Highland Sparks: Logan and Gwyneth (Clan Grant Series Book 5) (11 page)

The door opened with a bang and Gwyneth jumped out of the spot where she sat. Logan stood in front of her, as if having stepped out of her thoughts, his hair whipped by the wind. His smug expression had disappeared, and in its place was a look she didn’t understand. He walked forward until he was directly in front of her. Her stomach fluttered as he closed the distance between them, his gaze holding hers until heat spread through her. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but she was afraid, naïve about the ways of men and women. He didn’t speak either, allowing a moment of tension and desire to spread through her. She didn’t know what else it could be.

And then he did the most unexpected thing she could have imagined. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. She was so startled she jumped in place…but then she leaned into him. His lips were warm and he tasted of ale, but there was something intoxicating about it.

He pulled back and said, “I wanted to congratulate you proper.”

He brushed his thumb across her bottom lip and she sighed. He dipped his head and kissed her again, and she parted her lips with another sigh. His tongue swept inside her mouth and she pressed her body to his, wrapping her arms around his neck as she tasted him in return, swirling her tongue inside his mouth until he groaned and tugged her closer. She never would have guessed that kissing a man could be so intoxicating and so frightening at the same time.

He angled his mouth over hers, deepening the kiss, devouring her until she trembled all over. His hands slid down her back and over her bottom, and he grabbed her bum to pull her closer. She felt his hardness against her belly and wanted to jerk away, but then decided she liked the fact that she had caused this excitement in him. Logan wanted her and she was finally willing to admit to herself that she wanted him, too. She ran her hands through his hair and sucked on his tongue as he moved one hand from her bottom and up her side until he found her breast. He searched for her nipple and froze.

“I had a suspicion you might bind your breasts. I like the idea.” He stood back, a sly grin on his face. “Would love to see them unbound and free.”

Suddenly aware of all that had taken place, she shoved at his hands. “Aye, ‘tis the only way I can shoot. Keep your hands to yourself.”

“A moment ago, you didn’t mind my hands on you.” He cocked his head as he gazed at her.

“Aye, well, now I do. We’re done, Ramsay.” She blushed and turned away from him.

“Suit yourself.” With a soft shrug, he moved to go back inside, and before he closed the door behind him, he turned back to her and said, “I love the taste of you, lass. I want more.” Then he left with a wink.

Gwyneth hugged herself, shivering, before she brought a finger up to brush her bottom lip, the taste of him still sweet. What exactly did he mean by his last sentence? Not having any experience with men, she didn’t understand what had just happened, and it completely unnerved her.

She had just experienced her first kiss, and she’d liked it.

Chapter Ten

Two days after Logan kissed Gwyneth in the parapets, Caralyn and Robbie arrived safely at the Grant Keep, and the girls were ecstatic to have their mama home. There hadn’t been a chance for him to find Gwyneth alone again, and he sensed she hid from him. Her surprised reaction had told him it could have been her first kiss. Perhaps he had gone too far, but the simple truth was he had enjoyed every minute of having Gwyneth in his arms. After her initial shock, she had turned into a passionate lass, and if she hadn’t stopped him, he might not have been able to stop himself. Hellfire, but they were good together.

He was getting restless, and after another two days, he realized it was time to move on. Gwyneth had told Alex and Robbie she wanted to return to Glasgow, so he would lead her back through the Highlands to be sure she was safe. Then he could check on Micheil and his mother at their clan in Lothian. Brenna and Quade had agreed to stay in the Highlands until Maddie birthed her bairn.

Logan had looked for Gwyneth all day to no avail. At first he thought she must have been with her friend, but then he learned that Caralyn was shuttered with the Grants in Alex’s solar. Hellfire, he had to find the woman. If she had headed back to Glasgow on her own without an escort, she would hear his bellow all the way from the castle.

After waiting patiently outside the door, he could tell the meeting was about to break up. Unable to wait any longer, he rushed in, stopping directly in front of Caralyn. “Where’s Gwyneth?”

Caralyn shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not sure. I have not seen her this morn.”

“Did she tell you she was leaving?” God’s teeth, he had to know and now.

Caralyn nodded. “She said she planned to leave shortly.”

“Where was she going?”

“In search of someone in Glasgow.”

“Who?” Logan inched closer to Caralyn, towering over her.

Robbie jumped in front of him. “Stay away from her.”

“She has information I need,” Logan declared, hands on his hips.

“Then ask her politely and mayhap she will answer.” Robbie glared at his friend.

“Slud. Have it your way, Grant. Caralyn, would you please tell me where Gwyneth has gone?” He tipped his head with a smirk, looking at her from over Robbie’s shoulder.

Robbie nodded and stepped back; apparently satisfied Logan treated Caralyn with the respect she deserved.

“She has gone after the man who sold her, Duff Erskine.”

“She left alone?”

“Aye. She has her bow and arrows, and her dagger, too.” Caralyn glanced from Robbie to Logan. “Gwyneth always travels alone, except the time Duff caught her.”

“And what is her purpose?”

Caralyn stared at her feet, nervously shuffling them.

Robbie stepped back in front of her and turned to face her. “Caralyn?”

“She’s going to kill him.”

Logan growled. “Foolish lass.” He cursed a couple of times before he started to turn away.

Caralyn stopped him. “And Logan?”

“Aye?”

“She will not quit until he is dead.”

It was enough to make Logan pivot and immediately run out the door. Quade came up just as Logan was leaving. “Now where are you going?”

“To find Gwyneth.”

By the time the others stepped into the great hall after him, Logan had already grabbed another plaid, a loaf of bread, a chunk of cheese, and his satchel. He moved toward the door.

Quade yelled after him. “Good luck, aye? See you, brother.”

“Och, aye,” Logan yelled over his shoulder as he tore down the steps. All the while, he kept thinking of Gwyneth alone in the woods. The woman was daft, just plain daft. Just because she whipped him in some silly contest, she thought she could travel all the way back to Glasgow on her own safely, then find her target and kill him.

God’s teeth, why in hell had he fallen for such a difficult woman? Stubborn, daft, foolish…what else could he add to her list of faults? A lass who did naught but needlework would have gone much easier on him. When he caught up with her, she would regret acting in such a brazen, overly hasty way.

***

Gwyneth had to admit she was a wee bit jumpy moving through the Highlands. Mayhap she should have waited for Ramsay to travel with her after all. She had considered it before leaving, but after the kiss they’d shared in the parapets the other night, she just didn’t trust herself with him…particularly if it were just the two of them traveling alone.

Ramsay confused her. Part of her wanted to shove him away and never see him again, yet another part of her wanted to fuse her body with his and never let go. Why? After all the disgusting things she knew and had heard about rutting, why did it suddenly sound so appealing? Late last night, she had awakened in a sweat, dreaming of Logan’s bare skin pressed against hers, her breasts unbound and in his hands, his mouth. She had thought of other things she would never dare admit to another person. Shaking her head, she hoped to banish such thoughts from her mind. They were distracting, and traveling alone through the Highlands as she was, distraction was not something she could afford. Worse, something was rustling behind her and had been for some time as she made her way down the trail.

Gwyneth jumped off her horse and crept through the bushes, searching for the source of the noise. Her bow ready, she hoped she wasn’t about to run into a group of wild boar. Hell have it, she shouldn’t have headed out on her own. She had made it through one night, but there were many more to follow.

She rounded a bush and let her breath out in a rush, but she found nothing. Staring up at the treetops, she wished she didn’t have an awful fear of heights. She could have climbed one to see where the bastards were. She could fire fast at one boar, but she might not be able to nock her second arrow fast enough if more than one was headed straight for her.

Sweat dripped down her forehead, even though the evening air was crisp. The dampness of her palms forced her to continuously swipe them on her tunic. The rustling sound stilled, but rather than feeling relief, she was more nervous than before. Her heartbeat pounded in her chest and echoed in her ears. She was too unfamiliar with the smells of the Highlands to know if aught was different here.

Not daring to move yet, she held her ground, peering in each direction. If she dared get back on her horse, she would gallop out of this area as fast as she could.

A fresh rustle to her left caught her attention. She turned her bow and readied herself to fire. A loud squealing wrenched the air just before a huge boar launched at her at full speed. She released her arrow and stopped him dead in his tracks, but not before a second and third beast came barreling out of the copse of trees, both headed for her. Grabbing another arrow, she sent it flying and connected with her target. The second boar went down, but she didn’t know if she could shoot the third in time.

He gained on her as she reached in her quiver for another arrow, and she turned a few degrees to aim. The bastard was closer than she’d thought and he leaped straight at her, catching her in the chest with his hooves enough to knock her to the ground.
This is it. He’s going to kill me. All this training will have been for naught. The boar is going to end my life in a second.

His squealing continued, masking all other sounds of the night. As he aimed his tusks straight at her face, she grabbed her knife and was about to stab him anywhere she could. Just then, the pitch of his squeal changed and he fell to the side of her. Another squeal sounded close to her, reaching the same eerie pitch before cutting off.

Gwyneth panted in fear, not knowing what would happen next. Her heart was racing so fast, she was afraid to move. She pushed herself to a sitting position, just then noticing the warm blood trickling down her arm from a small wound. The loudest bellow she’d ever heard cut through the night and her eyes flew to the source.
Ramsay.

“Gwyneth, have you no sense at all, you daft woman! Get up before another comes. They travel together. How the hell could a lass as smart as you leave on your own? You can’t travel through the Highlands alone.”

He reached her side as she started to sob, and pulled her to her feet. As soon as he saw her tears, he stopped his bellowing and reached for her.

She threw her arms around his neck, sobbing freely. She had only been this frightened a few times in her life, and she didn’t like it. Thanking the Lord he had come along, she clung to Logan, swearing she would never let go.

He wrapped her tight in his embrace, but then pulled back to stare at her. “Lass, you’re bleeding. Is it your blood or the beast’s?”

Chapter Eleven

“‘Tis just a scratch. Never mind that, just hold me,” Gwyneth cried.

She couldn’t let him go. Not having cried since the attack by the Norse, she didn’t understand this need, but she had no control over it. She’d held in her pain for this long, so why had it forced its way out today? One thought overtook all others—Logan had come for her.

Frightened out of her mind, she pulled back and swiped at her tears. “Thank you, my thanks for following me. I was a dead woman. He would have killed me.”

“Aye, he would have, especially with another on his heels. What were you thinking? These are the Highlands, not the Lowlands.” He brushed the hair away from her face, wiping the tears from her cheeks as he held her.

Gwyneth could no longer deny what she wanted. She wanted Logan Ramsay. After that kiss on the parapets, she had thought of naught else. And he had cared enough to race after her.
He saved my life.

Staring at his mouth, she gave serious thought to what she was about to do, but she didn’t care. She wanted Logan Ramsay and she wanted him now. There had never been any foolish thoughts of marriage in her mind before, so what did it matter if she gave in to her desire. Her body told her what she needed from Logan. She licked her lips as he gazed at her, following her tongue with his eyes.

Logan crushed her into his arms with a groan, capturing her lips with his. She fell against him and wrapped her arms around his waist parting her lips so he could invade her mouth with his tongue, teasing and tantalizing her with his hot desire. Boldly following his initiative, Gwyneth tasted him in return, only to find herself tugged closer to him, his hands encasing her bum and holding her tight enough for her to feel his hardness against her belly.

She pulled back, panting, barely able to speak. “Are we safe? Do you think we’re safe?”

Watching Logan struggle to catch his breath as much as she did made her heady with power. He wanted her as much as she wanted him and she delighted in that realization. Her gaze caught his with a question.

“Aye, through here. I think we got all of them, but I want to be closer to Paz. He’ll alert us to intruders.”

Gwyneth followed him a short distance until they found a soft spot near the horses. Logan dropped his plaid and settled it on the ground. “Are you sure about this, lass?”

Gwyneth nodded and removed her tunic, flinging it off to the side along with her belt, her quiver and her leggings.