Celtic Love Knots Volume 6 Read online

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  Whiskey Creek Press

  www.whiskeycreekpress.com

  Copyright ©2007 by WHISKEY CREEK PRESS

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  NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.

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  CELTIC LOVE KNOTS VOLUME 6:

  BEYOND

  GREEN MAN'S GATE

  &

  BEDDING A MERMAID

  by

  Ann Cory & Brenda Williamson

  WHISKEY CREEK PRESS

  www.whiskeycreekpress.com

  Published by

  WHISKEY CREEK PRESS

  Whiskey Creek Press

  PO Box 51052

  Casper, WY 82605-1052

  www.whiskeycreekpress.com

  Copyright © 2007 by Nancy Jackson & Brenda Williamson

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 (five) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  ISBN 978-1-59374-992-7

  Credits

  Cover Artist: Ginger Heaston

  Editor: Giovanna Lagana

  Printed in the United States of America

  WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT

  CELTIC LOVE KNOTS VOLUME 6: BEYOND GREEN MAN'S GATE

  & BEDDING A MERMAID

  "Incorporating myths and legends in a Celtic setting with a decidedly sexy spin, Whiskey Creek Press Torrid's Celtic Love Knots Volume 6 is sure to delight all who love their fantasy with a hefty dose of eroticism!"

  Reviewer Jennifer A. Ray

  CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

  FIVE CLOVERS

  "In this delightfully sexy anthology, Ann Cory and Brenda Williamson take you on a trip through the mists of myth and legend with pair of creative stories that tease and delight. Two delightful stories from two great authors, and you can't lose."

  Reviewer Rose

  Romance at Heart

  "Heat is definitely on, in both stories. Characters are well-sketched ... it is a good read."

  Reviewer Zee

  Enchanting Reviews

  Dedication

  From author Ann Cory:

  To the Gods and Goddesses who walked before me

  BEYOND GREEN MAN'S GATE

  by

  Ann Cory

  Chapter 1

  Ryanne fell away from the festivities of Beltane to inspect the lush grove. Wildflowers, sprinkled along fields of green, seemed to taunt her from afar. Even the haunting Celtic harp music and mouthwatering aromas of sweet butter rolls, succulent chicken, rosemary and thyme couldn't keep her attention. Her appetite was for nourishment other than food.

  Quinn would expect her to dance the Maypole in the evening beneath the pale dust of the moon. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be there. His disappointment would be great, but she could see no other way to spare his feelings, and hoped his pain would lessen over time. While charming and good husband material, Quinn lacked the intrigue Ryanne looked for in a man. Strong in stature and intelligence, he exuded a seriousness that didn't appeal to her freethinking nature. And then there was the conservative sex.

  Her body lay dormant, forever trapped in a bitter winter, while spring bloomed all around. A forbidden lust lay out of reach. She yearned for skilled hands to caress her body and ramble along hidden passages awaiting discovery. Quinn's passive demeanor was better reserved for demure ladies with a penchant for the mundane. He would never consider weaving her wrists together with blades of grass, or thrashing her bare bottom with broomcorn. A hunger far more decadent festered between her legs.

  The music grew faint as Ryanne quietly stole away, glancing back once to watch the ladies in pretty crowns made of flower garlands. Ribbons in scarlet, green, and gold cascaded down the length of their hair. Their long dresses swirled as they skipped about with childlike smiles frozen on their anxious faces. The evening would decide their fate, and they welcomed it with open arms. Unlike them, Ryanne's interests ran beyond marriage, babies, and a simple life. A bigger world waited, filled with excitement and new experiences. Her spirit craved adventure, and her body desired passion. She didn't see those dreams coming to fruition with any of the men in town. While Quinn turned heads with his dusky locks and peacock-blue eyes, Ryanne knew she'd never be truly satisfied. She would only hurt him later.

  The sound of the festival was far behind her as she approached the field. Lilies and thistles brushed against her legs as she hiked her dress up to her knees. Whispery touches of grass tickled her ankles as she walked, making her laugh like a young girl rather than the woman she was. While her people spouted the life of tradition, she set her sights on the unobtainable. She'd always been the one in trouble at school for her daydreaming ways. Teachers wanted her to be a young lady, reserved and quiet. She fought the conventional ways, knowing full well it wasn't her nature to live her life for a man as he saw her, but to be the woman she was inside.

  In reflection, she paused in the middle of the field. Ryanne couldn't recall having ever roamed this far before, but it was as if something beckoned to her. Golden rays of the sun bathed her in their warmth like a blanket. Arms spread out she twirled until dizzy, like she used to do as a child. When she stopped, Ryanne waited for her balance to return. A peculiar object in the distance caught her attention. She shielded her eyes and squinted, but still couldn't make out the hazy mass. Curiously, she ventured forth. It looked inviting.

  * * * *

  Cernunnos watched the beguiling lass step gracefully through the field toward him. Her copper hair glinted like fire in the sunlight. His cock reacted sharply to her divine womanly form and ignited a spark in his spirit. Her white dress flared at the edges as she walked, intriguing him to explore what lay beneath. He envisioned his hands along her sinuous flesh with her limbs bound and her lips pleading for more.

  Within the Glenariff Gardens, Cernunnos made his home as the Keeper, though he had many names and titles throughout his life. He maintained the rare flowers that grew in the garden, flowers scented with strong aphrodisiacs that made it difficult for women to resist. In his mysterious way, he tended to both the flowers and the women in much the same manner. He knew what made their soil rich and couldn't help but admire their exquisite beauty. Many lonely hearts had trod upon his garden, in search of answers that couldn't be found elsewhere. Porcelain faces with coy glances and pink-stained cheeks. Minds filled with forbidden thoughts, spirits alive and yearning for physical inspiration.

  His quest to fulfill their innermost desires gave him a sense of purpose, and he thrived on the empowerment they walked away with, a permanent smile fixed on their bee-stung lips. Without them, he would be nothing. Most men could only dream of being in his position, but he did harbor one regret. Love, or the lack of it. Once the women left, their feelings often
changed.

  Cernunnos had been feeling vulnerable lately, and even more so today. He was drawn to the woman approaching. Her footsteps quickened his pulse and made him anxious. He loved to listen to the drumming sounds of her feet along the soil, beating in time to the resonance of the forest around him—the forest, which was his true home.

  Before he came to reside in the garden, he had walked the woods, as part man, part animal, and part tree. The great horned one or the stag god, he was often called, with his duty to reinforce the vital decree of nature. He was known to revive the energy of vegetation and of nature itself.

  His struggles with the appreciation of the woods and forests had nearly vanquished his godly powers, and he opted for a new way to instill magic into those who could heed the call. This woman changed the air and made it sweeter. She was strong-willed. Relentless. Driven by a powerful craving. She proposed a challenge without even knowing it. Rare was the woman who didn't give in to his advances. He would have to stay sharp around her, using his powers of persuasion. Her dreams had helped sustain the garden, and now she would experience it.

  Cernunnos bit into a plump red grape and let the juice run down the sides of his mouth. It spilled along his chest, leaving its sticky remains. Would she taste as decadent? Did her juices run fast when prompted by languid strokes? He imagined that she did. Long it had been since a woman visited him with such strong desires. Even he wondered if he would live up to her expectations. Many women came to him, pure, innocent, naïve. Love had struck them, but still they held onto their ideals of a hero coming to take them away. The copper-haired woman didn't believe in heroes, and she didn't have a trace of innocence in her. What she wanted was far greater. Cernunnos vowed to seduce the Irish beauty and sample her nectar. When she left, the path of his cock would be forever foraged between her thighs.

  Chapter 2

  Ryanne wiped away beads of sweat from her forehead and paused at the bottom of the hill. Her travels had left her short of breath and grateful for the patch of shade. The hazy mass she'd seen from above had fallen away and revealed a secret garden of sorts. To her dismay, she found her path barred by a wrought iron gate adorned with a Green Man sculpture in the middle. The face was kind, almost smiling, and his impish eyes captivating. With her fingertips, she outlined the green leaves of clay that framed its noble visage. She'd often dreamt of the Green Man, a mysterious entity that willed her into submission. A lover so phenomenal she didn't ever want to wake up, for fear it would be the last time she saw him.

  She inhaled deeply and caught a heady fragrance in the air. Ryanne stepped closer to the gate. Poised on her tiptoes, she glimpsed the view behind it, a clandestine garden with water fountains and vibrant wildflowers. Her curiosity was piqued. Ryanne pushed on the gate, but it didn't budge. Exotic aromas possessed her senses and made her anxious to enter. She stalked along the gate like a starved animal separated from its prey.

  With fists clenched tight, she beat at the iron bars, her voice shrill in its volume. “Open up! It isn't right to keep people away from such beauty."

  Ryanne didn't expect anyone would hear her pleas, but she felt desperate to get in. Mysterious forces kept her spellbound and unable to turn away. She opened her mouth to call out again when the gate swung open.

  "Please, come in,” a baritone voice called out, a voice she couldn't resist.

  She stepped inside and took in the enchanted splendor. Unique plants and flora surrounded ivory statues of goddesses in suggestive poses. How had she never seen it before? It was like entering into a whole new world. White doves found shade on tree branches while a few chipmunks played tag. Ryanne was drawn into the magical place and barely heard the gate close behind her.

  She glanced over her shoulder, her mouth agape. A handsome bare-chested man stood silent, strong and stately, dressed in long green pants, as green as the meadow grass. On his head, he wore a pair of antlers adorned with leaves, grapes, and jewels. He had a short russet colored beard to match his shoulder-length hair, and a mustache that curled at the ends above his full lips. She admired the way his blue-green eyes smoldered. For a moment, she was reminded of the Green Man, but shook her head, as if to dislodge the silly thought. There was no way to deny the man, he was unlike any other she'd ever seen.

  He raised his arms out in front of him and smiled. “Welcome to my garden. I must agree, no one should be kept away from beauty, and a beauty you are."

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  Ryanne trembled, but not with fear. Between the intoxicating fragrances and his godlike features, she found herself calm and aroused.

  It took several tries, but she finally found her voice. “Who are you?"

  "Cernunnos. I am Keeper of the garden."

  He approached her with a hypnotic gait. Her body weakened in his gaze.

  "I'm Ryanne.” She scanned the view in awe. Paradise. “It's breathtaking here. I never knew this place existed."

  "It doesn't appear to everyone. Only the chosen few."

  She watched his lips move and wondered how they'd feel against her own. How could she feel such strong emotions for a total stranger? And why did he not feel like a stranger at all? “I-I don't understand."

  His smile widened. “The garden is special. You have to want to see it."

  Perplexed by his comment, Ryanne had a fleeting thought to leave, only her feet were planted as firmly as the statues around her. “But I wasn't expecting to see it at all. I only went for a walk to get away from the festival. It was the fields that called to me."

  His eyes twinkled and he crossed his arms. “Are you sure it was the fields?"

  She felt like a baited fish being reeled in, helpless to break free. At the moment, she wasn't sure of anything. In fact, she wondered if somehow she'd fallen down the hill and bumped her head. “How can I be tempted to a place I've never been or seen before?"

  He uncrossed his muscular arms and gestured around. “My dear, you've dreamt of this garden many times."

  Ryanne shook her head. “No, I'd remember. Wouldn't I?"

  Her gaze briefly wandered to below his waist. Even with fabric in the way she could tell he was well endowed. He chuckled, and for a moment, she worried her wicked glance had been caught.

  "Let me explain. The garden takes many forms in the mind. It symbolizes an emotion, a desire, and an inner quest. This garden flourishes with the seeds of fantasies. Those fantasies fuel the garden. You've helped nourish this garden, but this is your first time visiting in the flesh."

  His words wove like fingers along her body, infusing heat in the deepest of crevices. A hint of familiarity resurfaced, a place in her dreams she wished existed. The stranger ... he'd been in her dreams too, the lover who knew exactly how she liked to be touched. Could it truly be real? “Why have I come here? Why can I see the garden today?"

  He closed the distance between them without intimidation. “You've wanted something for a long time, and today it will be yours. Today you are the guest of honor."

  Cernunnos reached forward and slid an arm around her waist. The desire to run disappeared. Stranger or not, she was drawn to him, a magnetic link she couldn't explain. Yes, in the outskirts of her memory she had been here, only to waken with an eagerness that fueled her every moment, a gripping need that drove away other men who couldn't promise absolute fulfillment. She slipped her arms around his neck, her face close. The obvious prodding of his cock against her thigh brought on a surge of adrenaline. His stare bore into her, drawing her in, erasing all doubt.

  "You cannot resist. The temptations in this garden are too great. Strong-willed as you are, you know my offer is risky."

  Trembling, she nodded, muttering a breathy, “Yes.” It was a risk of an intimacy far greater than she dared imagine. If she agreed to let him in, there would be no going back. Her body would forever be marked by his touch. His cock prodded more insistently making her panties damp. She stretched up to her toes, and pressed into him. Her nipples beneath the bodice of her dress grazed his chest.
It was impossible to refuse his touch. He tilted her chin and brought his lips close. Ryanne shut her eyes on impact. A blaze welled from her toes and burned throughout her body. This was no ordinary kiss; it was the kiss of a god. She parted her lips and ran her tongue alongside his. Delicious heat entered her mouth and warmed her throat like brandy. The kiss deepened and his tongue massaged hers, lips moist and firm. Her body relaxed, his presence a slow liquor reducing her inhibitions.

  She tilted her head to the other side and their lips met again. Ryanne loved the way the tip of his tongue circled hers. Her heart thundered so loud she wondered if he heard it as well.

  When he pulled back, she blinked away the haziness from her eyes.

  "You're a fiery one, lass. No ordinary lover will satisfy you."

  She smiled. “I'm afraid not."

  "It would take the act of someone powerful. A god, such as myself. One worthy of seducing you."

  Ryanne melted in his hands. The lilt in his voice dripped of pleasurable control. “Your words alone seduce me."

  Cernunnos picked her up and carried her to a soft patch of grass surrounded by lilies and snapdragons. “Words will simply not do.” His hands slid between her legs and pushed them open. “If I told you I'm going to bind your ankles in place with roots from the ground, would you be frightened?"

  Ryanne shook her head. It sounded perfect. “I beg you to bind me however you see fit."

  His brows arched high. “Your brazen ways surprise me, lass."

  She felt the tips of her ears burn. “My fantasies have always run wild."

  He stripped off her dress and undergarments, leaving her bare and exposed. An unmistakable look of appreciation showed in his eyes. “As all fantasies should."

  Chapter 3

  Her pale flesh and sumptuous curves almost made him cry out. Cernunnos removed his pants before his cock burst the seams open. He secured her ankles with roots and twisted flower stems around her wrists. Gods she was breathtaking. Her body so pure, and only he knew the magnitude of her dirty thoughts.