“So ye do not wish to be a wife?” Darragh’s expression had softened considerably, but his intent gaze set her heart to fluttering, that kiss immediately coming to mind. It had been nothing like the tight-lipped peck her brother’s friend had “stolen.” That one had left her wondering what the fuss was all about.
“I… did not say that… exactly.”
“No. Ye did not.” He urged his horse nearer, close enough to touch, and covered her hand with his own. Darragh continued. “Instead, ye tell me ye believe I want a woman like my mother for a wife.”
Had she said that? “She is the perfect wife. Why would ye desire less?”
Darragh’s heated gaze swept along her length, making her heart race again.
When he faced her, his words confirmed what she’d seen in his eyes. “Desire is a strange thing.”
She wrestled with a response, something light and witty, but her mind was blank. Her body, however, became acutely attuned to him when he leaned in closer, the musky scent of him drifting to her.
“Listen closely. I haveneversaid I wished to wed a woman like my mother.” His low voice soothed her as did his palm, sliding up her arm to slip beneath the heavy weight of her hair. His skin hot against hers. “Never.”
With a gentle tug, Darragh pulled her toward him, meeting her halfway. His lips were persistent, his tongue sweeping out to dampen her own, making the sensation even more intense. The urgency of it stole her breath away. This was the kissing she remembered. The kissing she’d thought about while alone in her bed, the other lasses snoring quietly around her. When he stopped, it took her a moment to get her senses back, to open her eyes.
“I promise ye, Brighit.” he spoke the words in the tiny space between their mouths. “Mydesire is for more. Much more. And I promise I willnotsettle for less.”
His words and his heated gaze confirmed it. He desired her. Her! He drew her onto his lap and then slipped his hands along her sides, caressing her, and he deepened their kiss until his tongue was sparring with her own. His desire sparked an answering fire inside her. A need she couldn’t name. A need she wanted him to see to.
When he finally broke the intoxicating kiss, he was breathing hard. “Oh Brighit. Never believe I would compare ye to another. Ye will not be found lacking becauseIwill teach ye the only things ye need to know.”
“Yewill teach me?” Memories of the other lasses flashed in her mind. Their disdainful expressions and the condescending comments they’d made about her attempts to clean the fall vegetables—those darn leeks. All she’d managed to do was mutilate them.
He smiled, his gaze gliding over her face and his hand caressing her cheek. “I will take great pleasure in teaching ye.”
His touch was gentle, and her eyes drifted closed before they widened when she realized what he’d said. She doubted there were any womanly chores she would find pleasant. Better she admits her shortcomings now. “I confess I never cared to learn what other woman so enjoy doing.”
“I will see that ye enjoy what I teach ye.” He nuzzled her neck, sending goose bumps along her arm. “I promise ye much enjoyment.”
Darragh pulled away and heaved a great sigh. His confident tone settled her somewhat, although she would have liked to continue with the kissing. And the touching. She didn’t like this feeling of restlessness he’d sparked in her. The guards around them had their backs respectfully turned.
“I am a good learner.” For some reason she felt the need to reassure him of this.
“Oh, I believe ye, dear Brighit.”
Brighit had the distinct impression he was truly pleased with her, barely able to contain his joy, she’d venture. But something gnawed at her.
I will teach ye the only things ye need to know.
Her hackles raised, she said, “Ye misunderstand me.”
A quirk of his brow. An expression of warning. She ignored it and pushed on.
“I do not come to ye without skills. I come without the skills of other wives. I have been well trained in hunting and trapping, in battle strategy and combat. When ye leave ourtúath, ye will not leave yer clan unprotected.”
“I may never be king.I may never have my owntúath.
“That is of no consequence.”
“And I would never leave what I value unprotected.” His face darkened. “I cannot promiseyewill be that protection.”
Brighit shrugged nonchalantly despite the feeling of having been slapped in the face. “Ye may leave who ye wish in charge, but I will not accept their protection over my own.”
“Explain.”
His angry tone forced her to swallow down her fear. She found an irritated Darragh was extremely intimidating. The guards’ darting glances assured her she was not being overly sensitive.
