Borderland Bride (9 page)

“Isabel, we have received word from Brampton this morn. The outlaws that attacked you have been caught.”

Her stomach churned as her contentment slipped away.

What will happen to them?

Jake shrugged. “A hanging, most likely.”

Isabel nodded slowly.

“Are you not gladdened?”

I know not.

She was grateful the men were no longer out there, yet her stomach felt hollow. They would likely meet terrible ends.

“They near killed you. And they would not have thought twice about it.”

Jake was right. They’d had no sympathy for her when she had fought back, afraid of losing the few valuables she had left. She had thought death was mere moments away that day when the largest of the men had wrapped his hands around her neck. They deserved no pity from her.

The sight of his chest a meagre pace away, drew her from her thoughts. He shifted closer, bringing his hand up and rubbing it across the tiny scar on her forehead.

“Thank the Lord, they did not succeed,” he muttered under his breath.

Lips parting, Isabel stared up at Jake as his finger burnt across her skin. His brown eyes dropped to her mouth, tracing it. Could he hear her heart thunder? With the rush in her ears all but gone, it hammered heavily, competing with the gusting wind.

He dipped his head forward and waited. She could feel his breath upon her cheek and though the biting breeze swirled around them, Isabel could still smell his masculine scent. His eyes fastened back onto hers.

Waiting.

Reaching out, she settled a tremulous hand upon his shoulder. Jake must have taken this as her assent as his lips came upon hers swiftly. Her bruised throat gasped but only a wisp of air came out. Jake’s solid arms came gently about her and Isabel found her hands grasping the front of his tunic, holding him close.

His warm lips moved carefully, teasing, testing. Isabel’s head whirled as she gripped tighter, and Jake’s hands pressed into her back. His tongue found hers, swirling, seeking, and she became lost in the taste of him.

Their cloaks swirled about their legs, merging them as one as Jake rubbed up her back. The kiss deepened and Isabel’s body trembled. Lord, she had not realised it would be like this. So intoxicating, so intense.

Shuddering beneath his hands, Isabel released her grip on his tunic and slid her fingers up towards his neck. Wrapping her hands around him, she clasped him tightly to her, pushing against him as an urgent ache blossomed deep in her womb.

Jake growled and retreated, separating their bodies as he drew in a shaky breath. He kissed her tenderly and rested his forehead to hers, his strong nose aligning with her own.

“What am I to do with you, lass?”

Isabel flushed as she rubbed her thumbs over his neck.
Kiss me again
, she thought. Sweet Mary, she was wanton.

Drawing back, Jake slid his hands from around her and flicked a thumb over the bridge of her nose. “Don’t look at me like that or you’ll regret it.”

Isabel scowled at him. How could she regret a single moment spent with this man? Her stomach twisted. Well, she could regret the secret she was hiding. Should she tell him? Nay. What if he sent her back? It was better to hide the truth than risk the consequences.

“What’s on your mind, sweet one?”

Isabel gave him a weak smile.
Naught.

Studying her, he shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. Did he think she regretted their kiss?

In a bid to reassure him, Isabel snatched his hand and put a kiss to his palm. He stared at her, bewildered, as she grinned before a smile broke across his face. He flattened his palm against her cheek.

“Come, we must return. ‘Tis too cold and you are still too frail.” Jake folded her hand into his, ignoring her glare of protest. “I have duties that need attending to.”

Isabel nodded half-heartedly and treasured the warmth of his hand around hers. What did this mean for them? Did it mean anything? A kiss like that…

Surely it meant something? She longed to ask him, to assure him of her feelings, but how could she possibly express an emotion that even she didn’t understand without the use of her voice. Jake drew her to him with his silent honour and gentle ways.

Glancing up at the great warrior beside her, Isabel resolved to make her feelings known. She had to know where this would lead.

~* * *~

Jake raised his knuckles to knock on the door, his stomach twisting. Ack, but he probably had the grin of a lovesick fool on his face. He had spent the entire morning grinning. He paused, realising Isabel would be unable to bid him to enter and pushed the door open carefully, stepping quietly into the chamber.

He looked to the bed, expecting to find her in her usual spot but he quickly spied the wooden tub that occupied the space in front of the fire. Isabel lay languidly, the steam from the water mingling with the cool air of the room and enveloping her in a cloudy mist. Jake stared openly, his jaw falling slack. He pulled his gaze away only to find it snapping back to her. He was rooted, mesmerised by the creamy skin of her shoulders, the arch of her neck and the moisture beading on her face.

At any moment, she would open her eyes and see him. He knew this and he knew she would think him dishonourable but, for the life of him, he could not move. Sweet Lord, how she tormented him. Jake had been able to think of nothing other than the feel of her soft lips upon his since yesterday and he yearned desperately for another taste. And here she was spread out in front of him, unfolded like an offering. Ack, but he could feel her under his skin. With her silent will and inner strength, she had burrowed into his heart - a place he thought no woman would ever reach again.

One eye creaked open, swiftly followed by the other one. Was she so attuned to his presence? He cursed inwardly and winced as she emitted a startled cry before hurriedly turning his head from her.

“Forgive me, Isabel. I—”

Jake blinked and snapped his head around, his mouth dropping open. She stared at him with a flush of embarrassment, her hands clapped over her chest.

“Isabel, you just—”

A hand came up from her chest and went to her mouth, her eyes wide. “I spoke,” she murmured experimentally, her voice raw and husky. A grin flew across her face, her blush fading as her eyes sparkled. “I spoke!”

Jake couldn’t resist the smile that stretched its way across his own face and he came rapidly to her side, kneeling beside the tub and gripping the hand that lay across the edge of the wood.

Isabel beamed at him, tendrils of damp hair escaping the braid that curled around her head. He had never seen anything so beautiful.

“Oh, Jake…”

His heart fluttered at the sound of his name upon her lips and he could feel his desire for her surge through his veins. His manhood twitched as he eyed her and his breathing thickened. Lord, he was lost to her. No fear could hold him back now.

~* * *~

As soon as his name left her lips, Isabel could not fail to detect the darkening of his eyes. Her skin tingled as elation turned to lust and she glanced down at her bare body, the heat of the water doing little to stop the shudder that coursed through her.

“Say it again,” he murmured as a hand came up to cup at her cheek.

“What?” she breathed.

“Say my name.”

His thumb pushed across her damp face and her lips parted as her heart pounded faster.

“Jake.”

He groaned and pulled himself up so he could lean across her. His lips joined with hers in a rush of movement and her breath caught at the sudden heat of his mouth upon hers. Intuitively falling into a motion that was both so familiar yet so excitingly new, she kissed him with enthusiasm, enjoying the way his breathing stilted as their passion increased.

His tongue swept inside her mouth, searching for hers, and Isabel entwined her wet fingers around his neck, forcing him closer. His tunic dipped under the water and brushed across her breasts but he paid little heed, instead bringing his other hand up to support her head, his fingers digging under her damp braid.

As the kiss deepened, they both moaned and her hair loosened while his fingers delved through it, sending it tumbling over the edge of the tub. A splash resounded through the room as his hand left her cheek and dove under the water to grab at her body. Jake’s fingers curled around her ribs, drawing her closer to him and she let out a gasp.

Jake’s hand froze briefly but Isabel drew a hand from his neck and placed it over his, pinning his hand in place. He relaxed and dragged his lips across her cheek to her ear.

“What are you doing to me, lass?” he whispered.

She quivered as his breath grazed over her ear and his hand continued to massage at her bare skin under the water.

“No more than you are doing to me.”

As if to prove just how crazed with lust he could make her, he nipped at her ear before covering her neck with hot kisses.

But it was not just lust, was it?

There was something there; an intangible connection between them that elevated whatever it was she was feeling to something much more precious…and fragile. Her throat tightened fleetingly, would he forgive her deception?

The ache eased as his hand flexed underneath hers, the veins and sinew rippling with restraint. She arched up to his touch, coaxing his hand towards her breast. As his rough fingers sealed themselves over her swollen nipple, she released a long, low breath. Whatever happened, it would be worth it. For just a short moment, he would be hers.

And if that were all she ever had, it would be worth it.

This knowledge blossomed through her and Jake chuckled as she tugged his head impatiently back to hers so she could return the favour, pressing soft kisses across his jawline before meeting his lips once more.

He kissed her urgently as she met his tongue feverishly, and his hands fumbled over her body, exploring every dip and curve. Isabel longed to do the same but her fingers met only fabric and she muttered a curse.

Jake pulled back, an odd look of surprise and admiration on his face.

“I thought you a lady.”

Isabel flushed and bit at her lip. She had heard him curse often enough but it was hardly the behaviour of a noble woman.

“Lass, I would happily listen to you curse all day,” he said with a laugh, propping a finger under her chin and raising her face to his.

“I feel little like a lady at the moment,” she admitted with a shy smile as she glanced down at his hands upon her body.

He followed her gaze and Isabel saw his eyes darken once more as he traced her curves with them. Isabel’s breath stilted as his gaze returned to hers, a question lingering in them. They had spent so long communicating without speech she didn’t need ask what it was. She simply nodded.

Never had before had she been more certain of anything.

He extracted his arm from around her, the water adhering his white shirt to his arm, and plunged it in the other side, tucking it under her legs. His other hand pushed further under her head until she lay in the crook of his arm. Jake pulled her from the tub in one movement, the water sloshing onto the wooden floor as he tucked her into his embrace.

Her skin tingled as it met the cool air but her eyes remained on Jake as she burrowed into his solid arms with a sigh. Chestnut eyes met hers, tumultuous and penetrating. Her stomach clenched and her breathing hitched as he snatched the linen towel that had awaited her and set her onto her feet. Her teeth chattered and Jake quickly threw the towel around her shoulders, rubbing the fabric up and down her arms.

As he gripped at her arms, he drew her closer, placing a kiss to her forehead before working his hands down the outside of the towel, pressing it over the damp skin of her back and her buttocks, cupping at them as he went.

Nuzzling the heated skin of his neck, she inhaled his musky scent while his fingers continued to blaze a path back up her spine before coming around her ribs and resting on the edges of the towel, his fingers causing her skin to tingle.

Isabel looked down as Jake did the same, his forehead coming to rest on the top of hers. His dark hands contrasted against her pale skin. Could there be any sweeter image?

They both stared as his thumbs left the towel and skimmed over her stomach, her muscles undulating under the slight touch as his fingers forged a path through the wet droplets that still clung to her skin.

Isabel inhaled sharply as Jake dropped abruptly to his knees and flattened his lips against her belly, his tongue lapping at the moisture as he seized her hips.

Her hands clutched at his head, his soft strands escaping through her fingers. Isabel’s sigh echoed through the room as he moved upwards, savouring every part of her until he reached her breasts. Carefully, he came to his feet, keeping his head dipped as his mouth descended upon her breast.

Leaning towards the heat of his mouth, Isabel kept her hand clasped around his neck as the tremors of sensation set her legs shaking. A sturdy arm came around her back to support her and she was trapped. Trapped against the delicious torment of his mouth. She released a heavy sigh. There was no place she would rather be.

Jake’s mouth abandoned her breast and she trembled as her skin tightened, warming only when his lips pressed firmly upon hers.

“Do you tire of me, lass?”

Isabel chuckled. “Nay, I would beg you to banish the very thought. I just tire of being the only one with naught on.”

Jake’s mouth twitched and he shook his head, stepping back. With leisurely movements, he plucked aside one side of the towel before pushing the linen from her. His brown eyes raked over her and her nipples hardened further as the heat in her stomach expanded into an ache.

“
Now
you have naught on.”

Isabel blushed, sure she probably did so from head to toe.

Seeing her embarrassment, Jake took her hand and tugged her against him so she sprawled flat against his chest.

“I have never laid eyes upon such beauty before,” he murmured against her cheek. “You are perfect, Isabel.”

Isabel pushed aside the compliment, thinking mayhap this was the talk all men used when bedding a woman but, coming from Jake, it sounded entirely sincere. And she knew of his aversion to lies. So mayhap he spoke the truth. A warm glow settled in her chest at the thought of holding his regard. She would endeavour to make herself worthy of it.