Page 14 of Seduced By the Squire (Diamonds in the Rough #1)

The day was spent in a series of preparations each more tedious than the next. Llinos simply could not muster any enthusiasm for it. All she wanted to do was lie in bed and dream of Duncan. He was the only person she wanted to see right now.

Towards the middle of the afternoon Lady Mary came to find her.

“It is time for us to get ready,” she said. “As the two ladies acting as hostesses tonight, we need to look our best and that will require time.”

Llinos arched a brow. The lady did not think much of her beauty if she thought she needed half a day to transform herself into a hostess worthy of the name, unlike Duncan who, without ever uttering a single compliment, always managed to make her feel the most beautiful woman in the country. She never felt better than when she was naked and dishevelled in his arms.

Like the night before.

She swiftly chased the memory away before she could become the colour of her crimson dress.

“You should not lose another moment, my lady, lest you do not achieve a satisfying result,” she couldn’t resist answering, knowing that Lady Mary was not the most gifted of people where subtlety was concerned. As long as her interlocutor appeared to go along with her, she was satisfied.

As if to prove the point, the lady nodded. Apparently, she had not noticed that Llinos had all but declared her so plain she needed extensive grooming to appear presentable. “I have asked for a bath to be prepared in your chamber. It should be ready presently.”

Llinos barely repressed a sigh. Of all the things the woman could have forced her to do today, this was one of the worst! But try as she might she could not think of a single good excuse to justify her refusal to bathe before such an event. She shook her head. Perhaps it was for the best. It had been foolish on her part not to wash after what had happened last night.

Foolish and probably too decadent to be acceptable.

“I will wear my ivory gown,” she told Lady Mary, determined to push away all lewd thoughts until she was alone. “’Tis the only one I have that would be suitable for a banquet. ”

“The only one! Oh you poor dear!”

Llinos bit the inside of her mouth. Poor dear… It had sounded so much better in Duncan’s velvety voice…

“I’ve never needed to own extravagant gowns, as I lead a modest life. It will do very well for tonight, I assure you. After all, it is not as if I was required to change half way through the meal. No one needs to know it is the only elaborate dress I own.”

“No, of course… In any case, I expect that once you are married, Sir Benedict will lavish presents over you. Leaving you at Pitcairn Caslte with only one item of clothing worthy of a banquet is most probably an oversight on his part. I hear he is quite wealthy.”

“He is,” Llinos answered dully, refusing to be drawn into a conversation about her future groom with a woman like Lady Mary, who would only say all the wrong things and end up make her feel worse than ever.

Her betrothed was rich, but so was he. She didn’t need him. She didn’t want him.

There was only one man she wanted.

She ran for the stairs before she could hear another comment and plunged her body in the water awaiting her with fierce determination. As she scrubbed her skin raw, she fought the tears welling in her eyes. She would never have the man she wanted, she was already another’s property. Her body did not belong to Duncan, or even to herself, it belonged to a man who did not want it, who did not think it particularly beautiful and who most likely would not know how to coax pleasure out of it.

When Sir Benedict had tried to kiss her she had felt nothing but unease and irritation. What would a kiss from Duncan feel like, she wondered? He had warned her he would not kiss her and so far he had kept his promise. Once or twice she’d had the impression that he wanted to kiss her but she must have been mistaken, for he had never acted in the impulse. If he had felt the urge, he would simply have kissed her. He was not a man to prevaricate and hesitate.

But Sir Benedict was. And he was far too proper, far too tame to ever rouse her desire. On the single occasion he had stepped over the boundaries of propriety he had asked her permission before touching her hand, for heaven’s sake! And then he had pecked her cheeks a few times before he’d actually managed to kiss her on the lips. She scoffed out loud. Duncan had taken far more without the least hesitation, without giving her protests any heed. What he had done to her last night… She should have been horrified but in fact she was grateful he had not let her stupid preconceptions stand in th e way of astounding pleasure.

Left to her own device, she would never have allowed him to invade her most secret entrance – and what a shame that would have been!

What else could he make her discover, she wondered? Would they have enough time before Sir Benedict arrived for her to discover all there was to discover between a man and a woman? One way or another her betrothed’s arrival would signal the end of her affair with Duncan, either because she was sent away in disgrace or because Sir Benedict married her.

“Are you all right, my lady?” the maid asked, coming towards her with a piece of linen.

“Yes.”

It was a lie. She had rarely felt more dejected. She dried herself absent-mindedly, slipped on the gown without feeling its softness, and allowed the maid to untangle her curls in compete silence.

“You look lovely, my lady,” the maid enthused, as she took in the magnificence of the gown. “Now. Let us braid your hair so you can dazzle everyone.”

*

Holy Mary mother of God.

Never had anything so beautiful caused anyone more consternation, Duncan mused when Llinos entered the great hall in Lady Mary’s wake. The ivory gown was just a shade darker than her creamy skin, and the gold embroidery on her décolletage matched the fire shimmering in her hair. Two sapphire pendants hung from her ears, as brilliant as her eyes and her curves were barely contained by the skin-tight, perfectly smooth velvet.

Tonight she looked too regal to be adorable, she was…

Duncan racked his brain for the best way to describe her and found it when she climbed onto the dais and surveyed the assembly from her vantage point.

Out of reach.

That’s what she was. This was unquestionably a wealthy lady, an esteemed guest of the lord of the castle, betrothed to a future earl. And he was… no one. He would not even be allowed to sit at one of the tables tonight. He was only here for the help he could offer if one of the male guests got drunk and involved into a fight.

He looked at Llinos again.

The difference between them had never been clearer, the distance more impossible to bridge. All traces of him had been erased from her body by now. She would have bathed to prepare for the banquet, the last remnants of his seed would have been washed away and the flavour of expensive wine would have replaced the taste of him on her tongue. Last night’s folly might as well never have taken place.

Should never have taken place.

In his black tunic he felt as menacing as she was angelic. The simple material of it was a stark contrast to the rich velvet adorning her body. He felt like a crow would feel in front of a swan, he was the shadows lurking in her light, the sin corrupting her purity.

As dinner progressed, he watched her smile, eat, talk, and the bitterness in him grew more and more intense, like a poison slowly spreading through his veins, threatening to overpower him. It was too late, he was a condemned man. Even if he bled himself dry he would never get her out of him now.

And then, just when he was thinking that he would have to leave the hall or go mad with frustration, Llinos got up and excused herself. That was the opportunity he had been waiting for. Making sure no one saw him, he slipped out of the room and followed her at a distance.

He could not wait another moment to see her. The castle possessed a hidden passage running along the great hall, which was being used on occasion to spy on people without being seen.

Well tonight it would be used for a very different purpose.

*

If she heard another pointless anecdote, if she stayed another moment in the great hall Llinos would scream. The air was suffocating, the company oppressive, the food stuck to her palate and her dress was too tight. That was not normal. Why did her own dress feel so restrictive? It had been made for her only six months ago. Had she put on weight in the last few weeks? Perhaps.

Since her arrival at Pitcairn Castle – or rather, since her meeting with a certain handsome squire – she had eaten with more appetite than usual. Perhaps it had started to show… It certainly felt as if she had put on a few pounds now that she was wearing a dress she hadn’t worn in months. She felt unable to breathe properly.

Or perhaps her discomfort had nothing to do with her clothes and all to do with Duncan’s remoteness.

He had barely met her gaze all evening and on the rare occasions he had glanced her way, his eyes had been veiled with indifference. He had been surveying the room, ostensibly looking out for potential threats. In reality she knew he was only here to impress the guests. Lord Masterson wanted to add to his consequence by having as many strong, forbidding men around as possible .

And no one looked stronger or more forbidding than Duncan.

The black of his tunic highlighted his masculinity. In it he was the perfect counterpoint to her. One black, one white, it was as if they were two sides of the same coin, different and yet inextricably linked. They were opposites that attracted and complemented one another. He was tall, she was small, he was hard, she was soft, he was poor, she was rich, he was the dark secret that had given her dull life meaning.

And yet he couldn’t come to her, or even look her way because his father had been able to sing rather than fight.

It was unbearable.

Making sure no eyes were on her, she slipped behind a tapestry and into a hidden corridor running along the length of the great hall. Perhaps to prove that he would be watching her at all times, Lord Masterson had shown her the secret place the day after her arrival at Pitcairn Castle and she needed some time alone to think. Duncan had been acting distant all day. Usually, even if they could not be together, they found a dozen opportunities to catch a glimpse of each other. But today he had made a point of avoiding her and not meeting her gaze whenever she walked past him .

Why? The only thing she could think of was that he was ashamed to be with her after what he had dared to do last night. But she was not, even if, admittedly, it had been shocking. Perhaps next time they met she should…

A gasp barely had time to escaped Llinos’ lips before a hand clamped over her mouth, silencing the scream already bubbling in her throat. Panic flared. This was supposed to be a secret place! Who had followed her, and why?

“Hush, lass, ‘tis I.”

Duncan. Thank God. She sagged against his chest, weak with relief. He’d frightened the life out of her. She had been so certain he would still be in the hall, standing guard!

“Are ye going to scream if I let ye go?” Though she would have liked to stay in his arms a bit longer, she shook her head. “Good.”

He removed his hand.

“What are you doing?” she whispered, turning to face him.

*

What was he doing?

Duncan wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he could not have watched Llinos being admired a moment longer without going mad.

“Everyone’s looking at ye, seeing a beautiful, respectable, demure woman. Ye look perfect tonight,” he said through gritted teeth. “Too perfect. Not a hair out of place, not the slightest crease on yer dress, not a hint of colour on yer cheeks. That won’t do at all. Ye’re supposed to be a fallen woman, remember?” he said in her ear, careful of not being overheard. Though they were hidden from view, they were in actual fact mere feet away from the guests dining in the hall, on the other side of the wall.

“I’m not supposed to look wanton all the time,” she protested faintly. “Only when Sir Benedict arrives and he’s not here yet.”

Duncan did not let this reasonable argument sway him. After watching her all night, he was past reason. He needed action. “It matters not. Ye need practice, ye need to arouse suspicion amongst the guests, so that when yer betrothed asks about ye later on they can tell him in all honesty what a wanton ye really are,” he declared, taking her by the shoulders to turn her away from him. “When ye reappear in the great hall tonight people need to wonder what ye’ve been doing.”

“What would that be?”

He gripped her by the hips and brought her flush against his straining hardness. Mo chreach ! He was so hard, so ready for her that he could have come just by grinding himself against her luscious curves. This was what he had dreamed of doing ever since he had seen her naked at the lake.

“Getting fucked to within an inch of yer life, like a lady can ne’er hope to be fucked,” he whispered in her ear. “That’s what ye’ll be doing.”

The gasp of arousal she gave almost caused him to spill there and then. He knew how much she liked his crudeness. Damnation, he had to get inside her, before he disgraced himself.

Placing a hand between her shoulder blades, he forced her to bend forwards.

“Brace yerself against the wall,” he ordered roughly. To hell with caution and gentleness, this was going to be hard and primal, nothing like what they had done so far. She was no virgin and all too aware of his dark penchants by now. She would just have to take it the way he wanted to give it to her.

“We can’t!” Llinos whimpered. “Not here!”

“Aye, here,” he contradicted, hiking up her skirts and closing his hands around her slim waist. “And now.”

Before I lose my mind.

“Ye said I could have ye whenever I wanted, however I wanted,” he growled, pinning her in place. “Ye said aye to my conditions, ye agreed. Don’t ye dare refuse me now! ”

Not now, not when he felt so worthless already, when he needed her, needed to be shown he mattered too.

“I’m not refusing you!” She sounded frantic. “But people will hear!”

“Nay. They will only hear if ye want them to hear.” He pushed the leather glove he’d brought for that exact purpose between her teeth. “Bite down onto that if ye need to.”

Oh, he would make sure she would need it. He would make her lose her mind, in the same way she was making him mad with need. The only problem was, he wasn't sure he would be able to swallow his own roar of triumph when pleasure overcame him. Perhaps he should have brought the other glove as well.

At the last moment a vestige of doubt assailed him. Was he not being too forceful, too frightening? Probably. But he had watched Llinos all night and never had the gulf between them appeared wider. He needed to bridge it the only way he could. As a lowly servant, not even a proper squire, he would never have been allowed to sit down next to her on the dais and feed her morsels of food, he could not have presumed to engage her into any kind of conversation or sweep her into a dance.

He snorted. So what if he could not do any of those things? He didn’t want to eat with her, talk or dance with her, he wanted to fuck her, nothing more. This was no romantic arrangement, she wanted only one thing from him, and he would be sure to give it to her.

Now.

“Are ye sure ye want this, lass?” he asked, his only concession to decency. Heaven help him if she said no, he wasn't quite sure what he would do then.

“Yes,” she said, her voice muffled by the glove. Imagining her biting down on the leather only increased his arousal.

“Tell me ye’re ready and wet,” he ordered, feeling on the verge of desperation. He heard her whimper in protest, a plea for mercy. He gave none, she would have to admit it out loud. He needed her ready and wet, for there would be no preliminaries. He was a man half demented with need. “Touch yerself, and tell me.”

He watched her reach to the place between her legs.

“I’m ready.” Her voice was but a whisper.

Digging his fingers into her hips he thrust into her, barely repressing a growl at the exquisite sensation. As promised, she was wet and swollen, as aroused by the illicit encounter as he was. The demon within him was somewhat soothed. Despite his low status, he could make the noble lady wild with need. It was better than nothing.

Again and again he thrust, until he could feel nothing but the hot sheath welcoming him. He was close already, too close to last much longer, too lost to pleasure to want to stop. Still, he should slow down, he should see to her pleasure, he should…

With a muffled curse, he increased the speed. This time, her pleasure would have to wait until he’d reached his own, he would never be able to stop himself now. Two more swift thrusts and he emptied himself, throwing his head back in ecstasy.

He’d managed to spill outside her body that day at the cottage – both times – but today he did not even try. He could not think. He just had to claim her, mark her, and consequences be damned.

*

Leather.

Llinos would never be able to smell the spicy scent ever again without remembering the shocking urgency of her encounter with Duncan. He was pounding into her with wild abandon, gripping her waist so tightly she was sure he would leave bruises. It was nothing like what had happened in the meadow, or even in the cottage, when he had tempered the worst of his ardour. Tonight he was like a man possessed, beyond all control. The position itself was unashamedly dominant, almost too shameful to be believed.

Delicious.

She thought back to the two dogs they had caught in that exact same position the other day. Now it was her turn to be mounted and used for her mate’s pleasure. Except… Except that she was not going to leave unsatisfied.

Duncan gave a final thrust and stilled, back arched, hips quivering. Heat flooded her, causing a small wave of sensation to unfurl through her stomach. He had not withdrawn, like he had at the cottage. The idea that he had lost control was thrilling.

After a while he slumped over her, placing his forehead between her shoulder blades. Then he muttered something in Gaelic.

I found my release. Now it’s your turn.

Although she couldn’t be sure, she imagined it meant something like this because a moment later she felt his hand snake between her legs, reaching to the centre of her pleasure. A finger slowly brushed along the place where they were joined. Lord, the idea that he was still inside of her, still hard, that he had just used her and yet wanted her to reach her release made her wild. Had she not been so aroused she would have laughed. To think Duncan had once wanted her to believe he was an inconsiderate man…

He started to stroke her with swift, assured flicks that had her squirming in no time. His earlier attentions had sent her to the edge and she would not need much to topple over.

All the while he kept talking to her in Gaelic. The raspy sounds, the velvet-soft voice, the nimble fingers at her core and the hard shaft inside her… It was all too much.

She exploded with unprecedented force and the glove between her teeth was not enough to muffle her cries of ecstasy. By a happy coincidence, at that precise moment, shouting erupted in the hall, signalling the arrival of some elaborate dish or other and she reassured herself that her moaning would go unnoticed. Taking advantage of it, Llinos gave way to the scream that had been building inside her throat.

Letting it out only seemed to intensify her pleasure. She cried out again. Duncan groaned at the same time.

“Jesu, lass, ye’re squeezing me so hard, I cannae…”

Instead of finishing his sentence he thrust forward. Llinos whimpered. Dear, would the pleasure ever ebb? The man was merciless. He thrust again, more forcefully, and she cried out again, louder .

“More, I need more,” Duncan said through gritted teeth. “I want ye again.”

She could only nod her agreement, even though she wasn't sure he was asking for it. For her part, she didn’t want him again as much as want him still . The pleasure had never really stopped, crashing through her in waves, each more devastating than the other.

Duncan slammed into her one last time, withdrew with a curse and emptied himself on the small of her back, flooding her with the warmth of his release.

Eventually, he went still. Llinos focused on standing upright. Her legs seemed to have turned to water. Forget ladies, surely not many women had ever been fucked like that. To within an inch of her life, Duncan had said. Well, it certainly felt like it. She was on the verge of collapse.

After one last groan he drew away from her and readjusted his clothes. She stayed where she was, exposed and trembling, breathing hard. A moment later her skirts were restored to their normal, decent length and an iron arm wrapped around her waist, offering her the support she needed. Her knees finally buckled.

“Careful, my lady, you cannot afford to falter right now. Your host is waiting for you.”

Her heart squeezed because his accent was once more that of a respectable, English squire, which could only mean one thing.

Duncan was in control once more.

*

Llinos felt limp and smaller than ever in his arms. Duncan gritted his teeth. He should let go of her, he desperately needed to, but he could not. If he removed his arms from around her waist, she would fall to the floor.

Eventually she straightened herself and took the glove from her mouth.

“Surely you don’t mean to send me back into the hall looking like this?” she asked, glancing at herself.

He grunted. “Looking like a thoroughly sated woman you mean?” He spoke in his squire voice, the one he never used with her.

She definitely didn’t look like she had earlier. She was flushed, a few strands of copper hair had escaped from her headdress, and her gown had gained a few creases. And that was just on the surface… Underneath the clothes she would be even more flushed, her flesh would be bruised from his iron hold, her heart would be beating wildly and her skin would be slick from their combined releases. He had branded her as his but no one would know it, would even be allowed to suspect it .

Fury swelled within him, dousing the last lingering embers of need inside him.

“Go,” he said harshly, taking a step back. “Go back to where you belong, go and play the lady knowing that you have just been used like a whore, go and exchange pleasantries with lords all the while remembering that you had a bastard minstrel between your legs. Talk to barons and knights and try to forget your thighs are dripping with my seed.”

Llinos opened wide eyes. He wasn’t sure if she was shocked or hurt – or both. “Why are you talking to me like this?” she asked, her bottom lip trembling. “You know I don’t think of you in such terms, you know I don’t — ”

“If you won’t go, then I will!” Duncan snarled, before walking away.

He didn’t want to hear that she didn’t think of him like that, because then what would he do? Take her again, kiss her senseless, beg her to run away with him? Everything seemed possible at the moment.

He needed to hold on to the notion that they could not be together, because it might knock some sense into him at last.