True Love Brides 02 - The Highlander’s Curse (25 page)

Stewart deliberately stepped on Annelise’s tracks, obscuring them forever. “Nay, my lord, I was mistaken. It must have been a wild animal that passed this way, perhaps a bear.”

“Or a wolf.” Orson shuddered as Stewart regained the road. “What now?”

Stewart sighed and tried to look discouraged. “I fear Sir Andrew speaks aright. We have lost them truly.” He rubbed his brow with apparent exhaustion. “I cannot imagine that we will find them in time to save the lady, much as it pains me to admit as much.”

Orson sighed. “That is a pity. She showed such promise, but I will not accept a soiled bride.”

Percy winced visibly at this comment, though only Stewart noted as much.

“A shame it is that Seton Manor is so long a ride from here,” Stewart said, filling his voice with regret. “The horses have need of food and rest, and I would be a happy man to have a warm meal in my belly. How many miles do you think we have covered, Sir Orson? A man could welcome a break from the saddle.”

“There is little that can be done,” Andrew said crisply, turning his steed toward Seton Manor. “There are no inns in this territory.”

Orson’s features lit. “And you know as much because you have taken this road before!” he declared with delight. “Andrew, Killairig must be near this place. Could we not impose upon your father for a night or two and see ourselves refreshed?”

“I think it too far a ride…”

“Nonsense! Even if it is farther than Seton Manor, I would see the place of your origins. Think, Andrew, that if I were more aware of Killairig and the challenges it faces, the better disposed I will be to assist you when it becomes your own.”

Andrew did not appear to be swayed by this.

Orson dropped his voice. “I could even aid you with a bride, especially if my favor has been won with a good night’s sleep.”

Stewart allowed his anticipation to show. “Truly, Sir Andrew, it would be most gracious of you to invite us to your father’s home.” He bowed low, even as Orson dropped his voice to a hiss.

“This is what I have been trying to teach you, Andrew. You must show grace in every situation, even if hospitality is not precisely yours to offer.”

Stewart bit back a smile as Andrew raised his voice, knowing the younger knight had been cornered by the older.

“Of course,” Andrew declared. “I should like very much to take the opportunity to visit. I only wished to save you any inconvenience in the journey.”

“Inconvenience, thy name is Scotland,” Orson declared. “Truly, Andrew, there is naught so barbarous as a night spent in the forest. Even if it is late when we arrive, I shall be so delighted to reach Killairig that I may kiss the threshold in my relief.”

By the time they entered the monk’s settlement, the press of the malice had disappeared. Still the tumult of the many thoughts around him confused and disoriented Garrett, making it difficult for him to get any sense of his surroundings. He might have been lost in a dense fog, striving to escape a dark menace. It was strange how his curse had become so much worse after he visited Killairig.

He was keenly aware of Annelise. Her presence was like a light in the oblivion. He drew strength from the feel of her hand upon his and the radiance of her thoughts. He did not know how long he dozed, taking solace from her touch. He was warmer than he had been, and his clothing was different. Dry. He could smell and hear horses, their thoughts at peace as they ate and dozed. A prayer came to him, one uttered in unison by several dozen men and echoing at the same time in the thoughts of all of them.

Garrett heaved a sigh. He felt much recovered, though not yet fully himself. He knew this was because of Annelise and felt a profound relief that he was no longer alone. He opened his eyes, wanting only to thank her.

Instead, he was confronted by a vision of loveliness that stole his breath away. Garrett thought at first that he was being visited by an angel, for that prayer was still resonating in his mind. The loft in the stable had fallen into darkness. There was no lantern lit, only a little silvery light from the moon, painting a patch on the floor and giving some illumination to the interior. The light glinted off the long hair of the maiden before him, which fell in loose auburn waves and hung past her hips. Her feet were bare and she wore only a sheer chemise, one that offered tempting shadows of the curves hidden beneath it.

Annelise. Garrett’s mouth went dry. She was more lovely each time he saw her. He had been entranced at first glimpse, but she had changed since then. She stood a little straighter and taller, and her smile held more confidence in her choices. Her gaze locked with his more often, instead of dropping demurely, and her eyes flashed with emerald fire. His heart pounded that she had chosen to be with him and he yearned to prove himself worthy of her.

She watched him with a smile as she pulled the comb through her silken tresses. Garrett could have stared at her for all the days and nights of his life.

Annelise put down the comb and reached for the tie of her chemise. “Good evening, husband,” she whispered. Garrett had a vague recollection that she had claimed that falsehood earlier. He might have argued with her about it, but she untied that lace and let the chemise fall over her shoulders to the floor.

Garrett could not help but look. Her breasts were sweetly rounded, her waist slim and her legs slender. She had curves enough to tempt him truly, but was so delicately wrought that he feared to injure her. He thought of Fae maidens, of flowers in the sunlight, of butterflies and small birds. Her skin was so fair that it seemed to glow in the moonlight, and her auburn hair was like a river of fire.

She dropped to her knees beside him and laid a hand upon his chest. Her hair spilled over her shoulders to tumble against him and Garrett could not keep himself from touching it. It was soft, so very soft, that he wanted to bury his fingers within it. She bent and touched her lips fleetingly to his, sending heat firing through his veins.

“Annelise, you must not,” he whispered, remembering her intent to seduce him. He wanted to claim her so much and knew that he was in no state to deny temptation. He yearned to possess her and feared that if she touched him more than she had thus far, he would not be able to resist her.

“I must,” she said firmly. “I told you of this once but ceded to your notion of what would be right. And so it is that we are pursued and no stronger in our situation than before.” There was a thread of steel in her voice, one that astonished him as much as the determination in her eyes. “We will do this, Garrett, for I have decided. It will ensure that Alexander cannot deny my choice.”

“But we are not wed. I would not dishonor you, Annelise…”

He managed to say no more for she silenced him with a kiss.

“Marriage is the sole sacrament for which we have no need of a priest,” she said, her fingers unlacing his jerkin with distracting speed. “I trust you or I would not choose you for my husband.” She had pushed the jerkin from his shoulders and untied his chemise before he could stop her—and indeed, he was losing what little resolve he had to halt her deed. Her hands were on his bare chest, her fingers looking small and delicate against his skin. She ran the flat of her palms over him, admiration in her eyes. “You are well wrought, husband,” she whispered, mischief in her expression.

“Annelise, you dare too much.”

“And you argue too much.” Her eyes sparkled. “I might come to believe that you do not truly desire me.”

Garrett opened his mouth to argue that, but then her fingers fell to his waist. He caught his breath at her sure caress, then glimpsed her smile.

“But I know you do,” she confessed.

Garrett did not know what to say. The combination of her confidence and her innocence left him thrilled but wary of moving too quickly. He resolved to let her set the pace, that she might better discover the differences between their bodies.

She stood and reached for a bucket that he only noted now and dipped a sponge into the water within it. As he watched, transfixed, she washed herself from head to toe. Garrett watched the soap lather against her skin and the water run in rivulets over her body. He braced himself on his elbow and would have risen to assist her, but Annelise halted him with a fingertip.

“I want you to see all that I am,” she said.

Garrett reluctantly remained in place, wondering what his maiden had planned. She turned before him as she washed herself, casting him glances filled with temptation even as she blushed. He looked upon her and admired her, his desire doubling and redoubling. He could smell her and see her, and there was naught in his thoughts but Annelise.

And how he would make her his own.

When finally her skin was clean and glowing, she dried herself with much deliberation. Then she returned to kneel beside him again, that playful smile curving her lips. Her hand slid under his tartan to close over his erection and Garrett was overwhelmed by her touch. He whispered her name and she laughed.

“Do you cede to my demand, husband?”

“I am powerless to do otherwise. And it would be churlish to deny a lady.” He could not help but tease her. “If you were not a maiden, I might have thought you planned to make it impossible for me to resist you.”

Annelise laughed. She stroked him with her fingertips, her touch making him dizzy. “I am not so innocent as you might expect, husband,” she whispered, her eyes dancing. “I have witnessed the breeding of the mares at Kinfairlie and have heard much in the whispers of my wedded sisters.” Her fingers stroked him with surety, making him gasp. “I know what is here and where it must go.” She bit her lip, her anticipation clear. “Though this will be the first of a man that I have seen.”

It was all Garrett could do to lie back and let her explore him. Annelise hesitated only a moment before she unwrapped his kilt and spread the tartan wide. Garrett inhaled sharply as his erection was freed from the constraint of the cloth. Annelise’s lips parted as she looked upon him. “So large,” she murmured, her gaze darting to his as her confidence faltered.

He needed no more encouragement than that to take command. Garrett caught Annelise in his arms and rolled her beneath him, capturing her lips beneath his. He had been sleeping on a heavy cloak, nestled upon a bed of straw. Annelise’s skin was as fair as moonlight in contrast to the dark wool. Or perhaps she was a pearl in a rough setting. Either way, Garrett would ensure that she had no regrets. He kissed her slowly and thoroughly, enticing her to enjoy the pleasure they could share. Her fingers wound into his hair, pulling him closer, then her arms wound around his neck. She opened her mouth to him and he partook of the feast she offered, using his lips and tongue and teeth to make her gasp with pleasure.

“There is no need for haste,” he whispered in her ear, delighting in her shiver. “For this is a deed that is better for being anticipated.”

“Show me,” she whispered and he could not refuse her.

“First, we must learn of each other,” he said, running his hand down the length of her. Her eyes sparkled as she stared up at him. He kissed her lips with leisure, then trailed a row of kisses to her ear. “And there is no better way to do so than with the lips,” he confided, nipping at her earlobe, then flicking his tongue across it. He blew softly on her ear, making her shiver, then speared his fingers through her hair. He kissed her temple, her eyelids, the tip of her nose, then her mouth again, savoring how Annelise melted in his embrace. He kissed her chin, her throat, then feathered kisses over first one shoulder and then the other. Her collarbone received similar attention, a trio of kisses landing in the hollow of her throat. Annelise kept her hands on his shoulders and closed her eyes, surrendering to him so completely that Garrett’s breath caught.

Her breasts he caressed first, cupping each in one hand and sliding his palms across her taut nipples. Then he followed the path of his hands with his lips, kissing each in turn. Annelise shivered, then gasped as he took one peak in his mouth. He suckled her, working the nipple to a tighter bead, then grazed it with his teeth. She whispered his name, but he held fast to her waist as he bent the same attention upon the other breast. He could smell the heat between her thighs and was determined that she should be as ready for him as possible.

He abandoned her breasts with reluctance, then trailed kisses to her navel, holding her hips captive as he rolled his tongue within the hollow. Annelise, it was revealed, was ticklish and his move made her giggle and squirm. She protested, bracing herself on her elbows to watch him with sparkling eyes. Garrett smiled at her, pressing a kiss to the mound at the apex of her thighs. He watched her swallow and her smile fade, then he turned to consider her feet.

His maiden had need of a little more encouragement. Garrett caught one perfect foot in his hand and kissed her arch, discovering another ticklish spot. There was still water between her toes and he eased it away with the cloth, holding her fast as he ensured that her feet were dry. She protested, for that tickled as well, but he liked how she laughed and was put at ease. When he kissed the soft flesh on the inside of her ankle, her laughter died and her gaze locked upon him. He held her gaze, even as he trailed kisses up the inside of her shin. He paused to caress the backs of her knees, but Annelise was ticklish no longer.

He held her gaze as he knelt between her ankles, and placed his hands upon her knees. He gently pushed her thighs apart and she spread them wide even as she watched him, her cheeks flushed with anticipation. He smiled at her, then ran a line of kisses up each thigh.