What was she going to do? She was trapped here. She closed her eyes and silently prayed that Colin would hear her thoughts. Perhaps even come for her. She couldn’t imagine sleeping another night in this bed. She’d have to sleep with one eye open.
When there was a knock at her door, she stiffened.
“Ella, ’tis me,” said Alex.
Sybella slowly opened the door and let him in. He had a strange look on his face that she couldn’t quite figure out. If he’d discovered her purpose, he did not say. When she closed the door, he turned and hesitated. In her nervousness, she blurted out the first words that came to mind.
“What did ye find out?”
He ran his hand through his hair. “Naught.”
“What do ye mean?”
“I donna understand it. Ian is my best tracker. He found my trail when I broke off from ye, and he found your trail where ye stopped by the tree, but there is nay evidence of another man. It was as if he wasnae there.”
She folded her arms over her chest. “I didnae shoot the arrow at myself, Alex.”
He reached out to touch her, and she gently pulled away from him. “I am nae saying ye did. I am saying there are nay signs of another. Do ye know of anyone who would want to see ye harmed, lass?”
“Besides ye?” Sybella couldn’t help herself. The words were out of her mouth before she had a chance to stay them.
Alex’s eyes narrowed. “Me?”
“If ye donna want me as your wife, I—”
He quickly closed the distance between them, and her last words were smothered by his lips. He forced her mouth open with his trusting tongue, and she succumbed to the domination of her husband’s kiss. Blood pounded in her brain, leapt from her heart, and made her knees tremble. If not for his hands supporting her, she would have fallen.
The caress of his lips on her mouth set her aflame. He was so warm. Hot. She couldn’t miss the musky smell of him as he pressed her closer.
She tried to deny the pulsing knot that had formed in her stomach and her wildly beating heart, which was the only sound audible.
His shoulders heaved as he breathed, and his closeness was so male, so bracing. Her mind told her to resist, but her body refused to listen.
He swept her, weightless, into his arms and carried her silently to the bed. Her head fit perfectly in the hollow between his shoulder and neck.
He eased her down onto the bed and reclaimed her lips, pressing himself on top of her. She was made to endure the cruel ravishment of his mouth. His kiss became punishing, as if he scolded her for the words she had attempted to speak.
When he pulled back, Sybella tried to swallow the lump that lingered in her throat. His eyes searched her face, reaching into her thoughts.
“I would ne’er cause ye harm, Sybella.” He brushed back the hair from her face. “I am proud to have ye as my wife.”
Before she could respond, Alex reclaimed her mouth with savage intensity. She’d never dreamt that she could crave one man’s touch with so much eagerness. The wicked sensations left her burning with fire. For someone who had wanted to kill her, he certainly went out of his way to give her pleasure.
He pulled down her dress over her shoulders. She could barely sustain the gasp that escaped her as his thumb began stroking small circles over the sensitive tip of her breast. She closed her eyes, allowing the pleasure to crash down upon her. If she was going to die, praise the saints, this was the way she wanted to meet her maker—in the arms of her enemy.
His lips trailed a path down her neck, and her body turned to liquid fire, heavy warmth pooling between her legs.
“Ye are so beautiful.” Alex’s voice was tight with strain.
When his hand slid under the edge of her skirts, Sybella’s breath caught as his fingers trailed their way up along her thigh, then higher still.
She froze and could no longer return her husband’s kiss. She couldn’t think about anything other than his hand and where it was going to touch her.
“’Tis all right, Ella,” he whispered against her ear.
Nothing could have prepared her for the sweet rapture of his finger brushing against her tingling flesh. Over and over, he swept against her. She knew she should be shocked. This had to be a sin to feel so wonderful.
“God, ye are so wet for me.”
She writhed in sweet agony. Instinctively, she lifted her hips against his hand, wanting more. As if he sensed her impending need, he finally slid his finger inside her. God’s teeth! What was happening to her?
Her breathing was coming hard and fast, and she squeezed her thighs against her husband’s hand.
“Alexander…”
“Just come for me, sweet Ella.”
“Alex…”
She tensed as the force of her release hit her and Alex continued to rub her most sensitive spot. Her body ached for his touch. She could no longer control the outcry of delight as she shattered into a million pieces.
She called out his name again and he let out a guttural moan. He hastily released his kilt and moved his hard body atop hers as she caressed the length of his back. His lips brushed her nipples, and when he suckled her breast, she thought she’d died in bittersweet rapture.
Sybella snuggled against him as their legs intertwined. Sweat beaded upon his brow. Everything was so hot. So wet. And with one quick thrust, they were as one.
He slowly moved inside her and she waited for the pain to come. To her surprise, a spurt of hungry desire spiraled through her instead. She could feel the heat of his body course down the entire length of hers.
His hardness caused her whole being to flood with passion, and she was again roused to the peak of desire. She’d never dreamt she could feel so warm and secure in her husband’s embrace.
“I beg ye nae to count sheep,” he said through gritted teeth.
She spoke in between breaths. “I have nay intention…of counting…sheep.”
As if he sensed the awakened response within her, he moved faster and she completely surrendered to his masterful seduction. She wanted to yield to the burning sweetness that seemed captive within her.
Passion rose within her like the hottest of fires, clouding her brain. They both came together, exploding in a downpour of fiery sensations.
And she gasped in sweet agony—again.
As Alex lay next to Sybella, both of them spent, he briefly contemplated at what point he had lost all self-control. When Ian had assured him there was no trail, many thoughts had raced through Alex’s mind. Frankly, bedding his wife was not one of them.
The lass had stood defensively before him, blatantly accusing him of wanting to harm her. She had made him angry, and Alex wanted to do nothing more than teach her a lesson. He had meant every word when he spoke his marriage vows, so he was bound by duty to protect her. How could the daft female think he would deliberately cause her harm? For the first time, he had wanted to be with her—and not because it was his duty. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was starting to care for her, and he hoped his actions showed her that.
Sybella nestled her bottom against his groin, and he wrapped his arm around her waist. “Are ye all right?” he asked softly.
“I donna know. Mayhap ye should pinch me to make certain I am nae dead.”
He chuckled in response.
She turned over, facing him. Lifting her hand, she brushed the hair from his cheek. “Ye told me before that ye want honesty between us.” Sybella looked him directly in the eye and paused. “Did ye really want me as your wife?”
Praise the saints. The question was like a double-edged sword. No matter what he answered, he was doomed to suffer a most unpleasant fate. Granted, he was the one who had lectured the lass and demanded she spoke the truth. And he couldn’t very well expect her to speak openly with him if he didn’t follow his own advice.