Mysty McPartland (5 page)

Wildly s
obbing, she squirmed beneath the fiendish monster in desperation, but when the hot mouth closed over hers, she lay stiffly beneath him. She tried to turn her head away to break the contact, but his lips were to possessive and when his tongue entered her mouth her eyes widened and she struggled frantically beneath him.

But once again she froze when she felt something hard pressing against the junct
ion of her thighs. His long, dark hair hung around her face as his mouth greedily devoured hers. She closed her eyes willing this man to leave her alone, but instead the kiss went on and on and on.

Unable to stop
, he was so consumed with the taste of her that he ignored her struggles, he wanted her to respond and he wasn’t going to stop until she did.

Slowly something strange started
to happen to her and she didn’t understand what it was. The fluttering in her stomach was growing stronger and there seemed to be hot liquid spreading through her. Her body, of its own accord, softened against his. Innocently and tentatively her tongue slipped along the length of his and it seemed with that one small stroke, her whole being became a firestorm of excitement and any thought of stopping vanished.

Instantly f
eeling the change in her body as it melted against his own, he deepened the kiss even more and when he felt her tongue hesitantly touch his, he became consumed with wanting to prove to her that she was his and only his. He drew her tongue gently into his mouth and he growled when it swirled around exploring and tasting. She seemed to be going up in flames and he pressed his hardness between her thighs wanting desperately to be inside of her.

It was
only the banging on the door that finally made him tear his mouth free from hers, his breathing harsh and his heart thumping hard. Taking a quick glance at her from heavy hooded eyes, he was immensely pleased to see that she looked so overwhelmed by the experience and his kisses; he rolled off her and stood up.

“Stop ye
thumping and wait.” He yelled, he wasn’t in any condition at the moment to answer the door, his rigid cock pressed against the front his kilt and he closed his eyes willing it away. Raking a hand through his hair, he cursed his lack of self-control and the woman that caused it. Once more in command of himself, he strode over the door and yanked it open. “What?” He demanded coldly and listened to the spluttering, frightened servant.

He
grumbled and slammed the door shut before he swiveled back to the lass still reclining so seductively on the bed. He grunted in satisfaction before he spoke. “Ye are to stay here in this chamber until as such time as I return. If ye foolishly think ye can run away again ye will nay get very far.” When no reply was forthcoming, he shrugged his shoulders and left the room without another word.

* * * *

Grateful for the interruption, Dalla was thankful that the despicable oaf finally left her alone. She grimaced, well not quite alone, he had ordered a guard to stand outside her door, but at least she had the room to herself. She was still reeling from her over the swine’s kisses. Somehow, she would have to find a way to make sure it never happened again.

S
he saw the satisfaction and arrogance on his face and knew that he was very proud of himself and she detested herself and him for what occurred between them. She glanced up when her door opened and scowled when she saw her cousin enter the room. Quickly scrambling off the bed, she hurriedly limped over to one of the chairs in front of the fire, fell into it and glared at Lisa with animosity.

“I thought yo
u would like some company, Dalla. It was a silly and childish thing ye did cousin, but I can see that ye are still nay happy about marrying the man. Well let me tell ye, he is a braw man and a magnificent lover. I do envy ye.”  Lisa swept arrogantly into the chamber and sat down facing the younger woman, she was vastly pleased over the reaction her silly cousin had to her words.

Tightly g
ripping the arms of the chair, she sat stiffly. “So ye have already bedded my betrothed, why am I nay surprised?” She sneered at her cousin with contempt.

Smugly leaning back in the chair, Lisa smiled. “Aye, but I can see ye are nay happy about bedding him yeself.”

S
ickened to her very soul over the fact that her cousin slept with the man she was about to wed, she knew now that she could never let that man make love to her,
ever
. She needed to find some way to prevent it and eyeing the other woman from beneath her lowered lashes, an idea came to her and no matter how much it revolted her, it was the only thing she could think of.

“Since ye enjoyed bedding my betrothed
so much, mayhap ye would like to keep doing it. Would ye be willing to leave with us and live with us? There will, however, be only one condition and that is ye are to keep that fiend from my bed. If ye fail and canna do that then ye will leave.” She felt the sickness roll around in her stomach over what she was asking.

Lisa wanted to laugh at her foolish cousin, how easy it was to dupe the silly little twit. “Aye I accept ye terms, but ye must realize I canna do anything about ye wedding night. That ye will have to care of yeself.”

Dread consuming her, closing her eyes for a moment, she could feel the bile rise up inside of her. She forced it down and turned her gaze away from her cousin. “Aye I ken that, just remember if ye fail to keep him from my bed ye will leave.”

Victorious
, standing up, Lisa strolled towards the door and glanced over her shoulder with a gloating expression. “Have nay fear, cousin, a man like ye betrothed wants a woman nay a child under him and his powerful body resting between her thighs as he pumps his lust into her welcoming womb.” Oh, how easy it was to deceive her cousin and she knew that she would have that man in her bed and once she did, she intended to have her revenge against him for rejecting her.

Grateful when
the despicable woman left, Dalla wondered if she might have just made a terrible mistake, but then shook her head. Nay, he had already slept with Lisa and she would never accept that man into her bed because of it. All she needed to do was find a way to prevent him from claiming his husbandly rights tomorrow night and there must to be some way to stop him.

The hours dragged for the rest of the afternoon and s
upper was long finished. She sat up in her room praying that her betrothed would not come up and join her. She didn’t want to face him; she didn’t want to be anywhere near him. She still hadn’t come up with a plan to prevent him from bedding her tomorrow evening. Getting him drunk was too uncertain, and hitting him over the head rendering him unconscious would definitely be out of the question, but highly satisfying nonetheless.

H
er head lifted as an idea popped into her thoughts, and she smiled. It was risky but it just may work, though it would be a very dangerous gamble and would it be worth the punishment she would most definitely suffer afterwards? She trembled and fingers of fear crawled up here spine. Nevertheless, she didn’t have much alternative. Though it would be despicable of her to do such a sly and horrendous deed what choice did she have?
None
.

Though she was riddled with guilt and shame
, her decision was made and there was no turning back. Now all she would have to do was find some way to slip the sleeping drug into his drink. It took her a few more moments to come up with a sound plan and when she worked out her vile plot, remorsefully she retired to her bed.

She tossed and turned for what seemed hours, her conscious riddled with guilt over what she was planning to do. Finally
, exhausted she drifted off into a fretful slumber. Sometime during the night, she sprang up off the mattress and cried out from the nightmare she just had. Dry sobs fell from her lips as she collapsed back on the bed and hugged the blankets tightly under her chin.

It took a long time before she could banish
nightmare of the vicious beating she received from the man she was about to marry. It was what she would deserve for drugging him tomorrow night, she knew. Still, she trembled beneath the covers her skin was damp with fear and her heart pounded with apprehension, knowing she was go to suffer immensely for what she was about to do.

Somehow
, she must have manged to once more drift off to sleep and now her dreams were filled with her cousin and her betrothed rolling around naked in bed together. She cried out and they both turned and laughed at her when they saw her standing in the doorway. It was a sick and humiliating picture. She tossed and turned, but try as she might she couldn’t banish it from her sleeping conscious.

****

Tarrel didn’t go back up to his betrothed’s bedchamber until very late in evening, he wanted to be sure she slept and he wouldn’t lose his control. He moved through the dark chamber to one of the chairs, sat down, and stared across the gloominess at the bed. He frowned noticing the lass tossing and turning fretfully beneath the covers.

No doubt worrying about the ceremony tomorrow and her future. Well, it certainly wouldn’t be long before she would find out what her new life would be like. He would accept no defiance from her. She would stop this useless struggle to keep him at arm’s length
and she finally settled down to be an obedient wife.

He however, admitted
he wasn’t going to find it so easy to keep command of his common sense. Not when he so easily lost them just by looking at her.  Hell, w
hat am I going to do with her? I have to find some way to stop this infliction she has over me. If I don’t my life will be hell.
It already was, the damn woman was nothing but trouble, her clan treated him rudely and it hadn’t taken him long to find out why. None of them wanted her to go and they disliked him because they knew he would be taking away their angel.

Angel. Hell.

H
e hadn’t seen anything of the angel except in her looks. All he’d seen so far was a foolish bad-tempered sprite and he knew that it would probably take quite some time before she finally accepted her marriage to him. However, once they were wed, she would soon learn and learn quickly that he would not tolerate any insolence or disobedience.

Her only goal in li
fe from now will be to seeing to his comfort, keeping his home running smoothly, satisfying him in bed and to bear his children. And he was certainly positive she would please him very nicely in bed, especially after experiencing the passion within her earlier today. Aye, she would more than satisfy his needs in that department and he was more than looking forward to tomorrow night.

Perhaps once he bedded her, whatever strange thing overcame him when he gazed at her would disappear and he wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. It was a calming thought and one he prayed would happen. If it didn’t he would make certain it wouldn’t be long before he mastered the inflictions. Be damned if he would go around for the rest of his life behaving like a love sick, infatuated numbskull just because he gazed at his wife.

Chapter Six

It was c
lose to dawn when Dalla woke up from her restless night, she opened her eyes and the first thing they fell on was the sleeping form of the big, depraved brute. She lay there and glared at him, she reluctantly acknowledged that he was very handsome now with his face was relaxed in sleep. He was dark all over, his hair, his lashes, eyes and his skin was also darkly tanned.

Disgusted at her musings, s
haking her silly thoughts away, she tossed the covers aside and slid of the bed, she picked up the gown off the chair and tiptoed across the room. Holding her breath, she opened the door, slipped through the small gap, and closed it silently behind her.

Free,
letting out her breath, she hurried down the passageway to an empty chamber and racing inside, closed the door, and quickly changed into her dress. It was pointless, she knew, to try to run away again. All she wanted to do was spend the last few hours she would have left of her freedom roaming around her home, knowing that it would be a long time before she saw it and all the people she loved again.

Finally dressed, she didn’t bother with her hair, she opened the door and racing down the stairs, across the hall and outside. She stood for a moment on the steps and, taking a deep breath, smiled at the realization that the pain in her ankle had gone. Though it was still early she’d go to the village, most of the clan would be up and about. She could say goodbye to everyone, and spend some time playing with the children before she would have to face the inevitable and found herself married to the disgusting, rutting beast.

A shudder shook her small frame, she hu
rried forward hoping to out run the horrific and humiliating future that was only hours away.
Don’t think about it,
she told herself and she shoved everything that was ugly and frightening from her mind. After spending some time with the clan she played in a field of flowers with the children. Even though she was laughing, her heart was breaking and her soul was weeping knowing that very shortly she would be leaving these sweet children and going to a new home full of strangers.

Lying
down amongst the blossoms she wished she could stay here forever. Her happiness disappeared when she spied Donald striding down the hill and knowing he was coming for her. She took one glance at his sad face and knew that her time of freedom was over. Slowly, she stood up and said goodbye to the children, she hugged and kissed each one and kept the tears that were stinging her eyes from falling.