Bound to a Warrior Read online

  “Please, please,” she whispered. “It feels so very good.”

  And he obliged, increasing the rhythm, increasing the pleasure. It grew stronger and stronger and she clung to him more tightly, her hips arching up to meet his every thrust. It was as if she couldn’t get enough, couldn’t feel enough, and when she felt a small tingle radiate deep inside her she dug her fingers into him and swayed her hips beneath him trying to take him deeper inside her.

  His passionate groan excited her and she increased the sway of her hips, and he his thrusts. Her tingle increased, built, grew out of control until her desirous groan matched his and all at once something exploded inside her, throughout her, around her and she called out his name over and over and over.

  He continued the rhythm, extending her pleasure until she felt him release, stiffen, groan with his own climax and finally still against her.

  His body went limp over her and after a moment his weight was too much for her to bear. He seemed to sense the same and rolled off her and they lay side by side, both breathless.

  He regained his breath before her and turned to rest on his side next to her. His hand reached out and brushed strands of her hair off her perspiring face.

  “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked with concern.

  She laughed softly. “If what you did to me constitutes hurt, then you can hurt me anytime.”

  “You enjoyed?”

  She turned to rest on her side facing him. “Enjoyed? It was fantastic, marvelous, brilliant, breathtaking—” She sighed. “I had no idea how wonderful making love could be.” She smiled sweetly. “Though I imagine it was due to your prowess.”

  “More so to you,” he admitted.

  “Me?”

  “Yes,” he said and kissed her softly. “I wanted this to be special for you and in doing so it was more than special for me.”

  Her smile grew. “It was special. I will remember it always.”

  He grinned. “It’s just the beginning for us.”

  Mercy nodded, that was all she could do, for she feared their time together would be short and after making love with him, the thought pained her heart.

  A yawn unexpectedly escaped her mouth and she rolled closer and cuddled against him. It was then she heard the clank of the chain and was reminded of their shackles. Not once during their lovemaking did she recall the chain. While they may have been fettered, they loved as if they were free.

  She snuggled even closer to his warmth, slipping her arm over his waist and sidling up against him.

  “You know you’re a perfect fit, don’t you?” he asked, his arm going around her.

  “I know,” she agreed. “It’s as if we were made of the same mold.”

  “I believe we were.”

  He reached behind him for the soft wool blanket and settled it over them.

  She nestled comfortably in the fit of his arms and realized that action spoke much louder and broader than words ever could, especially when it came to love. Neither of them may have spoken the words I love you aloud, but their actions spoke volumes.

  Soon her eyes were closing while her thoughts continued to linger on just how much Duncan and she loved each other.

  Duncan woke to the patter of rain and smiled. That the day dawned rainy filled him with pure delight. It meant that they would have to remain where they were and that was no trial at all.

  After last night, he knew he would never get enough of Mercy. Every touch and taste only had him hungering for more. And the pleasure he had derived from making love to her had been astounding. He had never enjoyed coupling so much, but then it had been so much more and that was what had made all the difference.

  Just thinking about it made him grow hard and while he would have loved to wake her with touches and kisses, she looked too peaceful to disturb. There would be time all day to dally and play.

  He grinned at the delightful thought.

  But he reminded and reprimanded himself for not thinking of the mission. He needed to return home and see what his brothers had learned. Any bit of information could be vital to their objective…to seat the rightful king to the throne.

  These were turbulent times in Scotland and only the rightful king could bring some order and peace to the land. He couldn’t let anything stand in the way, though he believed that Mercy would understand once he had a chance to explain it all to her. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that just yet. While he had no doubt she was trustworthy, he couldn’t take the chance and explain his mission to her. It had to be kept secret until he was sure of everything; then and only then could he confide in her.

  She stirred against him and his thoughts were quickly diverted. She was a beauty in many ways. And he especially favored the way she responded so eagerly to his every touch and kiss.

  While he was well aware that it had been her first time, it hadn’t seemed so. But then she had already slept naked in his arms more than once, so there was no apprehension when it came to that. And it had been obvious that she was just as eager to love as he had been.

  Love.

  That was the key, it had to be. It had been the only factor missing in all the times he had coupled. He may have cared for the women he had been intimate with, but there had been no love there on either part. He had purposely kept a distance from falling in love. He had reminded himself over and over again that he had no time for it now. Later when all was settled and done, then he would love.

  Love, however, seemed to have a different plan in mind.

  And he had to admit that from the very first, Mercy had enticed him, though he had pictured a far different woman for himself. Larger, stronger, and yet she had turned out to be both. Even though she was petite, she was large in spirit and strong in nature.

  She was perfect for him.

  Her eyes drifted open and she smiled at him.

  He grinned. “It’s raining.”

  She chuckled. “Were you praying for rain?”

  “As hard as I could.”

  “That makes two of us,” she said and placed a soft kiss on his chest.

  “You’re playing with a fire that’s already aflame,” he warned.

  “I don’t mind getting burned.”

  Her sultry voice was enough to tempt, but when her hand closed around him, he knew he was finished.

  “My turn,” she whispered and began to kiss him all over while her hand explored.

  They didn’t dress or eat until noon. They snuck outside when the rain grew light to see to their personal needs and hurried back in to sit before the fire.

  Duncan was content with the silence between them, talk seemed unnecessary at the moment. It was nice just being able to share the quietude after weeks of trying to survive.

  Mercy interrupted the silence with a sigh. “I wish it could always be this peaceful.”

  “We will have many more such moments,” he said, for he had no intentions of losing her. Life simply would not be the same without her.

  “You always sound so confident.”

  “Because I am,” he boasted with a smile.

  “Then I should simply believe you?” she asked.

  He heard the urgency of hope in her voice and he wanted to reassure her. “If you do nothing else, Mercy, believe in me. I will be there for you.”

  She laid her head on his shoulder. “I have since the start.”

  He hugged her and they said no more. They sat and listened to the fire crackling in the hearth, each lost in their own thoughts. Good or bad, it didn’t matter, for right now they had each other.

  The rain grew in intensity again and the wind whipped at the cottage, but they remained safe and protected inside. When night fell and supper was done they undressed each other and drifted into each others’ arms.

  They took their time exploring and enticing until their passion demanded satisfaction and they joined together as one. They held tight to one another as waves of pleasure simultaneously racked their bodies.

  They slept then, though
Duncan woke in the middle of the night with such an aching need for her that he couldn’t resist touching her. She responded, in her sleep at first, and then woke as he slipped into her and she accepted him, her own body aching with need.

  Surprisingly, they woke early the next morning and weren’t too pleased to see the sun rise bright and the day clear. There would be no reason to delay their journey any longer. And the thought angered Duncan.

  He mumbled and groaned and began snatching the food off the blanket and shoving it in the sack.

  “Tempermental today?” Mercy snapped.

  “You sound the same yourself,” he accused.

  “I suppose it’s contagious.”

  “Oh, it’s my fault now?”

  “You’ve been a grouch since you woke,” she said.

  “So what if I have?”

  “So I don’t like it.”

  “Well, you can’t like everything,” he snapped.

  “I like everything about you.”

  He stared at her as she drifted closer.

  Her delicate hand reached out and slipped inside his shirt to rest against his naked chest.

  “I like the feel of you and I like the taste of you.”

  She nuzzled her face in the opening of his shirt and kissed his chest before drifting over to his nipple and teasing it with her tongue.

  He groaned.

  She looked up at him as her hand moved down under his plaid and grabbed hold of him. “But I especially like when you’re inside me.”

  That was it. He grabbed her around the waist and swung her up, her legs instantly wrapped around his middle. Then he rushed her backward and braced her back against the door.

  He kissed her like a starving man. “You make me crazy with the want of you.”

  “Then take me, for I want you just as badly.”

  He didn’t waste a minute, he entered her fast and furious and that’s the pace they kept. It took only minutes for them both to explode in a blinding fury, not once but twice.

  Once his senses returned, Duncan rested his brow to hers. He worried that he may have hurt her since he had thought of nothing but the need that had gnawed at him.

  “Good lord, Duncan, that was wonderful.”

  A wide grin surfaced before he laughed. “And here I thought I may have hurt you.”

  “Nonsense, you made me feel better,” she admitted. “I was feeling a bit grouchy myself. But now I feel great.”

  He laughed. “Good. Then we’ll always know what to do to stop the other from being grouchy.”

  “Oh my, yes,” she agreed and kissed him.

  “Now it’s time to go,” he said reluctantly.

  “I know, but I shall never forget this place, this time with you. It’s been the best time in my entire life and I will cherish it forever.”

  “So will I,” he said and though he wanted to tell her that he would cherish her forever, he waited. There were things he needed to do first and then…then he would make Mercy his wife.

  Chapter 19

  The day remained clear, though a chill hung in the air. Duncan draped the blanket around Mercy like a shawl.

  “What have you to keep you warm?” Mercy asked.

  He grinned, and realized he had been grinning more than usual lately, and that made his grin grow even wider. “I have you.”

  She shook her head.

  He hugged her to him. “Just the thought of you heats every inch of me.”

  She laughed and gave him a playful shove. “There will be none of that, or we’ll not get very far today.”

  He took hold of her hand. “Right now, I’m pleased to be where I am.”

  “I admit the same,” she said, “but all good things come to an end eventually.”

  “Not with us,” he said adamantly.

  He didn’t like that she didn’t agree or that she didn’t respond at all. But then could he blame her? It had been a difficult road for them, but more so for her. He at least had his family to return to, she had no one. And though it was different now, she still had faced the prospect of being on her own. Not a good place to be for a woman.

  “We can cover much ground today,” she said and began walking.

  He was right by her side, their hands still firmly clenched as if in fear of being separated even though the shackles made that impossible. It was their way to remain connected and it would always be until the day the heavens separated them and even then he would fight to remain with her, for he had no intention of ever losing Mercy, not even to death.

  The day and land proved gracious to them. The terrain was pleasant as was the weather and so they covered more ground than they had expected. A brief meal under a large oak and a few kisses and intimate touches that promised a night of lovemaking and they were off again.

  With their thoughts overly occupied they didn’t realize that they approached the border of Pict territory. And unknowingly they slowed their pace, their steps more cautious.

  Mercy turned to Duncan. “There’s something wrong. I can feel it.”

  “A few more feet past these woods and we leave Pict land.”

  She shook her head. “I thought we would have another night of peace.”

  “I hadn’t realized we covered as much of a distance as we did, for I thought the same.”

  “Beyond, we are once again vulnerable to the king’s soldiers?”

  “Aye, the possibility exists once more.”

  “How far to your land?” she asked.

  “If we kept a good pace we could possibly reach it by nightfall.”

  Her slim fingers tightened around his. “What if we remained on Pict land for one more night?”

  “As much as I’d like that, there is a chance that being this close to the border, the king’s soldiers might venture across. And while I have no doubt the Picts are watching, I would not feel as safe as we did at the cottage.”

  She nodded. “You’re right, I but hoped.”

  “Once home we’ll need not worry about it any longer.”

  She looked up at him. “And the chain will come off.”

  He nodded, though he knew in his heart that while free of the shackles, their love forever chained them together and he liked the thought.

  “Let’s be done with this,” she said bravely.

  “We will finish this, so that you and I can begin.”

  He didn’t like that she didn’t smile or verbally agree with him, she simply nodded.

  They continued on, drawing ever closer to the border until finally Duncan stopped.

  “Not far ahead we leave Pict land. The forest grows thicker, which means more places for the soldiers to hide, and more places for us to take cover. We will need to remain silent and alert, and watch our steps.”

  “Much like we did before.”

  “Only this time we are a stone’s throw away from my land. Once on it and spotted by the sentinels we should be safe.”

  “I’m ready.”

  She sounded to him as she did the day they had jumped off the cliff together, confident even though fearful.

  “We’ll make it,” he assured her.

  She smiled then. “I have no doubt.”

  Her smile and belief in him was reassuring and their next steps began the end of one journey and the beginning of another.

  It had been several hours since they had left Pict land and Mercy could feel the difference. The air had chilled considerably and apprehension hung heavy around them. Every crack, squawk and rustle had them stopping to listen and observe, which slowed their pace. But it couldn’t be helped. They needed to be more cautious than ever. They were much too close to being free to make a foolish mistake now.

  Duncan tugged at her hand signaling her to stop. He crouched down and she followed. He quietly cleared a small patch of earth with his hand, then with a small twig drew a map of sorts. He was attempting to show her the distance until they reached his land.

  It wasn’t far off and she assumed that he felt that this was the
area that they could be most vulnerable to attack.

  She nodded her understanding and they once again were on the move.

  Mercy silently prayed for their speedy departure from the area to safe ground as she kept keen eyes on the surrounding forest and the path they traveled. Talk wasn’t possible even without the danger of being heard. The rough terrain demanded complete attention.

  Thick dead branches lay strewn around and sizable rocks, partially hidden by earth and time, jutted out unexpectedly, catching a foot or scraping a leg. More than once Duncan’s quick response prevented her from falling. And each time there was no annoyance or judgment in his dark eyes, simply concern.

  She could feel exhaustion begin to claim her limbs and, as before, she ignored it and plodded on. There would be time enough to rest once they reached safe ground.

  She was grateful, however, when a short time later Duncan signaled for them to stop and take a brief rest.

  She leaned against a thick tree trunk allowing her weary limbs to rest while Duncan busily looked about. She knew she had only a few moments and a nap wasn’t possible or wise, but she closed her eyes hoping to pretend when she opened them that she had napped for a couple of hours.

  Her eyes sprung open and she tensed when she heard the crack of a branch and immediately looked to Duncan to see if he had heard it too. He had. His eyes were wide and his finger pressed to his lips, reminding her to remain silent.

  “Watch where you’re stepping, you fool.”

  The low and angry whisper seemed to surround them and all they could do was remain still and wait.

  “We’ve seen no sign of them,” the man said angrily. “I tell you, the Picts got them.”

  “They better not have,” the other man retorted sharply. “The king now wants her alive.”

  The man grumbled. “What if she’s already dead?”

  “I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell the king that.”

  Their voices faded along with their footsteps.

  Mercy decided that it would be best if she appeared perplexed as to why the king would want her kept alive. So she was surprised when Duncan stepped close to her and leaned down to whisper in her ear.