by Tarah Scott
“I shall return with help right away, Boyd,” Magnus said, and dug his heels into the horse’s ribs.
Lady Mia grabbed his arm and held tight. The pressure of her fingers around his forearm—and the rocking press of her hip against his groin—sent a wave of lust through him. He suddenly wanted this ride over as soon as possible but suppressed the urge to gallop. This was far worse than the other day when he’d held her pressed against his chest.
A fine mist began to fall. This was his punishment for not listening to Neill and taking his carriage. He had looked forward to the forty-minute ride through the countryside. Of course, had he listened to Neill—who was rarely wrong about anything—he would be dry and warm inside the coach his valet would later send with his luggage, and he wouldn’t have a beautiful woman sitting across his thighs. Still, if not for the possibility Lady Mia might be seen in such a compromising position, he might enjoy the situation.
They rode in silence. He was relieved—and more tortured than he cared to admit—to find her body warming. The faint scent of the lilac soap she’d used to wash her hair was ridiculously distracting. He gave thanks that she had her hood up. The feel of her thick tresses, even wet, would be sheer torture.
The trees thinned more as they grew closer to Stirling’s home. He scanned the area for signs of the brigands. It was highly unlikely they had lingered, but it would be just his luck for them to screw up enough courage to try another robbery. Lady Mia shifted. Magnus grimaced against the exquisite pleasure that streaked through him when her hip bumped his cock. She stiffened. Well, there it was. She certainly couldn’t mistake the rock hard length for anything but what it was.
The squeak of carriage wheels sounded behind them. Marcus tensed in unison with her gasp. Christ Almighty, it hadn’t occurred to him they might encounter other travelers on the road. If word reached his father and brother that he’d been seen on the road with a gentle bred woman riding on his lap, they would never let him forget it.
“Someone is coming,” she whispered.
He glanced over his shoulder. The carriage was far enough behind them that the occupants wouldn’t be able to discern their identities.
“There are no trees for cover,” she said, her voice tense.
He cursed that bit of bad luck, and said, “Hold tight, my lady,” then kicked the horse’s ribs.
The animal quickened into a canter. Magnus gave the reins a snap and the horse broke into a gallop. Lady Mia threw her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his chest. As he’d known would be the case, her hip bumped—and rubbed—his cock in rhythm with the horse’s strides. The wound in his side began to ache, but didn’t distract from the pleasurable friction building in his cock. He half wondered if she would notice should he allow himself to climax. Disgust rolled over him. He hadn’t found pleasure in this manner since he’d been seventeen.
Think of anything but her creamy flesh, he silently ordered. He scanned the road up ahead for signs of other vehicles or riders. It would be just his luck to encounter one of the many females who lived for a juicy piece of gossip.
They turned a bend in the road and Magnus slowed the horse to a trot. Lady Mia loosened her hold on his waist and straightened. That was a shame. He considered urging the animal into a gallop again, but didn’t. The horse was already breathing hard. Not to mention, despite his efforts, it wouldn’t take much to send him over the edge.
The ride had been but fifteen minutes, yet it seemed hours later when they finally rode up the drive to Sir Stirling’s home.
“I will leave you at the door, my lady,” Magnus said.
“You do not want anyone to see you bring me into the castle in this state,” she said.
“I would not want anyone to misunderstand the situation,” he said.
“That might have been avoided had you taken me home.”
He looked down at her in surprise. Her face was mere inches from his, but she didn’t flinch from his gaze.
“Are you saying no one in your household would have gossiped if I had taken you home in this state?” he asked.
“Our servants are loyal.”
“You are fortunate to employ the only servants in all of Scotland who would not dare repeat anything they observed in your household.”
“You are very clever, aren’t you?” she said in a dry voice.
He couldn’t prevent a smile, but answered seriously, “It is a shame you didn’t have a companion with you.”
“So that you could put both of us on your horse?”
She was a cheeky wench.
He brought the horse to a halt, then pulled her tight against his chest and swung his leg over the pommel. She gasped in surprise as he slid to the ground. He gave thanks that no part of her body pressed his erection. That feminine gasp was too damn enticing.
Magnus set her on her feet. “Hurry, my lady, before anyone sees.”
He swung back into the saddle and turned the horse toward the stables. He hazarded a glance back in time to see her disappear into the house. Good. He faced forward, then glimpsed movement in the corner of his eye and looked up. A curtain on the third floor swayed slightly. He squinted. The window wasn’t open, which meant someone had been watching.
Chapter Seven
That evening, Mia sat between her aunt and sister in the small alcove of Sir Stirling’s ballroom. Tonight and tomorrow evening, he and his wife were hosting balls for guests invited to his house party, as well as guests from around the region. Not surprisingly, even at eleven p.m., the party was already a crush. She hadn’t seen Mr. Forbes since that afternoon when he’d dropped her at the castle, and Aunt Leana had been against sending someone after dark to fetch her clothes. Mia agreed. No telling if the highwaymen might strike again.
“Are you all right, Mia?” her aunt asked. “You still look a bit tired.”
“You do look fatigued,” Angeline said.
In truth, she was tired, but said, “I am fine, really.”
Aunt Leana’s brow furrowed. “I still cannot believe highwaymen tried to rob your carriage. What is this world coming to? I wish Mr. Forbes would make an appearance. I want to thank him for rescuing you.”
“He did not rescue me,” Mia said irritably. “The highwaymen were gone by the time he arrived.”
“Still, he delivered you safely, and he was kind enough to send a note that our carriage was repaired and on its way home.”
“He probably returned home himself,” Mia said. At least, she hoped he had.
“I still say it is terribly romantic riding on his lap,” Angeline said.
“It was uncomfortable,” Mia said.
The ride on his horse had been the strangest experience she’d ever had. Aside from when he had carried her, she’d never been so intimately close to a man. This time, however, she’d been so close there had been no way to mistake the hard length between his legs.
She wasn’t ignorant of how offspring came into being. Living in the country, Mia had grown up around animals, and inevitably observed the male sexual anatomy when animals copulated. She had been kissed four times in her life. Once, when she was twelve, which she was certain didn’t count. Once, when she was eighteen, a kiss so chaste that she’d deduced the priests were right when they preached that the marriage bed was intended for procreation only. The third and fourth kisses, however, awakened what she realized were the reasons young women too often found themselves in a delicate situation before their wedding day.
Despite this understanding, she had no real experience with men, particularly men as worldly as Mr. Forbes. But there had been no mistaking his male anatomy when it had hardened. It had felt much larger than she would have thought, however. Certainly, larger than any she’d observed with the farm animals. Her imagination was running away with her. Mr. Forbes couldn’t be as large as she’d imagined. And that was the problem. She’d spent far too much time imagining.
“I wager Mr. Forbes found it very exciting,” Aunt Leana said. “Men love
to have a woman sit on their lap.”
“He was not excited,” Mia blurted.
Aunt Leana cast her a knowing look. “My dear, a man would have to be in his grave not to get excited with you sitting on his lap.”
“He made not the slightest attempt at seduction,” Mia said.
“He will. You must give him the right opportunity. There he is,” Aunt Leana said under her breath.
Mia spotted Mr. Forbes talking with a group of men, including Sir Stirling, not ten feet to their left. Her cheeks warmed with the memory of how he had wrapped the plaid around her body, then pulled her close, cocooning her in his warmth.
“Aunt, I do believe I am tired. I think I shall retire.” Mia started to stand.
Aunt Leana grasped her arm and halted her rise. “Remember our agreement.”
“At least one dance,” Angeline said.
Mia looked sharply at her. “I never knew you had such a perverse streak, Angeline.”
Angeline smiled. “It isn’t all that pleasant being the object of matchmaking, is it?”
“It is quite different for me than you—as you know.”
“Quite the contrary,” Angeline said. “It is far more reasonable for us to find you a husband than me. I plan to marry George.”
“It is far more logical that a man will want to marry you than me,” Mia countered.
“Do as I instructed and he will fall into your lap,” Leana whispered.
Further discussion was cut off when Sir Stirling’s eyes slid past Mr. Forbes to their alcove. He smiled and, to Mia’s horror, clapped Mr. Forbes on the back and nodded toward them. Mr. Forbes shifted and his eyes met Mia’s. She acknowledged with a graceful nod—she hoped it was graceful. Inside, her stomach did a somersault.
The two men started toward them.
“Now is your chance, Mia,” their aunt said. “Be sure to curtsy low. Men love the opportunity to examine a lady’s bosom when she curtsies.”
“Aunt,” Mia said in shock, but she could say no more, for the men were within hearing distance.
Aunt Leana rose as the men approached. Mia and Angeline were forced to rise—as their aunt well knew.
“How wonderful to see you, my lord.” Aunt Leana extended a hand to Sir Stirling, who grasped her fingers and bowed.
He bowed over Mia’s and Angeline’s hands, as well, then said, “Lord Magnus, may I introduce Lady Leana, Lady Mia and Lady Angeline.”
Mia startled. Lord Magnus?
“Ladies,” Sir Stirling continued, “Lord Magnus.”
Lord Magnus bowed.
Angeline sank into a proper curtsey. “My lord.”
His eyes didn’t drop to Angeline’s breasts as Leana had predicted. But then, he was too canny for that, wasn’t he? While she rode on his lap, he gave not the slightest indication that he experienced an aroused state.
He grasped Angeline’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “No need for such formalities,” he said. “I am but a second son, and rarely go by Lord Magnus. Mr. Forbes will do.”
Angeline smiled. A soft light entered Mr. Forbes’—Lord Magnus’s—eyes, and he smiled, though the smile was gentle, not the typical eager smile of pleasure or satisfaction Mia often observed in men when Angeline smiled at them.
“I am so glad, sir. We do live in the country, and I am not accustomed to the rigid formalities of city life,” Angeline said.
“Your manners are perfection, my lady,” he said.
Mia caught herself before she rolled her eyes. Just as she’d predicted, he was already falling in love with her. Men really were all the same. Good. That saved her the trouble of getting him to seduce her.
A strange emotion stabbed. Jealousy, Mia realized. But that was impossible. She had never been jealous of her sister. Well, perhaps that wasn’t quite true. When she was six and Angeline was two, she did try to talk her parents into sending Angeline to live with a distant relative. But didn’t all six-year-olds feel the loss of their parents’ attention to a younger sibling?
Lord Magnus turned to Aunt Leana. “Ma’am. It is a pleasure to see you again.” Aunt Leana extended her hand and he bowed over her fingers, then faced Mia. “My lady. You are looking fine.”
Mia stared. That wasn’t at all the greeting she had expected.
He looked expectantly at her.
“Uh, well, thank you, my lord.”
“Mr. Forbes,” he corrected.
Leana elbowed her and she remembered she was supposed to curtsey. Mia grasped her skirts and dipped low—not too low. A man of his breeding was sure to know the difference between a curtsey to a peer and that to a royal. Was he looking at her breasts? Her knees weakened. She rose. Her hem caught on something. She stumbled forward. Her head struck something hard—his chest she belatedly realized. Strong fingers seized her shoulders and set her upright. Her head spun. She felt herself listing to the right.
“Mia,” Aunt Leana and Angeline cried in unison.
She was eased back and lowered onto the chair she’d occupied a moment ago.
Aunt Leana sat to her left, Angeline to her right.
“Good Lord,” Mia said. “I feel as though I hit a stone wall.” She looked up at Mr. Forbes and frowned. “Are you wearing a suit of armor beneath that coat, sir?”
To her surprise, he said, “I do not need one.”
Mia narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to reply, but Aunt Leana leaned forward and met her gaze, her face angled away from the two men.
“Are you all right, my dear?” She winked.
Mia blinked. “I-well—”
Sir Stirling said, “Perhaps some refreshment would put you to rights, Lady Mia. I have a private parlor just down the hall.”
“What a wonderful idea, Sir Stirling,” Aunt Leana said. She looked at Mia. “Are you able to walk, Mia?”
Mia scowled. “Of course, I am able to walk. I was just a little dizzy.” She stood. Thankfully, the dizziness didn’t return.
Sir Stirling angled one arm to Angeline, who stood and accepted his arm. Aunt Leana quickly stood and stepped up to him. He winged his other arm and they started across the room. That left Mia with Lord Magnus. He offered his arm. Mia accepted and they followed Sir Stirling through the crowd. Mia caught sight of three women standing near the dance floor, and the frowns the women sent her way. What was that about? She did nothing improper by accompanying Lord Magnus across the ballroom.
Sir Stirling skirted a group of men. Lord Magnus followed and, a moment later, they entered a hallway. Sir Stirling paused, opened the third door on the right, and ushered Angeline and Aunt Leana into the room. Lord Magnus stood aside and allowed Mia to enter first, then followed. A low fire burned in the hearth on the far right wall. Like everything in Sir Stirling’s home, the room was elegant and tasteful. A small desk sat between the two bay windows on the wall directly opposite them. A sideboard with decanters and glasses sat on the wall to the left. They followed everyone to the sofa that faced the hearth.
“I am happy to fetch champagne,” Lord Magnus said.
“Mia,” Aunt Leana said, “be a dear and help Mr. Forbes.”
“Perhaps you should stay here and rest, my lady,” Lord Magnus said. “You did hit your head hard.”
Mia cast him a sideways look. “I am fully recovered, sir.”
He stared down at her. Did his eyes flick to her mouth? Heaven help her. She had hit her head too hard if she imagined that.
“If you are certain,” he said.
“Quite certain,” she replied, and started toward the door.
He stood aside as she passed through the open doorway, then followed.
In the hall, when Mia was sure they would not be overheard, she said, “We can have a waiter bring champagne. We can’t carry enough for everyone. I don’t know why Aunt Leana suggested I help you.”
Strains of a Scottish reel reached them.
“Is my company so unbearable?” he asked.
Mia frowned. “Not at all. It’s just that I assumed you
would prefer someone else’s company.”
“Whatever gave you that idea?”
“The fact that every time I am in your presence, calamity strikes.”
They reached the end of the hallway and entered the ballroom. “Calamity?” he repeated, and steered her around a group of guests.
She narrowed her eyes. “You know full well our every meeting has been fraught with danger. The first time we met, you slipped in the mud and were injured, then knocked down by my pig.”
“No calamity befell us this afternoon,” he murmured.
“It was a close thing.”
His brows rose. “Really?”
“If anyone had seen us, there would have been a terrible scandal.”
“But no one did see us.”
“Oh, and lest we forget, only moments ago, I rammed you with my head.”
“I would much rather you ram me with your head then your pig knock me down,” he said.
She looked up and saw amusement in his eyes. “You don’t sound angry.”
“Why would I be angry?”
She regarded him. “Lord Magnus, is it? Why did you introduce yourself as Mr. Forbes?”
“That is my name.”
They entered the refreshments room and she started to ask who he was related to, then caught sight of her brother Joshua. He met her gaze, then shifted his attention to Lord Magnus and frowned. Lord Magnus led her to the refreshments table. An instant later, Joshua reached her side.
“I have been looking for you.” Joshua looked meaningfully at Lord Magnus.
“Lord Magnus, this is my brother Joshua. Joshua, this is Lord Magnus, the new owner of Barkely Hall.”
Surprise flickered in Joshua’s eyes. He gave Lord Magnus a stiff bow. “My lord.”
“Mr. Forbes will do,” Lord Magnus said. “I am only the second son, so I go by Mr. Forbes.”
Joshua angled his head in acknowledgment. “As you wish, sir.” He looked at Mia. “Where is Aunt Leana and Angeline?”