by Mary Wine
His words were softly spoken, but when she looked at his face, she discovered that he was anything but calm. In his eyes, she could see his temper smoldering.
“I gain the knowledge that I am nae a disobedient daughter. Isna that what all children are expected to be? Do ye somehow think that women do no’ have honor?”
He snorted at her and began slowly to follow her across the room. “Sometimes adjustments must be made. Yer sister made it necessary for me to change my plans, but I see no reason why you and I cannae have an agreeable relationship. Yer father will adjust his thinking.”
Heat flickered in his eyes and drew another gasp from her lips. His gaze made her overly conscious of the way the blue gown molded to her figure. It was designed to make her pretty, but that was a woman’s word. To a man, she was attractive, and Connor’s expression left no doubt in her mind that he was being drawn to her.
Brina heard him growling softly with his frustration. The sound drew a short laugh from her.
“Are ye frustrated, then, sir? Good, for that is something that ye have ensured that I have a bellyful of.”
He considered her with something glittering in his eyes that looked like a promise. “I believe that is the first compliment ye have offered me, lass.”
“What are ye talking about?” She scoffed. “I insulted ye.”
“Aye, refusing to sit beside me was insulting, lass.”
He chuckled, the sound low and deep. Brina discovered herself fascinated by his change in mood. She had never pleased a man either.
“Now, admitting that I frustrate ye, that is praise, for it confirms that ye are drawn to me.”
“I said nothing of the sort, and furthermore, it is clear that we cannae even converse clearly, so ye should leave.”
Her face heated up, and she turned away from him without thinking about what she was doing. Brina stared at the stone wall for a moment before she recalled exactly what had happened the last time she presented Connor with her back.
The man didn’t deviate from his previous actions either.
She turned around, but much too late to avoid being pinned against the wall by his larger body. Yet he didn’t touch her but flattened one hand against the stone surface behind her, right next to her shoulder so that his outstretched arm caged her.
“Oh, but I disagree with ye again, for I believe we are doing a fine job of conversing.”
She leaned back away from him because it was becoming harder to focus on the point she wanted to make.
“You enjoying quarreling, Laird Lindsey? Is that what ye are telling me?”
His lips were set into a grin again. “Do ye nae recall my name, Brina?” He drew his words out in a lazy manner that teased her.
“Formality would be best between us.” She drew in a deep breath. “And distance.”
“Why does it matter where I stand?”
Brina blinked, trying to restore her clear thinking. “Because my thoughts become muddled when ye are so near.” She was talking without thinking again, and she pressed one hand on top of her lips to still her words when she witnessed how much her confession pleased him. His blue eyes sparkled with it.
His lips twitched up farther, and she discovered her attention focusing on his mouth. A tingle of memory traveled across her lips, awakening a yearning to feel his kiss against them once again. He reached out and gently pulled her hand away from her lips.
“I confess that ye have the same effect on me, lass.”
His voice was low and deep, coating her senses like honey.
“There… ye see? A fine reason for ye to stop coming so close to me. Neither of us can reason properly.” She went to move away from him through the one side that was not blocked by his arm, but he moved his right hand and cupped the side of her face, bringing her to a halt while she felt her heart begin to accelerate.
“Or it is a good reason for us to marry, so that we might enjoy what happens when we are close to one another and need do naught save follow our impulses.”
He didn’t allow her the opportunity to reply but tilted his head so that their lips might fit together. The kiss was tender. So soft and slow that she quivered. She felt his breath against her lips before the first connection of his flesh against hers. Her heart thumped beneath her breast with a rhythm that was far faster than it should have been while she was standing still.
That action sent blood rushing through her veins and past her ears, so that she heard little else. But her mind was focused on the warm touch of his lips on top of her own, and she shivered with delight as he pressed his mouth against hers. The hand cradling her cheek turned her gently, and their mouths fit together more completely. His thumb pulled her chin down, opening her mouth. The tip of his tongue swept along her lower lip before it began to tease her own. Just the tiniest flickering touches, but they sent sensation roaring through her like floodwaters. She was grateful for the support of the wall behind her when the quivering in her limbs threatened to rob her of the ability to stand. Temptation called to her, dangling a promise of more delight if she would simply surrender and return the kiss.
“Ye see, lass? We have passion between us, and that is a rare thing. One that should nae be discarded so simply,” he whispered against her ear before placing a soft kiss against the skin of her neck. It was the simplest of kisses, one she might have bestowed upon a child, but there was nothing innocent about it. Heat flowed down her body from it, and she heard her own tiny moan of rapture.
It was that sound that broke through her muddled thoughts. She felt as though she were in a stupor, intoxicated beyond the ability to think clearly.
“But that is exactly why I must tell ye no.” She lifted eyelids that felt heavy, and stared into his piercing blue eyes. “My sister followed passion, and it brought ruin.”
“Bugger me.” He cursed bluntly.
Brina felt her eyes widen before she laughed.
Connor looked at her as though she had gone mad, but she covered her mouth with one hand and tried to smother the giggles that rose from her chest. Connor snorted, his fingers curling against the stone wall he leaned against.
“I would have expected ye to become offended, no’ bloody entertained by my profanity.”
He was distracted, and she slipped past him in that moment, dancing nimbly across the chamber while he turned and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Well, it is just that it is the first time I’ve ever heard anyone use profanity. Besides, what ye said is quite impossible.” Her cheeks heated as she considered exactly what he had said. “Well, I mean to say that it would be impossible for me… to perform such an act upon you, because…”
He lifted one eyebrow. “Because ye do nae have a cock?”
She felt her eyes narrow because he was teasing her once more, and part of her didn’t care for the fact that he thought her so naive. “Ye are trying to shock me by saying that so plainly.”
He shrugged. “Since ye seem so determined to return to the life of a nun, should nae I speak honestly to ye?”
“There is a difference between honest and crude.”
“Ah…” He held up one finger, and his lips rose into a grin that was quite attractive on him. “But since ye were amused by the fact that I said… bugger me.”
“Ye do nae need to repeat it. I heard ye clearly the first time.”
His grin became a full smile that flashed his teeth at her. “Now, Brina, if ye are going laugh at the fact that I said… bugger me… why can I nae discuss the reason why it amuses ye?”
“I do nae want to discuss it.”
“Only laugh because ye do nae have a cock and could nae bugger me so I should choose better words to describe my frustration with ye?” His eyes flashed with hard intent. “But the truth is that when I kiss ye, you forget that ye have an objection to being buggered?”
She had t
o clear her throat before any words would pass through. “That is the most audacious thing anyone has ever said to me. Of course I have an objection to ye buggering me… Ohh… never mind that.” She let out an exasperated sound that gained her a chuckle from Connor. His face was flushing dark red as he laughed at her stumbling over the words that he’d ground out so easily.
She slapped the top of her skirts. “Oh, have done with ye. Connor Lindsey, ye gain too much enjoyment at my expense.”
He sobered, but there was still merriment sparkling in his eyes. “That’s a solid truth; one I’m looking forward to increasing tenfold.”
Tension began to wind its way through her once more, and she watched as he noticed. Brina forced her gaze to remain on his face, in spite of the fact that she was tempted to turn her back on him.
Such was a coward’s way of making everything his fault. Part of her very much wanted to be touched again and swept toward that place where she didn’t have to think but only feel.
Connor must have read the desire off her face, for he suddenly drew in a stiff breath. He took one step toward her but stopped and considered her from behind a pensive expression.
“Come here, lass. Come to me this time. I can see in yer eyes that ye want to.”
Brina fingered the fabric of her gown, torn so badly between what she knew she should do and what she wanted that her eyes burned with unshed tears.
“That would make me no better than my sister Deirdre.” He frowned, but she held up a hand to quiet him. “My father was most clear with all three of us as to what he expected. If I fail to honor his word, how could ye ever accept any promise I made to you?”
There was the soft compression of his leather boots against the stone floor while he closed the distance between them. He loomed over her again, but she didn’t fear the man, only her own lack of discipline.
“I would accept yer word, Brina, because I am the one who prevented ye from honoring yer father.”
“That does nae absolve me of my duty.” But it did send a tiny feeling of achievement through her, because he was not a man who trusted lightly. “And… well… I simply…”
He placed one fingertip against her lips to still them. His eyes flashed with a warning that sent a shiver down her spine, for it was the same look he’d had in his eyes when he had stolen her away from her father’s retainers. This was the Highlander in him, not the man who had just been teasing her so playfully.
“Ye honored yer father by riding out of his gates as he directed ye, lass. That is yer past, and I am yer future, even if it isna what was planned. Ye are here. Now kiss me, Brina, for I can see in yer eyes that ye long to.”
His hand slid around her face to cup her nape in a gentle hold that was still very solid. This time his kiss was harder, pressing her mouth until she allowed him to tease her tongue with his own. It was a bold invasion; one that shocked her but also sent sensation shooting through her body. Her nipples began to tingle and contract into hard points that pressed against her clothing. Connor closed the distance between them, his other arm wrapping around her body to bind her against him. She shuddered as her curves pressed against his hard form. There were too many points of contact to think about; instead she was overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of how good it felt to be held.
She wanted to be closer, her hands settling on his chest and smoothing up to rest on the tops of his wide shoulders. His tongue thrust deep into her mouth, and she stroked it with her own. She wanted to kiss him back and tried to mimic his actions, moving her lips in unison with his.
“Ye see, lass? We’ll wed and soon, for I swear that I will nae stay away from ye for much longer.”
The hand that had cradled her nape moved, sliding down her chest and right over the soft mound of her breast while his gaze held her captive. He didn’t stop until he was cupping her entire breast in his grip, the hard point of her nipple unmistakable behind the soft fabric of her robes.
“And ye will welcome me, Brina Chattan, make no mistake about that, for I swear that I plan to seduce ye. Ye can wed me a maiden or after I charm my way into yer bed; I do nae care which way.”
His tone was too smug. She snarled softly at the arrogance displayed on his face, and shoved him away from her with both hands planted firmly on top of his chest.
“Ye are a barbarian.”
He grinned but backed away from her. “I’m a Highlander, lass.”
“Well, so am I. That means I am no’ without self-discipline when it comes to my…”
“Yer passions?” he offered with another smug smirk.
She growled at him, slightly surprised to hear such a sound come from her own lips while someone else was there to witness it.
Connor laughed, but the tone was not kind. It was deep and packed with the promise of his doing exactly as he’d sworn to do.
Seduce her…
“Ye are a Highland lass, and that is exactly why I have no doubt that behind the wall of duty that yer father made ye build with yer honor is a lass who will kiss me back. As ye just did.”
Her hand rose without thought to cover her lips, but it wouldn’t be so simple to conceal the fact that he was speaking the truth. The sting of that knowledge burned its way through her mind. Her belly suddenly rumbled again, drawing a frown from Connor.
“Ye may eat at my side, or we’ll retire now and share a more personal meal, as a new couple would be expected to do.”
There was no hint of relenting in his tone. It was the laird talking now, his expression telling her how he had managed to command one of the largest clans in the Highlands. It was in the solid confidence he displayed and the fact that she didn’t doubt he meant every word completely.
“The table, or I’ll likely be hung at dusk for smashing yer skull in with a stone when I can no longer endure yer lurid suggestions.”
He laughed at her, and even his eyes sparkled with merriment. “Spoken like the hellcat I labeled ye.”
She snarled at him but ducked beneath his arm, because she was starving and it was an excuse to have others around them. But the man’s amusement echoed in the hallway, tempting her to turn around and take issues with him again.
Fine, let him call her a hellcat, for it was better than being so easy to bend.
***
Connor left with his captains the moment she finished eating. Her pride was bruised by the demonstration of his power over her. She bristled beneath the glances that moved over her the entire meal, tasting little of the fare placed in front of her.
“Come along, mistress. We’ve plenty to keep every set of hands full.”
Maura seemed intent on keeping her close, but when Brina turned to look in the opposite direction of the head of house, she was met with the diligent stares of the retainers Connor had set to watch her. They nodded at her respectfully but never looked away.
“Something to do would be appreciated.”
“That we have in abundance, thanks to this early snow.”
Maura led her to the kitchens, and they were in an uproar. Women worked at every available space. The hooks used to hang pots over the fire were all spouting more than one pot. More kettles with long legs were set in the coals themselves, and the reason was clear.
All around, there were piles of late-harvest fruits and vegetables. Squashes and pumpkins filled the hallways, while younger boys brought sacks full of apples and other late-autumn fruits that they also had nowhere to put except in the hallways. The cook looked overwhelmed by the amount of food waiting to be processed before it rotted. An early snow could very easily translate into empty storerooms before spring arrived with a new crop.
The cook used a rag to wipe sweat off her brow while she looked at Brina to see if the laird’s bride could offer any wisdom that might help.
Well, she knew how to work, and that was for certain.
Brina looked at the l
ads who were about to dump their apples into a corner that was already full.
“Not there. There must be chambers in this castle that can be used for some of this until we have a chance to preserve it. Store them in the hall, away from the hearths.”
Many of the women nodded, while the cook offered her a pleased look. Brina hung the delicate silk veil on a peg and took up a plain linen square of fabric that she tucked about her head before joining the frantic effort to stew and process all the food. Hours flew by, and before she realized it, the sun was setting and the church bell had begun to ring again. She had never sat down to eat a midday meal but had snacked on the smaller choppings that were on the table. No one else had left the kitchens either, but they did now, gratefully tugging off their soiled aprons and heading toward the doorways, eager to have something else to do.
There was suddenly quiet when there had been none the entire day long. Brina simply closed her eyes and drew a deep sigh, but Connor’s face appeared in the space that having everyone leave opened up in her mind. She’d avoided thinking of the man for hours, but now every sensation he’d unleashed on her that morning returned to stoke the fire that had burned so uncontrollably inside her beneath his touch.
Oh… bugger it all!
***
Robert Chattan, laird of the clan Chattan, was closer to a true rage than he could ever recall. In his entire life, he had never been so angry.
Cory stood firmly in place, facing his laird after delivering the news that more snow was falling.
The bells on his outer walls began to ring, drawing another curse from his lips.
“What arrives now to vex me?”
One of the men closer to the door looked out and came across the floor at a run to answer his laird.
“Looks to be Laird Cameron. The snow must have caught the man on the road.”
“The snow seems to have caught us all with our arses hanging out in the breeze.”
He turned around and caught his remaining daughters in his sights. They sat near the large hearth that warmed the great hall, both of them looking bored nearly to death, but that did not gain either of them any mercy from him. They’d sit there until their feet fell off from lack of use if it meant he might be sure what they were about.
