Page 20 of Sighs of the Highland Wind
Kenna went to do her mother’s bidding, then sat down to play with Jennie, her rag doll. Jennie was her most precious possession, the only toy she had ever owned, and she loved her fiercely. Now she looked down at the little face with a frown.
“Somethin’ is goin’ tae happen today, Jennie, somethin’ bad. I know it.”
And something did. At midday three horsemen came riding through the field of oats, ruining the crop. They were all wearing black masks and were armed with swords. They swept into the house and?—
“Kenna! Kenna! Wake up!” a voice was hissing in her ear, and someone was shaking her so hard that she screamed.
She was so terrified that she was trembling all over, but in a few moments she had come back to reality and out of the nightmare. Gradually she emerged from her fear-filled stupor and into candlelight and the warm pressure of another human body next to hers. When she realized she was in no danger, she gave a deep sigh of relief and relaxed into the strong arms which were holding her.
She felt secure and safe suddenly with a steady, thudding heartbeat next to her ear and the smell of another living personin her nostrils. Kenna looked up into a pair of silver-grey eyes that gazed into hers.
“You are safe now,” Ewan said. “You were having a very bad dream. Do you remember it?”
Kenna took a deep breath and shook her head.
“No. I never do,” she replied sadly. “I only remember feeling frightened—very frightened—then I wake up screaming. I think something very bad happens, but I have no idea what it is.”
“I have heard of something like this before,” he replied. “Your mind keeps it from you because you are too afraid to face it, so it will not let you remember it. It happens all the time to soldiers in battle.”
Kenna nodded against him, then said, “These have been happening since I was four years old. I cannot remember a time without them. Sometimes I can go on for a long time without having one, and I think perhaps they have stopped, but they always come back. Then they are close together, and during those times I am scared to sleep.”
She began to pull out of his arms, but to her surprise, Ewan held on, tightening the embrace. She was about to ask him what he was doing, but the sight of his lips so close to hers triggered something inside her, and suddenly they were kissing.
Kenna froze at first, then tentatively moved her lips over his, touching, feeling, exploring. She was a complete novice at this, but she was enjoying her lesson immensely and was an enthusiastic pupil.
Kenna felt something happening to her body that she had felt only once before when she was altering Ewan’s trousers. Therewas heat and moisture between her legs and a pleasant fluttering that was becoming more and more insistent. She wanted something, but she did not know what it was. Yet she knew that only Ewan could give it to her.
Kenna jumped when he gently prised her mouth open with his tongue, but after a moment she began to imitate him, and the kiss became a passionate duel of lips and tongues. She had never felt anything like it. Was it always like this between a man and a woman? She moaned with pleasure and pressed her mouth to his even harder.
He was poised awkwardly with his knees on the floor and his body twisted around her on the bed, so Kenna reluctantly let him go and put her fingertips on her lips, which were still tingling.
He looks as stunned as I feel,she thought.
9
Halfway through the night, Maxwell was suddenly jerked awake by the sound of a scream. For a moment he was disoriented, not quite understanding where he was or where the sound was coming from. Then he looked up to see Kenna thrashing about on her bed, her limbs tangling up the bedclothes, her mouth open, and her face screwed up in anguish. He had never seen anyone in such pain before.
He tried to shake her awake gently to no avail. She was so lost in her nightmare that he had to shake her forcefully to bring her out of her tormented sleep. Then he wrapped his strong arms around her and allowed her to rest her head on his chest, next to the reassuring sound of his heartbeat.
When she opened her eyes, she seemed confused. Then, when she realized she was safe, she poured her heart out to him.
That was when he realized that Kenna was suffering just as much as he was, and his heart went out to her. However, it was not pity that made him kiss her.
When she tried to pull away from him, he realized that he could not let her go. Her lips were moist, slightly parted, and oh, so tempting. She was a servant, but he had held many noble ladies in his arms and none had felt like this woman. She was soft and pliant, but there was a strength about her that he could sense rather than feel.
Her green eyes were a little bewildered as he took her mouth, and for a tiny moment he thought that she was going to push him away, but when she had moved past her surprise, she began to answer him. It did not last long enough, but eventually they drew apart, and suddenly he felt ashamed.
“I am so sorry, Kenna,” he sighed, passing his hand over his eyes. “I should not have let that happen.”
“Why not?” she asked, puzzled. “Ewan, it was wonderful!”
“I took advantage of you,” he said dully. “It will not happen again.”
“I must have done something wrong,” Kenna said sadly, touching her lips.
“No, Kenna.” His voice was tender. “There is no right or wrong way of kissing, but I should not have thrust myself on you like that. It was wrong, and I should have known better. Goodnight.”
A few seconds later there was a soft knock on Kenna’s door. Without needing to be asked, Maxwell dived underneath Kenna’s bed and waited, trying to keep still and silent. His heart was thudding so hard that he was sure it could be heard by whoever was standing outside.
