A Lesson in Passion (8 page)

She felt him approach, before she heard him.
As she turned, the warrior grabbed her by the arms and began to
shake her. Ginny couldn't break free, since this guy was a good
foot taller and weighed at least a hundred pounds more than her.
So, she did the only thing she could do: she screamed.

A few seconds later, Ian walked into the tent.
In a flash, Ginny was on the ground and the warrior was hurled out
of the tent. Ian followed him out and began yelling in Gaelic.
Ginny picked herself up and walked to the opening of the tent to
watch. Ian said something about respect and protection. God, she
hoped he meant for them to respect and protect her. The
troublemaker began to speak to the laird quietly, while gesturing
toward Ginny. She couldn't make out anything he said, but figured
he was defending his actions because of Ginny's insult. She rolled
her eyes in response.

Ian barked some orders at the men
and they took off running. Then he turned to Ginny with fire in his
eyes.
Great, what now
, Ginny thought glumly. She was in for something, that was for
sure.

Ian walked over to the tent and grabbed
Ginny's arm to drag her back in. When safely inside, Ian turned
Ginny toward him and grabbed both arms as the other warrior had
done. Ginny winced at the soreness that would be bruises by
tomorrow. When Ian saw her grimace, he released her
immediately.

“What were ya thinking? He coulda
killed ya for yar insult.”

Ginny's eyes widened. “Exactly what should I
have done. He comes in here to try to shock me. Was I supposed to
run out of the tent and scream 'Penis, oh my God, a penis.'” Ginny
finished her a brilliant “damsel in distress” voice.

It was Ian's turn to look shocked. It lasted
only a moment before he regained his composure. “And what do ya
know of men's bodies?” His voice was mocking her, like he already
knew she was pure. What he didn't know was that this body was pure,
but the mind was not.

“I have treated many men for many
different reasons. I am not so easily shocked as you or your men
might think. My behavior toward your man was in response to his
behavior towards me. I certainly don't think insulting him was
unreasonable,” Ginny always thought she could have been a good
lawyer.

Ian stared at Ginny blankly, but
his jaw was tightening.
This woman has no
idea what she is in for
, he thought to
himself. However, he knew that if she was tough enough, she might
just survive his clan. With a smile on his face, he said, “Aye, his
behavior warranted an insult. And the one ya gave was... decent.
However, ya must hold yar tongue. It will get ya in a heap of
trouble if yar no' careful.”

“I have little doubt of that,”
Ginny replied. This was a dangerous situation for her. Ginny often
started to speak before thinking about what she was going to say.
And currently, the people around her would be very unforgiving.
Still, it was fun to play with them.

Ian stared at her for another minute, then
turned and left the tent. Ginny followed close behind and asked, “I
take it that there are no more of your men who will have me heal
them.”

Ian laughed a booming, hearty laugh. It made
Ginny smile in response. “I've little doubt that ya willnae be
attending any more of my men.”

“That's a shame, cause I'm really
good at what I do,” Ginny said with a touch of arrogance in her
voice. Ian was once again taken back. He'd never met any woman who
would behave this way. He found it refreshing, but also
disconcerting.
She willnae fit
in
, he thought. His smile faded and he
strode away from her as fast as he could.

• * Chapter 7 *
  

Ian wanted to get going as soon as possible,
but he had to consider Aileana. She had been through too much to
force a long journey on her. He also had to consider everyone's
safety. Ian had no way of knowing if any more of their enemies were
around. The men who took Aileana were working on someone's orders.
Even with all the confidence he had in his men, they could be
easily outnumbered.

He needed to consult his brother, but didn't
want to take him away from his wife just yet. As he stared at the
last of the light, Broderick strode over. As usual, there was a
scowl on his face. Ian knew his right hand man had something on his
mind and he always wanted to encourage him to be honest. Broderick
always wanted to show him proper respect, which could get in the
way.

“What is it ya want, Broderick?”
Ian asked, as he continued to stare at the sunset.

“When do ya plan to leave, Laird?”
was his response.

“I wanted to discuss that with ya.
I'm worried about Aileana, but I'm also worried about staying
behind too long. What do ya think?”

“We should leave as soon as
possible. Before sunrise, I think. Aileana will be safe with Alec.
We canna be sure that our enemies arenae watching as we
speak.”

“Aye, true. There is another
matter, as well. What should be done with the Englishwoman?” Ian
knew Broderick's answer before he asked, but wanted to hear it from
him.

“We should leave her behind.
Someone will find her and take her in. She is of no use to
us.”

Ian raised an eyebrow to him, “Do ya think?
She's a healer, and our clan has been without one since
Gretchen.”

“She is English and our clan will
not take too kindly to her, no matter her skills,” Broderick came
off as surly, but Ian never took exception.

“Surely ya wouldnae just leave her
here alone. She would be in danger and yar too much of a gentleman
to leave a woman in danger.”

Broderick harrumphed. No one referred to
Broderick as a “gentleman.” Of course, Ian was right. She might be
English, but she was still defenseless. Broderick was not the type
of man who wouldn't come to the aid of a woman. Finally succumbing,
he rolled his eyes. In one last ditch effort he said, “Maybe I
could take her to the nearest keep and dump her off
there.”

Ian laughed. “Yar effort is relentless. We
dinna know who her enemies are. I'm sure ya would agree that any
manor lord would not be forthcoming if he was in league with her
father's enemies.”

“Fine,” was all Broderick said.
He'd known all along that Ian planned to keep her. It was plain as
day that he found her attractive, although Broderick could not
figure out why. She wasn't hard to look at, but she was English and
there was no overcoming that. Broderick went off to prepare the men
for their departure.

“Before sunrise, then,
Laird?”

“Aye, before sunrise.”

*
*
*

Ian went off to look for Ginny. He found her
in Aileana's tent, talking softly to the woman. He walked into the
tent and asked, “Where is Alec?”

Ginny jumped at the sound of his
voice.
That man moves like a
cat
, she thought again. “He went looking
for you and asked that I stay with Aileana.”

“We will be leaving before sunrise.
Ya should get some rest. The journey to my keep can be strenuous.”
And with that, he was gone.

“He likes ya,” Aileana stated.
She'd barely said a word since Ginny came to sit with her. Ginny
had been yammering on, but had to be careful about what topics she
brought up. Aileana didn't need to hear about the future, so she
pulled some of the memories she had from Lady Chatham.
Unfortunately, Lady Chatham lived a sheltered and boring life, not
much in the way of good stories to tell.

Ginny stared at Aileana incredulously.
“Really. I think you read too much into it.” Even as Ginny spoke
the words, she knew Aileana was right. Isn't this the romance novel
set up? The mega hunk hero can't resist the heroine and is forced
to fall in love with her.

“Ian could use a good woman in his
life.”

“Probably. Do you really think I'm
that good woman. I'm English and he hates the English,” Ginny said
trying to play the part.

“Aye, ya could be. He and his
brother are so different. Alec is tender, where Ian is... not,” she
said, wistfully.

“Alec... tender? Really? I haven't
seen that side of him yet.”

“Ya will. Indeed.”

*
*
*

“We leave before sunrise. Ya need
to do whatever to make yar wife ready,” Ian was informing his
younger brother.

“Aye, it would be best to leave
this place, for everyone, especially Aileana,” Alec was staring at
the sky, not really in the conversation.

Ian regarded his brother with care. He knew
the enormous guilt Alec shouldered. He allowed his wife to visit
her family in the south. Alec had too many responsibilities to go
with her, so he sent a few men to escort her. The ambush left all
the men dead and Aileana missing. It took weeks to discover where
she'd been taken, although they were never able to discover who was
behind it. Ian had vowed to discover the perpetrators and mete out
his own justice. Questioning and torturing a few of the lowlanders
proved ineffective.

Now, his brother was not the same. He was
distant and preoccupied. Since her disappearance, Alec had been on
a rampage. Indeed, until the moment they found her with the
Englishwoman, he was fierce and determined. Now, he was anything
but. Ian waited to see if Alec would confide in him.

“Do ya know what she asked me?”
Alec would not look at his brother when he spoke.

“Nay, what does she
want?”

Alec turned to his brother with his eyes on
fire. “She wants to die and she wants me to do it!”

Ian was stunned. He was not a fan of religion
or the church, but he believed suicide was a sure pathway to Hell.
And, as far as he was concerned, asking another to commit the act,
didn't change what it was. He stared at this younger brother for a
moment before responding. “What did ya tell her?”

That set Alec off like a roman candle. “What
do ya mean? What do ya think I told her? Do ya think me capable of
murdering my own wife?” Alec's face dropped. Soon after, he fell to
his knees and covered his face in his hands. His punishment for
allowing her to go to her family on her own was worse than he could
imagine. And it did not come close to comparing to hers.

Ian was not accustomed to dealing with such
feelings. As far as he was concerned, there were few emotions worth
visiting. Fear and rage were his two top favorites, obviously with
fear being the other man's problem. In battle, he would concentrate
his rage to make him a powerful killing machine. Love and sadness
were two emotions he avoided as much as possible. When Alec first
met Aileana, he was so besotted that Ian could hardly avoid it.
Eventually, he was able to turn a blind eye to it and Alec was able
to continue as a skilled warrior.

Now, Alec was tortured over his guilt and Ian
had little to offer to assuage it. He waited patiently for his
brother to compose himself. The sun had completely set and the only
light was from some fires and the moon. Soon enough, Alec stood
back up and turned to his brother, “We will be ready.” With that,
he walked away.

Alec walked back into the tent to find his
wife fast asleep and Lady Chatham snoring next to her. He didn't
know what to do for his wife, but knew he needed to sleep next to
her tonight. The time she was missing had burned his soul beyond
repair. All he wanted was what time he had left, since his wife
seemed content to give up and die.

Ian had set up the other tent for Ginny, so he
went to pick her up and put her in it. Right before he could lift
her, Ian's voice, menacing though just a whisper, came from behind.
“What are ya doing with her?”

Alec turned around to look at Ian. “I was
going to carry her to her own tent. I mean to sleep next to my wife
tonight.”

“Aye, I will do it. Be with yar
wife.”

Ian walked over and gently lifted the sleeping
form from the ground. She weighed little more than a feather. When
he had her securely in his arms, Ginny turned to him and began to
cuddle closer to his body. Ian nearly dropped her. The wave of
passion hit him so hard, he hardly recognized it for what it was.
Lust, pure and simple.

He walked to the other tent and put
her down on the makeshift bed. He found a blanket to cover her
with, but soon she was shivering. Perplexed, he watched her try to
get comfortable. Soon the shivering got worse and she looked as
though she would wake up, so Ian did the only thing he could... he
warmed her up. He laid down next to her and threw his enormous arm
over her body. Still wrapped in the blanket, he hauled her body as
close to his as he could without waking her. In her sleep, Ginny
let out a small sigh of relief and fell back into a deep sleep.
Ian, on the other hand, got more uncomfortable, due to his
increasing erection. He had never slept this close to a woman who
he didn't have sex with first.
This will
be a long night
, he thought glumly, trying
without success to get some sleep.