“Ah, but having ye sitting on the front of my horse, pressed against me, is far more stimulating.” His lips grazed her neck and she started as sensation coursed through her. There was a soft chuckle beside her ear before he pressed a second kiss to her sensitive skin.
“It feels like ye agree with me, Wife.”
Brodick didn’t wait for her reply; he wrapped the reins tightly around his knuckles and dug his heels into the belly of his steed. He leaned forward as the powerful horse leapt forward, moving in fluid motion with the animal, his hips thrusting gently forward. The arm clamping her to him ensured that their bodies moved in unison. A blush burned across her face as her body instantly connected the motion with that of being intimate. Brodick would ride her as smoothly as he was riding the horse, his motions steady and strong.
She had never been one to believe completely in the Church’s teachings about keeping women ignorant to keep them from sinning. Since meeting Brodick, her mind was shifting to better understanding of why the Church believed that way. Just knowing that the man intended to take her maidenhead was giving rise to thoughts of lust. In sooth, she had difficulty banishing the heated ideas from her mind. All she seemed to do was linger in thoughts of how his kiss felt or how much she enjoyed the steady thrusting motion of his hips behind her now. Heat spread down her neck and across her body, the skin on her belly begging for contact with the hard hand lying on top of her doublet. The strange sensations didn’t stop there either; they flowed down lower, touching her sex.
She drew in a ragged breath as she felt her clitoris flicker with need. Never once had she felt so interested in entertaining a man.
“Welcome to Sterling, Wife.”
Brodick rode through the gates, keeping her tightly clasped against his body. She felt more like a captive than any sedately negotiated bride. People filled the lower courtyard, their voices raised in a cheer as Brodick galloped toward the steps that led up into one of the stone towers. He pulled the horse to a stop, a cloud of dust rising up around them.
“I bring ye yer new mistress.”
Brodick’s voice was full of command as he dismounted. She was suddenly the center of attention, every set of eyes on her. Unused to the attention, her chin began to lower, but she caught herself and held her head firmly in place.
She was not a coward and would not shame her father by acting as one.
Two hands encircled her waist, pulling her toward the lord of the manor. She reached for his shoulders, letting her hands grip him. The onlookers cheered as Brodick brought her to the ground. His gaze flickered with heat as he held her for a long moment.
“Welcome to my home.” His voice was gruff, and guilt assailed her. She was helping to steal the moment from him with her deception. The man deserved better.
Suspicion clouded his face as he watched her, but the crowd wasn’t in the mood to wait. They jostled Brodick in their quest to get closer to her.
“Later.” There was a warning contained in his voice, one that pierced her heart because although she might not know very much about him, she trusted that he was not a man who would allow anyone to dupe him without retribution. She suddenly dreaded the day he discovered the deception.
He turned around, keeping her hand in his grip. Striding forward, he took her up the stairs and into one of the round towers.
“Sterling is larger than Warwickshire. Mind that ye don’t get lost.” He turned his keen stare towards her. “Or wander off. The neighboring clans are not as welcoming.”
“Listen to you.” A dark-haired girl boldly interrupted Brodick, aiming a finger at his chest. “Ye’ll have her cowering beneath the covers of her bed, thinking Scotland is full of bloodthirsty savages.”
“And that’s what I love about it.” Cullen added his comment as he hooked the girl around the waist to pull her into a hug. She hissed at him, wiggling.
“Stop messing my hair, you oaf.”
Brodick squeezed Anne’s fingers, and returning her attention to his face, she stared at the unguarded expression. It reminded her so very much of her father when he was behind the closed door of her mother’s rooms. There was an enjoyment of the banter that hinted at family intimacy.
“This is my sister, Fiona. She’s vain concerning her hair.”
Fiona tossed her head, settling one hand on her hip. She looked formidable, much more so than any titled lady Anne had ever seen.
“I am only vain if you don’t have standards above those of the stable animals, Brother dearest.”
Brodick frowned, aiming a hard look at his sister. “I take pride in my horses. Best kept animals in Scotland.”
His stern reprimand made Anne laugh, a soft sound escaping her lips before she stilled it. Brodick’s eyes narrowed.