Page 64 of Her Highland Prophecy
The thought of Gordain marrying some unnamed woman sent a stab of pain through her chest, though he seemed fairly content to spend his time with her at the moment. He would most likely wait until she was back in her time before starting to look for a new bride.
That was assuming she was able to go home at all.
She looked back over to Eleanor, who gave her a curious look and tried to wipe her face clean of the emotions she knew she was broadcasting loudly to everyone who cared to look at her.
“Gordain!” Bhaltair’s loud voice echoed over the chatter in the hall.
Diana and Eleanor turned to see him entering the hall from one of the side doors with a large smile. Gordain waved him over with a laugh and the two men clasped arms, briefly pounding on each other’s shoulder with their free hands.
Diana smiled at the easy camaraderie between the two men. Both of her parents were only children and their grandparents had long passed away, so she and Grace had grown up with only each other to rely on. Here there were multiple siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles and some relations many, many times removed where the family tree was so convoluted that she could no longer keep track.
“And Diana!” Bhaltair exclaimed as he caught sight of her. “Where has me cousin been hiding ye today, Lass?”
“None of yer concern, ye clot heid,” Gordain said with a light cuff to his head. Bhaltair dodged it neatly.
“Ye are getting slow in yer old age,” he taunted Gordain. Diana and Eleanor giggled at their antics.
Bhaltair took a seat at Eleanor’s other side and served himself some food.
“Where is yer husband, Ellie?” Gordain asked his sister when they were all settled.
“Don’t call me Ellie,Gordy,” his sister retorted. “And Seamus had to return home to tend to the farm. The bairns are with Isobeail. She is watching the wee ones this evening.”
“He works too much,” Bhaltair said.
“Better he work too much than he nay work at all,” Eleanor said with a pointed look at her cousin.
“Ye wound me, Cousin,” Bhaltair said. “Ye ken that I work with all the merchants in the area for the Clan.”
“Aye, I ken that. But I also ken that ye were a lazy bastard when ye were a bairn.”
“That was a long time ago,” Bhaltair said defensively. “I have grown since then.”
Eleanor rolled her eyes. Diana loved the dynamic between all of them. She could just imagine Eleanor as a bossy young girl, trying to get the boys to do what she wanted. It was an amusing image.
Dinner continued in much the same manner and Diana soaked up every little bit of it but did not participate much. They all seemed to know each other so well that she often did not understand the joke, and by the time they tried to explain to her it had lost its appeal.
But Gordain looked happy and that was all that mattered. His green eyes sparkled with mirth in the brightly lit room, his laugh washing over her every so often.
At some point during dinner she felt his hand settle on her leg. Startled, she looked down to find his palm face up near her knee. She looked up at his hopeful expression and quietly slipped her hand into his. He squeezed her hand gratefully and they spent the rest of their meal with their hands clasped together.
“Will ye come with us to the kailyard on the morrow then?” Eleanor asked her when they stood up to leave.
“I’d love to,” she replied. “Early in the morning?”
Eleanor nodded. With a quick goodnight to everyone, they exited the room, her hand still safely hidden in Gordain’s.
They did not rush to return to their beds. Gordain took advantage of every deserted corridor, every half-hidden alcove and corner to press scorching kisses to her lips.
She was not innocent of blame either. She gave as good as she got, leaving both of them breathless and panting by the time they arrived outside of their rooms.
With a quick glance up and down the corridor, Gordain pressed her back against the stones next to her door, but unlike the last time they had been there, this time he was not stopping and she was not pulling away from him. Instead, Diana pushed one hand into his hair as his lips met hers in a move that was quickly becoming familiar to her.
They spent long moments kissing in the empty hallway, their lips parting and then coming back together again and again. Already she was familiar with the feel of his lips on hers and the touch of his hands on her body as if they had been kissing for years, rather than a few hours. It just seemed natural.
She didn’t know what she would do when it came time for her to leave, but she almost didn’t care anymore. Come what may, they would have this time together, no matter how short it may seem.
She pulled on his shoulder causing him to press her more firmly against the stone wall, his arousal pressing hard against her belly. She still marveled at the feeling. Even though he was not the first man she had felt, he was the first one who had ever mattered to her. When she had felt him against her as he hovered over her near the lake she couldn’t help the pride she felt at evoking such a reaction in him.
