Branded By a Warrior (42 page)

Earlier
while she worked and Broderick slept, she had let Rhona carry up food and ordered a hot bath drawn in the large copper tub now installed in the corner. Smiling to herself, she looked upon the room with pride; she had turned Broderick’s study into a functional bedroom. She knew they would spend the majority of their time in th
is room throughout their lives, she wanted it outfitted with all the comforts they could ever need.

Exhaling deeply, she turned around to the fire and slowly worked on her laces, she had yet to see her wound, the location would bring her pain for many months. The arrow had hit bone, she wasn’t sure if her rib was broken or not. If she breathed too deep, the pain lanced through her veins like fire.

Her hand had been cut by the first blow Ivan had dealt her, inspecting her hand
in the firelight
she silently told herself to wrap it tonight and have
Rhona close it for her tomorrow. S
he was sure her arrow wo
un
d
would
require the same treatment. God she was
sore, and exhausted. She wanted a bath and to sleep next to her husband, nothing else in the world sounded better to her.

With her laces loose, she
removed her MacMillan tartan and tossed it next to Broderick’s. Slowly bending
down
she
unlaced her boots, kicking out of them she enjoyed the burning fire before her. The blazing heat felt incredible.
Removing her bracers next she tossed them next to Broderick’s as she rubbed her wrists.
Lifting up her skirts she pulled down her leggings and
flicked them with her toe over to the discarded clothing pile.

Sighing with pleasure of bare legs she pulled let the gown fall down to her ankles on the floor. Heavy with blood, she stepped out of the soiled gown and kicked it over to the pile as well.

With only her chemise
on, she pulled it
off her body in a happy moan. She couldn’t wait to sink into the hot tub and wash away the blood. Twisting her shoulders, she attempted to look where the arrow had struck, feeling with her fingers, she found the hole in her side.

***

Sensing movement before him
, Broderick slowly woke up to see
his lovely wife shed her clothing before him.
Waking up to his wife standing naked before him was something he could learn to live with.
He saw the wound on her back as she pulled her chemise
off;
it was low enough
to concern him.

Watching her in front of the crackling fire, he saw her touch the wound and wince in pain.
He could see a very faint
change in her belly, hardly noticeable naked and surely hidden while clothed.
Her body had changed while he was away, she had lost weight,
of that
there was no doubt. He wondered how hard she suffe
red with his absence, it appeared
more than he realized.
The thought of her suffering upset him greatly.

“It appears I’ve died and gone to heaven after all
.” H
e mu
sed, smiling at seeing her jump, he could not keep silent any longer.

“I thought you were asleep?”
She turned
around quickly and looked at him, her hands on her hips as she smiled back.

“Do I smell a rose bath? W
hen did we get a tub up here?”
H
e asked. S
itting up
slowly
he looked around, following the aromatic scent of the rose.
Hearing her chuckle, she ran her hand gently over his good shoulder.

“Aye, over in the corner by the bed. It is new, would ye care to take a bath with yer wife
my liege
?”

Standing up in one smooth motion, he had scooped her up against his chest and quickly stepped around the pile of bloody clothi
ng.
His chest ached but he didn’t care one bit, having Elisabeth in his arms is all he wanted.
Steam rose from the hot bat
h as he lowered
Elisabeth gently into the heavenly water
. Watching the redheaded beauty sigh with pleasure
he pulled his belt lose and dropped his kilt where he stood.
He watched her sink into the hot water with a glorious moan.

Stepping in beside her, he slowly s
unk down into the hot water and let out a sigh of relief.
They were both covered in blood, their own and others. A cleansing bath was exactly what they both needed.

“Turn around love.” He asked, motioning with his hand, seeing her smile she nimbly maneuver
ed in the soapy water and lean
back into him.
Picking up the soap he gently set to work on Elisabeth’s
long red hair. Massaging her scalp he took a moment to reflect on their journey.

He had been waiting all night for Elisabeth to tell him he was to be a father, yet time after time the woman said nothing. He was
now
sure the arrow didn’t strike anywhere near the babe, why hadn’t she said anything?
Was she scared to tell him?

Ri
n
sing her hair he took his time washing her lithe body. She has lost incredibly
too much weight for his liking, yet she was still magnificent. It was hard to control his urges as he slowly
saw to cleaning every inch of her skin.
He had missed being near
her;
he missed her voice and her moans, the smell of her hair and the softness of her ivory skin. He had missed the way her eyes sparkled when she held her sword, or the beauty in her laugh.

“My turn
.” S
he purred, taking the soap from his hands with a bright little smile. Sitting back he allowed Elisabeth to wash his body as he did hers. Her every touch made him want her, it had been too long. He wanted nothing more than to lose himself in her right this very moment.

Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back and allowed himself to enjoy her tender caresses, sighing with pleasure, he felt her small hand wrap around his cock.

***

Smiling down at her husband, she saw his eyes pop open the moment she touched his velvet shaft, licking her lips she straddled her husband. Feeling his hands upon her
,
she lifted her hips up and slowly lowered herself down Broderick’s thick cock.

“Oh yes, God I missed you Broderick
.” S
he moaned, raising her hips she closed her eyes and tilted her head back as he guided her with his strong hands.
It had been so long since they had made lov
e, weeks upon weeks. Feeling him
slowly stretch her as he brought her down upon his erect staff her jaw dropped with ecstasy as he tilted higher into her.
The fire roared on the opposite side of the room, few candles still burned, together the two rocked as one in the steaming bath.

His battle-hardened hands caressed her as he kissed her lips and kneaded her breasts.
Lost for words, Elisabeth felt Broderick bury himself in her as she threw back her head in screaming ecstasy, time and time again. Never had she climaxed so many times, so quickly.
She was desperate for her husband, desperate for the intimacy with him that she had missed these past weeks.

Water splashed out of the tub in rhythmic waves as she rod
e him into the night.
His touch, his kiss, everything he did made her hotter and
hotter;
she had missed his touch so much that her body was responding in wanton desire. She craved his
grasp, his bite, his playfulness and roughness; she needed him to brand her with his love. She wanted to feel his hands on her long after he stopped touching her. She felt him run his hands up her breasts as he took each nipple into his mouth as he pounded into her wet core, she could feel herself pulsing against his massive shaft as he pulled in and out.
Gasping for breath she heard Broderick whisper into her ear as he bounced her up
and down underneath the water, “Mine, my wife, my warrior queen
.
”
R
ocking into her to his hilt
,
he exploded int
o her womb once more, sending her into one final climax.

Breathless,
she collapsed against his chest. Their hearts were pounding as he wrapped his arms around her and
kissed her temple,
t
he two lay in th
e
water until the heat had dissipated. Sated in each other’s arms, they simply held each other and basked in euphoria.

***

Being home again made Broderick feel complete, having his beautiful wife in his arms made it all that more real.
F
eeling her shiver
,
he cradled her and stepped out of the deep tub onto the rug. Grabbing a towel, he slowly dried her off as he placed kisses along her body where he touched.
Running his warm hand over her growing belly, “You’ll make an incredib
le mother Elisabeth." A large smile appeared on his face, he simply couldn't wait for her to tell him.
He wanted to celebrate with his wife, the thought of her carrying his child made his chest burst with pride.

Her jaw dropped and she lowered her hand to touch his that lay on her stomach, “You
know?”
Tears brimmed her eyelids.

“I’ve
known
love
, I suspected before I left. Kendrix hesitantly confirmed my suspicions hours before you so gloriously galloped into camp
.
”

She threw her arms around his neck, tears streamed down her face,
“
I’m so sorry Broderick! I’m so sorry I rode to war carrying your child, I had no other choice!”

Taken back by her emotions, he
gently
picked her up and carried her over to their bed. Sitting her down gently, he
slid in next to her and
explained, “Shh, Elisabeth. I understand my love; if I were in your boots I would have done the same thing. Nothing would have kept me from my family, ever
. I am not mad my love.” C
learing his throat he
pulled the covers over them and tucked her against his side, playing
with her long red hair as he admit
ted, “Now, bartering with me so you could
fight Ivan damn near made me break. Watching you fight that man was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, please, never make me do that again
.
”

“My sword belongs to you
now H
usband, from this day forth
.” S
he whispered, tears
of joy
brimming her eyes.

Shaking his head with a grin, “Nae nae Lis, from this day forth ye shall never be
without
your blade. I
want you protected always.
Tis not that I dinnae want you to fight my love, I only want you safe.
” 

Leaning down he captured her mouth and ran his hands over her glorious curves, “Tell me Lis, I want to hea
r it from your mouth
.”
H
e purred.

***

Flickering her eyelids open, she pulled back from Broderick’s kiss and bit her lip as she bl
us
hed, his dazzling green eyes looked directly into her soul
.
She had thought of nothing more than telling him, she had gone over it in her head thousands of times. She had been so close to telling him several times on their ride home, multiple times as she stitched his chest closed, and yet every time she couldn’t get the words out.

Reaching up, she cupped his strong jaw and grinned, “I carry your heir my love
,
” taking his hand, she placed it against her warm stomach and smiled at him in wonder, “
You will be a father Broderick, we will be parents come summer
.
”

“In all the years, all of what we have suffered, never did I imagine that someday I would be this content, this happy and this loved. You have given me everything I thought I didn’t want Elisabeth. I love yo
u my queen, I’ll follow you to H
ell and back with a smile on my face if need be
.
”

Wrapping her arms around Broderick she snuggled under the warm covers and pressed against his naked body, whispering back, “and you have given me
things
I have longed for all my life
but thought I could never have
, a family, a babe and love. I love you my king, I’ll love you to our dying day
.
”