by Glenn, Laura
She shrugged. “Well, where I come from, marriage is an equal partnership. If you want me to undress you, then you will have to undress me.”
Something intense and seductive flared across his face. “As you wish, my lady.”
He grabbed Anna by her belt and yanked her toward him, bending his head down toward her. Barely brushing his lips over hers, he loosened her belt and then whirled her around in his arms so her back was pressing his chest. He grasped her mass of red curls and pulled it back. Dropping his lips to her neck, he untied her overdress at the shoulders and allowed the garment to slip to the floor.
His hot breath dragged against her skin and she closed her eyes, leaning her head onto his shoulder. Reaching behind her, she caressed his thighs, his hard muscles tensing beneath her fingertips.
Galen slid his palms around her chest and cupped her breasts, kneading and stroking through the fabric of her leine. She moaned her pleasure and rotated her hips into him.
He pressed his thick, straining cock against her backside and drew his tongue up her neck to her ear. Barely touching her skin, he slowly traced her outer ear. “In this room,” he stated in a husky whisper, “I will allow you to be my equal. But outside, I am still your laird and master.”
Anna turned her head toward him, pressing her lips against the corner of his mouth. “We’ll see about that.”
Without giving him the chance to retort, she sucked his lower lip into her mouth and then parted her lips. He growled and took the bait, invading her mouth with his tongue as he lifted her leine over her hips. They broke the kiss as the garment was drawn up over her head and tossed aside.
She turned in his arms and he embraced her, lifting her from her feet as their lips met once more. Her mouth burned with fire and her senses reeled as he smothered her lips with a demanding mastery.
Pulling his lips from hers and setting her back upon her feet, he said, “Do your duty, wife.”
She smiled up at him. “As you wish, Laird MacAirth.”
Anna worked quickly, the anticipation of him thrusting into her almost too much to bear. Tossing his belt and shirt aside, she shoved his breeches down his hips.
He kicked off his boots and she dropped to her knees to help him step out of his breeches. His large cock jutted in front of her, veins visibly throbbing beneath the surface. Her tongue darted out of her mouth and she licked the length of him, reveling in his salty taste as she gently caressed his balls.
Groaning in torment, Galen pulled her to standing. It had been too long since he last touched her and he was liable to burst within moments if she took him into her silken mouth.
“Another time, lass,” he whispered, drawing her hand to his mouth and kissing her delicate fingertips.
With his free hand, he coaxed her thighs apart and slipped two fingers into her slickened folds, tearing a whimper from her throat. “Right now, I want to be here.” His jaw tightened as he held himself back from throwing her onto the bed and shoving his shaft into her.
Anna nodded and pressed her warm lips to the base of his neck, tilting her hips against him and pushing his fingers deeper into her molten core. A hot ache spread through his groin and blood surged through his cock in a pulsating, hypnotic rhythm.
In one fluid motion, he lay down on the bed and pulled her on top of him. “Take your pleasure, wife,” he whispered in her ear.
She sat up and straddled him, grasping his cock at the base. She leaned forward, steadying herself by gripping his chest as an intensely erotic look of surrender swept her features.
His fists clenched at his sides and he gritted his teeth as he sank into her warm, wet depths. His vision. God, how he had missed this. He’d never gone so long without a woman before and hadn’t even been tempted by another lass while he was away. He only wanted his Annie. Wanted to taste her honeyed skin and plunge into her hot, welcoming sheath that seemed made for him.
He raked his hands up her silky thighs, grabbing her hip in one hand and finding her clit with the thumb of the other. He was awestruck as his hot little woman threw back her head and moaned in ecstasy, her breathing quickening. Rocking her hips back and forth, he slid his cock in and out of her core in a slow, steady rhythm. He grunted and silently willed himself to hold back just a little longer until she found her release.
Anna moaned in acute pleasure as Galen lifted his head and flicked his tongue at her swollen, distended nipples. His thumb slid over her clit in ever faster circles and she closed her eyes, surrendering to the thrilling jolts radiating out from the sensitive nub.
“Touch your breasts for me,” he whispered, his voice strangled. “I want to watch you.”
A deliciously wicked throb coursed through her and she straightened, cupping her breasts with her hands and slowly pulling on her nipples while she rode him. Sharp arrows of pleasure reverberated through her body to her clit and she moaned. Juices leaked from her core, allowing his cock to slide deeper. Tremors unleashed from deep within her, pulling a primal, gasping cry of his name from her lips.
His fingers dug into her hip as his body tensed between her thighs. With a frenzied lift of his hips, he pummeled into her. Her clit hit his pubic bone hard and her core spasmed around him. He ground himself against her and shuddered, a deep, guttural groan escaping his throat.
Anna fell forward against his warm chest and he wrapped his arms around her, rolling her to the side as he planted a slow, drugging kiss upon her lips. She sighed, her eyes fluttering closed.
Galen dragged his hand down her stomach to her hip and then between her legs once again. She opened her eyes in surprise and was about to ask him what he was doing when he slid his finger into her folds, grazing her clit. A shock of pleasure shot out from the overstimulated nub and her hips bucked involuntarily.
He bit her neck and then flicked it with his tongue. “I have many weeks of loving to make up to you, lass. You will not be leaving our bed for a while.”
She raised her brow. “You mean you’re ready…already?”
He laughed against the base of her throat and dragged his lips between her breasts. “Not just yet, but I will be soon enough. Until then, I am going to make you come again and again.”
“But I—”
He pushed her thighs apart and trailed a path down her stomach to her exposed slit with his tongue. He lowered his head and deeply inhaled her scent. “The thought of your sweet flesh plagued me every night. Your taste, your smell. I would get so hard, Annie, just thinking about you.”
A new surge of desire flowed over her and she whimpered in anticipation. He flashed her a scandalous grin before lowering his mouth to her tender, aching flesh. As he traced her folds with his tongue with maddening gentleness, Anna sank into the bed and sighed.
He flicked her clit with his tongue and then slipped it between her folds, dipping and swirling. She arched her back, her breathing ragged, and he murmured incomprehensible words against her clit, sending thrilling vibrations through her core.
“Oh Galen,” she whispered, clutching the bed covers.
He slipped two fingers into her and wrapped his lips around her clit, sucking and licking the engorged nub until she ground herself against his mouth in a desperate attempt to find release.
Galen grabbed her hips to hold her against the bed while he lapped at her. The pressure mounted until a deep, thrilling spam shot through her core, sending their mixed juices spilling out around his fingers.
“Mmm, hmmm,” he hummed against her clit. He sucked the distended nub into his mouth and a wrenching mixture of pleasure and pain ripped through her abdomen, sending her pussy into another spasmodic vibration. Soon, it encompassed her entire body, and she convulsed beneath him, every nerve overloaded.
“Annie.” He placed quick, soft kisses on her inner thighs. “You are so beautiful when you come.”
Her face flushed in a mixture of happiness and shyness. He was actually enjoying pleasuring her and not caring that he wasn’t going to get anything back. She had no idea
men like this even existed. Where on earth had he been her whole life? And why couldn’t it have been Galen instead of James who had somehow gone through time and met her at the fair when she was eighteen? She sighed and shook her head.
Galen rose and encircled one of her nipples with his tongue before sucking it between his lips and shoving his fingers into her pussy. She gasped and bit her lip at the exquisite pleasure of her aching, tired core stretching around him again. She closed her eyes and collapsed against the mattress as new pulsations of desire connected her nipples and clit.
The lost time and past broken hearts didn’t matter. She was lucky enough to be with him now and there was no way in hell she was letting him go.
Chapter Eighteen
Seven months later
Anna absentmindedly rubbed her lower back as she bade goodbye to Katherine and stepped outside the elderly lady’s cottage. Despite the hormonally-induced heat of late pregnancy, she shivered and pulled her plaid shawl around her neck. Early summer was decidedly cooler in the highlands of Scotland than what she was used to in the States.
She reached down to pat Dog’s head and the animal stood from where he had been patiently lying and stretched. Every time Galen left MacAirth land, his dog stuck by her side like glue, even sleeping at the foot of her bed. One day, she would have to come up with a name better than “Dog” and Galen would just have to get over it.
The reassuring, rhythmic noises of the clan’s late afternoon activity filtered down the hill to the edge of the woods where she walked. She glanced at the clouds in the sky, just to make sure it wasn’t going to rain any time soon, before looking around for a quieter area in which to take her daily afternoon stroll.
The calm peacefulness of the clan cemetery drew her in, as it had on several occasions before, despite Galen’s insistence it was too far away from the keep for her to roam safely. The silent wooden crosses, some of which reached a heightened state of decay, were so beautiful in their simplicity and she always loved the way the light filtered from behind the clouds hit their various planes. An artistic impulse to take up photography hit her and she laughed, wondering where such thoughts had been when she actually had access to modern technology.
Anna rubbed her palms over her gigantic, protruding belly. Not having had the forethought to manually track the number of days that had passed since she figured out she was pregnant, it was difficult for her to know exactly what her proper due date should be. But with the new heaviness in her lower abdomen, the nearly daily bouts with false labor, and Katherine’s expertise on the subject, she had no doubt the time would be soon.
Which is why it annoyed her Galen felt the need to leave for a few days yet again. Thankfully, there had not been any additional several-week trips to the outer edges of Scotland and beyond. Ever since he discovered the Gowrie was after her and she had made him promise not to go after him, Galen had become obsessed with gaining support from his allies in the event James attempted to attack the MacAirths. His intention was to ultimately crush the Gowries once and for all should that happen. The thought always made Anna sick to her stomach.
But Galen would be back tomorrow, which eased her fears a bit. This time, however, she would insist he not go running off somewhere for a good long while. After all, they were coming up on the last days in which they would be alone as a couple.
Dog growled at her side and she stopped, glancing down at him. The fur along his spine stiffened and stood straight. She searched the trees at the edge of the cemetery, but nothing immediately appeared amiss.
“My lady?” came a pitiful, shaking voice from the woods.
Anna turned toward the line of trees and spotted a small, frightened child she didn’t recognize peeking out at her from behind an old gnarled oak.
The child’s gaze centered on the wolfhound, which growled in earnest. Anna snapped a command and the dog sat on its haunches, staring intently at the child.
She moved toward the woods. “Do not worry about Dog. I won’t let him near you. Is there something you need?”
The child hesitantly stepped out from behind the tree and nodded, still staring past her at the dog.
Anna studied the young boy’s dirty face, attempting to figure out whether she had seen him before. There were so many little ones in the clan it was difficult to remember all of them.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, careful to keep her voice pleasant.
“My-my-my brother.” He looked at his feet. “He is hurt.”
She peered into the woods, wondering if he was alone. “Where are your parents?”
“Mamma is dead. Papa is in the fields, I think.” He shrugged. “Can you come?”
Sympathy welled within her. She looked over her shoulder at Dog just to make sure he still sat quietly a comfortable distance away. The moment her eyes met his, he stood as though he were going to come toward them.
The child whimpered and threw himself into her skirts. “Please, my lady!” he pleaded. “He cannot walk and he is bleeding.”
She told Dog to stay and rubbed the child’s back in an attempt to soothe away his fright. “It’s all right. I will come. What is your name?”
“Caleb.”
“Where is your brother?”
The boy turned and pointed deep into the forest.
Anna nodded, waving him forward to lead the way. He bounded from the cemetery, looking back several times as if to make sure she indeed followed.
As they walked deeper and deeper into the forest, her stomach panged in disquieting discomfort. After what seemed like a good ten minutes, she asked, “How much farther?”
“Just a little ways, my lady.”
Her hips ached, but she brushed off the pain, hoping she would soon find the boy’s brother. “What happened to him?”
“He fell,” the boy mumbled.
The oddity of his tone gave her pause and she almost stopped in her tracks. A sudden heat washed over her due to her exertion and she pulled her plaid shawl from around her shoulders.
“Caleb.” She wrapped her arm around her stomach and paused to catch her breath.
A sudden, sharp pain in the back of her head caused her to crumple. Before she hit the ground, Dog’s yelp reverberated in her ears as a gag was thrown around her mouth and tied tightly the back of her head. She screamed as best as she could, struggling to stand, but her wrists were quickly bound and a black hood thrown over her head.
Anna whimpered, kicking blindly at anything around her, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. How could she have been so stupid? She should have at least trusted Dog’s instincts if not her own. Her heart ached for the animal and she silently prayed he was all right.
Hands grabbed her legs, holding them painfully to the ground as a rough rope wrapped around her ankles. Then several pairs of hands were on her all at once, lifting her into the air and carrying her for what seemed like several yards. She screamed again, the noise easily swallowed by the gag. Tears stung her eyes and she prayed for someone—anyone—to come to her aid.
She was placed with strange gentleness onto a bed of what seemed to be straw. Horses snorted and she stilled, straining to detect any indication of who had done this to her. A lurching rolled her backward and then forward before settling into a steady movement.
James had come for her.
Or rather, had sent men to do his dirty work for him. How long had he been plotting this? How long had these men been watching her, waiting for the opportunity to strike? And how is it they could have encroached so far into MacAirth territory without being detected?
She struggled against the rope around her wrist, but it had been tied to something to prevent her from moving around too much. Exhausted, she gave up and allowed her tears to roll down her cheeks.
* * * * *
A kick in the ribs jarred Anna into a semi-conscious state. She inhaled and detected the sweet scent of hay. Something rolled in her stomach and kicked her ribs again.
Her eyes fluttered open only
to be met with darkness as she was rocked back and forth. She shifted, dragging a wool blanket across her cheek, and the back of her head throbbed. The baby punched her in her bladder.
As she was about to mutter how over this whole pregnancy thing she was, a tight, moist cloth stretched against her moving lips to restrain them. She blinked wildly, panic washing over her as she remembered exactly where she was.
The nightmare was real.
“You should have killed that thing,” a man uttered somewhere outside the blanket.
“I did not have time to draw my sword. All I could do was throw the beast against a tree. We were lucky it landed head-first and was knocked out cold. We had to get out of there,” someone else answered in a weary voice. “There was no time for a battle with a crazed wolf. He already took a good deal of my flesh with him as it is.”
“Are we almost home?” a child’s voice came from in front of her.
Caleb. She exhaled in disbelief, her heart sinking. The child had been sent to draw her away from the clan. She could all too easily envision Galen’s angry expression as he lectured her on the importance of following his orders.
She hated proving him right, but even more pressing was the worry that would befall Galen and the clan. She had no idea what time at night it might be or how long it would take them to notice she hadn’t returned.
“A few hours yet, lad,” the first man answered with a laugh. “You will get your coin from the laird soon enough.”
A sickening understanding swept through her. She pulled her wrists and ankles toward her, testing the strength of the restraints.
“Stop!” a man said.
The wagon groaned before halting and the clip-clop of horses’ hooves fell silent. Anna froze, barely daring to breathe.
“What is it?” another asked.
“I thought I saw her move.”
Shuffling cut through the quiet and she closed her eyes, feigning sleep. The hood was dragged off and cool night air caressed her face.
“Still asleep.”
“Are you sure she is breathing? You hit her pretty hard,” a third voice asked in concern.