A Pirate’s Sacrifice

A Pirate’s Sacrifice

Dahlia Rose

Cover art designed by Mina Carter © October 2011

ISBN 978-1-937394-13-4

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are
fictitious or used fictitiously. All rights reserved, including the right to
reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

Amira Press

Charlotte, NC

www.amirapress.com

A Pirate’s Sacrifice

Dahlia Rose

Prologue

The winds that buffeted the ship made it rock so perilously Duncan

swore the sides of his ship would touch the turbulent waters that kept them
afloat. Around him, the sound of cannon fire echoed along with the shouts
of his men. The smell of gunpowder was carried in the smoke that blanketed
them along with the droves of rain that fell. He wiped strands of dark hair
from his eyes and wished that he had gotten the last wench at the pub to cut
it like she wanted.

He wiped the dark strand away again and shouted orders to his men.

“Drop the sails and prepare to board the blasted English warhorse!”

The unison cry of “Aye, Captain!” went up, and he watched his men

move around with fervor. The anticipation of the fight filled his blood and
made his heart increase tempo in his chest. This was his destiny now, to
defend his people and the land by taking to the seas and hitting the English
bastards where it hurt, in their gold pouches. Since Scotland decided to break
away from the English Crown, his father had been killed and the Ferguson
land owned for generations had been taken over by some pompous titled
lord who made his people suffer. Now, in the Gulf of Corrryvreckan near
the island of Jura, he battled his fifteenth English vessel. They called him a
tyrant and put a price of thirty thousand gold coins on his head. Duncan
threw his head back and laughed in exhilaration. It will be a million before I am
through! They would pay out their rich noses for what had been done to
Duncan Ferguson and his family.

“Captain, the drag from the whirlpool has them in its clutches,” his

second-in-command called over the howling winds.

“Aye, come up on their aft side, and we’ll board away from the current

and take them for all they got!” Duncan flashed a grin and gave the wheel a
brutal turn. His ship was not called the Dark Reaper for smiles and laughter.
It took ships to their death and the men who rode inside to a watery grave.

“The men, sir, they think this storm has been made by Nechtan! Sent to

punish them all for our piracy in her sacred waters.” Collin came up beside
him, and he piloted his ship to a perfect position.

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“By the gods, Nechtan praises us for what we are doing!” Duncan

snarled. “She would not go against her people for the English whoremongers
who cheat us out of our lands and our homes, our wives and our children!”
Duncan sent a fiery glare at Collin. “Tell any man who does not want to
fight, take to the waters. I won’t have cowards aboard my vessel!”

Collin nodded stiffly, but Duncan saw fear in his eyes, and he went to

spread the word along to the crew. This was a fierce storm, harsher than any
they had experienced on the high seas. But Duncan knew in these waters a
sea squall could be as quiet as a kitten or roar like a lion and take down many
a ship. Duncan turned his attention back to bringing the Dark Reaper close to
the English ship. He could hear the groan of wood beams as they reluctantly
moved in the unsympathetic waves that battered the sides. A loud cry rose up
from his men. Even over the sounds of the wind, he could hear the fear in
their voices. In an instant, the English vessel was pulled into the whirlpool.
Its bounty, men, and the entire ship sucked down into the seas, gone forever.

Duncan felt the pull on his own vessel as it was now trapped in the same

current that took the ship that was to be their spoils on the high seas. Not my
ship, not tonight! Duncan thought as he angrily turned the wheel in the other
direction.

“Man the sails! Catch the wind. We shall not end this night or any night!”

he roared.

The sails unfurled, and the wind filled the canvas. He could feel the pull

as they began to move out of the current. The men cheered, thinking they
were safe, but soon their voices were muted by fear and surprise. Off the
port bow, something began to form. Duncan’s eyes followed the bright
swirls of blue in the water.

“It’s Nechtan! She has come to exact her vengeance for us pirating on

her waters! We are lost, we are all lost!”

Collin’s voice was shrill in Duncan’s ear. Duncan kept his eyes on the

mass that frothed and formed in the sea. Had they escaped one whirlpool
only to be swallowed by another? He thought, Maybe it is Nechtan. If so, his
men had followed him onto the seas. It was he who rose up the rally cry

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against the English. He would not let his men be punished for what he had
begun.

“Collin, take the wheel,” Duncan said. When Collin’s eyes kept fixed

firmly on the mass in the water, Duncan took him by the shoulder and shook
him fiercely. “Collin, le def dia, come to life, man! Take the wheel and hold her
steady on this course. It will take you to the beginning of Jura. From there,
head to our island and take our treasures. Divide it up between you and the
men. Each of you deserve your fair share for all that you have done! Take
them home, Collin, to their families. Take the lifeboats and destroy the ship.
Go ashore and start your lives anew!”

“What? Why, Duncan, why? We’ll follow you anywhere. You know we

would,” Collin cried out.

“Aye, I know, my friend, but I shall not have anyone punished on my

behalf.” Duncan slapped his hand on Collin’s shoulder. “Live well.”

“What are you going to do, Duncan?” Collin yelled above the winds that

had begun to howl again in earnest.

“Give Nechtan what she wants, a sacrifice,” Duncan muttered.
He ran across the deck of his beloved Dark Reaper, not turning as his

men cried out for him to stop. He jumped over the side easily and dove into
the swirling mass of water colored by the magic of his sea goddess. It felt
warm against his skin even though he knew at this time of year the water
should be deathly cold. The nerve endings of his skin tingled as he sunk, and
water filled his lungs. He did not feel as if he was drowning. No, it felt as if
he was being sucked down deeper and deeper into depths no man had ever
seen. His last thought was of the Dark Reaper and its crew, and he floated
away into oblivion.

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Chapter One

The water lapped against the shore as twilight took hold of the island of

Barbados. It bathed the beach in the first luminous light of the night’s full
moon. Kimberly stood at the open sliding doors that led to her small
verandah and looked out across the sand. The scene still made her breath
catch every time she saw it. Such pristine beauty that she could not imagine
living anywhere else but on the island where the air smelled like mangoes and
sugar apples blended with the breeze of the ocean.

A frown replaced the smile that had been on her face only moments

earlier when she heard the rambunctious laughter and oppressive music
coming from the hotel only a stone’s throw away from her little cottage on
the beach. The hotel had come in and bought up most of the land around
her to expand. Now what had once been a small, tranquil beachfront
community was broken with the sounds of rock and roll instead of calypso
music and the jingle of slot machines and drunken laughter. There had been
more than one occasion where she woke up to find a strange tourist passed
out on her deck. But a pot full of cold water would get them up and off her
property quickly. It was she, and a handful of other property owners who
loved their slice of heaven so much, they decided to stay. So she dealt with
the nightly parties and loud noise by hiding in her house and painting with a
frenzy.

One more set of alarm bells and a high pitched squeal told Kimberly that

there was another winner at the hotel. She made a frustrated sound in her
throat before slipping her sandals from her feet and stepping out on the sand
still warm from the day’s sun. She knew a walk on the beach would do her
mind good, and she could come back to work on the piece of art that would
be the centerpiece at her gallery opening. It was going to be her first major
showing as an artist. It scared and excited her all at once that some of the
island’s most prestigious, and some from the United States, would be looking
at her work in just a few weeks.

With each step she took, the sounds of the nightlife faded away, replaced

by the serene notes of Barbados at night. While the frothy warm water of the

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surf lapped at her feet, she could hear the night calls of the island birds and
the wind through the palms of the coconut trees that lined that part of the
beach. She looked out into the ocean and lights on the water stopped her
cold. What in the blue blazes…? Kimberly’s mouth dropped open as she
watched the lights dance around in the water. Maybe it was the island
submarine doing a night tour? She wondered, but looking at where the lights
were, it was too close to the reef, and the submarine could be damaged on
the sharp rocks. Suddenly, the water shot upward in a mass of light and
roaring waves. Kimberly jumped back in shock and watched as the foam
settled back into the ocean, and the sea was at peace once again.

“Okay, that is so not a submarine,” Kimberly muttered as she paced the

sand.

She looked out into the ocean again and wondered if she should call the

police or the coast guard. To say what exactly? she thought as she bit her
fingernail. Oh, I saw some light in the ocean that spouted upward like a geyser, and then
it all went back to normal. That would get her a trip to the mental hospital and
the new title of crazy artist on the beach. She turned back to look at the
water and this time, she saw something floating on the now calm waves. Not
a something, but someone, because no one could mistake the form of a
person floating in the water. It was a man, it had to be. The form was too
big.

“Holy crap, holy hell,” Kimberly gasped as she stepped into the water.
She thanked God she decided to wear cotton shorts and a top. If she had

worn a sundress, she would be swimming in panties and a bra. The water got
to her knees and she dove in deeper, striking out to help whoever was in
need. What the hell am I doing? I’m swimming out into the ocean to save someone who
obviously was not there before. But her personality was not that of one who would
run away, so she swam.

Kimberly finally got to where the body floated. She was right. It was a

man. He was huge, at least six-five. Because he was so large, she had to use
her own body strength and the water to flip him over onto his back. She
turned his face to her, and he was not breathing, but she could still feel a
faint pulse at his neck. Her one arm went around his chest, and she waded to

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shore with the other. Getting him up onto the sand was even harder than she
expected. His body mass, plus the fact his clothes were soaked, made it
almost impossible. By the time she got him far enough out of the surf,
Kimberly collapsed next to him, gasping for breath.

Without hesitation, she started CPR, filling his lungs with her breath and

pushing the water out with her hands. Why is he dressed like this? As she
continued to work on reviving him, she noticed the brown leather buckskin
pants and the black shirt under dark tunic. Even his boots were a skillfully
made costume. Kimberly assumed that one of the cruise ships that went
around the island was having a costume party and he must have fallen
overboard. Stupid drunk ass… Before she could continue her thought, he
gasped and began coughing in earnest.

“Hey, you’re okay. Which cruise were you on?” She rubbed his chest

fitfully with her fist, trying to invigorate his heart into a steady beat.

“Cruise, I know of no cruise,” he gasped out. “Is this the realm of

Nechtan. Are you one of her maidens?”

“Are you kidding me?” Kimberly asked. “How much have you had to

drink anyway?”

“I have consumed no ale, my lady. I gave myself to your mistress as

payment for my sins on her seas.” He fell back against the wet sand weakly.
“It was my burden to bear.”

“Uh-huh, okay, so I have to at least get you to my house so the cops can

come get your drunk behind.” Kimberly rolled her eyes. “Can you please try
to get on your feet and shuffle along with some help?”

The man got to his feet slowly. When he stood, Kimberly’s mouth went

dry. He was taller than she expected, and his blue eyes cut through the
darkness. “I swear to you, my lady, I am not drunk. I was on my ship when
the Goddess Nechtan made herself present. I sacrificed myself to her to save
my crew.” His words held a note of confusion and rang true. Kimberly began
to doubt her first assessment of the situation. He spoke once more. “May I
ask where I am and what this realm is called?”

“It’s the island of Barbados. This is no realm of Nechtan, or whatever

you called her,” Kimberly said gently. She thought it could well be possible

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that Mr. Tall, Dark, and Oh-so-sexy had bumped his head when he fell off
the ship. “Who are you anyway? Do you know your name?”

He tried to bow, but instead fell to his knees. Kimberly was down next to

him in an instant to help. “My name is Duncan Ferguson, and I am the pirate
scourge of the Scottish Isle.”

“Holy crap…” Kimberly said in disbelief. This was so much worse than

she thought.

* * * *

Barbados… Duncan had never heard of an island with that name. In fact,

most of the islands he knew of were uninhabited and had no names except
for what pirates gave them. His attention turned to the girl and her home.
She had used all her strength to bring him up the beach and into her home,
which as he looked around it, was as amazing as anything he had ever seen.
There were shiny things that whirred when she turned them on. Metal boxes
that warmed water with a small fire that just appeared.

And she handed him a cup filled with a flavorful tea not used for potions

or for medicine, but just to drink, she said. His hostess was am amazing
beauty whose skin reminded him of the smooth ebony that he had stolen
from the English. Her dark hair hung loosely, framing her oval face, and
those warm light brown eyes reminded him of a doe’s, soft and innocent. She
had smiled gently with sensuous, full lips as she assured him he was safe in
her home. Kimberly, a name he had never heard in his entire life, but the
exotic way it sounded when she said it with an accent was like the smooth
taste of honey ale.

“So, what are we going to do about you?” She sat down across from him

in a chair that was filled with colorful cushions.

“I do not know what you mean,” Duncan replied.
“Well, you had to come from somewhere. I think you bumped your head

when you fell overboard the cruise—”

“My ship, the Dark Reaper,” Duncan cut in.

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“You see, that’s what I mean,” Kimberly exclaimed. “You obviously had

some memory loss and you think you are a pirate.”

“My memory is as it should be,” Duncan replied. He could feel his

temper begin to rise as this woman who lived in the strangest house he had
ever seen tried to tell him he was either drunk or mad. “If you cannot help
me figure out how to get back to my ship and my crew, I’ll take my leave and
find a way myself.”

Kimberly sighed. “Don’t get your leather pants in a bunch. We’ll figure

out something. Now tell me everything as you remember it.”

Duncan placed the cup she had given him on the floor and sat back. He

explained everything that happened to him, his fight with the English ship,
the whirlpool in the waters, and the storm. He told her how the waters had
glowed bright and his men were afraid. Then he told her how he took the
ultimate step to save them all. By the time he was done, she was sitting
forward in her own seat. Her mouth was agape, and her eyes were wide.

“Do you believe me, Ms. Kimberly?” Duncan asked.
“Just Kimberly. If it was Miss anything, it would Illaro, but Kimberly is

fine,” she replied. She chewed on the tip of her fingernail again, and he could
see the doubt in her eyes. “I know you believe it, Duncan, but this story is
impossible. It could not happen in this day an age.”

Duncan implored her. “I need to get back to my ship and my crew. I do

not think it was Nechtan trying to exact revenge, but the English using a new
tactic to try to bring us to our knees.”

She slapped her hands against her knee. “There is one way to fix this

once and for all. We’ll Google it!”

“Is this Google some kind of oracle who can answer our questions?” he

asked.

Kimberly laughed and patted the seat next to her. “Something like that.”
Duncan sat next to her and watched as she picked up this small, flat thing

and sat with it on her lap. She opened it up and pressed a button. The thing
beeped and soon it was shining bright.

“It is magic.” Duncan felt excitement.

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“This magic is called technology,” Kimberly explained grinning. She

tapped on the keys with fingers that moved fast across the keys. Duncan
watched curiously as words and pictures flashed on the bright screen, and
then he looked at Kimberly who was, in return, staring intently at the metal
magic box.

“Okay, you said your ship was called the Dark Reaper and you were, well,

are the pirate Duncan Ferguson?” Kimberly asked without looking at him.

“Yes, that would be me,” Duncan said proudly.
“Cocky…” Kimberly sing-songed.
“What does that mean?” Duncan asked curiously
“Nothing at all.” Kimberly whistled softly. “Holy crap, holy fucking

crap!”

“What is it?”
She turned the screen so he could see, and his eyes widened as well. He

could see a painted picture of himself and his beloved Dark Reaper. Below,
the tales of his adventures were written and how he defied English rule.

“What does this all mean?” Duncan asked. Trepidation caused his heart

to increase in tempo. He didn’t want to know the answers. He didn’t want to
hear what she was going to say. Somehow, he knew it would be worse than
he ever imagined.

“Duncan, if you are who you say you are, and by the pictures, we can see

that you are not lying.” Kimberly turned to face him “You are very, very far
from home.”

“How far? I have sailed the Caribbean waters before. I am only lost from

home by a few months.” Duncan stood up and began to pace. “I can sail
back to my homeland and be reunited with everyone in a matter of weeks.”

“No, Duncan, you can’t,” Kimberly said gently. Her eyes held sadness

mixed with excitement. “You are out of your own time. That thing, those
blue lights you jumped into to save your people, I think it was a time loop of
sorts. You traveled through time.”

“You lie!” Duncan felt his legs give away. He didn’t understand what she

meant, but he knew it was bad. Time…traveled through time? He had never

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heard anything like this before. Not even the scholars that he apprenticed
under in Paris and Spain ever spoke of this.

Kimberly left her seat and dropped to her knees next to him. “Your time

is in the twelve hundreds.”

“Aye, I was born in twelve-eighty in the Year of our Lord,” Duncan

confirmed.

“Sweetie, you are in the year twenty-eleven, and you are approximately

seven hundred and thirty years into the future,” Kimberly explained.

Duncan reared back until he bumped the wall. “This is some hoax, some

trick to deceive me!”

“Do I look like I want to deceive you, Duncan? I saved you and brought

you into my home. Does this place look like anything you have seen before?
Do I look as if I could stop you from leaving if you wanted?”

Duncan had to admit to himself she was right on all these points.

“Things such as this are not possible. Does your thing speak of our campaign
against the English Crown? What of my people and my crew?”

Kimberly moved closer and rested her hand on his knees. “Your

campaign is over. Scotland gained their independence from England. We can
find out more about your people and your ship and your crew.”

“With your Google magic?” Duncan questioned hesitantly.
Kimberly smiled widely, and Duncan felt something new curl inside his

chest. “Yes, my Google magic.”

“One more thing, Kimberly. How do I get back to my time, my home?”

He searched her eyes, hoping to find an answer.

She shook her head sadly. “Oh, Duncan, that is one thing I don’t know

how to do.”

He was lost, a figure unknown to this place, and now he might never see

the isle he loved again. Duncan rested his head against his knees because he’d
never known the despair he did at that point.

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Chapter Two

Kimberly lay in her bed and thought about the man who was sleeping on

her floor. Her heart broke when she saw the pain in his eyes. Nothing she
could do would console him. So, all she did was sit there and rub his thigh as
he asked questions. Wow, what a lot a questions. Kimberly smiled at her memory
of how he followed her around the kitchen asking about appliances as she
cooked. Then he continued looking for answers in the bathroom when she
showed him how to use the shower. Must pick up clothes for Duncan. She made
a mental note to do that tomorrow because the shorts he wore belonging to
her brother were sorely lacking.

Certainly not lacking in a bad way because when he came out of the

shower with his broad chest exposed and his dark hair dripping with water,
she felt a rush of heat pool right between her legs. He was quick to smile
even in the middle of everything that was going on, and his smile carried to
his eyes. Sexy, startling blue eyes. Kimberly sighed. His body was like it was
sculpted from the rocks. The artist in her wanted to paint him or immortalize
him in clay. The woman in her wanted to lick her way down his body and
back up again.

Oh, and that voice. She could hear him in her mind already, whispering

dirty words and making her come while he was inside her. Kimberly rolled
over, put her face in the pillow, and moaned softly. Oh, I should be shot, she
thought. Thinking about the poor man like that while he was in the middle of
a crisis. But my, my, my, he is a fine piece of sweetbread. He was so big he couldn’t
even sleep on her sofa and opted to sleep on the floor. She could imagine
how it felt to be under him, encompassed with all that strength.

A noise from the living room caught her attention. His cry of no had her

running from the room in her shortie pajamas. She stopped behind the long
chair and watched him thrash around in his sleep.

“Please don’t, you can’t die, Father, you can’t!” The distress in his voice

made her heart break, and Kimberly moved instantly next to him.

“Duncan.” She whispered his name and shook his shoulder gently.

“Duncan, wake up, sweetie. You are having a bad dream.”

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His eyes opened as if sleep had never been there. He focused on her face

and reached up to cup her cheek. “Lass, why are you out here?”

“I heard you cry out. You were having a nightmare.” Kimberly took his

hand. It was on the soft skin of her face.

“Is that what you call it?” His dry laugh was filled with scorn.
“What were you dreaming about?” Kimberly sat on the floor next to his

long, muscled thighs.

“My father. The king of England had him killed as a warning.” Duncan’s

voice held no emotion.

“What kind of warning?” Kimberly asked softly.
“To any other land owners like him who refused the English lords on

their land. They would be hanged just like him,” he explained.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Duncan. They hanged your father?” Kimberly placed

her hand over her mouth while tears filled her eyes.

“It would have been simpler if they had.” Duncan’s chest heaved with a

sigh as if the burden he was carrying just became too heavy. “We launched
an escape to save him, and we almost made it. My father’s horse broke its leg
and he was thrown. The English soldiers used their spears to stab him over
and over again. He died in my arms cursing the English and all they stood
for.”

“How old were you when he died?” Kimberly questioned.
Duncan replied, “Nineteen. I took my ma and sisters to my uncle’s home

and took to the seas vowing revenge.” Duncan shook his head against the
pillows beneath him. “I cannot believe I shall never set eyes upon them
again, lass. This is worse than death.”

“Don’t say that,” Kimberly ordered. She felt her temper rise at his words.

“You never know, maybe this was your goddess’s way of saving you from the
same fate as your father. You don’t know what was going to happen! I don’t
believe your ending up in the water at this time was a punishment. Maybe it
was fate. So don’t ever let me hear you take your life for granted again!”

Duncan stared at her, his blue eyes boring into her own until she felt as if

she couldn’t breathe. He held out his hand to her and asked simply, “Lay
next to me, sweet Kimberly, water nymph who saved this lowly sailor.”

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“Uh, what now?” Kimberly was taken aback by his request.
“Lay with me. I need to feel as if something is real right now, solid, and

will not drift away,” he appealed again.

“Um, oh, okay.” She pulled a pillow from the sofa and stretched out next

to him.

Duncan snatched the pillow out from under her head and before she

could even thump against the floor, he had her nestled in the crook of his
arm. His biceps enveloped her and made her feel so secure. His hard,
muscled body was just as she had imagined, warm and manly.

“Lass, I have to ask you a question,” Duncan said.
Kimberly knew her voice was almost like a throaty purr, but it could not

be helped when she spoke. “Ask away, sweetie.”

“I could not help but notice the clothes you wear for your night’s sleep,”

he said. “They are very revealing, and who are the colorful little people
portrayed on the front?”

Kimberly grinned. “These are sleep shorts and a tank shirt. The colorful

little people on the front are Snow White and the seven dwarves from a
fairytale.”

“Fairytale? We have fairies on the isle. They are tiny creatures who leave

trinkets to let you know they are there. They dance and play by the
moonlight, and their magic is very powerful.”

“So they really do exist!” Excitement was in her voice. “But a fairytale is a

story for young girls to show true love when they find their prince
charming.”

“Ah, tales of white knights and damsels in distress,” Duncan said

knowingly. “Where is your prince charming, Kimberly?”

Her laugh was short. “I stopped believing in prince charming long ago.

Chivalry is dead.”

“Such cynicism should not come from a beautiful mouth,” Duncan

commented. “Let me fix that.”

Before she could reply, his mouth descended to hers, and Kimberly

forgot every thought that was in her head. His lips were warm and firm
against hers, coaxing her lips open so he could sample her taste. She obliged

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willingly, and his tongue plundered her mouth. His kiss was wild and
untamed. Their tongues mated and twined with each other while Kimberly
let her fingers sink into the thick hair at his nape. The kiss could have gone
on forever and she would not have cared. She had never been kissed so
passionately and completely. She was left breathless and wanting more.

She felt disappointed as he pulled away from the kiss. Her lips tingled

from the pressure of his, and she didn’t want the feeling to end.

“I hope that might change your mind.” Duncan lay back against the

pillow and stared at the ceiling.

“Ha ha, you have a lot a confidence in just one kiss, Mr. Ferguson.”

Kimberly was smiling as she spoke.

“Aye, I have had many a woman swoon at my kiss, lass,” he said proudly.
“I’m not a dainty little thing wearing a frilly dress. I have some backbone

to me,” Kimberly let him know. “I can survive a kiss.”

She felt Duncan’s laughter against his chest. “We’ll see, little one. We

shall see.”

His words left her with anticipation, but instead of delving further,

Kimberly snuggled close and pulled the blanker over them. “Tell me about
your home, Duncan. Tell me about your Scotland.”

“Aye, lass, it is a beautiful place,” Duncan began. “The hills are such a

beautiful green it shines like emeralds in the morning sun. The waters around
the cliff can be calm as a baby or beautiful in its fury from one point to the
next. We love our land, and we toil it so it can give us its bounty. The earth
smells rich, and to feel it against your skin while you lay in the summer sun
takes your breath away.”

Duncan continued talking. Kimberly closed her eyes and listened intently.

His description formed pictures of the home he loved so much in her
imagination. She could feel her body relaxing. His accent and deep voice like
molasses was a balm to her consciousness. His voice lulled her, and Kimberly
fell asleep listening to stories of Scotland in the arms of a pirate.

* * * *

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“So these are called fritters?” Duncan lifted the flat bread on his plate

with a fork and looked at it curiously before sniffing.

“Pumpkin fritters,” Kimberly said as she sat across from him at the small

kitchen table. Her laptop was open in front of her, and she typed furiously at
the keys. Duncan longed to get his hands on the little device to see how it
worked. But when he had asked, she gave him a look of absolute horror,
which told him that black, flat box meant a lot to her.

Duncan took a tentative bite of the fritter on his fork. He chewed

thoughtfully and grinned. “I think I like these, lass. They are rather flavorful.
So you are good in the kitchen. I like that in a woman.”

Kimberly looked up from what she was doing and raised an eyebrow at

him. “I can also tie my own shoes, do my taxes, and yes, make my own
money.”

“Aye, a well-rounded woman. I like that.” Duncan nodded approvingly.
“I was being sarcastic, Duncan,” Kimberly said.
“Hmmmm.” Duncan had a mouth full of eggs. “What do you do for

work? Where is your man?”

“Okay, we are in the year two thousand eleven. I don’t need a man to

survive. Women are independent. We can vote and take care of ourselves,”
Kimberly explained. “Secondly, I am an artist and that is how I work. I sell
my art.”

“Did I offend you?” Duncan asked.
Kimberly sighed. “No, not really. I am trying to remember you are from

a different time when men were a bit chauvinistic.”

“Not so, we just think, as men, we should take care of our women,”

Duncan replied, and piled more breakfast on his plate.

“Uh-huh and what did the women do?” Kimberly looked up from the

computer and waited for him to respond.

“Oh, Scottish women are the strongest women in the world.” Duncan

felt pride rise in his chest. “They will fight next to their man to defend their
home and their children. Or bury the dead with dignity after battle. They are
our homes and our hearths. Without them, our houses are just stone, cold
and empty.”

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Kimberly leaned her elbows against the table and said wistfully, “I wish

men around here spoke about women like that.”

“Did your man treat you badly?” Duncan inquired. He abhorred men

who were savage enough to mar a woman’s skin. “Point me in his direction
and I’ll beat him into the ground.”

Kimberly smiled widely. “Well, thanks for that, Duncan, but there is no

man to beat up. I just thought it was sweet how you described your home
and your people.”

“I am still trying to fathom I will never see my home again,” Duncan said

softly. “My men will have had children and died seven hundred years ago.”

“You can still see it, but it will be different from the one you

remembered,” Kimberly explained. “When I can afford it, we’ll buy tickets
and travel there. As for what happened to your men, that’s what I was
working on over here.”

“On your Google device?”
“It’s a computer…” Kimberly began. “Oh, never mind, Google device is

fine.”

He watched as Kimberly directed her gaze back to the computer screen.

“You said your ship was called Dark Reaper. What was your friend’s name,
the one who was on the ship with you?”

“His name is Collin MacDougall,” Duncan supplied readily. He watched

as Kimberly’s eyes darted back and forth over the flashing screen. He also
saw that the smile she had worn on her face earlier was now gone, and the
light had gone from her eyes. “What is it, lass? What do you see?”

“Collin was hanged for crimes against the English Crown,” Kimberly

said softly. “Oh, Duncan, I am so sorry.”

He felt as if the world tipped on its axis. “No, it can’t be. I told them to

go share the spoils and to go home to their families! How could they have
been caught? They knew of the safe passage!”

“They continued their piracy years after. It says here that the Dark Reaper

was sunk by The Blackbird, an English warship ten years after you said you
jumped into the ocean. Collin and the men were captured and hung soon
afterward.” He could see the sadness and pity in her eyes. He wanted no part

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of it. He felt anger at being in her time and not with his men. But what could
he do? They went against his wishes and paid the ultimate price.

“What else does it say?” Duncan felt as if a heavy weight sat on his chest.
“It says that the Dark Reaper’s treasures were never found and to this day,

men still look for its ill gotten spoils,” Kimberly relayed to him.

“Aye, and only I know where it is now.”
“Do you want to find it?” she asked. “Treasure from that era would be

an archeological find, and it could take care of you and help you start a new
life.”

“What life? I don’t know where I am, or this time!” Duncan bit out

harshly. “I am at your mercy here. I know nothing of this new world!”

“But you can learn, and you can adapt,” Kimberly concluded gently.

“You can make a new home here, and I prefer to think of you in this life
instead of hanging from a noose in the past.”

“You are tender-hearted, sweet Kimberly.” Duncan reached out and

caressed her cheek. “Aye, I will have to accept my new life here and yes, to
find my treasure would be grand, but where do I start? When I sailed the
seas, islands had no names, and without my maps, I am lost to know where
our hiding place is.”

“We’ll figure it out. Old maps and stuff are stored online now.” Kimberly

patted his hand that sat on the table. “It will be a modern day treasure hunt.
Until then, you stay with me, and I’ll teach you everything about this time.”

Duncan couldn’t find anything wrong with that idea. Kimberly might

turn into the most valuable treasure he had ever sought.

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Chapter Three

It had already been one week since she’d pulled Duncan from the sea up

the beach, and already they had settled into some kind of companionable
routine. She watched him standing outside on the sand he stared out over the
water as the surf rolled in one after the other. He put his hands behind him
and rocked on his heels slowly before tilting his head back and taking a deep
breath of the air tinted with the salt smell of the Caribbean Sea. He stood
without a shirt on, the sun glistening off his muscled biceps and warming his
skin. A light breeze picked up and played with the long tendrils of his dark
hair, and a smile lifted the corners of his lips. Kimberly thought she had
never seen such a beautiful specimen of a man. Beautiful because her fingers
itched to immortalize him in a sculpture and form his muscled figure in clay.

She rushed inside to grab her sketch book. When she came back, she sat

on the steps and began to furiously draw. She followed the lines of muscles
that led up to rock hard thighs, and the contours of his body, she shadowed
and highlighted. She immersed herself in her work, almost forgetting her
surroundings until he started moving toward her. Kimberly closed the book
quickly. She didn’t want him to see her drawings. Her work was private until
she was ready for the world to see.

“You seemed engrossed in thought when you were standing there,

Duncan.” Kimberly shaded her eyes as he walked up. He sat next to her, and
she bumped him gently with her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

He gave her one of his rugged smiles, and Kimberly felt her heart speed

up just a little faster. “I am fine, sweet Kimberly. In fact, I was enjoying the
sun and the sea breeze. I miss my home and the life I had. I feel despair at
the turn in the lives of Collin and my crew. We started the journey as a way
to rebel against upheaval in our lands.” His fingers twirled and played with an
errant blade of grass growing between the stones around her steps. “They
used it to plunder from everyone regardless of what side they chose. I feel as
if it is my fault they chose that path. I left them without a leader. But I am
thankful I was not at the end of a hangman’s noose like my friends were.

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Maybe if I was still there, I could have kept them on the task of freedom.
Even so, I have you to thank for my new life.”

Kimberly gave a short laugh. “I had nothing to do with a time loop in the

middle of Scottish waters.”

His strong hand cupped her chin gently and turned her to face him. “No,

you did not, but you pulled me from the sea and breathed life back into my
lungs. For that, you have my undying gratitude.”

With those words, he kissed her again. Kimberly had to admit she wanted

his kiss again after that night before. Every night since, she had craved to feel
his lips against hers, and now her wish had been granted. She deepened the
kiss herself, taking fistfuls of his hair and pulling him closer, daring his
tongue to duel with hers. Duncan’s arms wrapped around her and squeezed.
Her breath was almost gone, but if he had let go, she would have been sorely
disappointed.

He lifted his head and gazed into her eyes. “You are simply the best

tasting thing that has ever crossed my lips.”

“Mm hmmm, Duncan, I have a question. What happened to my TV?”

she asked gently.

“The box with the people inside it?” he said. “Ah, they are funny and I

wanted to see exactly how they were put in there. I used the screwdriver
thing to get inside it. Unfortunately, everything was confusing, so I left it
alone for now. Until I can get a firm grasp on how it works, of course.”

“Uh-huh, I guess I need a new TV,” she murmured. “Please don’t take

anything else apart.”

“How will I know how it works?” Duncan pointed out.
“I’ll give you the manuals that came with the appliances. You can study

those,” Kimberly said.

“Ah, such beauty and intelligence in the perfect woman.” He kissed her

hands.

“You are a charmer who manages to make me feel like I am the only

woman in the world,” she said softly. “In your arms, I feel beautiful.”

“If anyone told you otherwise, they should be beaten,” he murmured.

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“No one ever said anything. Maybe that’s the point. I’m plain. No one

really took interest in me,” she explained.

“Then they are all blind on this island.”
She laughed. “I’ll take your word for it. How do you feel about going

out?”

He looked at her curiously. “Where are we going?”
“I have a gallery opening for my art tonight, and I was hoping you’d go

with me.”

“I would be honored to escort you, but apart from the jeans you got me,

I have nothing decent to wear,” Duncan replied.

“I already took care of that. Remember that box that I picked up from

the post office yesterday?” She smiled. “That’s for you.”

She stood and took his hand, leading him inside to the table. Kimberly

watched as he opened the box and revealed her surprise. It was a kilt in his
family colors. She’d shopped online and had it express shipped to her home.
The blue background with green and red to make up the plaid was beautiful
to look at. He ran his hand over the pattern in a slow caress, and she could
feel his longing for home. She’d bought a leather sporran to hang around his
waist. Most kilts in the old days did not come with pockets, and this was
what they used. She bought a pair of durable black boots and the socks to
match his tartan that would be worn over his shoulder. She figured a basic
black T-shirt would suffice to finish out his attire. She wanted to make him
feel comfortable, and the look in his eyes told her she did a good thing.

“Aye, thank you, lass. This is…I’m humbled by your gift.” His voice was

hoarse when he spoke. He pulled her into his arms.

“I wanted to get you a little piece of home.” She laid her head against his

chest. “If I sell any sculptures tonight, that’s paying our way to Scotland.”

“You don’t have to do that, lass. I can earn a wage and get us there on

my own,” Duncan said stubbornly. “I’ll not have you taking care of me.”

“I’m not. We’re going treasure hunting, you and I, for what’s yours, and

with that you can build a life.” She looked up at him. “Let me do this for
you.”

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“Then whatever found is half yours,” he replied. “I’ll give you no less

than that.”

Kimberly laughed. “Let’s get there first and find it before we even discuss

payment.”

“How about a kiss to seal the deal?” Duncan said with a slow smile.
“I’d never refuse a kiss from a big Scotsman.” Kimberly was surprised

her voice was a soft purr.

Their lips met, and she was lost in the power of his kiss. He delved into

her mouth with a tongue that twined and seduced hers to play. Kimberly
wanted him and would say yes if he asked to take her to bed. When he pulled
away, she wanted to scream, “take me,” so he could assuage the heat that
pooled between her legs. She didn’t know how to even initiate something like
that because she was embarrassed to admit she’d had sex once in her life. It
wasn’t even memorable enough for her to draw from the experience. Under
Duncan’s lips, she felt like a hibiscus blooming to the kiss of the sun’s rays.
She gave him a sweet smile and wandered into her bedroom to pick a dress
for the night while he stared at the gift she got him. How could she match up
to the women who’d fight like warriors and loved just as fiercely? She was
just simple Kimberly who had no idea how to seduce a man.

Later that night, she looked at herself in her room’s full length mirror on

the bathroom door. The white cocktail dress hugged all the right places and
flared lightly a few inches above her knees. She wore gold earrings in her ears
and a simple gold necklace around her neck. Her hair was always curly so she
piled the curls high on her head, leaving a few stray tendrils around her face.
As always, she thought she looked good, but thinking of the tall, statuesque
women that usually frequented art showings, she didn’t compare.

She stepped out and Duncan was standing there. When he turned to face

her, Kimberly’s mouth went dry. He was sexy as sin in his kilt. The black T-
shirt hugged the hard lines of his body, and the coat framed his broad
shoulders. Her eyes traveled down to the kilt and the thick calves in the high
socks. He’d tied his hair back with a piece of cloth made of the same tartan
of his clan. She took a mental picture and tried to stop from drooling.

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“You look like a fairy dressed in white, breathtaking.” His eyes darkened

to a deep blue.

“Thank you and, Duncan, you are extremely handsome,” Kimberly

replied.

“Something is missing from your clothing,” he said, and moved closer.

“How can you go with me and not be wearing my clan colors?”

“I didn’t think of that, actually, and it’s too late to get anything,” she

answered.

“No, its not.” He took his tartan off his shoulder and with brutal ease,

ripped it down the middle, forming two. He fashioned hers over her right
shoulder and fixed his over his left.

“There, now we’re ready to go,” he declared.
The drive was around forty minutes to get to St. Lawrence Gap, one of

the entertainment hubs of the island. One could step into any of the many
bars and get smooth jazz from a live band or an eclectic calypso beat. The
lights in the trees greeted tourists, and the drinks were sweet, yet potent. If
one wanted to find the best music, food, and nightlife of Barbados, this was
it. She was showing at the exclusive gallery in the midst of the excitement,
and when she pulled up, there were already people standing outside. The
balcony over the beach was lined with lights, and the sound of the waves
blended with the music. When she and Duncan stepped in, all eyes were on
them. She could see women practically drooling over the big Scotsman at her
side. But he slipped her arm through the crook of his and walked in as if he
owned the place, proud and with an air of dignity.

The art director, a tall, willowy island native came up, and her eyes

roamed Duncan openly. “Kimberly, you never said you were bringing a guest
and what a… tall man he is.”

“This is Duncan Fergusson, and he’s visiting from Scotland,” Kimberly

explained. “This is Flora. She is the owner of the art gallery.

She put her hand on Duncan’s forearm and didn’t move it. She

practically purred. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Duncan cast a look at her hand until Flora moved it. He inclined his head

and said, “Thank you, and the pleasure is mine to be here and see Kimberly’s

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talent.” He turned to her and smiled. “Love, why don’t you show me your
art?”

“You go on ahead, Duncan. I have to speak with Flora for a minute,” she

encouraged, and was finding it hard not to laugh. People couldn’t take their
eyes off him as he moved through the crowd. He was so tall that a few had
to look up at him.

“Where did you find him?” Flora asked breathlessly.
“In the ocean, close to my home,” Kimberly teased, but it was actually

the truth.

“Well then, I’ll be over tomorrow with a really big net,” Flora replied.
Kimberly laughed because she had no doubt that one day she might open

her door and see Flora throwing lines in the water. There was only one
Duncan, and he turned and flashed her that sexy smile. She knew that giving
him up was not an option. He was hers.

The night went splendidly, and only once did she have to stop Duncan

from splitting open a critic’s head with his very large fist. The man was
talking loudly about her work. He called it generic and childish. Few were
listening, but it seemed that her Scotsman was because headed over to the
critic with a purposeful stride. She made a squeaking sound as she tried to
hold on and restrain him from going. Unfortunately, with a man who was
well past six feet tall, she was like a rock in space caught in the gravity of a
very large mass.

“Shall we speak on the balcony?” Duncan asked pleasantly, and was

moving the man before he could utter a yes or no.

Flora was smiling widely as she watched the scene, and Kimberly rushed

over to her for help. “Let him throw the pompous asshole in the sea.” Flora
took another sip of her wine. “This night would be a complete success if he
did.”

“Well thanks for the help,” Kimberly said in exasperation.
Before she could make her way out to the balcony, Duncan came back in

with his hand thrown over the critic’s shoulder like they were best buddies
from school. The look on the red-faced reviewer showed that was not the
case, and as soon as he was able, he was gone, hurrying through the crowd.

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“What did you do to him, Duncan?” She moaned. “He could write a

review in the paper that ruins me.”

He pulled her close and kissed her temple. “No, he won’t, love. We have

an accord, he and I.”

Kimberly couldn’t help the smile that crossed her lips when she looked

up at him. “What kind of agreement?”

“He becomes a more pleasant being or I dip him like a worm on a hook

in the ocean,” Duncan replied casually.

She couldn’t help herself and laughed at his statement. The night came to

a pleasant end with five of her pieces being sold. Flora made a hefty
commission, and Kimberly had more than enough to get them to Scotland.
When they got home, instead of just going to bed, she impulsively grabbed a
bottle of wine from the fridge and took off her shoes.

“Come on, we’re going for a walk along the beach to celebrate a good

night,” she said, and went outside.

Duncan came out with his feet bare of his socks and boots. He took off

his coat, and all he wore was the kilt and the T-shirt. He took her hand as
they walked down to the water, and the warm surf licked at their feet.
Kimberly took a gulp from the wine bottle and passed it to him. They
walked, enjoying the comfortable silence. Kimberly felt the warmth of the
wine tickle her stomach, but nothing could compare to the heady sensation
of wanting the man next to her. Suddenly, he turned and took her into his
arms. His mouth devoured hers in a kiss that made time stand still.

Duncan lifted his head, and she could see the amazing blue of his eyes

even in the dark. “I want you, desire you like no other. Give yourself to me.”

“Yes,” she said simply, without hesitation.
With a low moan, he took her lips in another kiss. The night, his lips, and

touch were imprinted into her forever. His scent surrounded her, mixed in
with the salt of the sea and the smell of fruit on the wind. She heard the wine
bottle hit the sand with a soft thud as he lifted her into his arms and walked
back the way they had come. Kimberly buried her face into the crook of his
neck and pressed soft kisses against the pulse beating there. He climbed the
steps and passed close enough to the wall that she found the switch to the

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Dahlia Rose

light when she trailed her hand along the wood. With deft fingers she flicked
it and plunged the verandah into darkness.

The full moon over the water was the only light that was left. The night

was quiet. No party boats came their way. It was a perfect night blanketed in
a beautiful blue hue, and the sound of the sea was a sensual backdrop. The
wicker furniture that sat on her wide patio beckoned as he fisted his hand in
her hair and brought her lips to his. He sat, and she instinctively straddled his
wide hips. As their kiss grew hotter, her breasts ached to be touched pressed
against his chest.

“Help me take this dress off,” she said urgently. “I want to feel your

hands on me.”

His response was a laugh that caught on the wind. He lifted the end of

her dress, and in a smooth motion, pulled it over her head. Duncan moaned
as her full breasts spilled free. She moved from his lap and stood to take off
her panties. The look in his eyes was one of raw desire.

“If the women of my time wore undergarments like that, the crops

wouldn’t be tended, and the animals would roam loose for we’d never leave
the bed,” he commented. The black, lacy undies looked even smaller in his
big hand as he picked them up.

“I take it that you like them?” she asked.
“Aye, I do, but looking at you is far better,” Duncan replied.
This time, his own shirt was stripped off, and he unpinned his kilt. There

was nothing underneath, just the rigid length of his cock.

Kimberly laughed out loud. “You went commando to the gallery?”
He furrowed his eyebrow in a question. “Commando?”
“No boxers underneath your kilt,” she pointed out.
“This is how they are supposed to be worn. We didn’t have those things

you bought me,” Duncan said. “Enough talk. Come, let me love you.”

She climbed onto his lap and flesh met flesh, causing them both to gasp.

One of his hands was splayed across her back while he bunched her hair in
his hand. He used that momentum to expose the skin of her neck and collar
bone where he bit and sucked. She felt his cock harden between her thighs,
and she moved wantonly against the one thing that could assuage her desire.

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He cupped her breasts and brought them to his lips, taking one nipple into
his mouth and rolled the hard tip. He repeated the same action with the
other breast, and she gave a soft cry as the feeling shot straight to her core.

“I want you inside me, please, Duncan.” She reached between them,

taking his hard cock in her hands.

A low moan escaped him as he captured her face in his hand. Duncan

kissed her hard as she positioned him at her entrance and lowered herself
onto his rod. She was mesmerized by his blue eyes holding her captive in his
gaze. She bit her lip to keep from crying out while his thick length filled her.
He was so big she didn’t know if she could take it all. He muttered in Gaelic
and pulled her harder against him. Her wetness eased him deep inside her,
and she arched in pleasure. He was so deep. God, it’s so good! She moved and
whimpered as each nerve ending seemed to sing in pleasure. He rubbed her
nipples against his palms. The roughness of his hands caused sweet friction.
When he gently bit her nipples, it made her moan his name. Her pace
increased, and she could feel herself striving, reaching for the ultimate
release.

“Not yet, a mhuirnín. I want to savor you.” Duncan’s voice was hoarse

with desire.

Even he moaned his disappointment as he pulled her away from his

body. He placed her to sit in the wicker chair with such care, as if she was
made of glass, and walked into the house. He came back with the thick cover
he used each night to sleep on her floor. Duncan spread it out and held his
hand to her.

She came and knelt in front of him. The warm breeze caressed her skin.

“What does that word mean, the one you just said?”

“My sweetheart. This is what you are to me, an angel who plucked me

from the waters and breathed life back into my body,” he answered.

Their lips met. No words could explain how he humbled her with what

he had just said. Passion bloomed and became wild, leading them to bite
each other’s lips and neck. His hands were on every expanse of skin that he
could reach, leaving trails of heat in their wake.

“I want to taste you,” she said in a fevered tone.

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“You are tasting me now,” he said between kisses.
“Not like that, like this,” she replied. Kimberly pushed him until he lay

down, and she filled her mouth with his cock.

“Oh, dear God,” he groaned. “You’re mouth feels so good.”
She felt a carnal need fill her to please him. She licked and sucked his

rod, moaning deeply as she enjoyed his flavor on her tongue. His body
strained against her lips, and he grabbed her hair to push himself deeper into
her mouth. Kimberly took as much of him as she could. His muscles tensed
under the onslaught until he pulled away. Duncan was nimble for a big man.
She was amazed when he had her on her back in the position he had just
been in moments before.

She felt his mouth on her and cried out when his tongue penetrated her

deep. She couldn’t help but hold his head to her as her body was rocked by
his lips alone. Kimberly had never felt anything like this. Closing her eyes,
she gave herself over to each wave of desire that hit her body. His lips sucked
on her clit before he lay next to her and kissed her hard. She could taste
herself in his lips, and she lifted her hips, seeking more while his fingers
spread the soft folds of her flesh and slipped inside her. Kimberly could
hardly stand it. She moaned. His fingers were long, and he thrust them inside
her.

“I’ve never…” Kimberly gasped as his fingers moved faster. “Can you

make me come? I want to feel what it’s like.”

“Ah, lass, you’ll do that more than once before this night is through,” he

said.

He used two fingers on her now, and Kimberly writhed in delight.

Duncan lowered his head to her breast and took the nipple into his mouth.
He was doing delicious things to her body, making it sing under his care. She
spread her legs wider, seeking more of something she didn’t understand. Her
hips rose to meet his fingers. She could feel her wetness running down the
crack of her ass. The sensation became a tight knot in her lower belly.
Suddenly, it broke and she cried out in surprise as she was infused with such
pleasure she could hardly stand it. Unable to resist it, she writhed against his
hand gasping his name.

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Duncan lay beside her and lifted her easily over his muscular frame.

Kimberly took him into her hot velvet sex and felt him fill her once more.
His big hands cupped her ass and pulled her against him. He spoke words to
her she didn’t understand. He brought her down to his kiss while he
pounded into her hard.

“Oh God, yes,” she cried out in earnest. “You make me feel things… I

want more! Show it all to me, oh more, more!”

If she was not in the throes of passion, the words she just said would

have made her ashamed. But nothing seemed more natural than saying it to
Duncan.

“Let me see pleasure in your eyes,” Duncan said. He grabbed her waist

and thrust into her feverishly. “Do it now!”

His voice held a harsh, passionate command, and her eyes opened to

stare into the vivid blue of his. Kimberly arched back until her hands were on
his upper thighs. It left her exposed to him, and he reached down to rub her
clit while they moved. She whimpered and bucked above him as new
sensations assaulted her senses. She felt a shudder roll through him, and she
ground against him so that he slid deep into her wet snatch. She came again
with such intensity that she threw her head back as a cry left her lips. Duncan
flipped her under him and let himself go, lifting her legs over his shoulders
and pumping into her with abandon. He pulled out suddenly and kissed her.
She felt his cock throb as it was trapped between them against her belly. He
rubbed against her soft skin and moaned into her mouth. She felt his hot
come against the flatness of her tummy.

They lay together for a long while before Duncan got up and lifted her

into his arms. He took them both into her shower. There, he made her come
again with his hand. The windows were open, and the cool night breeze blew
across the island and into her room. With her head against his shoulder,
Kimberly drifted off, sleeping in the arms of a pirate.

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Chapter Four

Kimberly took Duncan into Bridgetown with her the very next day. She

enjoyed his amazement at the colorful center of the island. The shops and
the street sellers from Baxter’s Road to Swan Street enthralled him. They had
everything from mangoes to pineapples, T-shirts to leather arm bands. He
held her hand possessively as they walked through the crowds. They got
many looks, and some women gazed up at him with appreciation in their
eyes. Duncan was a handsome specimen, and she smiled because he didn’t
pay any attention to the stares. He had eyes only for Kimberly.

After the bank, she walked to the travel agency she’d worked with before

and booked two tickets to Scotland. Her agent was even able to get them
accommodations in the estate houses around the castle ruins of Morvern.
From there they could travel to the isle of Jura and look for his old house
and where he and his men hid the treasure. They shopped for clothes for the
trip and another bag for his things. They had lunch over at the Fisherman’s
Wharf, the little restaurant where they served steamed flying fish over
breadfruit and boasted some of the best sweet breads and cakes the island
had to offer. Over lunch, she tried to explain about airplanes and how they
worked. Duncan had so many questions she gave up and showed him
everything online using his new favorite toy, Google search.

She finally reconsidered and let him try her laptop for a awhile under her

careful supervision, and when he shook it she took back the privilege. She
still feared she would wake up to find it taken apart like her TV. He took
things apart to figure them out and an appliance was one thing. With a
computer that cost a few thousand dollars, she was not about to let him
tinker with it. That night, they made love and again, she was left breathless by
the intensity of it. Being with Duncan was like being in a hurricane trying to
hold onto a tree in the high winds. Eventually, you let go and let it take you
where it may until the ferocious weather was over. Under his caress, she was
left spent and satisfied.

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They left for the airport three days later and from the time Duncan saw

the massive plane, his steps faltered. “You’re saying we’re going up in the air
in that beast?”

Kimberly tapped his hand reassuringly. “Trust me, it’s completely safe.

We stop over in England at Heathrow and then take a connecting plane to
Scotland.”

“I’ll not step foot on that land,” he said defiantly. “Nor will I take to the

skies in that…that thing. Man is meant for the ground, not the skies. Throw
me back into the sea and let Nechtan take me there herself.”

She sighed. “Let’s get a few things straight, Duncan. The war you fought

with Scotland has been over for centuries, and your people won. Now they
live quite peacefully with England and go back and forth to each other’s
country quite nicely. Secondly, you are getting in this beast, as you call it. It’s
faster to travel this way than weeks on a boat, so move your ass.”

Duncan grinned. “You are a fiery lass. I’ll have to assuage that heat when

we get to Scotland. Well, let’s get into your big metal bird.”

He said it bravely, but when they were seated and she showed him how

to use the seatbelt, he was visibly tense. The flight attendant showed the exit
routes and the video on how to react in case of an emergency. That didn’t
help matters, and when the plane took to the skies and he leaned over to
look though the window, his face turned green and he sat back and closed his
eyes.

“Think about it, we’re going to your home. You will be able to smell the

air and look out over the hills. Imagine how beautiful it will be,” Kimberly
said soothingly.

The plane shuddered, and Duncan moaned. “Not if this thing falls out of

the sky.”

“It won’t.” She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder.
From Barbados, it was an eleven hour flight to Heathrow Airport and

then another five hours to get to Scotland. Because of the time difference
when they got to Scotland and in a taxi heading to the castle grounds, it was
late evening. Duncan was silent as they drove. He looked around at the
houses and traffic of the city and then the rolling hills that had the shadows

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of the evening around them. He said little as the taxi driver spoke with a
Scottish brogue. It worried Kimberly. Maybe the changes to what he’d once
known were too much to handle. They came to the castle, and he gasped
when he saw the ruins. The driver rolled past to the renovated houses built in
stone, and the outdoor lights made the courtyard look merry. She paid their
fare, and as the car pulled away, Duncan looked around.

“It’s all so different, almost cluttered,” Duncan mused. “The castle was

standing tall when last I saw it, not in ruins. I’ve fought and drank with the
MacDonald clan and now there is no more.” He shook his head. “I should
be dust with them. How can I be in existence while everything I know is
gone?”

“I don’t know, Duncan, but I believe that whatever happened that sent

you to this time was done to save you,” Kimberly said.

He shrugged away from her touch. “What do you know of struggle? In

this world, you have things that give you answers to any question, that heat
your meals and entertain you. We had each other on cold nights, songs that
were passed down from generation to generation, and we died for each other
willingly.”

His words stung, but angered her as well. “Do you think that war began

and ended with you? They are still being fought to this day except the
weapons are worse and the cost is deadlier. I might not have lived in your
time or bled for my beliefs, but I fought for them and to survive. I fought the
bullies who tried to beat me down, my family, who thought I wasn’t worth
enough to keep, and I got to where I am now. I’ve fought with critics who
called my work crap and artists who thought berating my sculptures would
enhance their careers. So don’t you dare try to debase my life because I didn’t
have to cook over an open fire. Deal with it, buddy. As time progressed, so
did man and his will to change, learn, and make things better.” She was so
angry after her speech that she wanted to hit something. Instead, she poked
him in the chest. “I am going to go check us in and get our cottage key. Then
you can eat alone because I don’t want to be around you right now. There’s a
difference between sadness and self-pity. You were needlessly cruel.”

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With that, she stomped away and followed the sign that said “office this

way.” She didn’t turn to see if he followed her or not. She didn’t care at that
point. She’d done nothing but help him, and maybe she could understand
why he lashed out. It was such a new world to him compared to what he
knew. But instead of talking, he used her life as a tool for anger, and there
was no way she was going to be made to feel like less for anyone.

The innkeeper gave her keys with a smile, and she ordered dinner to be

brought to their cottage. She stomped back to where they started and found
him standing there with his hands behind his back. “Kimberly…lass,” he
began to say, and she held up her hand to silence him. He raised a simple
eyebrow at her and she glared at him before pulling the handle from her bag
and rolling it across the cobblestone to cottage number seven. They were all
set a little ways apart so the guests of each were allowed some privacy. She
and Duncan happened to be in one of the very last ones so by the time she
stepped through the door, her feet were killing her.

Kimberly dragged the bag across the floor to the bedroom and slammed

the door. She reserved a one bedroom since they were sleeping in the same
bed. He could sleep on the floor for all she cared. There were two stone
fireplaces, one in the bedroom and one in the living area. Both had been lit in
advance of their arrival, and the rooms were toasty warm. He knocked as she
pulled off her boots with a sigh and she opened the door and stared at him
without saying a word.

“Where shall I put my things?” he asked.
“Wherever you want. Sleep outside for all I care.” She slammed the door

again.

She lay across the bed, feeling as if she wanted to cry but refusing to.

Instead, she got up and took a shower after their long flight and put on a pair
of her pajamas and one of the fluffy bathrobes that hung in the bedroom.
She was just tying the sash when she heard a knock on the outer door and
Duncan speaking. Kimberly stepped out as he was pulling in the cart which
held the warmers that had their food inside.

“I’ll need to use the bathroom to wash,” he said.
“Do whatever you need to do. I’ll wait out here,” Kimberly replied.

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“You’re angry, but not speaking to me is childish,” Duncan pointed out.
In response, she stuck her tongue out at him and he made a sound of

frustration. This time, it was he who slammed the door. She pulled the top
off the covered dish, and the scent of shepherd’s pie filled the room. The
other container contained roasted chicken and another had veggies. She
covered them all again, not feeling hungry in the least. The bottle of
complimentary wine called her instead, and she opened it, took a glass from
the cart, and poured herself a full glass. Damn Scottish pirate thinks just because
he’s sexy he can talk to me however. Hell no! Kimberly didn’t sip but gulped the
glass of wine down. She hadn’t eaten for the last few hours and it went
straight to her head, making her slightly tipsy.

The door opened and Duncan strode out. “Are you willing to talk to me

or no?”

“Bite me,” she retorted.
“Okay,” he said, and strode over to her. He plucked the glass from her

fingers before putting it on the food cart. “I’m sorry for what I said. I hurt
you, and I apologize. But there is no way I’ll have you holding a grudge
against me. We’ll solve this tonight my way.”

He lifted her into his arms while Kimberly struggled futilely against his

strength.

“What the heck do you think you’re doing? Put me down and stop being

brutish,” she cried out.

“No, I’m being a man, and I’m going to love you until the anger is gone,”

Duncan explained before kissing her hard until she was breathless. He kicked
the door closed and dropped her on the bed. He tore the towel from his
waist then leaned over her and began undressing her, starting with the robe.
“I’m going to take you until you scream my name. Then after, I’ll hold you
until you fall asleep.”

The robe, pajama pants, and panties were removed without her help. He

tore the top down the front and took care of that efficiently as well.
Kimberly couldn’t help but be aroused at his rough treatment of her clothes.
“Say you want me,” Duncan ordered, and covered her with his body.

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He settled between her legs and rubbed his engorged cock against her

until she cried out. “Duncan, I want you.”

“And you’ll have me in more ways than one,” he growled, and said her

name under his breath before fusing their lips together.

Duncan lifted her leg high around his waist and cupped her ass as he

moved against her. Raw need gripped her, and all she could feel was his lips
against hers, his tongue invading her mouth. He tasted so damn good, the
mint of toothpaste mixed with his own seductive flavor. Duncan ravished
her mouth, and Kimberly feasted on him while their bodies strained to get
closer.

“I don’t understand this world, but you, Kimberly, are something more

precious than any gem I have plundered,” he muttered against her lips.

He cupped her breast in his big, warm grasp and took her nipple into his

mouth instantly. Kimberly gasped in pleasure. She arched her back, pushing
her smooth globe deeper into his mouth.

“Oh, yes,” she moaned, and he echoed her response. She was now

gloriously naked and open to his touch. His caress only heightened her
pleasure. “I’m so sorry I was mad at you. I should try to understand how you
feel.”

“No, it is I who should apologize. After all you’ve done for me, I

disregarded everything like it meant nothing.” He shook his head. “I should
never let my anger cloud my feelings for you.”

“There are feelings?” She felt her heart beat faster. Since she’d found him

in the surf, Kimberly had fallen head over heels in love with Duncan
Fergusson.

“Aye, there are feeling.” He gave her a slow smile. “I hope with you as

well.”

“Yes,” she replied. “Can’t you see it in my eyes, when you kiss me or

hold me?”

“I have to taste you. I’m addicted to your taste.” His voice was thick with

desire.

Kimberly scooted up the bed and roamed her hands down her body,

cupping her breasts and pinching her nipples while he watched. Her hands

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moved down the smooth skin of her stomach, and his eyes followed her
hands to the apex of her thighs. While he knelt on the bed, he watched as she
spread her legs, tantalizing him with the view of her moist wetness. She ran
her fingers along the slick folds of flesh, parting them slightly.

“Taste me, Duncan,” she whispered. “I want to feel your mouth on me.”
Duncan moaned as his head descended between her legs with her

aroused invitation. His tongue licked and his fingers touched and penetrated,
sliding into her over and over again. Voracious with his loving, Kimberly
could only hold on as her hips moved restlessly, seeking more pleasure
against his lips. She cried out as each sensation assaulted her body. Her
fingers grabbed at his hair while he increased the pressure of his tongue. She
came in a blinding rush under the onslaught of his mouth.

“I want you inside me,” she demanded.
Duncan moved over her body, and the hard length of his cock pressed

against her stomach as he loomed above to kiss her. Their tongues fought for
dominance in a fight neither could win while passion took them over the
edge. Duncan pulled her legs up high around his waist before pressing his
cock into her waiting pussy. He groaned in ecstasy as her moist core accepted
every inch of him.

“God, yes, that feels so good, having you inside me!” She grabbed his

hair and pulled his head from her breasts. “I ache for you. Fuck me hard.”

Duncan thrust himself inside her in deep strokes to the hilt. He was hard

and slid against the walls of her snatch slick with the wetness. Her hips rose
to meet him, and she tightened her legs around his waist. Their bodies were
damp from the intensity of their coupling, and the sounds of their
lovemaking filled the room.

“You are so hot and tight.” A shudder rolled through him.
“Duncan, I’m going to come.” She could feel herself reaching for

completion.

It was as if the dam broke and Kimberly screamed as she shook from

the power of her orgasm. He was still above her while her body shivered in
pleasure. He didn’t let her come down from the sexual high. Instead, he

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flipped her over so she was on top and began his thrusts in a new, tempered
rhythm.

“You’ll come for me again, love.” His voice was a low growl.
“Oh, I don’t know if I can,” she gasped out as he moved under her,

filling her slowly.

“You will,” he said, and thrust deeper until she cried out.
She didn’t know how he lasted this long, withholding his release with

such control. She could feel herself flying higher with the pump of his wide
hips against hers. He pulled his cock from her wet cavern and moved her so
she lay on her side while he was spooned behind her. He pressed the head of
his manhood against the tight glove of her ass in a silent question. Her
body’s juice had already made her slick and ready to accept him there. All he
needed was a yes, and Duncan looked at her for consent.

“Yes,” she said, without hesitation. “I trust you. No one else has

ever…you know.”

He kissed the back of her neck. “Then I’m humbled you give yourself to

me in this way. I will be gentle.

She felt his fingers fondle her pussy once more, his knowing touch

making her aroused and writhing from his ministrations until she came with a
soft cry. He used her juices to coat his cock and slipped it gently inch by slow
inch into her ass. He fingered her pussy, bringing her pleasure while he
invaded her forbidden entrance. She bit her lip with the new sensations
assaulting her body. She could feel her pussy clench around his finger, and
she cried out his name when he began to move.

“Don’t stop,” she moaned.
“I couldn’t even if the world was at an end,” he muttered.
Duncan moved with slow deliberation and infinite care so she could get

accustomed. Kimberly felt treasured. Soon she caught the rhythm of his
thrusts and they were moving in unison. He pulled her closer and massaged
her breasts while he fucked her ass. She was surprised when she felt the need
inside her build and break apart in another passionate release. It was only
then he let go of that restraint, and she felt his hot seed fill her and his loud
groan. They were pliant in the aftermath of their lovemaking, but soon after,

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he stood and went to the bathroom. He returned and cleaned her up gently
before lying beside her again.

Kimberly snuggled against him and smiled. “I’d probably have let you in

the bedroom eventually.”

He chuckled. “And why is that?”
“I find lately I can’t sleep without you beside me,” she whispered.
“You don’t have to worry about that, love.” He kissed her gently.

“Ever.”

She wanted to believe that more than anything, but they were from two

different worlds. Kimberly wanted it to last forever, but didn’t know if he
would be pulled back to his own time. She would be left alone and longing
for a man that was literally written in history.

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Chapter Five

Duncan found he liked their making up a lot more than arguing. She sat

on one side of the sofa, and her legs were on his lap while he sipped a cup of
coffee. The sun wasn’t even up yet, but he found that being in Scotland had
brought back memories of early mornings walking along the rolling hills. He
went outside while she slept and inhaled the air. Even with the changes, it
still smelled sweet of the lush grass and rich earth.

He walked back in to find her coming out of the bedroom wearing the

bathrobe with tousled hair. She was just as beautiful waking from sleep or
dressed to go out. His heart swelled in his chest looking at her. Kimberly
made him think of home and hearth, having a family. But how could he?
This wasn’t his time. He hardly understood any of it, and sometimes in the
middle of the night, the aching to be back with his men was a fierce need.

Big, metal birds that flew, television…so many things he didn’t

understand. He wanted to, and it all excited him, but beneath it all, he
couldn’t help the fear of not belonging. Why was he sent through time to this
place? Why had Nechtan sent him away from his home and his people?
There were so many questions that he needed answered. In this time, there
was no one to give him any clues to Nechtan’s reasoning.

His focus turned back to Kimberly who had her laptop open and stared

at the screen with fierce concentration. She gave a happy, hum and her
fingers moved across the keys. She was the most amazing woman he’d ever
met, her fire mixed with innocence. He was out of place here, and she made
him feel at home and here she was trying to help him find the past. He
dreamed last night of falling back into the sea and being taken away from
her. In one aspect, he felt joy as he was swirled back to his own time, but
such loss as she cried out his name. When he woke from the dream, he
pulled her closer to make sure she was real. Duncan felt torn, trapped
between two worlds that were tugging him for two different reasons.

“I have some pictures and maps for you to look at,” Kimberly said, and

pulled him from his musings. “Some of the pictures are of your clan home.
They might be difficult because they are ruins.”

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“They were not saved?” he asked quietly. His heart ached at the thought.

“My home will be gone then. I chose not to live in the main house with my
ma and da.”

“No, honey, but what’s left is preserved for historical sake so tourists can

visit,” she answered. “We can use the ruins and the maps to find where your
house once stood.”

“There is that at least.” He sighed. “Show me the pictures.”
The images broke his heart. He saw stone covered with vines and

overgrown shrubbery. The house he recalled standing so tall and proud was
now only rubble, the walls torn down and the estate in ruins. The roses his
mother loved grew wild in one picture, and seeing them took him back to her
smiling face and the family gatherings that ended with a fist being thrown or
a test of strength. Those were good times in his life, before his father
watched his mother being defiled before his eyes and then killed. The ruins
were like the last slap in the face for him. Did no one care to even upkeep
the homestead?

“Duncan,” she said gently. “Let me show you where the ruins are on the

map.”

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak with the hurt and anger

running through him. If he was back there, it wouldn’t have happened. Even
if he had died, he would have made sure that everything was taken care of.
What of Collin? Did he forget the quest for freedom in the midst of his lust
for gold? Did the man who was his right hand and best friend leave his
family, his ma to suffer alone without protection? Duncan formed a fist and
kept it by his side to hide from Kimberly. She turned the computer back to
face him. His eyes scanned the screen.

“Aye, I know this area.” Duncan kept scanning and pointed to the

screen. “My home should be right there.”

“I rented us a car from the office, and the clerk programmed the

direction to the ferry to Jura,” Kimberly explained. “We’ll go to your
homestead first and then go from there. Duncan, are you okay?” She put the
computer down and knelt on the sofa to wrap her arms around him. Duncan
was grateful for the connection and to be held by her. She was the only solid

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thing he had to hold onto in a world that tilted on its axis for him. “It will be
okay, you know. I promise it will.”

“Aye, I know, lass,” he said, and kissed her gently.
“We should finish breakfast and get on the way.” She pressed her

forehead against his. “It’s going to be a little bit of a drive.”

The sky was still dark when they stepped out and got into the car. It was

larger than her car in Barbados where he felt as if he was folded in two. This
one was a Range Rover, she called it, and the powerful engine came to life
when she turned the key. She pulled out of Morvern and took to the streets,
driving with the lights on to illuminate the darkness. He watched the sun to
come up and cast its glow along the mountains and then burst free over the
peaks. It took his breath away, the beauty of his land bathed in sunlight,
enhancing the rich green grass.

As they drove, he saw sheep to pasture and new smaller farms with

colored paint and gardens. They passed other vehicles on the roads and
through small towns where he remembered none stood before. No one
looked tired or hungry or deprived. Some even waved as they passed.
Scotland had run the gauntlet and come through to the other side a stronger
country. He felt pride at the strength of his people.

Sunshine bathed the ruins of the Fergusson castle and the lands that

made up the old estate. Around noon they parked next to the road and
climbed the steep hill to where he grew up. Duncan bent to the earth and
took a handful of soil in his hands, rubbing it through his fingers as if it held
fragments of memories long since gone. They were born there, bled there,
and many of his family probably died there. He stood and looked around,
seeing in his mind’s eye the way it used to be. He took comfort knowing
what was left would be preserved. This was meant to be his time now, so he
would visit this place often.

“My home was that way,” Duncan said, and took her hand.
He plucked one of the wild roses when they passed an overgrown bush,

raised it to his nose, and inhaled its fragrant scent. He handed it to her, and
she took it with a smile. He knew where his home stood even though it was
gone. He’d built it with his own hands with green heartwood, and now each

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board that he’d put in with loving care was gone. His brothers, his father,
even his mother had helped with its creation. Now it was nothing more than
a foundation. Duncan stepped in the middle of what was left and closed his
eyes, remembering what it had been before. One big room, but it was
enough. He’d had plans on building more when he took a wife. What he’d
known seemed so far away.

“Do you know what we should look for?” Kimberly asked quietly.
Duncan focused on her and his surroundings. “I had a stone in the

foundation where we kept treasured items. When the English soldiers came,
we were not allowed to fight back. God, I wanted to kill them all at times,
but we were forced to stand there because of their numbers and our lack of
men. We soon started hiding the treasures, personal heirlooms, and titles to
land. Collin knew where my hiding spot was.” Duncan walked over to the
corner of the stone foundation and pulled out a rock. Inside sat the old,
tattered piece of cloth that was once velvet from his mother’s dress, and the
wooden box he remembered carving. He opened it with shaking fingers and
saw more things than he remembered putting in. The title to the Fergusson
lands, his mother’s prized necklace with an emerald in the center, and more
assorted pieces of jewelry. He handed each thing to Kimberly quietly until he
came to the bottom and found a folded piece of parchment. He unfolded the
paper carefully to read its contents.

Kimberly looked over his shoulder. “What is it?”
“It’s a map to the new location on Jura.” Duncan smiled. “In our own

kind of code, so the English couldn’t find it.”

“There is a lot of jewelry and a deed as well,” she said. “Let’s put it back

in the box so it won’t be damaged. Things this old can be easily destroyed
easily, especially the paper.”

“We should go to Jura and see if everything is there.” He smiled. “Then

from there, the next steps will come to us.”

“The ferry leaves in an hour and a half. We should get a move on.”

Kimberly stood and held out her hand to him. “On to our adventure, show
me Jura.”

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Duncan pulled her close. Hand in hand, they walked back to the car

while he held the treasured box beneath the other arm. As they drove away,
he watched the piece of tattered cloth blow away in the wind.

* * * *

They barely got the SUV parked on the ferry’s massive decks below

before its master blew the horn. The boat set off over water that looked
black even though it was the middle of the day. They left the car and came
up on deck to look at the landscape as they traveled across the water. They
announced facts that she didn’t know, like the depth of the lake was
unknown since no science vessel had reached the bottom. She was amazed
when the tour guide said many bodies of water in Scotland had underwater
caves that connected to Loch Ness. It was all very interesting, but Kimberly
was excited about what they would find when they got to Jura Island.

Duncan was quiet as he looked around. He remembered a lot of what he

saw. She could see it in his eyes. But there had to be so many changes that it
overloaded his mind. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what he was going
through. Kimberly was determined to be there for him no matter what
because that’s what you did for the person you loved. And she loved him
with an intensity that frightened her. Never knowing love before, this was a
new phase in her life. It felt amazing to have Duncan at her side. The ferry
docked, and he lifted her into his arms easily until they walked up the plank.
They followed the other tourists while they headed toward the villages and
the shops. There they ate lunch and strolled through the streets.

“I never would have expected this place to have been settled and people

living on this land,” Duncan said. “Its deathly cold in the winter, and the
storms can be brutal.”

“Maybe that’s why the town only has a few hundred residents,” she

replied. “I’m going to get us a room for the night. I don’t think we will make
it out of here before dark.”

He nodded. “Aye, it might be best, especially if we’re hunting for a

treasure. It’s best done in the dark.”

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“I hope the coast is not dangerous at night,” she said.
Duncan grinned, and it lit up his ruggedly handsome face. “I know these

rocks like the back of my hand. I’ll protect you.”

They left the town and headed toward the coast on foot after parking in

front of one of the inns on the island. Before they left, she ran inside to pay
for a room and get a key so they could go directly to the room later on. In
one of the shops that lined the streets, she bought two flashlights and bottles
of water. If they were going to be walking, she wanted to be prepared. It was
after four in the evening, and she could already see the light of the day
ebbing from the sky. Duncan said night came quickly in Scotland, and he
definitely wasn’t kidding because by the time they got down to the coastline,
it was getting dark.

One side of Jura faced the lake, and on the other side, it faced the sea.

There weren’t many houses on this side of the island that boasted a rocky
surface. The smell of salt was in the air, and the water from the sea crashed
on the rocks. She could feel the spray on her face as Duncan helped her
down a path she could barely see.

“I think I better put the flashlight on before I break my leg.” Kimberly

pulled it from her bag and pushed the button.

“Another fine tool for light instead of a torch,” he said.
“Do you see anything?” she asked apprehensively.
He helped her down on another rocky incline to the sand. He lifted her

hand that held the flashlight and pointed to the cliff side with dark rocks
sticking out like jagged fingers pointing to the sky. She could see what she
thought was a cave in the rocky wall.

“The tide is out so we’ll have no trouble getting inside,” Duncan said,

and looked at her. “You can stay here if you want to. I’ll be just a minute.”

“No,” she answered. “Where you go, I follow.”
“Such a brave lass you are.” He bent low to kiss her.
The wind howled through the crevices at the mouth of the cave and

echoed eerily inside. Water dripped from points and ledges into pools of salt
water as they moved inside, and Kimberly scanned the interior, the light in
her hand.

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“Collin said past the ledges in the back, they dug a new hiding place,”

Duncan murmured, and felt up along the edges.

It was high and while she would have problems reaching it, he moved his

fingers along the ledge, and she heard the grating of rock against rock. She
shined in that direction and saw the rocks move. Duncan shot her a grin and
stepped inside. She followed. Inside, there was nothing. It was empty, and
the wind seemed to howl louder in the desolation.

“It’s all gone,” he whispered.
“Maybe Collin moved it again,” she said, hating the emptiness in his

voice.

“No, he wouldn’t have and not change the map,” he replied.
“He might not have had time,” she suggested.
“Then it wouldn’t have been moved,” Duncan snapped, and then sighed.

“I’m sorry, lass, this is…never mind. Let’s go back to the inn.”

“Duncan,” she began, and he stopped her.
“Let’s not talk right now, please?” he asked.
“Okay.” Kimberly stopped talking, but looked at him worriedly. He

needed this, to feel as if his life here could be worth something. He was
going to use the treasure to build a new life, and that was taken from him.
Duncan was the type of man who wanted to take care of himself, and she’d
been his mainstay for the past few weeks. She wondered how she could help
him. I don’t even know where to start, she thought unhappily.

Duncan’s footsteps halted in the sand as they went back the way they’d

come to the ledge. She looked up at him and saw him staring out to the sea.
Kimberly followed his gaze and saw the same blue lights in the water as the
night she found him. Oh no. Oh please no, she thought. The water bubbled,
frothed, and she watched a figure rise. She couldn’t make out the features. In
fact, the being was made of water. She couldn’t call this a dream. Lord, she
wished she could.

“Nechtan.” Duncan dropped to his knees on the wet sand.
Believing in fairies and listening to stories was one thing, but watching an

entity consisting of the sea move forward on a tall wave of her own
creation… It was completely unbelievable, yet there she was.

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“Rise, warrior.” Her voice was clear but watery.
“Have you come to take me back?” Duncan asked.
“It is your choice. What do you think of this new time?” the goddess

asked.

“It’s very difficult to understand, so different,” Duncan explained. “I

don’t know if I can find my footing on these lands. Why did you send me
here?”

“To show you that without your anger and lust for vengeance, there was

something more,” Nechtan explained. Kimberly stood quietly, but scared to
death of what was coming. The water goddess continued. “Your brethren
forgot the cause and let greed turn their hearts. What you didn’t know was
that the men you called brothers not only took from those they hated, but
from their own people as well.”

“If you left me there, I could have saved them!” Duncan yelled. She

could hear the anger and pain in his voice. “They would have followed my
leadership.”

Nechtan laughed. “They would have hung you on board the ship. You

forget, I am past and I am future. I saw it all, changed your destiny, and gave
you another path. I have seen your heart from the time you were a child
fishing with your father to the man today. I say stubbornness would not have
saved you, warrior.” Nechtan inclined her head and waved her hand. Water
flowed from her fingertips. “So make your choice. Will you stay or return?”

“Don’t do it,” Kimberly begged, and clutched his arm. “There’s nothing

for you back there but dying. Here, you can start over.”

Duncan looked at her his eyes, pleading. “I got them on that path and it

took their lives! If I go back, maybe I can change it somehow.”

“How many times do you have to sacrifice yourself for them? What

about me and what we have?” she asked.

“Am I supposed to live in this time with you paying my way?” Duncan

took her by the shoulders. “I have no skills for work. Everything is gadgets,
and no one uses their hands to build anymore.”

“What about me?” Kimberly held up her hands. “I use these to work and

create. You can learn. Everything changes, and you can too.”

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Dahlia Rose

“It’s different for you…” He shook his head and muttered a curse. “I’m

a man who wants to provide for his woman.”

“So because I don’t need you to support me, I’m not worthy?” she

demanded to know. “Will it be better going back to your time and finding a
woman who needs you to feed and clothe her? Am I that easily cast aside?”

“The treasure would have given me a stepping stone to a new life,”

Duncan pointed out.

“The spoils were taken by me to the sea. No one should profit from the

greed of the crew of the Dark Reaper,” Nechtan pointed out.

Kimberly barely paid her any attention. She could have stayed away and

Duncan would not be in this place of doubt. She didn’t have to read his mind
to know. It was written all over his face. He was going to choose his time and
leave her alone.

“I love you, Duncan. Please, you don’t need the treasure. You have

enough. The title proving Fergusson lands are yours, your family heirlooms.
All that can make a good start,” she pleaded. “The rest we can work on
together, I promise.”

“Kimberly…” He pulled her close and rested his forehead against hers.

“Love, please understand…”

She shook her head and pulled away. “No, I won’t understand! You

claim to have feelings for me, yet when it gets rough, you choose the easy
way out. Go dance at the end of a hangman’s noose for those men. I see now
that they mean more to you than I ever could. I saved you. I won’t stand
here and watch you throw it all away.”

With those words, she turned and ran away, trying to scramble up the

rocks while holding the flashlight. Kimberly gave a soft cry as she scraped
her knee on the jagged stone. She dropped the flashlight and didn’t care. The
need to escape was eating at her. Watching him dive back into the sea and to
a doomed life was more than she could bear.

“Kimberly!”
She heard him call her name, but didn’t stop. The darkness swallowed

her up as she ran. Kimberly turned left and then right. She lost her way in the
darkness quickly until she didn’t hear the surf or see any lights. Fuck, Fuck.

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Dahlia Rose

Damn it, she thought, and sat on a rock. She pulled the second flashlight from
the bag and the bottle of water. In the middle of her tears, she drank a few
sips to soothe her parched throat and tried to think about how she could get
back to the village. If they had a late night ferry, she would probably be on it.
Now she was stuck on the island alone and heartbroken. She loved him so
much, and he chose to go back to death. It was almost funny thinking about
it. Kimberly would have preferred spending her life by herself than feeling
like she did right at that instant. She pulled her knees up to her chest on the
large rock and buried her head to cry.

“Crying alone in the darkness won’t do at all.”
His voice made her look up, startled, and she watched him walk out of

the night’s cloak. His hair lost the band that kept it tied back, and now the
long mane blew in the wind. Her heart jumped in her chest, but still, she held
herself in reserve.

“Did your goddess give you a few minutes to come say goodbye?” she

asked bitterly.

“She’s gone, never to return,” he said simply.
“Then why are you here?” Kimberly swiped the tears on her cheeks.
Duncan sat beside her. “Because I knew you’d get lost and I had to come

find you.”

“Gee, thanks, you found me. Point me in the direction of the village and

I’ll get out of your hair,” she snapped.

“There were more reasons,” he said quietly. “Do you want to hear

them?”

She waved her hand airily. “Go ahead. You have me at a disadvantage

since I’m lost.”

“You were right. I’ve given up my life for revenge. From the time I was

nineteen, I’ve been fighting the English and felt obligated to my men for
their safety,” Duncan explained. “Nechtan gave me one more gift, a peek
into the future if I stayed here.”

“What did you see?” Kimberly whispered.
“I saw us, happiness, children, travel from your island to my home, love,

laughter, and life,” he explained. “Things I couldn’t foresee having in my

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Dahlia Rose

lifetime when I sailed on the Dark Reaper, but what I longed for. I found
them with you, and the choice was clear. Enough has been forfeited, and
blood has been shed. I choose you, Kimberly. To fight for a life with you as I
would for lands or family. A second chance should not be given up lightly,
and I think Nechtan was pleased with my choice. It was a lesson, a gift she
offered.” He lifted her onto his lap and kissed her hard. “You said the words
before I did, but it doesn’t mean I don’t feel the same way. I love you,
Kimberly, a grha mo chroi.”

“In English, please,” she said.
“You are the love of my life,” Duncan repeated. “I felt as if I didn’t

belong or was not man enough to provide for you in this world. But like you
said, I can learn everything and anything with you in my world. It is all
possible.”

“I don’t want you to be with me and then a few years down the line wish

you didn’t stay,” she whispered. His words filled her with so much joy that
she could hardly breathe.

“That won’t happen. I’m with you for the rest of our lives.” Duncan

kissed her gently. “Believe that, my love, always.”

“I love you too.” Kimberly smiled. “I’ll teach you to drive and even use

my computer.”

“Ah, I get my hands on that machine finally!” He grinned. “I’m going to

hold you to that promise.”

“We’ll buy you your own. That way if you break it, I won’t freak out.”

She laughed out loud and held him tight.

“I’ll buy my own when I can pay my own way,” Duncan said firmly.
“Honey, the title to the Fergusson lands and those pieces of jewelry are

more than enough to give you a start here.” Kimberly poked him in the
chest. “You, Duncan my love, might be already very wealthy.”

“We are wealthy. You will be my wife very soon, if you are willing.” He

searched her face for an answer.

“I am very, very agreeable to that proposal.” Kimberly smiled. “I’m still

kind of mad at you for making me cry.”

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Dahlia Rose

“I’ll fix that when we get back to the inn.” Duncan lifted her into his

arms.

“How far away are we?” she asked, looking around in the darkness.
“Don’t worry. I plan to carry you all the way.”
Kimberly rested her head against his broad shoulder and listened to his

heart beat as he walked back to the village. She would never forsake his love
or give him reason to doubt. Having Duncan beside her in everything for the
rest of her life would be no sacrifice in the least. It was a blessing.

The End

TuÉâà à{x Tâà{ÉÜ

Dahlia Rose is the best-selling author of contemporary and paranormal

romance with a hint of Caribbean spice. She was born and raised on a
Caribbean island and now currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with
her five kids, who she affectionately nicknamed “The Children of the Corn,”
and her biggest supporter and longtime love. She has a love of erotica, dark
fantasy, sci-fi, and the things that go bump in the night. Books and writing
are her biggest passions, and she hopes to open your imagination to the
unknown between the pages of her books.