Maggie Mine (12 page)

Her assessment of him pleased him. She saw him as a strict disciplinarian, which he could not deny. But, while she pouted a bit after a
lessoning
, she soon moved past what had happened. She accepted her due and didn’t dwell on it. That pleased him as well. He also liked that she believed he wouldn’t hurt a woman while making love, as opposed to Duns
t
on, who apparently took pride in doing so.

While he contemplated all of this, she stepped in front of him. He tensed, wondering what she was up to now. Then she slowly moved her arms around his waist for a hug. His heart pounded and his eyes widened in alarm.

“I’m thankin’ ye fer no’ making a marriage contract with the earl.” She pressed her face against his chest and breathed in contentment.

Don’t put your arms around her! Move her away. Now!
But his brain and his body weren’t in agreement at the moment. He didn’t move her out of his reach. Instead his arms thwarted his mind’s orders and swept around her. She felt soft and womanly snuggled against him. Right. And she smelled good after her bath and with some soft scent in her hair that tickled his senses.

His hands wove their way into the long blonde hair streaming down her back. His fingers played with it. Silky. Soft.
Stop this! Put her away!

A tiny moan of pleasure slipped from her.
Dangerous
. Holding her was dangerous, wasn’t something he should be doing. But, Dear God, he wasn’t strong enough to let her go just yet.

“Yer a good m
o
n, Nicholas. Ye will do right by me. I doubted it
befo
re, but no more.” She gave him a final hug and eased her head from his chest, although she didn’t move out of his embrace.

“I’ll find another man for you, Maggie. A
f
ar better man.” The words left a
disagreeable
taste in his mouth.

Now she started to pull back. “I ken ye will. I just ask no’ to be tested again. I doona think I can stand fer it a second time.”

He’d barely stood for it the first time, and the experience had been, of course, much worse for her. “No, there will be no more testing of your innocence.”

Nicholas sucked in a breath, inhaled her scent a final time, and set her aside. “I will go make sure Dunston, his detestable mother, and his men leave. Do you wish me to send Fia back up to help you prepare for bed?”

She seemed ready to say something else and then nodded. “Aye, ‘twould be good. I am no’ in the mood to go back below this night and face the others.”

He understood. And he fully intended to make sure no one dared mention to her what the earl had insisted upon. Then, knowing it would be a horrible mistake, he pulled her to him. Mistake or not he had to kiss her.

Her eyes widened in surprise, but softened as he lowered his head. She should have resisted, should have pushed him away. But she didn’t. The instant he pressed his lips to hers, her sweet mouth melted against his. Her lips were as soft as he’d thought they would be, as tempting. And he was lost.

His tongue slipped between her teeth, found the warmth of her mouth. Again, instead of resisting, her tongue sought his, danced with his. His heart raced and when she pressed even closer to him, he was desperate for even more.

He deepened the kiss, cupped her bottom to hold her to him. Never had he tasted such sweetness, felt such passion.

She curled her hands around his neck and held her to him with surprising strength. She matched him kiss for kiss, breath for breath. He’d wanted this since the first time he’d seen her. Well, maybe not the first time, when she’d glowered down at him from the parapets and shot him with her arrow. But soon after.

Her breasts crushed against him and he thought his cock would burst through the fabric of his braies. His whole body shudder
ed
with need. Too much. This was too much.

Somehow he managed to pull his lips away. Still, he couldn’t let her go. He looked down at her, saw the haze of desire in her wondrous eyes, and saw the way her small body quivered. “Maggie, sweet Maggie,” he said on a sigh of frustration.

A throat cleared behind them. A woman’s. At first he didn’t recognize it and couldn’t manage to move away from Maggie as he should have upon being caught in such a manner. The throat cleared once more, making him frown in recognition.
Mary.

“I came up to see if Maggie was all right,” Mary said, disapproval ringing in her tone. “Apparently she is fine.”

Nicholas kept his arm around Maggie’s shoulders but moved her to his side. He remembered how determinedly Mary had insisted the earl would be a suitable husband for Maggie. She could be too willful at times. She needed an older husband, someone who could take her in hand and guide her well in marriage. He knew Mary had heard the rumors about Dunston, yet she still had been certain Maggie and the earl would get along fine. Nicholas would not trust her judgment again. And he would start looking for a husband for her as well. He should have before now.

“Aye, I’m fine,” Maggie stated, easing from under his hold. “No thanks to ye.”

“I’ll send Fia up,” Nicholas said and moved to turn Mary back toward the stairs. He wasn’t sure of the undercurrent running between the women, but they needed separation. Before he followed Mary down the stairs, he glanced back to find Maggie still watching him, touching a finger to her swollen lips. “I’m sorry.”

He walked away wondering if she understood him to be apologizing for the indignity he’d allowed her to suffer, or if she would assume he was apologizing for kissing her. He should have apologized for both. It wouldn’t happen again, the kissing. He couldn’t allow it to happen.

From her seat at the laird’s table on the raised dais, Maggie watched the long trestle tables in the great hall being abandoned. Where only moments ago the large space had been filled with conversations and boisterous laughter, now it was too quiet. The sixty some soldiers had broken their fasts quickly. An excitement had been in the air. Before sitting down for their own morning meals, Nicholas and Gerald had announced they would be teaching the men some new tricks today they had learned while fighting in the Crusade. The men appeared eager to learn something different. She knew how tedious practicing at sword play on a daily basis could be, as she’d overheard the men at Urquhart grumble on more than one occasion. Yet a Highlander lived to fight, lived to protect their own even more than these English soldiers.

She took another bite of bread and her heart pinched as it always did when thinking about the Crusade. The very thought of the foolish battles still made her angry and bitter toward the English king. He’d cost her so much: her father, her oldest brother, her betrothed, and possibly Brodie.

She squeezed her eyes shut and fought down tears that were ever near the surface when she thought about her brother. She missed him so very much. He wasn’t dead! She would never believe it, no matter how many times Nicholas told her there was little hope her brother had survived.
Nicholas.
He, too, had cost her much. At Edward’s orders, Nicholas had hauled her here to England. She wasn’t exactly a prisoner, but too close, in her opinion. She missed the freedom she’d had at her home. She missed going out riding
—
with guards, of course. She missed her beloved Loch Ness, the beauty of it, and swimming in it now and then.

Servants bustled about cleaning off the tables, overstepping fallen food on the rushes that would be picked up later. The cook yelled at someone over something. A sharp disagreement started. Most days she would have gotten up to go see what the matter was and try to settle it. Today she didn’t care.

Across the table from her, Mary pressed her mouth together in annoyance. If the argument continued much longer, the woman would go see to it herself. Generally, she made the situation worse. Again, today Maggie didn’t care.
Mary
could deal with the kitchen staff; they could deal with her. But Maggie would not get involved.

Nicholas arched one thick eyebrow at her, apparently wondering why she hadn’t gone to take charge. He hadn’t spoken a word to her since they’d sat down to break their fast. Actually, he’d said as little as possible to her since that stolen kiss a week ago. He’d kept his distance. She had as well. Neither
was
anxious to dare the temptation that sparked between them.
She dreamed of him…of them being together. But could only ever be a dream.

When he continued to look at her in question, she heaved a weary huff. “They can work the problem out themselves.”

His brow furrowed and twin lines of irritation settled there. “Mayhap they need a mediator.”

“Mayhap not.”

Something heavy dropped in the kitchen and the cook roared in outrage. A pair of young women’s voices ranted in return. Nicholas’s irritation intensified. “Well?”

He was used to seeing her hurrying about doing this or that to make sure the keep ran smoothly. At least as smoothly as it could with Mary’s frequent interference. But Maggie wasn’t in the mood to hurry about, nor to spend another day with Mary snipping at her for whatever reason, and then acting all sweetness and kindness whenever Nicholas could be seen. She also didn’t have the interest in settling a kitchen war that would quickly end anyway, as it generally did.

“They’re fine.” She picked off another small bite of bread.

“Need I go check on the matter myself?” he asked in a sharp tone.

She wasn’t impressed. She shrugged. “If it pleases ye,
M
y
L
ord.” Why was she baiting him this morn? Because this was the most time he’d spent around her in days and her foolish heart enjoyed even this small battle between them.

“Nay, it doesn’t please me to see to your duties.” He shoved away from the table and scowled toward the continuing ruckus behind them.

“Settling all disagreements isna my duty.” She blew out a breath and stiffened. “My duties are to plan the menus with the cook, which I have already done fer the remainder of the week. My duties include making sure the maids ken what needs to be done, which I have already talked with them aboot.”

His eyes flashed with frustration, but he realized there was nothing to argue with her about. “Fine. But if someone is injured in there, I will hold you responsible.”

Again, she shrugged. Then she glanced across the table at Mary and saw the woman’s tightly pinched mouth.
 
“If their argument so bothers ye, go find out the problem and deal with it.”

“It’s not
my
place to do so.” Mary sent Nicholas an apologetic look.

“Oh, right.
 
Ye only interfere when I’m tryin’ to
—”

“Enough!” Nicholas growled. “I will not hear an argument in the kitchens and one out here as well.”

Maggie nodded toward the doors to the keep. “Then ye’d best go join yer men.”

“Maggie.” Her name was said as a warning. He stood and frowned down at her.

She frowned right back at him. They stared at one another for an uncomfortable minute. As they did, the anger in his expression faded and the heated look she’d witnessed other times when she’d caught him watching her replaced it. H
e drew in a ragged breath
. Her body reacted as well. The familiar warmth her body experienced when she first spotted him in a room filled her again. Her breasts ached and she remembered how he’d brushed up against her during the kiss, how her nipples had hardened. It had been a new experience at the time, one she’d thought about again and again since then. She wanted to feel that brush now, feel the tingling response once more. She wanted his lips to press over hers.

Nay! What foolishness had possessed her? She didn’t want any of that!
She
huffed
and straightened her shoulders. She must stop this strong reaction to him.

Hearing her
angry breath
seemed to break the awkward moment. The heated look in his eyes disappeared. Yet he studied her mouth a second longer, which only made her think about that kiss all over again in spite of how ridiculous the notion. He looked ready to say something yet he remained silent.

“I
a
m sorry. I
am
feelin’ restless today is all.” She picked up her mug of honey mead and took a last swallow, trying desperately not to remember how he’d tasted when he’d kissed her.

Mary gave her a pitying look. “I imagine it is her woman’s time,
M
y
L
ord. Dear Maggie hasn’t been in the best of moods the last couple of days.”

Red crept up his neck at such intimate talk of women’s matters. “Perhaps you should rest today. I
a
m sure Mary can deal with any matters needing to be addressed,” he said uneasily.

Maggie rolled her eyes heavenward and silently prayed for the strength not to reach across the table and strangle
Dear Mary
. When she focused on Nicholas, she shook her head. “’Tisna my woman’s time. I
a
m restless is all, like I said.”