The Laird's Kidnapped Bride

by Mysty McPartland

  It was a fact he was going to be furious that he had lost such wealth, but how was he going to respond? Would he come and try to force her to return home? Aye, he would. He’d probably order her to obey him and demand she request an end to her marriage. He also would force her to go through with the wedding to Sir Walter. She frowned thoughtfully. If she left, she wouldn’t have to spend the rest of her life in this wild, untamed place. She wouldn’t have the big oaf trying to order her about and sadly, she would most definitely not spend those wonderful moments in his arms. On the other hand, she’d be forced to marry a man she utterly detested. She sighed in melancholy. Whichever way she looked at it, she was doomed.

  On the bright side, if she remained here, at least she would have a chance to live her life the way she wanted, if she could make her stupid husband see sense. She enjoyed conversing with him on occasions and she most definitely liked what they did in bed. She was also starting to make friends here. Would her life here be so bad if she stayed, she wondered? She definitely knew she would loathe any intimacy with Sir Walter; she shuddered just thinking about it. Even the thought of that horrid man so much as touching her made her sick to her stomach. A little stunned, she realized her choice was already made. She would stay married to her flea-brained husband and reside here for the remainder of her life.

  Now, all she had to do was train the thickheaded man and make him fall in love with her. She herself, of course, would not be so foolish as to love him back. He would walk all over her if she did. Just like he was trying to do now, she reminded herself. Ha! He was never going to succeed. That was never going to happen. Her father had bullied her enough, and she wasn’t about to let another man do it as well. A hefty sigh breezed out of her and she started thinking of ideas of how to make her dull-witted husband fall in love with her.

  ***

  Throughout the meal, Cameron silently stewed. The wee lass had set a match to his temper, well, so be it. Outside the bed chamber, he would not say another word to her unless it was absolutely necessary. If she expected an apology she could hold her breath, because he had no intention of doing so. After all, he had done nothing wrong. Through narrowed eyes he glared at her from across the hall as he sat drinking ale from his mug. Whatever was going through that head of hers must be something worrying, if that frown on her brow was anything to go by. He studied her intently as he tried to figure out what it was that was bothering her.

  If she was even considering for one second not sharing his bed, she would soon come to realize it was a wasted effort. Tonight, though he couldn’t sink himself inside her, there were other ways to make love to her, and that’s just what he intended to do. Perhaps it would not be as satisfying, but it would slake some of the hunger for her that was gnawing away at him. Already half aroused, he turned his thoughts to other matters. He glanced around the hall and for the first time, noted that just about every man in the room was wearing a sour expression and the women wore a look of determination. Now what was the matter with everyone? As if this day weren’t bad enough, he had a feeling it was just about to get worse. He rattled out a growling breath and somehow knew that his wee aggravating wife was behind whatever was causing the discontent growing between members of the clan.

  Some of the men must have noticed his attention on them, and half a dozen rose to their feet and came to stand in front of him. “Well, one of ye spit out what’s bothering ye.”

  Robby took a hesitant step forward and cleared his throat. “’Tis our wives, Laird.”

  “What about them?” he asked in exasperation.

  “They refuse to let us into our beds unless we bathe and change our clothing every day. They also insist we shave off our beards.”

  He started at the man in disbelief for a few seconds before his gaze honed in on his wife. He had been right. This was her doing, he was certain of it. Returning his attention back to Robby and the others, he leaned back in his chair. “I see. Tell me this, do yer wives smell pleasant and their skins feel soft? Do ye nae think that ye would scratch their tender flesh with yer facial hair?” He saw the men contemplating his words. He almost grinned when every set of shoulders sagged. “’Tis nae so bad. A little soap and water willna kill ye and I assure ye, the reward is great. But ‘tis yer decision. I, for one, like my bed and my wife in it. Yer wife in yer arms and a soft bed, or the cold, hard ground and empty arms. The choice is up to ye to make.”

  The expressions on their faces told him what he had known all along. No man was foolish enough to opt to sleep on the floor alone if a mere bath were the price for sleeping in his wife’s bed and arms. Cameron watched them file away and wasn’t surprised that within minutes, every man in the hall had left in a hurry. It was a certainty that many babes would probably be conceived this very night. His gaze went to his wife again and saw her talking with some of the women. He was pleased to see her settling in and making friends. If only she would do as she was told, they would have a happy life – but the infuriating wee imp was just too obstinate to listen to reason. He watched the women depart and his wife rose to her feet. Without once looking his way, she climbed the staircase.

  Heart racing, he finished his ale and placed the empty mug down on the table. He would give her a few minutes to ready herself for bed. Lust fired through his bloodstream as the seconds ticked by, his cock growing thick and heavy. He knew that if he remained down in the hall much longer, the evidence of how much he wanted his wife would be seen by all. He surged to his feet and raced up the stairs; when he reached their chamber, he threw the door open, entered the room and closed it behind himself. He strode through to the bedchamber and was pleased to find her already in bed with a whimsical smile on her lovely face. Without a word he stripped off his clothing and joined her beneath the covers.

  His hand stroked down the side of her head and he leaned forward and nuzzled her neck. “Ye smell glorious, sweeting. I ken ye must be tender but I need to touch ye.”

  “Aye, husband, I need that as well.” Lark had seen the evidence of how much he wanted her and she pressed herself closer to his hard, muscled body.

  Those few words were all he needed. His mouth captured hers and he started his seduction with his hands. It wasn’t long before she was purring and moaning. His lips slowly traveled down the length of her neck along her collar bone before his tongue came out and laved the hard-pebbled nipple. He grazed it with his teeth before he captured it and bit lightly. She cried out and pressed his head closer. He drew the tight bud into his mouth, and capturing her hand, dragged it down to his straining cock. He growled around her breast when she wrapped her fingers around his raging sex. He showed her how to stroke him, and when she knew what she was doing, he removed his hand from hers.

  Jaw taut, trying to hold back his lust, his fingers slipped between the moist folds. He skimmed them up and down before he sank one into her. The need to completely taste her was like a fire in his brain; it had been many years since he had wanted to do it. His mouth slipped from her breast as his tongue and lips made the slow journey down her torso. When he came to the nest of curls, he settled between her thighs and gazed at her confused face with the desire burning in her eyes. “Dinna be frightened, dearling. ‘Tis just another way to make love to ye.” When he saw the wariness and acceptance mingled in her eyes, he bowed his head and parted her dewy womanly folds. Seeing the moisture beckoning to him, his mouth watered and his tongue swept the dewiness of her desire. He savored every drop.

  His teeth scraped along her clit and she jerked up her hips. He captured them to hold her still and sucked the bundle of nerves into his mouth. He drove one finger into her tight damp passage and then another. He lapped, sucked and nipped until she stiffened and came apart. Her loud, keening cry filled the chamber and still he wasn’t finished. Only when he had his fill did he rise up over her and give her a searing kiss, knowing that this was only the beginning. It was going to be a very long night of discovery for her and lovemaking for both of them.

  Chapt
er Seven

  Her face still hot with embarrassment, Lark couldn’t believe all the intimate things she and her husband had shared last night. She was mortified by her brazen behavior, but she could not deny that she had enjoyed every moment of it. Hoping no one would notice the color staining her cheeks, she stepped down into the hall and met her husband’s heated, hungry gaze before he turned away. She harrumphed as she made her way over to the table, knowing that the battle lines were already drawn. Just as she was about to take her seat, she became aware of the smaller man seated beside him. Though he was not as handsome as her husband, there were some similarities. When she saw the naked lust in his eyes, though, she turned away and sat down.

  Cold fingers of dread skipped up and down her spine; there was something about the stranger that made her wary and want to distrust him. She gave the signal for the meal to be served and sighed heavily. She wasn’t surprised that her husband was going to act childishly and not apologize to her. So be it. She had no intention of backing down, and until he admitted she was no weakling, outside of the bedroom, she would ignore him. Her head whipped around when the stranger spoke and she frowned.

  Keith was sick of being disregarded and spoke out with a sneer lacing his voice. “Brother, introduce me to yer bride.”.

  “My wife, my stepbrother.”

  The lout had no manners at all, she decided. She forced a cool smile before turning away to concentrate on the food on their shared trencher. By her husband’s surly tone, she knew that he wasn’t happy with the arrival of his stepbrother. She hoped the man wouldn’t be staying long; there was just something about him she didn’t trust or like. When he spoke up again, she pretended not to listen and masked the worry on her face. Nevertheless, what she was hearing caused her to frown.

  “Word had spread about yer wedding, Cameron. Mother and I were most distressed that we were not asked to witness it. After all we’re ye family.” Keith complained.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her husband shrug dismissively. Aye, there was no love lost here. The formidable glower on her husband’s face was enough to tell her that he was most displeased his brother had come to visit.

  “When Lady Janice arrived at Inverness, she was most distraught that ye broke yer promise to her and had wed another. She said yer wife insulted her and attacked her before she was thrown out of yer home. ‘Tis said ye are very unhappy with the match. Though yer bride, I suppose, is pretty enough, she canna compare to Lady Janice’s beauty.” Keith taunted with relish.

  It was most obvious that the nasty oaf was trying to stir up trouble. Furious, Lark ground her teeth, determined not to respond. If she ever saw that fat-faced cow again, she’d slap her silly before plucking every hair from the strumpet’s head. When seconds ticked by and her husband didn’t reply, she was close to kicking him in the backside. When he finally did speak up, she wanted to clout him over the head.

  “If ye wish to listen to lies, I canna help it. What is between my wife and myself is our business.” Cameron replied in a bored tone as he continued to eat.

  In burning humiliation and enraged, she rose to her feet and without a word, walked away. She returned upstairs to their chambers and stomped around the room. How dare he disgrace her like this? As her husband, he should have come to her defense. She had a good mind to go back downstairs and slap him silly. Grrr. She wished now she had done more than tip a bowl of stewed fruit over the fat doxy. To stop herself doing something foolish, she spent her energy thoroughly cleaning both chambers. When she finished, she went back down to the hall and was relieved to find both men gone. She helped the servants and issued orders before going outside herself. Hopefully it would be a long time before she saw her rotten, maggoty husband again. No doubt his stepbrother would go back to Inverness and spread even more tales.

  Pleased to see the sun was shining and that there was only a light breeze, Lark went off to visit the women for the remainder of the morning. When she met them in the center of the cottages, she could tell by the smiles wreathing their faces that her plan had worked. Close to noon, she made her back home but before she decided to go back inside, went to visit the stables and see the horses. Tonight in bed, she hoped she could persuade her thick-headed husband to let her go riding. In the dimly-lit building she made her way over to the stalls and just as she reached her husband’s stallion, she was grabbed roughly from behind. She knew immediately that it wasn’t Cameron, and she started to struggle, but the grip only tightened even more. “Ye carrion dog, let me go or I’ll see the flesh stripped from yer body.”

  “Be still, bitch. Since yer husband despises ye and isna man enough to handle ye, I’ll have to show ye how ‘tis done.” Keith didn’t think Cameron would care if he had a little sport with his wife.

  The words froze her blood; she had been right from the start. Her husband’s stepbrother was a man who couldn’t be trusted. With all the strength she could muster, she fought for her life. She kicked backwards, landing a solid blow to his shin, then with fingers extended, she reached behind her and clawed at his face. When he bellowed in rage and tossed her on the ground, she quickly scrambled to her feet and breathing heavily. In desperation she searched for a weapon, and only inches away was a rake. Did she dare attempt to take the few seconds it would take to grasp it? A flick of her eyes towards the monster and she saw he was preparing to advance.

  Heart pounding, she decided to take the chance, flew the few feet, grasped hold of the rake and held it in front of her, ready to defend herself. Bones shaking in fear, she waited for another attack. When she saw the murderous gleam in his eyes, she knew that if he managed to catch her, rape wouldn’t be all she would suffer. He intended to kill her to make certain no one knew it was he that had done such a dastardly deed to her. Though terrified, she was determined to put up the best battle she could, knowing that she was fighting for her life.

  “Ye damned slut, ye’ll pay for that,” Keith yelled, and rushing her, but before he could land a blow to her cheek, the rake swung and caught him on the shoulder. With a roar, he reached out snatched it out of her hands, and tossed it away. He raised a fist and struck her on the side of the face.

  Letting out a cry of frustration when she lost her weapon, she was about to spin away, but it was too late. She cursed herself for not moving quick enough to prevent being struck. Her head whipped to the side and she forced herself to ignore the throbbing pain to her face. “Ye damn bastard, I’ll have yer life for this.” She backed away, but he lunged forward. When he caught her by the shoulders, she reached down and hiked up her skirts to free her legs. He wrapped a tight arm around her waist and started tearing at her blouse. Not hesitating another second, she bought up her knee and rammed it hard into his groin. He let out a roar of agony, and releasing her, he toppled backwards on to the ground, clutching his privates and curled up in a ball. “Ye fornicating pig, how dare ye think ye can lay a hand on me or try to rape me,” she yelled and gave a kick to his ribs, then another and just for good measure, another one to the head.

  She’d been so intent on teaching the fiend a lesson that she was unaware that the noise they’d made had drawn a crowd. Tears poured down her face as she dropped to her knees, grasped hands full of hair and beat his head on the dirt floor. “Ye foul despicable monster, as soon as I find a knife, I’m going to slice and dice ye,” she screamed at him as she once more hit his head on the ground. She was so engrossed in hurting the fiend that she never heard the loud furious bellow. It was only when she was dragged away that the red mist of rage faded and she started to tremble. When she was swept up off her feet, she realized by his scent that it was her husband, and starting to weep, she buried her head in his chest.

  ***

  When he had first spied the crowd standing outside the stables wringing their hands and hopping from foot to foot, he had wondered what was going on. It was only when he came close that he noticed the fear on their faces as he shoved his way past them. “What in the hell is going on?”
he bellowed, but when he stepped inside and witnessed what was happening, he roared in fury. One glance at the scene and he could picture quite clearly what had occurred. A cold, murderous rage blazed from his eyes, and in seconds he was standing above the fighting couple. Once he’d restrained his wife, he growled, “Ye’d best pray for a quick death, Keith.”

  “Nay, nay. Listen to me, brother, Laird. The slut tricked me. She told me ye were waiting inside to speak to me. When I entered, she threw herself at me and begged me to make love to her. When I refused, she attacked and I had to strike her to stop her,” Keith whimpered out in anguish.

  “You damned lying bastard,” Lark screeched as she pulled herself free from her husband, dropped to her knees and once again grabbed handfuls of his hair and began striking his head against the ground repeatedly.

  Never had Cameron felt such intense, bloodthirsty anger than he did at that moment. He bent over and swept up his wife in his arms once more, then swung around and glared at the crowd in the doorway. “Why dinna ye protect yer mistress?” he shouted at them.

  “Um…we would have, Laird, but by the time we got here, she seemed to be handling the situation. We would have come to her rescue if needed,” one of the men said, guardedly.

  He glared at them in exasperation. “I should have the lot of ye whipped for nae protecting her. Tie the bastard up. I’ll deal with him later,” he ordered as he carried his trembling, weeping wife, and he stumbled when she sobbed out in anguish “I didn’t, I didn’t.” He hushed her as he stepped outside. He strode into the hall and upstairs in their chamber, he placed her gently down on the mattress. One look at the bruise on her face and his anger grew tenfold. He came down on the bed beside her and enfolded her protectively in his arms. “Shh, dearling, ye’re safe now. He willna hurt ye anymore.” He pressed his cheek against the side of her head as his hand traced the indention of her spine.