"It's as ye said, Anna," Hugh said, smirking up at her as she continued to grow more flustered. "I'm displeased with the pace at which others are goin'. Since ye werenae goin' to get on the beast yerself, I decided to help ye."
"I could have gotten up here myself," she protested.
"I'm sure ye could have," Hugh swung into the saddle behind her, and she made another sound—this one so soft that only hecould hear it. The faint, breathy noise traveled through him, hot and insistent. His voice was huskier than he expected when he murmured, "But ye didnae do it on yer own. I was only helpin' ye."
She squirmed in front of him, apparently unable to come up with a proper response. It was then that Hugh realized that he may have made a mistake by insisting they ride together. Her closeness was intoxicating. He could feel each breath she took and each minute movement she made.
In an effort to ignore the softness of her curves against his front, Hugh grabbed the reins and signaled for the steed to move. The shifting of the animal beneath them only exacerbated the issue. With each step forward, she rocked against Hugh.
He knew within seconds that if they kept moving like this, he'd be faced with a massive problem. Anna's buttocks were right there, rubbing against him and coaxing his cock to life. If he didn't do something about this, he'd end up in a less-than-desirable situation.
Ach, I need to do somethin' to distract meself.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Nearly fifteen minutes later, Hugh was still fighting to keep his body under control. His intention had been to keep Anna close and protected. It had been a massive oversight on his part not to considerthis.
"The ride isn't as bad as the carriage trip," Anna said, her voice getting a bit louder to cut through the sound of the horses' hooves against the dirt and the creaking of the leather underneath them. "I was worried that this would be just as awful as our trip here."
"The horses are more intelligent than a carriage," Hugh said through gritted teeth, the swell of her buttocks rubbing against his cock. It was a wonder he wasn't already rock hard yet. "They ken better than to step directly into the divots and grooves."
"Aye," Marcus added from a bit in front of them. "They have a drive that leads them toward self-preservation. Ye wouldnae kenit, but they move pretty smoothly even with the carriage. It's the wooden wheels that make the trip so miserable."
"I suppose you have a point," she said thoughtfully, adjusting herself and rubbing harder against Hugh. "They are quite intelligent, aren't they?"
"They are," Hugh said, his hands tightening on the reins. "Ye ken, we had a few get loose once, and they ended up in the village."
Anna giggled and said, "Perhaps they knew they'd be fed and cared for there. From what I saw, the villagers are quite kind."
"Ye're right," Hugh agreed, latching onto the new subject matter. "I've nae met people kinder than me villagers. When I first took Lairdship, they were more supportive than I expected."
"Did they not like the old Laird, then?" Anna asked softly, her body leaning against his. He told himself it was only so she could hear him better, but the sharp spike of arousal suggested otherwise. "If they were so supportive of you, I mean."
"Nay, they liked him just fine," Hugh said, scanning the tree line in an attempt to keep his focus off the hot, soft line of her back. "He was kind and did what he could for his people. I understand him even more now that I took over the Lairdship."
Ahead of them, Marcus moved a bit faster. They were nearly at the halfway point of their trip, and his excitement to getto the village was palpable. It dawned on Hugh that his accompaniment might not be simply for Anna's benefit.
Ach, smart girl. Seems she got to the heart of the problem. I can only hope Marcus learns what he needs to learn.
"I suppose it may be hard for those who are governed to sympathize with their leaders," Anna said softly. "I imagine they were relieved to learn that one of their own would become Laird. No one else would understand their needs better."
Hugh's thoughts paused. When he'd taken this title, his motivating factor had been helping those who didn't have the luxury of living in the castle. That wasn't something that he'd shared with his family, too concerned with the action being viewed as a frivolous use of his time. When he'd informed the council of his reasoning, they'd pushed that to the side, urging him to understand that the castle took precedence.
"Ye may be right," Hugh agreed, his mouth hovering near her ear. "Either way, they've been a lovin', supportive bunch since the village's inception nearly a hundred years ago."
"One hundred years?" she said with a bit of wonder. "You know the history?"
"Aye, top to bottom," he confirmed. "I kent it even before takin' Lairdship. The oldest people livin' here remember what the place was like before there were proper shops and cobbled roads. It was they who taught me everythin'."
"I would love the chance to speak to them," Anna said as her gaze analyzed the scenery they were passing by. "I trust your storytelling ability, but hearing about it from someone who actually experienced it…"
"It's different, I ken," Hugh said, finishing her thought. "But I can tell ye that they do their damnedest to ensure their fellow villagers are taken care of. Even if they daenae have money, or they have barely enough to eat themselves, they're always willin' to share what they've got."
Their fellow villagers were sometimes the only reason Hugh and his family ate. They would hire him and his brother to help out around their homes, since neither would accept money without providing a service. When they grew out of their clothes, they'd give Hugh and his siblings clothing that would fit.
Thoughtfully, barely audible over the sound of the horse's hooves, Anna murmured, "That makes me quite proud to be their Lady. And it makes me even more excited to properly meet all of them."
"Judgin' by how they reacted to ye when we only had a little over an hour to meet with them," he said, his arms tightening around her body, "they'll be excited to have time to properly greet ye as well."
