She would have him back – eventually. She just needed to bide her time.
Aislinn, meanwhile, was rudely awaked by Jenny, who looked like there was some sort of an emergency. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, trying to wipe the sleep from them and not having much success. “What? What is it? Is everything okay?”
“Yes, my dear, it is,” Jenny soothed the hair back from her eyes and sat down on the edge of the bed. She’d already put the small parcel on the headboard where Aislinn could easily reach it. “I just wanted to let you know about something I have for you – because – because I think it might help you on your wedding night.”
Chapter 5
Aislinn was instantly fully awake. She didn’t know what went on during a wedding night, but she was certainly curious about it. Something happened between a husband and his wife – that apparently couldn’t happen between unmarried people – that no one would talk to her about. She knew they would sleep together – and that was a strange enough concept. Besides Jenny occasionally, Aislinn had never shared her bed with anyone. Although with the size of this bed, they weren’t very likely to bump into each other, she thought.
But there was something else that went on . . . something mysterious and interesting, and Aislinn desperately wanted to know what it was, and it seemed that Jenny might be on the verge of telling her something at least.
“Yes?” she responded eagerly.
Jenny looked distinctly uncomfortable at her unabashed interest. “Well, I have something for you… “
“You said that already.”
Her maid’s issued a pained sigh. “It – well, you need to – uh, use it – tonight – when he – “
“My husband?”
Anxious nodding. “Yes, Lord MacNaughton. When he – you – “ She couldn’t finish her thought. It just wouldn’t come out. Finally, she got up and obsessively straightened her clothes. She knew she was making a mess of things, but she just couldn’t get anything out. She couldn’t.
Instead of telling Aislinn what she’d done and why, and the mechanics of using the thing, Jenny became so flustered that all she could think about was getting out of this room. She kissed her young mistress on the top of the head, saying, “Remember, my girl, that I love you like you were my own daughter,” and scurried to the door as if the hounds of hell were after her.
Aislinn was left to puzzle through what had just happened, feeling that she’d missed something, and no more enlightened about what would happen this evening than she had been before Jenny made her mysterious visit. She wondered just what it was that Jenny was so flustered about – Aislinn had never seen her so distraught.
Fully awake now, she threw back the covers and pulled a worn robe over her slim shoulders, wrapping it around her waist and heading for the door, intent on visiting Adelle, who was as curious as she was about what happened between married people. But when she turned down the next hall, heading towards the servant’s stairs, history repeated itself and she ran headlong into the man who was now her husband.
It was in that moment, as she steadied herself and he reached out to keep her from falling over, that she vaguely remembered him saying something about staying in bed until he came for her . . . but she had been so sleepy when he said it, and then Jenny had awakened her out of a sound sleep with that strange visit – she hadn’t thought anything about it until just now.
But the way he was looking down at her, with a somewhat indulgent frown, made a fissure of fear run down her spine to settle on the part of her body that he had threatened to wreak vengeance upon if she didn’t behave. Her bottom was suddenly flushed and hot, and he hadn’t even touched it!
Looking down his nose at her, he asked in a gruff tone, “Didn’t I tell you to stay put until I came to you, Mrs. MacNaughton?”
Aislinn bit her lip, but looked up at him and batted her eyelashes. “I was?” she asked in her most innocent voice.
Kell threw back his head and laughed heartily at her attempt to flirt with him. “Are you trying to wile your way out of a spanking, lassie?” he asked on a chuckle.
“I’m a married woman. I’m too mature to be spanked.”
That wasn’t going to work either, and she’d known it the moment the words were out of her mouth. They should have, because it was true. Grown, married women should not be punished like children, as far as she was concerned, but apparently her husband felt differently.
She felt herself being guided back towards her – their – bedroom. “Well, I warned you, Aislinn. I’m sorry to have to do this so early in our relationship, but I’m not about to let it go, either. That would set a very bad precedent, and I’m not about to have you thinking that I don’t follow through when I set a rule.”
Kell ushered her through the door, pushing gently on her back to propel her forward. He could feel the heat of her through her thin gown, and knew he would have to steel himself against his desires in order to spank her. It was a thought in the back of his mind to let this go, but he knew that would be a bad start to their relationship. He wasn’t going to be an ogre by any means, but he would not have a disobedient wife. Things weren’t as wild as they used to be in the Highlands – civilization was creeping even into the rebellious and sometimes violent clans – but he still needed to know that if he told her to do something, she would do it. It was not improbable that her life could be forfeit if she got it into her head that she could just ignore any order he gave her.
Still he didn’t want to make her frightened of him, either – at any time – but especially just before they were to come together for the first time as man and wife. She had to be somewhat apprehensive about that – if she had any idea about what was going to happen. It was hard to determine just what a woman knew about nowadays, but he felt it was safest to assume that she didn’t know a thing and go from there.
He brought her over to the end of the bed and sat down, keeping her in place in front of him by holding onto her hands. They were growing colder by the minute, and he looked up at her to see that she was chewing on her lip. “Let’s get you out of this,” he said, reaching up to slip the robe off her shoulders. Aislinn tried to step back, but Kell caught her and tugged her back. “It’s all right. I’m your husband, remember? I’m going to see you wearing a lot less than this.”
Her eyes widened. What could he mean by that? She didn’t intend to let him see her in the all together under any circumstances! There were some times that a lady just had to draw the line, and as she saw it, that was one of them.
But it wasn’t more than a second before she found herself devoid of her bloomers and draped over his hard as a rock legs, making an intimate inventory of the Aubusson carpet that was all too close to her nose. “Let me up this instant!” she shrieked, struggling with all her might.
Kell was unexpectedly impressed by her strength. She was a tiny little thing, but she could wiggle and twist so violently that he almost lost her several times – almost. He always managed to bring her back into place, but ended up having to trap both of her slender legs between his to keep them from rearing up and knocking him in the head, as well as catching her far arm that was whacking and digging away at his calf and locking it down at the small of her back with the fingers of his left hand around her wrist.
“Damn you! Let me go!”
“Language, Mrs. MacNaughton,” he tsked his tongue against his teeth. It was astonishing to hear vulgarities coming from such a tiny thing. But he wasn’t about to tolerate that, either. “I won’t have you swearing. You’ve got a spanking coming for getting up when I told you expressly not to. And that’s exactly what you’re going to get. Plus an extra couple of extra hard whacks at the end so that you’ll think twice before using bad language again.”
He took just a few seconds and laid his palm over the crest of those beautiful mounds. She was as gorgeous of bottom as she was of face. His palm covered generous flesh that was as fine and soft as any velvet he’d ever touched. She was perfect – and she was his. To
discipline, but even more importantly, to love. And, if he let himself think about it, he knew he was already most of the way in love with his intriguing, passionate little wife.
Thankfully, he didn’t like to explore such things. They were unimportant. It wasn’t necessary that he love his wife. Just that he beget an heir with her, which was a task Kell knew he was going to enjoy enormously.
But there was a task at hand right now, and he wanted to get it over with so that they could get on with the begetting. He wasn’t going to be too hard on her this first time – just enough to let her know she didn’t want this to happen again, and adjust her behavior accordingly.
He brought his hand down on her bottom once, too softly. The second time was too hard. He didn’t hit his stride until the third swat, which was just right – crisp and hard, leaving a pinkish blush on her nates that contrasted beautifully with the rest of her creamy skin, and elicited a hoarse howl from the recipient that meant he knew meant he was getting through to her. His smacks took on a terrible rhythm as he proceeded to make that pale landscape a sharp shade of red, all the way down her thighs and over every cringing inch of her writhing bottom.
Aislinn had wiggled and struggled so hard before he started spanking her that she was badly equipped to deal with the actual event. And he’d locked her down so tightly that she could barely move except for a few protest wiggles that didn’t help her avoid even one slap. To her deep embarrassment, she began to wail not long after he’d started, although whenever the thought popped into her head to beg him to stop she forced her jaws together stubbornly, despite how completely the words crowded her throat.
Throughout the entire episode, Aislinn fervently wished she could reach to bite his thigh, but she was too far over it, and the bed defended his legs from her chomping teeth. Eventually, hot, wet tears overwhelmed her as he set fire to her rear. It seemed like he was never going to stop, and that thought made her burst out with a wail that both surprised and embarrassed her. She’d never been driven out of control by anyone or anything. She was always the one who took care of people – most importantly Adelle. She was the strong one, the one in control, and she liked it that way.
Yet here she was, over her husband’s lap getting a spanking like she was a bratty child – and there was nothing she could do about it except endure it, reduced to sobbing and yowling, knowing that no one would help her or save her from this.
Or from him.
Kell drove home more of a lesson with this spanking than he had intended. Aislinn had never met the immovable object. She’d always been able to maneuver her way around people and situations. Her father was easy – he was rarely sober and sleeping it off much of the time. She’d had free rein to do as she pleased. Her Uncle was easy, because he was so interested in getting rid of her.
But this man, who was making mincemeat of her nether parts, wasn’t going to let her do as she pleased. He would expect that she would do as he told her, and this was the consequence for not doing so. And she wasn’t sure how much of this she could tolerate. She might well have found her match – found the one person in this world who could truly curb her behavior. The thought was extremely disturbing, only because she knew she wasn’t willing to give up that much control over her life . . . and her well being.
Kell stopped when he heard her crying in earnest, not wanting to beat her, but knowing that the mournful sobs were the indication of true repentance. He laid both of his palms over her heated flesh, seeing the imprint of his individual fingers on that soft, fair flesh. For a moment, he indulged in a flash of regret that he had a hard time shaking. It was their wedding night. He didn’t want to hurt her – he wanted to pleasure her beyond bearing. He wanted her to break apart uncontrollably in his arms, and welcome him into her body despite the small pain she would know by then that it would cause her. He wanted to be a part of her, and make her a part of him – to begin to forge a bond that, if they were lucky, might even result in the same kind of feeling for each other that his parents had – however unusual that was between arranged couples.
Keeping her close to him, whether she wanted to be or not, and at this point he had no doubt that she would have preferred that his hand fall off and he melt into a puddle at his feet, Kell brought the both of them to the head of the bed. He was careful to assure that her well seared bottom didn’t come in contact with anything – even the softness of the duvet cover. She wasn’t really struggling to get away – which surprised him considering all the kicking and wiggling she did while he was spanking her – but wasn’t acknowledging what he was doing, either. She was just limp in his arms, as if reacting was too much of an effort.
She was so small in his arms – Kell didn’t think he’d ever get over the size of her. Even after such a punishment, the sight of her frail looking, pale limbs and soft body against his tanned strength amazed him. He’d never been with a female who more closely resembled a wood sprite than a woman. He would have to be extra careful – keep it foremost in his mind that he could easily hurt her without meaning to just by means of his size . . . in more places than one.
He drew a deep breath. Despite his rampantly hard interest, he was going to take it slow. He just had to keep repeating that to himself, along with snippets of the Shakespeare he’d been forced to memorize and various stanzas from the Magna Carta, in hopes of keeping his desire somewhat in check. Kell brought his hand to her cheek and she flinched, a look of fear in his eyes that he hoped to never see again. “No, oh, no, sweetie. Don’t cringe from me. Beyond the occasional spanking your behavior might earn you, I will never, ever hit you.” He caught her chin and forced her to look into his eyes – to see the truth of his words. “Never, ever,” he repeated firmly, hoping his convictions rang true with her, although he recognized that it must be a hard concept to accept when one’s bottom was still burning like hellfire.
Aislinn blinked slowly, mortified when that produced even more tears. Her rear hurt like nothing she’d ever felt before, and it made her want to cling to him, which was ridiculous since he was the source of her pain. His voice was hypnotic, slow and rhythmic and deep, and full of conviction.
Somehow, against her better judgment, she began to believe him. The same huge, callused paw that had stung her bottom mercilessly now cupped her cheek with an infinite gentleness. His face inched slowly towards hers, until his lips were just sitting atop hers, not demanding, not slanting and trying to gain access, just lying unthreateningly against hers, occasionally depositing a butterfly kiss at the corner of her mouth.
That hand began to move over her face, as if he was trying to memorize her features with his fingertips, and it was the tenderest touch she’d ever felt from a man. As if she worried it might break the spell, Aislinn kept her eyes shut, feeling those exploring calluses as well as the heat from his nearness working slowly to dispel the heat in her backside.
Those lightly nibbling lips planted tiny, soft kisses everywhere – her eyelids and lashes, the spot where ear meets neck, the tip of her chin and the side of her nose. Kell could feel her relaxing, and she was no longer shrinking away from him. He hated that. He wasn’t a brute – he was just a man who expected to be in control of his marriage – and his wife. There were far too many much more pleasant things to do with his wife, and he preferred to concentrate on those.
Carefully, experimentally, he pressed his entire body against her, tilting her backwards and listening for any sounds of distress he may have caused. Aislinn mewled a little when her still naked bottom touched the thick, fluffy duvet for the first time, but by then his mouth had found hers, settling over it just the slightest bit more firmly, making it more of a kiss and less of an accidental meeting.
Aislinn arched a bit to hold her curves above the bed, bumping her bare lower half against the rough, woolen pole he apparently kept in his bed. She heard Kell groan slightly, then more loudly as she withdrew and settled herself gingerly onto the bed. Surprised and concerned, Aislinn asked in a tentative voice she didn’t
recognize, “Did I do something wrong?”
“No,” the word came out fiercely, like a guttural shot from his lips. He thought he was going to disgrace himself and explode all over the inside of his kilt. Kell spent a long moment trying to get a hold of himself, and the outcome was not at all certain until he opened his eyes and looked down at her. She looked worried, as if she thought she had hurt him. Her innocence charmed him and dampened his ardor like nothing else could have. Clearing his throat, he threaded his thick fingers through her hair. “You didn’t do anything wrong, lass. Do you believe me?”
Aislinn nodded, still curious. “Do you usually wear a knife to bed?”
Kell raised his eyebrow at her, until he realized what she thought was a knife and grinned broadly. “That’s no knife, lass.” She opened her mouth to ask another question, but he put his finger over her lips. “You’ll find out about it later, I promise.”
He had never taken such time with a woman in his life. He explored every inch of her, even those inches that made her blush so furiously he thought she was going to explode. When he divested her of the rest of her clothes, she made the usual maidenly attempt to cover herself, but Kell kissed away the hands that shielded her breasts from him. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” he whispered, and it was the bone deep truth. For someone so tiny, she was perfectly endowed – just the slightest touch over generously in the best areas. Her breasts were firm and wonderfully round, their dusky tips hardened as he watched, as if they were seeking his attention, and he was only too happy to provide it.
When he drew a virgin nipple into his mouth, Aislinn thought she would die from the pure pleasure of it. He tugged insistently, licking around and over the tip within his mouth, letting her first gasp of pleasure flood over him like molten lava for the barest of seconds.
The MacNaughton Bride Page 6
