Текст книги "My brave highlander"

Автор книги: Vonda Sinclair

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Текущая страница: 19 (всего у книги 25 страниц)

Chapter Twenty-One

Maighread watched Dirk and his armed cohorts enter the great hall. Supper had been held until the chief returned… that alone made her grind her teeth.

She narrowed her eyes at the arrogant bastard. His hair windblown, he wore armor and carried his helm. Where was Haldane? Was he injured? Had he and his men bungled the ambush she'd so carefully set up? She knew Aiden had been listening when she'd told Haldane to meet the man at the tavern. In truth, there was no man and no meeting. Haldane and his men, along with one of her own guards, were to surprise Dirk and his friends and kill them. Or at least kill Dirk, but he was not even injured, nor were any of the men with him. Frustrated rage burned through her veins. What the devil had happened?

"Where is Haldane?" Maighread murmured to Aiden, who stood nearby.

"How would I know? I've been here all night."

"Don't be impertinent with me, young man."

"Pray pardon, Mother, but I don't ken where he is." He moved away from her. How could he be so rude and ungrateful? Did he not know she did all this for him?

Listening closely, she understood some of the men's words. They mentioned a failed ambush and that several prisoners had been taken to the dungeon.

Damn him. Had he thrown Haldane into the dungeon? She charged across the great hall, wishing she had a small dagger to slip between his ribs.

"Where is my son?" she demanded.

"Aiden is there." Dirk pointed. "I know not where Haldane is."

"Liar!" She clenched her fists so she wouldn't go flying at Dirk and claw his eyes out. Never had she hated another human being so much.

He smirked, which only deepened her loathing and fury.

"If you hurt my son, you will pay dearly for it."

"Why would I hurt my own brother? What would he do to provoke me? A dire task you sent him to do perhaps?"

The hall was silent, all eyes on her.

He was trying to con her into revealing her scheme. She was not as witless as he believed. "I did no such thing."

"Haldane first ordered one of his friends to fire an arrow at me. Then, Haldane charged me with a sword," Dirk said. "Trying to kill the chief makes him a traitor to the clan."

Maighread's breath froze in her chest. If he'd killed her son… "What did you do with him?"

"He ran away into the bush like the wee coward he is. He is not a man. Don't send him to do a man's job."

"You bastard," she hissed.

He gave her a sinister grin. "Take her to her chamber and do not allow her to leave it," he told one of the guards beside him.

"What? Are you mad?" Maighread demanded.

"Nay, I'm completely sane and very aware that you will stop at nothing to try to kill me." His eerie pale blue gaze was sharp as a dagger, stabbing toward her.

She hadn't been careful enough, and she'd underestimated him. "I would never try to kill you," she said in what she hoped was an innocent tone.

Dirk snorted.

She ached to slap his smug face like she used to when he was a lad. But he was so much taller now, his shoulders and arms like tree limbs.

"Nevertheless, you are under house arrest, Stepmother," he said. "Only Da's memory and Aiden keep me from tossing you into the dungeon with your minions where you belong."

Her whole body stiffened with the overpowering need to choke him, to bash his head in with a heavy object. The sheathed, foot-long dirk on his belt tempted her to grab it and stab him in the heart. 'Twould be fitting that he be killed with the weapon he had been named after.

But she could do naught. He was now twice her size and could easily crush her with his huge fist.

"M'lady," the guard motioned toward the stairwell. She had no choice but to do as they ordered now, but she was far from finished with Dirk. He would regret making a fool of her before the entire clan.

***

Hearing hushed voices echoing in the dim corridor, Isobel paused before rounding the corner. Since Dirk had imprisoned Maighread in her own bedchamber three nights ago, Isobel had kept an ear out for others who might be planning to help her escape or do something to hurt Dirk.

Peering silently around the corner, Isobel saw two young maids standing outside Dirk's bedchamber. No guard stood there. She'd noticed he was sometimes without his guards inside the castle since he'd confined Maighread to her room and Haldane was somewhere beyond the walls.

What in blazes were the two maids discussing?

"You do it," one servant said.

"Nay, you. I'm not going in there," the other lass said in a loud whisper.

"If he was wee Aiden, I wouldn't mind so much. But I'm afraid of him."

"You think I'm not?"

"He is the chief, you imbecilic hare. You can't disobey him."

"I ken it. But I'd rather be fired than raped."

Raped? Did they think Dirk would rape them? If so, they had seriously misjudged him.

Isobel stepped out of the shadows. "What are you arguing about?"

"Oh, m'lady." One of the maids covered her mouth, and the other's eyes near popped out of her head. "I didn't see you standing there."

"What is the disagreement about?"

Both remained tight-lipped.

"Chief Dirk MacKay?" she guessed.

One gave a sheepish nod. "We don't wish to lose our jobs, m'lady," she whispered, beseeching her with a pitiful expression.

"Why would you?"

"He is bathing and requires a maid to wash his back. And… well…" She compressed her lips tightly between her teeth.

"Ah. I see." An enticing image of his brawny muscular body sprawled in a wooden tub teased Isobel's imagination. "There is naught to fear from Dirk MacKay. He's a good man and a good chief. I'll wash his back."

"Oh. You will?" The maids' faces fairly glowed with relief.

"Aye. Don't be gossiping and telling anyone I volunteered for the task, and I won't tell Chief MacKay you were shirking your duties."

"Oh, nay, m'lady." They both shook their heads dramatically. "We'll not say a word."

"If I find out you did…" she warned.

"We promise. Our lips are sealed tight." They both trotted away as if hungry wolves chased at their heels.

Ninnies. Surely helping the chief bathe was a job best suited to a lady and a widow anyway. She'd helped her former husband bathe a few times. Dirk had kept himself busy for the past three days, and she'd hardly seen him. She was starting to wonder if he was avoiding her.

Isobel knocked at the door to the chief's chamber.

"Come." Dirk's deep voice sent a thrill through her.

She opened the door and found him sitting in the huge wooden tub before the hearth, much as she'd imagined. His broad naked shoulders and muscular arms stirred her female instincts.

"What the devil?" he muttered. "I sent for a servant. Not you, m'lady."

"Why not me?" After entering, she closed the door firmly behind her. She considered barring it, but that might give him the wrong impression… or the right impression. She hid her grin. "I am well accustomed to helping a man bathe. I helped my husband many times before his death."

Dirk let out an exasperated breath. "Nay. I'm asking you to leave. Now," he said firmly.

"There is no need for stubbornness. Do you need your back washed or not?"

"You cannot. You have a splint on your finger."

"Nay, I removed it today." She held up her hand, showing him.

"You shouldn't have. 'Tis too soon," he grumbled. "I doubt your bone is knitted back together yet."

"'Tis fine, I assure you." She moved forward.

He muttered a curse under his breath. "You are not a servant. You are betrothed to another man."

"What does that matter? I'm but helping you bathe. Not… seducing you."

He gave her a harsh glare and, for a second, she understood why the servants feared him so much. He appeared a blood-thirsty Norse invader like the ones her father's bard had told stories about from hundreds of years ago, ready to lay waste to the entire country. But she knew he wasn't like that.

"You think I am incapable of helping you bathe?" she asked, stopping before the tub and crossing her arms over her breasts.

"Not incapable. 'Tis simply a terrible idea."

"Don't be silly." She ignored the frown and approached him. His naked torso above the water was enough to distract any woman. Dirk's chest, shoulders and arms were composed of large iron-hard muscles. Heavens, the sight of him near took her breath away. A sprinkling of light hair on his chest tapered downward toward his waist. A quick glance told her a linen cloth lay in the water over his lap.

She moved in behind him and found the soap on the floor beside the tub.

"Could you lean forward?" she asked.

When he did, she had a splendid view of his back in the firelight… the ridges of muscle, the scars, and the birthmark in the shape of a dirk. She'd heard the clan elders talking about it and how the mark proved who he was. The scar below it was especially fearsome and rough but did not appear to be a sword wound.

"What happened here?" She ran her fingers over the uneven white scar tissue.

He blew out a hissing breath. "That's where I slid down the cliff twelve summers ago. The jagged rocks tore into my flesh, but 'twas those same rocks that stopped my fall when they caught my plaid.

"Oh." She smoothed her soap-slicked fingers over the mar to his perfect body. If this scar meant his life was saved, then she was thankful for the wicked mark.

He could've so easily died when he was fifteen and then she would've never had this opportunity to appreciate him. As she ran her soapy hands over his shoulder blades, and his massive shoulders, she found herself cherishing and admiring him. Not only his impressive body, but him as a man. She had never known anyone like him.

Wetting her hands and soaping them again, she washed his back, attempting to dig her fingertips into his hard muscles, but that was impossible, tense as he was.

"I know what you're trying to do," he muttered.

"I'm trying to wash your back," she assured him, hoping he couldn't read her mind.

"I'm not daft, lass."

"Of course not. You're highly intelligent."

He blew out a breath, and his teeth grated together in an audible click.

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" she asked, truly curious about his thoughts. Maybe they were like the thoughts he'd had on the battlements days ago… that he wanted her. That he once again craved what they'd shared in bed that night. With the passionate way he'd confessed his desires before that stunning kiss, he'd stolen her heart.

"God's teeth," he growled. "You don't have to do this, Isobel. I'll protect you from those who would harm you."

"I know that. You're incredibly honorable. 'Tis time to wash your hair. Are you ready?"

"Aye."

She lifted a bucket of warm water and poured half of it over his head.

He sputtered and shook his head, flinging droplets of water onto her skirts.

Taking the soap again, she smoothed his hair back from his high forehead and soaped it up thoroughly.

Though he sat in silence with his eyes closed to prevent the soap getting into them, his entire body was tense. As she stood over him, she had a perfect view over his shoulder toward his lap. The linen was exceedingly tented now. Prior to a few nights ago, when she'd experienced his stone-hard member sliding into her, she might have wondered how that part of his body could possibly tent linen. She had felt her elderly husband's shaft, and it was but a flimsy dangling thing. She had often wondered why on earth it would be called a shaft if it wasn't stiff like an arrow.

Now she understood that a shaft was indeed supposed to be stiff… when aroused. 'Twas also clear that Dirk became irritable when he was aroused. That was a detail Beitris had neglected to tell her about men.

"I know why you are cross," Isobel said.

"Do you now?" His deep, murmured question sent shivers of excitement through her.

"Aye."

"Why is that?"

Heat rushed up her chest to her face. Dare she say the words she was thinking? He would surely think her a wanton, and honestly… she was. "Because you are aroused," she confessed in a whisper near his ear.

"God's bones, Isobel," he growled. "You're treading on damned thin ice."

She bit her lip to keep from snickering. "You see, now you are even more irritable."

"Just rinse my hair and be done with this hellish bath."

He valued his precious control so much, did he not? If he lost it, what would he do? Maybe he'd give her another scorching kiss. He might even carry her to his bed and ravish her body again. Tingles swirled through her lower belly with the mere thought.

She poured a bucket and a half of clean water over his head, rinsing the suds away.

"There now. You're all clean."

He flung his wet hair back off his face and cleared the water from his eyes. "I thank you. You're free to go now."

Hmph. She didn't want to go. "Do you need help with anything else?"

Turning, he glared at her from the corner of his eyes. His hand and arm now lay across his lap, concealing his erection.

"You enjoy torturing me?" he asked.

"Nay. I don't want to torture you at all. I want…"

His eyes narrowed, warning her.

She could barely breathe as their eyes locked, his normally pale eyes now darker than she could fathom. His nostrils flared and his jaw clenched. "Go," he ordered, with a quick tilt of his head toward the door. "Now."

What if she didn't? Would he yell at her? Thrash her? Was he so aroused he would lose control of his actions and his rational mind? Although he looked fearsome, she didn't fear him. Instead, his threatening glower only made her want him all the more because it meant he desired her intensely. She craved the passion that emanated from him.

The first time they'd coupled, he had been out of his mind with the drugging herbs. What would he be like completely lucid and wholly himself?

Her body flushed all over, hot and cold at once as if she had a malady. She could think of naught but how astonishingly hot and hard his body had felt against hers, inside hers. He'd shown her what it was like to be a woman in truth. She yearned for that again. And she wanted him to be fully present this time.

In answer to his command for her to leave, she shook her head, knowing she was wayward and wicked for disobeying a chief.

With a swift, abrupt movement, he shoved up from the tub, splashing water. Water sliding down his phenomenal body, his erection jutting upward, he was magnificent.

Heavens!

His shoulders were impossibly wide above his trim waist. The thick muscles of his thighs flexed as he stepped out of the tub and proceeded toward her, stalking her like a wild, hungry animal. Her heart rate shot toward the stars.

"This is your last chance," he warned. "Get out of here or suffer the consequences."

"Suffer?" She bit her lip to keep from grinning at that word. "You won't hurt me, will you?" she asked softly, knowing he wouldn't.

"I make no promises. I should take my horse whip to your wee arse."

"You didn't whip me last time. And it only hurt for a minute. Then, there was naught but pleasure."

His shaft jerked, drawing her attention. A second later, he stood before her, crowding her against the stone wall, lifting her. Before she could utter a sound, his mouth devoured hers, his tongue invading, tasting. Mmm. Her thoughts scattered in the wake of his sensual assault. The thrust of his tongue reminded her of the way he had thrust himself into her last time, spurring her woman's instincts. Aye, her body craved his plundering.

His hard shaft rubbed up against her crotch through the material of her dress. She held on tightly around his neck as he easily held her aloft. With his hand, he dug under her skirts and petticoats, yanking them out of his way and burrowing beneath until he reached his destination. His fingertips gently stroked between her legs in a most shocking and exciting way. She gasped.

"Damnation, how wet you are," he whispered against her mouth.

She couldn't think how to respond to that. She only knew somehow the moisture gathered between her legs whenever he kissed or touched her. Or when she saw his naked body. She thought it must be female arousal.

His fingers caressed her in slow, spellbinding circles. What magic! The pleasure and her need for him intensified, blotting out her thoughts.

"Aye," she gasped, seeking more kisses.

His wet finger slipped inside her and she thought she would go off like a cannon. She wriggled, trying to find relief from the sensual torment. She again craved the thickness of his large shaft inside her, stroking deep as he had done before.

"Take me," she whispered, locking her arms around his neck.

"Damnation, Isobel. You drive me mad."

Surely 'twas madness she felt inside right now too.

He tugged more of her clothing out of the way. The firm tip of his shaft slid against her most sensitive flesh, then prodded into her.

"Aye, Dirk." She was near delirious with need, her body craving his.

He growled and gently pressed deeper. Withdrew and slid in again, challenging her with each slight thrust forward. She knew he was being a considerate lover now. The first time he hadn't taken it so slow.

He gradually eased his way deeper with each inward lunge, and she appreciated every inch as he drove further, testing her limits. He'd fit the first time so she knew he would again. Finally, he ground his hips, forcing himself in that last inch. He growled a curse and she felt possessed by him, conquered. She was his now. And he was hers. That knowledge consumed her. She didn't know if she alone felt it.

He held himself still, their bodies joined in a most primal, soul-stirring way, his lips brushing over hers, his darkened heavy-lidded eyes staring into hers. Somehow she felt he was staking his claim on her. Finally.

She licked at his lips, hungry for the taste of him. He withdrew almost all the way and plunged into her again, quickly and without hesitation. She gasped at the stunning, thrilling sensations. Again and again, the driving pleasure pounded through her, each thrust more amazing than the last. Faster and faster until she couldn't breathe. Just like last time, some unfathomable rapture exploded through her, possessing her body and mind. She screamed.

His mouth covered hers, caught her cries. Thrusting deep, he growled against her mouth. Grinding his hips one final time, he shuddered against her. A harsh groan rushed out of him along with a curse.

Withdrawing as he carried her, he staggered toward the bed. He fell to it on his back, holding her tightly to his chest. Her face was pressed to his neck and she didn't want to move.

"Saints, Isobel," he rasped, breathing hard. "You near killed me with that."

She smiled. "Nay, surely it takes more than that to fell such a great warrior."

A short laugh escaped him, then they caught their breaths in the silence.

"I have a question," she said.

"Aye?"

"I experienced an intense and indescribable feeling while we were making love each time, toward the end."

"I did as well."

"What is that?"

"The climax of the pleasure. The French call it le petite mort, the little death."

"Aye, for a moment I thought I was dying of pleasure."

He rolled her to the side and grinned. "In truth?"

"Aye, it frightened me the first time."

"There is naught to fear from the climax." He looked smug of a sudden, and proud of himself.

"I wondered if you are a skilled lover, and you are. Incredibly," she said.

His eyes narrowed. "When did you wonder this?"

"When we spent that night alone together in the cottage in Scourie."

"You were a virgin then. What did you know of skilled lovers?"

"Very little. Beitris has tried to tell me what goes on between a man and woman. I could not truly imagine it being appealing until…"

"Until?"

"You. When we were traveling, the way you touched me—helping me on and off the horse, holding me gently but firmly while Rebbie set my finger, not to mention riding behind you on the horse. This only made me want you to touch me more."

He drew in a deep breath, giving her an enigmatic look. "You know what this means, do you not?" he asked.

"Nay."

"I'll not be letting you go back to the MacLeod," he said in a possessive tone.

"I wasn't going back anyway."

"And this means war." His eyes glinted in a fearsome way.

"War? Nay. My brother would not make me marry the MacLeod with his brute of a brother in the household, abusing me. So the MacLeods have naught to get up in arms about. 'Tis their fault I left."

"Well, let's hope your brother works out an agreement with the MacLeod before he realizes I've stolen you away."

"Did you steal me?" She grinned. "Are you a bride thief?"

"I am now. Saints! I never thought I'd do such a thing."

"Because you are so honorable?"

He shrugged. "I believe in doing the right thing."

It is right for us to be together. She almost said the words, but she wasn't sure how he would take them. She hoped he would stake his claim even further and say he wanted to marry her. Not that he felt forced into it. She would only wed a man who truly wished to marry her, for her. Not for her property or her dowry. Nor because of honor.

She wanted a love match.

Dirk got up, crossed the room and poured some mulled wine into a mug. He took a sip then brought the mug to the bed and offered it to her. His delicious nude body had her too distracted to think about wine. She took a sip and gave it back to him.

After setting the mug aside, he lay down in bed beside her and covered up to the waist. He seemed distracted and in deep thought of a sudden.

She shoved down the covers, exposing him to her view again. She knew she was being audaciously wanton, but she wished to learn more about him and his body.

With heavy-lidded eyes, he watched her surveying his size and dimensions.

"That is… heavenly," she said, stroking her fingertips along his silky shaft which was neither hard nor soft, but somewhere in the middle.

A chuckle burst from him. "Only you would say such a thing about a most carnal and earthly tarse."

"Is that what it's called? A tarse?"

"Aye, that's one name. The others are too vulgar for your delicate ears."

Her face heated but her gaze slid down to the appendage in question. She sat up and stroked Dirk's tarse with her fingers. How fascinating that it was growing harder and longer with each moment that passed. She wrapped her fingers around it and squeezed. He growled, the dark blue passion of his gaze telling her he wanted to ravish her again.

Aye, please do.

Dirk could not believe what he'd done. Now that he wasn't drugged, he remembered every second, every detail of taking Isobel to the heights of pleasure. How breathtaking and lovely she'd been.

"You're the one who is heavenly," he murmured, then placed wee kisses on her lips, like taking tiny sips of wine and savoring each one. She was intoxicating, and her midnight eyes bewitching as she gazed up at him in the candlelight.

Nay, he could never let her go now.

Her hand squeezed his hard tarse, propelling keen pleasure and a rush of raw need through him. Damnation, how he loved her penchant for wantonness.

"Did I hurt you earlier?" he asked, suddenly remembering he should've been gentler since she was barely past the virgin stage.

She shook her head, giving him a mischievous grin. "Nay. 'Twas the opposite of hurt."

He glanced down, realizing he was naked but she was fully dressed. "Take off these damned clothes." He should feel abashed that he'd taken her so quickly he hadn't even given her time to undress, but she'd taunted him beyond toleration. His mind had been naught but a buzz of arousal and hungry need that had to be satiated.

He helped her disrobe. Once she lay naked beside him, his eyes devoured her luscious curves and pale, smooth skin. He cupped one of her generous breasts tipped with a gorgeous nipple of dark rose. "Beautiful," he whispered, then drew the succulent morsel into his mouth and suckled, relishing the feminine taste of her skin.

He inhaled her sweet scent. "Mmm, you smell like flower nectar."

Moaning, she speared her fingers into his hair to cradle his head close to her. He savored the affectionate, enthusiastic gesture and switched to give her other breast some attention.

She tugged at him, as if trying to drag him closer. Raring to go himself, he rolled between her thighs, savoring the silky feel of her skin against his. Saints! How many times he'd dreamed about being right here.

"Again, please, Dirk," she whispered in a desperate tone.

He growled, cherishing her desire for him. He felt the same way, unable to get enough of her. Rising over her, he slid upward and looked into her dusky enchantress eyes, while guiding his tarse into her. Again experiencing how hot and drenched she was, he near lost control of his actions, his mind spinning out of control. He wanted to instantly drive to her depths, but somehow refrained, reminding himself she might be sore.

While he devoured her mouth, flicking his tongue against hers, she wriggled her hips, an action that made him want to give her a good hard swiving. "Mmm, you're asking for it," he muttered, barely able to hold himself back.

"Aye, please. More," she begged.

Unable to resist, he lifted himself up and increased the tempo of his strokes. Moments later, she was crying out, her body clutching at his in climax. Covering her mouth with his, lest someone in the corridor hear her, he savored the way her inner muscles caressed him tightly, driving him over the edge of sanity and desire. His own release burned through him like a cannon blast, with an explosion of pleasure that obliterated all thoughts.

When his reason returned, he wondered, as he gasped for breath, how the hell he was going to get out of this quandary without a clan war.

***

A sound awoke Dirk sometime later. What was that? He roused from a deep relaxing sleep to find Isobel spooned in front of him, warm and naked. Mmm. She wiggled her round arse against his aroused shaft. Lust shot through him, spurring him to explore her silky curves. He slid his hand up her thigh, over her hip and waist to her lavish breasts. He filled his hand with one of the firm, yet soft, globes, then tweaked the hard nipple. Moaning, she pushed her arse against him.

Urgent, sharp knocking rapped against the door. "Dirk!"