Heroes of Honor: Historical Romance Collection

by Laurel O'Donnell

  She leaned against his chest as one arm dropped below the water to wrap around his waist and the other crept up to wrap around his neck. She brushed kisses against his chest as his hands massaged her shoulders and her back. They moved their way down to her backside, and he massaged her buttocks, too. While this normally aroused her, this time it was both arousing and relaxing as she had not realized her bottom was sore from the previous day.

  In just more than a whisper, she continued her tale.

  “He hefted me over his shoulder and carried me through the woods. He had ma arms pinned underneath me, and his dirk pressed to ma ribs. I couldnae believe he was able to move through the woods so silently. Alan crept along until we got to the water. He put me down and grabbed ma arm, pulling me in to the shallow part, but ma skirts slowed me down. With only one hand to hold them up, I wasna able to make much progress. He was becoming more and more impatient with me. He yanked too hard one time, and I lost ma balance. I fell forward, and the current caught me. I rolled to ma back and noticed moss growing on the trees. I kenned I was being pushed east by the river. I tried whistling that call, but I dinna ken if it reached anyone. I could barely hear maself. I spotted a large tree limb sticking out into the river. I grabbed onto it before I bashed into it. I pulled maself into the vee of two branches and cut the laces to ma kirtle, but it was too tight once it was wet for me to peel it off. Then I cut away the skirts. I got free just as Alan waded in after me. I swam underwater as far as ma lungs would allow and then surfaced near where I got out. I couldnae find Alan anywhere, and I couldnae hear aught at all other than the water. I got maself out of the water and laid down on the bank. I just had to rest for a moment, but then everything faded black. The next thing I kenned, Sorcha had one of ma arms and a different guardsman had the other. They were dragging me up the embankment. I tried to break free as I couldnae imagine either of them intended me well, but I was too weak to do anything. Sorcha gagged me and bound me with rope. The mon threw me over his saddle, and they rode out. The jostling of being held down on ma stomach along with the ground whizzing by made me so ill I passed out again. After that, I canna remember aught but waking up in the chamber next door. I was still gagged, and by then, someone had tied me to the bed. Sorcha and Lady Beatris informed me of their plan to sell me to the Norseman. They said he would make me a bed slave.”

  Mairghread paused before continuing with her story. She was not sure how Tristan would react when she told him about the men coming into her chamber. She peeked up at him and saw he was patiently waiting for her to continue. He was aware of what part of her story she had come to, and he would not press her to tell him. He was making it her choice. She was not about to keep secrets from him. Both men were dead for their choices, so the least she could do was explain what led up to it.

  “After Alyson left, the two guardsmen, Donald and Duncan, came into the chamber. They said Sorcha told them they were free to enjoy themselves. Apparently, she’d told them I was a tavern wench who washed up after a former lover dumped me there. I kenned that they kenned that wasna the truth, but they were glad for the excuse to molest me. One of them, the one with the lighter colored hair, Donald, the one ma brother gutted, untied one of ma hands. The mon ye beat was pulling the covers off me as the first one forced ma hand onto his shaft. He forced me to stroke him until he was hard. The other mon changed places with him and forced me to take hold of him, too. Once they were both ready enough, they started touching me and stroking themselves. They made the mistake of letting go of ma arm, so before either grabbed ma wrist, I snatched the vase on the bedside table and bashed the closer one on the head. I couldnae hit him hard enough because I couldnae feel ma arm after they had been tied for so long. He slapped ma arm away, and the vase flew out of ma hand. It crashed against the wall. I screamed as loud as I could and kept trying to hit him. I tried to buck them off and break free but I just couldnae. They had just gotten into the position ye found them in only moments before ye stormed in. If ye hadnae gotten there when ye did--”

  She was not able finish. They both understood what would have happened.

  Tristan reached for the soap and washing cloth. He soaped it up and began to rub it along her skin. He washed her arms and back, then ran the cloth over both of her breasts. He rubbed more soap onto the cloth before washing between her legs and then lower. He sat forward and held her head in his hand as he leaned her back so her hair became wet. He lathered the soap between his palms and massaged her scalp, washing the long length of her hair then reached for the bucket of cool water sitting beside the tub. He poured the water over Mairghread’s head to wash out the soap. He wiped the water from her face and the little soap bubbles from near her ears, his kiss filled with affection, before placing the soap back on the table.

  Mairghread took the soap and the washing cloth and began to lather his chest. Once she had soap covering most of the expanse, she rubbed the cloth over his chest. She lathered along each arm and followed it with the cloth. She waggled her finger to show she wanted him to lean forward. She pressed her breasts against his chest as she soaped and scrubbed his back. He hardened even more. As she reached up to wash his hair, her breasts brushed against his chin. He grabbed them and pressed them together. He ran his tongue over her nipples and alternated sucking each. Mairghread continued to wash his hair as he laved her breasts and suckled like a starving babe. She kneeled to reach the top of his head and the tip of his shaft was like a loadstone to her sheath. The tip rubbed against her slit, and she could not ignore how desperately she wanted to feel him inside of her. She lowered herself onto him and allowed his tip to enter her. She moaned and was ready to sink down onto him. Mairghread had waited more than long enough.

  Tristan was lost in his haze of lust for this woman. He had never craved a woman before Mairghread. He had lusted after his fair share, but he had always controlled his desires and turned away from any woman without a second thought. He could not have turned away from Mairghread if his life depended upon it. Tristan felt her hot seam pressing against his tip and started to raise his hips to meet her. It was only at the last minute he realized what they were about to do. He grabbed her hips and lifted her up.

  “Mo ghràidh, we canna do this. I promised ye and ye da that we would wait till we wed to join.”

  Mairghread had been lost to her own sensations and stared down at him in confusion. It took a moment for her mind to clear and then focus. She shook her head and moaned.

  “Havenae we waited long enough? Arenae we close enough to the wedding? We are to be wed in just a few hours. It is our wedding day, so why wait any longer?”

  She was frustrated beyond belief. She figured it was easy for him to turn her away since this was not a new and exciting experience for him, but her body veritably ached for the release that only coupling would bring. She was unaccustomed to these driving feelings of lust and desire. She did not yet know how to control her body or her emotions. She looked down at him and almost burst into tears. She turned around to face his feet to hide her face and her anger and disappointment. She leaned forward to wash his legs and feet.

  When she turned to face the other direction, Mairghread did not realize she was providing Tristan with a perfect view of her backside and her most sacred of spaces. As she leaned forward, he grasped her backside and squeezed her cheeks apart. He kneaded them. She pressed her hips back towards him, enjoying the feel of his large hands on her. He ran his thumb up and down the crease between her cheeks to test her reaction. When she did not pull away, he tapped the hole with the tip of his thumb. She stilled for only a moment and then looked back over her shoulder. She met his eyes as she pushed her hips back further. The tip of his thumb entered her, and she stilled. She continued to stare at Tristan. He recognized the curiosity and desire in her eyes. He pressed his thumb into her a little more just to test her responsiveness. Mairghread pressed down on his hand and took his thumb into her. Tristan sat forward and wrapped his other hand around her breast. He nip
ped at her earlobe and then sucked on it. Mairghread’s hips began to rock of their own volition. Her breath escaped her on a sigh.

  Tristan pulled his hand free, and she whimpered. He lifted Mairghread out of the tub and stood her up. He climbed out, too. He snatched a drying cloth off the table and began to dry Mairghread off. Once he was done with her, he dried himself off. They stood in silence, and Mairghread was not sure what to do. She was confused about whether things had ended abruptly, or if they were moving on to something else. She watched Tristan. When he was dry, he looked on the table next to the tub for the scented oil added to the water. He spotted the vial and pulled out the stopper. He brought it to his nose and sniffed to be sure there was nothing added that would irritate their intimate parts if rubbed in. Satisfied that it was just roses, he guided Mairghread over to the bed.

  “There is a way that we can join without breaching yer maidenhead. I dinna want to deny either of us any longer the need to join, but I willna dishonor ye or break ma word to leave ye a virgin. If ye dinna like what I am about to do, we will stop right away. Ye need only tell me to stop.”

  Mairghread understood what Tristan was referring to. She remembered the first time he had tapped her bottom hole when they were at the loch, and she found his exploration in the tub only moments ago to be arousing. She looked up at him and nodded.

  Tristan poured a few drops of oil on to his hand and began to coat his cock in it. Mairghread watched and found her mouthwatering. She had never imagined she would desire taking any man into her mouth, but she longed to suck Tristan’s shaft. She turned away from the temptation and stepped to the side of the bed. She leaned forward and braced her forearms onto the bed. Tristan stepped up behind her, and she felt a cool, slick finger pressing against her entrance. She willed herself to relax as Tristan lifted her left leg onto the bed. She looked over her shoulder and caught the intent look on his face. He was just as eager as she was, but she realized her eagerness stemmed from curiosity while his came from experience. She attempted to ignore the twinge of jealousy for all the women who came before her. She no longer wanted to watch, so she turned her head forward. Her mind wandered, and she began to wonder how many times he had taken Sorcha in such a way. Mairghread still unaware of who the two other women were that he had relationships with. She had not wanted to know before, but now she found that she did. She was jealous of a wretched woman and two faceless and nameless ones. Her ardor was cooling. She dropped her head and tried to shake away the images running through her mind. Tristan’s other hand wrapped around her hip, and he pressed three fingers into her sheath. His thumb began to rub her pleasure point. Mairghread’s thoughts vanished as she felt Tristan’s hands upon her. She looked back over her shoulder, catching a glimpse as he held his shaft in his hand. He bent his knees to enter her, and she almost giggled at how awkward he looked. She realized she was too short. She pushed his hand from her, and his head jerked up. She smiled and licked her lips. The confusion on Tristan’s face would have been comical in any other situation. Mairghread climbed onto the bed and drew her legs up and apart. She leaned over and rested her chest against her thighs. She lifted her hips and used her hands to hold her bottom cheeks apart. The scene she presented almost made Tristan spill his seed before even entering her.

  “Mair, I willna last long. Dear God above, ye are the most desirable woman I have even seen.”

  He wanted to thrust into her and take her hard, but he was accepted that he would not do that. She was an innocent, and her body was untried. He forced himself to breathe and slow down.

  “Relax, mo chridhe. Let me enter ye. I dinna want to hurt ye, and I ken I am a large mon.” He wrapped one arm around her waist as the other hand guided him to her entrance. Once he pushed the tip into her, he moved his hand down to rub her hidden pearl. His other hand wrapped around her as well, and he used three fingers to enter her sheath. He rocked his hips forward to slide in all the way. Once he was in, he stilled. He waited to see how Mairghread reacted to having him in to the hilt.

  “Are ye well, mo ghoal?”

  “Aye. It is unlike anything I have experienced before, but I like it. I feel so full.”

  She wriggled her hips, and Tristan groaned. The sensation was almost more than he could bare. He wanted to thrust and spill himself, but he did not want to end this before Mairghread found her release, too. She looked back at Tristan, and her brow wrinkled.

  “Is—is this it?” She asked timidly.

  Tristan could not hold back any longer. Her innocence drove him wild. He growled and pulled back. He rocked his hips, still mindful to be gentle and not thrust. Mairghread pressed her hips back to meet him. His fingers were firm as he worked to bring her to her climax. Mairghread began to pant as the mixture of pain and pleasure overwhelmed her. Her moans increased. She bit her bottom lip to silence herself, but they still escaped. Tristan pulled his fingers free and pulled her body upright. He turned her chin towards him and covered her mouth with his. Their kiss was rough and passionate. He swallowed her moans but failed to suppress his own grunts and groans.

  She broke off the kiss to pant, “I’m so vera close. Dinna stop. Please just dinna stop.”

  Tristan did not think he could have short of the keep being under attack. He knew his body was creeping closer to the edge. He was struggling to hold back his release until Mairghread found hers. He kept rubbing her, and his fingers entered her again. He worked her from the front and the back until her entire body tensed, her muscles squeezing him almost painfully, but he was certain she was climaxing. He could not wait any longer. His release was longer and harder than he ever expected. Mairghread’s body went limp in his arms, and he eased her forward onto the bed. He pulled out of her as gently as possible and climbed onto the bed next to her. She did not make a sound and did not move other than to breathe. She lay there for so long Tristan feared something was wrong. He pulled on her shoulder to make her turn towards him. She did not want to budge.

  “Mair, what is it? Did I hurt ye? Why willna ye look at me?” He was frightened he had pushed her too far. “Please, tell me what is wrong. I canna help ye if I dinna ken what’s wrong.”

  “Naught is wrong.” She whispered. He raised up onto his elbow and leaned over to peer at her face. Tears streamed down her cheeks. He wanted to grab her and force her to look at him, but he was well aware that would help nothing. Instead he sat up and scooped her into his arms.

  “Mairghread, I am so vera sorry. I didna mean to hurt ye. We never have to do that again. I am so, so sorry, mo ghaol.” He was beside himself with guilt that he had hurt her. He had tried to be gentle, and he assumed she was enjoying it. Had he misunderstood the sounds she made? He thought she made the sound out of pleasure, but was pain the cause?

  “Ye didna hurt me. That isnae why I cry.” She would not explain more than that. She tried to pull away and climb off his lap. They had to hurry to get ready before her brothers came looking for them.

  “Dinna pull away from me. I dinna understand what is wrong, and I canna fix it if I dinna ken.”

  “I dinna need fixing.” She growled.

  “Mayhap ye dinna need fixing, but something between us does.”

  She puffed out a breath and looked up at him. The concern on his face was so genuine and so deep that she did not turn him away. She took a deep breath again before beginning.

  “I havenae ever felt so close, so connected, to anyone in ma life. Our bodies were one, and I enjoyed it more than I dreamed I would. At first, I wasna so sure aboot whether ye taking me like that would be enjoyable for me, too. I wanted the connection it would bring us, but then ma mind wandered.” The tears began to come faster even though she made no sounds. Her silent crying was almost worse for Tristan than sobs. He suspected where she was going when she said her mind wandered.

  “Tristan, I dinna hold yer past against ye. Honestly. What ye did before ye kenned me is yer own business. Everything we do is so new and special to me, but there is naught new and speci
al to ye. I ken ye’ve done it all before many times. There is naught left just for me. There is naught aboot making love that every other woman who has been with ye doesnae already ken.”

  Tristan took her face in his hands and kissed her cheeks, her nose, her forehead, her eyelids, and then he brushed his lips against hers.”

  “Mairghread, ye are right but only partially. Aye, I have done all of this before, and I have coupled with other women the way I did with ye. I preferred it.” Mairghread ripped her face away from his hands and tried to scramble off his lap. “Nay. Stay and let me finish.”

  Mairghread shook her head and pushed away from him. He wrapped his arms around her.

  “This is nae a conversation I pictured us having right at this moment, but it is a conversation ye started, and I will finish. Now be still.” He growled and held her until she stopped wiggling. She gave up because she was resigned to the fact that she was not strong enough to break his hold. She refused to look at him. He would settle for her not fighting him. “I preferred this way of coupling because it decreased the chances of me catching the pox or aught else, and it guaranteed I sired nay bastards. I have never spilled ma seed in a woman’s sheath. I willna until I am wed. That means ye will be the only woman with whom I do that. I amnae saying I havenae tupped a woman in the traditional way, but I have never made love to a single woman before. I did that for the first time just now. Every time in the past was only about a physical want. It was about finding a release and physical pleasure. There was never, ever any true emotion invested in it. That is why I have never had an official mistress. I have never met a woman before ye who I wanted any commitment with. I canna change what I did before ye, and ma experiences have benefited ye in that I ken what I am doing. But what I just shared with ye is something I havenae shared with anyone else. I have never loved another woman, and I have never poured ma heart into lovemaking. So ye are wrong to assume there is naught new or special between us. It is all new and all vera special.”