Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

W hen Minna woke up the next morning the first thing she saw was Gowan sleeping a few feet away from her. He was lying on his stomach and his arm was stretched out in her direction, with one of his hands lying over hers. Since she had seen his face, he had removed his hood and was now bare-headed, his bright hair bared to the daylight. It was longer than Minna had thought it would be, and she was tempted to reach out and touch it, to run her fingers over the silky strands, but she was afraid to wake him up.

She liked looking at him this way, when he was so innocent and vulnerable. He was lying on the scarred side of his face so that the rest of it was visible, and what Minna could see was classically handsome.

For the same reason, she did not move her hand away from under his. Anyway, she was enjoying its warm pressure, and the rough texture of his calloused palm resting on her wrist. Minna looked at the firm, strong body spread out next to her, and a pulse began to throb between her legs. It was the same sensation she had felt when they were kissing, but it had never happened before that.

There was no doubt that Gowan knew exactly how to kiss a woman, and how to make her respond to him so that she almost melted in his arms.

As her eyes traveled down Gowan's body, from his broad shoulders to his well-muscled arms and torso, firm buttocks and powerful thighs and calves, Minna knew she was looking at a perfect male. This was the kind of man women dreamed about - an ideal example of rampant masculinity, opposite to her in every way.

She realized that she could not lie about all day, so she carefully slid her hand out from under Gowan's and stood up. She could hear the howling of the gale outside and thought wryly that it was a perfect late summer day in Scotland! She had heard that there were places in the world where it was so hot that you could cook an egg on the rocks at the seaside, and she laughed at the thought. That would never happen here in the Highlands!

Her giggle woke Gowan, who sat up groggily, then stretched and yawned, showing Minna the perfect musculature of his chest.

‘He is so beautiful,' she thought again, unable to take her eyes off him.

Gowan stood up and caught Minna staring at him, and for a perfect moment they gazed at each other in mutual admiration before he took three strides across the room and swept her into his arms.

Minna gave a little squeal of surprise as his mouth plundered hers, taking what he liked and giving it back in equal measure. Gowan tilted her head back and held it so that she was a prisoner of his lips, completely at his mercy, but Minna would not have wanted it any other way. She gave herself up to him without hesitation and felt herself almost melting in his arms. What was he doing to her?

Gowan ground his erection against her as he held her, and was rewarded by her soft moan. His hand moved over her at will, only settling when he found her breast. He rested his hand on it for a moment then squeezed gently, hearing her sigh in pleasure. He might have gone further with the seduction but she drew away and he dropped his hand, thinking that he might have offended her in some way, but Minna was not offended.

In the few moments of their connection, Minna had been so aroused that she was afraid of how far she would let him go. She might even have let him take her virginity and ruin her marriage prospects, so for her own protection, she stepped back, breathing heavily. It was the most difficult thing she had ever had to do.

"I am so sorry," Gowan said again, and this time he ran his hand through his glorious hair, unimpeded by his hood, while his brown eyes, now almost black with desire, gazed at Minna sorrowfully. "You - you are so lovely, and I behaved like an animal. It will not happen again." He turned away and began to stack wood on the fire.

Minna watched him for a few seconds, then went to the door and undid the bolt.

"Where are you going?" Gowan asked suddenly, straightening up.

"To relieve myself," Minna replied, before stepping outside. Gowan, listening to the gale outside, decided to go after her if she was not back in a few moments, since it was not unheard of for trees to fall in very high winds.

She came back a short while later, though, but her hair had been blown into tangles by the wind. Since it was falling into her eyes, she had to disentangle it, but she had no comb, so she began to do the job with her fingers. It was painful and slow, and there was a whole section at the back that she could not manage to reach, so she eventually gave up in frustration.

That was when she felt another set of fingers pulling through her tangled locks, and gradually she felt the knots being teased out with great gentleness. Then her scalp was being massaged firmly, making her shiver with delight.

"Thank you," Minna said, when Gowan had finished. "I have the feeling you have done that before."

"Not for a long time," he said, and Minna heard a smile in his voice. "My mother used to do it to me when I was a little boy and insisted that I should learn, so I practiced on her. She said ladies loved it."

"She was right," Minna said, chuckling.

Gowan turned her back to face him, and for a moment Minna thought he was going to kiss her again, and her heart began to race.

Seeing the expression on her face, he rushed to reassure her. "I will not trouble you again, Minna," he murmured.

"What if I want you to?" she asked teasingly.

Gowan raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Me? Minna, you can have any man you want. Don't waste your time on me. Look at me." He rested his fingertips on his scars for a moment, looking down at Minna's firm, full lips which he longed to kiss again. He would not allow himself to though.

"Why do you think so little of yourself?" Minna asked him in frustration. "You are a handsome man, Gowan, and one little scar will not change that, but don't you think it's what is inside that counts?"

He nodded. "You are right, of course." Then he sighed. "I must go out hunting again, but I am worried about leaving you here alone."

Minna stared at him, frowning. "Why?"

"Because if your brother or any of his men come looking for you they may find both this place and you." he replied heavily.

"Why should they come looking for me if they think I am dead?" Minna asked. "Even if Jamie thought otherwise he still would not care. He has never loved me as a brother should love a sister. I have always just been there, of no particular use to him. If I marry he will have to provide a dowry and that does not sit well with him. No, I have been nothing but a burden to him. He will not care whether I am alive or dead as long as he is rid of me." Her voice was bitter.

They were silent for a while, then Gowan said: "I think it would be better if you stayed here and did not go to the castle. Please promise me you will not."

"I can't promise that," she replied. "And you have no right to ask that of me."

"Do I have the right to stop someone from killing themselves?" he demanded. "Or walking into a trap? Do I not have the duty to stop them?"

"You don't know if I am walking into a trap," Minna replied furiously. "When I am in the castle there will be many people there to protect me."

"And, as I think I said before, dozens of guards!" he pointed out. "All loyal to your brother!"

"I have ways of entering the castle that you don't even know about!" she replied hotly.

Gowan threw back his head and roared with laughter. "I was born in Cairndene Castle!" he reminded her. "I know every inch of it - probably better than you do, Minna Darroch! It is my home - my rightful inheritance, so please don't tell me I don't know it!"

His face was flushed with anger, and for a moment Minna was afraid of him, then he turned away. He poured himself a cup of ale and drank it in one draught without offering any to Minna. Then he tore off a hunk of the loaf of bread, which was now almost stale, and stuffed it in his mouth, before giving Minna one venomous glance and leaving.

As the door closed behind him, Minna heard the bolt on the outside click into place and felt a surge of fury rise up inside her. He obviously thought her very stupid! ‘Well,' she thought, ‘I am many things, but stupid is not one of them!'

She made the same simple breakfast as Gowan had, then set about breaking open the door, which took her less than a minute. She broke off a thick splinter of wood from one of the logs in the fireplace, inserted it into the gap in the door, then raised it so that the outside bolt lifted, allowing her to push the door open.

Minna took a last look around the little hut and smiled. Whatever happened to her now and in the future, she knew she would remember this tiny house with great fondness. She had experienced her first real kiss here, had woken for the first time in the arms of a man, and been treated with decency and even admiration. She had also encountered one of the most remarkable people she had ever met, who had introduced her to sensations she had never felt before. She was sorry to leave it.

Minna ventured outside into the howling wind, thinking regretfully of her newly-combed hair, and how upset Lorna would be if she could see her.

Lorna! Minna gasped as she realized how worried her friend would be.

In fact she would no doubt have come to the conclusion that Minna had died at the hands of her brother or was lying seriously injured somewhere. Lorna had a very vivid imagination.

Perhaps she thought that Minna had been injured by wild animals or taken by bandits. Minna knew the way Lorna's mind worked, and she knew that her friend would have thought of all of them by now, and had no doubt crafted some hideous nightmares about them.

For that reason she was even more determined to reach the castle and reassure her - if indeed she was still there, and if Jamie had not thrown her out by now. Lorna had no family and nowhere else to go. What would happen to her?

Minna plowed on, tormented by her thoughts, into the teeth of the gale, and soon she saw the castle looming over her as it sat at the top of the hill like a huge, ugly sentinel. She tried not to look at the loch, but her eyes were drawn to it anyway, and she stopped in her tracks, frozen with terror as she recalled fighting for her life in the depths of the frigid water.

With great difficulty she turned her gaze away and resumed the trek towards her destination. All of a sudden she saw a figure sitting on a rock, a little way away from the water, looking into it despondently.

"Lorna!" Minna cried.