“You’re finished, Trick.” Jason’s voice brooked no nonsense. He set down his fork. “Find your pleasure somewhere else.”
The golden gaze settled on Kendra again and burned into hers. “Aye,” Trick said slowly, softly. “That I will.”
Eleven
THE SUN WASsetting, painting the sky in muted tones as they made their way to Trick’s home in the impressive two-seater caleche he’d driven to Cainewood. Borrowed, most likely, Kendra thought, along with the matched bay horses…at least she fervently hoped he hadn’t stolen them.
A furtive glance to the rear convinced her they weren’t being followed—she wasn’t being rescued—by any of her brothers. “I cannot believe it,” she said.
Trick gave her a long, considered look before responding in that characteristic unhurried way of his. “You cannot believe what?”
“I cannot believe I’m married. It happened so fast.”
He raked a hand through his shining hair. “Why did you go through with it?”
“I never thought it was real. Even now, I’m half-expecting one of my brothers to ride up laughing at their masterful joke.”
“They’re not coming,” Trick said.
“I know.” And she knew as well that some tiny part of her had wondered if the wedding might be real all along, and even—maybe—hoped that it was. Trick was the only man with whom she’d ever felt a sort of magic.
But that didn’t stop her from wanting to sink her claws into her too-clever brothers.
How dare they scheme like this, marrying her to a known outlaw? He could be a murderer, for all she knew! The hard length of his rapier rode in the sword belt on his right. Her brothers carried weapons as well, of course, but they didn’t draw and use them on a daily basis.
Her teeth ached from clenching them. Consciously relaxing her jaw, she took a deep breath. “I know they’re not coming. I’m so furious with them, I swear I won’t speak to them for weeks. But I still cannot believe it. All along, I was certain this was a prank.” That desperate conviction had helped her cope all the day, and it was frightening to let go of it. “I thought they were trying to teach me a lesson.”
Trick turned to her, a hint of a smile on his wide mouth. “Are you due to be taught a lesson?”
“No!” Why did his tone make her so flustered? “They refused to tell me whether you’re titled. Are you?Whoare you?”
“I’m your husband,” he said carefully. “And I agree with your brothers that that’s all you need to know for now.”
She glared at him through the growing dark. He was as obstinate as her brothers. Whatever had made her believe, even for a fleeting second, that the magic she’d felt in his arms could be enough to sustain a relationship? “I can vow not to talk to you as well, you know.”
“What makes you think I’m interested in talking tonight?”
The question was uttered in a voice so silky smooth, it robbed her of breath. “They manipulated you, too,” she said, hugging herself to hide the attack of nerves. “Aren’t you angry?”
“Aye, a bit perhaps.” He guided the caleche off the main road, onto a less-traveled path. “But not overmuch. And not at you. I know this isn’t your fault.” When she offered him a tremulous smile, his gaze softened, and his words took on the lilt of his homeland. “It’s not such a bad bargain I’ve made, aye?”
Kendra blushed wildly, thankful for the cover of darkness. A fair bargain, was she? She couldn’t think of anything to say in return to such a statement, so she remained silent, tightening her arms about her middle.
Perhaps thinking she was cold, Trick wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She should be terrified, she thought vaguely. She knew nothing of men in an intimate way, and he was a virtual stranger.
But his warmth was oddly comforting. She scooted closer, and when his long fingers rubbed up and down her arm, she melted against him, thinking about when she first saw him and how she’d wanted him to notice her. Remembering yesterday in the cottage, and how much she’d craved his kiss.
And then today, their first kiss in the chapel. Spellbinding it had been, his mouth gentle and demanding at the same time. That single indelible kiss had been everything she’d imagined and more. It had ignited a fire in her blood, making her wonder what might come next.
She’d barely become accustomed to his nearness when the caleche bumped off the path and over a grassy knoll, following a faint trail that led to the cottage. Windows glowed in the distance, the lamps inside already lit.
The cottage looked warm and welcoming, but as they rolled to a stop, she tensed. Too soon he would expect her to become his wife in more than just name, and, despite her curiosity, she wasn’t sure she could go through with it.
He helped her down and guided her inside with a hand at the small of her back, touching her where she wasn’t used to being touched. Shutting the door behind them, he eased her back against it.
Close. Entirely too close. His gaze locked on hers, his warmth penetrating the small space between them. She could smell the soap-fresh masculine scent of him—sandalwood, if she wasn’t mistaken. She wouldn’t expect a highwayman to use imported soap, but then, little about any of this had matched her expectations.
Just when she thought she might panic, he turned away. “I’m going to settle the horses, aye?”
