Chapter Eight
Torr sat at the high table and contemplated the woman who had held his thoughts all day but whom he had not seen until now. Diana had not been in the Great Hall when he took his midday meal, nor had he seen her about the yard. She avoided him. Not once had she looked at him this evening, either. Why? What did she hide? Did she prepare to betray him?
Now, where did she go? He scanned the hall, but she had disappeared. He sat back and took a swig of ale as he watched both the archway to the kitchen and the two exits.
The king elbowed him in the arm. “Who are ye looking for?”
He grinned. “A lovely lass to enjoy the night with.”
“Ye have a few to choose from.” Robert scanned the Great Hall before focusing again on their conversation.
“Aye.” He glanced at the king. “What about ye?”
Robert stroked his closely trimmed beard. “I miss my wife greatly, but I am not yet ready to give up my marriage vows. Though I have to say, there is one woman here that tempts me.”
While he found Robert’s dedication to his wife admirable, he was happy not to have such an obligation. “Which lass tries to pull my king from his vows? I will banish her from the hall.” He winked at Robert.
“No, I wouldn’t let ye do that. ’Tis not her fault she has a walk like no other. Besides, she’s not in the hall at the moment.”
He stilled, a tightening sensation starting in the pit of his stomach. “What is her name?”
The king shrugged. “I don’t know. She has pale blond hair and works in the bakery. I’ve never seen such confidence in a woman before.”
“Diana.” His word was spoken on a breath.
“Is that her name? No need to banish the poor lass. My will is strong or I wouldn’t have come this far in my fight for Scotland.” Robert toasted his tankard to him before he tipped it for a swallow.
He remained silent. He’d seen the king’s will waver on occasion, and an unfamiliar jealousy riled his innards, causing him to clench his fists.
Robert found Diana comely. If he wanted her in his bed, Torr’s loyalty would demand he let her go there…but he couldn’t. He needed to find her, know where she was. She could be with any man she chose, and he couldn’t stop her. Actually, as laird he could, but it wouldn’t be right. No. She had to choose him.
Standing, he mumbled an excuse to Robert and left the Great Hall. Was that why he needed her beneath him, to capture a woman of confidence? Maybe that was also what bothered Douglas. It could very well be that simple and not that she was a spy.
He needed to discover what it was about her that made him want her as well as investigate her true motives for joining his clan. Striding across the yard, he headed for the wall-walk when a strange curse sounded from behind the blacksmith shed.
He stilled and listened. Aye, there was clearly splashing taking place in the bath. The men had already used it and the women would use it after dinner. Could it be her? Silently, he made his way toward the building.
“Holy Hamlet, what a mess.”
He shook his head at the feminine voice around the corner. He’d found her, and she clearly had a problem with bathing. Perhaps he should assist her. He smiled. Aye, it was only right to aid her. Stepping around the corner, he stopped and stared.
Diana was in the process of climbing out of the large tub, but she had bathed completely clothed and while one foot was on the ground showing a nicely curved calf, the other was still in the tub, along with the linen of her dress. She attempted to pick up the wet material from within the tub with her hands, giving him a perfect view of her rounded behind. As she gathered the material to her chest, she tried to straighten but slipped face first back into the water.
He could not hold back his laughter. It had been so long since he’d laughed that he enjoyed the sensation along with the sight of Diana’s affronted countenance.
She pushed the stray strands of hair from her eyes and glowered at him, which just made him laugh harder.
“This is not funny.”
He forced himself to hold back and finally meet her gaze with only a grin. “Do ye need help?”
She rolled her eyes. “Obviously.”
He strode forward and stopped at the edge of the bath. She reached both hands toward him, but he ignored them. Instead, he bent over the tub and lifted her, wet dress and all, and stepped back.
She clasped her hands around his neck, holding tight.
Now that he had her in his arms, complete with water puddling beneath her and soaking his own clothes, he was in no hurry to let her go. Her tangy fragrance was stronger. Glancing toward the board where soap was laid, he noticed a very small bar next to the usual one. So that was why she smelled minty. She’d made her own soap. “Why were ye in the bath fully clothed?” He tried to keep the laughter from his voice, but by her frown, he must not have been completely successful.
“I was trying to wash my dress. It was soiled today, and since we are not washing until Monday and my other leine also needs to be cleaned, I didn’t want to offend anyone.”
He smirked. He couldn’t avoid it. Her leine was plastered to her breasts and their full roundness made his mouth ache to taste her.
“You can put me down now.”
“Nay, I cannot. The bottom of yer dress would turn to mud by time you made it to the hall.”
Her frown revealed her indecision over her predicament. “Then could you bring me to the hall?”
“Nay, for then the rushes on the floor would cause any food scraps to cling to yer clothes.”
Clearly frustrated now, she finally met his gaze. “Then what would you propose I do?” If she could have, he was certain her hands would have found her hips.
He didn’t answer her, he simply kissed her nose and started walking.
“Where are you taking me?”
He ignored the panic in her voice and strode into the Great Hall. As he walked through, water from her heavy skirts splashed on his shins.
Kerr called out to him as he made for the stairs. “About time, Torr.” The laughter that followed at the table caused Diana’s cheeks to redden, but it could be as much from anger as embarrassment with this woman.
She hissed low. “Put me down.”
“Nay.”
She wriggled in his arms.
“If ye continue squirming, we may both end up at the bottom of these stairs with broken necks. Ye may be light, but yer wet dress is not.”
She stilled, but if her heavy breathing was any indication, when they made his room he would be the object of her anger, despite the fact she did this to herself. Hmm, something to remember to point out.
When he reached the top of the stairs, he kicked open the door and closed it with his back. Only then did he allow her legs to drop, but he kept his arms around her, enjoying the moistness seeping through his own clothes.
She dropped her arms from about his neck and pressed her hands against his chest. “Ye can let me go now.”
Aye, he could, but he didn’t want to. Instead, he cupped her head with one hand and lowered his lips to hers. “Ow!”
He dropped his arms and stared at her in surprise. “Ye bit me.” He licked his lip where her little teeth had drawn blood.
She stepped back three paces and placed her hands on her hips. “I did not give you leave to kiss me and bring me to your room in front of the entire clan! How dare you take advantage of my predicament.”
He leaned his back against the door and folded his arms. She didn’t yet realize the true state of her “predicament.”
He didn’t say anything. He simply enjoyed the view of Diana’s dark red areolas as they showed through the thin wet material, her nipples pointed, straining against the saffron-colored linen. He grew hard beneath his soaked leine.
“I have no interest in a man who slept with another woman just last night. You know that.”
Ach, the true state of her upset revealed itself. “Nay, lass. I did not bed Helen last night. I could not as I kept thinking of ye.”
She looked away. Her relief at his words proved she only resisted because he could not promise her she would be his only lover.
Though that should have bothered him, instead he was pleased. It meant she didn’t dally with him as a distraction for subterfuge, but because she felt something for him. And if her rapid breathing had anything to do with how she felt toward him, he saw no further impediment to having her in his bed.
“So now what?”
He raised his gaze to meet hers, and from her sudden intake of breath, he guessed his interest was obvious. “Now ye strip off those wet clothes.”
“I see no reason to—”
“Now.” He unfolded his arms and stalked toward her, all interest in teasing gone. “Before ye take cold and become sick. Ye cannot be in wet clothes for long and ye know it.”
Even as he said the words, she shivered, but was it from cold or his presence? It didn’t matter. He reached for her leine, fully intending to lift it off her.
She stepped away and crossed her arms. “No.”
He followed. “Aye.”
Diana backed up until her hips hit his bed. She glanced behind her before whipping her gaze back to his. At her telltale swallow, his desire ignited.
He cupped her face in his hands to kiss her, but hesitated. He wasn’t ready for another bite. Turning her face to the side, he nibbled her neck instead.
Her hands braced against his chest, but there was no strength to them. She was his. The thought fanned the flame of his need, and he could resist no longer. He let his lips travel down to the top of her leine and finally over it to nibble on the hard peak of her breast through the fabric.
Her hands moved to his shoulders, tightening as she held on. He bent her backward to suckle the tight nipple into his mouth. Diana’s moan turned his blood hot, and his patience with her clothes ended. He traced his tongue to her other hard nub then with his right hand pulled the neckline to the side, which allowed him to taste the sweet flesh at the top of her breast.
He cupped her round ass in his hand and squeezed, pushing her against his own hardness. The cold wet of their clothing did nothing to dampen his heat. He wanted to simply lift their clothes and enter her, but not for their first time together. He needed to pleasure her first. He could not offer his heart to any woman, but he could offer pleasure.
With a groan, he left her breast and pulled her tight against him. As her hands came around his neck, she tilted her face up. He bent his head to her quest and allowed her tongue entry into his mouth. Her assertive probing fed his need. With both hands, he lifted her leine to her waist, giving him access to her bare ass. He kneaded and spread her while pushing her against him.
Her kiss grew insistent, and as she sucked on his tongue, his craving heightened. Breaking away, he took a moment to calm himself. There was no reason to rush their joining. Her dazed expression proved she was lost in their passion as well, so he took advantage of that and pulled the leine over her head to reveal her body. His breath left him as she stood still, allowing him time to study every inch of her.
She was strong and lithe. No wonder she walked with confidence. Her breasts were heavy, her nipples peaked, her waist slender with a hint of muscle in her stomach. The slight roundness of her hips tapered to long, strong legs with just the right amount of padding to make her perfectly female. The juncture of her thighs fascinated him. The blond hair there was short and in a point that led directly to her sex. He’d never seen hair like that.
“Your turn.” Her voice startled him.
He swept his gaze to meet hers and found her with one brow lifted in expectation. With the speed he was known for in battle, he untied his shoes and stepped from them before he pulled the leine over his head. His stomach and abdomen were moist from where her wet clothes had soaked his, but as her gaze roved over his nude body, the tip of his cock turned moist, too.
Her chest rose and fell faster before she licked her lips. “You’re even bigger than I imagined.” She stepped closer, touching his chest. It was an exploratory caress over his pectorals and down his abdomen. He held his breath as she stroked lower, but she let her hands drift to the sides of his thighs. He exhaled slowly before inhaling her minty scent now mixed with her own heat.
She stuck out her tongue and licked his nipple.
As pleasure flew straight to his groin, he grasped her by the shoulders and broke the contact. He wouldn’t last longer than a heather bloom at an early frost if she continued to do that. Ignoring her disappointed moan, he grasped her behind the knees and picked her up to sit her on the bed, her legs hanging over the edge. He knelt before her like a supplicant to a Druid goddess. Placing his hands on her thighs, he caressed downward to the inside of her knees and then pushed her legs apart. The shiver that ran over her skin told him she was no virgin to what he wanted. She did not fear, she anticipated.
“Torr?”
Her husky voice solidified his control. “Aye.” He stroked his hands slowly upward until he reached the blond arrow at the juncture of her thighs. He touched it in wonder. It was soft yet prickled, and the thought of it rubbing him above his cock had him stiffening to the point of pain.
She rested her hands on his shoulders, waiting. “Yes.” Her whispered word and the smell of her readiness almost broke him, but her interest in his mouth made him anticipate her taste.
He gently spread her folds with his fingers. She was beautiful, pink and full. He lowered his mouth and licked the center opening. Her fingers grasped his shoulders as her taste spread over his tongue. Her liquid was hot like her scent. He licked upward and her legs widened.
Torr smirked. This was a woman who enjoyed passion. Locking her thighs in place with his hands, he speared his tongue into her center, pushing against the tightness of her walls.
She made a strangled sound in the back of her throat, and he looked up. Her head was thrown back, her breathing shallow and her nipples hard. God, he wanted this woman! Returning his attention to her pleasure, he once more stroked upward until his tongue found the hard point of her excitement. Leisurely he tongued it, swirling the nub, licking it.
Her hands moved to the sides of his head and gripped his hair. “More.”
He grinned inside at her panted word before he flattened his tongue and licked her from bottom to top. With his lips, he kissed her lightly before gently blowing.
Her body twitched. She was ready.
With anticipation clawing inside him, he settled his mouth on her pleasure point and sucked. Her hips pushed into his face as her hands gripped his head to her. Her strength surprised him, but then much about her did. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her ass toward him, not letting her escape for a moment.
He knew the instant her pinnacle hit. Her body tensed, her thighs tightened, and her mewling sounds of before turned to a high-pitched yell. He swirled his tongue as he sucked then drove it as deep into her opening as he could. Her walls constricted and her juices flowed into his mouth. He savored them like a starving man and licked every part of her sex as she finally calmed, her breaths slowing and her hands and thighs relaxing.
Gently, he kissed her one last time before lifting his head to look at her. Her face flushed with passion, her loosened hair, glistening skin, and rapid pulse called him to take her. He pushed her back on the bed and scooted her upward so he could kneel between her legs.
She opened her eyes and focused on him. “That felt so good.”
“Good. Now we do it again.”
He half expected her to shy away from him, but instead, she stretched her arms over her head and arched her chest up. “Yes.”
He couldn’t resist the invitation and bent down to lick at her nipple. Her hands came down to rest on his arms. After treating her nipple to gentle bites, he sucked it into his mouth and stroked it with his teeth and tongue. She pushed her breast into his face, wanting more. Greedy lass.
He let her nipple go with a pop and knelt up.
She opened her eyes and gazed hungrily at him. “I want you inside me.”
Her assertiveness intrigued him, and he growled deep in his throat. “Aye, that ye’ll get.” He swept both her hands above her head and held them there as he laid himself over her. “When I’m ready.”
She opened her mouth to reply, but he covered it with his own. His need to control their sex was strong, and he plundered her mouth with his tongue, taking, sucking, and stroking while he rubbed his cock along her thigh, teasing her.
Her hips rolled into him, begging him silently as she surrendered to his tongue’s pillage.
When he felt her capitulation, he raised himself up and found her warm, wet entrance. He stilled, wanting her to crave him as much as he craved her. “Are ye sure ye want this? Want me?”
Her gaze moved from his body to his face. “Yes. Please, Torr.”
It was all he needed. He pushed in an inch and her tightness nearly undid him. He stared into her eyes. He wanted to watch her this time.
Her gaze was unfocused as she looked at him, and his pride rose. This is what he wanted to give her. Slowly, he inched his way inside her body, burying himself to his hilt while gently rubbing his abdomen against the hair that so intrigued him.
She tried to wiggle her hands away, but he tightened his hold. Nay. He was in charge, completely in charge. He watched her face as he lifted his hips, coming out of her to his tip. Her body strained toward him, her breath rapid. As he slid back in, she shuddered and her sheath tightened around him, sucking him inside. The pleasure built within him fast, but he wouldn’t finish without her. Pulling back again, he pushed in faster, and soft pleasure sounds emitted from her, heightening his desire.
He increased his speed, yet her hips met his. She even wrapped her legs around his ass. He watched her face flush as she tossed her head back and forth on the bed. Her mouth remained open, her breathing quick pants now.
He pumped hard, feeling the suction tease his cock when her body gave way beneath him, the exquisite pressure pushing him to the edge of release. Finally, she screamed. He watched as her face tightened and her cheeks turned a bright red. But her convulsions around him set off his own release and with no warning, his orgasm ripped through him. He growled over her as his body sent his seed flooding into her. He released her hands to leverage his hips to pump out the very last drop of the ecstasy that held him.
When there was nothing left to give, he pulled out and collapsed next to her, too drained to keep himself over her. She caused him to go beyond what he had ever done. Though he’d been in control, she’d taken so much. He wasn’t sure he liked that.
Her breaths still came in short pants next to him. “I’ve never…I think…can’t move.”
His confidence returned at her words, and he turned on his side, propping his head in his hand to look at her. Much of her hair had come out of her braid. What would it look like splayed across his bed? Unable to resist, he leaned over and untied the leather at the end and unplaited the pale mass. “Beautiful.”
She turned her head to face him, but didn’t open her eyes. “You, too.”
He chuckled. Her complete exhaustion aided his feeling of comfort. Since they lay sideways across the bed, he rose and pulled back the covers before rearranging her underneath them. She curled onto her side, her breathing deep.
It was early yet, the gloaming not complete with the long summer days. He walked to the window and watched as his men spread out, headed to their assigned posts. Others started to bed down outside. As his guards patrolled the defensive wall, he noticed one standing still, looking up at his window.
Douglas.
He turned away and sat in the chair at the fireplace. The man’s doubt had him studying his bedmate. She was different, aye, but a threat? No. He generally did not consider women a threat. Except perhaps his former lover, Margaret. It was because of her that he no longer invited the same woman to his bed twice in a row. She had decided he was hers alone and had underhandedly attacked the other women. He’d sent her to her mother’s family in Ayrshire.
All of his rules had solid reasons behind them, and since he’d taken over as laird, he’d not had a single loss of life, though a few wounded, including his brother. Not having a regular woman kept peace within the castle and protected him from growing attached. His feelings for his brother and his king were too much a weakness as it was. He did not need to be more vulnerable. Keeping the patterns meant keeping control, and keeping control over his need for Diana was critical, especially considering her feelings for him.
In a couple days, he would invite Helen, the weaver woman, back. In the meantime, he doubted any of his men, including the king, would show Diana any interest. He’d clearly claimed her for himself. He studied the soft skin of her cheek and again wondered at the strength that lay beneath it. Would she agree to return to his bed once he’d had another in it? His gut tightened at the answer. Nay, she wouldn’t. To be truthful, he didn’t want Helen. He wanted Diana, again and again.
He rose as if he could escape his own thoughts, but he couldn’t. Once should have been enough with her, but he wanted more. Picking up Diana’s garments, he hung them across the chair. Since she had washed them so she could wear them on the morrow, it would be a shame for them not to dry.
His own leine he left on the floor. He had others he could wear. Right now he preferred his nakedness and how it would feel next to the woman in his bed. Climbing back in, he pulled her warm body tight against his side, accepting for now, his interest in her. He smiled as her leg naturally lifted over his own. Darkness had barely begun, and she would awaken later as she usually did. Satisfied they would enjoy each other again before the night was through, he closed his eyes and slept.