She had gone from maiden to wife in a matter of days, and now, he was showing her just what lay on the other side—just what was waiting for her if she was willing to embrace her new role here.
Her hips were moving with him now, her body responding faster than she could contend with it. He pushed his knee between her thighs to pin her in place, laying her open in front of him, making it impossible for her to deny him, though she would not have been able to, even if she wanted to.
Her body moved against his, the bud of her flower slick with dew as he moved his hand against her, the firmness of his manhood at the crease of her thigh. Even through the fabric of her dress, she could tell how much he wanted her. She was sure that whatever a husband and wife were meant to spend their wedding night doing, he would see it through with great panache.
A pleasure was building within her so quickly that her knees were growing weak. Every touch inside of her was like a bow tugging on a string, guiding her towards the point of no return, to the point that she could not hold herself back.
He could tell, too. She was sure of it.
His face pressed to her neck, breathing in the scent of her. A part of her wished she could deny him the satisfaction of giving in so easily, but, as he circled and circled the apex of sensation, it was all she could do just to keep breathing, to keep herself?—
And then, all at once, he pulled back.
For a moment, she felt almost distant from her body, as if she were watching herself from above as she gasped for breath. She sank against the wall behind her for support, fearful that, if she didn’t, she might crumple to the ground right then and there.
A smile licked up his lips. He knew exactly what he had done to her and enjoyed the sight of her sudden suffering.
“Oh, no, lassie,” he teased, shaking his head slowly, arranging his features into a mask of faux apology. “You cannae have yer pleasure so easily. You must learn that there are consequences to yer actions.”
He drew close again, close enough that his lips tugged against her skin once more. She sucked in a sharp breath, wishing that she could contain herself, knowing that she could not.
And knowing that, above all else, this was precisely how he wanted her. But she wouldn’t give it him easily either.
Chapter Six
Lachlan slumped down on the edge of the bed, pressing his fingertips into his temples. Perhaps if he slept, he would be able to escape the endless memories ofherthat waltzed around his mind—though he had a feeling that she would haunt his sleeping moments as much as she did his waking ones.
He hadn’t slept since the night before, after she had gone storming out of his chambers to sleep in her own room. He shouldn’t have been surprised, he supposed, given the way he had treated her. She had sequestered herself away in her room, ducking and diving his presence like she could hardly stand the sight of him.
She had dressed herself for him. That was the part of it that he could not seem to shake from his mind, no matter how hard he tried. She had laced those flowers into her hair and done it for him. There was no way any of the maids would have brought her such a thing, given that nobody so much as shot a look towards the gardens, but she had.
And he had wanted her. God, he hadwantedher in that moment when she had let his hand snake between his legs and demanded everything a husband could have asked for. Therehad been a part of him, a part of him that he had fought to control, that had wanted nothing more than to take her right then and there. To show her how much he wanted her, how this was about more than just winning the game she had accused him of playing.
Was he even playing? He didn’t know if he could tell anymore.
He must have been, because he had denied her when she had been so willing to give him her all. But he wanted her to come to him, to beg for it, in all the ways that he so dearly needed to hear from her. If she had come to his door in that moment, in nothing but her nightdress, he wouldn’t have been able to resist her, and he knew it. He would tuck his hands into her hair, draw her in close, and show her all the ways that he had desired her since the moment he had laid eyes on her?—
Suddenly, a creak sounded in the doorway. For a blink in time, he thought that it was her—that he had managed to summon her through sheer force of will. But, instead, he found himself looking at one of his most trusted advisors. Keith was standing in the doorway with a hard look on his face.
“You,” he remarked, breaking the silence when he realized he had been spotted. “Look like a man who has a lot on his mind.”
“Aye, maybe I do,” Lachlan replied, as he turned to look into the flames of the hearth that warmed his room.
Keith always sensed more about him than he was willing to talk about. A good thing for an advisor. He rarely had to be told where all this left Lachlan, as foolish and spiteful as it might have looked from the outside. But he sensed that Keith knew more than his fair share about what had been going on inside the Keep, and he did not much want to talk about it. Not with him, and not with anyone.
“You care to get some of it off yer mind?” he suggested, making his way towards the fire, lifting his hands to warm them slightly.
Keith was a fair bit older than Lachlan, and at times like this, Lachlan was struck by how much it showed in his face. He fell silent. He could not have put it into words, not even if he had tried, and he saw little reason to even stick with that much longer…
But, before he was forced to respond, he was mercifully interrupted by a guard hurrying to the door. As soon as Lachlan noticed the expression on his face, he rose to his feet; he could tell that it was serious.
“What is it, lad?” he barked. “Speak!”
“A carriage,” the boy finally managed to get out, though he seemed to trip over every word as it escaped his lips. “Bearing the Anderson colors.”
Keith and Lachlan exchanged a look. The arrival of an enemy crest in their lands was hardly what they needed—now or ever, for that matter. But since he had taken one of their own and given her his name, he supposed he should have expected such a thing.
“Show me,” Lachlan commanded, and the boy hurried towards the stairs to take him down to the courtyard.
