Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
The bonfire on the other side of the hill blazed into the starry night sky, cracking like a whip when the orange waves reached their peak. The glen below was filled with laughter and merriment, signaling the success of the celebrations already underway.
Eleanor smiled at the children dancing around the maypole, their ribbons entwining as they sang and danced to the fiddler beside them.
She carefully picked her way down as she recounted her plan in her mind.
She would wait, look, listen, and gather as much information as possible about the clan.
All she needed for a strong lead was one simple slip-up.
One misplaced word, or even a slurred mistake.
“Ale for the mistress?” An older woman that Eleanor did not recognize came past with a tray of mugs.
“Thank ye kindly,” Eleanor accepted, hoping that holding a drink of ale would help her blend into the throng of guests. She did not know where Callum had gotten to, nor did she care. She felt perfectly capable of handling matters on her own.
The ale burned the back of her throat as she took a large, warm sip. It was stronger than what she was used to, but her father had always watered hers down.
It was not long before snippets of conversation began to drift her way. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to her as she sidled closer to a stall selling ribbons.
The old man behind the counter gladly obliged her, showing her every color that he had available.
“Aye, and then the man just appeared with a bride after two weeks! Where did he even find her!” one rather large man with bright red ears exclaimed.
Another man close to him laughed. “I daenae care where or why he is takin’ a bride, all I care is to ken where he found her! A woman like that had to have fallen from the sky. I would bed her in a heartbeat!”
“Nae wonder our Laird has been spendin’ so much time in the study, that filly has been well broken!” the first man chimed in again.
The men laughed uproariously, and Eleanor began to blush.
Is that really what they thought of her? That Callum had taken her to his bed? She was pretending to be his betrothed, but that did not mean that she was a woman of loose morals.
Walking away from the stall with her head held high, Eleanor continued to sip her ale.
Under different circumstances, she would have confronted them, but she needed to keep the attention off herself.
What would Callum say if he heard the men talking about her in such a manner?
Would he have reprimanded them, or just let them be?
Her eyes drifted across the opening to the other end of the clearing, where Callum stood talking to Iain. They seemed deep in conversation, and she could not help but wonder what they were saying. She sidled closer, trying to blend in with the crowd.
Laughter erupted beside her, and she laughed just a moment too late, causing heads to turn in her direction.
She quickly hurried on, but failed to see Bran, who had been trailing her.
The dog yapped when she stood on his foot, cowering beneath her before running off again.
“Damn,” she swore under her breath, cursing the dog as she stumbled and corrected herself. She was just about to walk in the other direction when Iain’s voice drifted to her.
“Mistress moves like a bairn in a storm,” he muttered disapprovingly. “And the town’s eyes are sharp tonight.”
Embarrassment crept up the back of her neck as she froze.
Had she been making a fool of herself all evening?
Thinking that she had been almost invisible in the crowd, yet they had instantly seen where she was.
She quickly hurried off in the opposite direction, spotting a line of trees that she knew would guide her back to the castle.
The voices began to fade in the distance, along with the crackling of the fire, as she caught her breath.
I cannae believe I did that.
She felt like a fool for stumbling so early in the evening. Had Callum not warned her that all eyes would be on her? She slipped the cloak from her shoulders and loosened the ribbon in her hair, shaking her curls loose as the ceilidh faded from view.
“Callum!” she suddenly gasped, coming to a stop and feeling her heart almost jump from her chest.
His eyes darkened again as he glared at her, his shoulders just as squared and strong as the trees behind him.
Looking behind her, Eleanor realized that they were all alone.
“Just where do ye think ye are goin’?” he growled in a dangerous voice.
“Back to the castle,” she replied irritably, turning back to him. It irked her how silently he had moved and how she had not even noticed that she had been followed again.
“By yerself?” he continued, glaring at her.
“Aye, I didnae want to bother anyone.” She breathed a little harder, feeling the effects of his presence so close to her again.
“So ye chose to place yer life in danger instead? As if I daenae have enough to worry about with yer brother and me own life at stake,” he snapped as his body tensed.
Eleanor almost took a step back as she narrowed her eyes at him. “I daenae need yer protection. Ye were the one who chose to follow me. Ye are worse than Bran!” She balled her fists at her sides, ready to take her leave.
“Daenae compare me to a hound, lass, nae matter how strong and loyal he may be…” His voice was as cold as ice as he closed the few steps between them and once again towered above her. “Ye have nay business being out here on yer own. Ye should nae have been lurkin’ around either.”
“I have a moral obligation to find out where me brother is. And for the record, I was gatherin’ information, and nae lurkin’!
” Anger coiled along with a hint of fear in the pit of her stomach.
What if he had been right? It had been foolish of her to wander off on her own with so much going on around them.
Moving quicker than a flash, Callum gripped her wrist, stepping even closer until their bodies were touching. His grip was strong and firm, yet she refused to back down.
Her breasts were pressing against the top of his pectoral muscles when he tilted his head to the side, leaning closer as if he were going to kiss her.
Nae this time.
Her defiance kicked in despite the pounding of her heart and the racing of her pulse. She angled her head toward his, her lips parting in a welcoming gesture. He had been teasing her in the study before they had shared a moment, but she would not allow him to get away with it again.
Her eyes flickered shut as she leaned closer, yet a cold rush suddenly made her open them again.
Callum stood a few steps away from her, his chest heaving with every breath as if he had been running.
“How could ye be so cruel!” Embarrassment finally made her snap. “Do ye spend yer days teasin’ maidens with almost kisses?” She balled her fists at her sides, feeling the sting of her emotions across her face.
It was his turn to raise his voice as he walked toward her, forcing her to take a few steps back until she was almost against a tree. “Ye think me cruel, lass? Wait until ye find out how many people want me dead. I spend every day worryin’ about me clan, and ye have the gall to call me cruel?”
“I wouldnae have to call ye cruel if ye would act one way all the time! How am I supposed to act like yer bride if we cannae stand to be in the same room together!” Her breathing suddenly deepened again when she saw the intensity in his gaze.
“Ye are such an infuriatin’ lass!” he growled, forcing her back against the tree as he placed one hand above her head and looked down at her.
Eleanor’s pulse began to hum in her ears as her heart raced faster than a horse’s hooves. His body was pressing into hers, and she needed to know what it meant. “I wouldnae call ye cruel if ye would just explain what it is ye are thinkin’.”
Callum leaned closer, his eyes flashing dangerously as his lips drew closer to hers. “Ye want to ken what I am thinkin’, lass?” he asked in a harsh whisper.
“Aye…” she finally worked up the courage to answer him after a brief pause.
His lips crashed down on hers, hot and searing at first until his tongue parted her lips.
A soft moan escaped her lips as the world began to spin. All she could think of was the heat of his body and the fierceness of his magnificent kiss.
Growling against her, he dragged his teeth over her lips before jousting his tongue into her mouth, where he began to search the warm depths. Every inch of her seemed to be responding to him as she melted into his arms, allowing him to catch her by placing his hands on her hips.
The strength of his rough fingers worked up her sides, leaving her almost breathless as she gasped when he reached her breasts.
God help me, I want ye….
The thought came with shocking clarity as she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.
Callum growled again in response, moving his hands down her hips as he pulled her to him, wrapping her legs around his waist in one swift moment.
She gasped louder, feeling the extent of his arousal pressing against her core.
Her moans only urged him forward as he moaned in response, a deep guttural sound that made every cell in her body vibrate with desire.
The rest of the world no longer seemed to matter as their tongues fought a battle, each wanting to dominate the other with searing passion.
His hands kneaded her breasts, leaving her breathless as she lay her head back and allowed him to take full control of her body.
“Callum,” she gasped his name when he dipped his head and kissed a path over her jawline and down her neck. Her back was pressed into the hard tree behind her, yet she did not care as her fingers sought his hair and tangled themselves in the lengths.
Moving his fingers up her thighs, he caressed her skin and moved up her dress, making her skin tingle in the wake of his efforts.
The cool evening air kissed her naked thighs, adding to the pleasure that was already coursing through her veins.
She pressed her body closer to his, wanting every piece of affection and pleasure he was offering to her.
“Daenae, stop,” she hissed longingly when he pulled away for just a second.
He dropped his head again, nipping at her tender flesh until she sucked in a sharp breath. His hot tongue drew a path over her breasts just as a raucous amount of laughter drifted through the trees, bringing her back to reality as she recalled the things the men had been saying.
“Callum,” she said more firmly this time, as she untangled her fingers and gently pushed him back.
The muscles of his arms went rigid as he stopped kissing her, lowered her to the ground, and took a step back.
She quickly fixed her skirts and hurriedly tied her hair, reaching for the cloak that had fallen to the ground. “Callum, we…” she breathed, but his gaze had already turned cold again.
“Go back to the celebrations and find Iain; he will take ye back to the castle if ye wish.” His breathing was still hard as he glared at her.
Eleanor wanted to say more, to discuss what had happened between them, but he nodded in the direction of the faint, cheerful sounds that had brought them both back to reality. She stood there for a moment longer before pushing past him and doing as she was told.
This cannae happen again.
Her heart felt as if it would burst with pain as she made her way back to the guests.
Fake love. Pretend love.
She reminded herself of the agreement between them and angrily wiped her tears with the sleeve of her dress.
She had been humiliated at first when he had pulled away from her, yet now she found herself feeling the sting of regret.
She would need to keep away from him in the future, no matter how difficult it may have been.
I cannae allow him to kiss me again. She rubbed the back of her neck as she walked away, fighting the urge to run back to him. His kisses still burned hot on her skin, waging war on her pride.