“Do you think it’s someone in the clan? A woman who isn’t happy you remarried?”
“Nay. I swore I wouldnae remarry, so none set their sights on me.”
“Dom, even more reason it might be a woman. If someone’s been coveting you, and you said you wouldn’t remarry but then did, that’s enough to make jealousy into vengeance.”
“Mayhap.” Dominic could see the merit in Emelie’s explanation. He’d seen plenty of men fight over jealousy, be it for a woman or something else. But it didn’t sit right with him. “Brodie said it wasna the weight of the hive that made it fall, so if someone cut it, it was likely done by a sword. A dirk would have required the culprit to get too close. Since it was most likely a sword, whoever did it had to run away quickly. There arenae any women who could do that.”
Emelie listened to Dominic and felt his explanation was more reasonable than hers. She’d seen more than one woman look appreciatively at her husband, but she had found no reason to think any of the women would act on it. “Do you think it’s one of the clan’s enemies? I don’t want to think it’s a Campbell.”
“I dinna want to think that either. But truth be told, it could be a clan member or an enemy. Em, I dinna want to tell ye to nae go anywhere, but I am nervous aboot yer safety, especially since both incidents happened within our walls.”
“Would it make ye feel better if I had a guard, even in the keep?”
“It would, but I dinna like it.”
“I know. I’m not looking forward to a second shadow. But I know it would put both of our minds at ease. If it were just me, then I wouldn’t be so quick to suggest it.” Emelie and Dominic looked at her belly, and they both placed their hands over it.
“Vera well. I will assign men I trust implicitly, and only them. How’re ye feeling?”
“Better than I expected. I ache all over, but I’m not in pain anymore.”
“Would ye like me to rub in the lavender oil Nora left?” Dominic asked. Emelie waggled her eyebrows and grinned as she nodded. “I dinna ken that ye’re up to that yet.”
“We can find out.” Emelie slipped from the bed, taking a couple gingerly steps before being sure she was steady on her feet. She retrieved the vial of oil and climbed back onto the bed. Dominic wasted no time stripping off his clothes, then rubbing the oil onto the wounds and several other places. He guided Emelie to straddle him, aware that pressing her against the mattress wasn’t wise. He gripped her hips as she ground her mound against his pubis. Emelie leaned forward, and Dominic captured her breast in his mouth, suckling as Emelie rode him. Their mouths collided as they swallowed one another’s screams as they climaxed together.
Emelie stretched out across Dominic, yawning. She relaxed as his hand held her backside and the other stroked her back. She nuzzled his neck and ran her fingers through his chestnut hair. “I think I like these moments after as much as I do the coupling, wolf.”
“I agree, sparrow. The pleasure is divine and unlike aught I ever imagined. But ma heart is so full when I can just hold ye.”
“I could lie here all day. Though your burr does something to me. I could go again right now.”
Dominic adjusted their position and sat up. He eased Emelie onto his shaft, hard once more just from being near Emelie. Their movements were small and intense as they kissed throughout this round. The pace was languid as they reveled in the feel of being joined and pressed so close together. Emelie’s head fell back as her fingernails bit into Dominic’s shoulders. His fingers dug into the generous flesh of her backside. The waves of ecstasy rolled over them until they were both depleted. They curled up with Emelie against Dominic’s side. They were soon asleep. Emelie slept throughout the day and well into the evening, and Dominic remained by her side, always within reach.
Thirteen
The next two moons passed without incident. Brodie and Dominic grew comfortable enough to go out on patrol but never together. The scouts Brodie sent discovered no evidence of strangers crossing into Campbell territory, and neither Laurel nor Emelie suffered any illnesses or accidents. At four months pregnant, there was no way to continue hiding Emelie’s condition. They announced the impending birth to the clan, and it delighted the clan to know that both the laird and their tánaiste would have bairns soon. Laurel was approaching her confinement, and Emelie encouraged her to rest in the afternoons. Brodie hovered at first when Laurel began retiring to their chambers in the afternoons, terrified she would grow mysteriously ill again. Eventually, he used Laurel’s afternoon naps as an excuse to spend time alone with his wife during the day. No one disturbed the couple.
When Dominic wasn’t on patrol, he and Emelie continued to spend their afternoons together. They went for long walks along the river, and Dominic kept his promise to teach Emelie to swim. He cheered her on as she grew more confident, and it wasn’t long until she was proficient and able to swim alongside Dominic. They finished each of Emelie’s lessons with an erotic interlude in the sun-warmed water. They never left the walls without at least four guards, but the men kept their distance when the couple shed their clothes and slipped into the bay. They visited the village often, and Dominic took Emelie to view the crops as harvest time drew near. She impressed him with her knowledge and how she estimated how much food was growing, how long it would last, and how many people it would feed. She shrugged and reminded him she hadn’t always been a lady-in-waiting. She may not be a chatelaine by title, but her mother trained her to be one since she was a young girl.
They walked arm-in-arm or holding hands whenever they ventured out together. Emelie knew Dominic was as attentive to their surroundings as he was to their conversations. They had one scare when a lone wolf emerged from a thicket, but the men easily scared it off. Emelie teased Dominic that he should be kinder to his relatives. He scooped her over his shoulder, swatted her backside, then took her to their chamber and reminded her of why she’d given him the nickname.
Their relationship grew stronger, and they enjoyed the time they spent together. But despite growing closer and it being obvious to all who surrounded them, neither confessed their feelings. There was an implicit understanding, but they also shared an apprehension that they might confuse enchantment and infatuation for love. Separately, Laurel and Brodie encouraged them to speak their feelings and to assure them that what they felt was genuine. Brodie and Laurel insisted Dominic and Emelie were the only ones who didn’t see it.
Dominic didn’t fail to see how differently the clan responded to Emelie. He pushed regret for his past marriage aside and enjoyed seeing how his people accepted his new wife. He realized one night while he was on patrol, as he lay beneath the stairs thinking about Emelie, that he no longer grieved the end of his first marriage. He didn’t grieve the loss of what he thought he had, or the theft of his future that he once felt. Instead, he realized he was happier and more fulfilled than he’d ever been before. He thanked God frequently for placing him near the royal gardens just as Emelie entered them that day. He was certain it was divine intervention that brought them together.
Emelie hurried through her duties each day to ensure she did them in time to spend the afternoon with Dominic. The highlight of her day, besides when they retired and made love, was when they chatted about their morning and discussed what they would do the next day. They often lay in the grass and watched the clouds overhead. It was one such afternoon that Emelie lay on her back, and Dominic was on his stomach. He teased a buttercup against the underside of her chin. The weather was turning since it was mid-autumn, and there weren’t as many flowers as there had been only a fortnight earlier. Emelie gasped and grabbed Dominic’s hand. She placed it on her belly and turned wide eyes to him.
“I felt it!” Dominic exclaimed. A soft but clear jab pressed against the palm of his hand. He knew Emelie had felt flutters for a few sennights, but it was the first time he’d been able to feel it. When the tiny protrusion shifted, Dominic wrapped his arm around Emelie and drew her closer. He whispered, “Our bairn.”
“Ours,” Emelie smiled blissfully. “We still haven’t settled on a name. I know we have time, and I don’t want to tempt fate by referring to our bairn by name. But I’m eager to pick. I’m rather partial to Dominic.” Emelie winked.
“Two Doms? I don’t know that the clan could manage. If our lad is aught like I was, I don’t think the aulder members want a reminder.”
“Were you really that much trouble?”
“Aye. Always. I was trying to keep up with Brodie before he left to foster. Then when he returned, I wanted to be a great warrior just like him. He never turned me away, either.” Dominic laughed. “He didn’t mind the hero worship.”
“What if we named a lad Dominic, but he went by Nic instead?”
