Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

T he full moon was beginning to wane, its clear disc fading into the sky as if it were a knife that was losing its sharpness. The clear air was cool and welcoming against her cheeks after the stuffiness of the great hall. There, too many people had been crowded together, their bodies rendering the air hot and humid. As well as that, she had been too busy to pay much attention to any of the young men, so now, after a late start, they had all come to pay court to her. She could see them circling like a crowd of vultures, and though she welcomed the attentions of a couple of her genuine admirers, she could see the naked greed in the eyes of many of the others.

Janice mounted the stairs to the battlements and stood at one of the parapets, looking into the darkness and trying to lose herself in it. Below, she could see the gilded forms of trees and the gleam of the Bonnie Loch in the distance, but for once, its beauty did not soothe her troubled spirits.

She was trying not to think of Bernard, but the harder she tried to think of another subject, the more impossible it became until eventually she gave up and abandoned herself to images of him, remembering the taste of his lips during that single delicious kiss they had shared.

He had tasted of salt and ale, not a refined taste like that of brandy or fine wine, which was probably what her brothers and Bernard's friend, William, had been drinking. And that was what she liked—yes, liked —about him. She thought for a moment. Of course she liked him. That was all since she hardly knew him. However, judging by the assessing and admiring looks many other young ladies had been giving him, she was not the only one.

Even though he was lower on the social ladder than they were, there was something about him that made them look at him in admiration and whisper about him behind their hands. Perhaps it was his potent masculinity, Janice thought. She chastised herself for feeling so unreasonably jealous of all the other young ladies. He did not belong to her, after all, and she had no claim on him, but she knew she would miss him. He would be going home in a few days and then she would make herself forget him. She was determined to. She absolutely had to.

Bernard had spent the evening in his and William's room after his friend had left in a state of total boredom, which he relived by imagining that Janice was in his arms again. Naked. In his bed beside him. The more he thought about her, the more aroused and frustrated he became, and eventually he rose and strode to the door. Outside, it was cool and quiet, although he could hear the distant hum of music and laughter from the great hall and pictured Janice dancing there. She would be laughing, the skirts of her dress flying around her, and he smiled at the thought, although the notion of other men touching her bothered him greatly.

He walked on and began to ascend the stairs to the turrets. The stairway was dark, and he knew that at this time of night there would be few guards since there was currently no threat from any of the clans surrounding the castle.

He ascended the last step and stopped suddenly. There, as if he had conjured her up, stood Janice, the moon gilding her perfect profile and the sensuous lines of her figure. In the cold light, he could not see the color of her dress, but he did not have to know that to see that she looked beautiful.

Presently Janice heard the sound of heavy footsteps behind her and spun around to face whoever it was, hoping it was not one of her half-drunk brothers since she was just in the mood to kick one or both of them where it hurt most.

However, although Bernard was the last person Janice had expected to see, he was the one she was most glad to see. She watched him with appreciation as he walked toward her, the moonlight making him look as though he were made of marble. Every one of his powerful muscles was sharply etched in black and white, and all his movements were made with the sinewy ease of a jungle cat stalking its prey. She was mesmerized as his gaze caught and held hers, but she realized he was frowning at her.

"Why are you standing out here?" he asked. "It is cold. Come inside again, please. I would hate you to catch anything."

He reached out a hand and gripped her arm, pulling her toward him, but she resisted and turned away.

She sighed. "I have done my duty for the evening. I have made my speech, planned all this, and made sure that everything went off without a hitch. But I could not stand another moment in the company of my idiotic brothers." She shook her head angrily. "I was sorry to leave my father alone, but I might have done something to Alasdair and Andrew that I would have regretted later.

"My father has made me the estate steward, which is good news, but Andrew and Alasdair will receive all the credit for my hard work. That in itself does not bother me since I do not seek the unnecessary attention, but I would like to be treated with some dignity by my brothers. They make complete fools of themselves and me at every occasion."

There were tears of anger in the corners of her eyes, and a single one made its way down her cheek before he gently brushed it away. Bernard was seething, and he felt as though he wanted to wrap his arms around her and make his body into a shelter for her. In his view, Janice was a treasure, and she did not deserve to be treated this way.

"If I could, I would give them my own form of justice!" he growled, fisting one of his hands and punching the palm of the other. His brows were drawn down, shadowing his eyes menacingly.

"No, they are my brothers, and I love them, no matter how silly they are," she replied, sighing. "I just wish they would grow up."

"So you will let them get away with treating you with such disrespect?" he asked furiously.

"Until my father dies, I will say nothing," Janice replied firmly. "I want him to leave this world with a peaceful mind."

"And then?" he asked pointedly.

"We shall see," she said cryptically, with a grim smile.

"I wish I could be of assistance to you," Bernard said, frustrated.

"But you can," she replied. Her eyes were soft and silver with reflected moonlight.

He frowned, puzzled. "How? Tell me what I can do, and I will do it."

"Like this," Janice whispered, stepping into his arms. "Just hold me, Bernard. That is enough comfort."

For a moment, Bernard was frozen, then he did as he had dreamed of doing and wrapped his arms tightly around her while Janice tucked her head under his chin and snuggled into his chest. They stood that way for a long while with neither saying anything, merely savoring the joy of being together.

Presently, he put her away a little to look into her eyes, and Janice, with a little giggle, put out her forefinger to touch his Adam's apple.

"What is so funny?" he asked, laughing as he stroked her hair back from her face.

"I love the differences between us," she whispered as she tickled the little knob on his throat with her forefinger.

He chuckled, and she watched two adorable dimples appear on his cheeks.

"I do too," he said huskily, as his gaze dropped to her lips. "These are so soft."

He dropped a tender kiss on her open lips, but it soon turned into something much hungrier as he swept his tongue inside her mouth to begin a sensual dance with hers.

Apart from their one kiss by the loch, Janice had had no intimate contact with Bernard, and now she felt overwhelmed in the most beautiful way, as his body surrounded her like a warm cloak on a cold night. Janice thrust her fingers into his hair, loving its silkiness as she drew them through it. Then instinctively, she ground her hips against him and felt the hard mass of his manhood chafing against her belly.

Her body responded in its own animal way, becoming warm and wet for him. She had never been with a man, but she was ready to give herself to him there and then if he allowed her to.

Bernard was intoxicated by the smell, feel, and taste of her, and when he cupped her breast in one of his big hands and felt her nipple harden under her gown, he was lost. Without parting his lips from hers, Bernard turned her around and flattened her against the stone wall under the stairs. They provided a complete pool of shadow in which they feasted on each other.

Bernard's hands and lips were everywhere, and Janice pushed herself harder against him, trying to inch ever closer, although there was already no space between them. He broke the kiss, breathing heavily, then cupped her bottom with both hands and squeezed them. They were firm but soft, and each cheek fitted into his hand perfectly.

"God help me," he groaned. "You are driving me mad."

When Janice let out a whimper of delight, he lost control and threw back his head, roaring his passion into the night. Fortunately, their position under the stairs and the hubbub of the party inside drowned out the noise, but Janice heard it, and it drove a surge of power through her. This big, strong, powerful man was completely under her spell, and she loved it.

Presently, Janice felt a tickling sensation on her leg as Bernard began to pull her dress upwards, and then he sank to his knees, his body sliding down hers, driving pulsing waves of pleasure straight to her core. She squealed as she felt his lips on her thighs, his mouth moving upward and ever upward, peppering tiny kisses on her tender skin as it went until there was an entirely new sensation as she felt something tug and lick her very center.

When she realized what he was doing, she was shocked, in a delicious, wanton way. Her hips bucked involuntarily, her hands fisted, and she threw her head back as she felt something like the throbbing of her arousal, but much, much, much stronger.

It felt as though a strange sensation inside her was straining to reach for something even stronger that was just out of reach. What was happening to her? What was Bernard doing to her? After a while, she decided she did not care. This was too glorious for words. When she finally reached what she had been seeking, she felt as though she had just experienced an explosion. Her whole body shuddered with what she could only describe as ecstasy for a moment before she fell back to Earth and into Bernard's arms.