Hannah & The Highlander [Book 1 in the time travel series]

Chapter Ten: Magic Moments

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Copyright © 2013



Chapter Ten: Magic Moments



@Hannah's P.O.V.@



At the end of the day I was sore in places I had no idea could get sore. I fought to ignore the aching cry of my body, and the gloating look that Cailen was giving me. I marched up to the castle, wincing with every step. God, I hadn't done so much work since . . . ever! On my way in I bumped into Eileen, who offered me a warm smile.



"Good evenin', ma'lady," Eileen said her rugged Scotish accent.



"Hey, Eileen," I said, flashing her a warm smile, my eyes falling on the bundle of clothes in her arms. "What's all that?"



A scowl appeared on her face as she hefted the pile closer to her chest.



"That chit, Caitriona, has gone off an' disappeared. An' now I am the one woo has ta clean up her mess!"



My memory reverted back to the stunning girl. She hadn't looked like the type to ditch her chores.



"Do you want help?"



Eileen turned her scowl on me, shaking her head tersely.



"Ye need not concern yerself with servants' work, ma'lady."



I opened my mouth to protest, but was interrupted by Douglas, who came charging jollily from around the corner.



"Well now!" Douglas thundered in his thick accent, beaming from Eileen to me. "Wot's this? Ma lass, ye should be gettin' ready for sup."



I squinted up at the burly man, trying to gauge what in the world he'd just said. His accent was so hard to understand sometimes!



"Dinner? Um, I figured I'd just eat in my room . . . ."



"Nae!" Eileen said furiously. "You will sup with the laird and the rest of the clan. Ye've been bed ridden since ye arrived and some socializing will do you good."



Suddenly I felt as if Eileen were my mom. It was a very mom sort of thing to say. Though my own mother would have just told me flat out to stop moping and get to dinner.



With a sigh, I headed up the endless spire of stairs, towards the room that Cailen had appointed as mine, asking pointedly that I try and avoid setting this one on fire. Hardy, har, har.



This room was just like my first with a huge feather stuffed, four poster bed, complete with a canopy with rudy, burgundy drapes. Tapestries and a mahogany wardrobe filled with dresses, blouses and skirts, along with some tartans with the MacBain clan colors. I frowned at the selection before me. What did a girl in the twelfth century wear to dinner with an insanely hot laird?



A gentle knocking on my door made me pause in my thinking process.



"Yeah?"



"M'lady, Eileen sent me to assist you in getting ready for dinner," came a lilting, timid voice from the other side of the wall.



"Oh, uh, come in?" I said unsure of what else to do.



The door opened to reveal a girl about my age, her dark hair tumbling around her shoulders, her eyes like twin stars twinkling. I offered her a friendly smile, motioning her to come closer.



Cautiously, she entered. She stared at me like I was some sort of anomaly. It made me squeamish and a little bit pissed at the same time. Lately I'd been on the receiving end of a lot of these looks. They always looked away when they realized I was onto them.



I move aside, gesturing to the armoire with a helpless shrug.



"Sorry, where I come from there aren't as extravagant choices of dresses when it comes to dinner. Honestly, I can't tell the back from the front."



"'Tis all right, ma'am," the girl said as she made a beeline for the closet. She pawed through the dresses for a moment, studying each with a critical eye, before selecting one, and presenting it to me. "The Persian blue would set off yer eyes, ma'am, and bring out yer complection," the girl said showing off the dress to me.



I studied it critically. It wasn't Coco Chanel or Gucci, but it was pretty. The gown had a wide 'V' neck, with beads sewed around the neckline, and down the bodice, a high waist and long sleeves with a sort of ivy pattern on the fabric. I nodded my approval and together we set about getting the stupid thing on me.



"So, what's your name?" I asked as I stepped inside the dress, fishing my arms through the sleeves.



"Ma name is Daisy, ma'am," the girl said as she began to do up the strings at the back. "I come from the clan of the McGregor."



It felt like I was being chocked. My rib cage pressed forcibly against my organs, and boobs were suddenly just, you know, there. Like in my face. Even in the freaking twelfth century women could dress slutty!



"I'm Hannah. I'm from the clan of . . . America," I said with a wry grin that was lost on Daisy.



"If ye'll permit me, ma'am, I can dress your hair for you," Daisy offered already diving for the hair brush and bejeweled pins.



Once we both relaxed a bit, we each began to open up. I learned that Daisy had three brothers back in McGregor lands, she loved riding and she held Cailen akin to some kind of epic hero. Once Daisy got going, she didn't stop for air. She was an enthusiastic chatter box of jubilant joy. She talked as she twisted and braided my hair with knowing hands. I smiled and nodded, making slight inquiries and laughing at the things her brother had done as kids. I felt a budding friendship beginning between us.



"Ah, Miss Hannah, ye look like an angel, you do!" she said as she tucked the final twisting braid into place.



She thrust a mirror in my face, causing me to jerk back in surprise. I laughed, partially at her enthusiasm and partially at my reaction. I took the mirror and gazed at my reflection, my mouth falling open in surprise.



"Whoa."



There was no way that the girl looking back at me in the hand mirror could be me. She was . . . stunning. Her blond hair was swept up in complex braids that coiled into circles that were kept in place by the pearl and diamond studded pins. I looked away, making my way towards the large mirror that hung on the stonewall opposite us. The whole effect made my head spin. The dress hugged my every curve and seemed to amplify them. The teenage girl was gone and a grown woman stared at me, the fear and wonder that was roiling in my stomach clear in her eyes.



"The laird will be speechless, Miss Hannah," Daisy said smugly, her voice filled with pried. "All the men will be."



I laughed, as I ran a trembling hand over the skirt of the dress, relishing the rich, velvety texture between my fingers. I tried to imagine what Cailen would say when he saw me. Would he compliment me? Tell me I look pretty? Or would he glower with disapproval with that signature Cailen green eyes.



Suddenly, I was more nervous than I had ever been in the last sixteen, nearly seventeen, years of my life. And I knew exactly who to thank.



@Cailen's P.O.V.@



Music swelled, laughter rang and the clinging and clanging of dishes and silverware filled the Dinning Hall. The festivities were in full swing, Cailen's clans people were talking animatedly, their jovial tones ringing above the up beat, lively tune that the musicians had chosen to play. Cailen sat at the head of the table, gulping from a chalice filled with sweet summer mead that trickled down his chin and numbed his senses. Aye, it was a grand night.



It was good and fulfilling to see his people so happy and care free, smiles plastered widely on their faces instead of constant frowns.



Suddenly the music ceased, and the chatter came to a deafening silence. Cailen snapped to attention, his keen, green gaze following his to the object of the crowds blatant curiosity. Cailen tensed, his eyes going wide, and a look of undisguised shock and awe over came his beautiful features. Was he dreaming? Or, perhaps, been struck dead by poison, because surely he must be in heaven, to be in the presence of such an angel.



Golden hair pinned up, the small gems set in its flaxen tresses winking like the night sky's stars, the blue of her gown embellished her crystalline eyes, the article of clothing hugged her hourglass waist, and brought her prefect small breasts as offerings. It took a moment for Cailen to recognize her, for the wave of awe inspired lust that boiled in his blood, and causing his heart to race was blinding his senses. His eyes wavered to her face and a jolt of realization rocked through him with the force of a lightning strike. It was Hannah.



"Hannah," he breathed, as if her name were a sacred prayer, older than the hills themselves.



As though she heard him, Hannah's gaze sought his, a smile filled with warmth and an unfamiliar shyness met his.



Sweet, lord. Who was this lass? What had she done with the bullheaded hell-cat that had set his tower ablaze? The transformation was shocking, and absolutely tantalizing. It was not as though Cailen had been oblivious to the lass's loveliness, but to have it out on display for all of his clan to see . . . to have his men see . . . was unsettling. Angering.



Before Cailen was aware of what he was doing, he had thundered towards Hannah, snatched her up firmly-but not ungently-by the wrist and was dragging her away from the oglers of the dinning hall.



"Hey!" Hannah jerked hard on her captured wrist, twisting and turning, trying to break Cailen's iron like grip.



Cailen ignored her protests until he found themselves away from the dinning hall. He gazed around, the courtyard garden was vacant, nothing but the soft song of the crickets could be heard over the harsh rapid rasps of Cailen's abored breathing. What had he just done? Why had he done what he did? He had no real claim on this girl. So what was it? Doug's words replayed through his mind, like a never ending soundtrack.



Did he love Hannah? Or was it a curious infatuation? Or something as simple as lust?



"Cailen! What the hell is wrong with you?!"



Hannah's sudden out burst was enough to shake Cailen free of his trance. He finally looked down at her, really looked at her, for until this night he had been too much of a cowardly cad to look at the lass. He could no longer afford such luxuries.



He took her in, not just the physical beauty that stood before him, which was polished all bright and shinny. But, beyond that, to her soul, to the emotional core of her being that made her Hannah. She was honest to the point of foolishness, she was the most hardheaded lass he had ever known, she had a natural light that eradicated the dark clouds that loomed over him with just a look or a smile. She was brave, honorable and unlike any of the women he had known in his nineteen years.



A near pleasure-pain began swelling in his chest as he gazed at her. And just like that Cailen's world began to crumble to bits.



Cailen loved her.



Shite.



@Hannah's P.O.V.@



I stared up at Cailen, meeting his steady green gaze that had the strange ability to send my heart racing. A silence weighted on us, the flames of my anger ebbing to the mere subtle glow of dying embers. Suddenly mood, the air, everything seemed to just shift. Suddenly the air between us was electrified, filled with a million watts of pent up energy and tension. My stomach rolled, the butterflies at once came to life under the intensity of his emerald eyes.



Suddenly, the space between us was gone, our bodies just a breath away from touching in the most intimate way. Cailen's hand came up, his fingers trailing an electrical path a cross the curve of my shoulder, up the sensitive slope of my neck and along the line of my jaw, his thumb lightly brushing across my lower lip. A shiver radiated through my body, my blood beginning to heat with the slight, but sensual touch. I gazed up at him, the marooned feeling inside me, the sense of being loss and having no idea where to go, showing in my eyes. Never, ever had any boy made me feel the way Cailen did just then, so beautiful, so complete, so . . . right.



"Hannah, my Hannah," he whispered softly, his words hitting me squarely in the heart.



I was his Hannah. And for some strange reason the claim sent a paroxysm of joy through me. It sounded natural. Perfect. Right.



"Cailen," I pleaded, his name a simple expression of wonder, of hope. Conveying the strange and unfamiliar feelings that he could bring to life inside of me.



Slowly, as if drawn we were being together by some old, universal force, our lips brushed slightly, sending a torrent of emotions tearing through me, making my knees go weak in the Hollywood romance sort of way. My hands gripped Cailen as if he were my only lifeline amid the choppy sea of sensation I found myself lost in. Under my hands I could feel Cailen's heart beating with a ferocity that matched the mad galloping pace that my own had set to.



We gazed at each other in wonder for a moment, suspended in time. Then, like waves crashing against the shore, we came together,blowing ourselves completely. This kiss was meant to devour, to claim and conquer. Our mouths worked together, tasting and teasing. I felt his tongue brush mine, a fire inside me sparking to life. We battled; lips, teeth and tongues, the two of us unwilling to be the first to break away.



This kiss was magic. This moment was pure perfection. Reluctantly we drew away, drinking in the sweet night air filing our parched lungs. Cailen growled as his mouth came across my forehead, placing sweet kisses on my eyelids, my warm cheeks, my chin, my nose. He kissed me senseless. His hands wandered, mesmerizing my shape as if this was the last time we would ever touch. His close proximity consumed, I was drunk off his kisses and his intoxicating scent.



"Cailen," I said, reluctant to speak but I had to be the sensible one, because obviously, he wasn't thinking very clearly right now. "We have to stop. Like, now."



With a groan, Cailen drew away, but he kept his hands on my waist, as if trying to keep me from running.



"Forgive me, lass," he said, his voice ragged and husky; it was pure sexiness. "I dinna bring you out here to attack ye so."



I laughed unsteadily, blushing a deep scarlet. "I wouldn't call it that. I . . . I wanted you to do it."



Cailen's eyes snapped up, meeting mine. I chewed nervously on my bottom lip, fighting the urge to run away, and shove my head in a hole like an ostrich.



"I know ye did, love. But it was still uncouth of me ta act with such rashness. We are nae betrothed or courting. It was improper, and I hae nae wish to endanger your innocence."



I snorted. "Please, Cail, you don't have to worry about that. You aren't my first kiss."



Cailen's entire attitude changed with the flick of a wrist. His eyes lost their smoldering green flames, and a spark familiar jealousy took root.



"Is that so? Just how meany lads have had the pleasure of sampling the nectar of yer lips?"



I had to grin at his words. He could be so poetic for a supposed barbarian.



"One. And it was a stupid mistake. Like kissing a dead fish." I joked, wanting to ease Cailen's bruised ego.



"It inflames me to think of another man having touched. I was jealous that my men had seen you as you were. More beautiful than an angel. Like a fair, ethereal deity come to earth. I couldn't standby and see my man lust after the woman I-" Cailen fell silent, averting his gaze to the cobble stones at our feet.



"Come on, finish the sentence. 'The woman I . . .'?" I teased, but inside I was a jumble of anxiety and nerves.



"The woman I love." Cailen said at last his eyes meeting mine, "I love ye, Hannah. I believe I hae since the day ye came to the castle talking about crazy nonsense. Ye've stolen my heart, lass."



Oh.

___________________________Author's Note_____________________________

Ahh!!!!!!!!! They kissed! And it only took them ten chapters!!! I am so happy I could keep my promise! Everything's a roller coaster of drama here on out! I am a little worried I'm not portraying the emotions correctly or if the story doesn't flow quite right. Any way COMMENT!!!! FAN!!!! VOTE!!!! I hope everyone enjoyed this installment!

Bye and hugs to everyone!