Her body responded almost on its own, she pressed up against him. Her hands desperately grasped him, afraid that the passion would end. Oidche rolled Malmuira onto her back all the while he kissed her. Then he moved his kisses down her face, her neck, then nipped her lightly on the collarbone. She couldn’t suppress the moan as he tore her blouse open, pulling the sleeves down on the shoulders. His lips made their way to her chest where he teased the soft peaks with his lips and then gently flicked them with his tongue.
Waves of pleasure began to course through her as his hands strayed lower, lifting her gown up around her hips. She was lost in the touch of his hands as they slid up her thighs. He removed her clothing one piece at a time, while he continued to lick and kiss her everywhere.
“Oidche,” she gasped. He moved down farther still to just above her hip bone. Then his tongue traced a path from the corner of her hip to the crease in her thighs.
She looked down at him in time to see a wicked look on his face. Oidche propped her hips up with his hands. He watched her as he slowly slid his tongue into her. She shuddered and writhed in his grasp.
He continued, rubbing and circling with his tongue in her, until she felt as though she couldn’t take the pleasure anymore. Her pleasure crested and she cried out at the feeling that enveloped her.
She thought he would claim her then, but instead, he lay next to her, wrapped her up in his arms and the blanket and held her close. “Not till ye beg me,” he said quietly as she fell asleep.
Chapter 5
When Malmuira awoke the next morning, Oidche was already gone. For a moment she panicked. She was naked in bed, wrapped only in a thin sheet. Then she remembered the night before and her cheeks grew hot. The feelings that he had elicited in her were like a distant echo, but stimulated her nonetheless.
Where did he head off to? Grabbing her outfit from yesterday, she threw her clothes on as fast as she could. A niggling worry in the back of her mind made her wonder if Oidche had left without her, even though he had promised to take her with him. She cast aside her doubt, and began to pack her things.
Mae knocked a few moments later and hastened to help Malmuira gather together all of her belongings. Malmuira hoped that they wouldn’t have to bring them back to this room. Although the keep seemed nice, and Oidche was very attractive, she missed Siusan and her father. She even missed Balloch and Lara.
“What’re ye smiling about?” Mae folded her gown and put it away, then moved on to the small trinkets she had brought with her.
“Just thinking about staying. Ah miss me sister, though.”
“Aye, ah miss her too. Sweet little Siusan. D’ye really think he’ll let ye stay?” She had a look of concern on her face.
“Aye, ah think he will. Why keep me? He has his pick of women all over the keep. Much more bonnie than ah. Ah’ll bet he would rather be with many women than just one. Made it clear to his faither that he didn’t want to marry me anyhow.”
“Why’d his faither marry ye both then?” Mae had just finished the last of the packing.
Sitting down on the bed, Malmuira started to lace her boots. “Ah dunno. Ah guess ah should ask him that. Ah just thought perhaps his faither wanted him to settle.”
“Perhaps. But maybe there’s more to the story than ye think.”
Malmuira looked up suspiciously at Mae. She had that look on her face that told her she was hiding something. “What aren’t ye telling me?”
“Nothing.” She fidgeted with the corner of her dress. She always did that when she lied. “Nothin’ at all.”
“Mae, ah know ye too well. Ye’ll have to tell me now.”
“Please, Mal, don’t ask me. Ask him. It’s far too private. Ah only overheard it by accident.”
Malmuira could see the worry and the pain in Mae’s eyes. She didn’t like to keep anything from Malmuira, but she obviously felt very strongly about the gossip she had overheard.
“Alright, but don’t go spreading it around, Mae.”
Mae nodded once and began to carry things out of the room.
Oidche wasn’t in the hall to break his fast, but his father was. Malmuira joined him at the table.
“Do ye know where Oidche is this morning?” Malmuira felt nauseated and uneasy.
“Aye, he’s headed to talk to yer faither.”
Malmuira jumped to her feet. “He was supposed to take me!”
“He told me that he was headed out, but perhaps he was just packing up. Ah’m sure if he said he would take ye, he will. Oidche isn’t one to break his word.”
Malmuira still felt uneasy but sat down again. “Forgive my outburst.”
“Missing yer family, are ye?” Oidche’s father asked seriously.
“Aye. Ah’m homesick and lonely.”
His father was looking at his plate. “Ah haven’t gotten to talk to ye yet since ye arrived. Tell me about yerself, lass.” He started eating his breakfast.
“Ah’m the second oldest child in my family. Ah have a younger sister, Siusan. She is barely three. Ah think ye already know my brother, Balloch. ”
He coughed uncomfortably. “Aye, ah may have heard of that one.” He had a twinkle in his eye that told her he was okay teasing about the subject.
“My brother and Lara are very happy and keep to themselves most days, but me sister Siusan was very close to me. After me maither died, ah cared for her like my own. Ah miss her something fierce.”
“Ah understand. My wife, rest her soul, had similar feelings when she and ah wed.”
“If ye don’t mind telling me, did she pass on?”
His father lowered his head and nodded. “Aye. She was a fierce woman, full of fire. The love of my life.”
“What was her name?” Malmuira asked curiously.
“Merial. Her name was Merial. She passed from a plague a while back.”
“Ah’m so sorry for yer loss.” Malmuira ate a spoonful of porridge and kept her eyes on the table. She realized no one had introduced her formally to Oidche’s father.
“Ah dunno yer name, either.” She was barely able to get her voice above a squeak. She didn’t want to appear rude or inconsiderate to her new father by marriage.
He laughed, a big belly laugh that filled the room. The noise was so abrupt and loud that it startled Malmuira. She looked up at him in alarm. His eyes were beginning to tear up as he laughed and soon she was laughing too.
“Ah can’t believe our manners. Ah didn’t even introduce myself to my own daughter by marriage. Ah must be out of my mind.”
Malmuira laughed too. It was a ridiculous situation.
“My name is Garrett. Ah’m so sorry for the lack of civility in my keep. Ah’m the worst offender. Ah’ve been so preoccupied with planning peace ah forgot about things that matter. Lassie, ah hope ye’ll forgive a foolish, old man.”
A real smile erupted over Malmuira’s face. This man was very similar to her own father, and for a moment her heart ached from missing him.
She must have shown her feelings on her face, because Garrett suddenly clapped her on the shoulder awkwardly. “It’ll be alright. Ye’ll be happy here.”
“Garrett—” Malmuira began.
“Call me Faither, please. It would bring me joy,” he interrupted.
“Aye, Faither, can ah ask ye something?”
“Aye, ask away, lass.”
“Why did ye marry me to Oidche, if it was against his wishes?”
A dark look passed over Garrett’s features and his thick white eyebrows knit down over his eyes. He laced his fingers together and placed them across his belly in a contemplative gesture. “Ah think that is something ye’ll have to ask yer husband,” he replied.
They ate in silence for the remainder of the meal and Malmuira quickly departed in search for Oidche. If he left without her she was going to kill him.
She found Oidche in the stables. He was soothing her mare, who was stamping her hooves in annoyance. Her nostrils were flared and the whites of her eyes were showing.
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“What are ye doing to my poor horse?” Malmuira exclaimed, taking the lead rope from Oidche and petting the mare’s sides soothingly.
“Ah’m not doing anything to that beast. She’s angry and ah’m trying to get her ready to go.”
“Ah could’ve taken care of it,” Malmuira argued, grabbing a hoof pick from the side of the room after her mare had calmed down.
“Aye, ah know ye’re independent. Ye make that very apparent.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” She could sense an insult somewhere in what he said.
“Ah just mean that ah’d like to be able to do something nice for my wife.”
She was taken aback at the use of the term. “Yer wife? Since when have ye wanted to treat me like yer wife? Ye didn’t even want to marry me.”
He looked as if she had struck him. “Ye don’t know the reasons.”
She fumed silently. “Why didn’t ye want to marry me? Mae hinted about it and yer faither wouldn’t tell me. Why did he want ye to marry if ye weren’t ready?”
He looked away from her while he spoke, continuing getting ready. “Ah don’t think ah need to tell ye. It’s not important. It had nothing to do with who ye were. Ah didn’t know ye. Ah didn’t want to marry at all.”
She could tell there was something important here. She placed her hand on his gently and looked into his eyes. “Ah’d like to know.”
His face seemed to soften at her tone. “It’s the past, Mal. It’s really not important.”
She let it go. If he didn’t want to tell her, she would have to respect that. But maybe he would tell her sometime. It must be something that hurt him or he would have told her already.
“Will ye help me load up her saddlebags?” Malmuira asked, changing the subject.
Oidche nodded once and helped her attach all the bags that were going to her horse.
“What about my chest? Ah need to bring it with me.” Malmuira wanted to make sure she had all her things with her so she didn’t have to come back to the keep to retrieve them.
“We can’t take it. We have to ride quickly. We need to establish trade routes with yer faither. Ye’ll have to leave it behind. Mae will be here, she’ll watch yer things.”
Dismay blanketed her as she realized that there was a chance her plan wouldn’t work. “Mae can’t go either?”
“She’s not nearly as good at riding. She’ll have to stay.”
What would she do if she couldn’t convince him to let her stay behind?
“Who are ye taking on the journey?”
“Two men ye haven’t met yet but might’ve seen at meals: Culloden and Eaunrig. And ah’ll be taking Kyle as well. He may be a cook, but he is the sharpest negotiator we’ve got.”
“They’ll be keeping up with us?” Malmuira asked. She didn’t want a poor horseman keeping them from getting to her father’s quickly.
Oidche laughed as if what she had asked was obvious. “Aye, all are proven warriors in battle. They’ll keep up with whatever pace ah set.”
“Ah need to fix me bags. Ah didn’t pack light. Ah’ll be down soon.”
Oidche resumed his task and she left to get her belongings together. If Oidche allowed her to stay with her father, she would have to get Mae to pack everything up for her and bring it back to her father’s keep.
Mae was off working in the keep, probably cleaning or preparing food alongside the other servants. Malmuira didn’t want to bug her. The busy work helped keep her mind off of her anxiety about her plan to stay with her father, but it also kept her mind off of the previous night. Every time she thought about it, her face flushed warm and she felt a growing hunger in her belly. But the hunger wasn’t for food… she dare not admit what she wanted for fear of losing sight of returning to her sister.
She nudged the horse a little bit faster. Oidche and his men kept up a very brisk pace. She was grateful Oidche had told Mae to stay behind. It would have been impossible for her to keep up. As it was, Malmuira had all of her attention focused on keeping up with the men in front of her.
“Ye doing all right, Malmuira?” Kyle asked over his shoulder. He had to yell it over the sound of the wind whipping around them as they moved at a swift trot.
“Aye,” she yelled back.
They hadn’t taken a rest for a few hours and Malmuira could tell her mount was getting tired.
“Ah think my mare needs a break, Kyle,” she hollered up to him.
“Aye, mine as well.” She could barely make out his words through the roaring wind.
The horses were covered in a film of sweat and panting when the riders finally dismounted. There was a small stream not far off the road that they all walked their horses to for a drink. It had been a long day. The sun was barely visible above the horizon and streaks of purple and orange covered the clouds in a magnificent sunset. The air had cooled off quickly despite the warmer temperature.
“It’ll be cool tonight.” Oidche set up a fire while he spoke.
Eaunrig nodded and began to help unpack bedrolls and food from the horses. “Aye, will be quite cool. Best to give the poor beasts a rest and cook up some supper.”
“My mare could use a full night of rest. She’s worn out.”
“She’ll have it.” The fire that Oidche had been working on roared to life and looked as if it had been burning for a while.
“Ah’ll make the food, but of course that’s the only reason ye brought me along, right?” Kyle teased.
Oidche came over to where Malmuira searched through her bags for a salve she had packed. She needed it for a bug bite on her ankle that bothered her. It itched and burned, and every time she touched it, it got worse.
“What’re ye looking for?”
“Ah need a salve that ah packed this morning.” She kept rummaging through the bags, and just as Oidche bent down to help her find it, she pulled it out of the bag.
“Thanks for the help.” She smiled at him to show she was playing.
“Aye, ah’m good at helping like that.” He chuckled and took the salve out of her hand. She lifted the hem of her skirt just above the ankle and he gently rubbed the smelly grease into the skin.
“Thank ye,” she said with a sigh of relief.
Oidche put his hand on her shoulder, so Malmuira looked up into his eyes. “Can ye walk with me?”
Malmuira nodded and stood. He took her hand and led her across the small stream into a grove of small trees. They walked out of earshot of the men before he began to speak.
“Ye told me that ye wanted to know why ah didn’t want to be wedded. Ah may have not been fair enough with ye.”
Malmuira felt bad. “Ah just—”
Oidche held up his hand to stop her and began to speak. “It’s a fair question, Malmuira. Ah never told ye anything about myself. Ah’ve just put myself at a distance from ye and ah don’t think it’s fair to do that to ye.”
They stepped between two larger trees and Oidche leaned against one, resting his head against the trunk while he spoke. He pulled Malmuira in to him and held her lightly. She could still look him in the face while he spoke. Curiosity filled her mind, wondering why he was so solemn.
“Ah had a wife before.” The pain was evident across his features. He stared down at the ground and his head hung.
She was shocked. He’d been married before? The ladies’ man of the clan had been wedded?
“Before ye judge me too harshly let me tell ye about her. She was the love of my life. A beauty from the clan over. No elevated status and barely a dowry to her name, but she loved me, as well. Ah asked for her hand and her faither said yes. My faither was not pleased but accepted the union. She and ah lived in happiness for two years before she found herself with child. And he was born right before the snow fell. My wife didn’t make it past the birth. Died with the bairn in her arms. He was beautiful. Ah held the boy in me hands while ah cried for me Lariel.”
He choked up with the last sentence and looked away from Malmuira. He attempted to hide his g
rief, but the look on his face told the story of his pain. “Ah named him Alastair Garrett after me faither and his faither. The wee bairn lasted only a few hours before he too passed. Probably to join my wife in the afterlife. Ah was left alone and broken. Ah don’t know if ah’ll ever feel whole again. Ah have bedded many a lass since, trying to feel something again, but ah don’t. Ah never feel anything. It’s why ah haven’t pressured ye to bed.”
He seemed to get control over his emotions and stared off into the wood with a set jaw. Malmuira felt her heart breaking for Oidche. He had lived through so much grief. She didn’t know how to respond or what to say. She laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes. He knit his large hand through her hair and held her head against him. She could hear his heart beating in his chest. How could a heart still beat after being wracked with so much pain?
After a while, Oidche pulled her head back. “Ah don’t expect yer pity, Malmuira, but ah do expect understanding. Ye’ve lost yer family to end a war, and ah lost my family during one. Ah dunno if ah’ll feel anything again, but ah can treat ye good and ah can make ye a home. In time, we could love each other.”
That was more than she could expect out of this union, and it brought a sense of peace to her heart. “Ah’ll remember this, Oidche.” She wanted to tell him her plans of staying with her father, but she didn't want to ruin the moment, so she bit her tongue to keep from speaking. It wasn’t long before they joined the others in front of the fire.
Kyle had made a soup for them all out of roots and a strip of dried fish. He had found some herbs along the stream that he added for flavor. Malmuira savored each sip that flowed down her throat.
“Kyle, ye’re a gifted cook.” She gave the compliment with sincerity. The food he prepared was much tastier than anything she had previously enjoyed.
Given to the Highlander (Highlander Bride Series Book 1) Page 5
