by Jenna Stone
As she watched him, she was intrigued by how his movements combined grace and controlled power. She felt a dull ache growing inside of her. It was a feeling that she had never experienced before, as if a fire was kindling deep within her. In proper London society, she had never seen a man with his shirt off, not even her own Father. Anna marveled at how Rowan’s muscles moved fluidly beneath his tanned skin, and how comfortable he seemed with his nakedness. She wondered what it would feel like to touch him.
“Ohhh, tae whom?” Malcolm prodded, snapping Anna’s focus back to the conversation.
“To someone that I’ve never met before,” Anna divulged, shifting her gaze from Rowan back to his brother, fingers playing in the sand in an effort to hide both her nervousness about the topic and her embarrassment at the feelings that watching Rowan had stirred within her. “It’s a long story,” she said, eyes downcast.
“We’ve got nothing but time,” Rowan said from his position on a log directly across from Anna. “Why don’t ye enlighten us?”
“His name is Jonathan Arbor, and he’s an Officer in the King’s Army, and…” Anna’s voice trailed off as she bit her lip as was her nervous habit, “…and that’s about all that I know about him,” she finished, suddenly sounding quite unsure of herself.
“Ye’ve never even met him?” Malcolm asked skeptically, unable to hide the shock from his voice. “Why would ye want tae marry someone that ye’ve never met?”
“No, I’ve never met him, but…” Anna trailed off as she chewed on her bottom lip as was her nervous habit. Malcolm was absolutely right. Who would want to marry someone that they had never met? This was not how Anna had envisioned her marriage, but the facts were simple. She needed the money. Stanton place desperately needed the money.
“Does that no make ye worrit? What if ye don’t like him or what if he’s grotesquely fat?” Malcolm prodded with a sneer on his face as he imagined the horrors of what Jonathon Arbor might look like.
“Of course, I’ve thought of those things, but I didn’t really have a choice. I have to marry him,” Anna said quietly. She had thought long and hard about what she was giving up, sacrificing herself for her family name and for her mother.
“Not now, ye don’t!” Malcolm exclaimed enthusiastically. “No one but us kens that ye survived the shipwreck…just think, this could be your chance to escape!”
“I’m afraid that you don’t understand,” Anna chuckled at Malcolm’s boyish enthusiasm. “I have to marry him.”
“What about love?” Malcolm asked plainly.
“Maybe I’ll love him in time,” Anna said hopefully despite the sinking feeling that was settling in her stomach. “My family needs the money that my marriage will bring,” Anna said, not believing that she had admitted her plight to the Murray brothers, Scottish criminals that they might be. Now they knew that she was worth money.
“Money isna everything, lass,” Quinn broke into the conversation from his silent post sitting on a log. “Love is a luxury that is worth far more than any amount of money when ye get tae experience it,” he said as he stood hastily and walked off down the darkened beach.
Anna, Malcolm and Rowan sat in silence, contemplating Quinn’s comment. Quinn seldom spoke, but when he did, it was because he had something powerful to say.
“Why would a man of that status send his bride unescorted across the ocean to the New World?” Rowan asked breaking the silence with suspicion weighing heavily in his voice. “Is he no decent enough tae provide ye with a chaperone tae see that ye arrive safely?” Rowan questioned further, feeling strongly that any good man would have the forethought of taking the provision of seeing that his betrothed was well protected on her journey to the New World.
Color flushed angrily across Anna’s face as she straightened her spine and glowered at Rowan. “I am perfectly capable of protecting myself,” she snapped heatedly in Rowan’s direction. “And, in Jonathan’s defense, it was Murdock ...my…my…uncle,” Anna stammered before she continued, “Who arranged from my travel to from England.”
“It seems that yer Uncle was unaware of the risks that might be presented to a fair young lady such as yerself, traveling alone on the high seas,” Rowan said, shaking his head from side to side in disapproval of her Uncle’s neglect.
“I’ll be sure to educate him on the err of his decision to send me without a chaperone when I meet him in Williamsburg,” Anna said coolly as she cast her eyes down to the sand.
She hated that she had been reduced to lying about her unfortunate circumstances, and detested herself for claiming Colonel Murdock, the broker of her unwanted marriage, as an Uncle.
“I’d like to educate him myself, the English bastard,” Rowan muttered under his breath.
Anna stood abruptly and brushed off the tails of Rowan’s shirt before walking briskly away from the brothers and settling herself down into the sand at the base of a large palm tree. She was angry with herself, angry with her present situation, and most of all, she was angry with Murdock. Rowan had been right, what sort of idiot was Murdock to have sent her unescorted and alone to this strange New World. Just think of what might have happened to her!
Anna seethed with frustration and emotion as she curled herself into a fetal ball, tucking her knees up inside the tails of Rowan’s shirt to conserve body heat. The crashing of the ocean waves on the beach and the masculine smell wafting from Rowan’s shirt made her feel strangely comforted. The knot that was growing steadily in her stomach seized suddenly.
Anna now knew what she had given up by agreeing to come here, it had just taken a young, naïve boy to make her see. She was giving up the prospect of marrying for love.
***
“I wish that she was marrying me,” Malcolm said with a wistful look on his face as he and Rowan combed the shoreline for anything useful that may have washed on shore from the Mary Catherine..
“And what would ye possibly need with a wife!” Rowan exclaimed, exasperated with his love struck younger brother. “Ye wouldna even ken what tae do with one besides.”
“Aye, I would, I could figure it out, I guess,” Malcolm said, using a long stick to pull a piece of netting from the surf. “It’s just that she’s sae pretty, I can’t help but watch her, the way that she moves, she’s so graceful even when she’s not tryin’ tae be…”
“She’s way out of yer league, brother…. Sorry tae break it to ye. All of those attributes that ye just listed off, the grace, and the beauty, those were born and bred intae her. I don’t think that ye could handle her…” Rowan chuckled as he visualized his awkward, clumsy brother matched with the somewhat regal likes of Anna Stanton.
“Aye, I could…” Malcolm said dreamily as he looked over at where Anna was curled up sleeping.
“How about ye focus on something useful, like trying tae hunt us up something tae eat?” Rowan asked, annoyed with his brother’s crush.
“Have ye no noticed her?” Malcolm asked, prodding. “I ken that ye have, in fact, I saw ye lookin’ at her on the beach.”
“Buggar off,” Rowan said, shaking his head and raking his hand through his hair. “I’ve more important things tae do, like keep yer ass alive, than tae be makin’ eyes at a lass who is by the way, betrothed tae be marrit!”
“No, I think that I’m on tae something, ye fancy her, don’t ye Rowan?” Malcolm chided, watching his brother’s blood begin to boil.
“I most certainly do not,” Rowan said, stopping and squaring his shoulders in challenge to Malcolm’s accusation. His eyebrows knit together and he gave his foolish brother his most intimidating stare.
“I can see now for sure that ye do!” Malcolm teased, “I know ye better than ye know yerself, brother,” he said, balling up a piece of netting and tucking it into his pocket.
Without further comment, Rowan turned around and stomped back up the beach towards their rudimentary camp.
“May the best man win!” Malcolm shouted after his brother as he walked away.
***
“Rowan?” whispered Anna into the pitch blackness of the night. Quinn’s rhythmic deep breathing and Malcolm’s muffled snoring told her that they were asleep, but she could tell that Rowan was still awake.
“What?” Rowan whispered from where he was laying in the sand.
“I’m cold,” Anna responded through chattering teeth as she gathered Rowan’s shirt around her and pulled her shivering knees up to her chest. “My clothes are still damp and my hair is wet, and I can’t stop shaking.”
“Cm’ here then,” he whispered, reaching out a hand in the direction of her voice.
She sat up in the dark, feeling her stiff frozen muscles rebel, and crawled towards Rowan’s voice. Reaching out her hand so as not to bump into anything in the dark, she jumped when she unexpectedly touched Rowan’s hand. She grabbed onto him in the dark, surprised by the warmth that was radiating from the rough skin of his hand. He pulled her towards him until they were only inches apart.
“Lay down next tae me, I’m right here,” he invited, still holding her hand, guiding her down into the sand next to him. Anna’s hand was ice cold in his, and she didn’t protest as he fitted her body against his, gathering her up so that her back was to his front. Her body was overwhelmed with the tremors of her shivering, and her teeth chattered noisily as she lay her head down on Rowan’s arm. He brought his right arm around hers, and grasped her shivering fingers, pulling her close against his body.
“How are you this warm?” she questioned through chattering teeth, relishing the heat radiating from Rowan’s body. “You don’t even have a shirt on.”
“I’ve always been this way, my Mam gave me a hard time as a bairn, I used tae kick off the quilts, always complainin’ of being tae hot,” he chuckled quietly, thinking about how his mother used to fuss over him.
“You feel really nice, thanks,” Anna whispered as she cuddled up against Rowan’s muscular chest. She had never been in such intimate contact with a man, but she cast her thoughts of propriety aside and melted into Rowan’s warmth, enjoying the feeling of heat returning to her frozen body.
Rowan continued to hold her hand in his, and brushed the back of it with his thumb, seeking to reassure her that they would be alright.
“You’re welcome,” he whispered against her ear, inhaling her sweet scent as his lips nearly brushed against the skin of her cheek. He didn’t dare tell Anna how nice she felt against his bare skin.
“Why do you and your brothers keep talking about freedom?” Anna whispered eyes wide open as she stared into the night. Her imaginative mind had dreamed up all sorts of crimes that the brothers might have committed, and she had to know if her life was in danger as one of these very criminals held her in his arms. Honestly, she felt too safe in Rowan’s arms to believe that she was in any danger.
Just what have you done, Rowan?
“We were forced to flee Scotland during the rising,” Rowan said with a hint of despair in his voice. He vowed to keep the details of their voyage vague, not knowing if Anna could be trusted with their secret.
“Were your prisoners?” Anna asked blatantly, having noticed the tell-tale marks around all three of the brother’s wrists that could only have been from iron shackles.
Rowan inhaled deeply, not wanting to give away too much information, refusing to endanger his brothers and their newfound freedom.
“We felt like prisoners in our own country during the rising, life as we knew it ceased tae exist. I lost sae many that I loved, and tae what gain?” Rowan asked into the night sky with resentment heavy in his voice. “In a way ye could say that we were prisoners, and arriving here is a new chance at freedom,” he said in half truth.
“I’m sorry about your country, and that you lost people that you loved,” Anna said as she nestled into Rowan’s expansive chest, feeling the warmth radiate from his body and into her own. “I know what it’s like to lose people that you love,” she whispered, thinking of her father, and all of the strife his death had brought upon her.
Silence fell between them, and Anna noticed that Rowan was absentmindedly brushing his thumb against the back of her hand as he held her close. His touch set her nerve endings alive, and tingles reverberated through her body.
“So…you’re not going to murder me tonight while I sleep?” Anna asked, now feeling silly about her previous fears surrounding the brothers.
Rowan’s body was racked with a sudden wave of laughter. “What?” he managed to get out between giggles. “Ye thought that we might murder ye? Really?”
“When you kept talking about freedom, I started to wonder what sort of horrific crime that you might have committed. I thought maybe you were being transported here to serve penance,” Anna explained, now feeling foolish in her assumption.
“Nay, I won’t murder ye. Ye can rest well,” Rowan responded, repressing further laughter. Good night, Anna,” he whispered, ending the conversation before she asked for more details.
Anna fitted her legs against his muscular thighs and nestled her bottom against him, causing Rowan’s eyes to fly open in the darkness. She clearly had no idea of what she was doing, moaning softly as she snuggled against him.
Rowan’s body most certainly did know what it was doing, and within seconds his groin was throbbing painfully with an erection in response to her lovely bum rubbing up against him so intimately. This was torture. His body was now hypersensitive to Anna’s every movement, she felt so damn good with her body pressed up against the length of his.
He made out the delicate curve of her hips in the darkness, and realized that his hand was still holding hers, resting precariously right between her perfect breasts. Rowan exhaled slowly, fighting to retain his composure. He resigned himself to a very long sleepless night, and tried to ignore the throbbing in his pants, which was nearly impossible because Anna kept moving ever so slightly against him.
Rowan gritted his teeth and grumbled under his breath.
“Are you alright?” Anna whispered, hand tensing beneath his.
“I’m fine, go tae sleep,” Rowan whispered through his clenched teeth, hoping that some form of salvation would come if she fell asleep and stopped rubbing up against him. “Shh…” he coaxed, absentmindedly caressing the back of her hand.
Anna let go of his hand, and rolled towards him, nestling her face into the crook of his neck. Her cheek now rested against his shoulder and upper chest, and she slid her arm under his so that her hand was resting on his side. Rowan settled his arms firmly around her and pulled her close, enjoying the fact that he now had a few precious inches of space between his manhood and Anna. It was only then that he realized that her breasts, nipples piqued from the cold were pressed most intimately against his bare chest.
Rowan looked up at the night sky and tried to focus on making patterns out of the stars, looking for anything that would distract him from Anna, distract him from how his body had so eagerly responded to her. His hand stroked her back, and he realized how small, how defenseless, and how trusting she was of him as he held her tight.
He found his hand caressing its way up to her neck, and rubbing slowly, releasing the tension from her muscles. His fingers twined in her blond hair, brushing it back from her face, enjoying the feeling of its silky threads between his fingers.
His cock pulsed painfully, testosterone pumping fiercely through his veins as Anna’s sweet feminine smell aroused him further. He sent a prayer heavenward that she would fall asleep quickly.
“Goodnight, Rowan,” Anna whispered sweetly, and then lifted her head slightly off his chest to place a soft kiss right at the base of his neck, just below his ear.
Electricity shot through Rowan’s veins, and he thought that he might spill his seed right there in his pants. Just the slightest touch of her lips to his skin had evoked a response unlike any he had ever experienced. Rowan felt his breathing speed up, and he struggled to remain still as Anna pressed herself against him and settled her head back onto his naked chest.
“Good
night, lass,” he forced the words out, teeth gritted together, and settled in for what was looking to be a very long night.
Chapter Four
Rowan awoke in the first light of morning, arms still wrapped protectively around Anna, but stiff as hell from holding her tight against him through the night. He raised his head slightly and looked down at her; she was sleeping peacefully nestled against his chest, dark eyelashes resting on her cheeks and lips slightly parted in her slumber. She was beautiful, and he felt his body begin to stir in response to her. Impulsively, he leaned down and placed a light kiss atop her forehead, and when he drew away from her, he was rewarded as her lips turned up into the slightest of a smile.
Rowan groaned and pushed himself up onto his elbow so that he could look around, being careful not to disturb Anna. The first thing that he saw was Malcolm, eyebrows knit together in a scowl with daggers in his eyes as he frowned in clear disapproval at his brother’s sleeping situation.
Rowan smiled ruefully at Malcolm and whispered, “May the best man win,” taunting his brother as he glanced back at Anna.
If looks could kill, Rowan would be dead.
“Ouch! Ye wee buggar!” Rowan exclaimed, flinching, as a rock bounced off his forehead. He reflexively reached up to rub the stinging mark that it left on his skin.
Rowan’s sudden movement startled Anna into wakefulness, and she sat up quickly, pushing Rowan away.
