Chapter Eleven
Gregory would have preferred to sleep on the mountain pass than next to Megan again. Unless it was in a real bed with both of them naked. That, he would welcome.
He’d been awake for some time, but Megan slept on. Moving and moving and moving. He was ready to pull off all their clothes and be done with it.
He reached up and pushed her hair off her face. “Lass. ’Tis time to wake up.”
She slowly opened her eyes, heavy with sleep, and offered him an unhurried, sultry smile. He placed his hands behind her head and took her mouth in a kiss of complete possession.
He felt passion in her that he doubted Robert had ever discovered. No woman who looked like Megan Sinclair and possessed curves to set a man on fire deserved a husband who sought his pleasure other places than his own bed.
Her response to him was a sight to see. And certainly feel. He moved his head and slid his tongue into her mouth. The fact that she seemed startled confused him. However, it didn’t take her long to join him. As much as he wanted to see where this would lead them, it was time to pack up and go.
He drew back and gave her a quick kiss on her nose. “I would love more than ye can imagine to continue this, but if we leave now we will make it to Castle Leod tomorrow, which means only one more night on the road and then we have the safety of the Mackenzies.”
She stretched and he groaned. She grinned at him. “Ye snore.”
“So do ye,” he snapped back.
“I doona snore,” she huffed.
She climbed out of bed, her skirts wrapped around her slim silky legs all the way up her thighs. He groaned again.
Megan shook out her hair and after finger combing it, quickly braided it and walked to the bowl of water on the table near the door and washed her face.
He was so mesmerized by all that she did, he forgot to get moving himself. Shaking his head, he climbed out of bed, drew on his boots and began to load up his dirks, swords, and satchel.
“I will wait outside the door while ye do what ye need to do. Once we are downstairs and the innkeeper is up and about, I will leave ye with him so I can take care of myself.” With those words he left the room before he did what he wanted to do and toss her on the bed to finish what they’d just started.
*
Megan nodded as Gregory pulled the door shut. She closed her eyes and let out the breath she’d been holding. If he hadn’t stopped, she would have had a problem stopping.
She remembered she and Robert had had some nice times when they were first married, but he shortly lost interest, and aside from his duty to her, he spent a goodly amount of time in other women’s beds.
When she arrived downstairs, the strumpet from the night before was practically sitting on Gregory’s lap. Thankfully, he did not look happy.
Megan took a seat at the table where Gregory was. She looked up at the server and said, “’Tis too bad, lass, that ye have to throw yerself at men to get attention. My husband and I had a quite a few laughs last night about yer pushy behavior.”
She had hit the mark, which she was sure would happen. The lass did not like being laughed at. She immediately left them and stomped back to the kitchen.
Gregory leaned over and give her a quick kiss. “Thank ye, lass. I was getting close to shoving her off my lap, but didn’t want to bring that much notice to myself. Let us eat and be on our way.”
The innkeeper brought them bowls of porridge, warm bread and butter, along with two mugs of ale. He said nothing, but nodded at them. As he moved to return to the kitchen, he said, “Are ye leaving then, lad?”
“Aye,” Gregory said. “We will be on our way when we finish our meal. I will settle our bill up with ye before we go.”
The food was good and filling. Megan was ready to continue their trip. She was anxious to sleep in a real bed and warm herself in front of a fire.
Gregory grabbed her hand and with his other hand, picked up her satchel and a sack. “I asked the inn’s cook to pack us food again, so we won’t have to make many stops.”
They walked to the stables and she ran her hands up and down her arms. “When will we meet up with the other men in your group?”
“Actually, it should be soon. We’ve been lucky so far, and I will feel better once there are six more of us.”
The weather being cold with the sky covered with clouds, Gregory gave her the plaid that she wrapped around herself. They mounted their horses and left.
They rode in silence for a while, then Megan asked, “Why is it ye ne’er married?”
Gregory shrugged. “With my parent’s marriage being not the best example and my da a difficult mon who dinna care how much he hurt my mam’s feelings, I thought I would avoid all that.”
Megan frowned. “Why would ye think ye would be the same?”
He hesitated. “There was a lass who I grew fond of, but before we were able to make any promises to each other she died from an ague. That’s when I decided Fate was reminding me that marriage was no’ in my future.”
“Yet here ye are telling people at the inn that we are married, and unless ye’ve changed yer mind, ye still plan to do yer duty to me.”
“Stop!” He pulled on his horse’s reins and twisted her so they faced each other.
She stared at him wide-eyed. He rested his hands on her shoulders and looked into those eyes.
“Aye, maybe when I left Castle Leod to fetch ye I was doing my duty, but that is no’ why I plan to marry ye now.
” With those words, he pulled her close to his body and took her mouth in a kiss of passion like she’d never felt before.
Megan jolted as something hard hit her in her upper arm. She felt herself begin to slump in Gregory’s arms and then everything went black.
*
Gregory’s warrior role went into immediate action. He gently laid Megon on the ground, straddled her and withdrew his bow from his shoulder. He loaded an arrow, looking around.
A loud whooping came from the direction behind him. He turned and prepared to shoot, then stopped as he recognized the Mackenzie warriors arriving from the north.
The men noticed Megan on the ground, bleeding, and silence followed their arrival. Expecting an attack, Gregory withdrew his sword as did his men while they slid from their horses. They formed a circle around Megan, their backs to each other.
The only sounds were those of small animals scurrying around. “Who the devil was that?” Francis asked, breathing hard, still holding his sword at the ready.
“I doona ken.” He waved at the men. “Four of ye circle the area and see what ye can find. The other two stay with us.” He turned his attention to Megan.
An arrow stuck out of her upper arm. “I’m sorry, darlin’ but this is going to hurt.
” Even though she was still passed out, he felt the need to reassure her.
He broke the end of the arrow off, leaving the rest of it in her flesh. If he pulled it out, she could bleed to death. “We have to get her somewhere we can get help. We’re no’ close enough to home.”
“We’re at the end of Ross land. We have an alliance with them. We can bring Lady Sinclair to Balnagown,” Alexander said.
Gregory nodded and the two who remained with him and Megan moved to their horses.
“One we arrive at Balnagown, ye two come back here and help the others find our attackers. Because nothing has happened since Megan was shot, I doona think it’s Gunn’s men. Unless this was the one who has been tracking us.”
Gregory lifted Megan into his arms and swung his leg over the horse. With the other two men surrounding them, he headed to Balnagown Castle.