Shipwrecked (21 page)

Rowan growled
loudly, and joined his wife in her release, not being able to hold back his own
pleasure any longer.  He thrust powerfully into his wife, and called out her
name, spilling his seed deep within her and surrendering to his own release.

Breathing heavily
from the exertion of the lovemaking, Rowan gathered his wife against his chest,
and tucked her head into the space between his neck and shoulder.  He languidly
stroked her back, delighting in the goose bumps that spread over her skin as a
result of his faint touch.

“Have I told ye
today how happy ye make me?” Rowan whispered against her hair, pulling her
closer.

“Hmm?” Anna
mumbled, still lost in the aftermath of their lovemaking.

“It’s no just
this, ye ken.  I mean, I love doing this with ye…” Rowan chuckled and nipped at
Anna’s shoulder.  “I just want to make sure that I tell ye, that I never let ye
forget how happy ye’ve made me.”

“You make me so
happy too,” Anna said dreamily, still feeling drunk from the aftereffects of
loving her husband.

“I could stay like
this with ye forever,” Rowan whispered, relishing the feeling of Anna’s body
surrounding him still, savoring her intoxicating scent mingled with the scent
of their lovemaking.  “I just hope that we get forever,” he added longingly,
apprehension about Jonathan Arbor suddenly flooding his thoughts. 

His comment flew
past Anna, who was now deeply relaxed and satiated, arms wrapped tightly around
Rowan’s waist.  Rowan pushed his dark thoughts about Arbor from his mind,
gathered his wife protectively in his arms and carried her to their bed.

Chapter Thirteen

Dearest Mother,

            I have
a wonderful husband and a wonderful life here in the New World.  I am truly
happy.  In fact, the happiness that I have found here knows no bounds.

            Although
our life here is comfortable, I will not be able to send you more money as I
had promised.  I hope that you understand, and I am regretful that I could not
keep my promise.  I urge you to sell Stanton Place and join us here in America. 
I know that you would find renewed happiness here with us.  As always, I love
you Mother.

                                    Hopefully
Yours,

                                                Mrs.
Anna Murray

                                                North
Carolina

                                                            ***

Anna watched him
from the edge of the forest, making a mental note to say an extra prayer for
her soul tonight because she was committing the deadly sin of lusting after her
husband. 

She watched him
while he worked, safely concealed in the dense undergrowth of the trees.  He
had taken his shirt off, and his tanned skin glistened in the afternoon
sunlight.  Rowan’s shoulders were broad, and the muscles of his back rippled as
he fought to tear the blade of the plow through the moist soil.  The hard labor
of farming had developed even the tiniest muscles in Rowan’s arms and chest and
watching his magnificent physique till the soil made Anna’s knees weak.

I’m so lucky
that he’s mine.

With one hand
resting on the handle of the plow, he straightened his spine and looked up
towards the sun.  He was probably trying to gauge the time, she thought
smiling, knowing that he would be expecting her to arrive soon with his lunch.

They had been at
the farm for almost two weeks now, working their fingers to the bone next to
Quinn and Malcolm to get the fields planted so that they might harvest a small
crop before winter.  The two small cabins had been in a state of disrepair, and
Anna had been struggling to bring them back to life, adding a few homey touches
where she might.  She had loved making a home for Rowan and herself, and
delighted in the daily rhythm of taking care of her husband and his brothers on
their small farm. These had been the happiest two weeks of Anna’s life.

 Rowan raised his
left hand to wipe the sweat from his brow, and she noticed how his perfectly
muscled abs tapered into a low V that disappeared beneath the waistline of his low
slung pants.  She felt the heat spreading between her thighs as she thought of
just what was beneath his pants.

Anna took a deep
calming breath and walked into the field, carrying the lunch basket in her
hand.  Rowan smiled the instant that he saw her break through the trees, and
deserted the plow, walking towards her.

“Hi, love,” he
said smiling and captured her into his arms for a lengthy kiss.

“Mmm…” Anna moaned
against his lips, her thoughts meandering back to what she had been thinking
about only moments earlier when shy had been watching him from the trees.

Rowan chuckled and
finished kissing his wife thoroughly, then slapped her playfully on the bum. 
He loved how openly his sweet wife responded to his kisses, how she did not try
to hide her body’s response to him.  He knew that she was thinking the same
exact thing that he was.

“Can I have that
blanket?” he asked mischievously, already moving to take the blanket from under
Anna’s arm.  He unfolded it and spread it right in the middle of the field,
smiling devilishly at Anna, who regarded him with a quizzical look.  Usually
they found a place over near the trees to have lunch.  “I’m not really hungry
yet,” he said, raising his eyebrows as he looked at Anna and lowered himself
down on the blanket.

“Alright?” she
said, setting down the basket containing their lunch.  She wondered if Rowan
had gotten too much sun today.

“Take off yer
dress, Anna,” he said huskily as he began to unbutton his pants and lie down on
his back on the blanket.

“What?  Are you
crazy…right here…out in the open?” she gasped incredulously, staring at him
wide eyed as he kicked his boots off and shrugged out of his pants.

“Right here, right
now,” he growled with need heavy in his tone.  “There’s no one around for
miles, Anna!  It’s no as if anyone will see us,” he said smiling, now
completely naked and lying on his back, supporting his upper body with his
elbows.  “There’s no shame in makin’ love tae yer husband, in giving him a
break from a hard days labor.”

“Rowan!” she
gasped again.  “It’s just not proper!” she protested, standing still as a
board.

“And just when
have ye cared about what was proper?” he said chuckling softly.  “Take off yer
dress, Anna,” he said again, smile fading from his face and now replaced with a
blatant look of desire.

“But what if
Malcolm…”

“Doona fash about
Malcolm, come here,” he encouraged.

Anna could feel
the desire building within her as well.  The thought of making love to her
husband out in the open, where anyone could come upon them was slightly
intimidating, but also exhilarating.  Holding Rowan’s eye contact, she obeyed
his request and stripped out of her shoes, her dress and finally her chemise. 
She stood completely naked in front of her husband, bared for the whole world
to see.

She lowered
herself to her knees and settled next to Rowan on the blanket.  He rose up and
captured her in his arms, drawing her in for a lengthy, passionate kiss.  His
skin felt warm from the sun beneath her fingertips, and the faint breeze
against her naked skin made her blood rush.

As Rowan kissed
her, he slid his expert fingers down between their bodies and parted her
delicate folds.

“Anna!” He gasped
as his fingers felt the wetness between her thighs.  He was pleased that she
was so wet, so ready for him already.  His fingers toyed with the nub of her
desire, eliciting a low moan from deep in Anna’s throat.  Her response caused
him to quiver with the need to embed himself deep inside of her tight sheath,
and he ended their kiss, heart hammering against the walls of his chest.

“I want you,
Rowan,” Anna whispered, eyes clouded with desire.

“Ride me,” he
demanded voice husky as he looked up into her eyes.

“Rowan…I…” she
stammered, panicking slightly.  “I don’t…”

“Ride me, Anna,”
he insisted, gently grabbing her hips and moving her into position to straddle
his pulsing erection.  Looking up to see his beautiful wife straddling him,
hair cascading down her back and breasts bobbing above him almost caused him to
spill his seed right then.  “Now,” he added for good measure, unsure of how
long he could hold out against this sweet torment.

Emboldened by the
need that rang heavy in Rowan’s voice, Anna reached down and grabbed Rowan’s
cock in her hand, guiding it inch by inch into her wet sheath.  She shuddered
with pleasure and bit her lower lip as he filled her, stretched her
deliciously.

Rowan let loose a
groan of shear pleasure, and thrust into her, holding her hips for resistance. 
He looked up at Anna, her head had fallen back in the throws of her passion,
and her fingers were splayed on his chest, scoring his skin.

“Ride me, Anna,”
he said again, using his hands to show her the motion with her hips.

Anna tentatively
took over the rhythm of their lovemaking, riding him slowly at first, and then
as she became sure of herself, more lost in her passion, she rode him roughly,
desperately as she cried out with pleasure.

Rowan’s hands were
everywhere, stoking her breasts and teasing the nub of her desire.  Her orgasm
came like thunder, shaking her to the core of her being as her body tightened
and quivered around Rowan.  He grasped her hips and thrust into her fiercely,
relishing how good it felt to feel her orgasm around him.  He cried out with
the force of his release, and with one final thrust, he spilled his seed deep
inside of her.

Anna crumpled on
top of his chest, still holding him inside of her, breathing raggedly. 

After enjoying the
cool breeze on their hot skin for a few moments, Anna reluctantly sat up and
pulled her chemise over her head, just in case Malcolm decided to join them for
lunch. 

Rowan kissed her
one more time and pulled on his pants, still smiling from the rush of making
love to his wife in broad day light.  He felt like the luckiest man alive.

Anna watched as
Rowan’s look of bliss fell from his face and was replaced with wild terror. 
More than twenty English Soldiers crested the hill and rode into the field,
dressed in full battle regalia and armed to the teeth.

Anna’s heart
sank.  They had come for her.

                                                            ***

“Ye willna touch
her,” Rowan warned, pushing Anna defensively behind his back as Jonathan
dismounted his horse and stalked angrily towards them.

“It looks to me as
if you are in no position to tell me what I will or will not do,” Jonathan
remarked as he motioned to his soldiers to surround Rowan and Anna.

“Give her to me,”
Jonathan ordered, his teeth clenched so tightly with rage that the muscles of
his jaw twitched.

“No,” Rowan said
firmly, standing his ground.

Anna’s heart
sank.  She knew that Rowan didn’t have a single weapon to defend himself with. 
He was outnumbered twenty to one, and her heart beat double time in her chest
as she willed him not to try something heroic. 

They would kill
him without a second thought.

“I’ll give you one
more chance to act reasonably.  I don’t want to cause more trouble than is
necessary.  Give her to me,” Jonathan ordered his voice authoritative as he
glowered at Rowan.

Rowan took a step
towards Jonathan, challenging him with the confident stature of his body
language.  “Ye’ve caused enough trouble already.  I told ye no.  Ye willna
touch
my
wife,” Rowan said coolly, with an undertone of suppressed rage.

Anna reached up
and placed her hand on Rowan’s shoulder, her touch calming him slightly.  Fearful
of the consequences that would befall Rowan if he continued to bravely defend
her and challenged Jonathan further, Anna pushed past her husband and ran
towards Jonathan.

“I’ll go with
you!” she gasped, looking up and meeting Jonathan’s iron stare.

“Anna!” Rowan
yelled as he reached for her.  Jonathan’s soldiers rained down on him, and he
fought mightily against their restraint, bravely willing to fight of twenty men
to get to Anna’s side.

Jonathan grabbed
Anna’s arm harshly and jerked her towards his waiting horse. 

“You’ll pay for
what you’ve done to me,” he seethed as he hefted her roughly up onto the
stallion.

“It was me,
Jonathan, not him.  Let him go,” Anna pleaded, tears welling in her eyes as she
watched Rowan fight a futile battle against the soldiers who restrained him.

The soldiers
wrestled Rowan to the ground, and one man restrained him with a knee in his
back while the others bound his wrists and ankles.  His eyes settled on Anna,
wild with rage, and she glanced away.

I had to do it
Rowan, or you would have gotten yourself killed!

“I know it was
you, Anna, and I fully intend for you to pay for what you have done.  I just
don’t trust him not to try something heroic to save you, so he’s coming along
to watch you pay for your sins,” Jonathan warned as he mounted the horse behind
Anna and kicked him into motion.