Page 20 of The Cursed Highland Bride

He smiled, reaching a hand up to caress her cheek. “Ye are a wonder tae me. Nae woman has ever made me lose myself as ye have done. There is something about ye that I cannae describe.” His smile faded, replaced by a look of concerned confusion. Katarina could feel him withdrawing from her, and she tightened her legs instinctively. His cock twitched inside of her at the motion. The smile returned to his face, this time one of mischievous pleasure. “Have ye a want for more, wife?”

Katarina could feel herself blushing.

“Ye should rest,” he admonished gently. “Ye will be sore after yer first time. Ye will have a wish to recover before we come together again.”

In spite of herself, Katarina felt disappointment at his words.

“I will return tae ye upon the morrow, and ye will have every reason tae scream with pleasure once more,” he promised, his eyes sparkling with the thought.

“Have I pleased ye?” she asked, not certain why she cared but only knowing that she did.

“Aye, lass. Ye have pleased me more than anyone ‘afore ye. I have never seen a virgin so wild and free as ye. Ye awaken a hunger in me that will nae soon be quenched.” Kissing her lips in a gesture of farewell, he withdrew himself from her sheath and stood.

“Will ye nae be sleeping here with me?” Katarina asked, confused as he moved for the doorway, donning his clothes as he went. Her parents had always slept together.

“Nae, I have my own chamber down the corridor. I will see ye upon the morrow. We will break the fast together in the great hall.”

Katarina was surprised once more by the disappointment she felt at his departure. “Until the morrow, then.”

“Until the morrow,” he promised, giving her a look that she did not understand as he closed the door behind him.

Was that regret I just saw in his eyes?

CHAPTER EIGHT

Dunn stepped out into the corridor and shut the door behind him. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes to steady himself. He had not meant to spill his seed inside of her, but he had done so without thinking. When he was inside of her, all coherent thought ceased. All he could do was feel. He had sworn that he would never bear a child with the daughter of his mortal enemy, and yet on their first night together, he had acted without thought to consequence. Sighing, he pushed himself away from the wall and walked the short length of the corridor to his own bedchamber.

“My laird,” a familiar voice called to him from the darkness of his bed.

“I did nae summon ye, Brigid.”

“Nae, my laird. I came o’ my own accord. My heart bled for ye that the king has forced ye tae bed our enemy. Come tae bed, and I will make ye forget her touch.” In the dim light of the fireplace, Dunn could make out her arms extended in invitation. She was naked, and her breasts gleamed white in the darkness. Such a sight would normally have made his body stir to life. To his surprise, in that moment, he felt nothing.

“Go,” he commanded, his patience surprisingly low.

“What?” Her shock was clear in her voice.

“I dinnae wish tae bed ye this night. I only wish tae sleep.”

“Ye are turning me away?” Indignation filled her tone.

“Aye, I am.”

“How can ye bed her and nae one o’ yer own? Do ye care for the lass?”

“It is nae yer place tae question me, Brigid. Ye would do well tae remember that.”

The lass may have been named after a saint, but she was anything but. Angry, she ripped back the covers and stormed up to where he stood in the doorway. “Ye will regret this, Dunn. The next time ye wish tae have yer bed warmed, it will nae be by me. As far as I am concerned, from this day forward, ye can go a wanting.” Without even bothering to put her clothes back on, Brigid stormed out of his room and down the back stairs to the kitchens below.

Dunn stood there, watching her go. He was bewildered as to what had come over him. Instead of enjoying the warmth of a woman in his bed, he had sent her out into the night, naked.

What has befallen me that I would do such a thing? His heart knew what his mind did not wish to admit. The only woman that he wanted was his wife. So that night, he drank himself to sleep.

* * *

Unable to sleep after her husband’s departure, Katarina arose from the bed and rinsed her body in the remaining bathwater. Finding that she was hungry after the night’s activities, she dressed and walked over to peer out of the door for a servant. Instead, she found a most unexpected sight. Down at the other end of the corridor was a naked blonde woman coming out of one of the rooms. There was a man standing in the doorway, and he turned to watch the naked woman disappear from sight. To her shock and dismay, Katarina saw that the man was Dunn. Hurt and angry, she quickly shut her door before her husband could catch her spying on him.

How could he do such a thing? Was I not enough for him? Can he plunge himself into the body of another so easily after tasting my own? For some inexplicable reason that she could not fathom, Katarina felt as if her heart were being ripped out of her chest and stomped on by a herd of cattle. He had used her body as he wished, then had left her arms to immediately bury himself in another. He will pay for this humiliation. I may be a prisoner here in exchange for my sisters’ lives, but I will not have my own husband disgrace me thus. He will know what it is to anger a woman of the Romani.