In Bed With A Stranger(14)

He lay down beside her but remained on his side. She felt his stare on  her as she tried to banish the feel of his kiss from her lips.

She forgot to pray as her body tingled and longed for more kisses.

Along with ones applied to her nipples.

Her thoughts made her sleep restless, and she turned and twisted on the  hard ground. She opened her eyes half a dozen times during the night,  staring at the shapes of the men around her. Her mind tossed about the  idea of escape but she conquered that weakness by thinking of her  family. If she ran away, she was abandoning them to Philipa's wrath.

A soft grunt filled her ear as Brodick shifted. He reached across her  body and hooked her around the waist. Pulling her snug against him, he  kept her still as she wiggled in his embrace.

"You need some rest and so do I," he whispered into her ear as his front  pressed against her back. She was a great deal warmer with his body  sharing his heat with her. But she also caught his scent and it awakened  the need that had been so hard to resist while he kissed her. She  shifted, trying to find some way to escape the smell of his warm skin.

"Keep rubbing against my cock and ye'll have to live without that inspection."

She gasped, looking around them, but his men had lay down several paces  from them. His lips grazed her neck. His hand slid down to her belly,  keeping her still as his lower body remained in firm contact with her  bottom. Even through all the layers of her skirt and cloak, there was  the unmistakable bulge of his cock. It was hard and her passage suddenly  felt empty as though she would enjoy having it invade her sheath.

"Ye see how well suited we are."

"Lust does not prove compatibility."

He raised his head so that their eyes met in the dark. "It is a fine  place to start." He rubbed her mons, boldly touching it for the first  time.

"Stop that."

"Ye're my wife, mine to touch by blessing of the church and yer family.  Why would I stop doing something that yer face tells me ye're enjoying?"

Pleasure burned up her passage as his hand moved. His eyes glittered as  his lips thinned. There was no mercy on his face as his hand remained  over her mons, moving in a steady motion.

"Close yer eyes and sleep or I'm going to take ye back to the riverbank  to settle this question. Keep waking me up and it will be yer duty to  entertain me, Wife."

She closed her eyes in spite of her temper. Several retorts formed in  her mind and she bit them back. A soft kiss landed on one cheek before  he pulled his hand away from her mons. He settled it around her waist,  clamping her against him from toes to chin.

"I'm nae a brute, Mary. But avoiding me will nae make this adjustment  any easier. Some things are best done quickly. That way ye nae have time  to dread them."

She scoffed at him, the sound leaving her lips without thought. He  chuckled, nuzzling against her neck for a long moment before settling  back behind her, his scent keeping her passion alive and hot. She tried  to sleep once more but her body wasn't interested in rest. It longed for  more touches, more pleasure. Her clitoris was pulsing softly with need  as her passage craved penetration. There was no escape from the lust as  long as Brodick held her tight against him. Her body wanted his and she  couldn't escape thinking about him while he held her. Time stretched,  the night longer than any she had ever endured.         

     



 





Chapter Five


Brodick rose before the sun. He huffed as he got to his feet, his  expression disgruntled. With one hooded-eye look, the earl walked away  to rub the neck of his horse.

"That cloak is too bulky for riding." Druce held out a hand for it.

Surrendering the garment took courage because the morning was chilly.  But the Scotsman was correct. If she tried to sit side-saddle on the  mare with the fabric beneath her hip, she'd likely land on the trail in a  heap.

"Here, lass. You have thin blood." Cullen draped a thick surcoat over  her shoulders, pausing to wink at her. "We only left your trunk behind,  nae your clothing. It's all tied to the back of one of the mares."

Anne fingered the surcoat, grateful for its warmth. With deep slits up  the sides, it allowed for riding while wearing it. It was wool, edged in  true velvet. The expensive fabric was neatly sewn around the openings  to the arms and where the front closed. Carefully knotted silk cord  frogs ran down the front of the loose gown. She noticed a loose thread  and plucked it free. Staring at it, she looked down the front of the  coat to see others sticking up. All were evenly spaced, denoting where  pearls had been placed. Mary must have spent several hours removing the  pearl beads from the clothing that had been sent with Anne. All of her  court-loving sibling's garments were embellished with pearls, gold, and  even some gems.

Cullen had rejoined the men, their voices gaining volume as the sun  rose. Clutching the surcoat close, she enjoyed its warmth. Even if the  pearls had been removed, it was a fine garment, thick and sturdy.

The black steed was missing. Lifting her chin, she scanned the trail,  searching for the earl. There was something very comforting in keeping  the man in sight. She found him sitting much further up the slope, his  eyes on the horizon.

"Will ye stop undressing the man with yer eyes, lass? I'm becoming jealous."

Cullen led her mare to her, his voice full of mockery.

"I am not … " The idea of undressing Brodick got stuck in her throat.

"Nae what?" Cullen smirked at her.

"I simply am not." Reaching for the saddle horn, she lifted her foot and  lodged it in the stirrup. A hard hand pushed her up, square on her  bottom, making her gasp.

Cullen wasn't repentant a bit when she cast a disgruntled look at him  from atop the horse. He tugged on the corner of his knitted hat.

"You're welcome."

He swatted her mare on the flank and she took to the trail. The mare  eagerly climbed toward the earl, as the rest of his men mounted. They  surrounded her, keeping her mare between them, Brodick watching from his  position above them. As they drew closer, she thought she noticed a  satisfied smile on his lips, but he turned, showing her his broad back  before she decided.

"Sterling." Brodick's voice echoed in the early morning as his hand rose, the fingers clenched tight in a fist.

"Sterling," his men answered, their cheer almost deafening. Even the  horses appeared to catch on to the enthusiasm of their riders, picking  up their hooves faster. A flicker of excitement surprised her, washing  through her as she looked up at the back of the earl. His men followed  him happily and without fear. It was a stark contrast to the years she'd  served Lady Philipa. Every servant under her spoke against the lady  when they were below floors. She hadn't truly realized just how bleak  Warwickshire was until she saw the opposite displayed by Brodick's men.  For a brief moment, Anne allowed herself to enjoy the tide of  contentment. But she couldn't take solace in it too long.

Her position was not going to improve once they arrived at Sterling. It  was only going to become harder to avoid Brodick and his expectations. A  little ripple of guilt hit her. She didn't want to disappoint him.  Shocked by her own emotions, Anne tried to resign herself to following  her plans. Postponing the consummation was critical to her survival.

Yet a flicker of passion flared up as she considered Brodick's back. His  hair was slightly curled, and long enough to brush the top of his  shoulders. His shirt was tied up at the shoulders, displaying the hard  cut of muscle along his arms. Her memory offered up exactly how good  that strength felt.         

     



 

Pandora's box …

Tension pooled in her belly as she recalled how his kiss had awakened  her flesh. It made her bold, those kisses. The sort that sent good women  down a road paved with disgrace. With a shake of her head, she chewed  on her lower lip, trying to concoct some reason to delay the inspection.

There had to be a way … she just had yet to think of it.

Warwickshire

Ivy Copper hugged Bonnie tighter than normal.

"Mother, is something wrong?"

Cupping Bonnie's fair cheeks in her hands, Ivy smiled. "No, sweet, I am just a mother and we always see our children as babes."

Bonnie gave her another hug before dancing off across the chamber. "I  must go or be late. We are weaving today. No more spinning or carding  wool."

Ivy waved her towards her duty, waiting until she heard Bonnie's steps  diminish before allowing her guard to drop and worry lines to appear on  her face.

Anne was gone from the castle.

Worry filled her as she began to pace. None of her children had ever  left Warwickshire. Perhaps she was foolish to let it unsettle her, for  the young often traveled, but she could not stop her mind from turning  and twisting. She feared that something was amiss even though her common  sense told her that she was only enduring a mother's grief.

She wished the earl were in residence.