The Beastly Earl

by Monica Burns

  It was out of character for a woman who cared little for the welfare of others. When Lady Argaty had met her son’s questioning gaze, her eyes had revealed a deep fear of discovery, but of what? Even Ewan’s tension had been puzzling. Louisa frowned as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. The only question answered this evening was the reassurance she’d not misunderstood Ewan. His look when she’d refused to ride with his friends had made her stomach flip flop with excitement.

  A noise behind her made her look in the mirror, and the sight of the secret door ajar caught her by surprise. Rising to her feet, she turned and walked toward the narrow sliver of darkness that existed between the wall and the open door.

  “Ross, is that you?”

  A soft giggle was the only response to her question. It was a familiar sound that sent ice seeping through her skin until she was shivering from the cold. With a bravado she wasn’t feeling, she straightened her spine.

  “Whoever you are, show yourself. I don’t have time for childish games.”

  Another chilling giggle echoed out of the dark passageway along with a shuffling noise. Without thinking, Louisa raced forward and slammed the door shut. Hands braced against the wall, her heart pounded with fear as she waited for whoever was in the hidden passageway to push back in an attempt to gain access to her room.

  When nothing happened, she frowned. Had she had a waking occurrence of the an dara sealladh? Although it rarely happened, she'd had waking dreams before, but afterward she usually felt drained of all energy. Whether it had been real or not, she would feel better if something heavy was blocking the door. One hand still pressed against the wood paneling, she looked around the room until her gaze fell on the chest at the foot of her bed.

  Without a second thought, she hurried over to the large piece of furniture and slowly dragged it across the room until it was flush against the secret entrance. When it was in place, she sank down on top of the chest to catch her breath. While the bulky trunk might not keep anyone from opening the door, it was of sufficient weight to make it difficult to gain entry to her room.

  A knock on her bedroom door made her jump and she froze in place. Another rap on the door echoed through the room. This time the knock was stronger, more authoritative. Springing to her feet, she quickly crossed the room and threw the door open.

  The sight of Ewan's tall frame filling her doorway made her heart skip a beat. Heat quickly spread it's way across her skin as his blue-gray gaze swept over her. The cheek muscle beneath Ewan's eye patch twitched as desire flared to life across his face.

  "I came to see if you were all right," he said gruffly. "You seemed troubled at dinner by the talk of the two women."

  "It was nothing," she said with a shake of her head.

  "So the an dara sealladh didn't come to you?" The harsh note in his voice made her flinch, and he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand in a gesture of regret. "Forgive me, Louisa. I have no right to ask that question."

  "I don’t mind. But if I'd seen something this evening, I would tell you."

  As she had earlier, she debated whether to share her the confusing visions with him. She discarded the idea almost as soon as it fluttered through her head. The an dara sealladh had shown her nothing but puzzle pieces she'd yet to put together. It was doubtful he would be able to make any more sense of it than she'd been able too. Almost as if he could read her thoughts, he narrowed his gaze at her.

  "Do not lie to me, Louisa. I can forgive mistakes, but not lies." The sharp words made her jerk as she looked up at him.

  "If the an dara sealladh had touched me tonight, I would tell you," she confirmed once more.

  It was the truth, but it didn't make her feel any less guilty about other things she'd kept from him, particularly who she really was. Although her reasons had been well-intended, she knew her deception would anger him deeply. He studied her for a long moment before he accepted her assurance with a sharp nod.

  A sudden tic appeared in his cheek muscle below his missing eye, as the assessment in his gaze became another emotion entirely. The raw, potent hunger glittering in his blue-gray eye made her draw in a swift breath. Awareness darkened his features at the sound, and he slowly reached out to slide his fingers through her loose hair.

  "Your hair is as soft as a piece of silk."

  The gruff note in his voice was hypnotic as she tried to find her voice. Her breathing grew ragged as she stared up at him. Lips parted slightly, she drank in the warm male scent of him as she silently begged him to kiss her as he had earlier in the day. The sudden image of him caressing every inch of her with his mouth made her heart skid out of control and set her heartbeat pulsing rapidly through her.

  She knew she should simply bid him goodnight, but the memory of how exciting his kisses made her feel stole the air from her lungs. With the impulsiveness her family was known for, Louisa didn't think, she simply closed the small space between them and reached up to lightly run the tips of her fingers over his mouth. A low rumble whispered out of him as he caught her hand and pushed it away from his mouth.

  "Do you enjoy playing with fire, lass?"

  The harsh rasp of his voice made her heart race faster as she heard the answer to his question in the back of her head. It increased the level of heat coating her skin. Trembling, she took another step forward despite the voice in the back of her that denounced the movement as being nothing short of madness. The danger she was courting paled in comparison to the passion swiftly taking control of her senses.

  She no longer cared how rash her behavior. All that mattered was how much she needed his touch against her skin. It was a craving that grew in strength every time he came near her. The physical nature of it was exciting, but it was the way he looked at her that made her heart beat frantically in her breast.

  "I've played with fire all my life," she whispered as she went up on her toes to brush her lips over his lightly. "But until you, I never really understood how a simple touch could make it consume me—make me feel alive."

  At her husky reply, he stiffened against her. Tension stretched between them like a taut bow string ready to be released. With an abrupt, rough movement of his artificial and natural arms, he pushed her backward into her room. The abrupt movement made her heart sink as humiliation crawled through her.

  In the next second, her despair became jubilation as he followed her into her room. Desire tightened his battle-scarred features, and her heartbeat skidded out of control while a delicious exhilaration sped along every single nerve ending in her body. The sensation intensified as the quiet thud of the door closing behind him was accompanied by the soft brush of metal against metal as he turned the key in the lock.

  She dragged in a sharp breath of anticipation, and his gaze narrowed at the sound. As she stared up at him, a hard tremor coursed its way through her at the hunger blazing in the blue-gray depths of his eye. Frozen where she stood, a wild, unexpected pleasure edged its way through her. The spot between her legs tightened and throbbed with a stark need, but something else threaded its way through her that alarmed her almost as much as it excited her.

  He'd not even touched her yet, but the anticipation of his caress rolled through her with a force that made her feel alive in a way she didn't fully understand. All she knew was how desperately she needed him. In two quick steps, she closed the small distance between them. With reckless daring, her hand wrapped around his neck to tug his head downward to kiss him.

  Beneath the palm of her hand, the hard, fast beat of his heart pounded its way through his chest into her fingertips. Her impetuous caress caused a dark, dangerous growl to roll out of him before he took control of the kiss. His mouth dominated hers as his tongue slid past her lips to tangle with hers in a masterful manner that made her blood run hot and fast.

  The warm touch of his hand sliding upward over her hip and side to cup one breast sent a small shudder of delight through her. White-hot desire streaked across her skin at his caress, and the tips of her breast
grew hard and stiff as she ached for him to take her into his mouth. With a quick movement, she pushed herself away from him and took a step backward.

  His face hardened into an unreadable mask at her hasty retreat from his arms. Instinctively she realized he thought she meant to end this wild, unrestrained moment between them. She shook her head in a silent gesture of reassurance as a small smile touched her lips. Slowly, but surely, she untied the ribbon holding her robe closed then slipped out of it to she faced him in only her nightgown.

  The moment the robe drifted down to the floor, the stony façade on his features relaxed. Something undefinable darkened his face. It made her heart skip a beat as she tried to read his expression. Whatever the emotion had been, it disappeared in a flash as a fiery hunger blazed in his eye. The way he looked at her caused the spot between her legs to tighten to an acute demand for her body to join with his.

  Tension radiated off him, and she swallowed hard as her fingers pulled at one of the nightgown's shoulder ribbons. The moment the wide strip of material drifted off her shoulder, the front of the French silk garment fell forward to reveal her breast. She swallowed hard at her recklessness, and her fingers fumbled slightly as they undid the ribbon on the opposite side of her neck. She should be ashamed of her wanton behavior, but she was past caring as to how outrageously she was behaving. All she wanted was to surrender herself to the fire of his caresses.

  The silk nightgown feathered its way downward across her sensitive skin. A low groan echoed out of him as his gaze swept over her bare flesh. The sound caressed her skin as if he'd actually touched her. She took a step backward toward the bed with her hand stretched out in a beckoning gesture.

  In a flash of movement, he tugged her into his hard embrace. The scent of pine and leather filled her senses. It emphasized the masculine strength of him as his mouth conquered hers. The soft kid leather covering his artificial hand pressed into her back as his natural hand cupped her breast. The heat of him soaked its way through her pores and spread its way through every cell in her body. He bent his head to brush his lips over the top of her breast.

  The light caress made her inhale a gasp of anticipation. She'd barely released the sound of delight when his tongue swirled around the tip of her rigid nipple. Pleasure cascaded over her in a wave at the way he was raising her desire to a fevered pitch. A second later, his teeth lightly abraded the stiff peak then gently nipped at the sensitive flesh. She released a strangled cry of delight as he repeated the action.

  Eager to feel his bare skin against hers, her fingers pushed his jacket off his wide shoulders. He froze against her, and she reached up to lightly touch his cheek as she steadily met his gaze. She didn't look away as she slowly undid the buttons of his shirt to slide her hand over his chest. Hard muscles rose and fell at a rapid rate as her fingers glided over the flexible steel that was his chest.

  Above her head, his breathing had become harsh and labored. The moment she bent her head to kiss his hot skin, he shuddered beneath her caress. She wanted to taste every inch of him until he lingered on her lips and his hard muscles were etched into her memory. As she continued to move her mouth across his chest, he shrugged his way out of his jacket in jerky movements. The moment he was free of his jacket, she helped him pull his good arm out of his shirt before he froze again. There was a look of hesitation and stark despair slashing across his face that tore at her heart.

  For a brief moment, uncertainty spun through her. The dark torment she saw in his eye made her stomach lurch with fear. What did she have to do to make him understand his injuries were of no consequence where she was concerned? What could she do to convince him how much she craved his touch? Without thinking, she caught his good hand and forced him to touch her in the most intimate way.

  He jerked as she encouraged him to satisfy her growing need hoping to make the hunger she'd seen moments ago return to his face. The moment his thumb rubbed against the small nub of sensitive flesh between her legs, she pressed her hips forward in a silent plea for more. The low rumble in his chest made her shudder as he caressed the heart of her.

  The instant he slid two fingers into her, a fierce desire rushed downward to her sex as his strokes created an unrelenting pressure in the pit of her stomach. Her blood was molten heat sliding through her. It was as if she was on fire inside and would burst into flames with each intimate stroke of his fingers.

  Every breath she inhaled was filled with his hard, male scent. It was an aroma she'd breathed in every time she'd been near him. His intimate caresses became more insistent, and she moved her hips against his hand as a blinding desire cascaded over her. The pressure building inside her became a relentless throb until with a loud gasp, a hard tremor rocked her body. The powerful reaction his intimate touch unleashed in her threatened to make her legs give way until she fell to the floor. Blinded by a mist of passion, she struggled to remain standing. Shudder after shudder wracked through her as she clung to him in, and he captured her wild sobs of release with his mouth.

  As her trembling slowly abated, she threw her head back to stare up at him. Desire held his facial muscles tight and unyielding. Slowly, she reached up to lightly touch the patch that hid the terrible scars where his eye had been. He jerked violently away from her touch, but she simply pressed her body deeper into his.

  "Please don't," she whispered. "I want to be with you—all of you."

  Rigid with tension, he released a harsh breath, but remained still as she gently removed the patch off his face. For the first time since that night on the moor, she saw his entire face, and her heart twisted painfully in her chest. Tears welled up in her throat as she touched the rough scars over an empty eye socket.

  Dear God, how he must have suffered. Not only the physical agony of his injuries, but the emotional ones inflicted by those who recoiled from him. But where others saw hideous scars, all she saw was the strength of a man willing to throw himself in the way of the enemy's sword to save a boy. He was magnificent, and she was determined to make him see himself as she saw him—a lion among warriors.

  Chapter 13

  Ewan's muscles were knotted and hard as Louisa's rapid breathing slowly returned to normal. He was a fool for having come to her room to ask if she'd experienced the an dara sealladh at dinner. The question could have waited until the morning. Despite the warning bells ringing in his head, the instant she'd confessed her desire for him, he'd been lost.

  Every rational thought he'd ever possessed had flown out the window as his willpower failed to let him walk away from temptation. And God help him, when her blue silk nightgown had fallen away, every bit of air in his lungs had been sucked out of him. The moment the delicious curves he'd committed to memory were revealed in all their sweet glory, he knew he'd crossed the point of no return.

  Watching her come apart in his arms just now had him hard as iron. While his body ached for satisfaction, he allowed himself to revel in the way his touch had made her shudder with abandon in his arms. A soft glow of satiation warmed her lovely features as her eyelids fluttered open and she stared up at him. Her gaze locked with his, she slowly reached up to touch his disfigured scars on his face. Immediately his head snapped backward.

  "Please don't," she whispered as she pressed herself deeper into him. "I want to be with you—all of you."

  The soft plea held him frozen in place as a knot lodged in his throat. It choked him as he fought the urge to thrust her away and struggled to breathe. The moment her fingers touched the eye patch again, his entire body twitched, but he didn't pull away from her. It was best for her to see the beast she'd invited into her room.

  Deep inside, he knew it wasn't the real reason he didn't stop her. The moment he saw her reaction he would have no one to blame but himself. Her touch was gentle as she removed the soft, leather patch from his head. Muscles tight with tension, he waited for revulsion and pity to flash across her face. Instead her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears.

  Stunned by the look of anguish
on her face, he didn't move as her fingers lightly traced a path across the scarred tissue where his eye had once been. It was a venerating touch, and he saw her swallow hard as she cupped his face and went up on her toes to kiss him. The sweet tenderness in the way her mouth brushed across his lips left him reeling.

  God help him, what was this woman doing to him? In the dark recesses of his soul, her caress stirred a piece of him to life he'd thought long dead and buried. Slowly, her fingers caressed the top of his shoulder to slip the other half of his shirt off the maimed side of his body. There was a sweet tenderness to her light touch as the material fell off his shoulder. A shudder crashed through him as she gently eased his artificial arm out of the shirt sleeve.

  The fear holding him rigid made his mouth go dry as he waited for her reaction. The depth of his emotion revealed how much light she'd already brought into the darkness of his life. It signaled how deeply his emotions were tied to her, and it scared the hell out of him. His breathing was ragged as he waited for her reaction—for the look of appalled horror on her face as his metal appendage was revealed.

  The moment the shirt fell to the floor, she lifted her gaze to meet his. Once again, he'd misjudged her. The tears still glistening in her eyes said more to him than anything she could say. Pity was all he'd known since the loss of his eye and arm, but her expression showed she understood what he'd lost. The emotion on her face said she knew how much it still pained him. Her hand cupped his cheek for a brief second before she turned her attention to the leather straps on his shoulder.

  As she removed the bane of his existence, the tenderness in her touch chopped another piece of the darkness out of his soul. She turned away to lay the artificial arm on the stand beside her bed. The intensity of the emotion he experienced as he watched her lightly stroke the metal contraption was a solid punch to his gut.