by Ashley York
Darragh kept his eyes on her and looked like he’d stopped breathing as well. She wetted her lips and rose on tiptoe to kiss her husband on the mouth. Too shocked to recoil, Tisa prayed it appeared as a sincere indication of their feelings for each other. His tight lips pressed against hers unexpectedly. When she pulled back, the look of thanks he offered made her relax a little.
He pulled her against his side. “Please, Father, allow me to show my wife the courtesy she deserves from me.”
Darragh’s voice was lower this time, sounding more confident. His hold around her waist tightened a little too much. She struggled to stop the fear from showing on her face and smiled instead.
Aodh’s bewildered gaze went from Darragh to Tisa and back again. The seconds ticked off. She waited and prayed the man believed the ruse. He cocked a brow and bowed slightly before answering.
“Well, then, ye’ve done well for yerself, Darragh.” He glanced at the men around them. His men. “Dunna ye all agree?”
The men offered words of pleasure, agreement, and surprise.
Aodh stood before his son and placed his arm on Darragh’s shoulder. “I am busting with pride for ye, son.” He dropped his gaze to Tisa. “And busting to try ye out myself but I suppose I could wait ‘til we’ve a firm pallet beneath us to cushion ye from my hard ride.”
Tisa’s jaw dropped but Aodh had already turned away and was addressing his men as they readied the camp.
Darragh released his hold with a lopsided smile. “Ye tried, sweet little Tisa. My thanks.”
Breandan was quickly beside Darragh, shooting daggers at Tisa.
“Darragh, we must convince him!” She heard the panic in her own voice. “Ye canna take this boy off with ye and leave me here.”
“And I think he can.” Breandan said too loudly. He was dumber than she realized.
Tisa glanced at the men a distance away and lowered her voice even more. “Nae, ye canna. Please, Darragh, just stay with me while we are traveling.”
Darragh made a look of disgust. “I dunna want to.”
Tisa fought against the desire to roll her eyes. “But, Darragh, we are all sleeping in the open. They may give us a quiet spot to the side but it must just be ye and me. Breandan canna be near us. He has to stay with the other men.”
“I dunna wa—”
“Shhh! I ken what ye want. Can ye not wait until we’ve arrived at his home?” She turned an imploring expression on Darragh. “If we can get to yer home, we can work this all out there. But here, where everyone can see us, we must continue to be happily wed. Please!”
Darragh smiled at Breandan. The young man’s expression clearly revealed his distaste for having to wait for her husband’s attention. Darragh stroked the hair back from his face. Tisa shifted to block the gesture from the view of any of the other men.
“We’ll be at my home soon.” He moved his face closer to Breandan. “I’ll make it worth the wait.”
Breandan’s face lit up. Tisa glanced behind to be sure no one saw the two of them.
“Go with the other men.” He winked. “Ye can wait. Aye?”
Breandan nodded then moved away toward the others. Darragh followed him with his eyes.
Tisa breathed a sigh of relief until Darragh turned an angry scowl at her.
“I’ll not be putting him off again.”
“‘Tis fine with me.”
“Truly?”
Tisa longed to inform the man she didn’t want his hands on her. Ever! But that might be taken as a dare. She imagined her husband was stubborn enough to find a way to make her sorry for the seeming rejection of him.
“Darragh.” Aodh’s voice carried across the camp.
A large fire burned brightly. The men had taken up spots close to the warmth, their bedding behind them. One of the men had enlisted Breandan’s help with the cooking which he didn’t seem to mind. Tisa’s quick scan found Caireann still sitting in the cart, empty now, and cast in shadows. She hurried to her.
“Why are ye here alone?”
Caireann’s eyes widened as if she’d asked why she had two heads. “Because I dunna want these men’s attention.”
All the men looked to be keeping to themselves. One sat very close to the fire, mending a tear in his sleeve. Another man lay stretched out, his head propped on his folded arms, with a wineskin on his chest. The men around listened intently to his boasting. Three other men were playing some sort of game with sticks.
“Have they been bothering ye?”
“Ye should have seen them at home.” She shook her head as if it were most unbelievable. “They jumped on anything that moved. Male or female.”
“Ye jest!”
Caireann turned a very serious face her way. “I do not.”
Tisa blew a breath. “I had my own challenges within. I dinna ken what was going on outside.”
“Fergus had tried to keep us away but they all wanted to see ye wed.” Caireann’s eyes softened. “They care about ye.”
“And I care about them.”
“Are ye not hungry?” Aodh yelled toward her.
Tisa and Caireann exchanged glances before moving toward the cook. Breandan smiled at Caireann when he handed her a trencher drenched with a thick, meaty sauce. She blushed sweetly and smiled.
“Thank ye, Breandan. Nice to have a familiar man among these warriors.”
The young man winked.
Incorrigible.
Tisa fumed at this cruel treatment of her friend. She did not believe for one minute that this man had any interest in any woman. His eyes glazed over as he watched something in the distance. She knew who it was without even looking.
The cook beside Breandan offered Tisa his best. “For ye and yer husband.”
Tisa curtseyed politely, glared at Breandan, and headed toward the exact spot he’d had his eye on.
Darragh had the blanket pulled tight around him, his lips stretched over his teeth, and his eyes fixed on the roaring fire.
“Ye dunna look happy, husband.” She sat down beside him, leaving enough distance between them so he may not need to shift away. She smiled up at him and balanced the platter on her knee. “Mayhap ‘tis only food ye need.”
He scowled at her before turning back to the fire.
“I think only of our own comfort, Darragh.”
He shook his head in irritation.
“Please.” Her whisper got his attention. “We need the pretense.”
Darragh moved in close as if he might kiss her. She recoiled. “I dunna want to feed my wife.”
Tisa glanced at the broth soaking into the crusty bread. She needed Aodh to stay away from her. From them. If she could not convince Darragh to play along, her life with these people would only get worse.
“I beg ye.” She spoke in the quietest whisper. “I need ye to just remember yer part. Please. I want no more of ye. I swear it.”
The tension poured out of him. He was wound up tight. Either he would let loose his temper right here or she would get a reprieve. She closed her eyes and offered a prayer.
The weight of the platter on her leg was removed and her eyes flew open. Darragh had a piece of meat speared on his dagger.
“For ye, wife.” His blue eyes sparkled in the fire light.
She opened her mouth and accepted the meat. He smiled, even wiping her mouth with the cloth at his side. Her stomach gripped tight and she struggled to finish chewing enough to swallow.
“Ah, the couple enjoys their meal, I see,” Aodh called to them from across the fire. “Methinks my son will enjoy ye as well.”
“Save room for dessert,” one of the men at his side offered.
Darragh’s thigh tightened where it rested against her leg. She gave him a warning look.
“Methinks my son will do fine spreading his wife’s legs for a sweet repast. Will ye not?”
Darragh stood beside Tisa. She held her breath, afraid of what would happen next.
“What I do or do not enjoy doing with my wife is not yer
concern, Father.” Darragh offered Tisa his hand. She stood with him. “But we will enjoy some privacy.”
With a gentle touch, he led her toward a small outcropping of rocks. She was surprised to see blankets had been spread out along with the makings of a fire. All it needed was a spark and there would be both light and warmth.
Tisa sighed.
Out of sight of the others, Darragh plopped down to one side of the coarse cloth. She nearly laughed when she realized he was pouting again.
“Oh, my poor husband. Is this where ye had plans to meet with Breandan?”
“What do ye care? I’ve kept my father away from ye. And probably his men.”
She gasped.
“‘Tis true. He likes to pass women around to his men. Especially the ‘good’ ones. That’s the way he’s been as far back as I can remember.”
Darragh struck the flint and the tinder ignited. Settling on the ground, Tisa took off her slippers and tucked her feet beneath her.
“Did he ever force ye to actually...?
“Gawd, nae! He knew I wanted no part of it. One time he brought a girl just a few years older than me. Someone I’d conversed with on occasion. She had the prettiest green eyes. When he was done with her, he ordered me to take her. I refused. That’s when he knew I was different.”
Darragh’s pain ran deep. Young boys always wanted their father’s approval. That he couldn’t force himself to do something that would gain his father’s acceptance must have been a terrible blow.
“I dinna want to touch her like that.” Darragh tucked his knees up and rested his chin there, no doubt reliving the painful experience. “Especially since her twin brother was very much to my liking.”
He winked at her and she laughed.
“Oh, Darragh, methinks ye can be very charming.”
Tipping his head to the side, he searched her more closely. “And I believe the same of ye.”
Without preamble, he grabbed her chin and pulled her lips to his. The lips that had been soft were suddenly forceful and firm. He dropped a hand to her breast, a gentle hand that stroked and cupped. His other hand slipped up her foot and along the exposed skin of her leg. Tisa felt a scream rising up her throat.
“Well, well, well! Hard as a rock I am just watching ye. “Aodh stepped closer to the fire and rubbed his afore mentioned appendage.
Darragh pulled away. “Is this how ye leave me with my wife? Can ye not see we’re on our way to giving ye the grandchildren ye desire?”
The confidence of his words surprised Tisa. She straightened her clothing but kept her eyes averted.
“Does he dampen yer nether parts with his touch?”
Tisa gasped and jerked her head up to look at her father-in-law. Darragh’s eyes were on her as well, as if he also waited for the answer.
She stood, terror taking a foothold in her humiliation at the intimate questions. She didn’t even understand what they were talking about. The last time she’d been in the arms of a man who pleased her she was only ten and two.
“I have just the right response to my husband’s touch.” Nice way to avert a subject she knew nothing about. “And I would take less offense at yer questions if ye were to allow us some time to be alone.”
Aodh plopped onto the blanket. “I’d rather watch.”
“Ye may not,” she said.
“I dinna ask.”
“Nae! Ye are not to watch.”
Aodh arched his brow and glared at his son. “Darragh, are ye to see to this or am I?”
Tisa’s terror spread across her stomach even though she wasn’t sure what his threat actually was. She faced Darragh.
“Come to me.” He reached his hand up to her.
No. No. No. She took his hand.
He pulled her onto his lap, hugging her close against his chest. “Shhh, do not fash yerself. What we do or do not do here and now is no one’s concern but ours.” Darragh dropped his warm hand to her bare ankle.
Darragh sat up tall and tucked her head against his shoulder, his hand stroking up and down her calf. “Quiet yerself.”
He nuzzled his nose into her neck.
Tisa dared not breathe. She wanted to do nothing that might encourage this. Out of the corner of her eye, Aodh stroked himself as he looked on.
When Darragh’s hand slipped up past her knee, she wondered how far he was willing to go with this pretense or if it even was a pretense. She shifted her bottom on his lap but felt nothing. Dropping her hand, her fingers spread in search of any sign that he was actually aroused. She found just the opposite.
“Shh, mmm, ye’re a special one.” Darragh’s eyes were closed, his words low and throaty.
Tisa would swear he was thinking of what he might say to Breandan. When his lips clamped on to hers, there was no way out of responding. A groan of appreciation from Aodh’s direction fortified her determination. She kissed Darragh back, even opening her mouth to his persistent tongue. How far was he going to go with this?
As if in answer, Darragh reached beneath her bliaut to rub his hand over one breast and then the other. Surely this wasn’t necessary since his father couldn’t even se—
“Oh, aye, Darragh, that’s the way they like ye to touch them. And with a firm hand.”
The man’s hand moved more quickly over his own arousal.
Damn, was the man never going to leave?
Darragh moved in close to her ear. “Forgive me.”
He whispered the words and his hand slipped up her inner thigh.
No! Tisa fought against the very strong urge to slam her knees together. The sure knowledge that this man preferred men to women was the only thing that kept her legs still. That and the need to convince his father once and for all that they were, indeed, intimate. When Darragh parted her legs even further, she was ready to scream.
“Well,” Aodh stood. “Off to find me some relief myself.”
He disappeared into the darkness. Darragh immediately withdrew his hand and pulled away from Tisa. He blew a huge breath.
“Good thing I’ve been forced to watch this enough times.”
He rolled away and stretched out, propping his hands under his head. “I dinna think he would ever leave. I feared how far I would have to go to convince him—”
Tisa covered her face with her hands and cried. This was intolerable. She should be glad. She should be relieved that her husband had not forced himself on her. How many more times would Darragh have to touch her so intimately to keep his father away?
“Pardon, sweet little Tisa.” Darragh was sitting beside her now, stroking her hair. “Ye have never been touched so?”
Tisa didn’t want to speak to this man about how she had or had not been touched. She wanted to be off with Tadhg, having him touch her, having him kiss her, having him laying with her, and making love to her in truth. Damn. If Darragh had gone any further he would have found the proof of her treacherous body’s response to his touch. Even petrified, she’d felt the dampness Aodh had spoken of. How could she have been aroused? She didn’t want this man to touch her ever!
“Go on and cry.” Darragh spoke quietly. “I will not tell a soul.”
He took her in his arms, cradling her like she was a child, and she sobbed her heart out.
At some point she fell asleep. When she awoke, she was leaning on Darragh’s bosom, his arm about her, covered with a heavy cloth. He snored softly. She dared not move for fear of waking him. A slight glow was just lighting the eastern sky. Unsure how far it was to her new home, she prayed she would continue to have this privacy. Mayhap his father had been convinced. She prayed it was so.
CHAPTER SEVEN
~
TADHG AND SEAN TRAVELED without stopping until they were exhausted. Brighit’s safety was their only concern.
“Sean!” Calum was alongside Sean, catching the man as he was about to tumble from his horse. “We need to stop, Tadhg.”
Tadhg shook his head to clear it. The man was right. No place nearby, they were hungry an
d cold. “Hell of a barren place.”
“Methinks it has to do with their king’s treatment of the people here. They burned it all down and let the people starve.”
Calum stopped both their horses. He was barely able to help the huge man to the ground.
Sean’s eyes barely opened. “We need to get to Brighit.”
“But if ye kill yerself falling off the horse, ye’ll be no good to her.” Calum’s voice left no room for argument.
Tadhg dropped from his horse, allowing it to graze. “I canna even think clearly. How much farther to the Priory?”
Sean settled against a tree, his arms resting on his knees. His eyes closed.
“Calum, get the man some water,” Tadhg said. “Fool wouldn’t eat or drink when last we stopped.”
“He’s smitten with her. Wouldn’t even take that comely wench up on her offer.” Calum held the skin to Sean’s parched mouth. “Oh, just drink it and dinna be giving me any shite about it.” Calum smiled toward Tadhg. “His loss.”
Tadhg flexed his shoulders and threw his brat along the ground, following on top of it. “I dinna think ‘tis safe to just sleep in the open.”
“I’ll keep guard,” Eoghan offered.
The raven-haired lad had been quiet most of the way. No doubt deep in his own thoughts having left behind his young wife who was heavy with child. That he’d offered to come along spoke of his own loyalty to both Tadhg and the clan.
“‘Twould be much appreciated, Eoghan. Are ye up to it yerself?”
“Methinks I should get used to working on little sleep. I ken the wee bairns keep ye up most nights. Gael will need me.”
Sean snored in answer. Calum had covered him with his own skins and settled beside him. “I’ve some time yet for those problems, Eoghan,” he said. “Wake me when ye need to.”
Tadhg smiled at the other man. They were the same age. Eoghan had lain with Gael as soon as they were betrothed and got her with child. She was a plump, little blond with sky blue eyes and an infectious smile. Tadhg would have done the same with Tisa. He had wanted her something fierce. Her father made sure that didn’t happen by keeping them apart.
It was at the celebration of her sister’s wedding. Finola marrying William. Just the week before, Sean had brought Tadhg into the barn to watch one of his father’s soldiers with the woodcutter’s widow.
