Chapter 8
Aleck placed the beam in its spot, pushing hard against it to make certain it was secure. After the torrential rains from the previous night, the sun now shone brightly overhead, the day overly warm.
Well, for another few moments. Once he placed the next beam, the new roof would be complete and then the straw could start to be laid, held together by the hot tar that was bubbling on the fire outside.
The family that had lived in the hut were fortunate not to lose their entire place from the lightning strike, the reason he had been pulled out of bed with Fennella to help put the fire out.
Truthfully he wasn’t upset with Malcolm for separating him from his marriage bed and keeping him out all night.
At least he didn’t have to face his wife after what he had done.
Bloody hell, he had acted like a randy Scot tupping his first lass!
But she had been so warm and pliant under his body that he couldn’t wait to have her.
How fleeting it was.
Aleck picked up the next beam and slid it in place, swiping his arm across his forehead as he eyed his work. As laird, he was responsible for his clan and when one member suffered, he suffered as well.
He also helped them to rebuild. If the hut had burned to the ground, then the family would have taken refuge in the keep until he could find them another hut to occupy.
At the first sign of fire last night, his warriors had started toward the burning hut, knowing that their laird would be momentarily behind them. There was no man above another, not even him.
Walking outside, he nodded at the men waiting to replace the roof. “’Tis ready.”
They hurried to get the tar ready as Aleck walked over to Malcolm, accepting the water dipper full of cool water. “Everything is in place,” he replied, after taking a large swallow. “No thanks tae ye.”
Malcolm’s face split into a grin. “You didn’t look like you needed my help.”
Aleck eyed him, his arms burning. “What gave ye that idea?”
Malcolm slapped him on the back, laughing. “The look you gave me last night after pulling you away from your lovely bride told me all I needed to know.”
Placing the dipper aside, Aleck picked up the bucket and dumped it over his head, the cool water easing the burn on his skin. He needed more than one cold bath before facing his wife again.
That and a better plan to continue visiting his wife’s bed. His body still ached from his abrupt departure, ashamed that he had taken her innocence but not given her any pleasure. He was a man who enjoyed giving women the same pleasure he received, leaving them both satisfied in bed.
Neither he nor Fennella had received that satisfaction last night.
“Och, you are thinking about her,” Malcolm accused, a grin splitting his lips. “How does it feel to have a wife waiting for you?”
“I don’t like the fact that she’s waiting at all,” Aleck replied, picking up his shirt and shrugging into it, the fabric sticking to his wet skin. “She’s just tae carry on mah bloodline, ’tis all.”
Malcolm chuckled. “You keep telling yourself that and one day you might believe it.”
Aleck shot him a dark gaze before stalking off toward the keep, forcing himself to take a couple of breaths.
He would have to make it up to Fennella, though it was hard to make up one’s loss of innocence.
Aleck never had to woo a lass before, and he shouldn’t have to woo his own wife, yet it seemed on their fifth day of marriage, he was already finding ways to do so.
But as he moved inside the walls that surrounded the keep, the sound of clanging swords drew his attention.
The warriors must be practicing again. It was the one thing he made sure his warriors did, honing their sword fighting skills to a fine point so that they would never question their movements on the battlefield.
For one misstep could end their lives and that of their fellow clansmen.
Aleck rubbed his head with his hand as he approached the practice ring, noting that it was a few of his warriors in the ring, all watching a pair dancing around each other in the center. One opponent was smaller than the other, the dagger no match for the large sword that his warrior was swinging.
His blood ran cold when he noted that the smaller opponent was Fennella.
God’s teeth! Aleck cut the distance between him and the sparring ring, placing himself in front of his wife. “What the bloody hell is going on?”
“Move Scot!” his wife replied angrily. “I was about to show him his open flank.”
Stunned, Aleck turned to his wife, seeing the flash of anger in her eyes. “What are ye doing lass?”
She arched a brow, looking nothing like the woman that he had bedded last night.
Instead, she looked like a fierce warrior that had been stalking her prey and he had stepped in her path.
“I was wandering around the keep’s grounds and noticed the sparring,” she stated, showing him her dagger.
“Surely you will not make me stay in the keep.”
That was exactly what Aleck wished to do. Didn’t wives stick to the house? Somehow he didn’t picture that about Fennella. So he drew the dagger from his belt at his breeks, tossing it back and forth. “I will be the only one sparring with ye, Wife.”
Fennella’s eyes widened a fraction. “You?”
He grinned. “That is, if ye think ye can handle yer laird.”
The commotion spun into a frenzy at his words, but he kept his eyes on Fennella, daring her to take up his challenge. Aleck didn’t know what had come over him, but he felt the need to spend some time with her where she was comfortable.
By the looks of things, she was comfortable in a sparring ring and not dallying in the keep.
“Alright Scot,” Fennella finally stated, raising her dagger, a fierce sparkle in her eye. “Let’s see if you can be bested by your wife then.”
Aleck did the same and they circled each other before she dove to his left side, which he quickly sidestepped.
Fennella wasted no time attempting another move and over the next few minutes, Aleck found himself blocking her parried thrusts with his own dagger, sweat breaking out on his forehead.
One thing was for certain, his wife had gone through proper training in dagger fighting.
His chest swelled with pride at the thought.
No wonder she survived her brother’s keep.
He moved to his right while thrusting his dagger to the left, careful not to thrust too hard and somehow harm her in any way.
She nor Aleck were dressed for true sparring, lacking the armor that would protect their bodies.
Fennella lunged at him suddenly, catching him off guard, and they both went down into the dirt, his hand wrapped around her wrist and turning her so that he would soften the blow.
He landed on his back with a thud, but he kept a strong arm around his wife’s waist. She made a sound as she landed on top of him and Aleck groaned as her soft body pressed up against his hard one, reminding him of the time the night before between them.
And how they had yet to finish it.
She lifted her head and blushed, Aleck taking the moment to brush the hair out of her face. “That is one way tae best me lass,” he murmured, wishing they were back in their bedchamber and not on full display in front of his warriors.
Och, he wanted to kiss her! Her lips were mere inches from his and all he would have to do was lean up and close the distance between them.
Something flashed across Fennella’s expression and she was scrambling off him, straightening her dress with a blush spreading across her features.
He knew why; it was very apparent why she had made a hasty exit. Any blind man could see his state of arousal at the moment, the lust he had for his wife.
Accepting the help of his warriors to rise to his feet, Aleck bowed to his wife with flourish. “I will concede this fight tae ye, Wife. Any woman that fights as ye do will best any man.”
Surprise flickered in her gaze. “I too will say that you are a fine warrior, Husband.”
Aleck grinned. She had called him husband, not Scot. That was a change for the better. He opened his mouth to say as much but there was a shout, causing everyone to turn their attention to the approaching rider. “Attack!”
Aleck’s blood ran cold as he sheathed his dagger, halting the rider as he reached the sparring ring, the horse breathing heavy and slick with sweat. “State yer meaning!”
“Attack,” the man panted, sliding off his horse, dust streaked on his face from his hard ride. “South of the glen. I heard the fighting and rode straight here to warn you, my lord.”
“The scouting party,” Malcolm reminded him, his expression grim.
Aleck swore viciously. The scouting party was a group of clan members he had sent out the day before to scout for more land that could be farmed.
The clan was growing, and there was a need to have more fields in which to support everyone, perhaps even a new village on another section of his family’s land.
“Mah horse,” he growled to the stable lad nearby. “And mah sword.”
The lad took off toward the stable while another took off toward the keep to retrieve the sword that Aleck had left in the main hall, hanging at its place of honor above the great fireplace.
There was no need to address his warriors. They were already doing the same, readying their horses to ride out and face whatever enemy had attacked their fellow clansmen.
Aleck felt a soft grip on his arm and he looked down, finding Fennella at his side. “What can I do?” she asked.
“Stay here,” he stated, sliding an arm around her waist. “Duncan will stay behind tae protect the keep in case they come this way. Make sure the gates are kept closed until I return.”
“I will,” she said, no fear in her voice.
He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers, savoring in the softness of her lips against his. “And when I return,” Aleck continued, his lips beside her ear, “we shall finish what we started last night, Wife. I owe ye a night of pleasure.”
Fennella shivered against his touch and he pressed his lips to her temple before letting her go, knowing that if he didn’t at that moment, there was a good chance he would be pressing her against a wall somewhere and having his fill of his wife.
She didn’t respond as he strode over to his horse, swinging himself up on the saddle before accepting the sword from the panting lad. After strapping it at his back, Aleck gripped the reins, a sign that he was ready to leave.
Malcolm shouted orders at the group that would ride with them and Aleck turned his horse toward the gates, his chest heavy about leaving his clan, and his wife.
Fennella could protect herself and Aleck knew that she would also protect his clan, their clan, now that she was his wife.
His wife was a woman like no other and he would revel in the fact of finding each delectable secret she was hiding, one by one, kiss by kiss if need be.