A Contract Bride's Triple Surprise (8 page)

She fought the urge to throw the covers over her head in embarrassment. She’d worry about facing the town in the morning. Right now, she faced a man who smiled at her with his eyes as well as his mouth. The smile was fierce and full of desire. For her.

“You knew the window was open? You wanted other men to know!”

He got up on his elbow and looked down at her. She finally saw his eyes. She couldn’t tell the color, but they seemed dark.

“Are you my wife, Amelia MacDougal, until death do us part? Think hard before you reply. We have a baby to make, and I’m a hard worker. I’ll want you in bed, against the kitchen wall, in the meadow, and anywhere else.”

She shivered at the deep, demanding voice. She would always know where she stood with this man. He wanted her, all right. He challenged her, physically, emotionally, and intellectually. She didn’t fool herself to think of love. But she felt wanted in this man’s arms.

What she had discovered with Ross was something beyond anything she could imagine. With their bed to look forward to when the sun went down, she could get through anything during the day.

“Yes, Ross MacDougal, I am your wife. But know that I intend to have
you
as well.”

“Saucy wench,” he said. The tension in his body eased. He caressed her breast, causing a different tension to rise in her own body.

“There’s one thing you need to know. When I signed that contract, there was nothing in it stating I would obey you.”

“The woman always says ‘love, honor, and obey.’”

“Not this woman.”

He leaned up on an elbow and stared down at her with wide eyes. They grew darker. She swallowed hard when his nostrils flared. Her breasts tingled, the nipples crinkling. Between her legs, moisture spread.

“My wife will obey me. In bed and out.” He said it as if it was one of nature’s laws.

“Don’t be too sure about that, husband.” She screwed up her face, making a challenging face back at him.

He suddenly laughed. “We’ll talk about that later. Right now, I want you to scream my name again.”

She moved so she could see from his face to his sculptured chest and the dark nest between his thighs. As she watched, it stirred to life once more. He licked his index finger and touched the tip of her nipple. A zing shot to her pussy. Her nipple immediately hardened. He blew softly, the air cool against the damp flesh. Both nipples hardened. She felt a rush of heat rise.

“Could we have a marriage ceremony someday? Just something small—”

“Why?” He said it gently.

“I always dreamed of a wedding. We both know we signed a marriage contract, but I’d feel better if I said ‘I do’ in front of a preacher.”

He nodded. “Patsy Tanner warned Gillis you’d want that. She said, ‘Every girl dreams of her wedding day with a new dress, flowers in her hair, and a handsome man at her side.’” His eyes crinkled in a smile. “She says it’s time Tanner’s Ford had a real wedding.”

She released tension that had been winding up since the contract arrived. He gave her a quick kiss on the tip of her nose and then looked away as if thinking.

“Trace and Beth got hitched last year, but that was a quick job in the jail. Neither one was clean or fancy dressed. Nine months later, they had James.” His gaze swept back to her. “Beth says Trace is his father, but the next one will be Simon’s.”

She flushed, not wanting Ross to know Prue had written her about it. “Who is Simon?”

“Trace’s brother. His twin is Jack. All four Elliotts share ownership—and everything else—at the Rocking E Ranch.”

“I thought Beth was the only woman at the ranch. Is Simon married?”

“Sy’s not married. He and Jack share Beth.” He touched her erect nipple. “It’s Sy’s turn to make a baby with her. He wants a girl.”

Reading about it and having Ross tell her were two different things. A rush of heat flowed into her pussy. Did Beth have three men in her at once, like that book?

“This is Montana Territory,” said Ross. He ran a finger around her belly, making it hard for her to hear his words.

“There are hundreds of men for every free woman.” He picked up a lock of her hair and dangled it over her breast, tickling her. “That’s why Trace, Simon, and Jack share Beth. It would be wrong if only Trace has a woman warming his bed while the others do without. Sharing work and joy keeps the Clan strong.”

“Beth does, um, this, with more than one brother?”

He nodded. “Trace, Simon, and Jack.”

He gently cupped her breast. Her nipples hardened even more. If Ross’s hand made her body crave him again, what would it feel like with more than two hands and one mouth? If Nevin was like Ross, and she found Ross irresistible…

“Do they take turns sleeping with her?”

“Nope.”

He squeezed her nipple between his fingers. She gasped and pressed her legs together.

“I hear they share one very big bed,” he continued. He raised his eyebrows. “The MD homestead was built to the same design as the Rocking E. It has two bedrooms, a small one on the first floor and a big one above.”

She squirmed as he continued to play with her breasts.

“Gillis and Prue shared the small bedroom. Tillie and Auntie sleep there now with Hope and Peter, Tillie’s son. Gillis sleeps in the bunkhouse, where we boys used to live. We’ll be in the big bedroom upstairs.”

Her chest rose and fell quickly as her breathing quickened. Once more, she thought of the drawings with one woman and a couple of men. She licked her lips. Ross’s smile reminded her of a cat. He trailed a fingernail over her from breast to belly. She quivered in automatic response.

“I am the master, Amelia. If I want you, I will take you.”

She saw in his eyes the determination she heard in his voice. She trembled, but in eagerness rather than fright. She knew Ross wouldn’t hurt her. After years of her petty, domineering father, why would this man’s dominant sexual demand make her crave him? Perhaps it was because she knew she would get as much pleasure as he. Ross would push her to do things she’d never do otherwise. As he had this evening.

“Hard and fast, or slow and easy,” Ross continued after a moment. “My choice, my way. When, where, and how I want. It doesn’t matter if someone’s watching. Do you understand?” He growled the last few words.

She shook her head, wanting him to tell her what she could expect.

“I might see you in the kitchen while you’re working,” he said with quiet intensity. “You’ll be naked under your dress.” He held up a finger before she could refuse. “That’s the first rule. You will wear only what I allow. No chemise, drawers, corset, or petticoats.”

It would be like wearing her nightgown, her skin rubbing against the cotton.

“I’ll kiss you, like this.” He brought his lips to hers. When she yielded, he slid his tongue in. The skin between her teeth and upper lip was another place where his touch sent her reeling. He pulled back, chest heaving.

“Then I’ll kiss your ass or breasts.”

Since she lay on her back, he nibbled on her breasts. He caught her nipple between his tongue and the roof of his mouth, sending a message of urgency to her pussy.

“Maybe I’ll press your belly to the table, lift your skirts, spread your legs, and take your pussy from behind.”

She imagined him doing it, knowing someone could walk in. What would his brothers do?

“Another time, I’ll lie you on your back and rip the buttons off your dress. There you’ll be, flat on the kitchen table, naked and eager, for anyone to see.”

“What if someone came in?”

He shrugged as if it was no matter to him.

“What if I fight you?”

He slowly scanned her hot face, erect nipples, and swollen breasts.

“I’ll know you’re asking for punishment, so I’ll spank you.”

“What!” She struggled to move, but he rested his wide chest across her body.

“Just a love tap or two to warm you up. You’ll squeal, knowing my hard cock will soon be fucking you. That’s what loving is called when it’s hard and fast, Amy.”

“What—” She swallowed to clear her throat. “Then what will you do?”

“I’ll fuck you so hard you’ll have to hold onto the table so I don’t drive you right across it. When you come, you’ll scream my name. Everyone who hears will know who pleasured you.”

She trembled, wanting it. The danger of being seen, the thrill of being taken by someone who wanted her so bad that he had to have her, now!

“What if Nevin saw us?” She licked her lips, dry from her panting.

“Oh, Nev will see us,” he replied like a lazy cat. “If you’re lying on your back, your breasts might get cold when I lick your pussy. His mouth and hands will warm you up. And when I finish, I’ll ask him to take over. This time, you’ll scream his name.”

Wherever his eyes touched, she felt heat.

“There’s nothing like a well-pleasured woman wanting more,” he whispered. “But I’m not sharing you anytime soon.”

Chapter Seven

Ross held Amelia’s right breast, her warm back tight against his front. Spooning, Gillis called it, boasting that it was almost better than sex. He’d laughed at something so absurd. Now, he understood. It felt right to wake this way, his wife trusting him to protect her.

Tonight was the first night he slept with a woman. When he shared the bed of an eager woman, he left her well satisfied. He always left right after, alone. Even when he was deep inside a woman, he never reached out to touch. He’d learned to kiss well and to satisfy women, but all it had meant was a mutual easing of need.

Making love with Amelia MacDougal was a whole different world.

She sighed in her sleep and snuggled closer. She still had a touch of the rose soap she’d used in her bath, but now she wore his scent. Though the bond was invisible, she was forever marked as his. He’d been the first to waken her need and the first to feed it until she erupted.

He gently kissed her hair, careful not to wake her. She murmured something and sighed. Her breath drifted across his hand. She’d marked him, as well. He’d never known love though some had been kind to him. He cared for Gillis and Nevin, of course. He would fight to the death for them.

When her nipple hardened against his palm, he knew she had awakened. She pressed her backside against his rising cock, pretending to stir in her sleep. Testing her now, he relaxed his body, releasing a loud snore. She gave up her pretense of sleep. She pulled away, pushed him to his back, rolled to the edge of the bed, and stood up. She tried to pull off the loose top sheet, but he held tight. Though her face flamed, she walked across the room and went behind the screened corner. He admired the way her ass cheeks moved with each step.

He heard her use the chamber pot and wash. He waited for her, arms crossed behind his head, cock rising like a mast from his belly. He stared when she emerged from behind the screen. The sun had barely crept over the horizon. At home, he’d already be in the saddle. Maybe she would ride him again.

She tossed her hair over her shoulder and stuck her fists on her hips, shoulders back. A breeze slipped in the window and rippled her hair. It flowed behind her like a cape. She glared at him like Brigit, the Celtic warrior goddess.

Her breasts, full and round, easily filled his large hands. He could hold her wide hips as he pounded into her from behind. Those hips would safely carry and deliver the children his Clan needed. Her ass cheeks were plump enough that his fingers would press his mark into her when he stood tall and lifted her onto his cock.

She was his. His to have, to hold, and to share.

Not until his babe was growing in her would Nevin enter her pussy with his cock. That first child, boy or girl, would be his. He would love them all, Hope included, but deep in his heart, he would know something of theirs existed in the world.

Amy stared at his cock as it bounced with his heart beat. She licked her lips, too naïve to have done it on purpose, making him harder. She stalked toward him—there was no other word for it—and knelt on the bed. Still staring at his cock, she crawled over to him. She lay down, facing him, and watched in fascination. A drop of fluid glistened in the light. He groaned.

“Was that a groan of pleasure or pain?”

“I’m so hard I can’t tell.”

She snuggled closer to him, one leg between his, her breasts pressed against his chest. He placed an arm around her, feeling the tension in her back. She bit her lip, unwilling to meet his eyes. He waited, making slow circles with his hand.

“For years, I had these dreams. Not often, but they were memorable. I’d wake, wanting…something. Tonight, I discovered what that something was.”

“Orgasms.”

She flushed. “Not just that. When I woke with you at my back, your arm holding me, protecting me, I realized I’d never felt so wanted.” She concentrated on a design she drew on his chest with her finger. “If we hadn’t found each other, I’d never know what I’d missed.” She finally looked at him. “I’m sure Nevin is a nice man, but I’m glad I married you.”

She laid her head on his chest. He heard soft sniffles. Not knowing what to do but not wanting to upset her, he did nothing. When a hot tear dropped on his chest, he wrapped both arms around her and held her tight.