Highlander's Dark Seduction Read online

  Rebecca thought about apologizing but then decided to hold her tongue. If he decided to beat her, she would take it in silence. It was better to know now what kind of man she was dealing with. So it was with shock that she watched him turn around and walk out of the room, and she jumped slightly as he slammed the door behind him.

  “Oh...” she whispered breathily, her leg giving out from under her. She collapsed on the bed, covering her eyes with her shaking hands and breathing slowly in and out. “God help me.”

  She sat still and waited to see what would happen next, staring at the door as he waited for him to come back. She entertained the notion of simply getting up and leaving but was afraid of what he would do if he caught her, or even if he didn’t. Emily’s baby was still in danger. She crossed to the window and looked out, seeing that the inn was busy with hustle and bustle as stagecoaches stopped to change horses and let their passengers stretch their legs while patrons entered the inn for refreshment. She could hear the murmur of conversation from the dining hall, for it was true that the walls were very thin.

  She strained her ears, trying to discern whether she could hear Christopher’s voice but the murmurs were too indistinct to distinguish individual voices. So she was startled when the door suddenly opened, Chris filling it with his bulk. She took a step back, heart speeding up in fear and anticipation.

  “Time to go,” he growled.

  “Wha-what?”

  “You wanted to go, we’re going.”

  “Wh-where,” Rebecca suddenly felt as if the room was a sanctuary. The voices of other patrons a soothing backdrop signifying safety. She did not want to leave with him.

  “Let’s go!” It was an order, not a request and Rebecca looked around for her shawl, picking it up off the chair and wrapping it around herself before she stepped slowly toward the doorway. He stepped aside, making room for her to pass and she stepped into the darkened corridor, looking around for someone, anyone who could help her. Chris pushed her from behind, urging her to walk and she reluctantly headed toward the stairs.

  “Hurry up,” his voice from just behind her caused her to jump and scurry forward like a frightened rat. She heard him snigger behind her and clenched her teeth in anger resolving that she would not show him her fear.

  “Where are we going?” she stopped, turned around and demanded.

  “Just keep walking.”

  “How can I keep walking when I don’t know where I’m going?”

  Chris rolled his eyes. “We’re leaving.”

  “Leaving?” Her eyes were wide, boring into his, seeking the truth, “Are we going home?”

  He snorted, looking away, “You wanted somewhere private...I shall get you that.”

  She continued to regard him with suspicion and he let her stare for a while before jostling her arm and urging her onward. She walked down the stairs and out the door of the inn, blinking in the sunlight. Her head was spinning as she tried to think of plans, ways to escape him now that she had this respite. The truth was, she could already have run, if it was not for the threat hanging over her poor nephew’s head. They were going about their business unaware that there was an enemy among them. She would do all she could to protect them.

  Benjie steered his horse into the brush as he heard the sound of loud voices in front of him. Sliding off the horse, he tied it to a young sapling before making his way stealthily forward so he could spy on the approaching group.

  He counted six men, on horseback, lounging around the border of the town. They did not seem to be in a hurry to move and Benjie did not know if they were coming or going. He recognized two of them as part of the group that had taken them hostage in their own home but he could not be sure of the others. One other was a man he’d seen about the village, although Benjie did not know him personally.

  What does this mean?

  He wished he had Amos or Frances with him – they were far quicker thinkers than he was and would probably be able to suss out the reason why the men were lounging there faster than he could. All he knew was that he had to find another way to leave town. If he could not take the road, the only other option was the swamp.

  He sighed, filled with resignation at the prospect. If he thought he could bluff his way through the men, he might have tried but he knew that was foolhardy. Creeping back to his horse, he untied it and led it down to the river, away from the men.

  “We have to be really quiet Bessie, or else they’ll find us,” he whispered to the horse as it stepped reluctantly into the two inches of mud lining the river. “Slow and easy does it, Bessie,” he soothed, “Quiet.”

  Apart from the occasional splash that he could not help, he made sure to travel as silently as possible, alighting from the horse in spots that were too unstable and leading her to drier land. It took him all night to get through the swamp and by the time he was through, he was covered, head to toe, in mud. He spat in disgust, getting rid of some mud that was lining his lip.

  “Got to find a river or a well ‘n get cleaned up.” he told Bessie who was similarly covered in mud. She swished her tail and rippled her hide to get rid of the flies. Benjie patted her flank before climbing back onto her back. “Gee up!” he crieder tail and rippled her hide to get rid of the flies. Benjie patted her flank before climbing back onto her back. “Gee up!” he cried, urging her forward into the trees. He decided he would not use the road at all until he was far away from Dun Alba.

  There was no need to take chances.

  Chris was torn between anger and lust. Feeling Rebecca in front of him on the horse, her arse wedged snugly between his thighs....it was all he could do not to pull her gown up and take her where she sat. His cheek was still stinging from her slap, the reason for it forefront in his mind.

  He knew she followed the drum when her brother went to war; had heard talk of it in the village before he joined up with Phillip Bristol to kidnap her sister in law. So it was a little surprising to him that she had managed to retain her purity.

  Surprising and arousing.

  A wave of tenderness swept through him as he watched her rigid back. She was trying to show how unafraid she was, but he could see the miniature tremble of her flesh, her blue eyes, slightly too wide and unblinking. The death grip she had on the saddle.

  She was scared to death.

  Christopher did not want that. He wanted her to feel safe with him. If he was to win this war, it had to be with her support. He just knew that if he could get her to look at him as her husband, rather than as a bandit, they could work.

  He knew it was hard to reconcile oneself to new circumstances. He still remembered crying himself to sleep every night for a month after he had killed the magistrate’s wife. He almost went to the magistrate and confessed a few times, but something always stopped him.

  Yeah, I’m a selfish bastard is what.

  He had thought it many times and once he got over the shame, he had decided to embrace it. What good would it do to report himself to the magistrate? He often asked himself that question and the only answer he could see was that, once again, the nobility got something and Chris was screwed.

  He decided that he had paid enough.

  He also decided that it was time to look after himself. So, he would learn all he could from Killian and then he would find a way to escape his clutches. He would not exchange one kind of servitude for another.

  And that was all that he was doing with Rebecca. He was getting what was his. He had a bad feeling though, that he just might be cutting off more than he could chew.

  Chapter Five

  They came upon a cottage by the road, a solitary sheep grazing outside the door, tied to a stake. Rebecca was surprised when they came to a stop in front of the cottage.

  “What are we doing?”

  Chris didn’t say anything, merely slid off the horse and walked to the house. He fisted his hand and banged repeatedly on the door. Rebecca watched with wary eyes, not knowing if she should alight as well or wait where she was. The h
orse shied as Chris’ pounding got loud and for a moment, Rebecca entertained the thought of grabbing the reins and taking off, but only for a moment.

  A woman timidly opened the door, peeking out at Chris with scared eyes.

  “Get out. We need your house.”

  “Uuh?” her eyes widened even further and she looked shell shocked.

  “Stay calm. It's only for a short while.” he dug into his pocket and removed a pouch, “There you go, get yourself something at the market.” he slapped the pouch into her hand and then indicated that she should move, get out of the way.

  The woman turned her back to them. “Ruthie! Caroline! Come here to mother.”

  The thundering sounds of footsteps preceded two girls who were just about knee and shoulder high and Rebecca could not help but smile at the red-faced excitement.

  “We’re going to market.” their mother informed them, beaming happily.

  “Yes mother,” they parroted before following their mother as she began to walk down the road.

  “And don’t come back for at least two hours,” Chris called.

  “Yes sir.”

  Rebecca watched them go, while shaking her head. This was not what she had meant when she said she wanted privacy.

  “Well, my lady? You wanted a private place to lose your virginity, here it is.”

  Rebecca opened her mouth to protest.

  “Ah ah,” Chris said shaking his head and wagging a finger at her, “I have fulfilled your terms, and now it’s your turn.”

  She exhaled sharply, realizing that in future, she would have to be a lot more specific about her wants and needs because it was clear that they did not understand each other. Chris walked up to her, still on the horse and held out his hand. “Come on then, my fair lady.”

  Slowly, she slid off the mare and took his hand. He led her slowly into the house and closed the door. The interior was dark and sparsely furnished but there was an adequate, straw covered bed in the middle of the room. The only light came from the fire burning in the hearth but it was adequate enough to see by. Chris removed his coat and laid it down on the straw and then he turned to smile at her. “Give me your shawl.”

  Slowly, she unwrapped it from her shoulders and gave it to him and he added it to his makeshift covering.

  “There, that should be a soft enough bed for you. I expect you’ve slept on worse.”

  “Is that what we’ll be doing? Sleeping?”

  “Oh no, my dear. We shall be doing the opposite of resting. But I’m sure you know that. Now stop stalling and divest yourself of clothing.”

  Rebecca hesitated, wanting to beg...for more time, mercy, she was not sure what. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and lifted her hands to begin unhooking her bodice. Chris took a seat on the side of the bed and just watched.

  This was not the first time Rebecca had been naked before a man. She had followed the drum for years which meant sometimes living rough, bathing in rivers and lakes, changing clothes behind trees. There was no guarantee of privacy. But she had never, deliberately, divested herself of her clothing in front of a man with the expectation that that man would touch her intimately.

  She could not stop her hands from shaking.

  “There’s nothing to be afraid of, I promise you.” his voice was so deceptively soft and soothing, Rebecca almost believed him. She turned away as she peeled the bodice off her body, shivering a bit from the cold air seeping in from somewhere. Goosebumps pebbled her flesh as she bared her arms for him. Her hands went slowly to the waist of her skirt, pulling it down as slowly as she could.

  When she was clad in just a shift, she turned to face him, hands crossed across her breasts. His eyes raked her body, head to toe, as if he could see right through the cotton.

  “Go on,” he whispered as he licked his lips.

  “Uh...” Rebecca swallowed, wanting to shake her head but not wanting him to think that she was reneging. “I-I-I think you can...” she couldn’t think how to finish that sentence and so walked slowly over to the bed and sat down next to him, hands still crossed over her breasts. He toward her, searching her face for only he knew what.

  He got to his feet, and walked out the door. Rebecca stared after him in stupefaction.

  “Chris?” she called.

  He didn’t answer but within a few minutes, he was back, and holding a bottle filled with brown liquid. She looked at it, and then up at his face.

  “It’ll help relax us both,” he said and undid the cork before gulping down a quarter of the contents. He held out the bottle to her.

  She reached cautiously for it, and took a sip, swirling it about her mouth to see if it had any bitter aftertaste. There was nothing but whisky in the liquid and so she took a bigger sip.

  And then another one.

  She felt her muscles relax even as she took another sip and put the bottle aside. She didn’t want to be too drunk to defend herself if she had to. Chris flopped down next to her with a sigh.

  “So, this does not have to be torture. Coitus is very pleasant. Hey, let’s start with something simple. I’ve seen you wield a sword, what is your favorite weapon to stab people with?”

  That surprised a laugh out of Rebecca, the loud guffaw startling them both. “I uh...I like the broadsword.”

  “What? Isn't that a bit heavy for you?”

  Rebecca snorted. “My brother and I’ve survived by hunting for our food for most of our lives. Ye think I have’na carried the corpse of a pig or a deer? A broadsword isna gang tae defeat me. And with one swipe, I can knock someone out.”

  “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.” Chris looked at her as if he could see into her soul. Rebecca shrugged.

  “I wish I had met you under different circumstances,” he said after a short silence, “I get the feeling we might’a got along.”

  Rebecca laughed tiredly. “I dinna really see it.”

  Chris leaned toward her slowly, his eyes locked on hers. Before she knew it, the warmth of his lips covered hers, his whisky scented breath brushing across her skin as his tongue requested entrance into her mouth. She parted her lips curiously and his own pressed more firmly against hers. He sucked her bottom lip gently and she relaxed. She had expected hard and fast and what she was getting was soft and careful.

  She did not like surprises.

  His lips moved over hers, tongue tasting, the warmth of his palm on her side startled her and she stiffened.

  “Shh, it’s alright. Just relax.”

  She tried to do so, but could no longer concentrate on what he was doing to her mouth. All her attention was on his hand, that was a little too close to the bottom of her left breast. Every time he moved so much as a finger, she tensed.

  His other hand landed on her thigh and his breathing quickened. Her own also came faster but with anxiety rather than arousal. The hand on her thigh began to move backward and forward, caressing her flesh and inching her shift higher with every pass. Sooner rather than later, his hand was on her bare leg. She jerked wanting to move away but his hand on her back tightened.

  “Relax,” he said against her lips, licking along her jaw and biting her ear gently. She exhaled sharply, feeling her stomach plummet in reaction. He blew a warm breath into her ear and she shivered in reaction.

  “You like that don’t you?” he whispered, biting against her neck.

  “Uuuh...” her eyelids fluttered and her mouth went dry. He took hold of the skin of her neck and suckled, hard. Rebecca could not stop the whimper that escaped her throat. His hand was moving up her leg and she automatically drew her knees together so that his hand was trapped between her thighs. He smiled against her skin.

  “You’re a hard one to get huh?” he whispered, nipping slowly downward, drawing the scoop neck of her gown further and further down her shoulder with his mouth. “Your skin is so soft. So smooth.” he licked at the junction of her shoulder and arm. His thumb flicked back and forth on her thigh, creating reluctant sensation. She didn’
t know what to focus on.

  “S-stop...” she murmured her hands landing on his shoulders, trying to pull him away from her flesh.

  He lifted his head, eyebrows raised. “Stop? Are you sure?”

  Her eyes bored into his and she shook her head slowly. “I...”

  “Relax. I promise you, I won’t hurt you.”

  Rebecca continued to stare for a while longer before she nodded, loosening her knees so his hand was free. She let go of his shoulders a finger at a time. He smiled, picking up her hands and putting them on his belly. “If you want to touch something, how about you feel me up a bit, huh?” he gave her a naughty grin and she didn’t know whether to laugh in his face or tremble with fear or anticipation. “You don’t want to be a virgin forever, do you?”