All he wanted to do was get to Constantinople before the lass got to him.
****
Kaitlin slipped the sgian dubh into the top of her boot. Thankfully, there had been no women’s clothes aboard for her to be forced into the hated corset and billows of petticoats. Easier to remove boots and pants treading water, too.
She hoped to be able to slip away from the Highlander during their walk; mayhap pretend to sprain an ankle…and he would go for the medic. Still, if he wouldn’t leave her side, she was prepared to wound him. Now that she knew he would not take her virginity, the only thing she could do was jump ship. She was a strong swimmer, but she would rather take the risk of drowning than be part of a harem.
Her dinner had been brought and she ate heartily, knowing she had an exhausting swim ahead of her that night. The moon was well up when he finally came for her.
Kaitlin inhaled the salty night air as Adair escorted her on deck. Already, she could feel the slightly milder breeze that mixed with the cool regional air. The timing was good. The water wouldn’t be frigid here.
“Best hold on to my arm, lass,” Adair said. “The deck is a bit slippery.”
Kaitlin did as she was told, liking the feel of the hard, well-muscled bicep. Too bad her alternative plan wouldn’t work. She wondered if Adair were hard everywhere. She sighed and turned her attention to the sea. It really was beautiful out here, with the moon washing over the waves, illuminating the white crests, the only sound the lapping of the water as the ship lifted and plunged deep into swells.
“You do not keep much of a night crew?” she asked.
“Just the helmsman and navigator for now. In another hour, we’ll need to tack and the deck will be full of sailors. ’Tis why I brought ye out now.”
An hour. That’s all she had. They continued to walk when suddenly, Kaitlin turned her ankle. “Ow,” she moaned and started to slide to the floor.
Adair eased her down. “Ye’re hurt, lass? Let’s have a look.”
Before she could stop him, he tugged gently on her boot, slipping it off. The knife clattered to the deck. Silently, Kaitlin cursed. She’d turned the wrong ankle.
The Highlander’s eyes widened as he picked up the weapon. An eyebrow arched. “What were ye planning to do with this?” His penetrating golden eyes narrowed. “Were ye thinking to kill me?”
His voice was deceptively soft and Kaitlin heard the danger beneath those words. He was angry, and it was barely controlled. She shook her head. “No. I…I just thought to defend myself here on the ship and once we get to Constantinople.”
His expression changed to incredulity. “Ye thought to hold off the sultan with this? Ah, lass, ye would be stoned to death for certain.”
She stood up and lifted her chin defiantly. “I will not be a part of a harem!”
“Ye will. I’ve nae choice in the matter. I vowed to avenge Greer.” Adair rose and looked at her speculatively. “There’s nae need for ye to be hurt by the man, though. Mayhap I need to teach ye what is expected of a good concubine.”
Did that mean he’d take her virginity? Maybe her alternative plan might work, after all, but better not to let him know. “I will not let you bed me.”
For a moment, amusement flickered in his wolf eyes, and then disappeared when he spoke. “I meant the telling of it, nae the doing.”
Damn him. Kaitlin glared at him. The man was infuriating, standing there with a lopsided grin on his face. Well, she’d show him. She took a deep breath and suddenly darted around him toward the rail. It was now or never.
Startled, it took him several seconds to recover. Kaitlin had one leg over the rail when an iron arm wrapped around her waist, drawing her back on deck. Adair spun her around and backed her against the cabin wall, pressing his body against hers.
“What the hell were ye doing?”
She didn’t want to admit—not even think—about how good he felt. “What did it look like? I told you I would be no man’s concubine, and you cannot make me into one.”
A preternatural glow made his eyes pure gold. “I think I can, lass.” He laced his fingers with hers and brought her arms over her head, pinning them to the wood. With one deft motion, his boots spread her legs just enough that she had no traction to kick him—and then, he lowered his mouth to hers.
His tongue exploring her mouth sent ripples of warmth coursing through her veins. The crush of her breasts on his muscled chest made her nipples ache and she sought the friction of brushing against him. His instant reaction was to grind against her hips. Kaitlin felt a throbbing sensation begin to pulsate through her belly. She had not known she had such a sensitive spot down there, but he obviously did, for he was teasing it now, bucking against her, thrusting in and out of her mouth in mock simulation.
Her body tingled, tiny pricks of flame igniting her skin everywhere. The area between her legs blazed with desire and need. Her thoughts centered only on the wonderful sensation... And then the contraction came, one great convulsive spasm that caused her to shudder uncontrollably. She gasped for air.
When her mind could function again, she slowly opened her eyes to find Adair watching her, an inscrutable look on his face. He still had her hands imprisoned. Embarrassed, she looked down. “I did not know I could feel like that.”
Adair shifted her wrists to one of his hands and tilted her chin up with a finger. “Ah, lass. That was only the first lesson.” He stepped back, but did not release his hold on her. “It’s obvious I canna let ye roam the deck unless ye’re tied to me, so I’ll have to keep ye confined to the cabin.”
Kaitlin stared at him. “You cannot keep me caged like an animal.”
“For certes I can. It’s my ship.”
She would never have a chance to escape! “I will go stark raving mad!”
He leaned closer. “Ye’ll have your lessons to look forward to. Every night. By the time Ali Stafa sees ye, ye’ll be a most willing and compliant concubine.”
Kaitlin smiled. She would move forward with her alternative plan, then. Not a bad idea at all. She wondered what that hard shaft would feel like actually inside her, and was surprised when a heated rush filled her again. “What if I refuse?”
For a moment he looked surprised, and then he grinned. “Then the next lesson will be teaching ye to obey me.”
“Obey you?” Kaitlin sputtered angrily. Even her father treaded lightly in ordering her around, and her brothers gave her a wide berth when her temper was up. “Never.”
“We’ll see,” he said.
Chapter Three
Adair took a deep breath before he opened the door to the cabin the next evening. He had left Kaitlin alone the entire day, even instructing the cook not to speak to her when he brought her food, to give her time to think about obedience. He hoped she was ready for his lesson.
She lay curled on the bed, knees to her chest, arms wrapped around them.
“Good evening,” Adair said as he stepped inside and slid the bolt to the cabin door. “Are ye ready for your lesson?”
Her eyes shot daggers at him. He forced himself not to wince.
“You left me alone all day.”
“Aye. I said I would give ye time to think about the wisdom of accepting my teaching.”
“Bloody arrogant bastard.”
Adair blinked. Having four brothers had certainly enriched her vocabulary. “’Tis nae a good choice of words, lass.”
“Oh? I have more. If fact, I spent the whole bloody, damn day thinking of ways to describe you.”
“I doona care to hear them.”
“Really?” She sat up furiously. “Too bad. You are a—”
Adair was at her side in three strides and clamped a hand over her mouth. “I said I dinna wish to hear your description of me. Maybe another time.” He released his hand.
“—swine. An absolute—”
He clamped his hand over her mouth again and leaned close. “If ye doona stop calling me names, I’ll be forced to tie ye again and put a gag i
n your mouth. Doona make me do that, lass.” She glared at him. “Do ye promise to behave?”
He could see that she was warring with herself and it was all he could do not to replace his hand with his mouth and cover her insults with deep, hot kisses until all that anger turned to passion.
Finally, she nodded, although by the set of her rigid shoulders, he knew she hadn’t fully acquiesced. Warily, he removed his hand, but she remained silent.
“’Tis a good start, lass. The sultan prefers his harem to be docile.” From the glower she gave him, he knew she was anything but docile. “’Twill go more easily for ye, lass, if ye doona fight me…him, I mean.”
She lifted her chin. Adair tilted his head, considering her silent defiance. “Perhaps I will postpone tonight’s lesson and try something else instead. I think we need to work on ye being properly respectful to the man.”
Kaitlin said nothing.
“We will begin with simple conversation, then,” Adair went on as though she weren’t sullenly staring into space. “Proper conversation, none of the sailors’ words ye just used. I’ll begin. Ye are looking lovely.”
She looked away.
“The response should be, ‘Thank ye, my lord.’ Say it.”
She remained silent.
Adair sighed. “Lass. The sultan will nae put up with such stubbornness. If ye refuse to talk, he may well take your tongue from your head.” She gave him a swift sideways glance, and he saw a moment of panic in her eyes before she turned away. He hated to scare her, but in reality, that could happen. “Let’s begin again. Ye are looking lovely.”
She looked at him, sparks shooting from her eyes. “Thank ye, my lord swine.”
“I said nae to use those words.”
“You said not to talk like a sailor. I did not call you bloody, did I?”
He decided to try another tactic. “’Tis a sunny summer day outside.”
Her eyes widened and then narrowed. “It’s winter and nighttime.”
“Nae. If I say it’s summer and daytime, it is summer and daytime.”
She scowled. “Have you lost your wits?”
“My wits are quite fine.” Although he was beginning to wonder. Not only was it truly winter, it was Yule. The Highlands and parts of Wales would be covered in snow, the scent of pine in the air. Kaitlin should be home in front of a blazing fire sipping hot cider instead of being hauled cross the Mediterranean.
Kaitlin’s scowl deepened. “Any fool can see what time of day it is.”
“Mayhap.” Adair put the image of a hearth decorated with holly and mistletoe hanging overhead out of his mind. “But if the sultan wishes to think it day, it is best that ye agree with him.”
“Is the man deranged as well as decrepit?”
“Nae, lass. ’Tis just better for ye if ye doona disagree with him. The more ye compliment him, the better ye’ll fare.”
“If, by that, you mean the more often he will want me in his company, I think I will learn some more sailors’ words.”
Her lips pursed in an inviting pout and Adair was sure she didn’t know what kind of alluring effect her stubborn, spirited defiance was having on him. He felt his mouth twitching. He almost hoped she’d mutter some epithet because, by God, he would kiss her senseless until her vocabulary improved. He took a deep breath, trying to ignore his enlarging cock. “Better to pay the man a compliment. Try it on me.”
She stared at him. “You want me to pay you a compliment?”
“Aye.”
“I will not. You’ve already shown me what an arrogant ass—”
He closed the space between them and pulled her up into his arms, his mouth coming down on hers, hot and demanding. His tongue thrust inside, deepening the kiss, even as he pressed her body the full length of his. For a moment, he was afraid she’d try to push him away, but then her body relaxed and melded into his. Slowly, her hands crept up around his neck and her fingers intertwined in his hair as she began to return his kisses with a fever of her own. She tasted sweet, like mead, and was having about the same stupefying effect on his senses. With a supreme effort, he broke off the kiss and stepped back.
“I think that’s enough of a lesson for tonight, lass,” he said and hoped his voice didn’t sound as shaky as he felt. His groin throbbed in pain, needing release. If he didn’t leave now, Kaitlin would not remain a virgin. He forced himself to move to the door. “Doona call me a swine or an ass, again, lassie.”
Her eyes glittered and the smile she gave him was smug. He walked away, feeling like maybe he had lost that battle.
****
Kaitlin was left alone the next day, as well. The cook brought her food to her silently, and this time, she didn’t even try to converse with him.
Adair MacDouglas was a mystery to her. He hadn’t wanted her when she’d thrown herself at him, but last night had been different. She sensed the moment when his kisses had changed from demanding dominance to something more needful when she started kissing him back. The realization made her heady with power.
What would happen tonight? Would she be able to seduce him and lose her virginity? He might think he was giving her lessons in obedience, but she just might have a surprise for him.
She was propped up against the headboard, pretending to read a book, when he entered the cabin later that evening.
“Are ye ready for your second lesson, lass?” he asked as he set a small bowl down on the chest of drawers near the door.
“That depends on what it is,” she answered.
He smiled and opened a drawer and rummaged around, finally pulling out a flask. He brought it with him as he sat down on the bed next to her. “All good concubines know how to pleasure their master.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Master? I do not like the sound of that.”
“It doona matter. ’Tis what he calls himself.” He looked at her introspectively.
“Ye aren’t going to use foul words again, are ye?”
“Do you want me to?” she asked, and almost smiled at the hint of lust in his eyes before his face became impassive. It was certainly something to remember to get him to kiss her again. Just the thought of his mouth devouring hers, made her body start to tingle. She glanced down to avoid letting those emotions show. “What is it you wish me to do?”
He looked at her suspiciously. “Ye are being docile tonight, lass.”
Kaitlin widened her eyes. “Is that not what you wanted me to do?”
He studied her a moment longer and then set the bottle on the table. “Aye. Ye may remove my shirt.”
She hesitated just long enough for him to think she didn’t want to. Then, she slowly reached up to undo the lacings. She felt him inhale sharply as her fingers grazed the warm skin of his chest, and the power that she had felt last night surged through her. Seduction wasn’t so hard, after all.
Then, she gasped as he pulled the shirt over his head and bared himself to her. Her brothers had been shirtless around her, but she wasn’t expecting such a sculpted body. Defined shoulder muscles slid into solid, well-developed arms. A light dusting of black hair covered his chest, spiraling downward in a slim line along his ridged stomach to disappear into his trews. He was bronzed all over, and the predatory look in his golden eyes reminded her again of a wolf. Her resolve began to weaken. What was she getting herself into?
He took her hand and turned the palm upward and then poured some sort of fragrant oil into her hand. “This was meant for Greer,” he said in a low rumble that sounded wolfish too, “but I’ll get her more. For tonight, I wish ye to rub my body with it.”
She swallowed hard. If she was going to lose her virginity, she’d have to touch Adair. And she wanted to. So why was she feeling like a lamb being led to slaughter?
“I willna bite ye, lass,” Adair said softly. “’Tis a massage I’m asking for. The sultan will demand ye know how to please him.”
The damn—sorry, Mama—sultan again. Kaitlin shuddered. The idea of touching the old man’s withered, loose s
kin nearly made her ill. One more reason she had to succeed at seducing Adair.
“How do you want me to begin?” she asked.
His eyes glowed with a strange light. “Begin with my shoulders. Work down my arms to my hands and fingers.”
She did as he asked, reveling in the hard feel of him. His fingertips bore calluses that bespoke of his handling of ships’ lines and swords. He sat quite still, watching her as intently as a wolf might its prey. Only when she swirled a bit of oil into the palms of his hands did his gaze flicker and his eyes darken.
“Is that all, my lord?” she asked.
“Do my chest.” His voice was low-pitched and somewhat breathy.
She glanced down demurely so he wouldn’t see the victory in her eyes. He was reacting to her. She was doing something right. It was heady stuff, having this womanly power. Dare she touch those flat, brown nipples of his? What would his reaction be? Tentatively, she feathered her fingers across them, and was rewarded with a convulsive twitch of his body before he grabbed both her hands.
“What are ye doing, lass?”
“Being obedient. You told me to rub your chest.”
He muttered something in Gaelic that sounded a lot like a curse. “I think ye’ve learned this lesson well enough.” Abruptly, he stood and went to retrieve the bowl he had brought in earlier. He brought it to the bed and handed it to her. “Ye may feed me the grapes. One at a time.”
Kaitlin stared at him, not believing that he had turned her down once again. Humiliation replaced the sense of power she’d thought she had. He was probably laughing inside at how easily she had obeyed him tonight. Well, that was over. She tossed her head.
“No.”
He frowned. “What did ye say?”
“You heard me. I said ‘no’. I am not feeding you. You are a grown man. You can surely manage to eat a bowl of grapes by yourself.”
“But I doona wish to,” he said smoothly. “I wish to have ye feed me.”
Kaitlin took the bowl of grapes and threw them across the room. Then she folded her arms across her chest. “No.”
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