Good. Now I can mold her the way she should be. The way she always was meant to be. With me.
“Aye,” she whispered. Her voice was quiet and servile. It was a kind of meekness he had never heard from her lips. Rory thought that it suited her. It was good that she was so quickly learning her proper place.
Desire pulsed through him, and he smiled as he walked inside and closed the door. He locked it behind him and then turned back to her. She hadn’t moved.
“Come to me,” he instructed.
Eithne stared at him, then swallowed and started to stand.
“Nay,” he snapped, suddenly angry that he even had to give such explicit instruction. “Nae like that. Take it off.”
“Take…take what off?” she asked.
He glared at her.
“Me Laird,” she added in a hasty whisper.
This time he smiled, and said, “I ken we’ll nae be wed until the morrow, but think of this as our wedding night, me love. Should a new bride come to her husband all wrapped up?”
For a second, he saw what he thought was disgust in her eyes – then he realized that no, it was only submission that shone there. He stood exactly where he was, watching her hungrily, as she slowly did as she was bid. She removed her dress and stepped out of it, leaving it pooled on the floor.
She was the most stunning creature that Rory had ever seen. He’d had women, of course – many women – but none of them came close to the naked goddess who stood before him here and now. He stared at the perfect curve of her breasts, the taut muscles of her stomach. The hair on her body matched the hair on her head, giving her an ethereal look, like a cloud given human form.
She’s the bonniest woman I ever saw. And she’s mine.
“Come forward,” he instructed. Eithne glanced at her dress and gulped but did as he asked, pacing toward him. Eithne stopped in front of Rory, and he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. The desire to push her to the ground and have hernowwas almost overwhelming, but he would – he had to – be patient. There were other things to deal with first.
“Ye spat at me,” he told her.
“Aye, Me Laird,” she whispered, her eyes downcast.
“But I’ve broken ye now, aye? Rory said. He put his hand to her cheek, moving the hair out of her face and drawing her nearer. “Ye’ll be a good lass?”
“Aye,” she said. “I promise.”
“Good,” he said. He released her cheek, and they looked at each other, her patient and nervous, him lustful. Then, before she could react, he drew back his hand and threw it full force against her face.
The slap connected hard, sending her tumbling backward with a surprised cry of pain. She fell to the floor, clutching her face, and Rory smiled. It was good to see her in her place.
Eithne stared up at him as though she was surprised, her eyes glistening with pained tears. Surprised! When all he had done was remind her of her place! He would have to train these reactions out of her once and for all if she was the wife he needed her to be.
“Show me yer face,” he commanded.
Her hands were shaking as she moved them. Her entire cheek was flaming red, which satisfied him greatly. It would bruise, probably, but they could cover it with paints or something of the sort for the wedding. He liked it when they were marked; it showed them – and him – to whom the women really belonged.
“Did that hurt, Eithne?” he asked her, taking a step closer so that he loomed over her prone, naked body. “Have I caused ye pain?”
Eithne closed her eyes, but not before Rory saw that there was still a spark of defiance within them.
Good. I cannae wait to beat it from her once and for all.
“Did it hurt?” he repeated. He crouched down and grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling it tight until she was forced to look up at him. “Didit?”
She opened her eyes. She hated him. He could see that. She hated him with everything she had, even while she lay here broken. The thought made Rory’s groin pulse. Her hatred would just make this conquering the greatest of his life. Turning it to love would make him a victor like no other.
“Aye,” she hissed. “Aye, it hurt.”
He leaned down, pulling her head back by the hair even further, and pressed his lips forcefully against her own. It was their second kiss, but this one she resisted. She kept her mouth closed tight, and he felt her shudder.
