Fraser 01 - Highland Legacy Read Online Free Page A

Highlander, and a patriot.”
    “Aye, the Frasers have long fought for—” A noise in the bushes caught his attention, and his head snapped around in the direction of the commotion. He studied the area and seeing no one, held out his hand in her direction. “Let me help you to stand. We’ve wasted enough time on idle chatter and dare not tarry any longer. While the two men who attacked you pose no threat, there is an English garrison camped not far from here, and a patrol could come along at any moment. I’ll escort you home, where they can tend to your needs, and then take my leave. I was supposed to meet someone at the Dunkeld Inn this morning, and am already late.”
    “Nay!” She shook her head and scooted back, widening the gap between them. She glanced down at her torn clothing. “I cannot go home like this. What will my father say?”
    “With English soldiers milling about, the Macmillan must be daft to let you out of his sight unescorted. If you were my daughter and had left the keep alone, I’d take you over my knee and paddle your arse.”
    A nd a lovely arse you have. He struggled to squelch his lascivious thoughts, but a man would have to be blind, or a eunuch, not to notice her luscious figure and captivating beauty.
    Her posture stiffened and she glared up at him. “I am not a bairn, and dinna need someone to tell me when, and where, I can go. I celebrated my saint’s day a fortnight ago. I’ve seen eight and ten summers, and am more than auld enough to marry and to make my own decisions,” she replied proudly.
    True, she’d already reached an age when most young women were married and heavy with child, but compared to his six and twenty summers, she was still a bairn, or so he tried to tell himself. Despite his effort to subdue his lustful thoughts, the defiant look in her eyes and proud jut of her chin made him smile.
    Cailin spoke the truth. She was not a child. Even at the tender age of eighteen, she had the body of a goddess. Soft wine colored wool clung to her body like a second skin. Cut low at the bodice, her simple formfitting gown accentuated a slender figure, high round breasts, and womanly curves that would drive any man wild with desire. Like fine porcelain, her skin was flawless—aside, from the sprinkling of freckles dusting her high, elegant cheekbones to the bridge of her delicately upturned nose.
    She wore her waist-length auburn hair—the color of an autumn sunset—tightly plaited and wrapped with thin strips of leather. Several stray strands bounced about her shoulders, while a few wavy locks framed her heart-shaped face. Freed, he was certain her tresses would flow like a river of silk down the center of her back.
    He plucked a dry leaf from her hair, and then another. He longed to run his fingers through her glorious mane. Does the soft nest of curls at the apex of her thighs match the splendor of that on her head? He grew hard, the ache in his groin intensifying to the point of pain. The thought of tasting her luscious lips, sampling her ripe round breasts, and discovering the color of the hair that guarded her nether region spurred a frenzy of lust and desire unlike anything he had ever known.
    He bit back a curse and tried to banish the vision of her soft supple body moving restlessly beneath him, his aching shaft buried to the hilt in the velvet warmth of her hot moist sheath, of her moaning with pleasure as he took her in long, slow strokes. He cursed again. If he did not stop this woolgathering, he would lose control and take her there, and now. You’re a grown man and not a randy lad . Robert awaits your return. All of Scotland is counting on you .
    “To wander the woods unprotected is dangerous folly. You should be more careful.”
    “I am a woman grown and dinna need your advice.”
    “That remains to be seen.” Before she could refuse him again, he grasped her hand, stunned when a strong jolt of energy surged between them. Judging by her sharp intake of