by Reece Butler
But he wasn’t like Trace. They both had a few rough years, but Trace didn’t have a blood oath hanging over his head. Ross could dream all he liked, but a happy-ever-after like the Elliotts had wasn’t in his cards. He’d do his duty and start a babe with Amelia and enjoy every damn minute of it. That didn’t mean he loved her as Trace did Beth.
Once Amelia saw Nevin and he saw her bare ass, the two of them would be thick as thieves. Nev would seduce her with flowers, words, and kisses. He was a smooth talker, something Ross admired but couldn’t do. While those two snuggled together, he’d take care of his duty to his tribe.
But first, he had to do his duty to the Clan, and that meant Amelia bringing his son into the world. If he survived killing the three men who stained his soul, maybe Amelia would accept him back. If not, he’d lost nothing.
He stood up and gathered Amelia in his arms. She settled against his chest as if she trusted him with her life. He liked having her there, but he couldn’t let her know that. He laid her in the bed and dried her off, then rolled her to the other side of the bed. By the time he was ready to sleep, his side might not be damp.
He stood at the window for a long time, his mind blank.
Chapter Six
Amelia lay on her right side, still half asleep. Parts of her body she’d never known existed ached. They didn’t hurt so much as demand she not forget them. Ross had shown her things that, even half asleep, made her blush. Surely, some of what she remembered doing was a dream. No man would share his wife with his brother.
Except Trace Elliott.
Prue had said in pen and ink that Beth shared herself with all three Elliott men. She’d had wild dreams for many nights after receiving that letter. Since she wasn’t really sure what one man did with a woman, she was hazy on the idea of three.
Then she found that book. After staring at the pictures until her lamp grew dim, she’d slammed the book shut. She’d wrapped it in a couple of petticoats, locked it in her valise, and gone to bed. Ever since, she’d been travelling and had to sit, fully dressed, on hard benches. When she fell into the hotel bed, she’d barely touched her breast before she fell asleep.
Tonight, Ross had shown her that the dreams she’d thought so wicked were nothing compared to what a determined man could do. She flushed at what he’d done with her. Not only had he made her cry out in bed, but he’d done things with his hands while she stood up in a tub, for goodness’ sake! She couldn’t remember what they spoke of, only that she wanted whatever he promised. She’d come close to never knowing this pleasure. Not just the touch that made her scream, but the arms now holding her snug against his warm back.
If this is what her sister felt, no wonder Prue didn’t want to return East. Her sister might have lived a few lonely years longer if she moved far from Montana winters, but it wouldn’t make up for the glorious but shorter life with her Gillis.
Would Ross care for her as Gillis had Prue? If her husband wanted only her ability to work and produce heirs, perhaps Nevin or Gillis would become a friend to her. She sighed. It wasn’t something she would learn tonight or for many weeks.
Giving up on sleeping, she opened her eyes. The moon shone straight in, allowing enough light to see by. Ross mumbled something and pulled her close, his left hand grasping her right breast. He felt solid and secure, a bulkhead against the world.
She looked at the arm holding her. A brown, mostly hairless arm. When she saw his dark skin earlier, she thought it was a trick of the light. The moon shone full on the arm resting against her body. She was white. He was…not.
Why would a Scotsman named Ross MacDougal be dark? He shifted, and the moonlight flooded his body. He was far darker than any tan. She glanced down to confirm he was the same color all over. She could see him taking off his shirt to work, but not his pants. Even the exhausted cock lying against his thigh was dark.
While Prue said Gillis had red hair sprouting from almost everywhere, Ross had very little. Other than his head and under his arms, the only hair she’d noticed was the curls that hid the base of his cock. Dark skin and little body hair.
His mother must be an Indian.
She swallowed as the thought hit her. Sight unseen, she’d married an Indian. She breathed deep in her belly to slow her racing heart. No wonder he’d agreed to meet her in the dark. She glanced over her shoulder. His strong face was handsome with a proud nose and high cheekbones. Both could have come from his Scottish father or Indian mother. He was nothing like her fiancé, the two-legged swine.
But why didn’t Prue tell her about Ross? Did they think she would prefer to live as Cousin Oral’s servant, facing his cutting tongue, anger, and fists? To live in her own home and see him lord it over her?
Ross was better than so many men she’d met before her accident or seen on her journey. The marriage contract she signed said “for better or worse.” From what she’d seen from the window of the Bride Train, she could do worse. Far, far worse.
She knew he was in the room before she woke from her nap. A vibration surrounded him. It made her skin prickle as if a wild August thunderstorm would soon erupt. She’d never spoken to anyone as rudely as she had to him. She’d even ordered him from her room! Instead of raging and beating her as Father would have, he calmly kept on doing what he wanted. Then he did things with her she hadn’t known existed. He made her crave things with an intensity she hoped never faded.
He was her husband, and she would care for him as best she could. God willing, she might have a couple of sons. Maybe then she could believe she had a home that wouldn’t be taken from her. But that was years in the future. She would live as she had for so long—one day at a time. But now, she had wonderful nights to look forward to.
Decision made, she exhaled and settled back against her husband. She was almost asleep when his slow breathing changed. She felt his heart pound against her shoulder. He tried to pull back, but she held tight. Her white fingers stood out against his dark arm.
“The moon’s out, husband, and I can see as well as you now.”
“Then you know I’m a half-breed. My mother is Bannock.”
The words, spat out like a curse, erupted from behind her. “Half-breed” was an ugly word. Her children would be browner than she. She would love them no matter what. She said what her father, fiancé, and others had told her for years.
“And I’m an ugly woman.”
He suddenly pushed her to her back and stared down. Her heart thudded at the sight. Moonlight brushed against his high cheekbones and strong nose. Both could have come from the Scots side of the family. The golden-brown skin was from his mother’s people.
“You’re beautiful in my eyes. No one else matters,” he growled.
She reached up her hand to touch his cheek. She knew the fierceness in his expression was to protect her, not attack. The strength of his muscles proved he could do both very well.
“Your father should thank your mother’s people for the improvement.” She smiled, wanting to banish his scowl. “I expect Gillis burns in the sun. I suspect I will as well if I’m not careful. You, however, don’t need to cover yourself for protection. And neither will our children.”
“Our children.”
She could imagine how people would see his lack of expression as frightening. She knew he used it to hide his feelings. She did the same with her father.
“I signed a contract to marry a MacDougal of the MD ranch. Your signature is also on that paper. If this is a typical small town, everyone knows you are here with me. Though only we know for sure we’ve, um, consummated our marriage.” Heat crept over her chest at the reminder. His lip twitched. His eyes tracked her naked skin.
“The window’s open,” he said, purring like a well-fed mountain lion. “They know. You screamed my name when you came the first time. And the second.”
She fought the urge to throw the covers over her head in embarrassment. She’d worry about facing the town in the morning. Right now, she faced a man who smiled at he
r with his eyes as well as his mouth. The smile was fierce and full of desire. For her.
“You knew the window was open? You wanted other men to know!”
He got up on his elbow and looked down at her. She finally saw his eyes. She couldn’t tell the color, but they seemed dark.
“Are you my wife, Amelia MacDougal, until death do us part? Think hard before you reply. We have a baby to make, and I’m a hard worker. I’ll want you in bed, against the kitchen wall, in the meadow, and anywhere else.”
She shivered at the deep, demanding voice. She would always know where she stood with this man. He wanted her, all right. He challenged her, physically, emotionally, and intellectually. She didn’t fool herself to think of love. But she felt wanted in this man’s arms.
What she had discovered with Ross was something beyond anything she could imagine. With their bed to look forward to when the sun went down, she could get through anything during the day.
“Yes, Ross MacDougal, I am your wife. But know that I intend to have you as well.”
“Saucy wench,” he said. The tension in his body eased. He caressed her breast, causing a different tension to rise in her own body.
“There’s one thing you need to know. When I signed that contract, there was nothing in it stating I would obey you.”
“The woman always says ‘love, honor, and obey.’”
“Not this woman.”
He leaned up on an elbow and stared down at her with wide eyes. They grew darker. She swallowed hard when his nostrils flared. Her breasts tingled, the nipples crinkling. Between her legs, moisture spread.
“My wife will obey me. In bed and out.” He said it as if it was one of nature’s laws.
“Don’t be too sure about that, husband.” She screwed up her face, making a challenging face back at him.
He suddenly laughed. “We’ll talk about that later. Right now, I want you to scream my name again.”
She moved so she could see from his face to his sculptured chest and the dark nest between his thighs. As she watched, it stirred to life once more. He licked his index finger and touched the tip of her nipple. A zing shot to her pussy. Her nipple immediately hardened. He blew softly, the air cool against the damp flesh. Both nipples hardened. She felt a rush of heat rise.
“Could we have a marriage ceremony someday? Just something small—”
“Why?” He said it gently.
“I always dreamed of a wedding. We both know we signed a marriage contract, but I’d feel better if I said ‘I do’ in front of a preacher.”
He nodded. “Patsy Tanner warned Gillis you’d want that. She said, ‘Every girl dreams of her wedding day with a new dress, flowers in her hair, and a handsome man at her side.’” His eyes crinkled in a smile. “She says it’s time Tanner’s Ford had a real wedding.”
She released tension that had been winding up since the contract arrived. He gave her a quick kiss on the tip of her nose and then looked away as if thinking.
“Trace and Beth got hitched last year, but that was a quick job in the jail. Neither one was clean or fancy dressed. Nine months later, they had James.” His gaze swept back to her. “Beth says Trace is his father, but the next one will be Simon’s.”
She flushed, not wanting Ross to know Prue had written her about it. “Who is Simon?”
“Trace’s brother. His twin is Jack. All four Elliotts share ownership—and everything else—at the Rocking E Ranch.”
“I thought Beth was the only woman at the ranch. Is Simon married?”
“Sy’s not married. He and Jack share Beth.” He touched her erect nipple. “It’s Sy’s turn to make a baby with her. He wants a girl.”
Reading about it and having Ross tell her were two different things. A rush of heat flowed into her pussy. Did Beth have three men in her at once, like that book?
“This is Montana Territory,” said Ross. He ran a finger around her belly, making it hard for her to hear his words.
“There are hundreds of men for every free woman.” He picked up a lock of her hair and dangled it over her breast, tickling her. “That’s why Trace, Simon, and Jack share Beth. It would be wrong if only Trace has a woman warming his bed while the others do without. Sharing work and joy keeps the Clan strong.”
“Beth does, um, this, with more than one brother?”
He nodded. “Trace, Simon, and Jack.”
He gently cupped her breast. Her nipples hardened even more. If Ross’s hand made her body crave him again, what would it feel like with more than two hands and one mouth? If Nevin was like Ross, and she found Ross irresistible…
“Do they take turns sleeping with her?”
“Nope.”
He squeezed her nipple between his fingers. She gasped and pressed her legs together.
“I hear they share one very big bed,” he continued. He raised his eyebrows. “The MD homestead was built to the same design as the Rocking E. It has two bedrooms, a small one on the first floor and a big one above.”
She squirmed as he continued to play with her breasts.
“Gillis and Prue shared the small bedroom. Tillie and Auntie sleep there now with Hope and Peter, Tillie’s son. Gillis sleeps in the bunkhouse, where we boys used to live. We’ll be in the big bedroom upstairs.”
Her chest rose and fell quickly as her breathing quickened. Once more, she thought of the drawings with one woman and a couple of men. She licked her lips. Ross’s smile reminded her of a cat. He trailed a fingernail over her from breast to belly. She quivered in automatic response.
“I am the master, Amelia. If I want you, I will take you.”
She saw in his eyes the determination she heard in his voice. She trembled, but in eagerness rather than fright. She knew Ross wouldn’t hurt her. After years of her petty, domineering father, why would this man’s dominant sexual demand make her crave him? Perhaps it was because she knew she would get as much pleasure as he. Ross would push her to do things she’d never do otherwise. As he had this evening.
“Hard and fast, or slow and easy,” Ross continued after a moment. “My choice, my way. When, where, and how I want. It doesn’t matter if someone’s watching. Do you understand?” He growled the last few words.
She shook her head, wanting him to tell her what she could expect.
“I might see you in the kitchen while you’re working,” he said with quiet intensity. “You’ll be naked under your dress.” He held up a finger before she could refuse. “That’s the first rule. You will wear only what I allow. No chemise, drawers, corset, or petticoats.”
It would be like wearing her nightgown, her skin rubbing against the cotton.
“I’ll kiss you, like this.” He brought his lips to hers. When she yielded, he slid his tongue in. The skin between her teeth and upper lip was another place where his touch sent her reeling. He pulled back, chest heaving.
“Then I’ll kiss your ass or breasts.”
Since she lay on her back, he nibbled on her breasts. He caught her nipple between his tongue and the roof of his mouth, sending a message of urgency to her pussy.
“Maybe I’ll press your belly to the table, lift your skirts, spread your legs, and take your pussy from behind.”
She imagined him doing it, knowing someone could walk in. What would his brothers do?
“Another time, I’ll lie you on your back and rip the buttons off your dress. There you’ll be, flat on the kitchen table, naked and eager, for anyone to see.”
“What if someone came in?”
He shrugged as if it was no matter to him.
“What if I fight you?”
He slowly scanned her hot face, erect nipples, and swollen breasts.
“I’ll know you’re asking for punishment, so I’ll spank you.”
“What!” She struggled to move, but he rested his wide chest across her body.
“Just a love tap or two to warm you up. You’ll squeal, knowing my hard cock will soon be fucking you. That’s what loving is called when it�
�s hard and fast, Amy.”
“What—” She swallowed to clear her throat. “Then what will you do?”
“I’ll fuck you so hard you’ll have to hold onto the table so I don’t drive you right across it. When you come, you’ll scream my name. Everyone who hears will know who pleasured you.”
She trembled, wanting it. The danger of being seen, the thrill of being taken by someone who wanted her so bad that he had to have her, now!
“What if Nevin saw us?” She licked her lips, dry from her panting.
“Oh, Nev will see us,” he replied like a lazy cat. “If you’re lying on your back, your breasts might get cold when I lick your pussy. His mouth and hands will warm you up. And when I finish, I’ll ask him to take over. This time, you’ll scream his name.”
Wherever his eyes touched, she felt heat.
“There’s nothing like a well-pleasured woman wanting more,” he whispered. “But I’m not sharing you anytime soon.”
Chapter Seven
Ross held Amelia’s right breast, her warm back tight against his front. Spooning, Gillis called it, boasting that it was almost better than sex. He’d laughed at something so absurd. Now, he understood. It felt right to wake this way, his wife trusting him to protect her.
Tonight was the first night he slept with a woman. When he shared the bed of an eager woman, he left her well satisfied. He always left right after, alone. Even when he was deep inside a woman, he never reached out to touch. He’d learned to kiss well and to satisfy women, but all it had meant was a mutual easing of need.
Making love with Amelia MacDougal was a whole different world.
She sighed in her sleep and snuggled closer. She still had a touch of the rose soap she’d used in her bath, but now she wore his scent. Though the bond was invisible, she was forever marked as his. He’d been the first to waken her need and the first to feed it until she erupted.
He gently kissed her hair, careful not to wake her. She murmured something and sighed. Her breath drifted across his hand. She’d marked him, as well. He’d never known love though some had been kind to him. He cared for Gillis and Nevin, of course. He would fight to the death for them.