Chapter 7
She had never felt this warm before. It wasn’t because of the fire behind her, but the heated look that her husband was giving her right now, causing her to tremble under the intensity.
Was this what it was like to have a man want her so? Given the way he was staring at her, she believed he wanted her.
And tae think, I thought I would be spending mah wedding night alone!
No wonder her sisters were enamored with their husbands, with their marriages. Given that look, any woman would be.
Grasping the hem of her shift, Sorcha found the courage to pull it up and over her head, hearing Liam’s sharp intake as her nakedness was on display.
“Yer turn,” she said boldly, admiring her husband’s chest. He had numerous scars puckering his skin, but somehow it made him all the more handsome.
“Och lass, I dinnae think yer ready for that,” he said softly, his expression so earnest that it nearly broke her heart. Why was he affecting her so?
“I will need tae be eventually,” she choked out. She had seen animals mate before. It couldn’t be that different.
Liam still looked dubious, but he slid his kilt down anyway, removing his boots in the process. Sorcha felt her cheeks redden as she got a look at her husband’s naked form for the first time.
Perhaps it was a bit different. His cock jutted proudly from his body, heavy with need, and Sorcha swallowed.
She had never seen anything like that before.
“I told ye, lass.”
The humorous tone of her husband’s voice only made her cheeks redden more.
“I...” She had no words.
Liam tucked his finger under her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. “’Tis will be alright,” he told her, his voice low. “It will only hurt a little at first.”
She knew that, but the mere look of him told her it would be worth it.
“Trust me,” he continued, pressing a kiss to her lips lightly. Sorcha wanted to protest, but when his hand touched her breast, she decided that it was far more important for her to concentrate on it, all concerns dying on her tongue.
When he kissed it, she moaned low in her throat, the wetness between her legs growing suddenly and very rapidly.
“Och, lass,” he whispered against her skin as his hand slid down her abdomen. “Ye will be the death of me tonight.”
“I hope not,” she replied in a strangled voice. “I have no thought tae be widowed so soon.”
He chuckled, and goosebumps broke out over her skin as his finger dipped into her. Sorcha reached out blindly and grabbed his arm as her body got used to the newness of a man’s touch.
Her husband’s touch.
“That’s it,” he told her, his mouth against her temple, his fingers brushing across the most sensitive part of her. “I can feel yer need, lass.”
Sorcha didn’t have a thought to what he was talking about, but she arched against his touch anyway, pressure building in her body. She wanted more, so much more.
And then, she felt her body release, a cry rending her throat. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before, the warmth spreading across her limbs as her body racked with the pulsating release.
When Liam pushed her toward the bed, she complied, her skin sliding across the fine linen.
“This is going tae be a bit painful, lass,” he said as he positioned himself over her. “’Tis only for a moment but cannot be helped.”
Sorcha slid her feet up his legs as he pushed his way into her, wincing as he thrust hard, breaking her maidenhead.
She was no longer a young girl but a woman, a married woman at that. He stayed still for a moment, and Sorcha opened her eyes, looking at him. “Is that it?”
He let out a tortured groan. “Nay lass, I am just giving ye a moment.”
Sorcha pushed him forward with her legs, the burning turning into something that didn’t bother her much at all. “There’s no need.”
Liam hung his head and started to move within her, Sorcha’s body reacting in ways she never believed could happen. No wonder Tavin and Moira spent days in their chamber. This was beyond words.
Soon she was clinging to her husband, the waves of pleasure washing over her once more as he thrust into her, his motions becoming ragged. When he let out a harsh yell, Sorcha realized that Liam had come to his own release.
They were a married couple. They were as one.
“Tell me, did ye get any sleep at all?”
Sorcha ducked her head as her cheeks heated, fussing with the flowers in her hands. It was the next day after her marriage to Liam, and while she would like nothing more than to spend the day abed with him, he had not been there when she woke.
If she weren’t experiencing the pleasant soreness between her thighs or the small abrasions from his beard, Sorcha would have thought she had dreamed it all.
“’Tis not something I wish tae discuss.”
Agnes laughed, stopping to pick another flower from the field they were walking in.
Though bitterly cold outside, the field was full of heady flowers still, their blue heads starting to wilt under the relentless wind.
It had been Agnes that had come bearing her breakfast, grinning when she saw the evidence of Sorcha’s maidenhead on the fine sheets.
After a long soak in the tub, Sorcha had dressed, and together, they had made their way outside for a breath of fresh air.
And apparently a bit of gossip. What Sorcha didn’t want to tell her was that Liam had taken her once more before she had fallen into an exhausted sleep, not even feeling the touch of her husband before her eyes had shut.
Had he slept well?
Why hadn’t he been there when she woke?
Was he already regretting their marriage?
Surely not. It was only necessary that they had claimed their union last night in such a way. Just because she was agreeable to a business arrangement, it was still necessary that the clan know they were truly husband and wife.
Even though Sorcha was starting to want her husband’s body yet again, she had seen a side of him last night that was beyond anything she had witnessed before.
And heaven help her, she wished for more!
“Ye look troubled, far too troubled for this morning.”
Sorcha looked at the older woman, giving her a false smile. “Forgive me. Mah thoughts were miles away.”
The woman laid a hand on her arm, a sympathetic look on her face. “I’m sorry yer family couldnae come tae the wedding.”
Sorcha nodded. She hadn’t told them about the wedding, instead telling Liam’s aunt that it was far too close in notice for them to make it.
This afternoon, she would pen a letter to both sisters, ensuring them that she was safe and now a married woman.
It had not been part of her plans for Fennella or Moira to be present, knowing that the wedding was nothing more than a formality.
However, after last night, Sorcha was going to have to figure out how to keep it that way.
“Och, look lassie. There is yer wayward husband now.”
Sorcha found herself breathless as she watched Liam striding toward the practice ring, his sword slung over his shoulder.
Had she really touched every part of his body only a few hours ago?
He was a magnificent form, even with his scars, and she had felt his strength under her fingers before he had forced her to quit touching him.
Her husband was a proud warrior.
“Ye know the shine does wear off.”
Sorcha smiled. “How long did it take for ye?”
Agnes scoffed. “I wasnae talking about mahself. I still have butterflies in mah stomach whenever that man I call mah husband walks through the door. When he’s gone, I miss him dreadfully, but I always know he’s coming back tae me.”
Sorcha’s heart clenched in her chest, and she turned away from Liam’s departing form, clearing her throat. “That’s something tae hold ontae.”
Agnes gave her a sad smile. “Dinnae think for one moment ye cannae have the same thing, lass.”
That was not why she had come. Straightening her shoulders, Sorcha clutched the flowers in her hand. “I’m cold. Let’s go warm ourselves by the fire.”
It wasn’t until two days later that Sorcha was summoned by her husband. She had retreated to her own chamber after her discussion with Agnes, reminding herself that she was not here to build a relationship, a true marriage with Liam, but to help him run their clan.
Besides, he had not sought her out, choosing to have his meals away from the keep and leaving her to learn her new home with Agnes’s help.
So, when he requested her presence in the great hall, Sorcha hurriedly dressed and made her way there. Liam was seated at the head of the scarred table, his uncle standing not far from him.
“Sorcha,” he stated, his expression guarded.
She inclined her head. “Husband. Ye called for me?”
“’Tis time for us to listen tae the plights of our clan,” he replied evenly, gesturing to the chair that had been placed next to him. “If ye are ready tae listen until yer ears bleed.”
Sorcha smiled. “Surely ye enjoy listening tae them.”
“As much as I enjoy watching the wheat dry in the summer’s heat,” he grumbled. “Perhaps ye have the patience that I was not gifted.”
Sorcha took her place next to him, refraining from touching her husband. “I’ve been known tae be a time or two.”
Liam gave her a glance. “I trust ye have been faring well?”
So, he was worried about her? Why had he not sought her out, if not in her bed, then in passing at least? It was as if he had done his duty and no longer cared to be in her presence.
Well, except today apparently, but only because he detested what was to come. The moment the thoughts passed through her mind, Sorcha shook out of them. This was what she had married him for. Not for the time she had spent in his bed, but for this.
To belong to a clan and see that they were flourishing under her careful decisions. “Aye,” she finally said. “I’ve fared well enough.”
He gave her a short nod and then motioned to the warrior that was standing near the door. “Let them in.”
Sorcha straightened in her chair, gripping her hands together in her lap as the clan started to pour in. It reminded her of her first day here, when she had been introduced to Liam, and he had reacted as she had imagined.
Now she was his wife in the eyes of the clan, their lady who would rule beside her husband.
What a strange turn of events.
Hours later, Sorcha’s shoulders slumped as the last couple filed out of the great hall, with their laird’s blessing to marry since both of their partners had run off with each other.
“Here,” Uncle Sheamus stated, pushing a tankard of ale in her hands. “Drink. Ye look like ye need it.”
Sorcha drank deeply, letting the cool liquid wet her throat.
“Well,” Liam stated, pushing out of his chair. “What did ye think, lass?”
Sorcha wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her gown. “That ye were correct in stating patience is needed.”
Liam looked at her for a moment before throwing his head back and laughing, the sound filling the hall and startling both his uncle and his second-in-command.
They were staring at him like he had grown two heads suddenly, and Sorcha wondered what kind of state the laird had really been in before her arrival.
Her husband wiped a hand over his face, realizing that everyone was staring at him, and his expression sobered. “I wilnae be back for dinner. Good day, Wife.”
“Good day, Husband,” she said softly to his retreating back. One moment he seemed carefree, but the next, he hid his true emotions and walked away. She did not understand.
“Well now,” Sheamus stated, picking up a tankard for him as well, “what an interesting day.”
Sorcha couldn’t help but agree. She pushed back her chair and stood. “I believe I will check on how supper is faring. Excuse me.”
Both men inclined their heads as she hurried past, waiting until she was in the small hall that led to the kitchens before she drew a breath. She had gotten what she wanted today, yet for some reason, she felt strangely empty inside.