Scandals Bride c-3

by Stephanie Laurens

  Crossing the threshold of the drawing room, Richard instantly located Catriona, and strolled, apparently languid, in reality with fell intent, toward her.

  She welcomed him with an open smile; he returned it with a wholly deceptive smile of his own.

  His memories of their first night were incomplete, yet he was prepared to swear she'd been a virgin. An enthusiastic, eager ready-to-be-wanton virgin, but a virgin nonetheless. She'd never lain with any man before him.

  Which raised one very large question: Why him?

  Or was that: Why now?

  "I was wondering," he said, as he claimed his now customary place beside her, "where you intend going after we settle this business of the will."

  She turned and met his eyes. "Why, to the vale, of course. I never stay away for long-usually not for more than a day."

  "You never travel to Edinburgh or Glasgow?"

  "Not even Carlisle, and that's closer."

  "But you order things-you mentioned you did."

  "I have agents call at the vale " She shrugged. "It seems wiser not to flaunt my existence-or that of the vale. We do very well in our anonymity."

  "Hmmm." Richard studied her face. "Are there many other families of standing in the vale?"

  "Standing?"

  "Independent. Not your tenants."

  She shook her head. "No-I own the whole vale." Fleetingly, she raised her brows. "We don't even have a curate, because there's no church, of course."

  Richard humphed. "How did you escape that? Or did the initial incumbents simply disappear?"

  She tried to straighten her lips, but didn't succeed. "The Lady doesn't approve of violence. But the answer to your question is geography. The vale is isolated-indeed, if you don't know it's there, it's not easy to find."

  "You must at least have neighbors-the surrounding landowners."

  She nodded. "But in the Hills the population is widely scattered." She looked up at him. "It's a lonely existence."

  He had the impression she'd intended that last sentence one way, but it had come out another. She held his gaze for an instant, then seemed to draw back. She blinked and looked away, smiling quickly as she reached for one of the cups Mary carried.

  Richard perforce smiled at Mary, too, and relieved her of the second cup.

  "My deal, I can't thank you enough." Mary looked at Catriona with gratitude in her eyes "I don't know how we would have coped if you hadn't been here-the children would have driven us all insane. Instead, they listened to your stones for the whole afternoon-I don't know how you do it. You're so good with them, even the little ones."

  Catriona smiled one of her "lady of the vale" smiles. "It's just part of the healer's art."

  Behind his teacup, Richard raised a skeptical brow. The healers he knew often took delight in scaring children, and treated them as patients only grudgingly. Not all healers, any more than all adults, had the patience to bear with children's capriciousness.

  "Whatever," Mary said, "we most sincerely appreciate your efforts." She looked hopefully at Catriona. "Are you sure you won't stay?" A shadow passed over her face, then she grimaced. "I don't know where we'll be, after next week"-she shot an apologetic glance at Richard-"but you'll always be welcome wherever we are."

  Catriona squeezed her hand. "I know-and don't worry. Things will sort themselves out. But I must return to the vale-I've already been away far longer than I'd expected."

  A slight frown, a shadow of concern, momentarily clouded her eyes. Richard noted it. Draining his cup, he inwardly reflected that, whatever else, Catriona Hennessey took her role as lady of the vale seriously.

  Perhaps too seriously.

  He wanted to know why she'd done it-put some potion in his whiskey, then climbed into his bed And given herself to him.

  Was it simply for experience-or was there more to it than that?

  Lying in his bed with the bed curtains drawn, Richard stared into the blackness and listened to the clock on the stairs announce the quarter hours.

  And waited for her to come to him.

  He didn't know what he felt-his reactions, even after a whole day on horseback in an empty world, were still too violently tangled for him to be sure of them, much less consider them. On the one hand, he felt honored she'd chosen him for whatever reason; on the other, he was furious that she'd dared. And there were other feelings that surged through him whenever he thought of her-and their nocturnal couplings-that went far beyond any rational response. Any response he could understand.

  He wanted to know-needed to know-why.

  He could, of course, ask-simply wait for her to appear, then put a simple question. If he did, he doubted he'd get an answer. He doubted she'd stay to spend the rest of the night in his arms, either.

  On both the previous nights, she'd thought him asleep-drugged. Capable physically, but not compos mentis. On the first night, that had indeed been the case. He still couldn't remember all of it-snippets were crystal clear, while other parts were a phantasmagoria of remembered sensation, drowning out all other recollections. He knew he'd spoken, and she'd replied-which was why she hadn't reacted last night, when he'd spoken again. She'd thought he was speaking in his dreams.

  And that, after a whole day of planning, was the only avenue he could see that might get him the answer he wanted. If he put the question to her while she was in his arms, and thought him asleep, she would be far less inhibited in answering. She might even tell him the truth.

  Not straight away, perhaps, but…

  One thing he did remember from that first night was the way he'd teased her-parts of that burned, beacon bright, in his brain. She'd crumpled very quickly. Which, now he knew her in the biblical sense, wasn't a surprise. She'd bottled up all her hot heat for too long-new to the game, she didn't have the ability to stave off completion for long, to hold back all that suppressed energy.

  He'd only just started to torture her-there was a lot more he could do in that vein. And he'd enjoy the doing. As long as she thought him asleep, she'd talk-eventually, he was sure of that. And the longer she resisted, the more he'd enjoy it. And so would she.

  Tonight, he'd have his answer. Which was why the bed curtains were drawn.

  And why he didn't hear her enter, why he didn't know she was there until the curtains parted. He'd left a gap at the foot of the bed, admitting a weak beam from the fire, just enough so he, with excellent night vision, could see her clearly.

  She checked that he was there, lying relaxed beneath the covers, then she looked wonderingly at the curtains all but enclosing the bed.

  Her lips lifted in a sort, distinctly witchy smile that had him stiffening. Lifting her hands to her shoulders, she slid her robe off and let it tall. Beneath it, she was naked, all ivory limbs and flaming red hair

  Richard fought the urge to reach for her; he couldn't stop his gaze from devouring her. She sensed it, and looked at him, and smiled.

  And, lifting the covers, slid in beside him.

  He turned and drew her into his arms before she could touch him. She sighed softly and sank against him, then lifted her face to his.

  He kissed her gently, unhurriedly, content to savor the soft warmth of her body pressed freely against his, content to explore the soft warmth of her mouth, his to claim as he willed.

  As was she. He held the thought back, channeled his aggression into anticipation, and kept every touch languid. He was supposed to be asleep, making love to her in his dreams.

  So he held himself back and let her urgency build, let her grow hot, her skin fevered, her kisses increasingly demanding. He sank back on the pillows and let her take the lead-or at least, let her think she did. Half atop him, she kissed him wildly, and squirmed-heated, silk-encased flesh pressing caress after intimate caress upon him.

  He gritted his teeth-and enjoyed every minute.

  But he kept her hands high, lacing his fingers through hers to prevent her precipitating events-events he intended orchestrating to the full.

  W
rapped in the warm dark, Catriona surrendered to the night, to her deepest desires, and gave herself to him. This was the last night they would share-she was determined to fill it with pleasure, on both the emotional and physical planes. The physical sensations were pure bliss, but for the emotional joy she found in their union, she would sell her very soul.

  All but blind in the dense darkness, she could see him only as a deep shadow-closing her eyes, she could sense him more clearly. Dispensing with sight, she explored-by touch, by tactile impression as she lay on top of him. With her hands locked in his, she was acutely aware of the sensations felt through the soft skin of her breasts, midriff and belly. Drinking in the fascinating contrasts-of textures-hot, taut skin roughened by crisp hair-of the innate, readily discernible strength lying so lax, so amenable beneath her-she wriggled, slowly, sensuously. Filling her mind, her memories.

  Between them, heat welled, swelled, and hot became hotter.

  He seemed content to wallow in the heatwave; with a mental snort, she tugged her fingers from his, framed his face, and kissed him voraciously. Rapaciously.

  She sank into the kiss, caught in a sudden flare like a sunspot, her limbs heated still more until she melted against him. Wanted to melt beneath him-have him fuse with her. Sliding her fingers into his hair, she let her lips, her tongue, taunt him, challenge him. Incite him.

  Despite responding ardently, he remained supine beneath her. Inwardly cursing the effects of her potion, she avoided his hands and set hers to trace the ridges and hollows of his chest, the heavy bones of his shoulders, the tensed muscles of his upper arms.

  His arms locked around her, heavy and warm across her waist-denying her quest to reach lower.

  Not that she needed to touch him there-he was already fully aroused. The steely length of him rode against her hip, hot and urgent. That much of him, at least, was cooperating. The rest of him was not.

  Shifting, she lay fully atop him, settling his erection between her thighs. She rolled her hips, experimenting until she found the particular shifting slide that most evocatively stroked him.

  And felt the muscles in his arms shift, tensing, relaxing, then tensing again, as if he couldn't make up his mind.

  Swallowing a curse, she trapped his lips with hers-and put her heart and soul into a slow, deliberate undulation, breasts, hips and thighs-even the curls at the base of her belly-coming into play. Deliberately evocative, she called to him.

  And he answered. She felt the wave of response building in his body, felt the need she baited flare and swell. Felt hard become harder, felt tense muscles turn taut.

  With a gasp-of relief, of anticipation-she dragged her lips from his and half wriggled, half slid to the side. Puppetlike, his body followed; as she turned on her back, she grasped his upper arm, tugging him over her.

  The reins of his lust locked in a grip of iron, Richard followed her lead-let her shift, let her tug-let her believe he was dazedly following her directions as she urged him over her. He complied, moving heavily, unhurriedly.

  While she panted, in heat.

  Consumed by heat. At his touch, her thighs parted. He swung heavily over her, then let himself down between, then took his time settling himself-and her. Impatient, she arched, and he felt her heat scald him, touch and cling to that most exquisitely sensitive part of him.

  He caught his breath-and felt, in his chest, something shift, something lock. With a soft, desperate gasp, she arched again-and he eased into her.

  Slowly. Savoring every inch of her hot softness as she stretched to accommodate him, savoring the subtle easing of her body as she accepted him.

  She sighed as he sank home, then her hands, tensed on his arms, relaxed. And skimmed down his sides.

  He caught them-first one, then the other-letting his weight down on her as he trapped them. And gently but firmly removed the reins from her grasp. Beneath him, she shifted, sinking deeper into the soft mattress, angling her hips to cradle him more effectively.

  Tentatively, she lifted her legs, sliding them over his flanks.

  "Yes." He breathed the word against her lips as he settled fully upon her. He found her lips with his and took them, took her mouth, then pressed deeper into her.

  He drank her instinctive gasp-a gasp of pure pleasure. Inwardly smiling, he drew back, then sank deep again, and felt her flaring response. He set himself to feed it.

  To stoke her fires, to drive her frantic. More frantic than she'd ever been.

  With each slow, controlled thrust, the flames within her rose higher; he held to a steady, rolling rhythm until she was burning. Until, hot and heated, awash with desire, she rose beneath him, meeting every thrust, her body caressing him, clinging to him, cleaving to him. Until she was aflame, urgent in her wanting, desperate in her need.

  Frantic.

  Trapped in the heat, Catriona flexed her fingers, trying to slip them from his grasp, frantic to hold him, desperate to draw him to her-to reach the bright pinnacle of physical bliss that hovered on her horizon. Sunk deep in the mattress, she squirmed and panted, trying to get that last inch closer, trying to get him that last fraction of an inch deeper. His fingers, clamped about hers, didn't give, but, to her surging relief, surging expectation, he raised his chest slightly, just enough so her nipples, excruciatingly tight, brushed his chest.

  So they were brushed by his chest.

  A scream welled in her throat; struggling to lift her heavy lids, she swallowed it as he lifted higher, breaking their kiss. He was a dense shadow looming over her, shoulders and chest surging in a slow, powerful rhythm, a rhythm she could feel in her marrow. In her womb.

  With her hands still anchored, one on either side of her head, she gripped his flanks with her thighs, gasping, arching, as he thrust harder, deeper.

  Then he drew back farther; lips parted, senses whirling, she waited, quivering, for the next impaling stroke. Only to feel him rock lightly, penetrating her with just the tip of the hard length she wanted buried inside her.

  She opened her lips on a protest-instead, she gasped anew as, bending his head, he took one ruched nipple into his mouth. Hips rocking gently, teasingly, he feasted on her swollen breasts, until she was awash on an endless sea. A sea of pure pleasure.

  After laving her hot flesh, his lips burned when they again brushed hers.

  "Why are you here?"

  She wasn't, at first, sure whether he had spoken, or she'd simply heard the words in her head. But his hips stopped rocking; he lay, hot and hard as a brand, just parting the swollen folds about her entrance.

  Leaving her empty.

  "Because I want you."

  After an instant's pause, he started rocking again, once, twice-then he slid into her anew. She sighed, then lost what breath she had left as he pushed deep, then nudged deeper, and let his weight down on her once more.

  Richard rode her, just a little deeper, just a little harder, just a fraction more intimately. He was having a hard time clinging to his reins-only rock-hard determination, and his Cynster strength of will-of endurance-allowed him to do it-to see her panting beneath him, her hair a burning veil spread across the pillows, her thighs gripping him urgently as he loved her. She responded without guile, without reticence, without hesitation-with a complete lack of reserve, the strongest feminine spell he'd ever encountered.

  Her welcome, every time he sank into her, was bone deep. The temptation to lose himself in her arms, in her body, grew with every passing second.

  But he needed to know her reasons, as well as her.

  Gradually, he slowed, letting the rhythm stretch-not die but slow to the point where her frantic need-a need he knew well how to manage-rose to the fore again.

  When she whimpered, and squirmed, trying to urge him on, he brushed a kiss to her temple. "Why do you want me? Why me? Why now?"

  A frown passed across her face like a breeze rippling corn, then she shook her head and it was gone. She lifted beneath him, wriggling more urgently; swallowing a curse, he impaled her fully
again, then kissed her breathless.

  And gave her a little more-rode her a little higher up the mountain of desire. Despite his weight, she undulated beneath him, hips rising, meeting him more fully. Letting go of her hands, he grabbed a pillow; releasing her from their kiss, he eased back, lifted her hips and stuffed the pillow beneath them.

  Tilting her up so he could sink deeper-without stimulating her to completion. Her breath fractured when he thrust deep-an urgently evocative sound. He shut his ears to it. "Wrap your legs about me."

  She did, immediately; arms braced, he held himself over her and drove her up, up, and on to the next level, the next plane of passion. Eagerly, she clung to him, her hands, now free, trailing over his chest and arms, then gripping tight as he delved deeper and pushed her on.

  Fingers sinking into flexing sinews, Catriona let her head fall back, lips parted as she struggled to breathe. Senses aswirl, her wits long gone, she surrendered to the whirlpool of sensations he commanded, surrendered to the power she could feel in every thrust that joined them, in every synchronous beat of their hearts. A sense of beauty, of delight, of joy unimaginable hovered-just out of reach.

  "Why are you here, with your legs spread wide, locked about my waist-with me buried to the hilt inside you?"

  The question floated down to her, a whisper in the night. It was beyond her-eyes closed, she shook her head. And concentrated on the steely flex of his body as it melded with hers.

  Powerfully, yet still slowly. In some dim corner of her mind, a hazy, rather acid thought formed: If this was his performance when asleep, what would he be like awake?

  A soft moan surprised her-she bit her lip, determined to be quiet. Then gasped as he surged more powerfully, faster, deeper…

  She caught her breath on a strangled gasp-then cried out, in shocked disbelief, when he pulled back and left her. Fighting to raise her lids, she saw him lift fully away from her. Stunned she reached for him, half-sitting-

  Large hands caught her and flipped her over, then locked about her hips and pulled her back onto her knees.

  And they were everywhere, those large, hard hands-kneading, stroking, squeezing, probing. Until her breasts ached, until her skin glowed, until her nerves were taut and tingling. Until the heat within her was a raging furnace and pure molten need filled her veins. And her loins.