The fire in her room was burning brightly and Ariane was sitting by the fire, making a quilt with her little hands and a long stretch of fur.
“Are you all right, m’lady?” she asked as Bonnie stepped wearily inside. Her shoulders were hunched and she was exhausted. Her mind was running from one thing to another, and although she knew she should lay down and rest after having been awake all night, she also wanted to wait and see if anything transpired from having the Campbell’s at Castle Grant.
“Ariane,” she sighed as she flopped down on the bed and wrapped her arms around herself. “What a day I’ve had, you have no idea.”
Ariane rushed to her side and looked down at her. “Are you all right? Do you need me to get you anything?”
“No, but thank you,” she smiled. “I think I would like to be left in peace.”
“As you wish, m’lady.” She smiled as she backed away and moved toward the door.
Bonnie closed her eyes but she heard the sound of Ariane heaving the heavy wooden doors open and closing them behind her. She had a hushed few words with the guards and then Bonaventure heard her footsteps carry on down the hallway.
Bonnie was glad to be alone. Her body ached and her mind raced, but they couldn’t keep up with each other. All she could think about was Alexander… Of his intense eyes and his rich, red hair… Of his muscular arms and of the way his eyes had searched for her across the highlands… The way he had come to her and helped her to her feet… The way he had lifted her at the waist and placed her delicately on the back of her mother’s horse. Her skin prickled with heat as she remembered it all, and she felt her heart begin to race. She was aroused and ready for something she had never experienced, but she didn’t know where these feelings had come from. She was a writhing mess on the top of her bed and she thought, for a flitting moment, whether she should let her hands wander down underneath her billowing dress and up into her underwear. If she found her sweetest spot, would it be warm and moist and ready for a man?
She felt herself blushing and she rolled onto her side.
Alexander.
She didn’t know anything about him, and yet, she was certain of one thing…
She was going to have him…one way or another.
She was going to make him hers and let him deflower her, right there under her parents’ roof.
A wicked smile flashed over her lips and she had to pull the blankets over her face to stop herself from laughing out loud. She had no idea where these naughty thoughts were coming from. She had always been such a good girl, such an innocent. But one look from a roguish highlander like Alexander Campbell and she was a mess of want and desire.
She thought of all of the times she had heard the servants and chambermaids speak of how they had let men love them and it had made her tingle all over, and her mind and body become curious. But no one had ever stirred those feelings in her properly…
Until now.
As she lay back in her bed and looked up to the ceiling, and her eyes weighed heavy, it was almost as if the decision to pursue Alexander Campbell was the release she needed to drift off into a blissful sleep.
And within a matter of moments, that’s exactly what she did.
12.
Her dreams were wild and untamed… And in them, she was chased by wolves. Big, black wolves that ran behind her and snapped at her heels. Ones that sank their teeth into her as they rolled her down on the ground and snarled and thrashed above her. The wolves were so strong and powerful, Bonnie knew that she didn’t stand a chance of escape… But it didn’t matter, because she didn’t want to. She wanted them to ravage her, she wanted them to tear at her delicate skin with their sharp fangs, and she wanted them to consume her so fiercely that she would never be the same again.
When she woke, her heart was racing and she was glistening with sweat. She sat bolt upright in bed and looked around her. Night had fallen and the stars were shining bright in the sky. She was alone, Ariane had not returned and for once, she was glad of not having to speak to someone, and relished the opportunity to get up and stoke the fire herself.
She stopped by the window and let the cool air blow in and calm her down. She had gotten awfully worked up dreaming of those snarling wolves and now she didn’t know what to do with herself. She looked out at the night sky and at all of the stars twinkling bright, and the big swell of moon shining through the clouds.
She couldn’t stay locked up in her room, no matter what the dangers held. She had to get out there and experience the night like she was used to, and like she craved.
She listened as she stood there, and below her, from elsewhere in the castle, she could hear the sounds of music drifting up to meet her. A bard was playing and men and women were singing and laughing. She knew that the main hall would be filled with drunken lords and ladies, and even though she had never partaken in any of her parents’ parties, she had the overwhelming desire to see what was happening right there below her.
She moved over to the silver vase and picked it up from above the hearth. She looked at her reflection in it, using the light from the fire, and smiled as she saw how rosy her cheeks were against her pale skin. She reached over to a box she had hidden away, one she had been given by her mother, and she reached inside and looked at the small amount of make-up she had stored. There was a rouge for the lips, and even though she had no idea, really, how to apply it, she smoothed some onto her top and bottom lip and hoped for the best.
When she looked back into the vase, she smiled with delight as she saw how the color made her face light up and it emphasized her beautiful eyes. Bonnie had never seen herself looking so womanly and, for the first time in her life, she felt as if something really was about to happen for her. She knew that the man she was supposed to be with was close by. She knew that she had found him.
She made her way to her clothing and sifted through her dresses. She had one that she had been saving for some time, and even though it was much lower cut than most of the others, she felt it was appropriate, considering that it was the evening. She slipped her blue velvet one off over her head and pulled the rich berry velvet gown down over her soft, supple body. She felt like a true princess, and as her hair tumbled perfectly down her back, she could not help but smile and clap her hands together.
“This is it,” she said aloud to herself. “This feels right.”
She checked her reflection once more and then she headed toward the door of her bedchamber. She hoped that the guards would leave her be, but even if they insisted on following her, she would gladly accept their escort down to the main hall.
She laughed to herself, her mood had certainly lifted considerably since earlier in the day.
As she opened the door, as expected, they both turned and looked down at her.
“Evening,” she said cheerily as she swept past them and waited for them to follow.
They picked up her signal and dutifully followed, keeping just enough distance between them as to not anger Bonnie, and to keep it looking as if she wasn’t being completely guarded and flanked by two soldiers.
As they made their way down the grand staircase and continued down the hall, Bonnie felt the nerves rising up from her belly and into her throat. Her heart was beginning to race and she felt herself go dizzy.
What if he had left?
Or even worse… What if he was fooling on with another woman right there in the castle?
Both were likely concepts, but Bonnie felt inside of her that surely Alexander would do neither. She had felt something when she had looked into his eyes, and she was certain that he had felt it too.
The guards walked beside her as they approached the tall, open doorway to the main hall, and she took a moment before she sucked in a lungful of air and took another step forward.
This is it, she thought. One way or another, you’re about to find out.
She made her way, slowly and demurely, into the main hall, and without looking up, she could already feel the eyes on her.
She cast her eyes seductively around the room and when they fell upon Alexander Campbell, she felt a surge of something that only confirmed what she had already thought.
This man was meant for her.
He got to his feet and looked back at her with lust and affection in his eyes. He took a step forward, not taking his eyes away from Bonnie, his mouth hanging slightly open.
He wasn’t with another woman, and he was very much still in Castle Grant!
Now all Bonnie had to ensure was that he made his way to her… and never left.
13.
She smiled to the familiar faces of the clan as she passed through the crowds and looked nervously for her mother or father. She knew that they would be there somewhere, but she had no idea how to find them when the hall was so busy.
Up until the Campbell’s had arrived earlier that day, she had had no interest in being involved in the late night affairs of Castle Grant. Bonnie had always retired to her bedchamber early, and had been more interested in escaping into the night for a secret look at the moon and stars than drinking wine with her parents and family members and dancing to badly played music.
She felt nervous and out of her depth, but as she moved deeper into the crowd and the room buzzed around her, she found herself relaxing. She noticed her father out of the corner of her eye and skipped over to meet him. He held out his arm and she nuzzled into the crook of it, just like she had done when she was a little girl.
“My lovely Bonaventure,” he smiled. “What a day, eh?”
“It has been father,” she smiled. “But I couldn’t stay upstairs and not see what fun was happening down here in the hall. What a lot of people and what a party!” she laughed.
“Indeed Lassie,” her father slapped the side of his leg and picked up an overflowing tankard of wine. “Indeed. Here, get my daughter some wine!” he called to one of the servers.
The boy quickly hurried over with a large glass and filled it to the top with deep red wine. Bonnie looked at it, and although she had never been so keen on the taste, decided that having the warm feeling of relaxation wash over her on a night like this wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.
She sipped it slowly but it quickly got hold of her and as she drank it faster, she was soon motioning to the boy to bring her more. Her father laughed and slapped her leg and her mother joined them and drank alongside them too. It was the first time Bonnie had spent a good deal of time with her parents in a long time…and she realized how good it felt to enjoy being in her family’s company. But she also couldn’t help but feel that it was, in some way, symbolic. As if this was both the first and last time they would be together in this way, and soon, Bonnie would be off on her own properly and living her own life.
After all, she was more than an adult. She was nearly twenty and it was practically unheard of for a girl in her position to not be married off and have several children under her belt. She glanced around the room and smiled to herself. Maybe now really was the right time for her. Maybe this is why she had waited, and her father had waited. Maybe, in some way, he had wanted her to choose her own path. She looked up at her father and smiled at him fondly. He wasn’t so bad for a grouchy old highlander.
“M’lady?” The familiar voice broke her train of thought, but when she looked up and her eyes met with Alexander Campbell’s, she was filled with joy.
“Alexander,” she whispered as she placed her hand inside his.
Her parents were on either side of her, engrossed in their own conversations, but as Alexander came and took hold of their daughter’s hand, they both turned their attention to them with beaming smiles.
“And what do we have here?” her father asked as he slapped Alexander affectionately on the shoulder. “Isn’t she beautiful?” he asked him as he looked down at Bonnie.
“She is simply exquisite,” Alexander smiled, his own eyes falling onto Bonnie’s delicate face. “I have been quite taken by her…” he continued.
“Many men are,” her father said, “but not many are worthy enough of her affections. However, I think I see something in her here tonight. And I’m pretty sure I saw it down by the drawbridge earlier today…” he trailed off and looked down at Bonnie and winked.
She felt her face flush crimson.
“She is a rare beauty,” Alexander continued. “One I have longed to find for some time, but never knew if it would be possible.”
“Me?” she asked shyly. “You think I am a rare beauty?”
“Most certainly,” he said as he looked deep into her eyes. “I have never been drawn to the women I have met on my travels… But you, you are very different indeed.” He looked at her with such intensity, Bonnie was finding it impossible to break away.
“Well,” her father said, “there is a great alliance now with the Grant’s and the Campbell’s. And my daughter is yet to wed…”
He let the statement hang in the air between them and although her heart was pounding with nerves, when she saw the wry smile spread across Alexander’s face, she knew that he was as happy about the suggestion as she was.
“It would be an absolute honor to be the man that won your daughter’s hand, Lord Grant,” he said seriously. “In fact, I could think of no higher honor.”
Bonnie felt herself blush even more and she suddenly felt very overwhelmed and warm from the wine. Her father was beaming with pride and looked as if he could burst with happiness.
“Why don’t you two get to know each other properly,” he suggested as he took a step back and took hold of Bonnie’s mother, pulling her into an embrace. “After all, the success of a long and happy marriage is the foundation of friendship!” He planted a sloppy kiss on her mother’s lips and pulled her into the middle of the crowd where he danced with her wildly.
Bonnie smiled and laughed, and she realized that Alexander was doing the same.
“Well,” he said as he held out his hand, “Shall we?”
Bonnie bit her bottom lip and smiled. She looked out onto the dance floor and at all of the writhing, sweaty bodies throwing themselves around and then she winked at him and said…
“Actually, I’ve got a much better idea…”
14.
Bonnie linked her arm with Alexander’s as they sat side by side on the walls high up on the Castle Keep. It had always been one of Bonnie’s favorite places and the night sky twinkled brightly above them as the moon rose high and full.
“I love the night,” she whispered as she turned and looked into his eyes.
“That’s a strange coincidence, because so do I,” he smiled.
Bonnie felt herself blushing again, each time her eyes caught his and she realized how wide and dilated with lust his pupils were, it made her tingle with excitement and need. She had always heard about women who fell in love at first sight, but she had never truly believed that it could be real, and yet, there she was with a man she had only met earlier that day, and she already knew that she was crazy about him.
She looked up to the sky again and was sure she saw a shooting star trail above them.
“Wow,” she gasped. “Did you see it?”
“No,” Alexander whispered, “I was too busy looking at you.”
Bonnie turned to look at him again and he moved his hand slowly up to the side of her face and cupped her cheek before he pulled her face gently toward his. When he kissed her, the first thing she thought was how hot and alive he felt. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and took her breath away, his skin feeling like it was on fire.
She had never been kissed before, and it had been worth the wait. Her virgin lips tingled with anticipation and excitement, and with each graze of his tongue, he awakened parts of her that Bonnie had never even known existed.
Alexander slowly moved his face from hers and looked her deep in the eyes, the ice blue of his reflecting in the azure of her own.
“I would like to ask your father for your hand…” he said. “Is this something that would please you?”
Bonnie could b
arely contain her excitement, but she tried to keep her decorum.
“That is something that would please me very much,” she smiled.
They got to their feet and Alexander wrapped his hand in hers. His skin and palm were red hot and fiery, and she thought of how she had never felt someone with such a blaze inside of them.
They made their way back down toward the main hall and even though Bonnie was tipsy from the wine, she was determined to commit every part of what was happening to memory.
She had finally found the man who she was supposed to be with… And he was going to ask her father for her hand in marriage. Could this day get any more perfect after it had started out so uncertain and worrying?
As they re-entered the main hall, the party was still in full swing and Bonnie could see that her parents were still wrapped up in each other and dancing with some other couples from the clan and the bard. Alexander dropped her hand out of respect but rested his palm flat against her back and led her through the crowd to her mother and father.
“Well, well, well,” her father bellowed as he noticed them heading toward him. “This is something I definitely like to see! My beautiful girl with a very fine suitor indeed! Alexander is from one of the most powerful families in all of the Highlands, Lassie!” he said as he looked to Bonnie.
Bonnie smiled and nodded, her stomach and heart in knots waiting for Alexander to ask what he had promised. She looked up to him and he was smiling down at her, aware of her nerves but finding them nothing but adorable and endearing.
DECKER: MC ROMANCE (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 9) Page 59