Highland Promise (23 page)

        He chuckled. "I said you succeeded."

        "I did?"

        "Aye." His eyes twinkled with merriment. She decided he had the most splendid eyes.

        She sighed, and his twinkles brightened. She tried to grasp some fragment of their conversation and wished he would wrap his strong arms around her and kiss her. Then she would have a reason for behaving like a simpleton. "What did I do?"

        "You enticed me."

        For all that she wanted to entice him, dread assailed her. She swallowed and looked away.

        "Do you know what comes next?" he asked, a thread of determination woven through his question.

        She nodded. "Aye, but I am not going to like it."

        He tipped up her chin and glared. "You will."

        Faith yanked her chin back and gifted the brute with a good scowl. "I shall not, and if you give me scars, I—"

        "For the love of..." He wiped a hand over his face and released what she had come to think of as his you-are-a-damn-exasperating-woman sigh. "How will I give you scars?"

        "Biting me." Her cheeks caught fire and she was glad for the darkness. The lout would make her talk about this delicate subject. "I do not like biting. It hurts."

        "We must not be speaking of the same thing." He sounded relieved.

        "I speak of mating." She cocked her head and frowned. "Is that not what you meant?"

        "You must not know much about the act if—"

        "Aye, I do," she declared. "I have seen it."

        Her irascible husband settled his balled fists on his hips, and his cheek twitched. "When?"

        Well, rats! She never should have brought this up. If he was angry, he might hurt her more. "I do not wish to discuss this."

        "Answer me, damn it."

        "Oh, all right. When I was ten," she confessed. "I was curious, so my father let me watch. Does it please you to know this?"

        Skepticism narrowed his eyes. "Are you jesting?"

        "'Tis the truth. My father knew I would sneak in if he denied me entrance, and he wanted me where he could keep an eye on me."

        "Where he could what?" he asked incredulously.

        "Keep an eye on me." She plowed her fingers through her hair. "The stables at Hawkhurst offer few safe hiding places. He did not want to take the chance of me falling from the loft and getting trampled."

        He raised his eyes to heaven, then turned a mocking expression on her. "You watched horses?"

        "Aye. I do not wish to speak of this further. Can we just get it over with?"

        He swept her body with a look so hot it made her insides melt. "Nay," he stated in a crisp burr, "we cannot just get it over with. I intend to enjoy you all night."

        "You are trying to annoy me." She struggled to ignore the heat burning a hole in her belly. "It does not take all night. A few moments at the most."

        "It does not have to take all night, but it will this time," he promised smugly. "And you will like it."

        "You cannot order me to like it." She shook her head sadly. "But I know my duty. Since you intend to keep me, I'll try to be a dutiful wife and hope Saint Peter realizes 'tis your fault I did not do my penance."

        "I demand duty and passion, Faith." He nudged up her chin, and his eyes glittered with promise. "I will make you enjoy it."

        She didn't think he realized the strain his nearness bore on her. Every fiber of her being seemed to ignite with awareness of his virility. "Brendan, could we perchance wait until—"

        He snatched the plaid from her clutches. She gasped as the cool night air chilled her breasts, making her nipples taut. She tried to cover her flesh with her hands and arms.

        "Damn, I wish we had more light," he complained.

        "I am glad we do not. May I have my blanket back?" She reached for the plaid. "'Tis nippy."

        "Nay." He tossed the blanket away.

        Faith didn't like his gaze on her bare flesh, even if she was but a shadowed outline to him. It cost her true effort just to breathe. She considered running away to hide, but he would surely catch her. Then he would just look again. There was only one place she could think of where she could hide from his gaze and not appear spineless. Before she could ponder it, Faith closed the distance between them.

~ * ~

        Brendan sucked in a breath as her chilled flesh slammed against him. Her startled gasp reached his ear, and she stiffened. He wrapped his arms around her and held her in place. Now that he had her where he wanted her, he wasn't about to let go.

        His nostrils flared, picking up the essence of lavender mingled with her own womanly scent. Lust raced through him. Something about her tantalized him like no other woman ever had.

        She didn't struggle, but she trembled. He wondered why she had come to him when she seemed so determined to dislike the marriage act. "Faith, why did you throw yourself at me?"

        She sighed and rubbed her cheek against his chest. "I do not like you looking at me, so I thought to hide." She sounded thoroughly disgruntled. "At least you are warm. I do not know why I cannot stop shivering."

        "Your hiding place pleases me." It was also making him rock hard. Every bit of blood in his body coursed straight to his groin.

        "I would be more pleased if you would just dangle for a while longer." Her pitch rose as she spoke.

        He knew she fought panic and decided to just hold her and caress the silken flesh of her back until her trembling eased. It wasn't easy. Desire raged through him, but he wanted her to calm down enough for him to make her hot. "Would it make you feel better to know I don't bite?"

        "Truly?"

        "Truly." He pressed his mouth beside her ear and whispered, "I nip." He playfully tugged on her tender earlobe with his teeth, then licked the spot.

        An erotic quaver surged through her. She sucked in a breath and tightened her embrace. "Brendan, you know I am not truly afraid."

        "What do you call it?" he asked, resting his chin on top of her head.

        "Fretting. I have been rather wondering..." She broke off, and he felt her cheek burn against his chest.

        "What have you been wondering?" he whispered, rubbing his jaw over her silken hair.

        "Well, I know 'tis sinful, and we shall both likely end up suffering eternal perdition, but I have wondered what mating with you would be like. Something about you makes me want to be...brazen."

        A smile tugged at his lips. She could come out with the most unexpected declarations. "Did you say brazen?"

        "Aye," she nodded. "You entice me something fierce. I thought at first it was your eyes. They rather entrance me. Then I thought it might be your scent. I find it relaxing and exciting at the same time. Then I decided your burr might be the cause. It shivers through me in a wondrous way. Now I believe it must be everything about you—" She broke off and raised narrowed eyes to his. "Except for your arrogance and orders."

        Her hands caressed his back as she spoke, mimicking his hands on her flesh. He didn't think she was aware of the telling action, and she was making it damn hard for him to concentrate. He needed to awaken her desires before he burst. How the hell was he supposed to go about seducing a virgin bride who wanted to be a nun?

        His hands stroked down to her buttocks. She stiffened as he cupped her supple flesh. Then he began a massage to soothe away her tension.

        A moan poured from her lips as she relaxed against his hands. She leaned her forehead against his chest, expelling a blissful sigh. "That feels so good. My backside aches from being pounded against your horse."

        He smiled as her hands caressed their way down his back. "I shall remember to do this every night if you like it."

        "'Tis sinful, but you should do it when we stop to rest too," she suggested. "Your hands massage better than mine."

        He could only disagree as the pleasure of her touch on his posterior further enflamed his ardor. "Nothing we do is sinful, and you do well with your hands too."

        "Mayhap massages just feel better when someone else gives them. What do you think, Brendan?"

        He grabbed her wrists and placed her hands between them. "I think you are stalling, and I should kiss you to stop your chatter."

        She sighed and nodded. "Can I say one thing first?"

        "Aye." He pulled her back into his embrace.

        "I do not know what to do," she admitted in a whisper. "There was a blunder when I watched, and I was too disgusted to go back and see how it happens when done right."

        Brendan frowned. "I have never heard of a good stallion blundering."

        "It wasn't the stallion that blundered." She buried her nose in the shoulder drape of his plaid. "'Twas the tail holder."

        Why in the hell were they talking about this? He knew it was a mistake, but he had to ask her. "The what?"

        "The tail holder," she explained, as her palm absently rubbed over his chest. "He went to lift the mare's tail out of the way and slipped in a pile of fresh dung. His head landed against the mare's backend, and the stallion got the tail holder in the ear. He did not like it either, from the curses I heard coming from between the horses."

        "You jest."

        "'Tis the truth." She scowled up at him. "My father was furious."

        "Probably not as furious as the stallion."

        "The stallion did not seem too pleased," she concurred. "Come to think of it, I believe the mare got angry too, because she turned around and bit the tail holder."

        "They should have left the stallion and mare alone. The pair could have handled the mating without help."

        Faith went still. "Father was afraid the stallion would kill the mare," she whispered. "He was a big charger, and she was a small dainty creature."

        Ah, so now he understood the reason for her chattiness. "Faith, I promise I will not kill you."

        "I know, but I do fash." She rubbed her forehead against him and settled her cheek against his chest.

        He smiled over her use of the word fash. She had used the word puggled earlier. She was trying to learn his language and probably didn't realize Highland Gaelic was completely different. He would teach her that later though. Right now he had a better lesson in mind. "I also promise you will enjoy our coupling."

        "Brendan?" She slid her hands up to his shoulders and pressed her

body against his.

        "Hummm?" he replied as sweat popped out on his brow. He was near to losing the reins on his lust.

        "I would stop fashing if you would kiss me. 'Tis the truth, I cannot think about much when you do."

        Ah, magic words. Brendan tightened his embrace and lowered his mouth to hers. He intended to suck every thought right out of her beautiful head, so she could do nothing but feel.

Fifteen

         Nips were nice.

         Rather thrilling in fact. Brendan's teeth nibbled along her lips. Sizzles raced all the way down to her toes. Then he settled his mouth on hers. Sparks pulsed from his lips, igniting a fiery yearning.

         Faith ran her hands over his back and arms, trying to absorb the power incased in his sinewy flesh. For all his size and strength, he treated her so gently that her every worry vanished and curiosity drove her actions. Her nipples tingled as his hairy chest grazed her breasts with prickly caresses. He cupped her bottom and lifted her pelvis against the hard bulge of his manhood. Virility surrounded her, dominated her. Desire blazed through her in a blast of raw heat.

         A nagging voice warned that perpetual damnation would be her fate if she persisted on this lustful course.

        Brendan's tongue flicked over her lips. Faith thrust the plaguing voice away and opened her mouth to his silent command. His tongue plunged inside. Fondled her ardor. Stoked her fire. Drank her passion.

        His fingers were magic. He knew just where to touch, how much pressure to exert. Molten lust spiraled through her. Throbbing pressure built in her womb. Moisture seeped between her legs.

        Faith moaned into his mouth and dueled with his tongue. He tasted as spicy as he smelled. She was consumed with hunger for a feast. Nothing else existed in her world except Brendan.

        He pulled his lips from hers. She moaned and tried to reclaim his mouth by tugging on his hair, but he wouldn't cooperate. He kissed and nipped a fiery trail down her neck, stopped to suckle and nibble at the pulse point near the base of her throat, then moved to her shoulder.

        The feel of his hard body holding her captive fueled her desire. He loomed over her, his plaid gone. She wondered when and how she had ended up on her back on the ground. His tongue flicked over her nipple. She gasped and clutched his shoulders as a spark shot down to heighten the pressure in her belly. He drew her taut peak into his mouth and intensified her pleasure.

        His hands continued their arousing exploration. Every sensation converged upon her womb until she ached with urgency. "Brendan. I need...something."

        "I know, sweet. I know." His husky burr sent more thrills through her. Then his mouth seized her other breast, inflicting a heated assault.

        The desire to belong to him completely possessed her. She didn't know how much more she could take before she shattered into a thousand pieces, but she intended to enjoy every exciting moment in his embrace.

        His stiff manhood grazed along her sensitive inner thigh. Her groin throbbed with desperation. She clamped her legs together, capturing him.

        Brendan groaned and clenched every muscle in his abdomen. Her digging fingernails at his shoulders and her thighs entrapping his penis nearly sent him over the edge. He didn't know if he could wait much longer before he sank into her.