Chapter 5 #2
other in the moonlight. The sudden tension in him caused her to
shiver. He misunderstood. Instantly his hands came to her arms.
“You are cold. You should have worn a wrap.”
“Nay. I...” She started to back away, but his
touch had her frozen to the spot.
He removed his cloak and draped it around
her. It was such a gallant gesture, it took her completely by
surprise. She shivered again. The warmth of his body still lingered
in the folds of his garment, driving away the chill.
His hands paused at her throat as he drew the
cloak tighter. Then he went very still as he stared at her.
His voice roughened. “You should return to
the fire now.”
She swallowed, but made no move to turn
away.
Jamie studied her, bathed in a pool of
moonlight. He was accustomed to the presence of coarse camp
followers or the titled women at court who had practiced the art of
pleasing a man. But this female was unlike any he had ever known.
There was a wildness about her, and yet an innocence, that made her
oddly appealing. And so tempting.
Jamie knew he should walk away. Now, before
he gave in to the temptation to kiss her.
He allowed himself the pleasure of brushing a
strand of hair from her cheek. That was his undoing. Her skin was
so soft it begged to be touched.
“If your father should wake, he will miss
you.” Jamie’s deep voice was barely more than a whisper.
“Aye.”
His tone roughened. “He will send your
brothers looking for you.”
“Aye.”
A silence stretched between them. Still
neither of them moved.
“God in heaven, Lindsey.” He cupped her face
between his big hands and stared hungrily into her eyes. “Go back
to your bed and let me get on with the business of seeing to our
safety.”
Her eyes widened, mirroring her surprise at
the harshness of his tone. But she did not pull away. Her voice was
a low challenge. “Do you always go about ordering others to do your
bidding, without regard to what they want?”
His eyes narrowed. “And what is it you
want?”
What indeed? When she was standing close to
this man, her mind was too befuddled to think. “I want you to leave
me alone, Jamie MacDonald.”
“Do you?” For the space of a heartbeat he
studied her, seeing the flare of her nostrils, the set of her jaw.
“And that is why you came looking for me in the darkness?”
“I was not looking for you. I was returning
to my bed when you intruded.”
His voice sent new tremors through her. “Nor
was I looking for you. But now that you are here, do you know what
I want?”
Before she could respond he lowered his
face.
Sensing his intentions, Lindsey’s hand went
to the dirk at her waist. As her fingers closed over the hilt, he
grasped her roughly by the hand, forcing her to drop the knife into
the grass at their feet.
“Beware, my lady. There are men who have died
for less.”
Lindsey’s breath caught in her throat. For
one brief moment her heart forgot to beat. Then it began racing so
fast she thought surely the whole camp could hear it. She was
suddenly filled with fear at the terrible feelings that swamped
her. Feelings she had to deny.
She struggled to use the same tone of voice
that she often used with her brothers, when she wanted to exert
authority. “Release me at once, Jamie MacDonald.”
Against her lips he murmured, “Woman, you
would be wiser to command the waterfall to stop.” His mouth closed
over hers in a savage kiss.
Heat poured through her, searing her flesh,
turning her blood to liquid fire. She steeled herself against the
feelings that assaulted her. Though stunned, she managed to pull
back, but her strength was no match for his.
He lifted his head. With one hand he cupped
the back of her head, while his other slid to her back, holding her
firmly against him.
She could feel every one of his fingers along
her spine. He lowered his head and she watched him as if in a
trance. As their mouths touched again, she gave a little moan and
closed her eyes.
His lips were surprisingly soft. Soft and
agile. She absorbed the first shock and struggled to show no
reaction.
Jamie felt the initial tremors of fear that
rippled through her and sought to soothe her. It was obvious that
she was distraught by their kiss, and struggling to deny any
pleasure in it. Impatiently he rubbed his mouth over hers until he
felt her gradual response. Her fingers curled into the front of his
tunic. Tension coiled through her, leaving her movements stiff and
awkward.
Lindsey breathed in the distinctly masculine
scents of horses and leather, and the clean fragrance of rain that
would always remind her of him. And then, as his mouth moved over
hers, she was lost in the dark, mysterious taste of him. Against
her will her body strained toward him, no longer stiff and awkward,
but eager, anxious.
She heard him moan softly as he took the kiss
deeper. His mouth plundered hers. His hands at her hips drew her
closer, tormenting them both. And then his hands moved along her
sides until they encountered the soft swell of her breasts.
Shocked at his boldness, she tried to pull
back, but her strength was no match for his. She stood very still,
fighting the tremors that rocked her. “Nay. You must not... .”
Lindsey felt herself tumbling into some wild,
dark place she had never gone before. A place that frightened her,
yet exhilarated her. She felt the sting of his breath as his lips
roamed her face, then returned to claim her lips once more. Her
heart was racing, spinning dangerously out of control.
Jamie was stunned by the feelings unleashed
by this little female. Since their first kiss, he had been haunted
by the taste of her. So wild. So sweet. He’d wanted to feel the
thrill of desire once more, to experience the wild, soaring need.
But this. This had him stunned and reeling. He knew he must end it.
He must step away or be consumed by the fire. But first, he would
savor one more touch, one more taste.
He inhaled the fragrance of evergreen and
wildflowers that clung to her. He tasted the honeyed sweetness of
her. And then, with one last burst of control, he released her.
Lindsey stood very still, fighting the
tremors that rocked her. Taking a deep breath she filled her
lungs.
Jamie bent and retrieved his cloak, which had
fallen from her shoulders and had dropped, unnoticed, to the
ground. As he did, his fingers encountered the cold steel of her
knife, and he remembered the way she had struggled against him.
She had not invited his kiss. Nay. In truth,
she had fought it. She seemed genuinely afraid of his touch. He
felt a flood of remorse that he had forced himself on her.
He draped the cloak around her shoulders and
handed her the dirk. In a voice gruff with emotion he whispered,
“Now you see that you must go back to the others. You are not safe
here.”
For a moment she made no response, terrified
that her voice would betray her. When at last she dared, she
whispered, “See that this does not happen again, my lord. Or I will
be forced to defend myself.”
As if to emphasize her words she wrenched the
cloak from her shoulders and tossed it into his arms. As she did
so, their fingers brushed. They were both aware of the jolt.
Instantly she withdrew her hand and turned, praying that her legs
would not fail her.
She could feel Jamie’s gaze upon her as she
made her way to the fire. As she walked she kept her spine rigid,
her head held high. When at last she lay down and covered herself
with the plaid, she gave in to the violent tremors that shook
her.
Jamie turned away and began to stalk around
the camp once more. He glanced at the clouds scudding across a full
moon. Sleep, he knew, would elude him this night.
Why did thoughts of Lindsey torment him so?
She was not at all the sort of woman he would choose for himself.
She was neither soft-spoken, nor humble, nor shy. If truth be told,
she was... prickly. Aye. She was a prickly little female. And the
sooner he was rid of her, the better.
When at last he had satisfied himself that
there was no immediate danger, he lay down beside the fire. His
dark thoughts were of lips that tasted wild and sweet, and a lithe
young body that tormented him with promises of endless delight.