by Hyman, F. S.
“Um, aye. Ye have my permission,” he said. Annabelle bobbed a slight curtsy and he watched her leave the hall. He did not notice Colm following her out.
“I see that ye have tamed her, Derek. I kenned ye could. Ye are such a strong mon and ye need a woman who will cater to yer needs. Yer every need,” Maura said, licking her lips at him.
“She is so much of a brute, I ken she canna satisfy ye as a woman should. But I can, and ye already ken it,” she said running her hand under his kilt.
Derek barely felt her hand as he sat puzzling over Annabelle’s behavior. Yes, she had become the type of wife he wanted. She was more docile. Had striking her brought on this change? He still regretted doing so, yet it procured the results he wanted. He did not know if he liked it or not.
“Derek, ferget about her and let me remind ye how good we were together. Let some other mon deal with her brutish ways,” Maura purred in Derek’s ear.
Derek finally heard what she was saying and turned in Maura’s direction. The look on his face elicited a surprised gasp from her.
“I willnae let another mon deal with her. She is my wife!” he snarled as he rose from the table.
“Yer wife!” Maura screeched in surprise, grabbing at his arm.
“Aye, and if ye ken what ‘tis good fer ye, ye will refrain from making comments about her in my presence,” he said, shoving her hand away and leaving the table.
Brighid watched the whole scene with a smile on her face. Annabelle would not have that much work to do to get her son to fall in love with her. It seemed that he already had feelings for her, whether he realized it or not.
“Why are ye smiling, love?” Laird Breac leaned toward his wife.
She turned to her husband and kissed him on the cheek.
“I finally have a daughter,” she winked.
Laird Breac chuckled and continued eating his meal.
§
Annabelle walked to a little loch she had seen from her window. It sparkled in the dying light of day. She took a deep breath and sat down beside the water. A fish jumped up at an insect out of the water. She jumped in surprise and then giggled as she realized what it was.
“What are ye laughing at lass?” she heard from behind her.
Startled, she stood up and turned toward the voice. At first she could not make out who it was, but as the figure grew closer she recognized the face.
“Colm, you startled me!”
He chuckled and joined her at the water’s edge.
“Sorry, lass. I dinna mean to scare ye,” he said, sitting down.
Annabelle sat beside him and looked back over the loch. They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the fish catch their dinner and the frogs leap from lily pad to lily pad to find a mate.
“Does it still pain ye, Annabelle?” Colm asked quietly.
Annabelle knew what he was referring to, but the quietness of his voice alerted her.
“Nay, it doesnae. Derek’s mither put a salve on it that seems to have taken the sting away. She says the bruise will fade quickly.”
Colm nodded, but did not respond. Annabelle tried to see his face in the growing darkness, but could only see shadows.
“Are ye alright, Colm?”
“He shouldnae have struck ye, lass,” he said.
Annabelle stared at Colm through the darkness and moonlight that was beginning to filter through the trees. She could see the frown on his face. She realized that he was very angry, and she knew that she must never tell anyone that Derek had also raped her.
“Never have I seen him strike a woman. Not even Eilidh, and she has deserved it many times.”
Colm turned to look at Annabelle.
“What is it about ye that makes him so angry?”
“Ach, ‘tis easy. I doona sit docilely by while he beds every woman he sees. ‘Tis what makes him so angry,” she replied, and threw a stick in the loch.
“I wanted to challenge him when ye came into the keep, but his brother, Jace, stopped me. I told Derek before ye wed that if he dinna treat ye right, I would step in,” he said, turning back to the loch.
“Colm,” she gasped.
“Aye. Do ye need me to step in, Annabelle?”
Annabelle watched her friend as he glanced her way. She had no idea that he had feelings for her beyond friendship. Colm was a very attractive man with his dark hair and blue eyes, but Annabelle realized that she did not feel that way toward him. Although she was sure he would make a woman very happy one day. He had a gentle and caring nature beneath his gruff exterior.
“Nay, Colm. I have never had a mon to strike me before, not even my Da, and he has a temper that surpasses my own. But I am sure Derek willnae do so again. He even apologized,” she said, smiling.
Colm grunted, but nodded. They sat quietly for a moment, contemplating the day’s events.
“Why doona ye tell me again about how ye and Angus stole the pie from the cook,” Colm grinned. Annabelle laughed and began to tell him the story.
Derek stopped when he heard their laughter. Someone told him that they had seen Annabelle come this way. He drew closer to the loch and saw that she was not alone. Annabelle was up stomping around and waving her hands in the air. Colm was seated, holding his side with laughter. Derek scowled.
“I should tell yer Da, ye scamps!” Annabelle was yelling when Derek finally drew near.
Colm was wiping tears from his eyes when he noticed Derek. Annabelle immediately dropped her arms and shifted her gaze to the ground.
“Am I interrupting?” Derek asked looking from one to the other.
“Nay, my laird,” Annabelle said.
Colm looked at her in surprise, and then he scowled at Derek.
“Are ye sure?” he asked looking at Colm, who rose to his feet.
“Aye, is there anything I can do fer ye, my laird?” Annabelle quickly asked as she stepped between them. Colm stared down at her, not understanding her reaction. She tried to send him a message with her eyes that she did not want a fight.
Derek looked at Colm a moment longer and then he looked down at his wife. Her eyes were expressionless as they looked up at him. He found that that irritated him. He was used to seeing her emotions in her eyes.
“Aye,” he said, grabbing her hand. “It is time that we retire. Tobias’ wedding will be first thing in the morning and he wants me to stand up fer him.”
“Aye, my laird,” she answered quietly and glanced at Colm. He was looking at her in puzzlement. She smiled at him and winked.
Colm continued to look confused until he realized what Annabelle was doing. A smiled slowly transformed his face.
Annabelle nodded and followed Derek to the keep. She kept her eyes downcast as they moved through the hall. She was sure that they had an audience. The last time Derek came after her, she returned with a black eye.
Derek pulled her up the stairs to their bedchamber and closed the door behind them. Annabelle walked over to the dressing screen and changed into her nightdress. She could hear Derek moving around lighting candles and preparing for bed. She walked from behind the screen without looking his way and got into bed. She lay on her back and stared at the canopy overhanging the bed. She waited for Derek to join her.
“What were ye and Colm discussing?” he asked her as he pulled his shirt over his head. His voice was slightly muffled.
“’Twas nothing, my laird,” Annabelle replied not looking at him.
Derek frowned.
“Cease calling me my laird, Annabelle,” he warned, standing up and pulling off his kilt.
“Aye, my… Aye,” she said.
“If ‘twas nothing, ye can tell me what had him laughing so heartily,” he said, bending down to pull off his boots. He laid his dirk on the table.
“I doona wish to appall ye with such a tale, my…Derek,” she said, still not looking his way.
Derek looked at his wife lying so still with the coverlet pulled up to her chin. He walked toward the bed, but did not lie down. He sa
w her breathing hitch before it resumed its normal pace.
“I would like to hear the story, Annabelle.”
Annabelle glanced his way, and the look of anger on his face surprised her.
“’Twas nothing, Derek. Only a story about me and my friend, Angus,” she insisted, still puzzling over his anger.
Derek fought to contain the jealous anger he was feeling. When he had come upon Annabelle and Colm sitting so familiarly together by the loch and laughing, jealousy ripped through him like fire. And the way Annabelle immediately became passive at his arrival, only added fuel to the flames.
“Yer friend, Angus?”
“Aye.”
“I havenae heard of such a friend before,” he looked at her skeptically.
Annabelle just looked away from him. She was in no mood to have to defend herself again. The last time had not ended well. She unconsciously reached up and touched her bruised face. It did not hurt anymore, and she noticed that the bruising was beginning to fade as Brighid said it would.
Derek watched her action and winced. Although he had apologized to Annabelle for his behavior, he still felt guilty about what he had done. He had never had any cause to feel guilty about any other action he had ever done, but ever since meeting Annabelle, everything about his life had changed.
“Look at me, Annabelle,” Derek said.
Annabelle swallowed and then slowly trained her eyes on him. He stood beside the bed completely naked. His sun bronzed skin glowed in the light of the fire, and his muscles seemed to ripple even though he stood still. Of their own accord, Annabelle’s eyes traveled down Derek’s smooth chest to his taut flat stomach. She tried to stop herself, but her eyes continued down until they rested upon his jutting manhood. It was glorious, and she felt her breath shorten remembering how good it felt inside of her. She closed her eyes to collect herself. She had to remember that she was supposed to be passive. She opened her eyes and looked back at Derek’s face. He was wearing a smirk.
“Let’s get some sleep because we have an early day on the morrow. Tobias says the wedding will take place shortly after the morning meal and the celebration to last through the night. We will need all of the rest we can get,” he said sliding into bed beside her.
Annabelle held the cover tightly against her. She could feel the heat of Derek’s body even though he had yet to touch her.
“Good night, Annabelle,” Derek said as he turned on his side away from her.
Annabelle lay still for a moment until she heard Derek’s breathing even out. She relaxed her hold on the covers and moved around until she was comfortable. She was relieved that she would not have a test of her will tonight. It seemed that Derek was just going to sleep tonight. It struck her that that irritated her. Had he been with Maura and was too tired to be with her? Her eyes bored into Derek’s back. She wanted to reach out and hit him, but that was what the old her would do. Now she was supposed to pretend that it did not bother her that her husband bedded other women.
She turned on her back and looked at the canopy above the bed. She wondered if he enjoyed Maura more than he enjoyed being with her. Did Maura do things that Annabelle did not, things she would not even know to do? What about Eilidh? How did she measure up against her? Were there many others who she did not even compare to? She was surprised at the tears that sprang to her eyes. Why should she care? She should be happy that he preferred to bed other women. It would make it that much easier, when her father came for her, to leave, and she would leave no matter what Brighid said to do.
Annabelle realized that she did care, and that it hurt to know and see him with other women. How could she make a man fall in love with her who had no regard for her feelings in the first place?
She turned back toward Derek and was surprised to see him staring at her. She had not heard or felt him shift in the bed. She hoped he did not see the tears on her cheeks.
“Canna ye sleep, Annabelle?” he asked in his rumbling voice.
Annabelle just looked at him. His silver eyes glistened in the dying firelight. She turned onto her back and said nothing. She started when she felt the back of his hand skim softly against her cheek. She closed her eyes at the tenderness, but then she remembered the other women and wondered if he did the same thing to them. She turned her head slightly to break the contact.
Derek frowned and withdrew his hand. He had felt the wetness on her cheek before she turned away. Did her bruise still pain her? Or was she now revolted by his touch?
“Get some sleep, Annabelle,” he said and turned to his back.
Annabelle wondered at what she heard in his voice. She turned to look at him, but his face was averted from her. She turned to her side and closed her eyes. She felt despair and disappointment. She had begun to soften toward Derek, and he was still the same. He was still a chauvinist and unfaithful. She sighed and tried to sleep.
Derek waited until Annabelle’s breath was even before he reached over and pulled her into his arms. She shifted but did not waken. Her soft even breath on his chest was oddly comforting. He rested his chin in her hair and drifted to sleep.
Chapter 19
Derek woke up a little before dawn in need of Annabelle. It was not just lust, but something that went far beyond that. It shocked him at the intensity of that need. He had gotten up in the night to stoke the fire because he had felt Annabelle shivering in his arms. When he had gotten back into bed, he had pulled her back in his arms where she belonged.
She had not moved during the night except to snake her arm over his chest and her thigh over his. He could feel the heat from her thigh against his groin, and it stirred it to life. Her breaths were still soft against his chest and her hair lay across her face. He reached up and smoothed it away. He caught his breath at how beautiful she was in sleep. Her lips were slightly parted and her full long lashes rested against her smooth cheek. He had never noticed how long and thick her rust colored lashes were until that moment. He was usually too captivated by her expressive sea green eyes.
Her nightdress had ridden up to her waist exposing the smooth skin of her leg and a soft buttock. Derek reached down and ran his hand along her thigh until he could mold his hand to her rear. She gave a deep contented sigh in her sleep. The warmth of her soft breath against his chest stirred his blood. He realized that his yearning was much more than physical, but it was a need to have all of her. He had never felt that before, not even with the most beautiful woman he had ever dealt with, and it was so intense that it shocked him.
He ran his knuckles over her soft cheek, and then let his fingers glide over the skin of her throat. She sighed again. He smiled and looked at the dying fire in the fireplace. He did not know how to define this feeling he had and was reluctant to try, but he knew that Annabelle had become more than just another woman to him. His smile faded as he remembered his past actions towards her. No woman had ever provoked him to such a degree of irritation. Not even Eilidh, and she had the temper to match a raging storm.
Annabelle shifted again in her sleep, as if she were to move away. Derek wrapped his arms tighter around her to keep her in place. Somehow, he knew he would feel bereft if she moved. She settled back against him. He wanted this woman. He wanted her more than anything he had ever desired in his life. And he vowed to never let her go, even if she should learn the truth of what happened to her. He knew she would be furious if she found out that he had known all along. He shifted to look at her face again. Her full lips were closed now. He reached up and ran his finger across them, feeling her even breaths on its tip as it parted her lips.
His eyes strayed toward the embers of the fire again. Jace and Aster had suggested that they use Annabelle as bait to ferret out the culprit, and he had been inclined to agree that it could work. Whoever killed Laird Harold assumed that Annabelle was also dead. If they were as desperate as they seem to be to have murdered the McInnis clan, they would not hesitate to come after Annabelle to be sure that they remained in power.
Annabelle move
d against him. Her thigh brushed against his awakening manhood. He realized then that he would not be able to allow her to be used as bait no matter how good the idea had been. They would just have to devise another plan. His chest constricted at the thought of her in harm’s way.
Derek gently moved Annabelle’s leg and then pushed her back onto the mattress. He rose over her and just looked at her face. She was a beautiful woman, more so than he originally thought when he had found her. The color of her hair brought out the creaminess of her skin. His eyes roamed down the column of her neck back up to the plumpness of her mouth. He remembered the taste of her lips. He leaned down and brushed his lips softly against hers. And realized he could not just stop at a mere brush of lips because he loved the taste of her. The taste of Annabelle. He wanted to delve into her mouth and drink deeply of her essence, but she had not stirred when he kissed her. He smiled to himself. He would just have to wake her up.
Annabelle stirred restlessly. The dream she was having seemed so real, felt so real. She could feel Derek’s mouth on her skin, and it ignited a flame where it touched. She should not be responding to his touch like this because he wanted a docile wife, but this was only a dream and it felt so good. She would have to remind herself when they did make love to remain still and submissive. She did not want to offend him again.
Derek’s hand was moving slowly up her leg. His touch was feather light and it sent sensations to the core of her being. She shifted in her sleep, wanting him to touch her everywhere. She remembered how sweet and intoxicating his kiss was and wanted him to take her mouth. She willed him to take her mouth, after all, it was her dream and she could have what she wanted. She heard herself moan, but she was not sure if she had done it out loud or only in her dream. Derek’s hand finally reached the juncture of her thighs. Her breath quickened in anticipation, but his touch never came. Instead, Derek began feathering little kisses on her face. First he kissed her forehead, then both of her cheeks. Next he kissed the tip of her nose. There was a slight hesitation and then he gently kissed her fading bruise. Her breath hissed at the tenderness of that kiss. She was shocked to feel tears prick her eyes. He would never do that in her waking hours, only in her dreams.