lust.
“Can ye wiggle your toes?”
“I think so…ouch!” The last came out as she’d swiveled her right foot.
“Doona move it more,” he said, “if it’s sprained or broken, your boot will act as support until I can get ye inside somewhere.”
Charlotte raised herself to a sitting position and looked around. “Where would ‘inside’ be? What happened anyway? I fell asleep.”
“The sleet froze the mud and one of the wheels got caught in a rut.” Niall pointed to the wagon. “The axle broke and ye flew out when the wagon started to turn over.”
She looked at the wagon leaning sideways on the road and then at Niall. “How far are we from home?”
He shook his head. “We are only halfway to Inverness.”
She studied him. “What are we going to do?”
Niall didn’t answer immediately. He looked up and down the road—or as much of it as he could see, since it had started snowing again. It was unlikely that anyone would be happening by in this weather. “I’ll un-harness the horse and put ye on its back. Then we’ll walk until I find a crofter. I think I remember seeing something nae too far back.”
“They’ll put us up?”
“Och, aye. ’Tis the Highland way nae to refuse a traveler in bad weather.” He stood. “I’ll be right back.”
Thankfully, his memory had served him correctly. It wasn’t more than a mile before he sighted the building they’d passed before. Unfortunately, no one answered when he knocked. Trying the door, it opened easily. He peered around, then turned back to Charlotte.
“’Tis empty. Probably a sheepherder’s cottage. He won’t be back until spring.”
“Can we use it?”
He considered his options. Dalcross was at least three or four miles away. With the leaden skies, darkness would come early and, this time of year, the storm could easily strengthen quickly. Inverness was even farther away in the other direction. He couldn’t remember seeing any other crofters close to the road, but he hadn’t exactly been paying attention to buildings this morning while Charlotte had been wrapped around him.
Now she was shivering so badly she was shaking. The horse shimmied beneath her when he felt the quivering and stamped a hoof.
“We can use it.” He lifted her off the animal’s back and carried her inside, setting her down on a straight-back chair that wobbled only a little. “Stay seated until I get the horse in the shed and taken care of. I’ll try to find some dry firewood. When I return, I’ll tend to your ankle.” He walked to the door, then turned. “Remember. Doona move until I get back and can make sure ye doona have a broken bone somewhere that I missed.”
****
He should have known she wouldn’t listen. His sister never did.
A small fire was gathering strength in the hearth when he returned with a few semi-damp broken boards he’d unearthed. He noted there was a fire-bin in the corner that he hadn’t seen. Not only that, but Charlotte had found a couple of quilts and laid those by the fire and was currently sitting on them. She’d removed both her boots and her cloak. She wiggled her toes.
“I don’t think my ankle’s broken.”
“It doesna look like it.” He removed his cloak and wet boots, setting them by the fire to dry before joining her on the makeshift rug. “Do ye think ye’re hurt anywhere else?”
“I don’t think so.” She paused, then smiled at him slowly. “But you are welcome to…er…examine me again.”
He stared at her, not quite sure he was interpreting correctly what she was saying. She gave him a tentative look. “That is, if you want to.” Her smile faded. “I’ll not ask again.”
Heat shot straight to his groin. “Ye willna have to ask again, lass.”
****
Charlotte sighed with relief. She’d had a moment of near panic that he might just refuse. She reached for the fastener on his breeches.
Niall grinned. “I can do this faster myself.”
“I want to touch you.”
His grin widened. “Ye’ll have opportunity to touch me everywhere.” He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside, divesting himself of pants and socks so quickly Charlotte could only smile too.
Even though she knew Niall was muscular and strong, she’d never seen him naked. He was magnificent. The hard plateau of his chest was dusted with a sprinkling of hair that melded into a narrow downward trail. Broad shoulders sloped to well-defined biceps that bulged with his every move.
In another few seconds, her clothing was off too, and Niall lay down beside her. “I think I’ll feast on ye first.”
He nuzzled her neck, nipping at her earlobe, before trailing his tongue down the side of her throat and along her collarbone. Then, he slowly began circling her nipple, while his hand cupped her other breast, kneading it. He flicked his thumb lightly over the hardened peak, teasing it until she arched her back in pleasure.
“Please. More…”
He pulled back. “Mayhap I should make ye wait.”
“No! Please! You don’t know how much I’ve wanted to do this.”
“Nae more than me,” he said, drawing the nipple’s tip between his fingers and pinching while his mouth covered the first one. Charlotte mewled softly when he began to suckle, the sound turning into a moan when he drew her nipple deep and tugged hard on the other one at the same time. A delicious tingle shot from her breasts directly to her core.
Niall turned his attention to the nipple that still throbbed pleasurably from being pulled. Cool air swept across the breast he’d just left as heat encompassed the other, causing another delightful jolt to course through her.
His hand traced along her ribs and across her stomach. He certainly wasn’t checking for broken bones this time. Muscles clenched deep in her belly as he cupped her mound and his fingers parted her already slick folds to find her sensitive little nub. Charlotte whimpered as his thumb encircled it, pressing and flicking until her body started to quiver. She cried out in earnest as he inserted fingers into her sheath and continued to rub the pulsing bud with the flat of his hand. The friction nearly lifted her off the bed, and she exploded like a volcano.
Niall didn’t wait for her to come back to earth. Instead, he pulled her thighs around his hip and slid into her fully and began to thrust. Feeling him enter and then fill her completely set off a second set of spasms and she screamed when he gave a final, hard thrust that pushed against her womb.
She wasn’t sure how long it would take before she was capable of speaking, but maybe she didn’t need to. Niall slipped off to the side of her, pulling her tight against him as he wrapped one of the blankets around them.
“I…that was…”
“I ken,” he said and laid her head against his shoulder. “Sleep now.”
****
The morning dawned frigidly cold. Sometime during the night the fire had died out, leaving actual icicles hanging from the frame of the doorway, which didn’t seal properly. Even now, gusts of cold air swept through the room. As much as she would have loved to have another romp before they left, common sense dictated that putting on clothes—not leaving them off—was the priority. She was shivering so badly that she was shaking, in spite of Niall’s warmth.
“’Tis nae wise to build a fire since we’ll be leaving soon,” Niall said. “I doona want ye catching the ague either.”
“Then I suppose we need to get going,” she replied, hating to release him.
Niall gave her a look she couldn’t interpret, then leaned forward to brush a kiss across her lips before he sat up and reached for his breeches. “Aye, lass. The sooner we start for home, the better for both of us.”
By twenty-first-century standards, there really wasn’t any hurry, but here, in the 1700s, being found together after spending the night in an empty cottage would have dire consequences. He’d be honorable enough to propose marriage. The notion wasn’t unwelcome, but the last thing she wanted to do was force him into a commitment that wasn’t of his own making. Even if such situations worked in romance novels, reality was quite a different thing.
What she really wanted to do was discuss last night—how incredible it had been and were they going to continue—although men did seem to balk when a woman said she wanted to “talk.” It would be wise to wait until they could be warm and comfortable and relaxed.
By the time she finished dressing, Niall had brought the horse around. “We’ll have to send someone back for the wagon, since the wheel is broken, but at least we won’t have to walk.”
After only a half mile, Charlotte wasn’t sure that walking might not have been a better idea. The gelding wasn’t happy to be carrying two people, since he was essentially a carriage animal, and pranced sideways. Having no saddle—and not being a natural horsewoman—Charlotte kept slipping sideways in the opposite direction, even though she wrapped her arms tightly around Niall’s waist. She pressed her face against his back for warmth, which limited her ability to talk. That was probably just as well, since he was concentrating on persuading the horse to follow his commands.
By the time they reached Inverness at midmorning, Charlotte was glad to slide off the horse. She ached, already feeling stiff, and was practically starving. After a quick breakfast of steaming porridge at a staging inn—which felt like a five-star hotel and restaurant at the moment—Niall rented a buggy to hitch the horse to and Charlotte gratefully, if not gracefully, climbed up on the bench and winced as she gingerly sat down.
Niall glanced at her. “Are ye sore?”
She assumed he meant from this morning and not last night. “I am not used to riding.” Then she felt herself blush. On their second round of lovemaking, she had ridden him. Rather recklessly, at that. She glanced up at him, hoping he hadn’t caught the double entendre. From his amused look, though, she was pretty sure he had. She felt her face heat again in spite of the cold. Perhaps they could “talk” this evening.
It didn’t take long to reach Beauly after that. As they rode through the gate of the castle, Simon led his mount out, accompanied by several men.
“We were going to start searching for ye.” He glanced at Charlotte, then back to Niall. “What happened?”
. Niall briefly explained what happened with the wagon, omitting the details of their overnight residence. Then he turned and helped Charlotte down. “I suspect ye will feel better after a hot bath,” he said as she limped up the stairs to the entrance. “And then, later, we will talk, nae?”
She was glad he’d been the one to suggest it. She smiled. “I’m looking forward to doing both.”
He opened the door and followed her inside. They had hardly gotten past the foyer when Fiona stepped out from the Great Hall.
“I was so worried about you,” she gushed to Niall. “Your da was concerned too, especially as the night wore on.”
“Were ye visiting last night and got caught in the storm?” Niall looked around, then back to her. “Is Keir here?”
“Aye, he’s here.” Fiona frowned. “We came over last night to drop off some paperwork for your da, and Keir slipped and fell on the ice as we were leaving, which spooked his horse and it stepped on him. The physician came out this morning and said he’s got some fractured ribs. He’ll need at least a week’s rest before he can leave.”
Something akin to a lead ball was settling in Charlotte’s stomach. Mr. Gordon was in Edinburgh. Keir was out of commission. Where was Fiona planning to stay? The thought had barely formed when the answer came.
“Your da offered me a room to stay, so I’ll be your guest.” Fiona laid her hand on Niall’s arm and smiled, not sparing Charlotte a glance. “Will it nae be wonderful to spend time together? We have so much to talk about.”
Charlotte strove to keep her expression impassive. She and Niall had a lot to talk about too, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen now.