The Imposter (16 page)

“It won’t hurt sae
bad the second time,” Constance, one of Leti’s married friends added.  “Hurt
something fierce the first time, when he took my maidenhead, ye ken, but
afterwards, it was better.”

Milly shook her
head, clucking over me as if I was a lamb headed off to the slaughterhouse.  “Devon’s
a big man, but I ken that he’ll be kind tae ye.  He’ll give ye time tae adjust
tae be sure.”

“I’ll be fine,” I
said, uncomfortable by their hovering and growing more nervous than ever about the
impending duties that I would be expected to perform tonight.  It was
undeniable that I was attracted to Devon, but the fact that I would become his
wife in all senses of the word later this evening caused me to panic.  “I’m
going to find my husband,” I said with mock confidence.

I pushed free from
the crowd of women and headed over to the corner of the great hall nearest the
fire, where I saw Devon encircled by a group of men that I recognized from my
visit to the lists.  I tried to ignore their raucous comments as I approached
the group, even though I felt the color flushing my face.

Devon’s gaze
settled on me as I broke through the crowd.  I reached out my hand to him, and
he met me half way, eager for a reason to escape.  He looked so comfortable and
relaxed.  He was in his element with his clansmen.  He had unbuttoned the top
button of his white shirt and pulled his hair loosely back at the nape of his
neck.  He looked resplendent as the fire danced over his skin.

 “Dance with me,
husband?” I offered, awestruck by this handsome man who was now my husband.

“Gladly,” he said,
ignoring the rowdy comments of his men and gifting me with a devilish smile. He
followed me to the center of the room and took my other hand.  It donned on me
that I didn’t even know if he could dance.

I was pleasantly
surprised that my new husband could not only dance, but he was a damned good
dancer.  All I had ever seen him do during the previous dances that I had
attended was scowl at me from his seat across the room.  He spun me around the
floor and we were quickly joined by other couples, spinning to the time of the
lively music.  At the end of the song, I collapsed against his chest, his arms
clasped tightly around me, holding me to him.  I inhaled his masculine scent
and enjoyed the solid expanse of his muscled chest beneath my cheek.

“I didn’t know
that you could dance!” I said, still breathing heavily from the exertion of the
fast paced steps.

“There’s lots of
things ye don’t ken about me, Kate,” he said with an underlying tone of
seriousness.  It was true, we hardly knew each other.

“How come you
never asked me to dance before?” I asked boldly, reaching my hands up and
clasping them behind his neck so that I could look up at him as he held me.

“Maybe I was
afraid ye would say no,” he said.

“I wouldn’t have
said no.” I said, truthfully.  “I think that you were too busy being jealous to
ask me,” I said biting my lower lip as I looked up at him.

“Maybe a little
bit,” he smirked shyly.

“Or maybe a lot,”
I said, teasing.  “I saw the way that you were watching me when I was dancing,”
I said boldly.

“I’ll no deny
that,” he said, lips turning up in a slight smile that exposed the dimple in
his right cheek.  “I’ve watched ye since I first saw ye in the hall,” he
admitted brazenly, his voice showing his desire.  His eyes burned as he looked
at me.  “When ye bite yer lip like that, it drives me half mad,” he said,
clenching his jaw as he watched me intensely.

Boldly, I bit my
lower lip slowly and deliberately as I looked up at him.  I watched his control
shatter and he crushed me against him, kissing me soundly.

“Wait until I get ye
alone,” he growled softly.

“Is that a
challenge or an invitation?” I asked, provoking him.

“Both,” he said,
eyes flaming.  “Are ye ready to get out of here?” he whispered, breath hot
against my ear.

“Let’s go,” I
whispered in return, eager to leave the prying eyes of the great hall and to
continue what I had started with Devon when I bit my lip.  I loved that my
smallest action could affect him so greatly.  

My response was
all the encouragement that Devon needed and he took my hand, leading me away
from the crowd and out of the great hall.

“Give it tae her
good!” came the first shout from an unknown male voice.

“I ken that yer Da
would have!” shouted a second voice above the crowd.

I wanted to die
from embarrassment and I knew that Devon was not pleased as he let loose a low
growl underneath his breath, almost dragging me up the stairs.  He must have
decided that my progress was not quick enough, because in one svelte move, he
swept me from my feet and carried me up the stairs two at a time.

            “Arseholes,” he
muttered underneath his breath as we reached the top of the stairs and headed
towards his chambers, which I just now realized, we would share from now on.  He
walked swiftly down the hall, still carrying me in his arms and opened the
heavy wooden door, setting my feet onto the flagstone floor.

            Devon closed the
chamber door, silencing the ruckus, bawdy shouts from below the stairs.  As he
lowered the bar into place, locking the door from the inside, there was a
heavy, final clunk as it settled into place.  The reality of my situation hit
me with a deafening blow.  He knows nothing about how I came here or where I am
from.  I am living a lie and he is married to a lie.

“Are ye alright,
lass?” he asked, seeing the emotions play across my face.  He tucked a stray
hair behind my ear.

“Yeah, I’m fine.  Just
tired from the party.”

 He knew that I
was lying, reading me like an open book.

“Sorry about
that,” he said, clearly embarrassed by the suggestive shouts that had sent us
into married life.  “I’ll make them pay for it tomorrow,” he promised in an
effort to make me feel better.

Silently, he
grasped my hand and walked over and sat on the edge of the giant bed. I nervously
sat down next to him, heart beating uncontrollably fast.  He wrapped his arms
around me and I felt enveloped by his immense strength. It had been a long time
since I had felt safe.  He raised his hand to my cheek and guided my head to
his expansive chest.

“Lay yer head
lass.  It’s been a long day,” he said as he smoothed my hair and held me
close.  He settled his chin atop my head and held me.  “We went through with
it.  Can ye imagine yet that we’re marrit?”

“Crazy isn’t it?”

“Crazy indeed.  I’m
still having a hard time believing that yer mine.”

I let out a deep
sigh and leaned into his warmth.  I don’t know if it was the wine that I drank
at the party or the feeling of security that washed over me, but the next thing
that I knew, there were tears rolling down my cheeks.  Devon kissed my forehead
and wiped the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs as he cradled my face.  How
embarrassing, I thought.  This was not how I had envisioned my wedding night
and I was surprised that he wasn’t looking for a way out the door.  He kissed
me again and raised my chin with his index finger so that my gaze met his.  I
was reluctant to meet his eyes, but slowly raised my gaze to his deep green
eyes.

“I know that this
is not what ye wanted, Kate.  It wasna what I had planned either,” he forced a
slight smile.

I pulled away and
wiped the silly tears from my cheeks, knowing that now my eyes were puffy and
my nose was red.  Some blushing bride I had turned out to be.

“It’s not that,
Devon.  It’s not you, I promise.  I’m just feeling overwhelmed.  I’ve drank too
much, and you’re right, it’s been a long day,” I sniffed my nose in a most unlady-like
fashion, which made him chuckle.  “Honestly, I just feel safe, and that’s
something that I haven’t felt in a long time.  I feel safe because of you,” I
smiled shyly as I looked up at him, sure that my eyes were bloodshot and that I
looked awful. 

A broad smile
broke across his solemn face.  “Ye don’t know how much that means to me, lass. Ye’ll
have the protection of my name and my body until my last breath leaves me,”  he
vowed, raising my chin to force my eyes to meet his.  “As yer husband, I will
protect ye with my life, Kate.”

He wrapped me up
in his arms and I melted into him, enjoying the warmth of his arms and the
heady feeling from the wine that I had been drinking.  “I guess that I hadna
ken just how unsafe ye felt here,” he confessed, hand stroking my back in support. 
“Ye keep bringing it up and I’m glad that now I can be here for ye.”

I knew that he
meant it.  My inner self caught upon the word “husband.”  This word drew me
back to the reality that I must prepare myself for.  Wives had duties to their
husbands, one of which I would unquestionably be expected to perform tonight. 
It wasn’t that I was not attracted to Devon, but, my God, I hardly knew the man
and I was terrified and embarrassed about the intimate act that would soon take
place between us.  I felt a flush spread to my cheeks as I thought about what
would transpire tonight in this giant bed. 

Devon absently stroked
my hair and rested his cheek atop my head.  He pulled away and spoke clearly
and directly from his heart.  

“There’s something
that I must ask of ye, Kate,” he said, his green eyes pierced my being as he
rested one hand on each of my shoulders.  “I must ask ye for honesty and
faithfulness. I got tae thinking about what ye said earlier, about how there’s
the two of us now.  There aren’t many people that I can trust, Kate, and I’m
counting on being able tae trust ye.  I pledge ye my faithfulness, and honesty,
and I ask that ye do the same.  I ken that we don’t know much about each other,
but I think that if we have this, this commitment, it’s a good start for us.  Can
ye pledge the same, lass?” his gaze held mine, probing, questioning.

            “Of course,” I said,
eyes meeting his, brought close to tears again by the sincerity in his
request.  “I will be faithful to you, and I’ll always be honest with you, even
when it hurts,” I said as I met his gaze, whole heartedly meaning each word,
but knowing that there were things about my past that I simply could not tell
him yet.

His hand slid from
my shoulder up to the base of my neck, guiding my lips towards his.  He kissed
me softly, but passionately, his probing tongue a question at my lips.  I met
his question with intensity, staking claim to him.  My lips parted, allowing
him entry that he eagerly took, his mouth claiming my own.  The passion and
tenderness in his kiss conflicted with each other, igniting a fire within me. 
I knew that he was holding back, struggling to retain control.  He shuddered as
he drew himself away from me.  Electricity coursed through my veins, Devon’s
controlled passion and his palpable need for me awakened my desire for him.  I
could not help but acknowledge the way that my body responded to this man.

Shaken by his
response to our kiss, Devon pulled himself farther away from me and sat up
straighter on the bed.  “Thank ye, Kate. If nothing else, we have a start.  There’s
the two of us now.” A genuine smile spread across his face as admired me,
brushing a strand of hair from my face and trailing his fingers lightly over my
exposed collarbone. “Yer beautiful, my wife.”

I suddenly felt
very shy and looked away, wondering how he thought bloodshot eyes and a stuffy
nose could be beautiful. 

“Ye are beautiful,
Kate,” he looked deep into my eyes, demanding me to look at him.

“I can see that yer
no at ease, that this is hard for ye,” his hand reached out, and cupped my
cheek, encouraging my eyes to meet his.  His eyes were sincere, locked with my own,
daring me to look away.  “If it makes ye feel better, I’m nervous too,” he
smiled, green eyes intent on me as he pushed my hair back and settled it behind
my ear.  “We’re in this together, Kate, and I think that it could be a great
thing if we let it,” he said encouragingly.

“Can I tell you
something?” I asked, suddenly emboldened.

“Sure,” he said,
rubbing my back in an effort to put me at ease.

“I’m glad it’s
you, and not your Dad, or the Cameron Laird,” I confessed, with sincerity.

Devon smiled, “I’d
hoped that ye’d feel that way.  I mean, I’d not expected tae take a wife, but
I’m glad that I was able to save ye from that Cameron bastard, and as for my Da,
well, I would have been jealous as hell if he had taken ye tae wife,” he said. 

“It’s funny to think
that you might have been my step-son!” I giggled, wiping the last remnants of
my tears away and settling closer to Devon on the bed.

“I’ve a feeling
that I’ll never live that one down,” he said, taking my hand in his, and
continuing.  “Kate, I want this tae work between us. I want it tae be more than
just a marriage of necessity.”

“Me too,” I said
sincerely, stroking the back of his hand with my thumb, enjoying the warmth of
his skin.

“I think that we
may have a tough road ahead of us, with my brother and all,” he said sternly. 
Life may not always be easy with me, but I want ye tae ken that I’ll do my best
to keep ye safe, keep ye fed and most of all, keep ye happy.  Life with me will
take ye tae some crazy places and all I ask is that no matter where life takes
us, that ye’ll be my home.”

I was taken aback
by his tenderness and sincerity.  The way that he spoke this vow resounded deep
within me.  I knew that he meant it.  Without thinking, I heard my voice, “I
will always be your home, Devon.”  A tear rolled down my cheek, and it was met
by his strong hand.  He moved slowly towards me and kissed the stray tear,
knowing that I had meant what I said as well. 

Emboldened, I
raised my lips to his and captured them in a seductive kiss.  He was fueled by
my boldness and I felt the stinging of his stubble as his lips opened over
mine, urging, pressing for more.  I gave him what he was boldly seeking, and
met his kiss with equal fire and passion.  His lips slanted above mine,
hungrily daring me to press for more.  I acknowledged the fire growing within
me.  I slowly broke the kiss and pulled slightly away.