The Hawk: A Highland Guard Novel Read online

  She stood there for a few minutes, tapping her foot, gazing out to sea, up to the sky, doing anything to avoid looking at the man swimming in the water below.

  As always, a steady stream of boats patrolled the waterways—a number of them appeared to be English galleys. On their expeditions around the island it was something she’d grown used to seeing. But there seemed to be more of them than usual. She felt a prickle of apprehension, wondering what was happening. At times it was hard to remind herself that there was a world beyond this island.

  She gazed down at the sword he’d tucked into a rock near her foot. Squinting against the glare from the sunlight, she noticed writing near the handle. Knowing it was common practice for warriors to inscribe their swords with something meaningful, she pulled the blade out enough to read the rest: dìleas an còmhnaidh. Always faithful. She frowned. Strange motto for a womanizing pirate. She’d expected something more along the lines of “bloodletter” or “beheader.”

  She heard a splash and glanced back down. He looked as though he was having the time of his life, drat him.

  Her forbearance lasted all of five minutes.

  She mumbled a few of her brothers’ favorite curses and removed the plaid from around her shoulders, then her borrowed shoes, hose, and cotte, carefully folding them in a neat pile.

  Wearing only the chemise she’d arrived in, she inched forward on the rocks until her toes gripped the edge. She shivered—and not just from the gust of wind. Her heart was fluttering like the wings of a butterfly. She hoped it was like riding a horse, because she hadn’t done this in at least five years.

  She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and fell forward.

  For a moment she felt buoyed by a swell of air. It held her weightless for a long heartbeat, before rushing past her in a blast of wind as she plunged downward. She arched her back, twisted, and then tucked her knees into her chest, rolling over before reaching forward as her body extended to a dive just as she hit the water.

  The shock of cold penetrated to her bones. She dove a few more feet, then came back up, bursting to the surface in a spray of water.

  He was at her side before she could catch her breath. She grinned excitedly, surprised to see the fierce expression on his face. He had that scary Viking look again, except that he was a little pale beneath his dripping face and slicked-back hair. “What in Hades do you think you were doing? You were supposed to jump. You could have broken your damn neck!”

  She laughed, which only seemed to make him angrier. “That was fun. I haven’t done that in years.” She shot him a look. “And I really must insist you stop cursing around me.”

  She heard the angry string of expletives lashing after her as she dove away from him, narrowly avoiding his grasp.

  But outswimming him was impossible, and her escape was short-lived. He snaked an arm around her waist and drew her against him, bringing them back to the surface together.

  She felt as if she was plastered against a big stone wall. A stone wall with lots and lots of rock-hard muscle. She didn’t bother trying to pull away; struggling was useless. She was all too aware of the power in the body pressed so intimately to hers. Legs entwined, her breasts crushed against his chest, it felt … perfect.

  His eyes locked on hers, and she felt the force of it like a blow to the lungs. This was why women loved him so much. He made them feel as if they were the most important person in the world. The only person in the world.

  “I think you’ve had enough fun for today,” he said softly, his voice gruff.

  “Where’s your sense of adventure?” she couldn’t resist taunting back at him.

  “Back there with my heart after that dive,” he said dryly.

  Her mouth tugged, but he sounded so upset that she decided not to press her luck by laughing at him again. Not this close. Not when she was fairly sure what her teasing could unleash.

  He desired her. She could feel him hard against her stomach and it made her cautious. Her good sense warred with the not-so-gentle stirrings of her body. It wasn’t much of a war—not really.

  He gazed down at her, his jaw locked, hard and forbidding. She gasped when his rough fingertips swept her cheek. She swore his eyes filled with tenderness. Not knowing what he intended, she couldn’t breathe for the entire time it took him to tuck a sopping strand of hair behind her ear. His thumb lingered for an agonizing moment, tracing the curve of her chin.

  Her heart beat frantically in her chest. He had to feel it, to be aware of what he was doing to her.

  Of course he did. He’d done this a thousand times.

  But why was he looking at her so … intently. Tenderly. As if she were special.

  She wasn’t special. No matter how much he made her feel as if she was. He did this with everyone. It didn’t mean anything.

  But the look in his eyes …

  She was so confused, wanting what she desperately knew she should not. His eyes searched hers, as if he were probing for an answer to an unanswered question. She felt his arm tighten around her as he drew her even closer.

  She knew he was going to kiss her, and she didn’t stop him. She wanted to feel his mouth on hers, to see if it was as incredible as she remembered.

  It was.

  It felt right. As if it were meant to be. As if her mouth had been made for exactly this purpose: to be joined with his.

  His lips were warm and silky soft, pressing gently, brushing over hers in a smooth caress, then holding for one long heartbeat before breaking apart.

  Its brevity was its very devastation. She wanted so much more. One taste only reminded her of the passion that had flared between them before. Passion that was coiled and tight and ready to break free.

  He let her go, and her heart lurched at the sudden separation. Her body craved the contact. But the moment was gone.

  “Why did you do that?” she blurted.

  He shook his head, amused. “Does everything have to have a reason?”

  Her reply was automatic. “Yes.”

  He laughed. “Can’t you just relax and enjoy the moment, and do something because it feels right?”

  Passion for passion’s sake? Desire for desire’s sake? The idea was utterly foreign to her, anathema to her duty and position. Of course, she couldn’t … could she?

  “Come,” he said. “I think I’d better show you that surprise. Let’s see how fast you can swim. I’ll race you back to shore.”

  “It won’t be much of a race,” she said, still trying to collect her jumbled thoughts. “I’ve seen you swim.”

  His mouth lifted on one side. “I’ll give you a head start.”

  He still won. Ellie dragged herself up the beach beside him, shivering and exhausted after the exertion of the swim. The subtle warmth of the winter sun could not penetrate her frozen limbs.

  She wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed, trying to get the sensation back. “Next time instead of a head start, I’m going to insist you not use your legs.”

  He only laughed, and she had a feeling he’d still win.

  “You’re fast,” he said. “For a—”

  “Don’t say it,” she warned threateningly, though the effect was lost by her chattering teeth. “My brothers learned very quickly not to make that mistake. I might be only a lass, but I can be quite inventive when it comes to revenge.”

  He gave her an appraising look, his eyes scanning her scantily clad form in a way that made her chilled blood warm and her prickling skin tighten. Her nipples beaded under her damp chemise.

  “I don’t doubt it,” he said.

  Abruptly, he grabbed her hand and started to lead her back to the cliff.

  “Can we jump again?” she asked.

  “Hell—” He stopped himself. “Nay. Don’t you want to see the surprise?”

  She looked around. “Where is it?”

  “Right in front of you.”

  She glanced around, at first seeing only the wide spans of sandy beach sloping gently to a grassy hills