Forbidden Fate (Sisters of Danu Book 1)

by Mia Pride

  But as the hours passed, Liam stayed completely aloof, as if her body rocking against his had no effect on him. Well, it was affecting her…too much. His hard body was crushed against hers, his arms holding her so tightly she could feel every inch of him, especially that part of him nestled into her backside. His breathing against her neck sent chills down her spine and she squirmed repeatedly in the saddle, desperate to relieve herself of the persistent ache between her legs.

  She wriggled her behind into his groin more than once, complaining she needed to adjust herself, but what she really needed was to feel him, to drive him past his sudden and inconvenient control. His back had gone rigid and she could hear his quick intake of breath, but he continued riding in silence without so much as a word or movement.

  Was he ignoring her? Or mayhap he had given up on showing her affection? After all, she had rejected the man time and again. Leave it to Liam to finally behave when she was ready to give herself over to him. She was growing desperate for his touch, his attention, anything he would give her was better than his evasive demeanor.

  Gwynneth pretended to yawn as she arched her back, pushing her breasts forward while grinding her rear into his lap. If Liam noticed, he gave no indication. His hand was so close to where she wanted to be touched, his fingers resting upon her pelvic bone. If he just slid his hands down a little further…his thumb twitched as if sensing her longing, but it only moved higher, away from her aching flesh. A low groan of disappointment unexpectedly released from her lips and she flinched, hoping Liam hadn’t heard. Peaking over her shoulder in frustration, she could have sworn she saw his lips tick up a notch before she turned back around.

  Her desire was peaking the more he ignored her invitations. She wanted to bring him to the point of no control, wanted him to take her body in the way he promised he would before. She knew, with absolute certainty, that she was ready to give herself fully to Liam. In fact, she found herself dreaming of it every moment that passed.

  She was disappointed to see no sign that he was picking up on her subtle seductions. Dusk was coming and by this time on the morrow, they would be home. She had to give herself to him before that, to make him never want to go back to Fiona.

  Not only had she failed at gaining his attention, but she felt incredibly foolish. Decidedly done trying to seduce Liam, she leaned back into his body with a sigh, placing her hand on top of his as it still rested upon her hip. This act, as simple as it was, was rewarded with a response as he leaned forward to kiss the back of her head. She could hear him smelling her hair and she melted further into his warmth, nuzzling her head onto his shoulder. This may not have been the jolt of lust she strived to produce, but it was just what she needed in that moment. She felt loved and protected in the way that only Liam could provide, and it was a silent reassurance that he still wanted her.

  The men, as promised, decided to find an area to set up camp before night fall. It did not take long before Duncan’s trained eye found the right spot to support a roaring fire, high trees hanging overhead for protection, yet plenty of open grass to stretch out and relax. They had been following the stream, deciding to always stay near the source of the water. They reached the end of the stream, where it flowed peacefully into a small lake down a hill only several yards from their camp sight.

  Gwynneth’s body was stiff from the ride and she wasn’t sure she could even move, feeling frozen to the horse. Liam climbed down and once again, grabbed her around the waist and lowered her down. She leaned her body into his, but he let go swiftly and walked over to the other men to help them start the fire. She bit her lower lip in frustration as she watched him squat down to add kindling to the spark without a second thought for her comfort. He had been so attentive the last time they stopped. Insecurity niggled at her, but she brushed it away, deciding to make the most of their arrangement.

  She walked over to where the three brothers were sitting by the fire removing their boots to let the warmth flow through their feet. The temperature had dropped substantially as night approached and she decided the brothers had the right idea. “May I join you?”

  They all looked up to her with surprise, but they smiled kindly as she sat down next to them, hiking her dress up above her ankles slightly and removing her slippers with a sigh. The fire felt so good on her aching legs, jostled all day by horse muscles flexing against her dangling limbs. Duncan was watching her with a quirked brow and she saw his gaze go from her bare ankles to Liam’s face, but Liam was not paying any attention. He was rummaging in his satchel, searching for some buried object.

  Gwynneth groaned and grabbed her lower back. “I never knew riding a horse could work my body so hard.” She rubbed her back and winced at the pain. “I need to be rubbed down.” She was running her hands up and down her spine trying to relieve her own aches, hoping Liam would come and assist her. Looking across the fire, she saw him lying on his back and looking up at the pink-streaked sky, using his satchel as a head rest. His hands were folded up under his head and his tunic was pulling up just slightly, revealing the muscles that trailed below his trousers and narrowed at his hips.

  Seeing him lying there, completely ignoring her as if she did not even exist, was creating a pressure inside her that could easily be confused with anger. But it was more of a subtle frustration, a constant tingling within her core she couldn’t relieve alone. She got up and walked over to her satchel lying on the ground next to Liam. She swooped down quickly to pick it up, hoping he would bat an eye in her direction. He just kept looking up at the sky with a peaceful look on his face.

  Her frustration was now, indeed, turning into anger. Is this how Liam felt every time she riled him up and then turned him down? It was no wonder he hadn’t strangled her yet. She wasn’t sure, herself, if she wanted to strangle or straddle him. She was definitely leaning toward the latter, but had no intentions of doing so in front of their current company, nor was she making progress toward her goal. With a sigh, she decided to give up her amorous pursuits and do something constructive with herself.

  Feeling the call of the water in the lake, and remembering the lye soap Ceara had packed her, she took her satchel without so much as a glance back at the men and walked toward the water. The sun was setting quickly, sending glorious streaks of coral and violet across the sky, and there were only a few minutes left before the blackness set in. She decided to sit at the edge of the lake and watch the sun disappear over the horizon. Once it was dark, she would feel much more comfortable disrobing and bathing. She knew the other men had bathed earlier that day, so the risk of one of them wandering down to the lake was slim. If any of them became thirsty, they would go the stream where the running water served to filter out the grime. Besides, Duncan had speared two rabbits earlier, so they would all be occupied with preparing supper.

  She lay on her back and stared up the sky, watching the colorful streaks of dusk fade into the black void of night, the stars winking at her from above. It was a wonderfully warm night for early winter. The air was almost sticky, creating a small sheet of moisture on her skin. Yet the sporadic chill from the night breeze served to cool her overheated body. She could see the tiny fireflies start their flickering dance as they zoomed around the darkening sky. She looked around and felt the peace of nature. A tingle of excitement washed over her at the prospect of bathing in the wide open woods, being one with the element she was only now beginning to understand her control over.

  She was overdue for a good bath and, though the lake was no substitute for a hot tub filled with steaming water, it was calling to all her senses. She reached into her sack to pull out her night clothes and laid it carefully on the side of her bag where she could easily obtain it after her bath. Reaching back in and feeling around, she could not find her soap. She started to dig frantically and then dumped out all the contents. Her comb fell out, along with her herbal tea and another dress for day wear…but no soap.

  She felt disappointment settle into her bones. She was so looking forw
ard to scrubbing the day’s dirt off her body and hair. She plopped down and looked at the still waters of the lake, small ripples skimming along its glossy surface as the wind occasionally blew. Deciding a mediocre bath was better than nothing, she stood up and untied the belt cinched around her waist and tossed it to the ground. She reached down to her ankles and gathered the fabric of her dress all the way up to her waist and then tugged it over her head.

  Feeling the night breeze ruffle in her hair as she let out her plait, gooseflesh formed all down her body and she closed her eyes. Nothing could possibly feel freer than this, standing naked in the night, not a soul to be seen. It was as if, for the first time in her life, she could feel her faery blood flowing through her veins, the call of nature instinctively drawing her in. She was a descendant of Dana and nothing felt truer as she opened her arms wide and breathed in the dampness of the night.

  She walked toward the edge of the water and stuck her toe in to test the temperature. It was brisk, which was to be expected, but she wasn’t going to back out now; she was going in all the way. She squinted her eyes in concentration, wondering if she could control the water now lapping around her thighs. She closed her eyes and willed the water to turn warmer. Nothing was happening. She had a long way to go before she could even begin to understand her abilities. She felt no control over the water now, but somehow felt as if the water was in control of her, a part of her.

  She tilted her head back, soaking her hair from root to tip. As the energy of the lake coursed through her blood, she put her hands up over her head and started to spin circles, feeling the waves swirl around her body. The noises of the night flowed seamlessly together with the swishing of the water against her body. The wind blew all around, sending a chill down her bare breasts but she continued to spin, never having felt more alive.

  When she finally stopped spinning, the swishing sounds continued, as if something was moving toward her in the water. Was it a snake? Startled, she popped her eyes open, only to find herself face to face with a large, muscular chest, rivulets of water dripping down every contour and gleaming in the moon light. She looked down and, even in the dark, she recognized the small trail of hairs that travelled downward into the depths of the lake. She let her eyes travel back up and she saw him looking down at her with his piercing blue eyes.

  “Liam?” her voice caught in her throat as she reflexively wrapped her arms around herself, covering her breasts.

  “What do you think you are doing, wandering off into the woods, alone, in the dark, when Baine’s men could be out here?” he said with a testy voice.

  “Why do you care? You’ve been ignoring me all day.” Refusing to be scolded, she turned her back on him, but he whirled her body around again to face him.

  “Of course I’ve been ignoring you. You made it perfectly clear I wasn’t allowed to touch you. And any contact I have with you makes me want to touch you. So, I stayed away. Is that not what you wanted?” He closed the gap between them and his chest brushed against her crossed arms. He was so large that her head only reaching his mid chest and it made her pulse quicken. She felt so small in his presence, but his strength made her melt all over. She could feel something under the water, lightly pressing against her belly.

  She looked up at him towering above her. “Yet, here you are. Have you changed your mind?”

  Liam chortled as he unfolded his arms and gripped Gwynneth’s hips tightly, pulling her against him forcefully. “It was never my mind that needed changing, Gwynneth. I have never stopped wanting you. It seems to me, your mind is the one that has changed,” he said in a low, deep voice.

  “W-why would you say that?” her voice quivered as she quickly lost her all pretense of anger, falling under the spell of his body so close to hers.

  His eyes narrowed at her. He was clearly unwilling to mince words. “How many times did you rub your sweet arse into my cock while we were on that horse?”

  Her mouth dropped open. “You noticed?” She looked slightly embarrassed, but a thrill ran through her body. He couldn’t see her coloring in the dark and she was thankful, for she most certainly was turning redder than the wild raspberries she so loved.

  A low growl escaped from the depth of his throat, “Aye, I noticed.” He felt his feral blood begin to boil over and wasn’t sure if he had the strength to cool it on his own this time. Control was allusive, slipping away with every breath. He only prayed to the gods that he wouldn’t be needing it as he looked down upon Gwynneth’s glistening body. She nervously chewed on her ripe lower lip.

  “What I didn’t notice, is what made you change your mind so severely, so quickly.” He put one hand on her arm and ran his fingers up and down, moving over her back. It felt wonderful and she leaned into him, letting him caress her with his rough palms. “Tell me.”

  “Tell you what?” she mumbled peacefully into his chest.

  “Why did you change your mind? Before we mounted the horse, you told me you couldn’t touch me. Within hours, you were throwing yourself at me.” He smirked at her offended face as she looked up to his height.

  “I was not throwing myself at you! I was merely trying to get your attention.”

  “It worked.” He came down and crushed his lips to hers, slipping his tongue into her willing mouth. She gave no resistance, letting her tongue entwine with his.

  He broke away from her kiss, panting, and looked down at her with a warning in his eye. She could feel him trembling and sensed it was not the chill of the night or the frigid water causing his large frame to quake. “Is this it, Gwynn? Tell me now, because once I have you, I will never let go.” She had never been so aroused in her life. Her core began to ache for his touch and her breathing became labored, body thrumming with anticipation. All she wanted was for him to take control of her body and never stop.

  “I want this Liam. I want you.” Pausing, she swallowed hard and breathed deeply. “I love you.”

  “Will you be my wife, Gwynneth?” he ran his finger over the side of her face and felt a tear running down her cheek.

  She nodded her head and looked up at him, “Aye, Liam, that is all I ever wanted,” she sighed. “I feel like such a fool. All this time, I ran away because I thought you were forbidden. But now I know, you have always been my fate.”

  Releasing a warm rush of breath from his lungs, he closed his eyes and crushed her to him possessively. “I will never let you leave me again.”

  After several moments of them silently embracing, Gwynneth’s ear to Liam’s chest as she listened to the steady beat of his heart, he pulled back abruptly and sent her a boyish grin. “I stole your soap,” he admitted with a laugh and raised it up in his left hand as evidence.

  She laughed at his childish admission, “Why ever for?”

  His eyes flashed at her. “Because, I plan on lathering you up from head to toe, and then tasting every inch of you.” His smile changed into an animalistic grin and her breath caught in her throat.

  She opened her mouth to protest. They were in the middle of the woods, standing in a lake with their men not far off. And yet, the look in Liam’s eyes completely melted away any fears she had. Nothing could feel more right than this moment, declaring her love to this man, surrounded by water as they finally came together as one.

  Her body pulsed with anticipation when she saw Liam rubbing the soap in his hands with a devious gleam in his eye. He was truly planning on washing her and something fluttered within her at the sheer intimacy of what he was about to do.

  His lathered hands came down and rested upon her breasts, taking their weight into his palm as he ran his thumbs along the peaks. “I want you so badly, Gwynneth.” She could still feel his hardness pulsing against her stomach and knew Liam was struggling for control. She tilted her head back with a sigh, closing her eyes as all the sensations enveloped her body. The water began to warm around them and Gwynneth knew something deep within her was controlling the lake as it lapped lazily against their bodies, but she was much too enthral
led with Liam’s every caress to consider anything else.

  She felt his lips brush against her upturned throat, his warm breath tickling her skin as his slick hands skimmed lower, and then lower still. One finger was all it took. He trailed it down her flat stomach and under the water, to the part of her that ached for his touch. Her entire body shuttered as the very tip of his finger stroked across the throbbing need between her legs. It was the softest of touches, almost as if he hadn’t touched her at all, and yet it lit a fire within her that caused her hips to flex forward and her breath to catch in her throat. How could a touch so soft bring her to her knees?

  Wrapping her arms around Liam’s neck to support herself, she leaned her forehead against his chest as his fingers continued to swirl rhythmically against her heated flesh. Her hips began to rock as if seeking more, but she couldn’t imagine how anything else could bring her body more pleasure. Gwynneth placed soft kisses against Liam’s chest, her breath hitching in her chest as she savored his slow ministrations. Small gasps and groans were building in her throat as the pressure was building within her body.

  She knew her body needed more, demanded it, as her pulse quickened and her hips took on a life of their own. But here, standing in the water as her head filled with a lusty haze, she couldn’t think of how to achieve what her soul was screaming out for. Liam was going to have to take her out of the lake and lie her down if they were going to make love.

  Just then, she felt Liam’s chest rattle in a low groan as his free hand cupped her backside firmly, squeezing as if his life depended on it as he pushed her deeper against him. Before she knew what he was doing, he ran his hand down the length of her thigh and lifted her leg onto his hip. His hardness pressed against her entrance and she looked up to him with wide, shocked eyes, thankful Liam knew how to bring their bodies together while standing.