A Thistle Beyond Time: Book 2 of The Thistle & Hive Series Read online

  “Those cats have been guarding Poet’s Canyon since the early 1920’s. Their names are Leo and Leona.” Jenna offered a bit of local history to Cormac, who merely nodded in response and silently went back to watching the road curve its way to the summit.

  “Don’t worry, Cormac, I’ve driven this same road too many times to count. You’re in good hands,” Dylan reassured him.

  “I’m nae worried, Dylan,” Cormac lied - he’d be daft not to fash.

  “Good. We’ll be there in no time flat. You’re gonna love surfing, won’t he, Jenna?”

  “I wouldn’t know, Dylan. I’ve been asking you to teach me for years, but you’ve never had the time,” Jenna retorted with her usual sarcasm.

  “You got me there, cuz. Maybe today will be your lucky day.”

  Cormac glanced back at Jenna in time to see her shrug at her cousin’s words. She looked so beautiful back there, with the sunlight streaming through the windows creating streaks of gold through her hair. She was focusing all of her attention on Chester, who was sound asleep in her lap. He wondered if the dog knew how fortunate he was and he tried to imagine what it would be like to have Jenna focus that kind of loving attention on him.

  “Jenna,” he asked. “Do you mind having to sit back there with Chester?”

  “Of course not, Cormac. Chester is a good travelling companion. He never complains and he’s been asleep since we pulled out of the driveway,” she smiled.

  His heart nearly melted at the sight of it.

  “The question should be, do you mind sitting up front with Dylan? I have to admit that sometimes when he drives I get a bit nauseous,” Jenna continued, and she wrinkled her nose.

  Was she trying to drive him to insanity? The way she was looking at him was completely mesmerizing and had him forgetting about the breakneck speed at which they were travelling.

  “I be fine, Jenna, lass. Dinnae fash,” Cormac said.

  “What beach are we going to, Dylan?” Jenna asked.

  Cormac noticed the shift in her demeanor, as she switched her focus to Dylan.

  “I thought we’d go to Manresa. If I were doing this with more seasoned surfers, I’d go to Steamer Lane, but I don’t want to kill anyone their first time out.”

  “I hope the surf’s good,” Jenna said.

  “We’ll know soon enough. We’re just about there,” Dylan said, as he slowed the truck and turned onto another smaller roadway.

  Cormac turned back towards the front to watch where they were going, wondering less about the surf and more about whether he could convince Jenna to kiss him again this day.

  ***

  It was all Jenna could do to maintain her cool. Cormac had a maddening way of making her feel things she didn’t want to feel. She had to keep reminding herself that he was not for her, but damn it, every time he looked at her with those amazing blue eyes, she almost jumped into his arms. Speaking of which, those arms were so strong and muscular, she kept imagining them wrapped around her, holding her close to that equally muscular chest.

  “Stop it, Jenna.”

  “Stop what?” Cormac asked, sounding confused.

  Had she just said that aloud? She couldn’t recall being this embarrassed in her entire life. Cormac was still eyeing her curiously.

  “Oh, it was nothing. I was just talking to myself,” she said.

  “Aye. I ken ye were, since ye mentioned yer own name,” he teased.

  She laughed a little too loudly at his comment, probably because she was feeling self-conscious at being overheard talking to herself.

  “Really. It was nothing for you to worry about.” But it was definitely something for Jenna to worry about. Maybe a dip in the ocean and a surfing lesson would help.

  They managed to get all of their stuff down to the beach in one trip, although not without complaint from Dylan.

  “Jenna, what on earth did you pack? There are only three of us, you’d think you were planning to feed a pack of hungry wolves,” Dylan teased.

  “Sorry. Better to have too much, than not enough,” she pouted.

  They found a good spot near the water and set up their chairs, blankets and a small beach tent for Chester, so he could get out of the sun. The temperature was perfect and the sun was reflecting brightly off the deep blue of the ocean making it sparkle as if it was covered in sequins. Waves crashed onto the beach and sea birds roamed the shoreline in search of food, while a light breeze blew just enough to keep the warmth of the sun from becoming uncomfortable. Jenna watched as Dylan prepared his surfboard and put on his wetsuit.

  “Hey, aren’t we going to need one of those?” she asked.

  “Not unless you’re planning to spend a lot of time in the water,” Dylan said, before he waved and headed for the waves with his surfboard.

  Cormac had planted himself on the blanket and was observing everything going on around him, and when Jenna pulled her sundress off, he jumped up so rapidly that she didn’t even have time to react before he was trying to wrap her up in a towel.

  “Cormac, what are you doing?” She was irritated by the crazy way he was behaving.

  “Jenna, should ye take yer dress off, lass, for the entire world to see?”

  “Cormac, look around you. Every woman on this beach is wearing a similar version to what I have on. It’s okay. This isn’t a nudist beach. I promise I’ll keep the bathing suit on.”

  He still looked concerned, but he allowed her to put the towel down as he tried to conceal what was obvious to Jenna - she had aroused him. She secretly smiled at the obvious response he’d had. So, she was apparently having the same effect on him, as he was having on her. She cleared her throat when she sat on the blanket beside him.

  “Cormac, would you mind putting some sunscreen on my back?” Jenna asked as she handed him the tube of sunscreen. He stared at it, as if it was something he’d obviously never seen before.

  “Don’t tell me… they don’t have sunscreen where you’re from,” she stated matter-of-factly.

  “Nae, lass, they dinnae.”

  “Here.” She took the cover off and squirted some into his hands. “Now, you rub it into my back until you can’t see it anymore. Okay?”

  “Aye.”

  She could feel the heat of his hands before they even touched her back. If she had been thinking clearly, she would have realized what a bad idea this was. His large hands covered her back easily as he applied the sunscreen to every bit of exposed skin. He was very thorough in his ministrations, stopping only momentarily to squeeze more sunscreen into his hands and then he went to work on her legs, gently covering them from top to bottom. She couldn’t tell how uncomfortable he might be, but she was starting to feel an aching sensation between her thighs as his hands lightly brushed near the source of her sweet discomfort. She snuck a peek and was pleasantly surprised to see that he was looking at her with an unusually pained expression on his face. He wiped his hands on a nearby towel and then dove face down onto the blanket. She thought she might know why and smiled as she glanced over at him. His lustrous ebony locks were covering his handsome face and Jenna was surprised by the fact that she had a desire to see his eyes.

  “Cormac, let me do something with your hair. It can’t be comfortable all over your face like that.” She sat up and reached for the beach bag. She searched through the pockets and came up with a hair tie and a brush. Jenna motioned for him to sit with his back to her and she brushed his beautiful hair into a ponytail and then into a man bun at the base of his neck. She couldn’t help observing that he was quite tanned, from head to toe. He must spend a good deal of time shirtless and the mental image practically made her drool. “Do you want me to put some sunscreen on your back for you?”

  “Why would I need sunscreen, lass.”

  “Oh… well, it’s to keep you from getting sunburn. Too much sun is not good for your skin.”

  “‘Tis not?”

  “No. It can cause skin cancer, age spots and wrinkles.” Why was she taking the time to ex
plain this to him? He had to know all of this already. It wasn’t a secret, but somehow she almost believed he didn’t know. His reactions seemed so very genuine.

  “Aye, then I will nae stop ye, if ye wish to put it on me.”

  Jenna went to work covering his back with the sunscreen and relishing the feel of his warm skin beneath her palms. She skimmed over the hard planes of his back and had to bite back the groan that played at her lips. She ran her fingers down the corded muscles of his arms as he sat stock-still. She didn’t think he was even breathing.

  When she was finished, he turned to face her, asking less than innocently, “Would ye like to put some on me chest?” The twinkle in his eyes gave him away and she pursed her lips, shook her head, and handed him the sunscreen.

  “You can handle that yourself,” she said.

  “I dinnae believe I can, lass. Yer much better at it than I,” he teased, holding the sunscreen out for her to take.

  “Okay. If you insist. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to help you with it, especially since you have so little experience with this kind of thing.”

  Jenna sat on her heels, facing him. She took a deep breath. This was going to take a lot of self-control on her part, but apparently she had none as her hands began to shake when she placed them flat on his chest, rubbing the lotion all over him. She looked up and directly into his deep blue eyes. He had a smoldering expression on his face and she quickly lowered her gaze back to his chest. She wasn’t sure which was worse - the rock hard chest or the unbelievably gorgeous face. There didn’t seem to be anywhere else to look, because when she lowered her eyes they aligned directly with his lap and the hard, projection of desire that taunted her. Jerking her head back up, she directed her gaze towards the ocean and mentally started counting the waves. Cormac didn’t seem content to allow that to happen and he placed his fingers under her chin and turned her to face him again.

  She took one look into his eyes and true to her nature of late, Jenna jumped up from the blanket and ran towards the water. “I’m going in to cool off. It’s getting too warm for me,” she shouted over her shoulder as she ran.

  ***

  Cormac watched in wonder as Jenna ran full tilt for the water. He laughed to himself. She really was quite smitten with him. No matter how angry or frustrated she became with him, she wanted him. He knew that look and he’d never been happier to see it on any lass’s face before this. Her sweet little legs carried her quickly to the water where she dove in to the waves, disappearing for a moment before emerging like a goddess from the sea, water sparkling like diamonds as it coursed over her body. His aching manhood could probably use a dose of that same water about now. Making his way down the sand and towards the water, Cormac kept watch on Jenna. She was his to protect and he made sure she kept safe as he proceeded. By the time he reached her, Dylan and another young man were beside her and obviously discussing the waves. They were pointing away from the shore and in deep discussion when Cormac approached.

  “Cormac. Ready to try some surfing, my man?” Dylan asked.

  The number of different names Dylan had for him was baffling. My man, dood, bro… “Aye. I’d like to try, if ye’ll show me.”

  “Okay. Jesse here is going to show Jenna and I’ll work with you.”

  Cormac was really not okay with it, but since he was only learning himself, there wasn’t much he could do about it. He watched as Jesse smiled broadly and gave Jenna an appreciative glance. He spoke quietly to her and Cormac strained his ears to hear, but to no avail. Jenna was laughing as she stood beside him. Much to Cormac’s dismay, he watched as Jenna laid on the board and Jesse climbed on, laying partially atop her. They began paddling out further into the water. Dylan was talking to Cormac, but he didn’t hear a word he said. The rush of jealousy and anger filling his head prevented it.

  “Dude. You really need to pay attention. Forget about what they’re doing.”

  “But why must he lie atop her like that?”

  “Don’t be jealous, bro. It’s just Jesse. He’s only sixteen years old. You’ve got nothing to worry about in that department.”

  Cormac knew that a sixteen year old could be just as dangerous to a woman as an older man could. He wanted to swim out to them and pull Jesse off her, but controlled the urge and did as Dylan suggested. This was not his time, he had to remember, people acted differently here.

  Dylan, thankfully, did not get on the board with him. He gave him instruction and told him to watch Jesse, to see how he did it. He explained paddling out, sitting and waiting for a perfect wave and getting to your feet and riding it in. Cormac watched some others who were out on surfboards and saw how they did it. He was a quick study and didn’t think he’d have a problem. He might fall a time or two, but he knew he’d be able to ride this surfboard before too long.

  Cormac paddled out and sat beside Jesse and Jenna. Jesse gave him some words of encouragement and when a good wave came along, Jesse had Cormac go first and give it a try. He did surprisingly well. He rode almost all the way to shore before toppling off and into the churning waves. He stayed where he was and kept watch on Jenna and Jesse. He watched closely as their wave approached and they quickly paddled into position, Jenna stood with the help of Jesse and he held her waist, damn him, as they rode the wave. They didn’t make it quite as far as Cormac before they fell, but he was relieved to see Jenna’s head pop to the surface wearing a huge smile. She swam in his direction full of excitement.

  “That was amazing, but I am so cold. I need to get out of the water. Are you coming?” she asked, as she stood shivering in front of him.

  Dylan approached, full of praise for them both and asking if Cormac would like to try it again, but Cormac’s only concern was getting Jenna warm. He pulled her into his arms and started for shore.

  “Thanks, Jesse,” Jenna called back and Cormac held her a little tighter.

  Once they reached their blanket, Cormac grabbed a towel and wrapped Jenna snugly inside. He continued to hold her, rubbing her arms and back to get her warm. She was still shivering, but not as badly.

  “Did you love it?” she asked, excitement lighting her eyes.

  “Aye, I did.”

  “You were amazing. I can’t believe you’ve never surfed before,” Jenna exclaimed.

  “We have nae surfboards at Breaghacraig. We have ocean and we have waves, but none of the clan has ever thought to ride them on a board.”

  “Well, maybe you can teach them something new.”

  “The water be much colder than ‘tis here. We dinnae swim unless we have to.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad. You could be as good as Dylan with a little practice.”

  They sat together on the blanket. Jenna remained in his arms and for once she didn’t seem to be thinking about running away. He tried not to react as she rested her head on his shoulder and relaxed against him. He couldn’t think of anywhere he would rather be at this very moment. Holding her felt right. It was what he had been missing all these years. She fit perfectly against his body and he wanted to have her there always. Only a few days had passed since they met and he was amazed that things were going as well as they were. He hadn’t thought it possible. Now he had to convince her to go back with him. He hoped it would be easier than he first anticipated, but he knew it wouldnae be. He had his work cut out for him, but progress had been made. He needed to keep it going in the right direction.

  TEN

  Dylan and Jesse joined Cormac and Jenna for a quick lunch before heading back into the water. Jenna had been right. She’d packed just enough food to feed Cormac and Dylan, along with a very hungry Jesse. Smiling to herself, she watched the three scarfing down food like they hadn’t eaten in days. Cormac had been most complimentary of her sandwich making skills. He claimed to have never had a sandwich before. She humored him and went along with pretty much all of the crazy stuff he was spouting today. Something about being at the beach felt very liberating to Jenna. She stopped analyzing everything he said and did, instea
d determined just to enjoy his company.

  After the last of the sandwiches were gone, Jenna asked, “Cormac, would you like to go for a walk on the beach with me?”

  “I’d be honored to accompany ye, Jenna.”

  Jenna couldn’t help but notice the surprise in his expression. “It’s just a walk, nothing else,” she warned.

  “What else could a walk be, lass?” he quizzed her.

  She stood up and grabbed two peaches to take with them. She put her other hand out to Cormac to help him up. Who was she kidding? He didn’t need any help, she just wanted to hold his hand. He took it and stood. He seemed puzzled by her actions, but followed as she grabbed Chester’s leash, turned on her heels and headed towards the water’s edge. They walked in a companionable silence for a while and then Cormac asked, “What are those that ye carry in yer hand, lass?”

  “Peaches. It’s the end of the season for them. They’re my favorite fruit, but they’re only fresh and local in the summer. I brought one for you.” She handed him the peach and he rubbed the furry skin with his fingers.

  “Thank ye. How does it taste?”

  “Sweet and juicy.” Jenna took a bite out of hers and the juices ran down her chin.

  Cormac stopped Jenna in her tracks and turning her to face him, he stared at her with such intensity her knees turned to jelly. He reached out and wiped the juices from her chin in a most seductive manner, and then licked his fingers, never taking his eyes away from hers. He smiled that amazing smile of his and Jenna self-consciously wiped at her chin and offered him a bite of her peach. Cormac accepted and as the juices ran down his stubbly chin, Jenna found herself standing on tiptoes, licking the peach juice from his face as he groaned low in his throat, letting her know he was completely turned on by what had just happened.

  “You know, I have really got to stop doing that,” she said, as she turned her face away from him, hoping he wouldn’t see how embarrassed she was.