Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
D anielle walked into the dining hall, and it was buzzing. She felt more comfortable than ever in being here, like this was where she belonged. She remembered the first time she had walked in, so nervous and not understanding what was going on. To her surprise, not only was she used to it, but she enjoyed it. She felt like this was home.
The roaring fire in the massive fireplace, the heat from it, and the smell of wood burning with peat moss was a heady scent to her now. The roasted meats and sweet pies filled the air with their aroma. The sloshing of whisky, ale, and wine made the floor slightly wet in some places. It was joyful chaos, and she soaked up every bit of it as she walked around the room and sat next to Eva.
This had become her regular seat on nights when they all ate together. Sitting next to Maria that first night was simply because she had just arrived. From then on, she had grown close to Eva and chose to sit next to her at these meals. Other nights, she enjoyed dining with Graeme, or up in Eva and Finlay's quarters like she was part of their family.
Danielle kept one eye on Graeme, who sat at the table they often shared, away from the rest of the Guard. He was across from Danny, quietly eating and chatting with him. She knew Graeme was trying to keep a low profile, and she admired him for that. It was something she always told her clients to do after she won their case and they were released: Keep a low profile, don't do anything to get arrested again. It was just what Graeme and Danny were doing so as not to rile up any more conspiracies.
She could see that many within the dining hall were giving them side-eye looks. She also knew Graeme and Danny were used to it because the thievery had been going on for a while, and the animosity toward them had grown. She hated that she wasn't seated with them, but on certain nights, the Laird himself requested she sit at the high table.
The meal had been served more than an hour before, and most everyone was sitting around drinking and eating the leftover bits. Some were deep in their cups; others were dancing to the music. Danielle was standing next to the table by Eva, listening to Delphine speak about a way to make the dresses and corsets a bit more modern.
“Where is it?” a loud drunken shout echoed across the dining hall. Shouting was normal, especially during the drunken hour, but this one was tinged with a bit of anger, and it made Danielle look in that direction.
She saw Brody, who was more than a little drunk, stand and pat his chest and then his hips along his kilt, pushing his fingers into the small pouches that hung from it. “My lucky coin. It’s not here,” he shouted as he staggered next to his table.
“Sit down, you fool,” a Guard Danielle recognized as Dougal said with a laugh and gave him a push.
Brody fell onto his back on the floor. Loud laughter filled the air, including Danielle as she watched.
This was not a typical evening in the dining hall. Usually, when the men got that drunk, they were sent to their quarters to sleep it off, so she assumed the man would be dragged to his room at some point. But Brody stood back up, swaying just a little. He would not give up so easily, and that made her nervous.
“I tell you; it is not here. I demand to know where it is!” Brody seethed.
“Perhaps you should check your crack,” another Guard that Danielle didn't know said.
Another round of boisterous laughter filled the air, and this only made Brody angrier.
Danielle's eyes strayed to Graeme and Danny. She noticed that Danny was laughing heartily and enjoying himself loud enough that it got Brody's attention. In a flash, Danielle saw Brody turn an angry stare toward him, and she knew what was coming.
“You. Thief. You have my lucky coin. I demand you give it back to me now, Danny,” Brody demanded.
In one instant, the situation turned from a joke to something serious. The same men who did not believe Brody was missing a coin suddenly believed him and now put the blame squarely on Danny with their eyes. It was the most unfair thing to watch, and Danielle was seething. She started to walk toward them but felt Eva grab her arm. Eva shook her head for Danielle not to do anything.
“That's right, you little bastard. What have you done with my lucky coin? We all know that you are the thief of this castle. The thief of Dunscaith, we call you. Now give it up,” Brody demanded as he stepped toward Danny.
The same Guards who had pushed him over and made fun of him did nothing to stop him now.
Graeme stood up and said, “Stop it, Brody. Leave him alone.”
Graeme was on the other side of the very long table. It would take longer for him to walk around it than for Brody to get to Danny. Danielle saw this, and it stressed her even more.
“Oh, of course, you stick up for your brother; you two are in on it! He has my coin, and I will prove it.” Brody charged at Danny, grabbed him by the shirt, and picked him up off the bench. “I will turn you upside-down and shake my coin out of you!”
Graeme was over the table in an instant, sending plates skittering to the floor, and pulling Brody off Danny. He separated them and looked down upon Brody fiercely. It was a look that shook Danielle. She saw the fierce warrior everyone spoke of; something she had not seen. But she didn't see a murderer; she saw a man protecting his family, and his honor. Her body flushed red-hot.
“If you put another hand on him, you will lose those hands,” Graeme said.
“Enough! Separate these two!” Kieran shouted as he left the high table and moved toward them, commanding some of his Guard to get between Graeme and Brody.
Danielle looked down the table where the Laird stood with Maria. His arms were crossed over his broad chest as he fixed a steely look on the group. She assumed that he’d told Kieran to interfere. This wasn't good, and it wasn't going to be good for their investigation. He was seething, and it wouldn’t surprise Danielle if Graeme and Danny were exiled. It was clear that their presence was causing chaos, and that was the last thing the Laird wanted among his men. He needed them for more important things, fighting together instead of among each other.
But what did he expect Graeme to do when his brother was attacked? There was nothing Graeme could do but what he’d done, and Danielle had never been more scared of what the future held, or more turned on by watching him in action.
“You and your brother, retire to your rooms,” Kieran ordered.
“Aye, sir,” Graeme said, grabbing Danny's arm and moving him toward the entrance of the dining hall. But Graeme turned and scanned the tables, looking for where Danielle was and locking eyes with her.
She nodded reassuringly, wanting to shout that she was on his side, but she couldn't.
“Take Brody to the room above the stables to sleep off this drunkenness,” Kieran demanded, turning to Brody. “If you empty your belly on the horses, you'll be cleanin' it up! You are not allowed to attack your Kinsman. None of you; do you hear me? I do not care what your reasons are. Only the Laird may decide what is what concerning any sort of thievery, not you. Now go! Get him out of my sight!”
Two men took Brody by the arms and marched him to the stables. Danielle didn't envy the horses having to sleep with him above their heads.
The rest of the men backed down and returned to their cups, not saying another word about the incident. Danielle was relieved to know that the Captain had declared such a decree, but she did not know how long it would last. She wanted to see Graeme and hoped he would come to her room the next day.
She did not have to wait that long.
After retiring to her room, she sat by the window with the candle lit, letting anyone who might be looking toward her window know that she was still awake.
A few moments later, Graeme knocked on the door.
“It's late, are you okay?” she asked. “Come in.”
“I know. I should not be here; I should be watching over my brother. But I figured he is safe now that almost all the men are too inebriated to harass him. So, I had to take my chance to do this…”
With those words, he kissed her—hard.
“Graeme…” she whispered. Her lips trembled under his kiss.
Graeme pressed his mouth to hers once more.
He kissed her harder still, and she could not handle it anymore. “I want you, Graeme. Please take me to bed,” she whispered against his mouth.
He picked her up into his arms, carried her to her bed, and laid her down it, pressing his body onto hers. Graeme's heavy and hard body pushed her deep into the mattress, and she let out a soft moan.
Danielle kissed him with a fury she had never known. Her hands moved over his strong jaw, and then down his neck and over his broad shoulders, down to his muscular arm. Danielle’s body came alive. His kiss was hungry and deep.
Graeme's strong hands greedily moved down her body and then back up. His tongue brushed against hers. He touched her softly and gently along her curves. Her mind raced as his hand found the mounds of her breasts and rubbed over them.
“That feels so good,” she whispered. “Please touch me more.”
“Lass, you do not know what you are doing to me,” he groaned.
Danielle moaned at his touch, and she desperately wanted him to be inside of her. She couldn't hold back anymore. She tugged and pulled at the laces of her dress. “Help me out of this,” she said.
Graeme rose from the bed and pulled her up as well. Together, they undid the dress, taking it off her, and then her corset as well, setting her breasts free.
“You are beautiful, lass,” he said.
She moaned as he pulled her to him and kissed her, her nipples hardening against his chest.
"Lie down, love," Graeme said and then removed his clothing before joining her. He touched her hard nipple and then licked it softly.
She groaned wildly and moved her body up and down, arching her back toward him.
Graeme sucked on the tip of her nipple and twirled his tongue around it. Danielle felt every inch of her body tingle. The increasing wetness between her thighs made her wild.
She placed her hand against his hard stomach, feeling the ripples of his six-pack. She marveled at his body. He was so sculpted.
“My God, you are like a Greek statue. So beautiful,” she said as her fingers moved down his chest and stomach.
“Lass, you drive me crazy with your touch,” he groaned.
His lean abs were chiseled, and his broad shoulders were marked with scars from his past.
She traced over them with her hands as Graeme’s long fingers slid over her skin. Then, he moved back to her lips and kissed her again. Her hand moved on his back, feeling up and down his strong torso.
“Mmm, you are beautiful,” he said as he looked at her. Then, his hand moved over her center and massaged it.
She shouted and moved wildly under his hand, crying out in ecstasy. “I want you. Please, please . I need you. I want you inside me.”
She reached down and grabbed his throbbing cock, rubbing it up and down, stroking it, feeling how hard he was for her.
He groaned loudly. “What are you doing to me, lass?” he said.
His cock was like steel in her hand, hard and smooth, and she couldn't wait to have him inside of her.
“Enough. I want you now, Graeme,” she said.
“Are you sure you want me inside you, lass?” he asked.
“Yes, please. I'm begging you,” she moaned.
Graeme kissed her hard and then lined up his cock with her center, and with one sure stroke, thrust into her until he was fully seated. Danielle groaned at how good he felt, and how full he made her feel. She arched her back at the pleasure of having him fill her.
Danielle gasped. “Graeme, you feel so good.”
His movements were slow and deliberate, in and out of her in a steady rhythm. She rocked with him, matching his strokes. He covered her mouth with his, claiming her, and she knew she was his.
"Mine," he whispered against her lips.
"Yes, all yours," she murmured as she wrapped her legs around him.
He ran his fingers down her torso and then back up to squeeze her breast. Together, they explored every inch of each other as he moved inside of her.
He began to move faster and faster until he was pounding against her, their skin slapping together as they moved. Wonderment filled her as the exquisite sensation mounted, and her orgasm hit. She shouted in ecstasy as he thrust into her harder, causing the orgasm to shudder through her longer.
She became like a liquid into the mattress. He moved faster in and out of her wet warmth, building her orgasm again. When he finally found his release, Danielle tumbled over the cliff with him, shouting his name.