The Knight's Temptress (Lairds of the Loch) (47 page)

Mercy
, she thought. Still watching him, she drew a
deep breath, let it out, and focused on relaxing and dissipating her anger. Next, eyeing him more warily than ever, she tried to imagine him as Lizzie or anyone more easily soothed than she had believed Ian could be. Then, as she had with Lizzie, she willed Ian to be calm.

To her wonder, she saw the sparks in his eyes dim as he, too, inhaled deeply and exhaled. His gaze slid upward when he did that, to a point above her head.

Then his gaze met hers again. “What just happened?” he asked her.

“I don’t know exactly,” she admitted.

“You did something.”

“I did, aye. But I swear to you, I have never tried to do that before.”

“So you can control me.” He did not sound astonished, just resigned.

“By my troth, sir, I did naught to control
you
, only to control myself. Sithee, then I saw—Faith, I do not know how to explain this properly, for I have never—”

Deciding to start again and just tell him what had happened, she said, “The fact is that
you
stirred
my
temper when you ordered me to sit down and explain myself. Then you stirred it nearly to exploding when you snapped at me. I realized that my anger was inflaming yours, so I fought to control myself, not you.”

“But you did control me.”

“With respect, sir, I doubt that,” she said. “I may have some ability to aid you, but you influence me, too. You have only to look at me as you did earlier when you came toward me to make my knees quake. Good sakes, you scared all of those men out of your way. Grown men, warriors all, leaped to clear a path for you.”

“My temper does evidently have its own reputation,” he admitted.

She wanted to smile at that understatement but judged it wiser to say, “I have heard that, aye. But I swear I had never before tried to control you. Mayhap our tempers simply sway one another, and we are both making more of what just happened than it deserves. If I am calm, you are calm. If I get angry…” She spread her hands.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I felt something then, something unusual.”

She sighed. “So did I. Mayhap it is all part of having foresight, if that is what I have been experiencing. As I said, I had never had episodes like those before. Nor did I ever have cause before Lizzie and I were captured to try to calm any—”

Her sisters’ images loomed before her, bickering with each other.

“What is it now?” he asked. “What are you thinking?”

She smiled ruefully. “I’m thinking that I have a reputation, too, not for temperament but for family peacemaking. Sithee, Andrena and Murie often quarrel or begin to quarrel. I can calm them, but by my troth, I never thought of it before as willing them to behave. Nor do I think I ever did such a thing. But I did do that with Lizzie at Dumbarton at least once, I’ll admit. I was terrified that she would speak rashly or act so and make matters worse for both of us. She thought Dougal was handsome and that he liked her. I knew he just wanted to use her as a pawn.”

“You were right.”

“Have I satisfied you, then?”

“Not completely.” He stood and held out his hand. “I want satisfying now in another, more stimulating way.”

Desire swept through her, and she let him draw her to her feet and to the bed.

“Will you take off your clothes, or shall I?” he asked softly.

Since his fingers were already at her laces, loosening them, she murmured, “I think it must be your turn.”

Chapter 20
 

I
an wasted no time disrobing her. Remnants of his anger lingered, but the last shreds of them vanished when he bared her breasts. He stripped the rest of her clothing from her, and when she was naked, he took her in his arms and kissed her.

“Take your clothes off now,” she said. “They are prickling me.”

“You do it,” he replied, grinning but wondering if she would obey.

Looking him in the eye, she said, “I will gladly assist you. But just as it was your turn to take off my clothes, it is my turn to give the orders, sir. Surely, you would not want me to think that you behave unfairly.”

Chuckling but ever willing, he took off his jack and let her unlace his shirt and his breeks. Then impatience stirred, and he quickly stripped off the rest.

When he reached for her again, she stepped back, saying, “Nay, sir, you will not touch me until I give you leave. This time,
I
want to watch
you
walk to the bed. You seemed to derive pleasure from watching me. I want to see how that feels.”

“Aye, sure,” he said. Recalling their wedding night, he
remembered other things that he had commanded her to do and strode willingly to the bed.

Lina followed him. “Now stretch out and let me look at you,” she said.

What followed was educational for him, and mayhap for her, too. She seemed to like giving him orders, and she had learned much from him in a short time about pleasing a man. He soon realized, though, that it was not in his nature to remain inactive at such times. Even so, she was right. Fair was fair.

But when she moved on top of him and began licking and sucking him from his nipples downward, he could bear it for only a short time before he rose up, captured her, and rolled over with her.

Laughing, she looked up at him, her beautifully clear eyes alight with her laughter. “You do not play fair, Sir Ian Colquhoun.”

“Do I not, my lady? See what you think of this.”

Her next gurgle of laughter turned into a gasp when he reached between them to find her nether lips and slide his fingers inside.

With that, he claimed her as his own again, and her response was as passionate as any man might have wished. He took his time, watching her expression until he realized that he did not need to watch her to gauge her feelings.

He could tell just by the way she moved and the little sounds she made. Each difference in movement or sound fired his senses as much as her touch did.

It was a long while before they fell asleep, exhausted.

Furious and frustrated, Dougal MacPharlain strode along the west Lomondside path with four of Andrew Dubh’s men following him and with only the light of the moon and stars to guide him. Although he hoped they would abandon him when they reached the track up through the pass, he knew that any opportunity to pay Andrew back had vanished… for the nonce. He had also learned, painfully, just what seeing him on his way
with the laird’s compliments
meant. With each blow the men had struck him, they had recited those words.

Battered and bruised he might be, but Andrew had made a grave mistake by letting him live. The fool ought to have hanged him when he had the chance. He did, after all, still have an unwed daughter. And other opportunities
would
come.

They overslept, making Ian glad that he had not promised Mag they would leave early. But they made good time, and when they reached the river plain about two hours after midday, Dumbarton loomed ahead. As they neared the end of the woods, a dozen riders or more came into view, riding toward them.

The rider leading the way carried Colquhoun’s banner.

“This is a surprise, sir,” Ian said when the two parties met.

His father grinned. “I feared ye’d make straight for Dunglass, lad. Sithee, his grace wants to see ye. And he’s not a patient man.”

“Sakes, have I offended him?” Ian asked.

“Nay, how could ye when ye took back his castle for him? ’Tis more likely the man wants to thank ye. But,
sithee, Mag told me ye’d sent half of your tail back with him from Bannachra. I just thought that, as my heir and a knight of Jamie’s realm, ye should make a greater show whilst approaching the gates of Dumbarton than to ride up that hill and through them with nobbut four men to support ye.”

Ian suspected that Colquhoun wanted to be at his side when he met with the King, but he was delighted and nonetheless grateful for his thoughtfulness.

“I’d be proud to join forces, sir, if you will ride in with me. Otherwise, I’ll willingly accept four of your men to ride with mine. It would be unwise of me, I think, to risk Jamie’s anger by arriving with a larger tail than I’m allowed.”

“Aye, sure, I’ll go with ye,” Colquhoun said, leaning sideways to put an arm around Lina and give her a fatherly hug.

“Did anyone kill the great stag on your hunt, sir?” Ian asked then.

“Nay, lad. We never laid eyes on the wily creature.”

Ian smiled, delighted that the splendid beast still lived to roam the woods and heights. A glance at Lina told him that she was also pleased.

At the foot of the road to the castle gates, he said, “It might be more tactful for us to take only my men the rest of the way, sir.”

“Tact? From ye, lad?” Colquhoun’s eyes danced. “I thought I’d never see such a thing. It must be your lady’s good example. Forbye, I should tell ye that his grace would have ye present her to him.”

“She sets a fine example, to be sure,” Ian said, smiling at Lina.

She gazed back solemnly. “I am not properly dressed to meet his grace, sir. This old gray kirtle is unsuitable for such an august occasion. Mayhap whilst you speak with his grace, your lord father will be kind enough to bear me company.”

Colquhoun chuckled. “I’d bear ye company any time, lassie, right willingly. But I doubt his grace would be so ill-willed as to disparage your dress. Even if he were disposed to such behavior, ye’re as beautiful as any other noblewoman in the land, whatever ye wear. So, unless your husband objects or Jamie’s mood has soured afore then, I warrant that all three of us will meet with him.”

Ian was determined to keep Lina with him, whatever his grace said, so he was glad to find Jamie not only in a good mood but demanding to see them at once.

He greeted them with smiles, striding toward them when his chamberlain announced them. Inches shorter than Ian, the King was solidly square-built, with a muscular torso, broad shoulders, and the powerful legs of a fine swordsman.

“I am glad to see you again, Sir Ian,” he said, offering his hand. “You have done me a great service, sir, although I confess, I laughed when I heard how easily you accomplished what I had thought must be an impossible feat.”

“No more impossible than it was for your cousin, the Lord of the North, to take Stirling, your grace. But, if I may,” Ian added, making a subtle gesture toward Lina. At Jamie’s nod, he went on, “I would present my lady wife to your grace.”

Lina made a deep curtsy.

“Sir Magnus told me you had married,” Jamie said, extending a hand to her. “Arise, Lady Colquhoun—Nay, though, you will be Lady Ian, will you not?”

“Why, I do not know, your grace,” Lina said, looking to Ian for help.

“We haven’t sorted that out yet,” he said. “I suppose it
will
be Lady Ian Colquhoun, since my mother is Lady Colquhoun.”

“Whoever you decide to be, my lady, I have been fain to meet you,” Jamie said. “Sir Magnus tells me that you are also his lady wife, Andrena’s, sister.”

“I am, aye, your grace.”

“Splendid,” Jamie said. Turning to Ian, he added, “This marriage of yours pleases me, sir. Sithee, it also aids the plan I have for you.” Turning his head slightly, he said, “Will, you may bring those documents to the table now.”