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“Spit out what you fight to hold back, Argus.”
“I trust your word when you say there is no possibility of her being with child—not your child. But what if…”
Varrick glared at Argus.
Argus held his hands up. “I but look after you, my lord, as you did for me all those years ago. And it is but a thought, though perhaps one that should seriously be considered.”
Varrick continued to the keep while Argus went to see to his duties, the thought that Argus left him with heavy on his mind as he entered the Great Hall.
Fia had just finished seeing to Berta’s wound when she saw all the servants halt what they were doing, their eyes turning wide before finding a place in the shadows to hide.
She did not need to turn and see who had entered the keep, but she did and with a smile that faded when she saw the nasty scowl on her husband’s face. Something had angered him.
Varrick took hasty steps to his wife, grabbed her arm, yanked her off the bench, and hurried her from the room.
CHAPTER17
Varrick all but shoved his wife into his solar, then rushed the door closed to turn his anger on her and demand, “Are you with child?”
Fia drew her head back, her husband’s remark more an accusation than a question. “How could I be? We have not coupled.”
“That is not what I asked,” he said curtly.
With a quick scrunch of her brow and tilt of her head, she asked, “Are you inquiring if I carry another man’s bairn?”
Varrick took a hasty step toward her. “I am.”
Instinct or fear would have a person jumping back away from him, since the size of him alone overpowered much like a prey about to descend on its victim, but she forced herself to stay as she was. And if that did not frighten her, the blue of his eyes resembling a stormy sky about to unleash torrential rain certainly did, and she understood why so many were unable to meet his eyes when irritation sparked in them.
Fia took a soft breath to calm her racing heart, his accusation completely unexpected, then made sure to meet his eyes and not cower. “It would be a miracle if I were since I have invited no man to take my maidenhead as I have told you.” She continued, preventing him from responding. “And that is a privilege meant only for my husband.”
Bloody hell, was that an invitation? He wondered.
Knowing what his remark would likely be, she went on talking. “And it will take trust for you to believe my word, for the only other way to prove my word is for us to consummate our vows and for you to learn for yourself that I speak the truth.”
Another possibility struck him. Were her intentions to tempt him and spellbind him to her?
Fia wondered over the suddenness of the question until a possibility came to her. “That is why people stare at me strangely. Tongues whisper that I may be with child.” She shook her head. “That is nonsense. The men may not understand the time it takes and the signs that show to confirm a woman is with child, but a woman certainly does. The women here would know it is too soon for me to know if I carried your child.” She shook her head. “And wonder if I carry another man’s child.”
Varrick listened as thoughts of coupling with her crowded his head and an anger taking hold at the thought of any man, but him, touching her.
An unexpected, gentle smile lit Fia’s face. “Though I do wonder if I will be like my mum. She knew right after making love with my da that his seed had taken root and a female child would flourish from it. I would not mind knowing the same.” Her smile drifted away. “Some here would not be happy with news that I carried your bairn and, if I ever did, I would fear for our child’s life.”
Varrick’s arm hooked his wife’s slim waist and tugged her against him, the thought of anyone harming her or their bairn sending a fiery rage through him. “Never would I let any harm come to you or our bairn. Never.”
Do not do it. Do not do it, he silently warned himself, but she fit too perfectly in his arms to ignore. And it did not help that her warmth drifted over and around him as did the scent of honey and like a bee drawn to a hive, he could not resist.
He kissed her with an urgency that had them both responding to it.
Fia’s arms hurried around his neck and her lips settled eagerly on his, meeting his demand with a demand of her own. She would not deny him or herself. She wanted to taste and feel all of it; the insatiable hunger, the rampant desire, the need to—
LOVE!
She almost gasped at the voice loud in her head. Love? She had no time to question the right or wrong of it, the kiss consuming her senses. So, she stood shocked when Varrick suddenly ended the kiss and turned away from her.
He took deep breaths, trying to calm his pounding heart and tried to make sense of the strong shout in his head.
LOVE!
