Chapter 14
Alec stepped into the tub while Kira fetched the things and hurried back to him, setting them down within easy reach. He settled back against the rim of the tub, keeping the bandage clear of the water, and smiled lasciviously at her.
Wishing to tease him further, she began slowly stripping off her own clothes, keeping her gaze locked with his as she revealed her body to him. The last thing to go was the neckerchief, uncovering the scar that she no longer felt compelled to hide from him.
The wolfish attention he fixed on her as she shed her clothing only served to fan the rush of heat between her legs. She ached to have him inside her.
“Mmm, gorgeous, and ’tis all mine,” he murmured in frank admiration, his eyes raking her body greedily as he took her hand and helped her into the tub.
“Mind ye keep yer bandages dry,” she warned as she gingerly slipped down to kneel between his powerful thighs, his erection bobbing enticingly in the water between them.
“I’ll try, but I dinnae ken how that’s gonnae turn out,” he said with a chuckle as she picked up the soap and sponge and began washing him carefully, avoiding the bandage. As she pushed back his dampening hair and gently sponged the enemy blood from his face, he closed his eyes.
Kira admired the way his long, dark-blond lashes fanned out beneath them, casting beguiling shadows that accentuated the hard, sculpted features of his face yet at the same time made him seem younger. Unable to resist, she leaned forward and kissed him, taking the initiative, delighting in the delicious sensation of his mouth hungrily answering hers.
She shivered as his palms smoothly glided over her waist, her hips, cupping her behind and squeezing the soaking flesh before rising to capture both her breasts. The lightning thrill that ran through her as he toyed with them and teased the hardened peaks between his forefingers and thumbs made her gasp and almost loose her balance.
“Mind me bandage!” he cried out, grinning playfully at her.
“’Tis nae down tae me if it gets wet, Alec Mackintosh,” she cried in mock umbrage, resuming her task of washing him. “How d’ye expect me tae concentrate when ye keep doin’ things like that?” she asked, running the soapy sponge over his arms, down his chest to his belly, pretending to ignore his clublike erection as it butted against her thighs.
“’Now stand up, so I can finish washin’ ye,” she instructed.
“Ye asked fer it,” he replied, feigning regret. With one liquid motion, he was up, his body streaming with water and soap suds, his monstrous manhood bobbing inches from her lips.
She could not help laughing, keeping up the playful pretense of ignoring it even as it waved in her face. Determined to drive him to distraction, she rose up and methodically washed his back, the muscly ridges of his belly, his powerful buttocks, and his legs, giggling as she deliberately skimmed by the huge length dangling temptingly in front of her.
“I see what ye’re up tae,” he muttered, a challenge in his glance. “Well, me lady, two can play at that game.”
She shrieked in surprise and dropped the soap and sponge when, using his good arm, he suddenly gripped her by the waist and turned her around.
“Alec, what about yer wound?” she cried, worried for him despite her giggles of excited anticipation.
“Wound? What wound?” he replied, his pain apparently forgotten in his state of heightened excitement. Kira gripped the rim of the tub tightly as he bent her slightly forwards, steadying herself, greedy for what she knew was to come, yet a little scared, as her maidenhood was still intact. She knew more or less what happened between a man and a woman, but she did not know the details.
She moaned in helpless pleasure to feel his hands sliding over her buttocks appraisingly, lifting and squeezing them before his palms slid between her thighs and prized them apart.
“Now, let me look at ye,” he murmured, his voice deep, his breath thickening as he opened her more widely. There was an electric pause where neither of them moved or spoke, in which her flesh seemed to burn beneath his searching gaze. Her body trembled to think every inch of her was open to him.
“Och, Alec, aye, touch me there, please…” she begged him, pushing against his fingers as they expertly parted her netherlips and delved inside her. Kira’s knees went weak, and she could only moan helplessly as his thumb teased her already erect rosebud, sending waves of intoxicating bliss rushing through her.
“Och, God, Alec, that’s… that’s nae fair,” she breathed rapturously, gripping both sides of the tub tightly, quivering and moaning as he strummed on her rosebud, and his fingers probed more deeply inside her.
“Nae fair is it, eh?” he croaked from behind her. “Would me using somethin’ else be more fair?” His hand ceased its teasing, withdrawing slightly but holding her buttocks apart while he slid the swollen head of his huge member between them and between her slick folds.
“Ye’re so big, Alec, how will that ever fit in!” she moaned, nevertheless pressing her inflamed sex against his length, craving him.
“Well, let’s see about that,” he said huskily, one hand holding her firmly by the waist as he slowly pushed into her just a little way. “Och, ye’re so tight, Kira,” he breathed, clearly having trouble controlling himself. “How does that feel. Tell me if it is enough fer ye? I promise tae go slowly and nae tae hurt ye,” he asked gently, sliding gently in and out of her.
“Nae, more, I need more of ye,” she panted, delirious with desire to take in all of him. All her fear had gone, replaced by the need for him.
“Are ye sure? It will hurt a little fer an instant, but then it will feel good,” he said, waiting to make sure she was ready.
“I dinnae care right now if ye split me in twain, I need ye, all of ye, inside me, now!” she moaned.
“Well, all right, if ye insist.”
With a thrust and a loud groan, he buried his entire length in her. Kira screamed and threw back her head, bracing herself against the tub as he filled her to the brim, his hardness swelling inside her, plundering her deepest depths as he moved with intense self-control back and forth, rocking her against him.
“Is that enough fer ye?” he panted, moving slowly at first, waves of exquisite pleasure surging through Kira every time he pushed deeper into her.
“Och, I dinnae think I can ever get enough of ye, Alec,” she whispered brokenly over her shoulder as their hips collided once more. She had barely felt him take her maidenhood, so desirous was she to feel him inside of her.
“And I ken I’ll never have enough of ye, Kira, never. In me wildest dreams, I never thought it could be like this. But now ye’re mine.”
“Mmnnuh,” she moaned, inflamed by his words. “I want more, Alec, more of ye, love me harder, please…”
“Och, lass, dinnae stop, keep on sayin’ that,” he replied, grunting and thrusting more powerfully with his hips, speeding up, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he labored.
“Harder, faster, och, Alec, I need ye so bad!” Kira cried out, her knuckles white as they clenched the rim of the tub. Alec drove into her with increasing force, sending waves of pure bliss rising up her body until they possessed every inch of her.
“Alec!” she moaned, now in the grip of a shuddering climax, which seemed to reignite when he stiffened, and she felt the warm flood deep inside her as he too reached his peak.
“Kira, Kira, me love,” he murmured, using his good arm to pull her against him, peppering her neck and shoulders with small, delicious kisses as they panted, struggling to regain their breath in the aftermath.
Eventually, they got out of the tub and dried each other off in front of the fire, taking their time, marveling that, somehow, his bandage had stayed mostly dry. Alec was so tender and loving towards her, Kira knew without a doubt she was in love with him, this man she had sworn to hate and even kill.
She slipped on a robe and settled Alec comfortably against the pillows of the bed before brewing some more of the willow bark tea. He smiled at her as she worked, looking deliciously rumpled and replete. And so heartstoppingly beautiful.
She smiled back, her heart full of love for him, and she could not remember ever having felt happier, not even when her father was still alive.
Now that they had more than made their peace, one of the chief delights of Alec’s married life was waking up in the morning next to his warm and beautiful wife. And the morning following their bath was the best yet, despite the throbbing ache that was his wound.
As he looked fondly on Kira’s sleeping face, he wondered if it had been the willow bark tea that had dulled the pain the night before, or if it was down to the effect Kira had upon his senses. With a smile, he decided on the latter. He rested where he was for a while and surveyed the room; it was a mess, the scattered clothing and soaked towels and rug glaring evidence of their cavorting.
Suddenly, he felt eyes upon him and looked down at Kira. Her beautiful dark-blue eyes were gazing up at him, and she was smiling.
“Good mornin’ tae ye, me darlin’,” he said, warmed by the look of love on her face as he bent stiffly to kiss her. “Ye look beautiful this mornin’.”
Her hand came up from the covers and stroked his cheek. “Nae as beautiful as ye look tae me, I’ll wager,” she murmured softly.
He could not help chuckling. “’Tis a novel idea, me beautiful? I cannae see it mesel’. Maybe ye need spectacles, eh?”
“Ye ken what folks say,” she told him, pulling herself up to sit next to him with the sheet just covering her naked form. The scar on her throat was pale silver in the morning light. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
“Well, if ye say so,” he replied, deeply skeptical and already distracted by what was on show. But when he thought about how much he would like to stay in bed with Kira and make love to her all over again, he had to give himself a mental shake and resist temptation. He had to attend an important meeting that morning with the council. He needed to report everything that had happened the previous evening, Bran’s meeting with the so-called informant turning out to be an ambush.
It was disappointing to say the least that, after getting his hopes up, he was still no closer to getting the proof he needed of Laird Shaw’s guilt. They were back at square one.
“How’s yer wound? I’ll need tae change that dressin’ later, and ye’ll be needin’ some more of that willow bark tea before ye dae anythin’ today,” Kira told him firmly.
He tentatively touched the aching area beneath the dressing. “’Tis sore and stiff as ye might expect, but naethin’ I cannae handle,” he replied, shrugging it off. “I’ve nae time for the tea just now. I’ll have it later. Now, I need tae get to this council meetin’,” he explained regretfully, kissing Kira before levering himself out of bed.
“Council meetin’?” She was instantly wide awake. “What council meetin’?”
“Ye ken I have tae report on what happened last evening, with the fight and all, and tell them about Bran being injured.”
Before he had even finished speaking, she was out of bed. The flash of white, smooth flesh he caught as she slid from the covers made him stop and seriously reconsider his decision to leave. But before he could do anything, she was already at the wardrobe, selecting a fresh linen and a gown.
“There’s nae need fer ye tae hurry yersel’,” he told her, a little puzzled as to why she had sprung out of bed when she could stay and relax for as long as she liked.
“I’m comin’ tae the meeting’ with ye,” she said, putting on a clean shift and sitting in a chair to pull on her stockings.
“What?! Whatever fer?” The idea had not even occurred to him. A woman, in the council meeting? No such thing had ever happened in his memory.
Kira pulled up her stockings and slid on her garters before looking up at him.
“If ye remember, I am lady Mackintosh, and last night, I fought tae defend yer braither and the clan just as much as ye did. I’ve proved me worth. I’m comin’ tae the meetin’.” She gave him a look that told him there was no point trying to talk her out of it.
“All right. Ye’re comin’ tae the meetin’,” he said at last, unable to find fault with her logic.
“I ken,” she rejoindered. “Now, come here and give me a hand with me stays.”
Alec obeyed, wondering all the while how the council was going to react when she walked in and how he was going to convince them she deserved her place there.
“I mean nae disrespect tae lady Mackintosh, but ’tis most unusual tae have a woman in the chamber,” Alfred Tulane, one of Alec’s chief advisors observed with a sniff. Mutters of agreement ran around the table.
From her seat next to Alec at the table, Kira folded her arms and stared at the old man hard until he looked away, his wrinkled cheeks flushing.
“Unprecedented, I’d say,” chimed another of the councilmen, and old warrior by the looks of him. “I mean, nae offence, me laird, but is it really necessary tae have her here?”
The cheek of the old fella! Why, it must be years since he picked up a sword tae defend the clan!
“Me faither always told me ’tis bad luck tae have a woman in the room,” another man ventured from further down the table. Kira bristled inwardly as the others murmured their agreement.
With no intention of leaving, if only to spite the council, she looked to Alec to defend her presence. He did not disappoint.
“Listen,” her husband said in a voice like gravel, leaning his mighty fists on the table in front of him and looking warningly around at his councilmen. “Me wife here fought next tae me yesterday, tae defend me braither and our clan. She put her life in danger tae fight fer us, and she killed two enemy men while she did it. She is a warrior and more than deserves tae be here, and I’ll have nae more truck with yer old wives’ tales about bad luck. So, wheesht, will ye? Let us get on with the important business of the day.”
Kira was deeply touched by Alec’s support and vowed to show him her gratitude in a very special way later on. She was pleased when the protests dried up and the meeting could go ahead with no further delays. She wanted to be there to back Alec up and show that, as his wife and a trained warrior, she had every right to be involved in defending the clan.
A few minor domestic issues were quickly dealt with before the real hot topic came to the table.
“This letter,” Alec said, throwing it down on the table, “purporting tae be from Evander and Dunn, was the reason behind last night’s ambush. Pass it around and read it.”
When that had been done, Alec continued by saying, “Now, if Laird Shaw is behind the ambush, which I believe he is, then how did he get hold of that letter from me braithers? And how did he ken where tae send it?”
“Aye, was it pure luck, or is there someone inside the castle who kens Dunn and Evander are out scouting and reporting back tae ye by letter? It could be that someone kens and intercepted the letter for Shaw, kenning ye’d believe the information in it tae be true,” the old warrior suggested.
“Maybe there was a real informer who intended tae meet Bran at the inn, but someone got hold of the letter and handed it tae Shaw.”
“Aye, and the first thing he would have done would be tae send men tae kill the informant and lure me and Bran intae a trap tae try tae kill us,” Alec said. “So, we have tae ask ourselves if we have a traitor in the ranks.”
The discussion continued in the same vein for a while, and as she listened, it became crystal clear to Kira that Alec had been truthful in telling her that his clan had had nothing to do with her father’s murder. It was obvious that both he and his advisors believed wholeheartedly that this Laird Shaw was responsible for it.
It seemed likely, therefore, that Alec had also been correct when he had hinted that the situation was not straightforward and that there was a strong likelihood that this Shaw was behind not just his father’s murder but that of hers and Euan’s too. Whoever it was, she knew they must have some special reason for wanting to foment a war between the two clans. Such a feud caused mayhem and instability in the whole region. She knew there was usually only one reason behind such a move; to wipe out the existing laird and his family, crush the clan into submission, and then take it over, acquiring all its assets in the process.