"You had better move, lass," one woman called. "He's coming for ye, and if he catches you…" Peals of laughter followed.
Elise's eyes abruptly shifted and she scanned her surroundings before returning to him. Marcus smiled. Her eyes narrowed, then she dove into the water. He halted, waiting for her to resurface. Seconds ticked by and she didn't reappear. He scanned the water. A sudden round of triumphant shouts went up from the women and he whirled to see Elise rising from the water some thirty feet behind him. She started for the shore, her progress labored through the hip-deep water. By God, he would have to put his back into it to catch her before she reached her clothes! She glanced back, throwing him a satisfied smirk.
Oh ho! She may not have known the game, but she caught on fast. Marcus dove into the water, his strong strokes speeding him through the deeper water until he reached knee deep. He rose, the water no longer a hindrance to his fast pumping legs. His feet pounded onto the shore and, with a burst of energy, he closed the gap between them. In a final sprint, he dove for her, his arms encircling her waist as he brought her to the ground.
Elise sputtered and he realized she had gotten a mouthful of sandy dirt.
"Oh!" she spat. "Let me go!"
Marcus allowed her to thrash in his grasp until she had twisted into a prone position facing him. He settled his weight on her. She beat at his chest. He chuckled and hugged her closer, trapping her arms between them.
"Let me go!" she howled, kicking her heels on the ground like a spoiled child.
Marcus tried looking innocent but knew he failed miserably. "Nay."
"What in God's name are you doing? Why have you attacked me? This is an outrage!" Her voice rose as she twisted in a serious effort to dislodge him.
"Now, why do you say that, love? I am only playing with you."
She looked at him as if he had lost his mind. Her eyes narrowed to slits. "One does not attack a defenseless woman."
"Lass, I think you are anything but defenseless. Although, I am enjoying myself at your expense." Marcus bent his head to whisper in her ear, "The women didn't explain the game."
He went on to explain how, each year, the women came to the loch, and their men later followed. Those with wives sought them out, some in sport, some with the intentions of a child arriving nine months later. Those wanting to make a woman their wife came with the hope that the love play would lead to the consummation of a betrothal. When Marcus finished, a blush had made its way from Elise's cheek to the delicate ear he'd been whispering into.
"No," she said, her eyes wide.
Marcus grinned. "Aye."
She looked past him and he glanced over his shoulder to find several women regarding them with interest.
"I would like to get up now," Elise said.
He looked back at her. "Aye." He came to his knees. Before she could rise, he slid his arms beneath her, cupping her to his chest.
She gave him an impatient shove as he rose. "Set me down."
Marcus assumed a thoughtful expression. "Nay. I have won and deserve my reward."
Elise lifted a brow. "Just what reward would that be, sir?"
He grinned. Aye, she had learned the game. He stepped behind the cover of the bushes he had occupied earlier and paused, uncertain what he wanted to do with her. Marcus laughed inwardly. He knew exactly what he wanted to do with her. He simply hadn't decided how to go about it. One thing he did know, however, he was enjoying the feel of her wet chemise against him far too much to release her just yet.
He kissed her. She pushed against his chest and Marcus realized she wasn't about to let him make love to her in plain sight of the other women. He laid her on the ground and came down upon her, gently this time. He tugged her chemise high enough to free her legs and settle between them. Her grip on his shoulders tightened. He kissed her again. Hard. She tensed.
"Shh," he soothed. "Let me please you."
He slid a moist kiss down her cheek, then along her neck. "Just a little love play," he whispered.
He didn't intend on taking her there, tumbling her like a serving wench, but please her, he would. Slowly, he smoothed a hand along her outer thigh. Grasping her chemise, he bunched it until his fingers touched the soft flesh beneath. Elise turned her head, her cheek against his, and placed a kiss on his jaw. Marcus breathed deep.
He slipped his hand beneath her and cupped her buttocks. "I swear to only please you this time."
"We aren't—" She gasped as he lifted her buttocks, meeting her flesh with a gentle rotation of his shaft against her sex.
Her breath came quicker. He caressed her buttocks, her hip. A distant pounding of hooves stabbed through the cloud of desire. He paused, his hand on her pelvis. Again, a distant sound—a roll of thunder? He lifted his head. In a flash, the memory of the dream he'd had while at Declan's washed over him.
Elise's grip on his shoulder tightened. "What is it?"
Shrieks sounded.
The women.