And would she even become one tonight? she thought, finally facing her greatest fear. Liam was stirred by her kisses, but Duncan had seemed to like them, too. It was in the bedchamber, as they had stepped beyond kisses, that everything had gone so horribly wrong. Inside her was a deep, gnawing fear that she would suffer that same humiliating rejection from Liam. It was clear that she had never really convinced herself that the problem had been Duncan’s, not hers.
As they knelt on a pillow before the priest, Keira realized Liam did not have the slats of wood upon his leg. “Where are the splints?” she asked. “It hasnae been six weeks yet.”
“It has been nearly five,” he answered. “The binding remains. I wasnae able to kneel with all that wood on my leg. I will put the splints back on after we say our vows.”
Keira suddenly wondered if they would have to forego their wedding night because of his broken leg, and she felt her spirits rise.
“And take then off again later,” Liam whispered in her ear.
Her spirits plunged. She was just trying to think of a way to convince him that he could do irreparable damage to his healing leg if he indulged in something as strenuous as bedding his wife when the priest drew her attention to him. For one fleeting moment, Keira considered refusing to repeat her vows. Then she glanced at Liam. He was watching her warily out of the corner of his eyes. She sighed and cursed her too soft heart. She simply could not humiliate him so before all of his kinsmen.
“I thought women always smiled at weddings, especially their own.”
Keira looked up at Artan as he stepped beside her. She did not need to look to her other side to know Lucas stood there. Her brothers were inseparable and always had been.
“This is my second wedding,” she said. “And I didnae choose to have this one.”
Artan shook his head. “Ye cannae tell me ye dinnae like the mon or want him.”
She felt a blush heat her cheeks, but she ignored it. “’Tis always better if there is some choice made freely.”
“Weel, I think the choice would have been made eventually.” Artan looked around at the men in the great hall. “’Tis a good alliance. Aye, ’twas already there in some ways, but this makes it a more direct, stronger one. These are good men to have as allies.”
That was a truth she could not argue with, but she was feeling particularly contrary at the moment “I am so pleased I can bring ye that boon through my sacrifice at the altar,” she murmured.
Lucas draped his arm around her shoulders. “Bury that resentment, Blackbird. If ye nurse it too long, it could breed a poison. He is a good mon who believes in vows spoken before a priest.”
“So everyone keeps saying,” she replied quietly, watching her new husband carry on an amiable argument with Sigimor.
Then heed them for they have kenned the mon far longer than ye have. He will make a good laird for Ardgleann.”
“Mayhap I wished to be the laird.”
“And ye would have made a good one, but ye have the sense to ken that matters will go more smoothly with a mon sitting in the laird’s chair. A wee lass as laird would seem a tempting target to many a mon, e’en the neighboring clans. A big, strong mon with a horde of big, strong kinsmen will make Ardgleann look strong.”
“And help keep it the peaceful place it once was. I ken it, but that doesnae mean I have to think it is fair.” She felt Lucas shrug and sighed. “Dinnae worry. I dinnae really care for I ne’er wished to be the laird. I agreed to the marriage settlements simply because I ne’er thought Duncan would die so soon after we were married. Nay, I am a healer, not a warrior. I am more than happy to set those responsibilities into Liam’s hands.”
“Something troubles ye, lass. I have seen it, and that look has lingered all day. ’Tis nearly time to sup, and I still see it. I cannae guess at what gnaws at ye, and I suspicion ye willnae tell me now either, but it wouldnae be wise to take it to your marriage bed.” Lucas nodded toward Liam, who was watching them. “Aye, and by the look upon that mon’s face, he willnae wait too much longer ere he takes ye there.”
Keira blushed for she had seen that look upon Liam’s face herself. It both warmed her and terrified her. The desire in his eyes was filled with promise, but she could not shake the fear that once alone in their bedchamber, that promise would quickly turn to ashes.
Lucas proved right in his prediction. Keira could feel Liam’s growing impatience to be done with ceremony as they ate. He even quietly endured a lot of not so subtle teasing from his kinsmen, but his tension increased until it began to infect her. It was as Sigimor proposed a third toast that Liam finally lost his restraint. He leapt to his feet with surprising grace for a man whose leg was tightly splinted. Keira quickly set down her tankard of wine as he grabbed her by the hand, pulled her to her feet, and started to drag her out of the great hall. She was a little surprised to find that she was not the only one who blushed over some of the ribald remarks flung at them as they left the room.
There was one good thing about this marriage, Keira thought as Liam led her to their bedchamber. Because she was a widow, there would be no elaborate and embarrassing bedding ceremony. They were allowed to simply go to bed, she observed, and felt her stomach knot as they entered the room. That feeling intensified when she heard Liam shut and firmly latch the door. It was then that she realized she had no real idea of what she should do next.
“Ye look a wee bit confused, wife,” Liam said as he slowly pulled her into his arms.
“Weel, I wasnae married verra long,” she murmured.
Liam pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Although I gain from what your first husband left ye, I dinnae really want him in the bedchamber.”
He kissed her, silencing the words she had almost said. Duncan was here whether Liam liked it or not. Keira allowed herself to become lost in the warmth of his kiss, too cowardly to face the truth now. The truth would be exposed soon enough, and she decided to take all she could before it was. Liam’s desire might be a shallow thing, shared too often with far too many, but she wanted to bask in its warmth for as long as she could.
Liam kept Keira bemused with kisses as he unlaced her gown. The deep blush she wore when he finally had her stripped down to her shift made him think that Duncan had been one of those men who had bedded his wife in the dark. Knowing he could not continue until he had removed the wooden slats from his leg, Liam grasped her by the hands and pulled her toward the bed. He sat down on the side of the bed and began to remove the wood that was the greatest cause of his awkwardness.
“Liam,” Keira said, “it hasnae been six weeks.”
“So ye told me earlier,” he replied as he continued to remove the splints.
“But ye could ruin all your healing if ye are nay careful.”
As he tossed the last splint aside, he looked at her. “I willnae stomp about on it.” Since his little jest had not eased her obvious concern, he said, “I feel verra strongly that it has healed enough for this, love. It aches after a long day, and I can feel that it has weakened, but nay more than that.”
Since his other injuries had healed with a pleasing swiftness, Keira thought it might be possible that the broken bone had repaired itself a little more quickly as well. The healer in her, however, continued to worry. She knelt at his feet and placed her hands upon his leg, trying to feel if there was any reason for her concern.
“My leg doesnae hurt that badly,” Liam said, but when he reached for her, she lightly slapped his hand away.
“Nay, it doesnae, but I wasnae looking for that. Now hush.” She grimaced at the abrupt way she had spoken. “Please.”
Liam shrugged. She might not have set her hands upon him to ease his pain, but it was eased. He hoped she had not taken it into herself for he did not wish to go through the whole ritual required afterward. He most certainly did not want to spend even a small part of his wedding night sitting idly by while she slept, not unless it was the sleep of a well-pleasured wife. When she stood up, he saw no sign of the reac
tions she had suffered before when she had laid hands upon his injury.
“Are ye weel?” he asked.
“Och, aye. I was only trying to, weel, see something, nay take away the pain or the like.”
“And what did ye see?” He braced himself for bad news.
“Nothing.” She smiled faintly when he sighed, obviously relieved. “It appears that ye have healed, but it would be wise to wear the splints during the day for at least another week and to be cautious in how ye use that leg. The bone appears to be mended, but the leg has weakened, and ye dinnae want to fall. That could cause trouble.”
He stood up, grasped her by her small waist, and sat her down on the bed. Careful not to strain the leg she had just declared healed but weak, he knelt before her. He removed her prettily embroidered shoes, her small, slender foot sharply reminding him that his wife was of a more delicate build than the women he had known before. Taking the opportunity to stroke her legs as he removed her stockings, Liam felt his blood grow recklessly hot. Her legs were surprisingly long considering her small stature, as well as slender and beautifully shaped. Beneath her soft skin, he could feel taut muscle. Delicate Keira might be, but she was obviously not weak.
Liam kissed each of her knees, then stood up and began to remove his clothes. He tried to undress without any obvious haste, but knew he was not completely successful in hiding his near desperate eagerness to be skin to skin with her. After tossing aside the last of his clothes, he looked at Keira and nearly grinned.
His beautiful little wife was blushing so fiercely, she looked feverish. After she looked him over, her wide gaze stayed fixed upon his erection. Liam did not know whether to be flattered or concerned. There was definitely a hint of uncertainty, even fear, in her eyes. Since he knew he was no bigger than most men, he began to feel certain that Duncan MacKail had indulged in only the most genteel bedding of his wife or had been one of those fools who believed one’s lady wife should not be confronted with such things as a man’s naked body and passion.
Keira nearly flinched away from his touch when Liam joined her on the bed and began to unlace her shift. Liam Cameron was a very fine-looking man from his thick coppery hair right down to his feet. She had not seen him naked for weeks, not since he had woken up in the cottage, and she had never seen him in that condition. Keira knew it was going to hurt her a little the first time a man possessed her, but she feared she would be far more than a little hurt when he stuck that into her. The healer part of her scolded her for being an idiot, but Keira could not stop herself from fearing she was soon going to be torn asunder in the name of passion.
Then he pulled her shift off and tossed it aside. Keira forgot all about his size and waited tensely for what would happen next. Her nudity was one of the things that had caused her husband such distress. Although she could not see his expression clearly, Keira did not think Liam looked even slightly distressed as he slowly looked her over from head to toe. She felt hope stir when he gently lowered his body on top of hers and only shivered a little. At least she thought it was him, but since she was shaking as if she had the ague, it was difficult to be certain.
“Ah, wife, ye are beautiful.” Liam brushed a kiss over her mouth. “Dinnae frown at your husband when he pays ye a compliment. Ye are beautiful.”
Liam could tell that she did not believe he truly meant those words, but he would do his best to make her believe he spoke only the truth. She was dainty in height and shape, but she had all the womanly allure any man could want. Her breasts might not be large enough to call her a fulsome lass, but they were plump, nicely shaped, and tipped with dark rose nipples that sorely tempted him. Her waist was small, her hips gently curved, and her backside was sized just perfectly for his hands. At the top of her slender thighs was a neat arrowhead of dark curls that pointed the way to paradise. And all that pale, creamy skin felt as soft as eiderdown against his, he thought as he kissed her. He would make love to her in a way that would prove he did not just mutter empty flatteries, and if it took many, many times of making love to get her to believe him, he was more than ready to oblige her.
When Liam covered her breasts with his hands, Keira nearly leapt from the bed. The feelings he stirred within her with his kisses and his touch were too intense. They made her want to run away at the same time they made her ache for more. When he took one aching nipple deep into his mouth, suckling her gently, she knew what at least some of that more was.
Soon she stopped waiting for him to flee her arms, unable to return and finish what he had started. The humiliation of the past was forgotten for a time, burned away by the heat of the passion Liam stirred within her. She tentatively stroked his back, and he murmured his approval. She rubbed her body against his ever so gently, and he groaned, then held her closer. Keira did not understand what was so different about her that this husband wanted her, but she saw no sense in arguing with the kindness of fate. At some point, Liam might begin to suffer as Duncan had, so she held him tightly and tried to hold fast to all the pleasure she could.
“Och, lass, ye make me burn,” Liam muttered as he slipped his hand between her legs.
He ignored the brief tension in her and her fleeting look of shock, both which faded as he stroked her. Her marriage had been very short, and he was beginning to think her husband had been a very poor lover. It pleased Liam to think that he would be the first man to give her pleasure.
Deeming Keira ready and knowing he could wait no longer to possess her, Liam settled himself between her legs. It troubled him a little when she did not immediately wrap those slim, strong legs of hers around him, but again, he decided her husband was at fault. It took only a slight tugging on her legs as he tried to put them around his hips himself before Keira realized what he wanted, much to his relief. Then he kissed her even as he plunged inside of her, now desperate for the feel of her heat surrounding him. Liam felt her tense beneath him and realized in a small part of his passion-clouded mind that his entry had been less than smooth, so he forced himself to lie still. He looked at her as he fought to gain a little control of himself. She looked startled, he thought, but that made no sense at all.
Keira stared at Liam as he raised himself up on his forearms and looked at her. She had thought she had hidden her reaction to that brief slash of pain rather well, but the frown upon his face told her he had noticed something. Since he just looked a little confused, she decided he was not certain what he had felt, and she hurried to take advantage of that.
Wrapping her arms more securely around his neck, she kissed him using all she had learned from the way he kissed her. She tightened the grip of her legs, pushing him deeper inside and heard him groan low in his throat. When he began to move, she almost cried out in relief. As his thrusts grew fiercer, she felt something deep inside her begin to tighten and tried to urge him on with her own body. He slid his fingers between their bodies, down to where they were joined, and touched her in a way that made her feel frantic. When he did it again, she felt that tight knot inside her snap, sending pleasurable chills throughout her body. She clung to Liam as his movements grew briefly frenzied before he tensed and cried out her name. Keira felt the warmth of his seed and nearly wept with joy.
He collapsed in her arms, his breath hot against her neck. Her body still hummed with the pleasure he had given her, and she savored it. All too soon he would recover, and his mind would grow sharp and clear again. The knowledge she had briefly glimpsed in his eyes would return. Then all this pleasure and joy would be torn away by his anger and her painful memories of the past.
CHAPTER 11
Liam sat on the edge of the bed staring at the damp cloth he had used to clean Keira and himself of what he often jested was the sticky side of a good rutting. There was no explaining away the faint stain upon the linen. He may have been far less controlled than usual, but he had not been so fierce that he would have caused her to bleed. Despite the cloud of passion encircling his mind as he had kissed and caressed her, he had sensed a virgina
l unease at times. Now that his fever had cooled, he could also recall what he had felt as he had thrust inside of her. Her kiss, the feel of her lithe body wrapped around his, and his own blind need had briefly pushed that knowledge from his mind. His wife, a woman who had been married for three months, his little widow who should have had some experience in the bedchamber no matter how inept her husband, was a virgin.
Or had been, he quickly corrected himself. For a moment he felt extraordinarily pleased by that, savoring the knowledge that he was her first lover. Then, dark suspicion crept into his mind.
His wife, a word he realized he still liked the sound of despite the suspicions he now felt, sat up against the pillows. She held the sheet close to her chest and watched him, her eyes wide with distress. There was fear there, too, and he quickly smothered the urge to comfort her. Until he knew the truth, she had good reason to be afraid.
“My first question might be were ye ever e’en married, but I heard your brothers confirm it,” he murmured. “So next I wonder, did ye refuse your husband his rights?”
He sounded so calm, so polite, and so absolutely furious that Keira had to take a deep breath to steady herself before replying, “Nay. Never. Duncan was verra forthright about his need for an heir, and I entered the marriage kenning that it would be my duty to try to grant him one.”
“Did he think ye needed time to adjust to being his wife, for ye didnae love him, did ye?”
“Nay, I didnae love him,” she whispered, wishing it did not sound so much like a guilty confession. “I liked him. He was a good, kind mon. Gentle really. There was no talk of waiting.”
“Curse it, Keira, ye were a virgin. If ye didnae deny him your bed and he didnae think ye needed time to become accustomed to your new life, then how could ye still be a virgin?”
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