“No, she doesn’t,” protested Ollie, coughing to try to disguise his words. Medea heard it and glared at him.
“It’s the curse, MacKay,” Medea told him. “It’s getting worse. Now you actually think that a cold-hearted shrew loves you? Oh, wait until I tell my mother. She is going to love this!” Medea looked around and, when no one was watching, she disappeared in a puff of smoke.
“My lord, will you please at least wait until the morning and give this whole marriage thing another thought?” asked Ollie.
“Nay, there is no need for that. I am certain this is what I want. Oh, there’s the priest,” he said, flagging the holy man over.
“My lord?” The priest came to join them. “Did you summon me?
“I did,” answered MacKay. “Father, I would like you to marry Lady Eira and me on the morrow. Nay, make that today instead. Why wait?”
“My lord,” squawked Ollie. “I beg you to wait and reconsider.”
“I am a Catholic priest,” the man told him. “I am not even sure Eira isn’t a pagan. Her mother was Catholic, but her father was of Viking descent.”
“Then she is some of each, so what does it matter?” MacKay looked over and saw Eira riding in through the castle gates. “There is my bride now. I will get her, and we will marry here in the courtyard, right now. There is no reason to wait.”
“As you wish, my lord,” said the priest, not at all looking as if he agreed with this situation.
Eira looked across the courtyard to see MacKay and his squire talking with the priest. She handed her reins to the stable boy and trudged through the ankle-deep snow, making her way to them.
“Sir MacKay, can I speak with you?”
“I am so happy you are here,” said MacKay taking her hand and kissing it. “The priest will marry us now.”
“It’s about the marriage. I was thinking . . . did you say, now?”
“Aye, he has the fool notion of marrying you right here and now,” complained the squire, making it sound like it was preposterous that anyone would want to marry her. “He is insane, I tell you.”
“What is wrong with marrying me?” she snapped.
“Pardon me, my lady,” said Ollie. “I meant no disrespect. It is just that Lord MacKay is cursed.”
“Don’t let me hear you say such things again or I’ll throw you back into the dungeon,” she warned him.
“That’s my girl,” said MacKay, smiling like a daft fool. “You are so irresistible, you make my heart soar.”
It did sound as if the man were insane. Eira had never seen anyone act this way before. She had never had a man admire her like this. It was odd. The meaner she was toward him or his squire, the more he seemed to like her.
“My queen, did you want to marry this man?” asked the priest with concern in his voice.
“He said we would wed on the morrow.” Eira frantically looked around for Medea. The girl had given her bad advice, and now she was nowhere to be found.
“Why wait, my love?” asked MacKay, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to the priest. “Go ahead, Father. We are ready to say our vows and become man and wife.”
Once more, Eira looked for Medea but didn’t see her anywhere. The guards, as well as the servants, were watching intently. If she walked away now, she might look foolish. Then MacKay might not help her on the morrow. Eira felt so confused, she wasn’t sure what to do. Sir MacKay was a dashing man. Even now with just his hand on her waist, she felt her insides quivering with anticipation. Dressed in a gown, she felt feminine for the very first time in her life. With the way MacKay stared at her, she even felt pretty. She released the breath she wasn’t even aware she was holding and nodded to the priest.
“My lady?” the priest asked with a raised brow. “Are you certain this is what you want?”
Her throat felt dry, and so did her mouth. When she wet her lips with her tongue, MacKay squeezed her waist and leaned over and whispered in her ear.
“Keep that tongue in your mouth for now. Save all that action for the bedchamber when we consummate the marriage tonight.”
That probably should have frightened her out of her wits. But for some reason, it only made her want it more.
“Let’s do it,” she said, feeling confident all of a sudden. Before she knew what happened, the priest said they were married, and MacKay was kissing her passionately in the courtyard right in front of everyone. It made her uncomfortable, but not nearly as much as when he pulled her close and took both hands and squeezed her rump.
The guards whistled, and everyone cheered and clapped. What had she done? Appalled by her actions and angry with his, she reached out and slapped him hard across the face.
The crowd’s cheers ceased, and everyone became silent. MacKay’s eyes met hers. Instead of anger or embarrassment to be slapped by a woman in front of everyone, the fool looked even happier than before.
“Let’s celebrate!” MacKay cried out, sweeping her off her feet and throwing her over his shoulder. “Everyone to the great hall for a wedding feast.”
“Put me down,” she screamed, kicking her feet and pounding her fists against his back.
“You are one wonderful woman, Wife.” He slapped her on the arse causing her eyes to open wide at his audacity. Squirming out of his arms, she got to the ground and kneed him in the groin.
“Ooomph!” he exclaimed, bending over and holding his hands between his legs.
“Sir MacKay won’t let any woman get away with that,” remarked his squire, smiling and shaking his head. “Will you, my lord?”
MacKay took a moment, rubbed his hand over his chest and then stood upright and raised his hand in the air. “Cupbearer, bring me some wine so I can make a toast to the best woman a man could ever want – Lady Eira, my queen.”
The crowd cheered again. Eira shook her head, not able to comprehend the stupid game MacKay played.
“Touch me again, and next time I’ll use my sword instead of my knee,” she said in a low voice so only he could hear her. “Then there won’t be any chance of consummating this farce of a wedding at all.”
As if her words fell on deaf ears, MacKay pulled her close and smacked her lips with a passionate kiss. He held her tightly as they headed to the great hall for the wedding feast. Eira shook her head, wondering how she had been duped into marrying Sir MacKay – the fool.
“My lord, you are making an ass of yourself,” Ollie whispered to MacKay as the squire poured him another goblet of wine. The wedding feast was in full array. Everyone feasted on stuffed goose, baked whiting and an assortment of sweetmeats and tarts. MacKay didn’t know what his squire meant by his comment.
“Ollie,” he whispered back, chewing on a sweetmeat. “You have been acting very odd all day. Is something troubling you?”
“Me?” Ollie pulled back so fast the wine spilled on MacKay’s hand. “Oh, I’m sorry, my lord.”
“Sorry for what?” he asked, licking the drops of wine from his skin. “This wedding is perfect, don’t you agree?”
MacKay grinned at his new wife who was scowling at him. “Now, now, Wife, let’s see a smile instead of a pout. This is your wedding day.” He reached out to cup her chin in his palm. She pushed his hand away. Damn, he liked a feisty wench. That meant she was full of life and would prove to be a vixen in the bedchamber as well. That thought made him smile even more.
“Sir MacKay, please listen to me,” begged his squire. “It’s the curse. That is what is making you act this way.”
“I wish you would stop calling my wedding a curse. This is the happiest day of my life.”
“You might not still feel that way on the morrow,” answered Ollie with a sigh, putting down the decanter of wine and heading away.
Eira watched from the corner of her eye. Even when the squire spilled wine on MacKay, he didn’t seem to care. She heard the boy mention something about a curse and this made her curious. Perhaps she could find out more if she got MacKay alone.
“Hu
sband, why don’t we go for a walk?” she suggested, pushing her trencher of food away from her.
“A walk? But we’ve yet to have our first dance,” he said, taking a drink of wine.
“I just thought you’d want to be alone.”
“Alone? Why?” He almost choked on the wine and put the goblet down on the table and jumped to his feet. “Of course. Let us go, Wife.” He reached out and took her arm, pulling her to a standing position.
“Careful!” she snapped. “You almost ripped my gown.”
“Aye, you are beautiful when you speak. Your voice is like the sound of a cooing dove.”
“Enough,” she complained, heading out the door of the great hall, meaning to go to the courtyard. However, MacKay had other ideas. As soon as they were out in the corridor, he took her arm and directed her down the hall. “Where are you taking me?” she asked. “I wanted to walk in the gardens.”
“Nay, it’s cold outside, and the gardens are dead for the winter. Besides, I know what you really meant. You are in a hurry to go to the bedchamber to consummate the marriage.”
Her heart jumped into her throat. She might be married to the man, but she hadn’t totally contemplated actually having to couple with him until now. Her thoughts had been on securing his fighting skills in her army only. Well, for the most part anyway. “Nay, I don’t think so,” she said.
“Nonsense. You are my wife, and now we will make it final. Come.” He opened the door to her bedchamber and held out an arm for her to enter.
“I might have been tricked into marrying you, but I will not consummate the marriage until I am ready.”
“I love that feistiness in you,” he said with a wink. “Don’t worry; I will make certain you are good and ready before I sow my seed. After all, I want it to last as long as possible. Hopefully, we’ll even make a baby.”
“A b-baby?” That thought had her knees knocking together. She knew nothing about children and had never considered having a baby before he just put the idea into her head. She was a warrior – a fighter. Being pregnant would hamper her skills. Everything was moving much too fast.
“Don’t be frightened. I assure you it will be quite enjoyable. Or at least for you, it will be. I have a feeling you are new to coupling, but I can teach you what to do.”
“I am not afraid of you or anyone,” she spat, putting her hands on her waist. “And if you are so vain as to brag about your prowess, then I warn you – you had better live up to it.” She stormed into the room. He followed, chuckling, only managing to make her angrier.
When she turned to face him, he was bolting the door.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“There might be others coming to see if you are being harmed once they hear your screams of passion.”
His words caused a desire to flare up in her core. Was this man actually so skilled in the bedchamber that he could make a woman cry out in passion? It made her curious, and she had to know for herself.
“Stop all your talking and hurry and undress,” she told him.
He looked up in surprise and his brows lifted. “I had planned to take it slowly, but I see you are an impatient woman. You don’t have to tell me twice. I’m ready.”
His words were proven true when he removed his weapon belt, boots and clothes and stood before her naked. His arousal stuck out like a sword. She gasped, not used to seeing a naked, fully-aroused man.
“Do you need help disrobing, my lady? I’d be happy to oblige.” He sauntered toward her. She backed away. The back of her legs hit the bed, causing her to fall atop the pallet.
MacKay leaned over and put a hand on each side of her. His hair fell forward like a tent, enclosing them in the secluded area together. They were so close that she could see every whisker of the stubble on his jaw. “I never thought I would fall so hard for a woman the way my brothers all did.” He leaned forward and gently kissed her on the lips. Her eyes closed in the process. “You are perfect, Eira. I am so lucky to have found such a beautiful, confident woman.”
“Y-you don’t think I am too forceful?” she asked, knowing the Viking ways she’d inherited from her father’s side were crude and harsh.
“I like my women feisty,” he said, flipping her over on her stomach and pushing up her skirt.
He meant to take her before she even removed her clothes. This was preposterous, and she wouldn’t have it.
She quickly rolled over, and reached up and pulled him down on the bed. Eira gladly took the place of aggressor atop him.
“Oh, I should have known you would like it on top.” The thought didn’t seem to bother him.
“You are a cur to think you can take me without even removing my clothing. What kind of animal are you?”
“I can be any animal you want,” he said, in a low, sultry voice. “I didn’t know you liked to play games in bed, but I am all for it. Should I be a pig?” he asked, making a snorting sound at the back of his throat. “Nay, perhaps you would like me to be a stallion instead.” He started to neigh like a horse next. She sat up and backed away a little, not knowing what to think. “Or if you don’t like that, I’ll bet you would enjoy me being a wolf. After all, my brother Hugh – or Wolf as he’s called, turns into a blasted wolf every night. He says it makes him randy.” To her horror, he threw back his head and started howling like a wolf. The man was crazy.
“I don’t want you to be any animal. As a matter of fact, I don’t want you at all.” She planned on getting off of him and walking away, but when he slid his hands up the back of her bare legs, it made her shiver. Then his hands moved higher, cupping her rear end. He took hold of her cheeks and squeezed, pulling her down to him. She put out her hands, but fell atop his bare chest, feeling his protruding desire for her between them.
Her face was right in front of his, and she gazed into his eyes. His lusty perusal swept down to her lips as his one hand curved around to cup her womanhood. She wore nothing beneath her skirt. His fingers played with her womanly folds causing her to feel a slick wetness between her thighs. How could this man trigger such reactions in her so quickly? Especially when she was in the midst of pushing him away?
“Ah, you feel as if you are ready. That was fast, my lady. You must have lots of frustrations locked up that need a man’s help to release.”
Her pelvis throbbed with hot desire. Mayhap he was correct. She had ignored anything that had to do with being a woman. She’d even dressed like a man and fought like a man. But now, she felt like a lusty lady, instead.
“Let me remove my clothes,” she said in a soft whisper, eager to find out if he could make her scream in passion like he boasted he could.
“No need.” He reached up to her bodice and ripped it open!
“Oh, my!” She couldn’t talk she was so shocked by his action.
“I think you’ll like this,” he said, reaching forward and cupping her breasts, rolling her nipples until they turned to peaks. The wetness between her thighs increased. MacKay made her feel different than ever before. When he looked at her and kissed her and caressed her this way, she felt like a woman for the first time in her life.
“That’s nice,” she stated, letting out a deep sigh.
“You’ll like this even more.” Before she had a chance to ask him what he meant, he lowered his mouth and closed his lips around her nipple. She almost shot off the bed.
“Close your eyes and enjoy it,” he whispered, giving attention to the twin peak. As he suckled, he used his hands to spread her legs around his waist. Then, kissing her again, she felt his erection as he slid into her ever so slowly. A moan of desire lodged at the back of her throat. And when he thrust in and out guided by her liquid passion, she felt a part of her come to life that she didn’t know existed. She moaned again, trying to hold back the sound.
“Let it go,” he told her, his hot breath against her skin making her feel as if she were on fire. “Scream out in passion. I know you want to do it.”
That was all she needed
to hear to spur her on. He took her hips in his hands and started thrusting deeper and faster now. Her body tingled and vibrated, and she had the overwhelming urge to feel more of him inside her.
“More,” she said through ragged breathing, watching the rise and fall of her bare breasts. “I want to feel all of you in me, MacKay. Do it, now.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “It might be too much for your first time.”
“How do you know it’s my first time?” she questioned.
“You are as tight as a virgin, and I felt the barrier of your innocence break away. Perhaps this is enough for now.”
“Nay!” she cried out, feeling herself dangling on the precipice of release. “If you leave me now, I swear I will flog you and throw you back in the dungeon.”
“Flog me?” he chuckled. “You are a bad girl, Lady Eira. I think it is me who should spank you instead.”
“What do mean?” she asked in confusion, as he broke their connection and sat up, throwing her face down across his lap. He pushed up her skirt and slapped her on her bare behind. She couldn’t believe what just happened. “How dare you slap me,” she retorted.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did you want to slap me instead?” He flipped her over and laid his body across her lap with his bare behind right in front of her face now. She reached out and caressed him, liking the feeling of his muscles in his bottom end. He was toned and had no fat on him at all.
“Go ahead and slap me,” he urged her, looking over his shoulder playfully. She slapped him lightly, and he chuckled as he squirmed on her lap. As he moved he pushed his hardened form against her, only making her want him more. “I barely felt that,” he told her.
“I don’t want to do this. I want you to make love to me like you were before.”
“Oh, come now,” he said with a tsking sound from his mouth. “Surely you can slap harder than that. The slap you gave me on the face was twice as hard.”
She raised her hand and slapped him gently again, not wanting to hurt him. Something in her was changing since she met MacKay. She would never have thought twice about slapping or hurting any man before. MacKay had been kind to her. He’d also called her pretty. He was her husband now. That thought still made her head spin, it all happened so fast. She liked the intimate moments they’d been sharing and didn’t want either of them slapping each other. “Nay, I won’t do it,” she said, trying to get out from under him, but he wouldn’t budge. “Get off of me, MacKay.”
Heart of Ice_Snow Queen Page 7
