Page 42 of Love Me Forever (Highland Duo #2)

N ight fell fast prohibiting the men from thoroughly searching the woods and surrounding area. Extra guards were posted around the village and in and around the keep. Brianna could not take a breath without someone being aware of it. She was constantly watched,

and she did not protest.

Royce was relieved by her change of heart, though her calmness troubled him. She looked and acted as though nothing concerned her. She smiled, laughed, teased her brother, and chatted endlessly with Moira at the evening meal.

Royce leaned over to Ian, who sat beside him on the dais, to ask, “What did your wife do to my wife?”

Ian was pleased that Royce thought of Brianna as his wife, though another ceremony, when the time was appropriate, would be necessary to make it official.

He looked from Brianna, who sat next to Royce, to his wife, who sat on his sister’s opposite side.

They were laughing and chatting and looked to be having a delightful time.

Ian shrugged. “Seems to me that she made her see reason, Moira always makes people see reason.”

“You have learned this from experience?” Royce asked his smile much too wide.

Ian winced. “Aye, I did and ask me no more.”

A commotion at the double doors drew their attention and brought Royce and Ian instantly to their feet.

William approached the dais in a hurry. “One of the guards in the village has been wounded, an arrow in the chest. He does not fare well. The healer tends him.”

Moira stepped forward, placing a hand on her husband’s arm. “Ian, perhaps I can help.”

“It is better you remain with Brianna,” Ian said.

That remark brought Brianna to her feet, though a bit slowly. She had grown tired from the busy day. She approached her brother. “Nay, if Moira can help save the man, she must go to him.”

Royce settled it. “Ian, go with your wife and take extra guards. Brianna will be safe here with me.”

“Thank you,” Moira said to him and turned to Brianna. “You will be fine.”

“I know I will.” Brianna hugged her sister-in-law and watched her and her brother hurry off. Then she turned to Royce. “He is close by.”

Royce slipped his arm around her waist. “You would make a good warrior, for your instincts are strong.”

“I am a good warrior, for I intend to fight for what I want and I intend to win.”

Royce could not hide his pride in her nor did he wish to. “You make a worthy opponent.”

“Aye, I do.”

Raised voices again drew attention to the door. This time John hurried in with several men following.

“Several of the livestock have been slaughtered,” John said as he approached Royce.

Royce did not leave his wife’s side. His arm remained firm around her. “You know what to do.”

John nodded and most of the men in the hall followed the group out. The remaining men took guarded stances around the hall and a few walked off to join others already on guard throughout die keep.

“He plays with me and he will be sorry.”

Brianna shivered, having never heard the cold hardness in Royce’s voice before.

“Are you all right?” he asked, his deep green eyes filled with concern.

She felt the need to apologize. Arran was causing such grief, and she was partly to blame for having foolishly wed him. “I am sorry for?—”

He silenced her with two fingers pressed firmly on her lips. “Do not apologize for him. The blame is his, and he will suffer the consequences.”

“He will cause others to suffer needlessly.”

“Do you hear anyone complaining? This is their home, and they will defend it against intruders.”

“But I brought this intruder with me.”

“Nay, you did not His greed brought him here, and it is his greed that will mark his end.”

“Then I wish for a speedy ending so that no more suffer,” she said before resting her head on his shoulder.

He rubbed her back, hoping to soothe her worries. “Fear not, it will end. I will see to it”

“I fear it will be a night of endless concerns.”

“He will do no more this night, his attempts to separate us having failed. He will now seek other means.”

She trembled.

“You are safe.” His arms tightened around her.

The doors to the hall opened again, and Ian and Moira entered, followed by William and several other men.

“Your man does well,” Ian informed Royce.

“Your healer is remarkable. Brianna will do well with her when her time comes,” Moira said.

Brianna stepped away from her husband to stand next to Moira. “Martha is wise in her ways, but I had hoped that you would be here for the birthing.”

Moira smiled. “I had hoped you would ask me.”

They hugged and the two men smiled, for a moment of sanity had finally intervened.

Brianna raised her hand to cover the yawn that attacked her as she returned to her husband.

“Time to retire,” Royce said and took his wife’s hand.

“Ian, join me early in the morning; there are some things I wish to discuss with you.”

“And I with you.” Ian looked to his sister. “Rest well. You are safe.”

Brianna smiled a lazy smile, for that is how she felt: lazy and wanting nothing more than to seek her bed.

The keep seemed exceptionally quiet as she and Royce walked to their bedchamber.

They passed several men who acknowledged them with a nod, and it amazed her that the paired guards remained silent, not exchanging a word.

She recalled their quiet departure from her brother’s land and had to inquire about it.

With the close of the bedchamber door she turned to Royce. “Your men keep silent when they travel and guard. Is this something you expect from them?”

He began to disrobe. “I learned when I was young the wisdom of remaining silent. In silence you are more aware and hear much more that goes on around you. When traveling the roads the silence alerts us to unwanted company, the same in the keep. If the men talked, they would not hear an intruder’s approach. ”

Brianna removed her garments slowly. “It must take practice to remain silent.”

Royce laughed. “It takes patience, and patience is an acquired skill in itself.”

“So first they learn patience and then silence.”

Royce walked naked over to her and pushed her hands aside and finished undressing her. “They practice both together.”

“That must be difficult.”

His hands were gentle, his touch intimate, and even though weary, Brianna responded with her body, warming to his touch.

“A determined person can accomplish it without much difficulty.”

“Is that a challenge?” she asked.

“Only if you accept it.” His hand swept down to cup her naked bottom.

She gasped lightly, her hands grasping his shoulders.

“See, it is not always easy to remain silent.”

His grin was more of a challenge than his words, and her hand swept down to cup him in her hand.

It was his turn to gasp, and he did louder than she had.

Her victory laugh was gentle; however, it still irritated him.

“I forget how tenacious you are.”

“Determined, dear husband, determined.”

His hand slowly moved away from her bottom, caressing her soft flesh as his fingers searched out the heat between her legs. “Aye, but then so am I.”

She bit at her bottom lip, preventing the long, heavy sigh that begged to escape when his fingers began to tease her. She kept enough wits about her to slide her hand over him and pleasurably torment him as he did her.

His mouth moved to hers, nudging her teeth away from her lip so that he could kiss her senseless, and he did. It did not take long before she completely surrendered to his touch. Her body grew impatient for more intimate contact, and she ached with the want of him.

Her moan was barely audible at first, but as he continued to caress, tease, and taste, it grew until the sound filled the bedchamber.

He scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the bed. It was only moments before he entered her, and they joined as only eager lovers could. Their combined moans filled the room, and for a brief second Brianna wondered if the guards heard them, and then she realized she did not care.

They lingered in their loving, enjoying every kiss, every touch, every moment of intimacy. He was gentle and caring with her, making certain she was comfortable in any position he placed her in until finally they shared a powerful climax that left them breathless.

They each lay on their backs, their bodies damp and their breathing heavy.

“We need practice,” Brianna said when her breathing calmed.

“Aye, we should practice as often as possible,” Royce agreed, his breath still heavy.

“I am available whenever you are.”

He turned on his side with a laugh. “Be careful what you say, for I will see that we practice night and day.”

She turned on her side, her protruding stomach resting against his. “Is that all? I thought more practice time would be required.”

He laughed again and rested his hand over her soft belly, where his child laid comfortably nestled. “You are tenacious.”

“Nay,” she said softly, her hand covering his. “I love you and love making love with you. I sometimes think I want you too much, and I do not tell you of my desire for fear of being too demanding.”

“Never think that, for I want you with as much tenacity and I love you with the same tenacity. And do not fear discussing anything with me. I wish us to talk of everything. There will be no secrets between us.”

“Then you will tell me what it is that you will discuss with my brother tomorrow?”

He did not hesitate to answer. “Arran’s options and possible tactics.”

“You wish to know your opponent.”

“I know that he is a coward, for only a coward treats a woman the way he treated you. And a coward also attacks the way he did this evening. He foolishly alerted me to his presence; now what does he do?”

Brianna shivered. “I do not know. I only know that he had a way of appearing when I least expected him to. After a while I found myself constantly looking over my shoulder or around me, for I feared he would appear out of thin air.”

“He was on familiar ground, his own home. That would be easy for him.”

Brianna shook her head. “Nay, he did it wherever we went. My brother’s keep, the woods, the village. He always lurked in the shadows.”

He slipped his arm around her. “He cannot lurk here.”

“I tell myself that I am well protected—” She hesitated.

‘Tell me,” he said, caressing the curve of her back.

She waited a moment more before answering. “I feel most protected when you are with me, and yet I know that it is not possible for you to always be by my side.”

“You think Arran will come out of the shadows when I am not with you?”

She nodded. “It is his way. These things he did tonight are but diversion. Be sure that he has other plans, for he intends to have his way.”

“Diversions to take me away from you.”

“Aye, then I am alone and vulnerable.”

“There are guards.”

“I know, but somehow he will find a way past them.”

Royce shook his head. “Never.”

“You said the magic word.” She laughed softly. “I once said never, and Arran showed me how wrong I was.”

Royce tensed, hearing the hurt in her voice. “This time I will show him that he is wrong.”

He hugged her to him, and she settled in his arms after he reached to pull the blanket over them.

“I am glad that Moira will be here when you give birth.”

“You attempt to change the subject and divert my worried thoughts,” she said, snuggling her face against his chest.

“Aye, I do but I am honest when I say that I am glad Moira will be with you. I do not like to think of you in pain.”

She laughed. “Birthing a babe is painful; it cannot be helped.”

Royce grimaced. “I do not want you to suffer.”

“You should have considered that before making love to me.”

“You told me you could not bear a child.”

Her hand went to her stomach. “I thought I could not. Wed four years, I had expected to conceive a child, and when the years passed and I produced no heir, Arran told me that I was barren. I believed him.”

“He is the one—he is unable to father a child.”

“Which probably infuriates him, for it makes him appear less of a man.”

“He is less of a man,” Royce said.

She shivered and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

“What suddenly troubles you?”

“The babe, I had not thought—” She stopped as though fearful to speak her thoughts.

He suddenly realized what caused her fright. “You think he would harm the babe?”

“If by chance he captured me and demanded ransom, he would need to return me before coins exchange hands, but that does not mean he would treat me well. And knowing I did not conceive a child with him but did with you would infuriate him to the point of rage. He might then strike out at me and purposely cause me to lose the child.”

His hand instantly went to rest upon her stomach. “No one will hurt the babe and no one will hurt you. Do not worry.”

“For myself I do not, but how do I protect the babe if necessary?”

“You will not need to.” He attempted to reassure her. “You will remain safe here with me.”

She felt safe in his arms and wanted to believe she would remain so, but she also realized that there was the possibility that he could capture her.

Prepared.

Moira warned her to be prepared for any possibility.

She was right, and tomorrow they would talk and she would prepare.

Prepare for battle.