“I don’t think it would work.” Morren eyed the men, who were covered in splattered snow.
“If he’s denying you in bed, I’d say you have more than a few reasons to knock him about.” Aileen reached down and formed a tight ball of snow. “You’re a woman. The best form of revenge is to drive him wild with wanting you.”
“But I don’t know how.” The very idea of trying to seduce Trahern, though it fascinated her, made her feel like an awkward girl of thirteen. Was she supposed to strip off her clothing? Throw herself at him?
“Deny him,” Aileen said. “Use your body to tell him that he can look, but he can’t touch. Believe me, it won’t take more than a few hours to convince him to be with you. MacEgan men are hot-blooded. I know that, well enough.” She handed Morren the snow ball. “Go and teach him a lesson.”
Morren sent Aileen a hopeful smile. “I just might.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Aslushyshowerofsnow struck him on the back of the neck. Trahern spun, ready to fire his own packed ball. When he saw Morren standing behind him, he was taken aback.
“Did you just—“ His words were cut off when she hurled another ball at him, striking at his shoulder. “Now that was a mistake, Morren.” He strode forward, hurling the ball at her shoulder. It exploded on impact, dousing her with wet snow.
“I’m not a bit sorry for it.” Her mouth curved upwards, and he realized that she was using the snow fight as a means of releasing her anger and frustration.
When another snowball struck him, he whirled and saw Ewan was the guilty party. Before he could return the blow, Morren had struck Ewan across the face with another snowball.
“Good shot,” he murmured.
She sent him a conspiratorial smile. As the fight continued with his brothers, Morren proved that her arm was as good as she’d boasted. Even when his brothers ran to try and avoid her, she managed to nick them with the snow.
Gunnar joined them, and hisLochlannachbrother proved to have as strong an aim as his wife. The three of them allied together against Connor, Aileen, Patrick, and Isabel. After nearly an hour, all of them were soaked, and freezing.
“Lucky bastard,” Gunnar muttered. “At least you’ve a woman to warm your bed tonight. “I’ll be sleeping in the Great Chamber on the floor with nothing but the dogs.”
Trahern knocked him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, brother. If you kiss them sweetly, the right dog might snuggle up to you.”
Gunnar swore at him in the Norse tongue, but his meaning was more than clear.
Morren started to walk up the stairs, but Trahern shadowed her. Though it seemed she was less angry with him, he didn’t know what else to say to her. He tried to think up arguments that would make sense to her, rational ways of explaining why they should not be intimate with each other.
But every last word fled his brain when he saw her standing on the far side of the room, removing her gown. She moved slowly, peeling off the damp wool and lifting it away. Theléineunderdress was next to go, baring her long legs and taut bottom.
His mouth went dry when he saw her naked, her back to him. She ran her hands through her long golden hair, squeezing water from the ends. And when she turned to face him, the damp locks framed her tight nipples.
Sweet Jesu. Was she trying to kill him, then?
Yes. Yes, she was. With slow, sure steps, she walked towards the bed and got beneath the coverlet. Trahern gritted his teeth and removed his own wet clothing, laying it out to dry. His teeth chattered as he slid into the bed beside her. The raw need to touch her, to be with Morren, coursed through him. His shaft was rigid with desire, his hands clenching the mattress.
Abruptly, she turned to face him. Though she huddled beneath the coverlet, she offered a faint smile. “That was fun.”
It had been, but he could think of more fun things they could be doing right now. He gave a nod. “It was.”
“Patrick said it would be clear enough that we can leave on the morrow for Glen Omrigh.”
“Yes.” He could hardly trust himself to speak more than a word or two. She was tormenting him, knowing that her smooth naked skin was just inches away from his touch.
“I’m a little cold,” she said suddenly. Before he could say another word, she turned her back to him and nestled her bottom against his erection. She brought his arms around her, and his fingertips brushed against the curve of her breasts. “You don’t mind keeping me warm, do you?”
He bit his tongue to keep from growling when she nudged her bottom higher, bringing his manhood against the seam of her legs. If she opened to him, it would be effortless to slide within her.
“I know what you’re doing,” he said. “It’s not going to work.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said. “You, yourself said that there was nothing wrong with giving each other pleasure in other ways.” Her hand reached around and her fingers closed around his heated length.
With one firm stroke, she took apart all the reasons for not touching her. He forced her to turn and took her mouth. Her leg lifted around his hip in wordless invitation. The kiss drowned out his protests, the warmth of her skin pushing away all thoughts of self-control.
