The Sutherland Devil

by Lee, Caroline

  “’Tis so hard to lose someone we love.”

  Her fingers threaded through his, and they sat like that for a few minutes, watching the waterfall. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking of, but he wasn’t thinking of Anna, not anymore. She held a place in his heart, and he’d always be grateful for his time with her, and the gifts of their children together.

  But the woman sitting beside him…Saf was the one who held his attention now.

  Held his heart?

  A smile tugged at his lips. The Sutherland Devil falling for a lass’s spell? What would his men say?

  And did he care?

  “And yer wives?”

  Her quiet question jerked him out of his musings, and he glanced at her. “What about them?”

  “Did ye love them as well?”

  Had he really never spoken of Elizabeth and Katharine to her? He shrugged and lay back on the ground, his fingers still twined with hers, and his other arm stacked behind his head. It was easier to speak of them than Anna.

  “Da made the alliance with Elizabeth’s father to strengthen our southern border. But when she arrived for the wedding, she was nothing like we expected.”

  “Oh?” She shifted until she was sitting cross-legged beside his hip, holding his hand in both of hers.

  He closed his eyes, enjoying the peace, despite the topic. “She was young, aye, and verra beautiful. But she was little more than a child, and too sickly for a braw young man.”

  She snorted and poked his thigh hard enough to make him growl. But when she began to rub and knead the spot she’d poked, the sound turned into a groan of satisfaction. Who knew the muscles in his thighs were that tight?

  “Elizabeth?” she prompted, her hand working down to his knee.

  “She…” He sighed in pleasure. “She wanted to take holy vows. But her father had threatened her, so she cried through the ceremony and confessed before I could take her to bed. She was so frail…” He shook his head, trying to banish the memory of the wee lass sobbing in fear in his bed, her skin so pale it was nearly translucent. “She was more ill than anyone kenned. I couldnae have bedded her, even if I’d had the inclination.”

  “What happened?”

  He swallowed past the memory of those dark days. “She wasted away some months after the wedding. I sent for the abbess a sennight before, released Elizabeth from the marriage, despite Da’s objections, and she was able to take vows.”

  He could hear the smile in Saf’s voice when she spoke. “She died a nun.” When she poked him in the thigh again, it didn’t hurt as much. “Ye do have a heart, Devil!”

  Remembering the way Elizabeth’s small hand had felt in his as he’d sat by her bed, he winced. “I hated watching her, kenning how easy it was to catch ill and slip away. I spent most of my days training, trying to forget that…but Da made another contract before Elizabeth was cold in the ground.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I didnae think much of it. ’Twas the way of things, I suppose. Katharine was lusty enough, I suppose, but I’d learned my lesson with Anna and Elizabeth, and refused to let her into my heart.”

  Saf hummed. “Maggie is about the age to have come from that union?”

  That wasn’t a topic he was prepared to discuss, so he pulled his leg from under her hands and sat up once more, the abrupt motion startling her into leaning back.

  “I told ye Sutherland men have nae problem planting babes. Katharine fell pregnant on our wedding night, and died—the bairn with her—from a fall on the ice on the keep’s steps six months later.”

  The beautiful, bold woman next to him gasped, her eyes wide with pity. “Oh, Merrick,” she finally whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

  His chin jerked once in acknowledgement as he ran his suddenly sweaty palms down his kilted thighs.

  Why was his heart pounding? Because of how close she’d come to his secret? Or because despite that fact, despite talking of poor Elizabeth and Katharine, his cock was still hard, just because of her touch?

  He swallowed. “They deserved better, but I tried to give them both what they wanted. They were good lasses—good women—and they kenned their own minds.”

  With one fluid movement, Saf pushed herself to her feet and kicked off her shoes. Then she shrugged off her surcoat.

  “What are ye doing?” he asked in a hoarse voice.

  “Undressing.” She pulled her shirt from over her head and used the bottom of one foot to roll down the opposite stocking, then the other. Her breeches followed. In a matter of moments, she stood clad in only her braies and the linen wrapping around her breasts.

  When had he stood up? He couldn’t recall. All he knew was that she held him in some sort of spell, and his pulse was pounding in his temple. “Saf?” he choked out.

  “Anna and Elizabeth and Katharine kenned their own minds, Merrick,” she said, her hands on her hips and her tone scolding him. “Ye saw it with them, and respected them for it. And just an hour ago, I saw ye reconsider yer intentions and acknowledge that yer own daughter is a strong woman whose opinion should be respected.”

  Mary? How did Mary come into this?

  Merrick shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts…but they kept coming back to how lickable she looked standing there in the dappled shade beside the pool.

  Unfortunately, she took that as denial. “Aye,” she said firmly. “Ye are a good man, Devil, despite the stories. All I ask now is that ye trust me when I say I ken my own mind, my own desires.”

  With that, she reached for the knot under her left arm and set to work untying the linen strip around her chest. As she unwound it, she held his eyes in challenge.

  But when the linen at last pooled around her feet, Merrick’s gaze dropped.

  Gods wounds, but she had beautiful breasts. Small and perky and just right for his hands.

  He fisted his hands at his sides, his palms itching from the memory of the way he’d cupped them last night in the darkness. But to see them like this, free and proud in the sunlight…? His mouth went dry.

  She dropped her hand to the waist of her braies. “Ye’re overdressed, Merrick, if ye want me to scrub yer back.”

  As soon as her braies hit the grass at her feet, she turned and jumped into the pool.

  He was still rocked by that glimpse of the curls between her legs and the flash of her bare arse. But the shocked noise she made as she hit the cold water had him grinning.

  Somehow his clothing joined hers on the grass.

  They came together in the center of the pool, where the water was deepest. He could stand, the water lapping against his chest. It seemed natural for her to wrap her arms around him and allow him to support her.

  The way her breasts rubbed against his bare chest, the water lapping both of them, had his cock jumping against her belly, and she smiled.

  “I didnae drag ye out here to wash my back, Saf,” he warned in a low tone.

  “Aye?” She wiggled against him, causing him to suck in a breath between his teeth. “Then why am I here?”

  “What ye did today, what ye said…” God’s wounds, but it was hard to concentrate with her in his arms, all slippery and willing. “Ye are a strong woman, Saf. And I respect ye enough to believe ye ken what ye want. And ye’ve made what ye want verra clear.”

  “I want ye, Merrick.”

  “I love the way ye say my name,” he admitted.

  “Which is why I so rarely use it, Devil,” she teased.

  “Aye?” he growled as he lowered his mouth to the skin at the base of her neck. “Ye confess?”

  “Aye, Merrick!” she cried as she wrapped her legs around his waist. “I want ye.”

  His lips trailed over her shoulder.

  With her hanging on like this, his cock was so close to her warmth, he could barely stand it. When she moaned and shifted impatiently, his thick staff slid between them in a delicious mockery of what he wanted to be doing.

  But his long-ago vow limited him to just pleasuring her, and th
at’s what he’d focus on.

  Of course, the damn vow was hard to remember when he lifted her to draw one perfect, pert nipple into his mouth, and she made the most erotic sound he’d ever heard.

  “Merrick!” Her fingers wrapped in his hair as her head dropped back. “Please!”

  This wasn’t the place for it. But there was a place he wanted to share with her.

  He straightened and pulled her closer as he pushed his way toward the waterfall. She met his gaze just as they reached it.

  She was the woman for him. She matched him completely.

  Smiling, he tightened his hold on her and plunged through the wall of water.

  Behind it, there was a small rock ledge where he and Gavin and Robbie and the other lads used to play at as children. The bottom sloped up, until the water was barely knee-deep.

  He carried her to the ledge and placed her bare arse on the carpet of moss which grew there. He’d made the right choice to share this place with her. The power of the water was clear and never failed to make his heart pound.

  But when she smiled in excitement, his heart pounded for an entirely different reason. And when she opened her arms and beckoned him to return, he almost lost his resolve and plunged into her right then and there.

  But her joy, her determination, was why they were there.

  So he showed her what she meant to him with his mouth, hands, and fingers.

  When he circled her nipple with his tongue, then nipped at it, she gasped, then groaned. He used that chance to drop one hand to her curls, stroking his thumb through her slit.

  “Merrick,” she sighed in pleasure and dropped her weight back on one splayed palm. The other hand rose to the back of his head, as if to hold him in place.

  Aye, she was a lass who knew what she wanted!

  He switched his attention to the other nipple, his hand replacing his mouth on the first one as she squirmed under his touch. Between one heartbeat and the next, he slipped a finger inside her.

  She relaxed against him and pressed her hips upward in a silent plea. His thumb circled her pearl as he slipped another finger inside her, and she arched against him.

  “Merrick!”

  Aye, that was all the urging he needed. God in Heaven, but he wanted nothing more than to slam his cock home.

  He wouldn’t.

  Instead, he dropped to his knees, his hips just above the cold water, and lowered his mouth to her opening.

  The noise she made was somewhere between a sob and a moan as he dragged his tongue along her slit, then circling her pearl. He used his thumb to press against her, to coax her into release.

  Under his assault, she moaned and squirmed and called his name in a way which made him proud. He was giving her what she wanted, aye?

  The familiar pressure built behind his ballocks, and he wished he could do more than lick her. Her muscles tightened around him, and he knew she was close.

  Suddenly, she clamped her thighs tight. “Devil take you, Merrick!” she panted. “This isnae—”

  When she cut herself off with a groan, Merrick pulled himself to his feet. Her tongue darted across her lips as she stared at him, standing before her.

  “Lass?” he growled.

  “I want…” She arched against his touch, then met his eyes. “I want ye, Merrick!”

  “Aye, lass,” he said gently, not even sure she could hear him over the water.

  Still holding her gaze, he pushed his fingers into her once more, and he saw the frustration in her eyes as she began to shake her head. But her eyes flew open once more as he felt her inner muscles tighten around him, and her head lolled back as she found her release with a sigh.

  His fingers continued to stroke her gently as he watched her relax on the ledge.

  Finally, her eyes opened, and she frowned at him.

  “Why?” she demanded.

  It was hard to hear over the rushing water, so he shook his head. “I’ll no’ risk getting ye with child, Saf.”

  “What?”

  He knew he wasn’t going to find release now—possibly ever again, now that he’d given her what she wanted—so he scooped her up in his arms and pushed them back through the waterfall.

  She buried her face against his shoulder and endured the cold.

  They sloshed through the pool toward the grassy bank, where he gently laid her down and hoisted himself up as well. Once there, he couldn’t resist pulling her into his arms, his cock still pressed between them.

  “Ye ken the Sutherland reputation, lass,” he explained gently, hoping to ease her irritation. “Watching ye stand up to me today in defense of Andrew, made me see how strong ye are. Ye ken what’s best for the clan, and that’s a rare talent. Ye donae deserve to bear my bastard.”

  “Did Anna?”

  He couldn’t tell what she was thinking. She was watching him carefully, the light of something in those dark blue eyes, and he winced at the question.

  “I was younger then and didnae understand what it meant. But ye—ye could be anyone. And since ye refuse to trust me with yer name, I’ll no’ risk—”

  She interrupted him by reaching up and grasping his cheeks and pulling him down for a kiss.

  It was a kiss filled with promise and apology and understanding and so much more.

  She was the one who pushed him away, his face still in her hands.

  “Ye’ll no’ risk a bastard, but if ye kenned my family, what would ye do?”

  “I’d…” He shook his head, his mind still muddled. “I donae ken.” He needed an heir, aye, but there was no telling if her clan would be willing to align with him.

  Her nose was mere inches from his, his arms pressed between her slick back and the thick grass, and when she grinned, he sucked in a breath.

  “Sapphire,” she said suddenly.

  He blinked. “What?”

  “My name is Sapphire. I’m one of the Sinclair Jewels.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Saffy held her breath, staring into his eyes and praying she’d made the right decision.

  He blinked and shook his head slightly, as if disbelieving. She tightened her hold on his face and nodded, willing him to understand what she was saying.

  He exhaled softly. “Sapphire.”

  “Sinclair.”

  “So Pearl is…”

  “My youngest sister, aye.” Pinned beneath him, still somehow unfulfilled despite her earlier release, Saffy wriggled her hips. “She was worthy enough for you, Merrick. Am I?”

  He reared back as if he’d been hit, and she let him go, her hands falling to his shoulders, praying he wasn’t leaving her.

  “Sapphire,” he croaked again, then closed his eyes tightly.

  Between them, she felt his member jump, and longed to reach down to touch him the way he’d touched himself. Slowly, she began to inch her legs apart, hoping he’d take the hint.

  “Devil,” she whispered, “You were willing to align with my father once before, and I am my father’s daughter.”

  Mayhap it was her words, or mayhap her actions, or mayhap he was contemplating something totally different. Whatever it was, she saw the moment he quit fighting, the moment he gave into her pleas.

  With a groan, he dropped his mouth to hers, then lightly kissed her cheek and jaw and neck. Triumphantly, she spread her legs, her core already aching with need once more, and didn’t bother to hold back the breathy chuckle which escaped her in anticipation.

  “Lass,” he growled, pushing himself up on one arm and reaching between them with the other to grasp his erection. “Ye’re the worthiest woman I ken. Are ye sure this is what ye want?”

  She held his gaze, despite the way her blood thrummed, urging her to arch against him, to grab him, to make him hers.

  “Ye’re what I want.”

  “God’s wounds, Saf,” he whispered, closing his eyes on a shudder.

  She tightened her hold on his shoulders, trying to pull him closer, but only succeeding in lifting herself off the grass. “Now,
please,” she commanded.

  His lips twitched, and he opened his eyes once more. “Aye, lass.”

  Her core was still wet from her release—or mayhap it was in readiness for his entry. Without dropping her gaze, he stroked her once, twice, and she bucked against him. Her mouth opened on another plea, and he grinned.

  He positioned himself between her legs, then halted at her entrance. She groaned in frustration and tried to press lower, to impale herself.

  “Saf?” he asked again, his voice hoarse.

  “Aye! Aye, Merrick, hurry—Merrick!” she cried as he moved, then froze.

  The pain of being stretched caused Saffy’s eyes to fly open, her breaths coming too fast. But she focused on his lips, which were pressed in a hard line, then rose to his eyes. The expression in them was unreadable, the lines at their corners showed his concern.

  He was holding himself back. For her. That, as much as his concern, eased the pain. Or mayhap it was the time which passed. Saf took a deep breath, then another…and miraculously, the feeling of stretching was replaced by a different feeling.

  She wasn’t just being stretched, but filled.

  He was filling her the way she’d imagined, the way she’d hoped. The way she and her sisters giggled about. The way a man, his velvet-encased steel aching with need, took a woman he cared for.

  That realization, more than anything, made her smile. The sensation of being filled—by her Devil!—caused a flood of warmth to spiral through her limbs. She shifted under him, pulling her legs up, and planting her bare feet on the ground by his thighs, bracketing his hips with her knees.

  The motion helped sink him even deeper into her, and she caught her breath.

  “Saf?” he asked again.

  Under him, she moved—just slightly. A simple back and forth, a tiny movement. But both of them sucked in a gasp.

  “Please, Merrick,” she moaned. “Donae make me do this all myself.”

  He didn’t.

  If his first thrust made her gasp, then the second felt as if it sucked all the air out of her body, and by the third…well, she held on to his shoulders and lifted her rear end off the ground and met him thrust for thrust, until she felt as if she could leave her own body and float above the earth on a cloud of pleasure and joy.