by Connie Mason
“Did he rape you?” Dominic asked harshly.
“Rape?” Murdoc repeated. “Ye wrong my stepson, Lord Dragon. Gunn would never rape an unwilling woman. Believe me, my niece was willing, else she would not have agreed to meet alone with Gunn.”
“Forgive me, master,” Raj interrupted, “but it did not look to me as if your lady was willing.”
“What say you, Gunn? Was my wife willing or nay?”
“She wanted me,” Gunn lied as he spat out a broken tooth. “Yer man saw what he wanted to see. Ye must not have satisfied Rose, for she was wild beneath me.”
“Get out’” Dominic thundered. “Both of you. Take your men and leave now. You have stretched my hospitality to the limit. You and your kinsmen are no longer welcome in my home.”
“We will be taking Rose with us,” Murdoc said, reaching for her.
Rose skittered out of his reach.“I am not going with you, Uncle.”
” Tis for yer husband to say,” Murdoc said. ” Tis unlikely he will want ye after another man swived ye. Ye have nowhere to go but with me. We are kin, I willna turn ye away.”
Rose opened her mouth to speak but naught came out. She was too stunned by the turn of events to form coherent words.
Dominic turned on Murdoc, his face fierce with rage. “Get out! Now! You are trying my patience.”
“Verra well,” Murdoc said.“Up with ye, Gunn, we have worn out our welcome.” He beckoned to Rose. “Come along, niece. Mayhap Dragon will give ye time to pack a wee bag.”
Dominic placed an arm in front of Rose, preventing her from moving. “Rose is going nowhere with you.”
Murdoc was visibly shaken.“Ye still want her? Even though Gunn may have put his bairn inside her? What kind of man are ye?”
Dominic felt his control eroding and struggled against his temper. He could not look at Rose. He would deal with her later, after her relatives were gone and his anger cooled. Dominic knew better than to believe Murdoc and Gunn, but he could not help feeling betrayed. Rosewas in the bedchamber alone with Gunn, after all, and he wanted to know the how and why of it.
“Think you I would accept your word about Rose?” Dominic spat. “Nay, MacTavish. She is my wife. All your machinations cannot change that. Clear your be longings from the chamber and leave. Raj, muster some men and escort the MacTavish clan from the fortress.”
“Ye are making a huge mistake, Dragon,” Murdoc shouted as he gathered up his meager belongings. When he had everything, Raj manhandled Murdoc and Gunn from the chamber. “‘Tis not right to put a man out on a cold night,” Murdoc complained as he stormed past Dominic.
Rose started to sidle past Dominic, but he stopped her with a shake of his head.“Nay,wife, you have some explaining to do. What were you doing in Murdoc’s bedchamber with Gunn?”
“Will you believe me if I tell you?”
Dominic stared at her.“Possibly.”
Rose looked into Dragon’s eyes and refused to quail beneath his harsh condemnation. “Possibly is not good enough, my lord. I already explained that Uncle Murdoc asked me to meet him here for a private word.”
“Did Gunn have you, Rose?”
“Gunn is a strong man, Dominic, and I had no weapon, but I fought him until I realized I was only arousing him. Luckily, Raj arrived before Gunn had his way with me.”
“Are you sure Raj arrived in time?” He frowned. “Did Gunn attack you? Tell me you were not a willing participant.”
“I was not a willing participant,” Rose repeated dully.
He grasped her arms, pulling her against him. “Dammit, Rose! The least you could do is sound like you mean it.”
She struggled free. “What do you want from me, Dominic? First my uncle lied to me, then I was attacked, and now you accuse me of betraying you. Did you order Raj to follow me because you did not trust me? What have I done to deserve your suspicion?” She whirled away.
“Where are you going?”
“Emily and Blythe are waiting for me in the solar.”
“I sent them away.”
Rose glared at him. “When did you do that?”
“After Murdoc told me you were dallying with Gunn in his bedchamber. I did not want to believe him, so I searched for you in the solar. Your ladies were there, waiting for you. I told them you were delayed and sent them away.”
Then I will seek my bed. This night has been a trying one.”
Dominic let her go. If what Rose said was true, she had been sorely used. Still, he had not actually accused her of infidelity. He was a fair man, but Rose was his wife, and being humiliated by a woman was a blow to his pride. He was, however, determined to learn the truth. Murdoc and Gunn were not the most reliable sources of information. He had already heard Rose’s side, and now he intended to hear what Raj had to say. He left the bedchamber a few minutes after Rose and went in search of Raj.
Dominic did not have far to look. Raj was waiting just beyond the door.
“What do you know about this, Raj?” Dominic asked without preamble. “Tell me exactly what you saw and heard.”
“I saw your lady leave the hall, master, and followed as you directed. Since it was her uncle’s bedchamber she visited, I was not overly concerned about her safety, but I lingered outside the door nevertheless.”
“What convinced you to burst into the chamber? Did you hear something unusual?”
“I heard Lady Rose cry out and did not wait for an invitation to enter. I tried the door and found it locked.”
Dominic’s breath hitched painfully, but he had to hear the rest no matter how much it hurt. “What did you see, Raj?”
“Your lady trapped beneath Gunn on the bed. She appeared to be struggling, and I liked it not. He had his hand over her mouth and his cock… need I say more, master? I arrived before any harm was done. I would have beat the bastard to death if you had let me.”
Dominic found he could finally breathe again. “Killing Gunn would have done naught but start a war. The Scotsmen are gone, ‘tis all that matters. They will find no welcome at Dragonwyck in the future. I want them nowhere near Rose.”
“‘Tis a wise decision,” Raj agreed solemnly.
“Now I’d best find Rose and see how much damage has been done. She is not an easy woman to placate, and I fear I have offended her.”
As Dominic made his way to the solar, he did not hear Raj chuckle, nor see the sparkle of amusement in his dark eyes.
Chapter Eight
The fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the rose.
—Hada Bejar
Dominic found Rose in the sitting room. She was standing before the hearth, gazing absently into the dancing flames. She looked upset, and he could not blame her. Her uncle had proved unworthy of her love and respect, and her husband had disappointed her. She turned to look at him when he entered the chamber, and the hurt expression on her face nearly brought him to his knees. He preferred his fierce warrior woman to the crushed rose standing before him.
“I did not really believe your uncle,” Dominic said. It was almost an apology, but not quite. “Nor was I convinced that you wanted Gunn.”
The crushed rose suddenly bloomed with anger. “Of course I did not want Gunn. Did you not see the look on my uncle’s face when his plot to discredit me failed? He was determined to take me with him across the border to Scotland no matter what he had to do or say to accomplish it. He would have let Gunn rape me and felt no guilt as long as it served his purpose.”
Thank God for Raj,” Dominic said fervently. He reached for her hand and drew her into his arms. “Did Gunn hurt you?”
Obviously, Rose was in no mood to be placated. “He did not hurt me,” she bit out. “If you would be so kind, please explain why Raj was spying on me. Did you think I was going to run off, or betray you?”
“Raj was there to protect you. I trusted neither your uncle nor Gunn, and I was right.”
Rose tried to remove herself from Dominic’s arms, but he simply held her tighter. He could not
let her go; she felt too good in his arms.
“Admit it, ‘twasme you did not trust,” Rose maintained. “I am glad for Raj’s intervention, but I cannot forgive you for thinking so little of me that you would have him spy on me.”
“I was concerned for your safety,” Dominic replied, surprising himself by his admission. He stared into her expressive eyes and could not look away. “You are a beautiful woman, Rose. Anger becomes you. I cannot believe I ever mistook you for Starla. One has but to look into your eyes to see the difference between you.”
“Do not try to cozen me, Dominic, for I am not receptive to your false words.”
“Shall we see if you are receptive to my kisses?”
Rose’s murmur of protest ended in a throaty gurgle as Dominic captured her mouth. She tasted of anger and ambrosia, of blazing temper and melting heat. He might never tame his Rose, but he was determined to sweep past the thorns and sample the sweetness beneath her prickly exterior. He had already tasted her passion and wanted, nay, needed to drink deeply of it again.
His dark eyes glowed with desire as he swept her into his arms and carried her to the bedchamber.
Rose knew what Dragon intended and tried to convince herself it was not what she wanted. The flames that warmed the depths of his eyes warned her that he would not be dissuaded from having his way. She could protest till doomsday, but in the end she would lose not only control of her body but a part of herself.
He started to undress her. She stood motionless, neither helping nor protesting, unable to look anywhere but into Dragon’s eyes. They were dark, intensely compelling eyes. Eyes that took possession of her, warmed her skin and heated her blood.
Cool air caressed her skin, and Rose realized she had been stripped naked while lost in the hypnotic depths of Dragon’s gaze. He brought their bodies together, startled, Rose realized he had shed his own clothing as well as hers. Heat arced between them and filled her.
“We are good together, Rose,” Dominic whispered hoarsely. He touched her breasts. “Your body is already swelling with desire.” He grasped her right hand, placed it over her left breast and held it there beneath his own hand.
Rose’s eyes widened, and she shuddered when he moved his fingers over hers, guiding them over her breasts. A strangled cry rose up in her throat. She had never touched herself like that.
“Can you feel your nipples growing?“Dragon asked. Her fingers grazed over the hardened tips. They felt swollen and were tender to her touch.
Abruptly Dragon flung her hand away and replaced it with his mouth. Erotic sensation overwhelmed her as he licked and sucked her nipples, first one and then the other, his teeth nipping gently at the engorged buds as his hot, throbbing cock probed between her thighs. A sobbing moan slipped past her lips.
“Like that, do you?” Dragon asked, lifting his head from the succulent bounty of Rose’s breasts.
Capturing her trembling hand again, he enfolded it around his throbbing shaft. “Touch me,” he groaned. “Can you feel how much I want you?”
Her hand tightened around him. The sudden intake of his breath told Rose how much he enjoyed her touch. He was huge and growing larger. Her hand moved down his length, testing the granite-like hardness, then the heavy sacs beneath.If she were honest, she would admit to being tempted by his virile masculinity. The difference in their bodies enthralled and thrilled her. Rose did not want to like this man, but his body spoke to her in ways that broke down her defenses.
She moved closer, brushing her breasts against his
chest, deploring the imp inside her that wanted to taste the passion Dragon could bring her.
Her mouth sought his. A gratified murmur sounded deep in his throat as he returned her kiss, driving his tongue deep inside her mouth. They kissed endlessly, lost in a world of sensual pleasure. Rose scarcely noticed when Dragon lifted her into his arms, settled her on the bed and followed her down.
His dark, sensual gaze was compelling, his hands arousing as they began to stroke her aching, intensely needy body. She strained against him as he rubbed the globes of her breasts, his fingers spreading pure rapture into the stiffened peaks of her nipples.
She wanted him, she realized. Wanted to feel him inside her, filling her, taking her outside herself to a world where stars exploded and pleasure reigned.
Rose’s thoughts splintered when she felt the blistering heat of Dragon’s mouth and tongue move slowly down her body, creating a trail of fire between her breasts and across her stomach. Her breath hitched when his mouth traveled into forbidden territory.
“Dominic! What are you doing?”
“Making you happy, I hope,” Dominic muttered against the musky scent of her arousal. “Relax, Rose. I want you to enjoy what I am doing to you.”
He returned to his succulent feast, his tongue rooting amidst the curly blond hair between her thighs and parting the moist petals of her sex until he found the dewy pearl of her femininity.
Shocked by Dragon’s bold caress, Rose grasped a handful of dark hair and tugged. “Dragon! Nay! Tis wicked. We will surely burn in hell.”
Dragon lifted his head, his smile so sinfully unrepentant that Rose feared for both their souls.
“I am already in hell, love. But I am sure hell never tasted this good.”
He’d called her his love!Did he know what he had just said?
Before she could respond, he buried his head between her legs and used his mouth and tongue to drive her to the brink of madness. And itwas madness. Never in her wildest dreams had Rose imagined this kind of intimacy was possible, or even desirable, between a man and a woman. But Dragon was proving her wrong… so very wrong.
Rose quivered, then went rigid when his tongue parted the ripe sweetness of her petal-like folds. Turning red with embarrassment, she wanted to die when she heard him inhale deeply of her scent, but when his tongue probed deep inside her, she could do naught but dig her fingers into his shoulders and cling.
With hair tumbling in a golden mass upon the pillow, her head tossed from side to side as Dragon explored her most intimate secrets with slow strokes and bold caresses. She moaned and arched against his clever mouth, certain she would die if he stopped and fearing she would burn in hell if he continued. It was torture. It was rapture. It was heaven and hell. Fire surged through her veins, mixed with her blood, spread through her nerve endings.
Stiff with mounting tension, Rose clung to the pinnacle, then splintered into a thousand pieces as sharp pleasure pierced her body.
She drew a shallow breath and moaned helplessly as Dragon slid upward, parted her damp cleft and drove inside her while her body was still vibrating. She arched her hips against him, clinging desperately as he began a savage rhythm that carried her still higher. What she felt was primitive, raw, feral. Her body responded to his with renewed passion as Dragon released something wild and tumultuous inside her.
Dominic felt Rose reach for the peak and deliberately slowed his pace. He waited until she steadied, until she was one step away from the edge, then went in deep and held still.
Her hips thrust up against him. “Dominic! Please.”
“Do not move.”
Another long in-and-out slide sent her into spasms. Hot honey bathed his cock, and the evocative scent of their loving spurred him to the pinnacle as her muscles locked tightly around him. He wanted to prolong her climax, but his own was coming too fast.
She came apart in his arms.
After that, he lost touch with reality. The woman beneath him was his world; he recalled no other. She was everything that was sensual and lush. He sank into her, again and again, driving himself so high he feared the fall back to earth would destroy him.
And in a way it did. Shattered and broken, Dominic returned to reality with the frightening impression that he would never be the same.
Dominic flung himself away from Rose and settled down beside her.He could still feel his heart thudding against his rib cage and he tried to make sense out of what had just h
appened. He had been certain that the passion he and Veronica shared was unparalleled, but he had been mistaken. Making love to Rose far surpassed his most memorable moments with Veronica. Convincing himself that Rose was no different from any other woman he had bedded was not going to be easy. Lord help him if Rose suspected how he felt. He knew from experience that some women turned shrewish and demanding once they gained sexual power over a man, and Dominic had too much pride to let his passions rule him.
Rose realized that something of tremendous import had just happened. She wanted to deny it, but to deny the significance of what she and Dragon had just shared would be to label herself a wanton. Her heart and mind told her that no man but Dragon could wring the same kind of response from her. The thought of kissing another man and doing the things she and Dragon did together was revolting.
A sob found its way to her throat, and she choked it back. She did not want to like Dragon, fought against it, but her will had betrayed her and her flesh was weak. Dragon created a fire in her blood that made her want him, made her forget that he served the king who had murdered her father.
Turning away from Dragon, Rose forced herself to relax. When he moved close to her, she scooted to the edge of the bed. She did not want him touching her, starting another blaze inside her.
Rose closed her eyes and searched for sleep. She did not find it until she heard the even cadence of Dragon’s breathing and realized he would not attempt another assault upon her senses this night.
******************
Dragon was gone when Rose awoke the following morning. The fire had been kindled in the grate, and cozy warmth filled the chamber. She washed, dressed and hurried to the hall to break her fast. Dragon was already enjoying a hearty breakfast when she joined him. As always, Raj stood behind him, his dark gaze scanning the hall for potential danger.
“I trust you slept well,” Dragon said as she slipped into the chair beside him.
He sounded rather distant,as if his mind were occupied elsewhere. Had he already forgotten the passion they had shared last night? She hoped he had, for she intended to do the same. Dragon’s ego was inflated enough; he did not need to know that his loving had changed her life.