Forgetting all about his leg, Bannon turned and ran toward the fence with his life flashing before his eyes. The crash and Ochre Nose MacLean hadn’t killed him, but the boar might.
Behind him Ciaran let out a loud roar.
Turning his head to look behind him, Bannon watched as the boar came to an abrupt halt and switched directions, then lowered its head and charged Ciaran.
Swinging his sword, Ciaran missed.
Great! “Here, piggy piggy piggy!” Bannon waved his arms again. He didn’t want the pig to come after him again, but he had to do something or Ciaran was going to get gored to death.
The pig stopped and looked back and forth between them. “What the devil was that?” Bannon asked. “It doesn’t have a sword. It’s not going to parry. Stab the deuced thing!”
Ciaran glared at him. “I was trying tae cut its heid off!”
Finally making up its mind, the pig kicked back dirt with its hind legs and charged Bannon.
It was a contest as to who squealed louder, the boar or him. Bannon ran as fast as he could, but he was too close and too slow. He could feel the boar closing in, and his vision narrowed on the fence. If he could just get to the fence….
Ciaran let out a battle roar behind him, but Bannon didn’t stop to see if it worked. The fence was so close. He gripped the top of it and pulled himself up and out of the way.
The world started moving beneath his feet, swinging. No, not the world, the gate. He’d jumped on the gate, and he’d forgotten to latch it. It swung open, propelling him around toward the fence. He caught sight of the pig headed in his direction and Ciaran running after the pig with his sword over his head.
The gate hit the fence, smashing Bannon’s fingers. Pain slammed into his fingers and traveled up his wrists. He let go of the fence and landed flat on his back. All the air fled his lungs, and they felt as though they’d collapsed on themselves. The cloudy sky and tops of the trees filled his vision, then blurred. He couldn’t breathe.
“Red!”
The fear in Ciaran’s voice reached out and slapped him, gaining his attention over the need to breathe. Bannon gasped for air and struggled to turn over.
The boar had his head down, coming right for him.
Still running, Ciaran hefted his sword up, shoulder level. He ran at the boar, but there was no way he’d make it in time.
Bannon willed his body to move. Get up! Get up! But it was no use, his body refused to listen; it was too focused on getting oxygen.
“Uhhh!” Ciaran threw the claymore with all his might. With his gaze on the target, he completely missed the rosemary bush in front of him and went tumbling over it, toward Bannon.
Their gazes met for a split second, and then Ciaran ducked and rolled. Somehow he missed Bannon and ended up right next to him.
Bannon finally sucked in a strangled breath as his lungs burned with the intake of air. Then he was rolling again, this time with Ciaran tangled around him.
They stopped only a yard from Maggie’s front door, with Ciaran on top of him.
Ciaran glanced down.
Snared by that steady dark gaze, Bannon couldn’t speak. A strange sense of longing swept over him, and the widening of Ciaran’s eyes said he felt it too.
“How does Timothy feel about kissing?”
“I… I… um—”
Ciaran slanted his mouth over Bannon’s lips.
“Mmumph….” Bannon stiffened in surprise only a split second before passion ignited inside him and he wrapped his arms around Ciaran’s neck.
So much for being good, Timothy whispered.
Sod off, Timothy.
He’d been kissed, but this…. He couldn’t remember the act ever being this pleasant. It fired a need inside him he’d never felt before. When Ciaran’s tongue swept into his mouth, Bannon didn’t think. He just reacted, parrying with his own tongue and tasting the sweet mint flavor of Ciaran’s mouth.
The heat between them was nearly combustible. Ciaran’s lips were soft but firm, like his body. Being trapped under Ciaran’s large frame was thrilling, and a little bit naughty. Bannon had never kissed anyone while on his back and certainly not lying beneath someone.
He moaned into Ciaran’s mouth, squirming and trying to feel more…. Ciaran raked his fingers up over Bannon’s scalp and into his hair, sending little tingles through him. His whole body came alive with sensation. It was like being aware of everything all at once.