by Mary Wine
He made a slashing motion with his hand, and Shannon clamped her fingers across her lips. He opened the other side of the shutter before walking back toward her. He paused and listened for a long moment before untying his sheath and propping it next to the bed. He sat down, and the bed gave beneath his weight. That little confirmation of his realness set tears into her eyes. He leaned over, and she heard the snap of leather while he worked the lacings on his boots free. He stood back up and pulled the tail end of his belt free and tugged on it until she heard the metal prong that kept it secure pop free.
His kilt slithered down, but he caught it with a practiced motion and laid it on the table. Every step was silent. It was as if he truly were part of the night. He pulled his shirt over his head and stood perfectly at ease in nothing but his skin. He was the man she’d first seen standing atop the boulder in the loch, his hair resting on the back of his shoulders and the moonlight casting him in silver.
Shannon shivered. Not from fear or cold, but because she knew he was coming to bed to couple with her. Her gaze drifted down, seeking out the proof of what she suspected, and found his cock standing erect. She shuddered next, the motion too violent to be called a shiver. He watched her, silently observing her while she drank in the sight of him.
But he was too far away for how much she had longed for him.
Shannon rose onto her knees and tugged her undergown up and over her head. She tossed it toward the foot of the bed, caring little about where it landed. Her attention was on her lover. She lifted her arms in invitation, beckoning him toward her.
Torin moved the moment her hands stretched out toward him, his body flowing in motion that was the perfect blending of power and control. He caressed her face with the back of his hand before clasping the sides of her head. Her memories were poor substitutions for the way his touch actually felt. Her heart beat faster, and the night air became soothing instead of biting. Passion’s flame licked along her skin to warm her, but her lover was warmer still, and she longed to press against him. The world was too ugly, the palace a horrible place. Torin was her sanctuary.
“Ye truly came.”
He joined her on the bed, pressing tiny kisses on each cheek before pausing to inhale the scent of her hair. A shiver raced down her spine because no words of praise would ever convince her that she was attractive more than such actions did. It was in the way he touched her, his fingertips gliding across her skin, slowly and without rushing. He didn’t hurry toward sinking his erection into her just because she had invited him into her arms. That was what made him her lover.
“I’m a Highland barbarian. I cannae be allowing anyone to take what I’ve already stolen.”
She tried to bite one of his fingers in response. It was a slow motion, one that never had a hope of success. But Torin allowed her to sink her teeth into one hand, a light nip that sent his lips curving up.
“Ah, there is my Lowland wildcat.”
She pressed a kiss against the spot she’d bitten and another and yet another, until she was making her way up his arm and across his wide shoulder. She kissed the hard ridges of muscle and then the firm column of his neck before touching her lips against his jaw. She slid her hands into his hair, conscious of the fact that he was waiting on her, remaining still when there was nothing to stop him from claiming her as he would. That made it all the more tender.
“Kiss me, Shannon, for it cost me a fortune to bribe the guard at yer door.”
His voice was a bare whisper, but it fit the moment. Lifting herself up, she found his mouth with her own and did as he commanded. Torin followed, allowing her to lead the kiss. She pushed at his lips, and he opened his mouth. She sent the tip of her tongue out to lick along his bottom lip and felt him shudder.
His control broke. His arms pulled her against him and bound her in place. One hand threaded through her hair to cradle the back of her head, further imprisoning her.
Yet she was a willing captive, surrendering completely to his kiss. He demanded and she complied, moaning softly with delight as his mouth moved over hers. His tongue teased her lower lip before thrusting into her mouth. Pleasure flowed down her body until it reached her belly, where hunger began to burn.
Her hands were no longer content to move slowly. She ached to touch him. Every part of him. She pressed herself toward his body, her breasts flattening against his harder chest. His cock sprung up, hard and promising between them.
“I do nae want to wait.”
“Nor do I, lass. I swear it seems far too long since I held ye.”
His hand cupped the two halves of her bottom and lifted her up. The head of his cock probed the folds of her sex, seeking out the opening to her passage. Torin let her down slowly, and her knees slid over his hips, spreading her thighs wider. His cock found its target, finding her flesh wet and willing. Shannon wrapped her hands around his shoulders, but she was impatient, her body yearning for complete intimacy.
“More, Torin.”
“Exactly what I have planned, lass.” His hard length began filling her. Desperation began to pound through her, making her shake with anticipation. Everything moved too slowly, and she whimpered once again.
A low growl was Torin’s reply. He thrust upward, giving her the last of his length. She didn’t have time to demand that he begin moving. Torin lifted up off his knees and pressed her back against the bed. The bed wasn’t as sturdy as the one in his room. It shook, the curtains dancing.
But Shannon had no attention to give to such things. Her focus was directly on the man pressing her down. He gave her enough of his weight to make sure she remained beneath him. His hands pulled at her hair to lock her head in place, and buried deep inside her, his cock was rigid and throbbing with need.
“I swear ye will wed me, Shannon McBoyd, or I will not let ye off your back until ye bend to my will. I cannae exist without ye.”
His hips moved, drawing his cock up and out of her before plunging down with a hard thrust that shook the bed once again. It forced the breath from her lungs, too much sensation rushing through her to contain. Torin covered her mouth with one hand, smothering the sounds she made.
“Hush, sweet Shannon, we would nae want to be interrupted just now.”
There was a wicked edge to his tone, one that sparked more excitement in her belly. She bit him once again, causing him to jerk his hand away out of surprise.
“Then kiss me.”
“With pleasure, lass.”
There was more than enough pleasure for both of them. Torin fused his mouth on top of hers while his body began to pump against hers. She lifted her hips to take each thrust, his hard flesh sliding against her clitoris each time. The pleasure was intense, and it refused to be controlled. She became frantic, lifting faster and pressing harder against her partner. Her hands dug into his upper arms, her fingernails cutting into his skin, but all Torin did was snarl against her lips. Their kiss ended because they were both focused on the actions of their lower bodies. Torin buried his mouth against her hair, and she pressed her face to the warm skin of his neck.
Rapture tore them away, each fighting to contain their cries. The bed shook as Torin rode her hard through the burst of pleasure, his own breaking a few strokes later. His seed drew a second unleashing of delight from her, making her gasp in surprise. Her body straining up to catch every last drop of his offering, she felt it burning into the walls of her passage and shook with enjoyment. They both collapsed onto the bed, their breathing rough, satisfaction spreading a warm glow over them.
***
“Lundy will nae be pleased that you plan to wed.”
Shannon kept her voice low, still fearing that their sanctuary might be shattered. She felt Torin stiffen, the hand gently smoothing her arm stopping.
“Ye’re right about that, lass. It almost makes me want to have the man in church when we take our vows.” There was no missing the f
rustration in his tone, although he tried to hide it by grinding his teeth together.
Shannon pushed her hand against the bedding to rise enough to see his face. The moon granted her only a sprinkling of silver to make out his expression.
“My McBoyd blood will give him more reason to raise his voice against ye. We should nae wed.”
He growled, a soft sound that betrayed how deeply he felt about the matter. A second later he flipped her onto her back, capturing her wrists and pressing them onto the surface of the bed. Her breath froze in her chest because he had never treated her so while they were intimate. She felt like his prisoner, and she strained against his hold, but he kept her pinned, allowing helplessness to sink into her.
“Stop it, Torin. Ye are being a brute.”
The grip around her wrists increased, threatening her with pain. He lowered his body until his weight felt crushing.
“I may have brought ye to Donan Tower tied around me, Shannon, but I never forced ye into my bed.”
He blew out a harsh sound before rolling back onto his back. The bed shook when he landed. Shannon was suddenly alone. The night air carried his warmth away from her quickly.
“I am correct, and ye know it, Torin.”
He sighed, sounding tired. He turned and lay over her again, only this time it was a secure hold, light and full of tenderness. His fingers stroked along her jaw.
“I do long for a family, but if I wanted a wife who would bear my children out of duty, I could have contracted a bride years ago.”
She reached up to place her hand against his cheek. “Ye want more.”
He sighed. “I want love. My parents loved one another, and it tormented them to think that I lost position because of their choice, but I swear to ye, Shannon, they were richer than the king for the love they shared. They gave me more than a position; they raised me in a loving home. My father refused the bride his brother found for him, so the girl was given to my father’s half brother. Lundy is their eldest son. When my uncle died without an heir, Lundy argued that his mother’s blue blood made him more rightfully laird of the McLeren. There were many McLerens who agreed.”
“I saw them. It was the first time I felt McLeren colors were being worn by savages.”
“His men are lawless. Keep that in mind when I set Brockton to watching ye.” Torin smoothed his hands through the tiny hairs curling along the edge of her face. “I love ye.”
“And I love—” She clamped her lips closed before the last word crossed them. Torin’s fist hit the bedding next to her.
“Why do ye deny me the words?” His voice was stiff.
“Because if ye stay with me, Lundy will have that much more reason to argue for yer place. I cannot change that I am McBoyd. Ye need a bride who brings ye position to match yer own.”
He smothered a harsh bark of laughter. He buried his head against her throat and kissed the tender skin there. He tipped his head up so that he might whisper in her ear.
“Ye do love me, Shannon, else ye would never fight to protect me. But it is I who will stand as yer protector. Isn’t the fact that I am here proof of that?”
“Did ye truly sneak in here?”
He lifted his face, and the moonlight illuminated an arrogant smirk sitting on his lips. He rolled over, taking her along with him. He pulled up the covers and tucked them over her bare shoulder.
“Ye should sleep while ye can, lass.”
“The earl might still decide to hang me with my father. He said he wanted to think on the matter.”
A low growl shook the chest that pillowed her head. “He no doubt fears the strength of our clans if we wed. That is something I will need to discuss with him.”
“My stepmother is with child. The McBoyd might still have an heir.”
“Best ye hope she births a daughter.”
A shiver rippled over her skin. “I know. The earl told me to go see my father. I went down to the dungeon to see what Archibald Douglas saw fit to give my father and his sons.”
Torin heard the fear clinging to her voice. He ground his teeth together, fighting the urge to dress and challenge Archibald Douglas right then. It was a torment to listen to fear in her voice and to know that she did not fall into slumber because she wondered if the remaining hours of the night were her last. He wanted to protect her from that, and storming into the lieutenant general’s chambers was not the way to begin a successful campaign.
But he would prevail. Torin watched the horizon turn pink and then golden, all the while holding his beloved close.
He would see victory, or he’d give Lundy what the man craved… his own death.
***
“Enough, Lundy McLeren.”
The Earl of Bothwell, lieutenant general of Scotland, glared at Lundy McLeren.
“I’ve heard all I need to from ye. She’s a female, and it would nae be the first time the daughter was spared as long as she was wed to a man who would keep her under control.”
“But—”
“The lieutenant general told you that he has heard enough.” Joan Beaufort emerged from her seat behind the large tapestry. Lundy McLeren’s face turned red when she glided up and refused to leave him in privacy with Douglas. She narrowed her eyes.
“I am also regent of this country, sir, and I tell you that alone means you shall be finished. I agree that they would be a good match and that their union would bring peace.”
“But she is the daughter of a traitor!” Lundy shouted.
“Leave, Lundy.” It was the earl who spoke, and his guards stepped forward to enforce his will.
There was nothing else the man might do. He sent a fuming glare at the earl, but when he gained no decree to remain, the guards stepped farther toward him. He stomped from the room, and the door shut calmly behind him because the men stationed at the doors had been raised in the palace. High emotions were not unusual. They performed their duties with patience and diligence, whether the matter was grave or not.
“Ye will remember yer place, Joan, or I’ll have ye sent to tour the northern country. With a full contingent of my men to see to yer protection along the way, of course.”
The queen lowered herself, gaining a brief grunt of approval from Douglas.
“His repetition was becoming difficult to stomach. I meant to help.”
“It is the lairds of this country who need uniting. Lundy stands to become one of them. Offending him is nae in our interests.”
Joan moved slowly away from Bothwell. She was walking over dangerous ground, but the arrogance in the man encouraged her. Men always thought themselves so intelligent; sometimes a woman needed to best them. Even if she must do so by being clear and crafty, so as not to allow them to notice that she was gaining what she desired.
“If you give him what he wants, when he becomes laird, he will think he can bend you to his will anytime he argues with you.”
Bothwell stood up, his face reflecting his rage.
“Ye have a point there, one I do nae care for.”
Joan lifted her eyelashes to stare straight at him. “But if ye allow Torin McLeren to keep Shannon McBoyd, the McBoyd will most likely settle down to planting instead of feuding.”
Douglas narrowed his eyes and turned pensive.
“Ye hide behind yer demure behavior very well, madam.”
“I am a woman. That is my place. But I listen a great deal, and Torin McLeren has powerful friends in Quinton Cameron and Connor Lindsey. Lundy McLeren annoys more men than he impresses.”
“Maybe, but then again, Lundy will do anything I ask of him, so long as I give him what he wants.”
“If you keep Torin McLeren happy, you will have a good force to call upon when you need it, because he will have a happy home that you allowed him to build with your mercy.”
The earl sneered at her. “What I should do is send
ye on that tour. Ye are regent in name only, madam. Do nae advise me on matters of state.”
Lowering herself, she forced her revulsion down to a place where Archibald wouldn’t be able to see it. She detested the man so very much, but the lairds of Scotland would not follow her.
“I’ll leave you to thinking the matter through.”
“Aye, ye do that.”
Joan walked from the receiving room, her heart aching for her husband even more, because of who sat in his chair now. But she would not let her son be displaced; that was her duty now. She would pray for Shannon McBoyd; it was all she might do. Bothwell would hang her or not, depending on his mood.
Curse and rot the man. Someday soon he’d face the justice he so richly deserved.
But that would come far too late for Shannon McBoyd.
She was at his mercy.
***
Shannon looked up when someone rapped on the door. Torin crossed his arms over his chest and watched the door.
Quinton Cameron came through the door with Connor Lindsey pushing him. Cameron froze when he got a glimpse of Torin. The retainers guarding the door both looked stunned. Shannon turned to look at Torin.
“Ye really did sneak in here?”
“Well, not alone, he didna.” Connor sent her a wink before he turned and tossed a coin toward the retainers. One of them caught it and held it up for inspection. The two men shrugged and shut the doors without a sound.
Connor smirked. “Their orders are to keep ye in here.”
Cameron grinned. “Aye, well now we’re all in here together. I fear the lass’s reputation will nae survive.”
Shannon frowned but didn’t let the man’s teasing bother her. That little flame of hope that had begun to flicker when Torin appeared gained strength when she looked at the three lairds. They represented some of the most powerful clans in Scotland.
Connor suddenly turned deadly serious.
