Chapter 5

Chapter Five

It was the night before the wedding. Finn had worked his men so hard that they were all complaining and seeking the healer for cream to put on sore muscles. He hadn't seen Lady Alison since the night the Sinclairs had arrived.

Archie Sinclair and his three brothers had shown up at the lists twice for "practice." Finn was certain they expected to beat his men into the ground, but he'd gotten a great deal of satisfaction watching his men do it to them.

He took his meals with the warriors and left as soon as he finished. He had been forced into a meeting with Mackay, Laird Gilbert Sinclair, and his four sons. They discussed the new alliance between the two clans and what it meant for the other Mackay chieftains.

Never had he found it so necessary to use his well-honed control to keep from jumping across the table and beating Archie Sinclair into the ground.

Guests continued to arrive from the other Mackay clans and Finn spent time with his brothers and their wives.

"What is wrong with ye, brother?" Craig said as they shared a whisky with Robin and their cousin, Logan, who had arrived from another of the Mackay clans.

"Nothing is wrong."

Robin leaned forward, his forearms braced on his legs. "Are things no' going as well as ye hoped?"

"Everything is fine." He downed the rest of his drink.

"We've seen more of the Sinclairs than we have of ye since we arrived. ‘Tis almost as if ye were hiding."

Finn stood. "Nay. No' hiding. Just busy. I'm off for the night." With those words he left his family looking back and forth at each other.

Too restless to sleep, he walked outside, the cold night air just what he needed. Truthfully, he had no idea why this marriage bothered him so very much.

If The Mackay and Lady Alison were both fine with the strange arrangement, it shouldn't trouble him at all. The wedding was the next day, Lady Alison would be off to her new home and things would settle down for him.

After wandering around for a while, he decided to ride into the village and drink until he would be able to sleep. Then rise with the sun, observe the wedding and drink for the rest of the day.

He didn't even really like the lass. She was too independent, too insistent on having her own way. ‘Twas just that he hated to see any woman get herself married to a man such as Archie Sinclair.

Would ye really care if it was just any woman?

Probably not, if he was honest. There was something about Lady Alison and the unleased passion he knew was in her that troubled him.

Although he thought she might be too independent, the right husband could learn to control that.

Somone like him.

‘Twas time to head to the village and get these stupid ideas out of his head. As expected, the stable was dark and empty. He struck a flint and lit a candle. Before he reached Morag's stall, he heard the faint sound of sniffling. He stepped farther down and three stalls later Lady Alison stood, leaning her head against her horse, crying.

All the muscles in his body tightened and he had the urge to smash his fist into something hard. Like Archie Sinclair's face.

She must have heard him because she looked up and quickly wiped the tears from her face. "What do ye want, Mackay?"

"I came to get my horse."

She sniffed, a slight smile on her pretty face. "Going for a ride in the dark?"

"Going to the alehouse in the village."

"Maybe I will go with ye."

He leaned against the stall wall, crossing his arms. "The night before yer wedding? I thought all brides had a lot to do."

She snorted. "Everything has been done except the vows." She looked away. "Did ye see her?"

He knew who she was speaking of, so there was no reason to act like he didn't. "Aye."

"Is she prettier than me?"

He pushed off the stall wall and walked up to her. He reached out and ran the back of his hand against her smooth, still wet, cheek. "Nay."

She looked off into the distance. "He wants her more than he wants me." She huffed. "For truth, he doesna want me at all."

"He's a fool." His hand cupped the back of her head, using his index finger and thumb to rub her neck. "Ye can always change yer mind."

"Nay. ‘Tis all set." She closed her eyes and he gave into the craving he felt and realized he had felt for a while. Bending his head, he carefully placed his lips on hers, not sure if she would bite them, or kiss him back.

She kissed him back.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. The warmth from her body took away the chill from the night air.

She pulled back and looked him in the eye. "I want ye to make love to me. Just once I want someone who will no' consider it a chore."

"Nay, lass. Yer husband will be expecting a virgin."

She leaned in closer until their lips were not even an inch apart. "He expects no'hing from me. I doona even ken if he will realize it, since he will be rushing to get it over with so he can return to his lemman."

As the candle he had set down flickered, her hazel eyes darkened and she licked her full lips. "Please doona make me beg, Finn."

His body reacted to her scent, the passion on her face, the feel of her breasts pressed up against his chest. The hardened nipples teasing, tempting him. The raspy, raw sound of his name on her lips pushed him over the edge.

Knowing he was courting disaster, he pulled her roughly, almost violently to him. His arms wrapped around her, his large hand covering her backside, pulling her against the part of him aching with need. As it had been almost from when he had first seen Lady Alison.

His tongue nudged her lips and she opened to him, a slight moan escaping her mouth as he plundered. His hand slid between the two of them, covering her breast, teasing the nipple begging for his touch.

He knew he should stop. She might not care that she didn't come to her husband as a virgin, but just the little bit of time he'd spent with Archie Sinclair told him the man's pride would not survive that discovery.

He made the attempt to pull back, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and would not let go. "Please, Finn. Just once I need to be wanted for myself and no' for what I can do for the two men who made this agreement."

He groaned, unable to resist any longer. He'd wanted this for a long time even though he kept telling himself he did not.

His fingers reached up to her bodice and quickly unlaced it, then pulled it down, releasing her plump breasts, the dusky rose nipples stiff with wanting.

His hands encircled her waist, lifting her up to sit on the ledge behind her, her pale lush breasts at his eye level. He moved between her spread legs and took one breast into his mouth, suckling like a babe.

"Aye," she groaned, throwing her head back.

All the passion he knew was in the lass came pouring out. She ran her hands over his chest, down farther to his buttocks.

Her hand moved around his body and gripped his cock through his plaid. Finn almost exploded in her hand. His mouth moved to her other breast, her moans driving him on.

‘Twas definitely not the best place to take the lass's innocence, but there was no stopping either one of them. ‘Twas like a campfire of dry wood when a fire striker met it.

"What the devil is this?" The shout in the air stilled them.

Finn pulled Alison down and shoved her behind him to block her from the view of Laird Gilbert Sinclair, Laird Foster Mackay, Archie Sinclair, and Finn's brother, Laird Robin Mackay.

"Aw, shite."