Bram caught her hands and her heartbeat trembled within her chest. She could smell the scent of wood upon him and despite his anger, there was no denying the way she’d aroused him. His shaft nestled against her, when he drew her close.
‘I’m not weak, Nairna.’
‘I never said that. But what if the raid goes badly? It won’t end, will it?’ she whispered. ‘Even if you do bring back Callum, there will be war.’
‘Until we’ve driven the English out, aye.’
She broke free of him and the worry made her head ache. When she reached the opposite side of the room, she sat down on a wooden stump that served as a stool.
Bram returned to the bed and she heard the sinking sound of his body weight against the mattress. Her hands rested upon the silk of Lady Marguerite’s gown and she felt like weeping.
The silence in their house closed over her and she stared at the bag of coins that lay at her feet. Though she didn’t understand how Dougal had been cheated or why, there had to be a way to make use of them.
She glanced back at Bram and the mattress rustled as he rolled over. He wasn’t going to use the coins, nor would he appreciate her interference.
But what if…she could use her father’s help? What if Hamish could coerce Lord Harkirk into releasing Callum? Then, at least, they could avoid any bloodshed.
The hours were slipping away, and she listened to the sound of Bram’s breathing, wondering if Alex would listen to her suggestion. If they travelled to Ballaloch and stayed with her father, they would know more about Harkirk’s forces and what to do.
Silently, she reached for the sack of false coins, listening to her husband sleep—if, in fact, he was sleeping. He didn’t move when she opened the door, nor did she hear him stir when she slipped outside.
Her dog Caen, however, stood up from where he’d been sleeping and trotted over to see her. Nairna reached down to touch his ears, thankful that he hadn’t begun barking.
She planned to return to the keep for the remainder of the night and wait for Alex to awaken. If she spoke to the chief before they left, he might even allow her to accompany them.
The thought of returning home was a hope that filled Nairna with yearning. She hadn’t seen her family or friends in so long. Surely her father would offer his men to help her, if she asked it of them.
The moon had slipped lower in the sky, and she hesitated, wondering if Bram was still asleep or not. Nairna held the bag of false coins and adjusted her cape to keep warm. She began walking downhill upon the path leading through the forest, with Caen at her side. Though it was still dark, she could see the torches lining the walls at Glen Arrin.
In the distance, the faint grey light of morning was on the horizon. She wouldn’t have to wait too long for Alex to awaken.
As she walked further, she ignored the unsettled worry in her stomach. By the time Bram discovered her gone, she would be talking to his brother.
She could only hope that the chief would listen.
Bram wondered what on earth Nairna was doing. He’d watched her take the bag of coins before she made her way down the hillside. Damn her. Where was she planning to go in the middle of the night?
Though he wanted to throttle her for daring to leave, he took a few moments to prepare his horse. It would be easier to overtake her, since she’d gone on foot.
He hurried to get the gelding ready, and within minutes he was following Nairna. Once he reached the bottom of the hill, he urged his horse into a hard run to catch up to her.
He was torn between fury at her defiance and worry about why she’d left. He was the one meant to take risks, not his wife.
There. He saw her walking closer to the keep, with her dog at her side. Her hood had fallen back and she was several paces away from the gatehouse.
Bram gripped his horse with his knees, racing until he started to gain on her. Nairna glanced behind her; when she saw him, she stopped walking. It startled Alex, for he’d expected her to run from him, not wait.
When he reached her side at last, he leaned down and picked her up, bringing her across his lap on horseback. A flush of guilt covered her face, but she held on to his waist for balance.
Bram held her captive in his arms, demanding, ‘Where did you think you were going?’
It occurred to Nairna that an explanation would only make Bram angrier than he already was. She was caught now; there was nothing else she could admit except the truth. He didn’t bother to wait for her answer, but wheeled the horse around to take her back home again.
Weariness made her reluctant to provoke another argument, nor did she want to listen to more reasons of why she ought to stay home where it was safer.
A woman holds power of her own, Jenny had told her. The power to bring a man pleasure.
And though the idea of seducing Bram again was more than a little frightening, it was the only weapon she had.
He dismounted from the horse, never once letting go of her. He brought her inside the house, locking his arms around her waist. ‘Did you think I wouldn’t know that you’d left, Nairna?’
She wasn’t going to bother trying to convince him of anything. It was clear he wouldn’t listen to a single word. Instead, she reached up to his face, lifting her lips to his. She kissed him softly, as if to tame the beast.
Bram’s mouth didn’t move and the coldness made her wonder if she’d made a mistake. When she pulled back, his dark eyes glittered with fettered frustration. ‘You’re not going to soften me with a kiss, Nairna.’
She supposed it was naïve to think that were possible. So she ran her hands over his bristled face, down to his wide neck.
‘Where did you intend to go?’ he demanded, flinching slightly when she touched his shoulders.
‘I wanted to talk to Alex,’ she answered. She could feel the knotted tension in him, and when she slid one hand beneath his tunic the hot skin startled her.
He jerked back, drawing her hands behind her. But instead of feeling trapped, it brought his chest up against her body, making her breasts grow aroused.
‘Why did you bring the coins?’
She lifted her eyes to meet his. ‘You know why.’
His grim expression was barren of all emotion, as though she’d betrayed him. But lurking beneath the surface was something more. He was fighting against himself and though she didn’t know what his thoughts were, she sensed that his control was slipping away.
‘You’re driving me to madness,’ he said, releasing her suddenly. ‘I don’t understand you.’
‘I don’t suppose you understand what it’s like for me, being left behind.’
He was standing near the bed, staring at the doorway. He looked as though he wanted to say something to her, but he hadn’t decided what.
Nairna moved closer, her pulse thrumming like a bird’s wings. If she let him push her away, their marriage would be no different than it was before. ‘You feel so helpless, afraid of what might happen.’
She came so close; she rested her cheek against his, tracing her fingers over the scars upon his lower back. ‘I don’t want there to be anger between us. Not now.’
He didn’t answer, but she lifted her face, hoping he would kiss her. Bram held motionless, letting her touch him. For the longest time, she continued stroking his scarred flesh.
He lowered his forehead to hers, and she sensed him fighting the temptation. ‘There isn’t much time left, Nairna.’
‘Then let us make the most of it.’ She kissed him, no longer waiting for him to claim the right.
Chapter Seventeen
The light touch of her lips upon his was an invitation Bram didn’t want to accept. He wanted to chastise her for leaving him, to make her understand that he was trying to protect her, not imprison her.
He took command of her mouth, letting her know that he wasn’t at all in the mood to be cajoled. But when her arms wound around his neck, he started loosening the laces of her gown. The fabric was so tightly drawn against her breasts,
he could see the outline of her budding nipples.
‘This gown doesn’t fit you,’ he said against her mouth.
Nairna’s hair had fallen wild against her shoulders, the cap forgotten upon the floor. Her green eyes were flooded with desire and need. ‘Then you should take it off.’ When he pulled against the laces, she stopped him. ‘It belongs to Marguerite. Be careful.’
He wanted to rend the fabric from her body, tearing her free of the silken cage. Instead, he knelt down, lifting the surcoat away. Then he raised her kirtle from the hem. She wore nothing beneath the silken gown, not even a shift. His arousal deepened, seeing her bare skin.
Nairna lifted her arms to help him remove the dress and the sight of her large, firm breasts was nearly his undoing. He stripped the gown away until she stood naked before him.
He used his tongue against the smoothness of her throat, while he cupped her breasts with his hands.
‘Bram,’ she whispered, her breath hitching. Her eyes were hooded with desire, her skin prickled with goose flesh.
‘I haven’t finished with you yet.’ In the darkness of early morning, her features remained shadowed. ‘I can’t see you the way I want to. So I’ll have to find you by touch.’
He took her hand and brought her to the bed, lowering her onto it.
‘You’re going to wish you’d never left our house,’ he said, stripping off his clothing. He needed to feel her naked skin against his, to know the response he’d provoked. She was shivering, but he used his body heat to warm her.
He wanted to be inside her when she came apart. He wanted to be encased in her satiny wetness, feeling her violent tremors squeezing his shaft.
‘You’re not leaving me behind this time,’ she responded. ‘I’ll stay at Ballaloch while you go after Callum.’
‘You’re going nowhere, Nairna.’ He kept her hands pinned, while he worked his mouth over her throat, using his tongue to encircle her nipples again. When her body spasmed at the dark pull of his mouth, he reached between her legs to feel the creamy wetness there.
‘If you go without me, I’ll only follow,’ she whispered. Her hand slid to his thick erection, caressing his length. ‘You wouldn’t dare to tie me up like you did Dougal.’
‘Don’t tempt me.’ He flicked his thumb over her hooded flesh, entering her with two fingers.
In response, she squeezed the length of his erection, sliding her palm up to the head. Her hand dragged over the length of him, caressing him in an erotic rhythm.
‘I won’t allow you to endanger yourself.’ He gritted his teeth against the fierce sensation of desire that pulled at him. ‘It isn’t safe.’
‘And what about you?’ Nairna demanded. She rubbed the moist tip of him and her wet palm encircled him again. ‘Do you think I want to watch you risk your life again?’
Bram pushed her hand away. ‘I’m prepared for it, Nairna. You aren’t.’
She gasped when he moved down on her, spreading her legs apart. He cupped her hips, tasting her intimate opening. With his tongue, he worked her swollen flesh, watching her responses to see where he should move.
She seemed the most sensitive at the hooded place above her entrance, and he teased it, watching her shiver. But despite his efforts to send her into a release, she wasn’t responding in the way he’d hoped.
He moved to rest on his side while she laid upon her back. ‘Touch yourself,’ he commanded, bringing her fingers downwards. ‘Show me where it brings you the most pleasure.’
She started to refuse, but Bram wouldn’t let her deny him. He gripped her hand, bringing it down to her secret flesh. ‘I want to know.’
Nairna’s fingers spread out, but she didn’t move them. She didn’t know what to do, he realised. She’d never explored herself; he would have to take the lead.
He brought her fingers to her wet centre, circling the opening. He showed her how to move, how to stroke.
She looked embarrassed, but he refused to let her shyness overcome her. At last, she closed her eyes, her hand moving. He watched as she raised her fingers above the opening to the swollen nub. She let out a gasp when she touched herself, increasing the pressure in a slow circle.
‘Keep going,’ he encouraged her, staring in fascination as she arched her hips. He was getting more aroused, watching her bring about her own pleasure.
Her swollen nipples tempted him and he reached out to take one into his mouth. Nairna cried out as he kept a wet pressure upon the tip, caressing the other with his hand.
Her breath came in shuddering gasps as she pressed harder in a rhythm that mimicked his own thrusting. ‘Don’t stop,’ she pleaded when he released one of her breasts.
In response, Bram took the nipple between his fingertips, rolling it as he suckled the other. He felt the change in her body as she arched against him, releasing a moan as her body shivered with pleasure.
He nearly lost control, watching her shatter. When her hand fell away, he moved down, using his tongue to work the place she’d just touched.
Nairna came apart again, her body shaking violently. ‘Bram, I can’t. It’s too much.’
‘Again,’ he demanded, sucking hard against her folds until she convulsed in his arms. She guided him up, taking his shaft in her palm and guiding him into her.
He slid inside with no barriers, only the tight, wet warmth that surrounded his erection.
Her breasts were pebbled in response, and when he withdrew and slid back inside, she let out a gasp, squeezing her walls against him.
It was like nothing he’d ever felt before. Even as he possessed her, plunging inside, it was as if she were pulling him deeper. She arched, wrapping her legs around his waist to take him even further.
‘Go faster,’ she urged, gripping his backside. ‘Don’t stop.’
He obeyed her urging, increasing the pace of his thrusts. She was taking him so deep, he didn’t know how much more he could last. But then, when her head fell back, he grasped her hips hard, pumping with such speed that she came apart again, her body melting with wetness between them.
She met his rhythm with her own desire, bucking against him until he released his seed, burying himself deep. Nairna’s legs held him around his waist, as if she wouldn’t let him leave her.
He held her tightly, not speaking. There were no words, no attempts to touch her again. Simply silence.
Nairna held still, her body trembling with aftershocks. She’d always suspected that it would be this way between them and wished she could hold him like this for ever. Or at least a piece of his spirit, if her womb were to be blessed with a child.
A sound bumped against the doorway and she saw her dog Caen returning inside. He eyed Nairna as if to scold her for leaving him behind. Then he circled around twice before settling down in front of the door.
Bram propped up his head on one arm. ‘He’s not much of a protector, is he?’
‘I don’t know about that,’ Nairna mused. ‘If someone were to invade, they’d likely stumble over him.’
Bram caressed the skin of her hip for a moment before he withdrew from her body. The morning sun filtered through the crevices of their house and Bram stood up to get dressed. Already she saw the determination on his face.
‘We’re going together, Bram,’ she reminded him. If he left her behind again, he would withdraw even more. Worse, if he didn’t find his brother alive, he would never forgive himself.
Bram’s face didn’t falter. ‘I’m not putting you in danger, Nairna.’
‘I know that,’ she amended. ‘And I promise, I won’t follow you to Harkirk’s stronghold. As I said, I would stay with my father.’
‘We’re not going as far as Ballaloch,’ was his answer.
Dismay pooled inside her, for she could sense the cold, vengeance-minded husband returning. She couldn’t yet abandon her desire to intervene in another way. Her father had a tentative alliance with Harkirk—why couldn’t he negotiate the safe return of Callum?
The sound of horses approachi
ng made her reach for an older gown from among her belongings. She dressed quickly and opened the door, only to find the chief and a dozen men arriving, heavily armed.
Alex regarded Bram with a suspicious look. ‘I thought you would be ready to leave at dawn.’
Bram glanced at her and Nairna flushed, not wanting to admit the reason her husband was late. Instead, she interjected, ‘I’m going to travel with you. You’ll stay at my father’s house at Ballaloch and you can learn what you need to know about Lord Harkirk, before entering the fortress.’
Alex’s expression was neutral as he thought about her offer.
‘She’s not leaving Glen Arrin,’ Bram insisted. ‘I won’t allow it.’
‘But she isn’t asking to go with us to fight Harkirk,’ Alex said. ‘She’s asking to visit her family and give us a place to make our plans.’ He exchanged a look with Bram. ‘It wouldn’t be a bad thing to have the protection of Hamish MacPherson.’
‘I am not bringing Nairna into this,’ Bram argued.
‘But my father may have a way of getting more information about Callum. It would give you an advantage.’
Alex studied her, as if trying to determine whether or not she spoke the truth.
Please believe me, she prayed silently.
Finally, the chief gave a nod. ‘She comes with us, Bram. It makes more sense to stay with Hamish than to camp on our own. That would only draw Harkirk’s men upon us sooner.’
Nairna sent him a grateful look, but the chief seemed uninterested in her personal feelings. Instead, he sent one of the men to bring back a horse for her while Bram prepared his mount.
Within another half-hour, Dougal returned, holding the reins of a mare Nairna hadn’t seen before. When he came closer, he said, ‘I didn’t want your mare to be burdened while she’s carrying her foal. This is Gavina, and she’s got a calm temper.’
Claimed by the Highland Warrior Page 19