Three months later…
Étaín was excited as she stared out the window of the carriage as it bustled through the Highlands. It had been three long months of preparations, but finally she and Bhaltair were on their way to MacThomas lands before they traveled on to Baird lands in the Lowlands. They were to go to see his brother Tristan first, after he had sent a letter asking for a visit. He had heard that Bhaltair was to become Laird Baird, and he wanted to see him, and Étaín knew that Bhaltair was nervous. He was to be the Laird of Clan Baird, and she was to be his lady. Sometimes at night she repeated it to herself, and sometimes she had to say it to Elspeth to really believe that it was true.
“Ye deserve it, lass,” Elspeth had told her, tears in her eyes at their departure.
Étaín had invited her to come, asking if she would, but Elspeth and Angus were to be wed. There was a tearful goodbye that created an ache in Étaín’s chest. But it was a pleasant ache of love and friendship. She would return home from time to time, and she was so very glad for Elspeth’s happiness. She gasped lightly at the sight of the beauty of the rolling hills. As Lady Baird, she would miss her Highland home, and she wanted to soak in every last bit of it before it left. She finally felt as if her life was going somewhere. There was some direction, a plan. She was no longer sitting around feeling sad and sorry for herself, acting as her brother’s hostess. She now had a new home to go to, a home that she would lead.
“Tell me what ye are thinkin’ of, Étaín,” Bhaltair said from across the way in the carriage.
She turned to look at him and he was sitting, his hands folded on his lap, smiling at her. Grinning back at him, she turned to face him fully.
She said, “I was just thinking that ye look more handsome every day that passes.”
“Is that so?” he asked, leaning forward, a mischievous look on his face.
She leaned forward to touch a hand to his cheek and feel the harshness of his beard under her palm. She had not been lying; it was true. It was not simply every day, but every time she turned back to look at him. The sight of him grew more and more welcome, and it made her happier and happier each time.
“Aye.” She grinned as she looked into his eyes and then down at his mouth.
His hair had grown longer as well, but he kept it firmly tied back. He, Marcus and Kaden had been training for the past three months, and Bhaltair was like a different person. He no longer remembered his old injuries or his old fatigue, and that weight she’d first seen on his shoulders when he had come back into their lives was gone now. There was only clear happiness in his eyes.
“Well, then I should say the same fer ye, Étaín. Ye are like me bright star, and ye guide me home.”
Étaín felt a tightness in her chest. It was strange. How did some people not find such a love? She felt so happy, so grateful, and she now fully understood Líadan’s happiness with her husband. She wished it for everyone.
“Dae I now?” She asked with a mischievous look on her own face.
And even as the carriage rumbled along, she pulled up her skirts and moved across the carriage until she straddled him, her knees on either side of his hips.
She put her hands on his shoulders, and he turned his face up to her, looking a little surprised but pleased as well, and his smile widened.
“Aye,” he said, his hands sliding up her skirts and gripping her backside, roughly pulling a gasp out of her mouth.
Her smile faded, and she leaned down to kiss him. Their kiss was instantly deep and passionate, and it made her wet far faster than she’d expected. But he pulled away roughly, and he stared at her.
In a hoarse voice, he said, “Get those lovely breasts out fer me.”
He held her skirts up while she pulled at the ties of her bodice, her eyes not leaving his. She watched the hungry look in his gaze once her breasts were bare to him with eagerness. Even though he gripped her buttocks painfully hard, pressing his length against her, he nestled his face in between her breasts gently before he kissed along one and then pulled a nipple into his mouth.
“Bhaltair,” she breathed as he suckled against her, and her hands moved into his hair.
She leaned her head back, forgetting where they were for the moment, as her body was lost in pleasure.
“God in Heaven,” he said, turning to the other breast and giving it the same treatment, his tongue swirling around the hardened nipple. “I never am satisfied, me love, whenever I am with ye, I want more.”
She whimpered at the feel of the ache between her thighs, and when he rubbed his length against her, moving his hips upward, she cried out.
“Please,” she begged him, and he smiled against her mouth as he kissed her.
It only took a few moments for him to free himself, and then he was pressing into her, his hands on her hips, his eyes looking into hers. She was breathing hard, staring down at him. Every time they made love, it was better. There was something new to discover, some new realization, some new feeling, but every time the same feeling of gratitude and happiness washed over her. This was what she had desired for so long, and now they were one in every sense of the word.
She moved up and down his length, but he set the rhythm, his hands tight on her hips as he moved her body the way he wished. Her hands traveled from his shoulders and up his neck to his face again. And then as the pleasure grew, she threw her head back once more, crying out into the carriage, knowing she could be as loud as she wished.
Bhaltair started grunting as his thrusts grew harder. “Come fer me, love,” he told her roughly, and then he moved a hand between them, licking his thumb before he rubbed it against her. And then she came, loudly and quickly, shocked at her release. It shot warmth through her veins and every muscle relaxed. She shook on top of him, leaning forward, her forehead on his shoulders. It was as if she could not control her own body anymore. He thrust into her three more times before he held her tight, shaking and cursing aloud.
They sat like that for a little while, and then, when she pulled back, they were both smiling. “I love ye,” she told him.
“I love ye, and I cannae believe I married a woman who would let me bed her inside a carriage.”
“I would let ye bed me anywhere, Bhaltair.”
He winked at her. “I will remember that.”
***
Bhaltair, of course, loved making love to his wife at any moment in the day, but he was especially glad in that moment for there was a lot of nervous tension in his body. He was about to see his brother after five long years, and whom he knew did not care for him. It was rather out of politeness than anything else. And he was grateful for Étaín’s company as they rumbled along, closer and closer to MacThomas lands, lands he had once called home.
But now there was no home there for him any longer. It had not been home for many long years. He wondered what he would say to his brother, what he would ask him, what he would tell him. He wondered what his brother would say back to him. Why on earth did his brother wish to see him?
The closer they got, the more tension he felt in his body, and Étaín brushed a hand against his arm. “All will be well,” she told him, and then she leaned against his shoulder.
When the carriage finally stopped, he took a deep breath, ready to face what lay ahead. But he barely had enough time to help his wife out of the carriage before he turned and was tightly embraced by Tristan himself. He hadn’t even seen or heard the man coming towards him, and he held his hands out to the side, shocked at what was happening. But eventually, he hugged him back, and it felt like a final weight that had encumbered him had now disappeared.
“What is this?” Bhaltair finally asked, curious, as Tristan pulled back and stared at him, still holding his hands on his shoulders.
“Dear God, braither, it has been five long years,” Tristan said.
“Aye, I ken it,” Bhaltair replied with a nod, still confused at his brother’s odd behavior.
He had no idea what to say, and so he began with the obvious, sliding his hand to Étaín’s back.
“This is me wife, Étaín Stuart.”
With a smile, Tristan turned to Étaín, and he took her hand and laid a kiss upon it. Bhaltair took the time to study his brother. He looked a little bit older. And they looked far more similar than he knew Tristan probably would have liked. He did, however, look tired.
“It is so good tae meet ye. I ken that ye are likely tired from yer journey, but there is somethin’ I must say afore ye go in.”
“Very well,” Bhaltair said slowly, unsure of what he was about to hear.
Tristan looked uncomfortable, clearing his throat before he began. “Fergive me, Bhaltair, I beg ye.”
Bhaltair blinked, and his mouth opened, but nothing came out.
“Forgive me. I was terrible tae ye, and I was angry about maither’s death, but ye didnae deserve what ye received, tae be traded fer me in Sloan Baird’s dungeons. I heard Baird died, and that his son tortured ye fer five years past.”
“Four, really,” Bhaltair corrected, trying strangely to sound cheerful. “I escaped after four, and I have been on the run since. But Euan is dead now.”
His voice was steady and calm, but he had no idea what to do with Tristan’s apology.
“Aye, true enough. I tried fer a long time tae get ye from Euan, but he never allowed it. He even killed a few of me men who went in search of ye.”
Étaín gasped and then took Bhaltair’s hand, threading her fingers through his. He knew what she wanted him to do.
“Ye did that?” Bhaltair asked.
Tristan nodded, and then he said, “But when ye ran away, I couldnae find ye, until I heard about the news of yer new lairdship. Forgive me, Bhaltair. Let us be braithers again in truth. I want tae be part of yer family.”
Bhaltair hesitated for a moment, but Étaín squeezed his hand. “Ye dae ken that we are only half-braithers now?”
“Aye.” Tristan smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Perhaps it is the reason we had such difficulty growin’ up. But what dae ye say? Braithers in truth?” He held out a hand and looked at Bhaltair eagerly.
Bhaltair turned to Étaín, who nodded smilingly at him. He was yet again on the precipice of something new and better. He knew he would regret it if he did not take this chance, and so he took his brother’s hand and shook it.
“Aye, Tristan. Braithers in truth.”
The End.
If you haven’t already, please leave your review on Amazon
Readers who enjoyed this book also bought
★★★★★ 266 ratings
This is the story of Gillian, an adventurous English lady who finds herself captured by a mysterious and alluring Highlander. This Highlander will do whatever it takes to save his people from hunger, even abduct the daughter of his enemy. But life seldom goes as planned. What will happen when the Highlander starts falling for Gillian? And will her feelings or her logic prevail in this peculiar turn of events?
Read the book
★★★★★ 208 ratings
This is the story of Julia, an intelligent English lady who runs away to escape her woes and finds herself in the keep of an enticing Highlander. This Highlander, as handsome as he may be, has serious economic troubles, and only a miracle can save him. But perhaps one's answer is closer than he thinks. How will he help her face the past that is haunting her? And how will she save him?
Read the book
★★★★★ 213 ratings
This is the story of Gale, an adventurous English lady who runs away to escape her murderous mother and finds herself in the company of an alluring Highlander. There she is called to change her ways, and he helps her see the world from a different point of view. But her past is catching up with her. How will she elude her mother? And will this be the only obstacle in their relationship?
Read the book
