The Highlander's Vow (Loch Moigh #4) (16 page)

The lake was secluded and surrounded by a thick forest of evergreens. The air smelled clean and sweet, piney. Making love with Sky here would create a memory to savor for the rest of their lives—for his life anyway.

On the other hand, if he presented her with yet more evidence supporting his belief that she was meant to stay in this century, they’d end up arguing. Struan shifted, trying to relieve the growing discomfort in his lap.
What to do? What to do?
Keep my mouth shut, or press her to see things my way and ruin a perfect afternoon?

He had to do the right thing, of course, and making her his when they weren’t on the same page about the future definitely reeked of selfishness—especially if she somehow managed to make it home. She’d been raised in an era when a woman’s virtue was all she owned. Taking her virginity would ruin her, and he couldn’t bear the thought of causing her that kind of hurt.

Damn his chivalrous hide. He swallowed the regret and turned to her. “I brought along some of the research Connor printed off for me. I thought we could go through a few of the stories, see what we can learn.”

Her brow rose, and she peered at him over her shoulder. “Doing so willna change my mind.”

“I figured as much, but it might help you to prepare.”

Sighing, she sat up. “All right. Let us see what the McGladreys have uncovered.”

He sighed too, but for an altogether different reason. Sometimes, doing the right thing sucked. He pulled the papers out of his backpack, along with a couple bottles of water. He handed her a bottle and half the pile of Connor’s research. For the next half hour, they both read, trading sheets back and forth until they’d read them all.

“You know what I’m noticing?” Struan bumped his shoulder against Sky’s. “More often than not, decades pass between reported incidents where people disappear or appear. In this case”—he waved the paper he held—“nearly a century passed.”

“Aye, but ’tis no’ like anyone in these accounts went looking for open corridors through time.” Sky waved her sheet of paper in response. “These are but records of folk who accidentally stumbled through time. They did so unawares, whilst I am purposefully seeking a way back. ’Tis a different matter altogether.”

“Sure, sure,” he said, doing his best to appear as if he were seriously considering her argument. “Still, you might get to the spot in Scotland, and nothing will happen. How long are you willing to wait?”

“Struan . . .” Her mouth tightened.

“All right, look.” He took the stories from her hand and set the entire stack aside. “I admit it. I’m not going to stop trying to talk you into staying.” The need to protect her had gone far beyond “want,” and had slid into “imperative” some time ago, but he kept that to himself. “It’s not safe to return, and above all, I want you to remain safe.”

The moment the words were out, he made a decision. He would travel with her to Scotland, stay by her side and be there to support her when the inevitable letdown occurred. Reading through the tales of disappearances and reappearances only reinforced his beliefs. Despite what Connor thought, the odds were in
his
favor, not theirs. Portals didn’t simply open or close because mortals wished them to. They’d go, wait and watch, and most likely nothing would happen. Then he’d bring Sky home to Gordon Hollow to stay.

“Life would be so much easier if you just gave in, Sky. What we have together is good, isn’t it? If you stay, I believe things between us will only get better.” She opened her mouth to respond, and before she could argue, he drew her close and kissed her. She was so very sweet and soft in his arms, his heart melted. Stretching out on the blanket, he brought her down on top of him.

“Struan . . .” She pushed herself away and sat up. “I must return. We’ve been over this a hundred times, and you canna distract me to your way of thinking with kisses.”

A shame, that, because kissing her was his favorite distraction strategy thus far. “I can be every bit as obstinate, princess. I won’t stop trying to convince you, because your future is at stake. So many things can go wrong. What about us? Don’t we owe it to each other to see this thing through?”

“I . . . we,” she stammered.

He folded his arms under his head and frowned up at her. “I? We?”

She stared out over the water. “Let’s no’ argue. ’Tis too fine a day.”

“OK.” He reached out and ran his hand down her bare arm. “What do you wish to do this fine afternoon? Skinny-dip?”

Her gaze darted to him and quickly returned to the lake. “I’ve something else in mind.” She slid her hand into the back pocket of her shorts and drew something out. Taking his hand in hers, she placed whatever it was on his palm and closed his fingers over it. Struan sat up, opened his hand and stared at the small foil packet. His jaw dropped. “Do you have any idea what this is?”

“Aye, ’tis a condom.” She studied the foil packet in her hands. “Lindsay explained what they are and how to use them.”

His mind scattered in a dozen directions at once, the excitement, consternation and confusion making him dizzy. She wanted to have sex with him. Just as he wrapped his mind around
that
possibility, he wondered how she’d gotten her hands on a condom.

“You . . .” His voice came out an octave higher than usual. He cleared his throat. “You talked to my
sister
about having
sex
with me?” Blood that had been surging south suddenly changed direction and crept up to heat his face. “Wait. Lindsay has condoms? I didn’t even know she was dating anyone. Who’s she sleeping with? Not Brian, surely.”

Sky giggled. “I found the box of condoms in the cabinet of the bathroom she and I share, and I asked her what they were. I did no’ ask her about her personal life, nor did I share my intentions with her.”

“And then you
stole
one?” His brow rose nearly to his hairline.

“Nay.” Sky slid her hand into her back pocket again, a wicked glint in her eyes. She dropped two more condoms onto his lap. “I stole three.”

“Woman . . .” Struan flopped back onto the blanket and scrubbed his hands over his face. “Augh, what were you thinking? If we do . . . this, you’ll be ruined.”

“I am thinking that once I return home, I will never wed. I refuse to be handed off again in barter for an alliance or political gain.” Her voice hitched. “I dinna wish to go through life without ever having experienced—”

“Sky, this will change everything between us. If we make love, you’re mine and I’m yours. I’m not a one-night-stand kind of guy.” He gestured between them. “This
means
something to me.
You
mean something to me.”

She nodded, and her chin quivered. “As you mean something to me. I’ll never give my heart or my body to another.”

Wait. Did that mean that she’d already given him her heart? Pressure banded his chest, and damn if his eyes didn’t sting. He drew her down to lie beside him and wrapped her up in his arms. Her arms came around him, and the two of them stayed motionless and silent for several moments. He made a last-ditch effort to think, even though thinking was the last thing he wanted to do. Taking in the flowery scent of the shampoo she used, mixed with her own unique essence, her warmth and curves plastered against him, he struggled for control. For both their sakes, someone had to be rational.

“I want you,” she whispered. “Don’t you want me?”

He choked out a strangled laugh. “Do I want you?” He tilted his head down to peer into her hazel eyes. “No matter how oft I drink you in, you are a thirst within me that will never be quenched. That’s how badly I want you,” he croaked.

“Well then,” she said, rising to support herself on her elbows. “Make love to me.”

With that, her lips met his, and rational thought deserted him. He wanted to meld into her, fusing their bodies and souls. He gave up the struggle for control and held her against his heart. She’d offered him a free pass to paradise—who was he to refuse?

He took over, dominating her and deepening the kiss until they had to separate in order to take off their shirts. Desperate to feel her silky skin next to his, he brought her back into his arms, and discovered his erotic imaginings had not done her justice. Her bare skin against his sent him reeling. He unfastened her bra and drew it off. He rolled with her, so that he was now on top of her.

Struan raised himself to stare at the vision beneath him. She was the embodiment of perfection. Her generous breasts were crowned in dusky rose, and her beautiful eyes were hazed with desire. Color bloomed in her cheeks under his perusal. He leaned in and ran his tongue over one of her glorious nipples, and it hardened immediately. Sky gasped, and the sound went straight to his already throbbing member. “So lovely,” he whispered, before taking the hardened bud between his teeth.

Sky’s hips rose to press against him, inciting him further. “Sky, I want to look at you—all of you. May I?”

“Only if I might look at you as well,” she whispered.

“Done. I’ll even go first.” Struan rolled to his back and stripped out of his clothes in record time. Sky’s nervous giggle, her tentative touch running over his chest and lower, sent waves of desire pulsing through him. He drew a long, steadying breath. He needed to take things slow, be gentle. Her first time would hurt, and he wanted to bring her pleasure. Capturing her wandering hand, he pressed a kiss against her fingertips. “Now you.”

Sky sat up and took off her shoes, her lower lip tucked between her lips, and an expression of consternation suffused her features. “I’ve never . . . this is no’ as easy as I imagined. I’m embarrassed.” That last part came out in a barely audible whisper.

“Don’t be. You’ve no reason to be embarrassed.” He ran a knuckle down her cheek. “You are a vision, princess. In my eyes you are beyond compare.”

“Think you?” Her gaze met his for a fleeting moment before she turned away again.

The vulnerability he’d glimpsed and the telltale quiver in her voice brought his rational self front and center. He reached for her, brought her to his lap and brushed a kiss across her forehead. “We don’t have to do this today, love. Mayhap you’re not as ready for the next step as you might think, aye?” He undid the tie holding her braid and plied his fingers to the task of unraveling her lustrous hair.

“But I . . . I want to. ’Tis shyness—no’ a change of heart that stays my hand.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I made up my mind weeks ago that I would seduce you.”

He laughed. “Did you?”

She nodded, and again her fleeting glance caused a wrench in his chest. “How did you intend to go about seducing me, my sweet?”

“Well . . . I hadn’t gotten that far in my thinking.” Color flooded her cheeks, and she bit her lower lip again. “You see, I rather counted on your cooperation to . . . to move things along.”

“Ah, I see. How can it be construed as seduction if you meant for me to do all the work?”

“That hadn’t occurred to me.”

“Hmm, I’ve half a mind to thwart your plans. However, since I am such a generous man, I’ve an idea.”

“Aye? And what might that be?” Her chin rose, and her natural assertiveness was once again firmly in place.

“I will lie here on this blanket, naked as the day I was born, and you have my permission to do with me as you will.”

She shot him a wry grin. “How very generous you are.”

“Don’t forget chivalrous.”

Laughing, Sky pushed him down. “Chivalrous indeed. I accept your terms, for they please me.” She moved to sit by his side, her gaze roaming over him in a slow, hot glide. “I love the way your muscles sculpt your chest. You are without compare as well, the most comely man I’ve ever laid eyes upon.”

“Have you seen scads of men naked?” He cocked a brow in question.

“Nay, other than my brothers when they were wee lads, you are the first.”

Was it too much to wish he’d be her
only
? Her hands traced his pectorals, circling his nipples. She ran her fingertips downward, her touch feathery and light. Struan held his breath, and the muscles beneath his skin rippled at her touch. “Lord have mercy, you will be the death of me.”

“Nay, I vow I willna.”

Continuing her exploration, she ran her hand over him from balls to head, and he couldn’t prevent himself from thrusting his hips against her palm. He groaned and shut his eyes. Sweet torture.

“I want to lie on top of you,” she said before circling her tongue around his erect nipple.

“OK,” he managed to rasp out. “Sounds like a good idea to me.” Watching her get out of the rest of her clothes almost snapped the wee bit of control he clung to. She needed to be in charge if she was to overcome her shyness, and he wanted that for her. Sky draped her naked self over him. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and her pelvis was snug against his erection. “Now what?” he asked through his clenched jaw.

“I believe I’d like to kiss you.”

“Sound thinking.” He grinned. “A logical next step.” Her kiss started out hesitant, but as he kissed her back, she grew bolder. Her tongue entered his mouth to touch the tip of his.

She lifted herself to stare down at him. “You
can
use your hands, Struan. If you were the one doing the seducing this day, I’d surely be using mine.”

“Thank God,” he said on a moan. He stroked and explored her curves, discovering every delectable feminine charm she possessed. Her thick hair blanketed the both of them, creating an intimate veil of privacy. Instinct took over, and he rolled them over so that they were side by side. “I want to touch you here,” he whispered, pressing his hand against her mons. “May I?”

Her eyes filled with trust and desire, she nodded.

He took one of her nipples into his mouth and suckled as he dipped a finger into her slick heat. He circled her clit with his thumb while his fingers continued to tease and thrust. She writhed, lifting her hips and groaning. He increased the pressure and laved each of her breasts with his tongue, sucking, biting. She tensed in his arms, her breaths coming out in puffs, and then she spasmed around his fingers and clutched his shoulders.

Sky sighed and pulled his face to her for a kiss. Her tongue tangled with his for a moment, before she issued a command: “I want you inside of me, Struan.”