Page 10 of Intrigued By A Highlander (Highland Revenge Trilogy #2)

CHAPTER 10

“ T ravel is dusty and causes endless aches,” Lady Agatha said as she opened the door to a bedchamber and stepped aside. “So, I had a tub prepared where you can rid yourself of the dust and ease your aches. There’s wine as well.” She pointed to the jug and tankards on the small table. “If you need assistance?—”

“We will do fine on our own,” Knox said, “and thank you for your thoughtfulness.”

“I almost forgot,” Lady Agatha said as she went to leave. “Those items you requested, Knox, are on the bed. Sleep well.”

Dru walked over to the bed and one look had her turning an angry glare on Knox. “I don’t take charity.”

“I paid for those garments,” Knox informed her, slipping out of his shirt. “I won’t have my wife looking like a poor waif. Now strip and get into the tub while the water is warm enough.”

His command had her ignoring the garments and protesting. “I’ll not strip in front of you.”

“How often must I remind you that you are not only my wife but that we have seen each other naked already? We have nothing to hide from each other.”

Dru shook her head firmly. “I don’t care. It doesn’t feel right.”

“Fine. I’ll turn around until you are safely beneath the water.” He turned. “Don’t take long.”

Dru wasn’t going to deny herself the pleasure of a warm bath, so she quickly agreed. “Aye. I’ll hurry.”

And she did, rushing out of her garments and boots and climbing into the large tub. The heated water welcomed her, rushing around her as she submerged herself to her neck.

“You can turn around now,” she said and saw that Knox had gone to the table to fill a tankard of wine, his back to her the whole time.

He turned—two tankards in his hands. “Wine?”

She went to stretch her hand out and stopped. “I should hurry and wash so the water will at least have some warmth left in it for you.”

Knox held the tankard out to her. “Take your time. I do not intend to linger in the tub.”

Dru smiled and stretched her arm out to take the tankard from him. She took a sip and rested her head back, closing her eyes. She feared she would never know such pleasure again and the memories it brought back hurt her heart. She’d been loved, so loved, and she missed that.

“Lady Agatha had little to share about Cerise, Autumn’s mum,” Knox said, sitting on one of the two chairs at the small table to slip off his boots.

“I disagree,” Dru said. “She may have only known her briefly and before she became Lord Torrance’s father’s mistress, but it gives us some insight into the woman.”

“Aye, it does, and I can understand why Lord Torrance’s father was drawn to her and why she was his favorite mistress. From the sounds of it, Cerise was beautiful, kind, caring, with a smile that never faltered. I could see such a woman wanting to protect her daughter from being forced into an unwanted relationship just as she had been.”

“Aye. Most would feel the woman’s daughter was good for nothing else.”

Dru’s remark was edged with sorrow and he cast a quick glance at her and saw what he could swear were tears pooled in her eyes.

“Are you all right, Dru?” he asked with concern.

She turned her head and sniffled. “I’m good. Why wouldn’t I be?” She sniffled again and went right on talking. “So, if Cerise was that kind and caring, she probably sent her daughter far away so she could have a chance of living a decent life. This whole search could be nothing more than a waste of time.”

“Not to me. I will find her whether she is alive or dead. I want that land and the freedom that comes with it.”

“It will bring you no freedom. Lord Torrance may grant you some land, though it will never truly be yours, and it will come at a much higher cost. Lord Torrance is like his father. He gives with one hand and takes with the other.” She held out her tankard. “One more and then I will wash.”

Knox refilled her tankard, giving her words thought. She was right about Lord Torrance. He took more than he gave, and he wasn’t a tolerant man. He expected complete obedience. He had heard that Torrance had recently wed and that he treated his new bride badly.

He cast a glance at Dru, fighting to keep her eyes open as she washed, her tankard already empty and discarded to the floor. A husband’s duty was to protect his wife, not treat her badly. Though Dru could frustrate him at times, he never thought of raising his hand to her. Besides, she had good instincts, and she spoke openly to him, often not weighing her words. She was right about Lord Torrance. He didn’t trust him, but he had to take the chance at the offered land, or he would forever regret it.

An ache in his back had him stretching his chest out, then leaning back in the chair, closing his eyes for a moment. Dru would be done soon then he would hurry and bathe and seek the comfort of the bed.

He woke with a start and hurried a glance at the tub. He didn’t see Dru and a quick glance at the bed showed she wasn’t there. He rushed to the tub to find her sound asleep. She had slipped down, the water resting just below her lips. He silently chided himself for not keeping an eye on her and hurried to move the garments off the bed and pulled the blankets down.

With that done, he repositioned the chair in front of the hearth, then grabbed a cloth from the stack on a stool and threw it over his shoulder. He prepared himself for a tongue-lashing from her when he reached to lift her out of the tub, but her limp body told him she was in a sound sleep and wouldn’t fully wake anytime soon.

He lifted her into his arms with ease to cradle her against him and went to sit in the chair before the hearth. He settled her in his lap and used the cloth to dry her. He didn’t expect his body, and mind, to react as they did.

Coupling with a larger woman always brought him pleasure, but there was something about Dru’s slimness, the tender curve of her hip, her small breasts, the firmness of her body, and the thatch of red and blonde hair between her legs that tempted him beyond belief and aroused him far too much.

He quickly covered her for his own sanity and for hearing her boldly, in his head, order him to look away. He finished drying her the best he could and squeezed what water he could from her hair. Then he grabbed another cloth from the pile as he carried her to the bed. He placed her gently on it and quickly pulled the blanket over her. He wrapped the fresh cloth around her hair to soak up whatever water was left. He told himself to hurry and wash, but he felt rooted to the floor, not taking his eyes off her.

Never had he expected to feel such an attraction to a wee bit of a woman, and yet his swollen manhood told him otherwise.

He shook his head and began ridding himself of his plaid as he walked to the tub. A dunk, by now, of the cold water would do him good. The tub wasn’t large enough for him, but it served the purpose. By the time he got done washing and dried himself off, his desire was gone and his own exhaustion caught up with him.

Sleep called and he slipped into bed, keeping to his side, though not for long. His wife rolled toward him and curled herself around him.

“Cold,” Dru whispered in her sleep.

Knox instinctively wrapped his arm around her and tucked her close as he did the few nights they had spent together on the cold ground. She must have gotten used to him keeping her warm and memory had her seeking him out.

He had to admit that while the bed felt good when he first got in it, something was missing… until Dru settled against him. Like her, he had grown accustomed to her being in his arms.

Of course, his manhood responded far too quickly, and he realized the night ahead might prove difficult.

Dru felt herself drifting awake, but she wasn’t ready to wake fully, to let go of the warmth and strength that wrapped around her. She wanted to linger in it, never let it go. She felt safe, shielded from harm. But her eyes began to flutter, urging her to wake and as they fluttered open, she spied a face, his eyes opening slowly as well.

Knox.

A smile surfaced without any effort from her and the next thing she felt was his lips brushing over hers. A warm, faint brush that tingled her lips like a gentle kiss.

Kiss?

She pushed at his hard chest, shoving herself away from him and jumping out of bed.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, though didn’t give him a chance to respond. “You don’t find me appealing. Why in heaven’s name would you kiss me?”

Knox sat up, shaking his head, then running his fingers through his hair. “Only the good Lord knows why, since it makes no sense to me.”

A chill shivered Dru and she realized she was naked. “Bloody hell,” she cried out and yanked the blanket only to expose Knox’s arousal. She shook her head, thinking he was larger than she recalled and threw the blanket at him and hurried to find the garments Lady Agatha had left for her.

“Why am I naked?” she demanded, grateful to the woman for including an undergarment with the shirt and plaid. She hurried it over her head, relieved it fell to her knees. “Why?” she repeated, her hands on her hips as she turned to Knox and turned her head away when she saw him standing naked beside the bed.

“Look at me, Dru,” he ordered. “NOW!”

She turned a defiant glare on him.

“This stops now,” he said as if he decreed it. “We may find ourselves in positions that might seem uncomfortable, but we are husband and wife. We did nothing wrong. You fell asleep in the tub and didn’t wake when I lifted you out or while I dried you or tucked you into bed. I did nothing more than care for you in a time of need. Something I would expect of myself as a husband, and I would expect of my wife to do for me. And do not remind me again that we are not truly husband and wife. We agreed to remain husband and wife for this mission and that is the end of that.”

He turned to grab his garments, his arousal growing, seeing her standing there, a wild fury in her eyes and strands of her red/blonde hair falling just as wildly around her head and face. He couldn’t help but wonder if she would couple with such wild fury as well. And, bloody hell, if an image of her naked on top of him, riding him hard and furiously, didn’t pop into his head and aroused him even more.

“Thank you.”

Her surprising remark had him turning his head and he was even more surprised to see tears in her eyes. He stepped toward her, but she held up her hand stopping him.

“I haven’t been cared for in—” She shook her head. “What seems like forever.”

“Who looked after you?” he asked, curious to know more about her.

“My mum, then she got sick, and I looked after her until she passed.”

“I am sorry for your loss. Is that how you wound up on the road, no permanent home?”

“Aye. There was only me and my mum, so I had no one to help me.”

He watched her roughly wipe away a tear that had trickled down her cheek like she was angry that she allowed it to fall.

“You’re not alone anymore,” he said, again sounding as if he decreed it.

“For now,” Dru said.

“Nay. Never again. I will find a place for you before we part, so you are safe.”

“Not likely,” she said annoyed. “I don’t need your charity. I’ll take care of myself.”

Knox wasn’t surprised that she rushed out of the room, but whether she liked it or not, he would see her kept safe no matter what it took.

Dru stared at the chaos in the Great Hall.

“It’s all your fault,” Lady Agatha yelled at her husband.

“The lad needs to learn not to lie to me,” Chieftain Liam argued.

“So, you have him walk with you and your wolfhound and berate him for lying as you walk through the village for all to hear?” Lady Agatha shook her finger at her husband. “That is heartless, Liam. There are better ways to teach our son. Now he’s gone and ran away. He’s only eleven years. He cannot survive on his own.”

“What happened?”

Dru jumped, not hearing her husband come up behind her.

“Ethan has run away,” Lady Agatha said.

“What can I do to help?” Knox asked.

“Go help his brothers find him since Liam is too much of an arse to go himself,” Lady Agatha’s dad said.

“I’m chieftain here, Robert,” Liam said, his eyes wide with an angry glare.

“You would never know it and if I knew what an arse you were, I would have never let you wed my daughter.”

“Be truthful, Robert, you had no choice. Agatha loves me and I love her,” Liam said.

“Then show it and go find your son,” Robert said and stormed out of the keep.

“I wouldn’t wait, Liam,” Knox said. “Phelan and his crew are in the area as well as other mercenaries and you know how they like to scoop up young blood to join them.”

Lady Agatha gasped. “Good Lord, Laim. Don’t let them get Ethan.”

“Any idea where Ethan might go?” Knox asked.

“Ethan’s two brothers are searching in areas that might be familiar to him,” Liam said.

“There is an area where Ethan and I have walked,” Lady Agatha said.

“You treat him too much like a child,” Liam argued.

Lady Agatha retaliated with a sharp tongue. “And you barely bother to spend any time with him.”

Knox brought a quick stop to their bickering. “Arguing isn’t helping Ethan. Tell me where you have gone with your son, Lady Agatha, and Liam, and I will go search there.”

Once she explained, Knox turned to Dru. “Stay here. Do not go anywhere.” His hand went up when she went to argue. “Not a word. Stay here where you are safe.”

“Knox is right,” Lady Agatha said. “Let the men handle it. We’ll have a nice hot brew while we wait for news.”

“I wish my daughter was more like you,” Robert said, looking from Agatha who was scurrying out the room to see that a hot brew was brought to them to Dru whose eyes were on the door eager to leave. “But she was raised to be a good wife while you were raised to survive.”

“Aye, I was, and I’m grateful to my mum for it,” Dru said.

“So, where do you think my grandson went?” Robert asked. “And don’t tell me you don’t know. I heard the way you talked with him yesterday. You were not only giving him advice, but you were also learning about him. What is it you know about Ethan that the others don’t.”

“He doesn’t think. He reacts.”

“How does that help?”

Dru explained. “Ethan would take off without thinking and wind up getting lost.”

Robert nodded. “That would be Ethan. You’re going to look for him, aren’t you?”

Dru smiled. “My husband has yet to learn that I don’t take well to orders.”

“Oh, I think he does,” Robert said with a grin. “It’s just that he doesn’t know what to do about it. Do be careful, Dru. Men will take only so much.”

“Aye, but so will women. Don’t tell your daughter that I’ve gone to find Ethan.”

“I won’t.” He pulled a sheath that held a dagger from his boot and handed it to her. “You may need this.”

Dru took the dagger and slipped it into her boot, feeling the reassuring weight of it against her ankle.

Robert rested a hand on her shoulder, his grip firm but gentle. “Be careful, Dru, and please, bring my grandson home safe.”

She met his gaze, her resolve unwavering. “I will.”