Page 40 of The Iron Highlander
“I refuse to believe that, Kate. I willnae let ye go back to that madman ye call yer uncle. He did this to my home, left my maither in the state she is in, took Lily, and now, is about to take ye from me. Kate, I cannae allow that. Never.”
“What will happen then? I willnae lose Lily either, so unless ye are telling me that ye have found my sister, then let me go!” Kate yelled, shoving Reuben backwards.
“Kate,” said the Laird, but Kate crashed against his chest, sobbing and shoving as she cried.
She had held it in for so long, and now all of the tears had come out, making her feel the weight of it all at once. She had tried to be strong for so long, but she just could not handle it any more. Everything was falling apart, and it felt as though she was choking, drowning in so much. She let her body go soft against his own, allowing her to rest on the laird. Kate did not notice when she passed out and fell asleep.
Chapter 20
Reuben stayedout with her until he was certain she was asleep. He felt sleep come as well, but it was no time for him to fall asleep. Hudson had come to find him, but he waved his best friend away, as he wanted to be alone with her. Kate had taken on so much, and with Lily gone, she had blamed herself for it all. Reuben did not blame her, he blamed her uncle, the man who thought that burning down his home in order to get to his nieces would be a nice play. He was going to do something about that, he would see to it personally.
Kate’s sobs began to die down slowly, and once he was certain she was asleep, he moved his hands under her, lifting her from the floor and taking her into one of the rooms his servant had made for him to sleep in. It was the furthest from the fire, and had not been affected by it. His mother had been moved into Kate’s room, and so the other was left for him. But Reuben had declined it, deciding to stay out with his servants who were spending the night out in their makeshift tents.
He put her down on the bed and brought the covers up on her. He sat next to her, staring out at the building from the window. The entire side of building had been blacked out by the smoke, and by the time the sun was up, they would see the true extent of the damage. But Reuben knew that as long as they were all fine, they would always be able to rebuild, always be able to repair things. But for now, he had to get some rest.
The Laird looked up at the night sky in the distance and saw the stars as they twinkled above him. With Grear weakened from the flames, the full responsibility of the estate fell to him. He would have to protect his home once again, just as his father had done before him. Reuben stared at a single star in the distance, recalling his father’s voice from the last time he saw the man. He shut his eyes for a moment, and found himself drifting off to sleep as well. With exhaustion creeping in, soon Reuben was asleep in a chair next to Kate.
His eyes parted open as he heard a sound near him, and he reached for his sword quickly when he realized he did not recognize the room. But then he spotted Kate who had woken up, and remembered that he was in a different room from his own. Kate turned to look at him with sadness in her eyes. In the window behind her, the first signs of dawn were beginning to appear, and he knew exactly what it meant. Lily would be waking up at the McGowan house, with a sadistic man looking to do as he pleased with her.
“Kate,” said Reuben, sheathing his sword.
Kate stayed silent on the bed, staring out the window. Reuben walked over to her, seating on the bed next to her and holding her shoulders, pulling her back into him. She relaxed, as she wanted the comfort. She had been strong for so long, and now she needed someone who would take the weight off. Reuben could tell, and he knew he had to be the one to do that. He had to take the weight off and that would mean bringing Lily back to her, one way or another.
“Lily never did anythin’ to anybody. Nae one time. Nae even when Max would hit her, or yell at her. She forgave him, and would bring him food, and would help him out with some of his sewing. She wasnae a rebel like the rest of us. Now, to think that it would be taken away from her.”
Reuben gritted his teeth and looked out the window as well, stroking Kate’s arms gently. “I swear to ye, we will get yer sister back. We will.”
“How?” Kate asked, her voice dreamy as they watched the slowly brightening sky in the distance.
“I’ll find a way. I will go to Max, and we will talk, as men, and I will bring yer sister back, one way or another,” said Reuben.
“Max will have ye killed the moment he realizes that ye are there,” Kate replied. “He isnae a kind man, Reuben.”
“And I am nae a frail warrior. If it means taking down the house of the man who tried to kill my maither, then let it be so. If I findLily, I will take her, and then bring down his entire household on his head, as he attempted to do mine.”
Kate shook her head, “Nae all of the people at the McGowan estate are like that, Reuben some of them have been forced to do as they are now, as Max would punish and even kill any of them who refuses him in even the slightest manner.”
“I see,” said Reuben, pondering in silence. He knew that his real target would be Max himself. If the man decided not to be civil, then it would be up to him to put the man in his place. It was not something which he had done in a while, but there would be lives at stake, and he would have to draw blood once more.
Kate turned around after a moment and stared up at his eyes. Reuben watched her for a moment, and could see the tears which were doing their best not to fall free. Before he could speak, he heard her whisper a thank you to him, and she moved forward, pressing her lips against his. The laird did not expect a kiss, and tensed up for a moment, before relaxing again as she continued to kiss him. After a moment, she pulled away, staring into his eyes again.
Reuben felt his body call out to hers. He had her in his embrace already, and could feel her warmth against his chest and watched as her chest heaved, her breathing getting faster and faster. She wanted him, in that moment, and Reuben wanted her too. The fact that the fire could have claimed either one of them rang out in their minds. Kate was elated that he was alive and unhurt, and the fact that she almost lost him made her want thelaird even more. If they could not be together at that point, what other time would be available?
Their lips collided once again, and this time, they abandoned all reservations as they fought for more. Kate felt her tongue wrestle against his as the lairds’ hands crept around her clothes, groping at her through her nightdress. Kate let out low moans as she felt her body beg her for more.
Reuben allowed his kisses to trail down her neck and the swell of her chest. She leaned into him as his kisses tried to find their way through her clothes. She grabbed his head, urging him on. Reuben wanted her, so badly, so madly. He reached behind her back, undoing the ropes which held the dress to her body, and leaned back to watch as she pulled the sleeves down her arms. Reuben lunged at her, pushing her backwards to the bed as his mouth went over her supple breasts, sucking on them with renewed gusto.
As he sucked and licked with one hand, the other hand fondled her nipple on the other side, driving Kate wild with pleasure. She moaned loudly, enough that anyone walking by the room would easily hear her. But Reuben did not care, he could not think of anything else. He wanted her, and the passion she showed told him that she wanted him with just as much haste as he did. Her hand went between his thighs, rubbing him gently as he continued administering his oral ministrations to her chest. He sucked and flicked with his tongue, rubbing lightly for a few seconds before coming down on her again.
She grabbed his hair and pulled his head up, their eyes meeting in the light of dawn. Reuben looked into her eyes and saw that she was willing to take him, she bit her lip for a moment, and then kissed him passionately, before pushing his head back. She guided him past her chest and further down, just between her legs. Reuben grabbed her thighs and parted her most sacred orifice, and with his fingers and tongue, he made love to her. Kate shook as immense waves of pleasure wracked her body. Each motion of the laird made her feel alive.
Rueben felt himself urged on by her moans, and found his heart racing. She reached down and began fondling with his shirt, doing her best to take it off. He paused for a moment and took it off, and she reached for his trousers as well, and that came off. Then she pulled his head back into her for him to continue pleasuring her. She locked her thighs around his head and pulled him in, grabbing the sheets as Reuben moved more and more, firmer and faster, with persistence and passion, feasting on her.
Kate felt as though she was going to explode. Every nerve in her body had come alive, and now, with nothing held back, it felt even more intense than the last time. Every place he touched her felt warm and cared for, begging for more, pleasing her gently. As her legs wrapped around his head, she reached out as she felt her body tighten up, a sign that she was getting closer to the peak. She grabbed the sheets, trying to quieten her moans, but it was more pleasure than she could contain behind her quivering lips.
She urged the laird on, drawing him in more and more, moving his head with her hands, making him go faster and faster, bringing her to the edge of the tightrope which she walked. She held on as long as she could, and then it snapped. Her thighs tightened and her body bucked, locking against the sides of his head. Kate arched her back upwards as she gasped and shuddered violently as she had a body shaking orgasm. The pleasure came in intense waves, causing her to spasm for a few moments. Reuben managed to get free of her thighs, and moved up on her, holding her still.
When she had managed to relax, she locked eyes with him again. She reached down and felt him, knowing how much she wanted this. She kissed him again as she gently massaged him, nibbling his lip gently. Reuben paused for a moment, staring at her. She could tell that he was cautious as well, and was giving her a moment to make sure. Even there, when he had her where every man could want her, Reuben was still trying to do right by her. She wanted that, a man who would respect her like that.
