Chapter Eight #4
He sounded pleased with her. Her heart latched onto that information, clutching it tightly.
“But we’ve a fine bed waiting for us tonight. As much as I enjoyed the hay, I believe we’ll leave the stable to the horses and the maids.”
She laughed at his suggestive comment. “You’re a poor example, talking that way.”
“What example? Did I nae get married? Have I nae followed ye out of the hall twice to do my husbandly duty?”
“Brodick.” She cast a look toward the wall. “Your men are listening.”
He leaned close, his breath warm against her ear. “I hope they heard ye yelling with pleasure.”
“Oh…” She slapped a hand in the center of his broad chest. The brute chuckled at her temper, tugging her along behind him.
“Come, Wife. Let us to bed.”
He raised his voice so that it bounced off the walls. Her face flamed scarlet with his amusement ringing in her ears. Yet there was also pride filling her. She could not deny that it pleased her to know that he wanted everyone to know that he enjoyed having her in his bed.
Many noble brides were not so desired.
If that meant she was guilty of the sin of vanity, so be it.
He took her across the courtyard, several of the men on the walls peering down at them.
Brodick held her hand fast, even when she wiggled her fingers.
Night surrounded them. Even in the tower there was meager light.
Few candles were lit along the walls inside.
It was quiet, too, no one in sight. Brodick led her up the stairs, his boots making no sound on the stone steps.
For so large a man, he moved well. It spoke volumes about him.
His father had clearly seen to his training.
No man learned the art of carrying his weight without tutoring.
Boys began their tutelage at five, the same time daughters began to follow their mothers to work.
Lady Mary had been instructed in dance, movement and royal service for years before being placed at court.
Brodick pulled her into the chamber they’d shared the night before.
Changes had taken place during the day. Three ornate tapestries covered the walls near the fire.
There was also a matching set of candlestick holders on a newly arrived vanity table.
Made of silver and carved with artful designs, they held lit candles that filled the chamber with yellow light.
On the table was a mirror. Anne gaped at the costly item.
She couldn’t recall the last time she’d snuck a peek in Philipa’s.
Such an item was worth more than the mare she’d ridden to Sterling.
The candle flame flickered off the polished surface of the mirror in a pagan dance that mesmerized.
This was a highly prized possession even for an earl’s house.
She reached out, stroking only the silver frame that held the polished glass.
Her reflection joined the flame. Anne stared in wonder at her face.
Her lips were slightly swollen, far sultrier than she’d ever considered herself.
She knew her hair was brown but in the mirror it shimmered with copper highlights, tiny wisps of it loosened from her braid by Brodick’s hands framing her face.
Her skin was creamy and smooth like fresh cream in the spring when the cows were eating lots of greenery.
“You’ve met with Helen’s approval for certain.” Brodick appeared behind her. “As well as my own.”
He wrapped his arms around her. The embrace was warm and secure, such as she couldn’t recall sampling from anyone save her mother.
A steady reminder of how strong he was. She felt the thumping of his heart against her back.
His lips twitched at the corners as he watched her in the mirror.
He moved a hand up from her waist and over the swell of her breasts.
Even buffeted by her doublet and stays, she shivered, her skin humming with approval.
His fingers rubbed a small circle on the soft portion of her upper breasts.
“I’m glad to see that ye like yer bridal gift.”
“Gift?” Her breath caught as he moved his hand to her bare throat. She felt so vulnerable, the column of her neck fragile compared to the strength she knew he had in his hand.
“Aye. The mirror is a present from me. A good friend of mine brought it back from his recent voyage to France.”
“That was very…very kind.”
He leaned down and she watched, fascinated, as he kissed her neck. Seeing it was incredibly arousing. She could see his lips compressing against the smooth surface of her throat. At that same moment, her skin rippled with the warm sensation of his kiss.
“I can think of a few things to do with it myself.”
His hand cupped her jaw, lifting it. With a twist of his fingers he opened the first button and then the second. A tiny gasp crossed her lips as he set his fingers between the open edges of the garment to touch her bare skin.
“Things I nae considered a mirror being useful for, as a matter of fact. It may have been well worth the gold I traded for it.”
The next button separated and several more. She followed his fingers devotedly, excitement rising inside her with each little pop. He used both hands to spread the edges open. The mirror reflected her stays and the swells of her breasts.
“Now that’s something verra pretty to gaze at.”
He pulled her doublet over her shoulders and down her arms. There was a brief moment when he stepped back from her to free the garment from her wrists.
She shivered at the loss of contact, sighing when he returned to press up against her from head to toe.
Her attention was drawn to the differences between their genders.
His wider shoulders that appeared on either side of her own.
His face was harder, his jaw more firm with less curves than her own.
Her eyes were framed by longer lashes that looked somewhat coquettish.
“We do make an interesting view. I like it much better now that yer sweet skin is in sight.”
“This must be wrong.”
His fingers trailed up the center of her stays and she stared at them intently.
“Why is that?”
His voice had deepened to that tone he used when he was becoming aroused. Her gaze dipped to the kilt shielding his cock from her sight. Was he growing stiff behind the wool?
Her face flooded with heat, her eyelashes fluttering.
His eyes glittered as they noticed the telltale movement.
With a shaky breath, she tried to leave.
His arms tightened to keep her in place.
His head tilted and she watched him open his lips.
He closed them gently around the lobe of her ear, sucking it into his mouth.
“Brodick…”
“Aye, Wife?” He locked stares with her in the reflection. “What is wrong with enjoying yer gift? I bought it to give ye pleasure. Do ye deny that ye’re quivering with enjoyment?”
Her lips rounded with a little sound of confusion, all other words failing her.
He chuckled near her ear, his chest shaking against her back.
It was decadent. All of the sensations and sights combining into a mixture that intoxicated her senses.
His fingers reached the tie holding the front of her stays closed.
With a quick jerk he pulled it loose. Hooking the first crossing of laces with a crooked finger, he tugged the lace out of the eyelets.
Her breasts felt heavier, almost swollen.
He hooked the next crossing of laces and then the next.
The stays lost their supporting hold on her, the stiff garment falling open now that it wasn’t held in place by the strong cord.
“I think there is something very right about this moment.”
He pulled her corset free, dropping it carelessly onto the floor.
Her chemise was thin, made of fine cotton, the darkness of her nipples showing through it.
Another gasp left her lips. This time Brodick echoed the sound with a swift intake of his own breath.
His hands hovered over her breasts, only two fingertips pressing against her chemise to stroke her nipples.
A deep shudder sent gooseflesh down her arms. She could actually see the tiny bumps decorating her forearms. Behind the fabric, her nipples drew taut, the hard tips visible in the mirror.
“Now there’s a sight I’m sure I dinnae want to miss. Yer nipples are very pretty.”
Were they? She didn’t know. Moving her gaze to his face, she witnessed the hard hunger drawing his features tight. Her waistband popped open, making her jump.
“I could get used to maiding ye with my own hands.”
“Wait.” Her skirts puddled around her ankles and shins before she spoke. The small padded roll around her hips didn’t last very long either. Brodick had untied it without hesitation. “We already…um…”
“Fucked? I remember it very well.” Amusement coated his voice.
“Why are you toying with me?”
Her chemise billowed now, falling around her body loosely.
The flicker of the candle flame illuminated the curves of her body, causing her to look like some pagan offering.
Heat moved through her passage, slow and deep.
It wasn’t the white-hot flash of need that had assaulted her in the stable; this time it was centered in her womb.
“Who told you that a man and woman could only share intimacies once a night?” He set his hands on her hips, trapping her chemise there. The action drew the fabric tight across her breasts, showing off her hard nipples.
“Now I want to seduce ye.”