The Bride and the Brute (11 page)

That he couldn’t understand how much he loved her? A growl of anguish tore loose from his throat.

“Oh, Jayce,” he whispered. “Forgive me. Please forgive me.” He kissed her cheek and her eyes. “I’ve been so stupid. So blind. I love you,” he moaned. “I love you.” He pressed a kiss to the side of her throat, to her chin, to her cheek.

Then he felt her move. Her hand slid over his back, around his shoulder.

Reese pulled away, gazing down into her face. Her skin was wet, and Reese tried to dry it with his tunic sleeve, but he quickly realized how useless that was a second after he ran the rain-soaked fabric across her cheeks.

Jayce’s eyelids fluttered and then, like the sun emerging from behind a dark cloud, her eyes opened. She stared at him for a long moment with those deep blue eyes, her gaze moving over his face. Reese’s agonized stare drank in her beauty, her glorious lips, her wondrous eyes; he drank like a man who had been stranded in the desert and was suddenly given a flask of cool water to quench his parched throat. He bent and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then to her lips, murmuring, “Jayce. Oh, Jayce.” His arms engulfed her, drawing her closer. He coaxed her to open to his kiss and she obeyed. As he tasted the sweet recesses of her mouth, his blood pounded through his veins. His relief and frustration gave way to a fierce and fiery passion that consumed him.

Her kiss swept him like the lashing winds of a storm; her hands swirled around him, pulling at his shoulders. But the fury of these winds was something he never wanted to abate.

Frantically, Reese pushed at her dress, sweeping it aside to reveal her glorious breast. He lowered his lips to the tip, licking and sucking it with an intensity beyond reason, beyond comprehension.

Lightning flashed and sizzled all around them.

Reese’s other hand traced the curve of her back, down to her rounded bottom, pulling her tight against him.

Jayce groaned beneath his touches, running her hands through his wet hair, over his strong shoulders.

Rain cascaded around them, splashing through the trees, drenching them.

Reese eased her dress up, higher and higher until he touched her naked thigh and she gasped, touching his hand. The rain made the path slick and smooth, inflaming his already uncontrollable passion.

He blazed a trail of hot kisses down her neck, over the soft ridge of her collarbone. In the next instant his passion rose to tidal-wave heights as he reached down and unlaced his leggings, freeing his manhood. He was burning with a raw want, a desire so desperate, that it boiled his blood, searing his very skin. He barely heard the clap of thunder, didn’t see anything but two round pools of blue staring at him with the same desire, the same passion. It was as if they were one.

His hand moved across her womanly curves to the opposite thigh, reveling in the feel of her body. She instinctively arched toward his hand. Reese lowered himself to her, claiming her kiss-swollen, rain-wet lips in a final attempt at control.

She groaned and squirmed beneath him.

He felt her wetness against his manhood and moved forward to feel the heat of her core. He clenched his teeth, fighting a losing battle against the raging want threatening to sweep him away before he had claimed her. Then he thrust forward, driving into her. He felt her stiffen beneath him, felt the pain that pierced her body.

Reese groaned softly in anguish at having caused her further hurt.

Jayce moved her hips in a slow, tentative movement.

Reese couldn’t help himself. He moved with her, and, like a summer storm, the tempo built until Jayce matched his thrusts, raising her hips to welcome him. Reese kissed her savagely, hungrily devouring her.

As Reese watched, her face blossomed beneath the rain, and contented joy spread across her features. Thunder boomed in the sky, rocking her body with its might. Reese heard Jayce cry out as the heavens shattered around her.

Lightning lit up the sky, illuminating Jayce’s face. Reese had never witnessed a more captivating sight, a more wondrously glorious vision. Then, thunder rocked the ground, and he stiffened, exploding into her.

*****

He wore a grin on his face and a dark look in his eyes that promised much, much more.

A shy smile curved Jayce’s lips.

He scooped her up into his arms and trapped her tightly against his body. “Are you hurt?”

he asked.

She shook her head.

As he bent over her, drops of water fell from his face and trailed down her cheek like tears.

“I’m so sorry, Jayce,” Reese whispered. “I’ve been a brute to you. There’s no reason for it. I’ve treated you horribly. I’m sorry.”

Jayce stared up at him and he averted his eyes.

“I never intended to have our marriage annulled,” Reese told her. “I wrote that letter before you arrived at Castle Harrington. But once I laid eyes on you I knew...”

“Knew what?” Jayce wondered.

Reese swallowed hard and lifted his gaze to lock with hers. “I knew I wasn’t going to have our marriage annulled,” he admitted.

“But you said---”

“I’ve been a fool. The biggest fool there is.”

“No,” Jayce stopped his confession, pressing her fingertips to his lips. “Not a fool. A man trying to live by his honor. It was unforgivable what my father did to you. Had I known---”

“I owe him everything. Had he not kidnapped Nicole, had he not forced me to marry you, I never would have known you. And that would have been the greatest loss of my life.” He swept her up into his arms, pressing his lips to hers.

Thunder quaked in the sky, but Jayce was no longer frightened. Now, the memory of thunder would not be linked to her mother’s death, but would be wedded to a new beginning.

Reese walked to his horse and gently placed her on Satan.

Jayce gasped. “You rode Satan!”

“I’m just full of surprises,” he murmured, still holding her hand tightly in his own. He gazed up at her adoringly. “You are now truly the lady of Castle Harrington,” Reese proclaimed softly. “I would like nothing more than the honor of having you as my wife.”

The smile that filled her heart and soul and face was unquenchable. “Oh, Reese,” she sighed. “You’ve had my hand and my heart since the day we met.”

As Jayce gazed into her husband’s contented eyes, she knew that she had tamed her brute.

The End

Thank You

Thank you for reading
The Bride and The Brute
! I wanted to give this novella away free to my readers as a way of saying thank you for choosing my books. I hope you enjoyed this story. I’d love to hear what you thought of my novels.

Please drop me an email at my website
– www.laurel-odonnell.com

Laurel O’Donnell

Laurel O’Donnell Book List and Excerpts

You can read a brief excerpt and sample chapters from each of the books listed below by continuing through the ebook or clicking the Excerpt or Sample Chapters links. You will also find a cover gallery for the books below as well.

Medieval Romance Novels:

The Angel and the Prince -
Excerpt -
Sample Chapters

In this exciting medieval romance, the French lady knight known as the Angel of Death wages a battle of wills and desires against her dreaded enemy --- the English warrior known as the Prince of Darkness. An epic medieval romance.

Champion of the Heart -
Excerpt -
Sample Chapters

Fox Mercer watches in horror as his father’s knighthood, lands and nobility are all torn from him. Banished into disgrace, Fox waits for the moment to strike to avenge his family’s honor.

And that moment arises when a tournament is announced --- a battle of champions wherein the winner gets to claim a very lovely prize…

A Knight of Honor -
Excerpt -
Sample Chapters

Taylor Sullivan is a raven-haired hellion fleeing the flames that destroyed her family. She arms herself with a quick sword and a sharp tongue, hiring herself out as a mercenary, willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Slane Donovan is a knight of honor, sworn to uphold his oath and his word. He seeks the woman who wears the Sullivan ring, determined to bring her back to Castle Donovan. A fast paced medieval romance filled with action.

Midnight Shadow -
Excerpt -
Sample Chapters

Disguised as the legendary hero known as the Midnight Shadow, Lady Bria Delaney swears to rid the land of Lord Terran Knowles’ cruel tyranny. She is stunned to encounter him in her father’s castle --- one of the many suitors vying for her hand. Captivated by his darkly intent gaze, Bria struggles to suppress her fierce attraction to the very enemy she has secretly promised to destroy. A Robin-Hood style medieval romance with a twist.

The Lady and the Falconer -
Excerpt -
Sample Chapters

A mysterious falconer infiltrates Castle Fulton during a siege, intent on reclaiming what is rightfully his. When the handsome stranger lays eyes and hands on Lady Solace Farindale, all of his plans of revenge start to crumble around him...

Paranormal Romance Novels:

Immortal Death -
Excerpt

Jade Smith’s supernaturally fast ability to heal has made her a freak. After years of fearful reactions from others, she stays hidden in the shadows of life. The one thing that keeps her sane is her writing -- and her wonderful Demetrius, an imaginary vampire fighter character she created in her online stories. But when Demetrius suddenly appears in her apartment, her life changes forever…

Urban Fantasy:

Lost Souls: Resurrection - Episode 1 -
Excerpt

The first episode in the new urban fantasy series: Lost Souls.

Christian Thompson is killed but refuses to pass into the afterlife because of his need to shelter his daughter from her cruel mother. He soon discovers there are others like him, other spirits trapped between the world of the living and the dead. He joins the Lost Souls in their struggle against a dark evil that threatens them all.

The Angel and the Prince - Excerpt

Ryen moved closer, slowly, her gaze appraising him, his body. He was no disappointment there. The urge to touch him was overwhelming. She stretched her fingers toward him and touched the hair on his naked chest, running her hands along his torso, marveling at the size of his muscles. They were hard, sculptured curves of warm flesh. Magnificent, she thought. The smell of him, the heady musky scent of him, enveloped her.

Her prisoner stirred, his head moving slightly from side to side, as if he were struggling to clear his mind. His head slowly lifted. A thrill of anticipation touched Ryen’s spine as his dark eyes, the eyes of midnight, rose like the moon to gleam at her.

“Enjoying yourself?” he asked, his voice low, suggestive.

Through the darkness he wore like a veil, she saw the flash of his white teeth. Ryen pulled her hands away and watched the shadows slide off his features as his face slowly came into the flame’s light. A shiver snaked its way up her spine. The candlelight revealed a sensual mouth with a cynical twist to it, a Spartan chin hewn from an ancient line of warriors.

Ryen realized that she had been holding her breath and released it slowly in admiration. She could not believe the sight that greeted her. This is the man who was born without a heart? The man who is in league with the devil? The most feared barbarian in all of England?

Then how can he be so handsome?

The Angel and the Prince Bonus Chapters Preview

Champion of the Heart - Excerpt

“I told you before you could not escape,” he whispered hotly.

He held her firmly against the wall, his body pressed against hers.

Jordan knew he spoke the truth, but not the truth as he believed it. It was the truth as she knew it. How could she escape from Fox? And how could her children ever depend on her again if she couldn’t fight to get to them? She couldn’t hold even a trembling dagger to Fox.

Uselessness, frustration, and helplessness all welled up inside her, spinning and churning until Jordan couldn’t keep her feelings inside. Warm tears slipped from her eyes and dripped onto her cheeks, and her body trembled with a sob.

Fox placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his, studying it for an eternal moment in which Jordan fought hard to bury her feelings. She lifted her chin slightly, waiting for his scorn, waiting for his berating words.

But when the silence stretched on, she lifted her gaze to his. She was unprepared for the tenderness she saw in those blue depths. He lifted a finger to trace the path of one of her tears.

Then he pulled his hand away from her, slowly rubbing the tear in his fingers, staring at the glistening drop for a moment.

His blue eyes seemed confused, and a slight scowl marred his brow as he continued to inspect the tear on his fingertip. Then he looked at her again and his gaze swept every inch of her face. A warmth spread throughout her body that suddenly brought her senses to life, sharpening them. The muscles in his strong chest pressed against her breasts. The power in his thighs crushed against her. And something dangerous stirred inside her -- something powerful threatened to engulf her.

Her vision dropped to his lips, lips that were so sensual, so entrancing. Lips that were slowly moving closer and closer.

Jordan didn’t fight him; she wanted to feel his kiss. She wanted the intoxicating feeling rushing through her body to grow. His kiss would only make the dangerously delicious sensation run wild inside of her.

And then his lips closed over hers, a startlingly gentle caress, a warm, wet brush of his lips.

But with that simple touch, exhilaration filled Jordan’s body. It was unlike anything she had ever felt, tender and warm, but filled with a fiery spice all the same.