Dragon.
Embarrassed that she had sought him out in the night, she tried to remove her arm from around his middle and found it trapped in a steely grip. He stirred against her, and she realized he was awake.
“Did I disturb your sleep?” she asked on a shaky breath.
“You did indeed. Twas impossible to sleep with your soft body pressed so sweetly against mine.”
“I was cold,“she explained. “It meant naught.”
He turned to face her and pulled her against him, hip to hip, breast to breast. “Let me warm you.”
Rose’s pulse raced and her breathing became erratic. “I am fine now, thank you.”
His hands moved provocatively over her body. “Your flesh is still chilled.”
Rose recognized danger when it stared her in the face, even though it was too dark to see Dragon clearly. “What are you doing in my bed?”
“I believe this is my bed.”
“Then I shall find another.”
“You are being deliberately obtuse, wife. Married couples are expected to share a bed.”
His hands were roaming freely over her body, seeking out places that definitely warmed her. “Please, my lord, ‘tis the middle of the night.”
“Desire recognizes no time. You were sleeping when I came to bed and I did not want to disturb you then. But we are both awake now.”
In a surprise move, he pulled her atop him. She felt his tumescence stirring against her, and a biting comment came unbidden to her lips. “Are you thinking of your mistress again, my lord?”
Dragon stiffened beneath her, and she knew she had angered him, but she could not help it. Marrying a stranger was bad enough, but knowing that her husband pined for another woman was a blow to her pride.
“Are you deliberately trying to provoke me?” Dragon asked. ” Tis your duty to obey me in all things. It is not your place to question my thoughts or logic,” he said as he shoved her legs apart and placed them on either side of his hips.
When he found her nipple with his mouth and suckled her, Rose moaned in despair. Not again, she thought. How many times would she have to fight her own desire before she learned to resist Dragon’s assault upon her senses? He licked her nipple, and she shuddered. He found the tender cleft between her thighs and teased her with his fingers. She cried out a protest, startled when it came out as a ragged plea.
“I know not why you fight this,” Dragon muttered, “when you find it so enjoyable.”
“I do not!” Rose denied. Her denial ended in a startled gurgle when he spread her with his fingers and carefully shoved his cock inside her. She was tender still and was surprised that he was careful not to hurt her. She had heard that a man in full rut cared for naught but his own gratification.
“Pull in your thorns, Rose, and let me love you,” Dominic whispered against her ear as he slowly filled her until she feared she would burst.
Despair rode Rose. She did not want this, had in fact resolved earlier to remain unresponsive to Dragon’s loving, but her body betrayed her. She felt intoxicated, as if her blood had turned thick, flowing hot and burning to her loins. He knew how to touch her and where to touch her in a way that called forth the wildness of her untamed spirit.
Rose bit back a moan when Dragon grasped her buttocks and moved her up, then down the length of his erection, creating a splendid friction that spurred her inexorably toward the ultimate satisfaction. When he grasped a dangling breast in his mouth and flicked her erect nipple with his tongue, she splintered and cried out. She felt Dragon stiffen, heard him call her name and felt his heat explode inside her.
When it was over, Rose was overcome with sadness, surrounded by it, consumed in it. Once again she had responded to Dragon and experienced pleasure. Was there no justice in the world? Why could she not remain limp and impassive while Dragon used her? He filled her mind and body with every part of himself despite her resolve to accept none of him. The shame of it was nearly killing her.
Tears leaked from the comers of Rose’s eyes as Dominic held her against him and buried his face in her hair. She lay silent and melancholy in his arms as night air cooled her heated flesh. She wished herself anywhere but in the Dragon Lord’s bed.
Dominic held Rose close, listening to her slowing heartbeat while his own still raced out of control. His mouth found hers and he kissed her, surprised when he tasted tears.
“Did I hurt you?”
“Nay.”
“Why are you crying?”
After a prolonged silence, she said,“I am crying because I am sad.”
Dominic chuckled.“You did not sound sad a few moments ago. You sounded happy.” He paused, his curiosity piqued.“Did I give you pleasure, Rose?”
Rose freed herself from his arms and flung herself away from him before he could stop her. “You gave me pleasure I neither wanted nor asked for. Responding to you as I did betrayed my father’s memory, and that makes me sad.”
“Your father was a traitor, you have naught to feel guilty about Go to sleep, Rose.”
Dominic turned away from Rose but remained awake. He needed a quiet moment to ponder his unaccountable fascination with Rose. What made her different from Veronica or any other woman he had bedded? Naught, he decided. It just so happened that he needed a woman and Rose was handy. Aye, that was it That simple explanation brought him a measure of satisfaction. He closed his eyes and welcomed sleep.
Dominic was gone when Rose awakened. The noise that had disturbed her was merely Tyra kindling the fire. Rose yawned and stretched and was immediately sorry when the soreness between her thighs reminded her of the unaccustomed activity she and Dragon had engaged in last night.
“Do ye want me to open the drapery, my lady?“Tyra asked when she noticed that Rose was awake.
“Nay, I prefer to keep the cold air outside where it belongs,” Rose answered.
“Do ye want me to help ye dress?”
“Not this morning, Tyra, thank you. Have I missed Mass?”
“Aye, the bell just tolled Terce. Lord Dragon said to let ye sleep as late as ye wish this morn.”
Rose sighed. She did not want Dragon to be kind to her. She needed to hate him. Rose lingered in bed after Tyra left, not particularly eager to face Dragon after her surrender last night. If he thought he could direct her life, he was sadly mistaken. She could never forget that the Dragon Lord was the king’s lackey. Did he not realize how much King John was hated by his people? Her father should not have lost his life because he had tried to help the king’s oppressed barons.
Rose pushed aside the covers and rose, still weary despite the lateness of the hour. Had she slept at all last night? She wanted another bath but decided to wait. There was water in a pitcher, however, and she used it to wash Dragon’s seed from between her thighs. She had already dressed and was cleaning her teeth with a cloth dipped in salt when she heard a commotion in the inner bailey. Rushing to the window, she pulled aside the drapery and leaned out the window.
Snow had fallen during the night. A gust of wind picked up the flakes and flung them against Rose’s face. Impatiently she dashed them away. Her uncle and his kinsmen had arrived. Rose brushed her hair into a semblance of order and hurried down to the hall to greet them.
Rose joined Dragon at the front entrance just as the Scotsmen arrived.
“I decided to let them enter,” Dominic said when Rose joined him.“I doubt your uncle will cause trouble, but we are prepared nevertheless.”
Think you he knows about our marriage?”
“Nay, but it will be interesting to note his reaction once he is told.”
Dominic studied the MacTavish clan through narrowed lids. They looked uncivilized, he thought, surprised by their manner of dress. They were clad in fur and leather, from their crude tunics down to their hide boots.They were large men, probably descendants of Vikings,those fiercest of all fighters.
They look like savages,” Dominic said. “How could that tribe have produced your gentle mother? Point out your uncle.”
“Uncle Murdoc is the one riding the pure black horse. He is just now dismounting.”
Dominic studied the huge Scotsman with curiosity, noting little resemblance between Lady Nelda and her brutish brother.
“Uncle Murdoc is not so bad,” Rose allowed.“He always treated us well when we visited him.”
The Scotsman looked up at Rose and stretched out his arms.“Rose, lass,come greet yer uncle.”
Dominic remained alert and on edge as Rose walked down the stairs and was instantly encompassed within the brawny arms of Murdoc MacTavish. But when another, younger man stepped forward and embraced Rose, it was all Dominic could do to keep from racing down the stairs and tearing her from the young Scotsman’s arms. Who was he? Though Dominic noted some reluctance on Rose’s part,she appeared to know him well.
Dominic heard Rose say,“‘Tis cold out here, Uncle. Bring Gunn and your kinsmen inside, where you can warm yourselves by the fire.”
Dominic stood aside as Rose and her uncle entered the keep, silently counting the men that followed them inside. He counted thirty clansmen, not all of them as young and vigorous as the man that had embraced Rose, but every man carried weapons of one sort or another. Instinct warned Dominic that Murdoc had come to claim the fortress.
Dominic trailed behind the Scotsmen, noting as he strode across the hall that his own knights were alert and watchful. A nod from Eric of Carlyle put his mind at ease as to the loyalty of Lord Edwyn’s personal guardsmen. Dominic knew that no Englishman of worth would allow a Scotsman to claim any part of English soil without a fight.
Dominic stood nearby as Rose seated herself before the hearth. Murdoc paid him little heed as he accepted a mug of ale from a servant and plopped down in the chair beside Rose. Murdoc’s kinsmen took their ease on benches at the trestle tables, drinking ale and talking among themselves.
“I heard about yer father’s death, lass,” Murdoc said after drinking down half the mug’s contents in one swallow. “I came as soon as I could to help yer dear mother in her time of need. I understand John Lackland ordered Edwyn’s death.”
“Aye,” Rose bit out. “He had no just cause to kill Papa. Papa was no traitor.”
“Dinna fret, lass, yer Uncle Murdoc stands ready to take charge. As yer only living male relative, ‘tis my duty to see to the care of yer family and yer lands.”
He glanced around, spied Gunn and motioned for the young Scotsman to attend him.
Dominic’s fists clenched as the brawny young warrior grinned at Rose in an intimate manner Dominic thought inappropriate. But Dominic was not yet ready to identify himself. He wanted to learn what Murdoc was up to first.
“Where are yer mother and sister, lass?” Murdoc asked. “I would offer them words of comfort.”
“They both entered the convent after we received word of Papa’s death,” Rose explained.
Murdoc became immediately alert. “What? And left ye alone? That does not sound at all like my sister. I know yer the heir, and that yer twin’s dearest wish was to become a nun, but I canna believe Nelda would leave ye alone to manage a holding as large as Ayrdale.”
” Tis true. Mama and Starla are both gone.”
“Ah, well,” Murdoc sighed, ” ‘tis fortunate I arrived when I did. Ye can rest easy, lass, for I bring an answer to yer problem.”
“What problem, Uncle?”
“Surely ye dinna think yerself capable of managing Ayrdale on yer own, do ye? As yer guardian, ‘tis within my rights to arrange a marriage for ye. My stepson is the man I have chosen for yer mate. Gunn will protect both ye and Ayrdale from the English king.”
Gunn planted himself before Rose, grasped her shoulders in his huge hands and pulled her upright. “I’ve always wanted ye in my bed, Rose,” he said in a voice that set Dominic’s teeth on edge. “Now I will have both ye and yer land. We will produce fine heirs for Ayrdale.”
Dominic heard Rose gasp and decided it was time to step in and stop this farce.
“Release her!” His voice held a note of menace.
Gunn was so startled, he instantly released Rose. Murdoc, on the other hand, leaped from his chair to confront the knight who dared interfere in such private matters.
“Who is this man, Rose? I dinna recognize him as one of yer father’s knights. Apparently he doesna know his place.”
“Perhaps you will recognize my name,” Dominic said as he went toe to toe with the Scotsmen. “I am called the Dragon Lord.”
“Dragon of Pendragon,” Gunn muttered beneath his breath.
The king’s lackey,” Murdoc spat contemptuously.“What brings ye to Ayrdale?”
The demesne you refer to as Ayrdale is now called Dragonwyck, and I am the new lord of Dragonwyck.”
“John Lackland gave Ayrdale to ye?” Murdoc croaked.
“Aye. Both Ayrdale and Rose are now mine by virtue of holy wedlock.”
Murdoc spun around to confront Rose. “Is that true, lass? Did ye wed Dragon?”
“I had no choice, Uncle. Blame the king. He commanded that I wed Lord Dragon.”
Gunn turned on his stepfather.“Ye promised me Ayrdale! Ye said Rose would be mine!”
“Silencer Murdoc roared. He turned back to Rose. “How long have ye been wed, lass?”
“A few days. What does it matter? The marriage was officiated by Father Nyle and is perfectly legal; there is naught I can do about it.”
“Mayhap there is,” Murdoc said shrewdly. “Has the marriage been consummated, lass? Did the Dragon take yer maidenhead?”
Rose realized her uncle was angry, but she had hoped he would accept her marriage without a confrontation. A shudder passed through her at the thought of being wed to Gunn. She had known him since they were children. He was handsome enough, but he was a bully with a cruel streak she could not condone.
Returning her thoughts to her uncle’s question, Rose said, “Aye, Uncle, my marriage to Lord Dragon has been consummated.”
“Bastard!” Gunn spat angrily. “Rose’s maidenhead belonged to me! Murdoc spoke with her father years ago about a betrothal. Edwyn must have neglected to tell Rose.”
“Nay! Not true,” Rose denied. “Papa would not do such a thing. He knew I would not agree to marry you.”
“Gunn, dinna lose yer head, lad,” Murdoc advised.
“You and your kinsmen are welcome in my home as long as you cause no trouble,” Dominic warned.“Dragonwyck and Rose are mine; you can do naught but accept it.”