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  Wrong move. His deep blue-green eyes seemed to darken with concern as he spoke in the softest, richest of baritones with a thick, sensual Scottish lilt. Lynn nearly melted into a puddle at his words. He called her wee one. No one had ever called her little. Nope, she was far from petite and yet this hulk of a man thought she was small. Heat grew in her stomach and moisture pooled in her pelvis. Damn. He oozed sexual charm from every well-defined inch of him.

  Lynn struggled to clear her throat and find her voice, but somehow managed to eke out a single word. “Answers?”

  “Aye,” he said huskily as he inched closer to her face. “There be many questions starting with how ye taste.”

  His lips touched hers in a soft caress. This time when he reached to cup her cheek, she didn’t withdraw. Instead she leaned into it, living in the spontaneity of the moment. The tip of his tongue beckoned for entrance to her mouth with the skill of a well-practiced lover. But a lover of men, women or both? The idea fizzled the moment she parted her lips and returned his kiss. It truly didn’t matter as her nipples hardened in response and a coil of tension wound tight in her pussy.

  Lynn couldn’t resist. Being this close to him, she knew without a doubt he was the man from her dreams, the one who rescued her when she fell. At least he had in the dream if not in reality. From the feel of his heat surrounding her and the touch of his fingertips, she felt certain he had somehow reached out to her in the night and kept her safe and warm as she slept in the mouth of the cave. This she believed in her heart even if she didn’t know how he did it.

  For the first time in three years, she felt truly alive inside. Her body reacted to his touch, his taste and the sensual manipulation of his tongue with hers in a sultry dance that stimulated her senses. The man knew how to ignite a fire in a woman with simply a kiss and she couldn’t help but enjoy it.

  So caught up in the moment, she relaxed her arms from their shield positions and wrapped them around his waist, pulling him closer against her. Just for a second, she wanted to enjoy the feel of him before she’d do the sensible thing and end their kiss. Her nipples brushed his warm flesh, sending chills skittering along her spine. His strong fingers played the muscles of her back, trailing ever so softly downward until he grasped her bottom firmly in both hands, causing her to sigh against his lips. She liked the way he massaged her tush. The more he rolled her flesh in his hands, the wetter she became, and he hadn’t even touched her pussy.

  Something whispered she should stop, take a step back and regain her composure. But she was too far gone, ruled by the raw, passionate urges ripping through her core and driving her senses wild.

  The rub of his cock against her abdomen had her intensifying their kiss as she ran her hands up and down his back. Things were completely out of her command as she relinquished full control to desire. Her hands had a mind of their own, squeezing his tight ass. She couldn’t help but mimic the rocking motion of his hips against hers. Breaking from their kiss for air, she grappled for a moment of sanity. But he didn’t stop. He hoisted her against the rock wall, positioned her legs around his waist and entered her in one deep plunge.

  For a second he halted, placing kisses to her brow while his hands gently rubbed her thighs and bottom. Nuzzling her ear, he whispered, “Mi wee one, ye have mi out o’ control with need. I could no stop. Are ye all right or should we no continue?”

  He cupped her face in one hand while the other cradled her bottom as he held her pressed against the rock wall. The I-want-to-fuck-you-but-I’ll-stop-if-you-want-me-to look in his eyes tore at her heart. She’d never done anything like this before in her life. He filled her, stretching her, making her feel whole again, and she wasn’t about to stop the wonderful sensation, not now. She’d worry about the consequences later.

  Lynn maneuvered one arm around his neck while the other touched his cheek. She held his heated gaze and smiled. “Continue,” she said then gathered his lips in a kiss she hoped relayed her needs and wants. She moved her hips, encouraging him to pump that luscious cock in and out, increasing the tension of her impending orgasm. It didn’t take much to convince him she was okay and ready to fuck.

  When she licked his nipple, the growl that emanated from his throat tickled her to the center of her core. She had this gorgeous hunk on the edge and it thrilled her to know she’d done that to him. Pumping faster and faster in tune with him, Lynn’s insides tightened and her heart raced. At some point, she realized he’d pulled her away from the rock wall and held her weight fully in his arms while she rode him wildly. He held her as if she weighed nothing and that turned her on even more. Her breasts bounced, rubbing his chest. She held on to his shoulders, digging her nails into his skin, but he didn’t even seem to take notice. Instead, he met her beat for beat, filling her with his cock on every upward thrust until she finally came.

  Lynn screamed in ecstasy as the orgasm roared from deep within, sending moisture washing over his cock. But he wasn’t done. She gasped for air as he drove into her several more times until his juices released, combining with hers. The thrum of her inner muscles synced with the throb of his cock and coaxed her into another, yet less-intense orgasm. Never had that happened, ever. Lynn leaned into him, struggling to hang on, given the limp nature of her legs and arms. If he set her down now, she’d probably crumble into a pile on the ground.

  As far as Lynn was concerned, it may have been hard and fast, but it was mind-blowing to say the least. He held her until she urged her legs to move and wiggled them free of his loose grip and slid them down from his waist to stand. They trembled but she managed to make them work and kept herself from falling. Her gaze lowered to the magnificent appendage that had given her such a phenomenal experience. Then it hit her. She hadn’t even introduced herself. She’d just gone with the flow of desire and ridden this gorgeous hunk into sexual oblivion.

  Oh lordy, what had she done? He’d just woken from an extended nap locked in stone and she hadn’t even given him a chance to recuperate. Did he even remember what had happened that caused him to be turned to stone? Better yet, did he even know he’d been cursed into a stone statue for centuries? Perhaps he thought he’d simply awoken from a deep sleep to find a naked woman ready and willing for sex?

  Damn, what had she done?

  She’d acted like an out-of-control hormonal woman in the throes of lust, that’s what she’d done. Lynn couldn’t meet his gaze, though she felt his eyes on her. What was she going to say? Should she apologize for acting on impulse? Heat simmered in her cheeks.

  Guilt threatened to spoil the whole thing. Had she taken advantage of Padon? After all, he wasn’t her husband, her boyfriend or anything. He’d simply awakened from a curse with a hard-on. But didn’t the average man wake with “morning wood” most of the time? Lord knows Eddie had on many occasions. Eddie. Lynn’s heart sank. She’d just cheated on Eddie’s memory.

  She tried desperately to trample the growing double-dose of guilt by any means that came to mind. It wasn’t like her to jump the bones of a stranger, but she did love the spontaneity of what had just happened. In Eddie’s words, sex should be all about the moment. Take it whenever and wherever the mood strikes. A smile tickled her lips at the memory but was quickly doused. Spontaneity sex was meant to be with a spouse or loved one, not a complete stranger. Her conscience tossed shards of guilt into her gut, slicing her emotions into tiny shreds and sending them into a downward spiral. No matter how she dissected it, she’d cheated on her husband’s cherished memory and that was that.

  She stared at Padon’s feet, unable to find the right words to say to ease this awkwardness between them or help alleviate the sharp pain within her chest. She’d betrayed her loving husband’s trust. When his fingers attempted to lift her chin to look upon her face, she resisted until his words graced her ears.

  “Mi wee one, there be no shame in what we have done. Only joy and mutual pleasure.” He crouched until he was looking up into her face. The sincerity in his eyes melted her shame with his hon
est questions. “Did ye no reach your pleasure? Shall we try again until ye do?” A spark of mischief shone in his gaze and in the twist of his wicked grin, forcing her to smile in return.

  She’d reached her pleasure all right, twice. Lynn breathed deep, shaking off the momentary doubts that she’d attacked him, but it did nothing for the sinking feeling she’d somehow befouled her marriage vows. They were adults and adults had sex. Guilt over Eddie threatened her happiness, but looking at the sexual heat Padon’s gaze made her body react.

  Rolling her eyes, she knew she was going straight to the devil for the thoughts flicking through her brain. Lynn’s conscience battled the renewed lust and required that she at least start a conversation with him and help him adjust to his new world before ride two on the fuck-Padon-raw train. If she let that happen again. At the moment, she wasn’t sure it was a good idea that sex happened in the first place. She’d gotten caught up in the moment, the sexual spontaneity. She tried desperately to convince herself but wasn’t having much success.

  Besides… She sighed as Jasper’s words resurfaced. Padon wasn’t completely free. They needed to get him to Castle MacKinnon if they were to accomplish that feat and if what Jasper told her about the anti-curse was true, he’d return to stone at daybreak. That only gave them the night to travel.

  Lynn swallowed as she found her voice. She stood straight and did her best not to show her nervousness or the guilt that had taken root. “Padon, my name is Lynn Woodberry. I am from the state of Texas in America.”

  His brows bunched then he glanced around before returning his gaze to hers. “We are in Scotland, no?”

  “Yes,” she answered then smiled. “I came to Scotland to explore the rich spirit-filled culture of your people and the lands. I met a man named Travis Shain, who told me a vivid tale of a ghost who lingered in a cave within the Grampian Mountains. That’s how I met Jasper and he led me to you.”

  “Jasper.” The single word spoken from his lips seemed to make him remember something important. Padon’s gaze widened as he looked across the top of her head. The color drained from his face and Lynn knew before she turned that Jasper hovered somewhere near behind her.

  Padon instantly shielded her with his body as he faced the ghostly apparition that once was his friend. His voice shook first with what seemed to be disbelief then quickly switched to anger. “Ye be a ghost. How did this happen? Tell mi and I shall seek vengeance against their soul.”

  “’Tis a long tale, m’caraid.” His head shook sadly. “The lady be cold. This be a conversation best told beside a fire for her sake.”

  With that said, he disappeared. Padon gasped as he jerked backward from the sight, nearly stepping on her foot. Lynn suspected surprise, not fear, caused this reaction. Surprise at how his world had changed and was about to change even more.

  Chapter Four

  Wrapped in the deerskin blanket, Lynn sat beside the fire Padon built in the main entrance of the cave. It surprised her when he came out of one of the three rear tunnels with a large armload of wood. It seemed he and Jasper had stored a good bit of timber for firewood in there. Most had rotted over time but he managed to salvage enough to burn through the night if need be. For the moment, rain no longer poured buckets of water mixed with wind, but had slowed to a steady, windless downpour. Her clothes were neatly placed across rocks near the fire to dry.

  “Aye, Padon.” Jasper nodded, starting the conversation once they’d settled around the fire. “I be a ghost. Many years have passed since ye were cursed. The time is now ta set ye free.” Lynn heard the hitch in his voice as if he struggled to keep his composure. This was most difficult for Jasper.

  Padon stood and began to pace around the fire pit. His massive hand shoved through his hair, tugging it from his face. Confusion riddled his features. Knotting the towel tightly across her breasts and keeping the deerskin blanket draped across her shoulders so together these items covered all of her, Lynn closed the distance between them and took his hand. Hers looked so tiny in his strong one and she sensed he could break every bone if he decided to close his hand tight enough around hers.

  Her insides quaked in his presence. His heat surrounded her as she stepped forward until mere inches separated them. Stretching upward, she brushed a determined strand of hair from his eyes and smiled.

  “Padon.” Lynn paused. She liked his name and wished she knew its meaning. “There is much you need to know. But most of all, you have to understand the curse you suffered has lasted for over two hundred years. The man that placed it is dead, but his descendant lives on, carrying a deadly hate within his soul.”

  “MacGillivray,” he spoke on a venom-filled whisper.

  “Aye,” Jasper confirmed, which caused Padon’s gaze to lift from hers and stare across her head at Jasper, who had moved to stand behind Lynn. Padon stepped around Lynn to face Jasper.

  He looked around before he spoke. “I was no here when MacGillivray attacked. Ye brought mi ta the hunting cave.”

  Jasper simply nodded. Padon’s brows pursed as he stared at Jasper. “Ye did no cross over ta the Garden o’ Angels. Why? Why do ye still linger?”

  “I gave Akira mi oath o’ protection.” Jasper’s chin tilted and his shoulders squared. Lynn noted he stood several inches shorter than Padon and wasn’t as broad but he wasn’t a small man by any means. No, he held his own in his time, she bet.

  Padon circled Jasper then stood to face him again. “Ye swore an oath o’ protection with mi piuthar. Ta protect her?”

  “Ye king’s jester,” Jasper snapped. “Ye and I both know Akira needed no protection. The oath was ta protect ye from the wrath o’ MacGillivray. He found out about the anti-curse and realized he made a fatal mistake. If anyone spoke it, the MacKinnon brathairs would live at night but no by day. It was a chance o’ revenge he could no take so he placed a bounty on the statues. They were ta be destroyed so ye would never be freed.”

  “And nay one soul spoke the words ta free mi until now.” Padon’s tone sounded perplexed. “Why? Why not free mi and mi brathairs so we could seek vengeance on MacGillivray?”

  Jasper floated around him, making Padon’s head turn to follow his path. “Akira kept the anti-curse ta herself. She said it be only half a life and no fair ta her brathairs. She gave each o’ ye ta different trusted clans who swore an oath ta hide ye until thy path ta total freedom could be found.”

  “Freedom has been found?” Padon questioned.

  “Aye.” Jasper nodded. “But we need ta get ye ta Castle MacKinnon ta learn it.”

  As if fate had another nasty card to play against them, the storm took a turn for the worse. Lightning brightened the night sky. Thunder roared like an outraged lion. Gale-force winds and driving rain switched into high gear, making it too dangerous to travel, so it was decided to wait it out even if it meant staying another day in the cave. Silence fell between them. Lynn moved closer to the fire and snuggled deeper into the deerskin. Words escaped her. She didn’t know what to do or say so she didn’t do anything but be there for him if he chose to talk.

  Padon absently poked at the flame-licked logs with a long stick. His expression gave away nothing of his thoughts but Lynn figured the story Jasper had shared with him had to weigh heavy upon him. When he wasn’t squatted beside the fire, he paced like a caged animal. Lynn knew he had to be trying to sort things out for himself. He’d fallen to a curse trying to save his family only to wake in a cave centuries later. That had to be hard to digest, so she understood the long period of silence. It had to be his way of handling it. So she waited until he was ready to discuss it with someone. Then she’d do her best to help.

  She stood and gathered her clothes. They were finally dry. Her boots were still a bit damp so she left them where they were beside the heat. She walked into the back tunnel out of view. Light filtering from the fire made it possible for her to see as she dressed. Coolness coated her flesh and she knew Jasper hovered behind her. It didn’t matter that she stepped into her panties an
d jeans in front of him. She knew he wasn’t looking at her and his words confirmed it.

  “Do ye think he will forgive mi?” Though his voice was hardly above a whisper, she heard him easily.

  “Forgive you for what? You did nothing wrong.” Lynn pulled on her shirt over her bra then turned to face him. Sadness wafted from him and unlike Padon’s, Jasper’s face hid nothing.

  “I was not there ta save him.”

  “Give him time to think things through. I doubt he harbors any anger toward you.” Lynn did her best to console the deeply distraught ghost.

  “Time be something I no longer have.” His head hung low as it shook.

  “I don’t understand,” Lynn said. Confusion pursed her brow. “You’re a spirit, you have nothing left but time.”

  “Nay. Padon be free. Mi duty here be done. Angels call mi home. Time draws near for mi ta join them in the garden.”

  Jasper was leaving. Lynn opened her mouth to ask more questions about the afterlife and how to make contact, but swallowed her selfish thirst for knowledge. Now was not the time to ply Jasper for information he had avoided giving earlier. He needed closure and she planned to make sure he got it before he crossed over.

  “Now I think I understand the part of your riddle about the quiet son.” Lynn changed the subject, trying to uplift Jasper’s spirits. If he didn’t have long to linger, she wanted to make his last hours here enjoyable and she couldn’t do that without Padon’s participation.

  Jasper snorted. “Aye. Padon never be one ta talk about his troubles. He held them close ta the heart.”

  “I can see that. But I think he’s had time enough to mull it over. Let’s see if we can convince him to talk.” Lynn’s patience had worn thin. Sitting around watching Padon and Jasper avoid each other hadn’t been fun. It tore her up inside knowing what she did about Jasper’s feelings. She didn’t wait for Jasper’s reply. It was lost in the air behind her. That Jasper didn’t have much time meant Padon’s brooding session was over in her book.