A Beautiful Lie (The Camaraes) (107 page)

Muira pondered what could be wrong with her husband, as she stared out of the carriage window, recalling the time, almost exactly a year ago when she had been making the reverse journey.  Her lips twitched in a smile.  It was hard to belief that a set of such rash choices had led (aside from Lachlan
’
s current perplexity) to such blissful happiness.

They stopped at The Three Oaks to break their journey over night.  Muira couldn
’
t keep a blush from her face as she stepped inside the quaint little pub where she had first come to know her husband in the Biblical sense.  Lachlan strolled in after her a few minutes later after tending to his horse.  He chuckled when he caught the look on his wife
’
s face; his own thoughts were similarly engaged in revisiting the past.

“
It hasn
’
t changed much,
”
Lachlan mused, still grinning like a Cheshire cat, as he and his wife sat down for their evening meal.  Muira had asked to have her food send to her room.  Maisie was due for a feed shortly as she didn
’
t want to disturb everyone.  She had been surprised, but very pleasantly so, when Lachlan shunned the company of the other men to join her.

“
No, it hasn
’
t changed at all,
”
Muira conceded.  Her eyes flitted nervously around the chamber
…
it was exactly the same room, where they
’
d spent their first night together as husband and wife.  The rush of memories that they had made in this room made her squirm restlessly.

“
You seem to have had a regression yourself,
”
Lachlan laughed, taking a swig of ale.

“
What do you mean?
”
Muira started.

“
I
’
m not going to pounce on you,
”
he assured her, watching as she scooped up a crying Maisie to nurse. 
“
As much as I might like to,
”
he groaned. 
“
So you can stop behaving like a skittish young maiden.
”

“
I
’
m not!
”
Muira cried.  Maisie gave a shriek of protest as she was jerked.  Her mother soothed her quickly, and she was soon suckling happily again.

“
Muira, you
’
re as skittish as-
”

“
That
’
s not why I
’
m jumpy,
”
she blurted, and then bit the inside of her lip. 
“
I mean-
”
she stammered, but it was too late.  Lachlan
’
s eyes had taken on that dark smouldering glaze that only ever meant one thing.

“
Yes?
”
he purred. 
“
You mean?
”

“
The doctor said we mustn
’
t,
”
Muira said breathless, suddenly feeling very hot. 
“
He said-
”

“
There are other things we can do,
”
Lachlan continued wickedly.  He let his eyes travel over his wife
’
s body, making her skin prickle with heat just from a glance. 
“
Or have you forgotten already?  I don
’
t need to be inside you to pleasure you,
”
he chuckled darkly.

“
No, but-
”
Muira squeaked, but she was losing the battle and she knew it.  The second that Maisie had stopped feeding Lachlan
would
pounce on her
…
and she knew she wouldn
’
t do a thing to stop him.

As if he
’
d read her thoughts, Lachlan sat back in his chair, not touching his own food, but watching with rabid interest as his daughter finished her meal.  He had just enough patience remaining to wait until Muira had winded Maisie before gently plucking the bairn from her mother
’
s arms.

“
Lachlan!
”
Muira squealed, but her husband ignored her. 

Maise gurgled happy as her father carried her across the room.  He opened up the door and called for the nanny.  Muira couldn
’
t make out what he was saying, but she saw him plainly
lock
the door once he had sent the nanny away with their daughter.

“
Lachlan?
”
she repeated breathlessly, stumbling to her feet as her husband reached her side in a few easy strides.  Muira gasped as Lachlan grabbed her waist without apology, pulling her roughly into his arms, before lowering his mouth to devour her.

He was like a starving man.  Muira could barely keep up with the thrusts of his tongue, or the desperate wanderings of his hands. 
She needed this
…
him
…
Muira realised with a start, and a shudder, and a groan.  Maybe it wouldn
’
t be so awful?  And if Lachlan was desperate enough to let her keep her clothes on
…
he needn
’
t know yet how sorely her body had let her down?

That hope was almost immediately squashed however, Lachlan hands were tugging impatiently at the laces of her corset, while his teeth nibbled an intoxicating line down the elegant curve of Muira
’
s throat.

“
I want you naked,
”
he was rasping. 
“
I want to see you, all of you.  Hell, it
’
s been far too long!
”
he growled.

“
Wait!
”
Muira squealed, pushing against her husband, evidently catching him by surprise because he let her go. 
“
Can we- can we snub the candles?
”
she asked breathlessly, raising her fingers to her lips, which were swollen and tingling from Lachlan
’
s kisses.

Lachlan drew a great gulping breath and looked at Muira in confusion. 
“
We can, but why would we want to?
”
he asked, approaching her cautiously, as one might approach and unbroken horse. 
“
Muria?
”
he pressed, his voice was gentle all of a sudden, but there was hard determination beneath the softness.

“
I d-don
’
t want you to see me l-like this,
”
she stammered, choking back a sudden sob.  Lachlan looked stunned, and then realisation seemed to hit.

“
Oh lass,
”
Lachlan sighed.  He reached for her again and dragged her back into his arms.  This time however his touches were tender, coaxing her to open up to him, not asking for any more than she was willing to give. 
“
You have a selfish brute of a husband, don
’
t you?
”
he groaned. 

Muira could feel his arousal straining against her, and loved him so dearly for the way he was holding himself back for her.  She could see the desire flashing in his eyes, could only imagine what it was costing him to restrain himself.

“
No,
”
she shook her head quickly, speaking quietly. 
“
I have the very best, the most perfect, husband any woman could ever ask for,
”
she whispered shakily, standing on tiptoes so that she could brush her lips against Lachlan
’
s on. 
“
And so, I would just
hate
to ever disappoint you.
”

“
You could never disappoint me.
”

“
I could I-
”

“
You could never disappoint me, Muira
,
”
Lachlan repeated emphatically.

Muira bit her tongue against any further argument that wanted to fly from her lips. 
“
Oh,
”
she stammered breathlessly.

“
Oh indeed,
”
Lachlan chuckled.  He moved to kiss her again, peppering her skin with light, feathery busses as his hands moved slowly to begin peeling away his wife
’
s clothes.  He worked slowly, gently, relieving his wife of the confines of her garments until she was standing before him in only her shift.

Muira drew a shaky breath, wondering if this would be enough for her husband.  He could see the outline of her changed figure through the thin material, but the red marks that slashes across her belly and breasts were still hidden at least.