Page 103 of Black Heart

“Ye shouldn’t have talked backto me Da,” Macha said in way of greeting as she finished crawling beneath the tent’s flaps.

“Aye, I’ll try to remember that the next time he’s pulling ye through the camp by ye hair,” Tadgh said dryly, shifting slightly on his sleeping fur and immediately wishing that he hadn’t when the small action caused agonizing pain to shoot through the cuts marring his back.

“I had it handled,” Macha argued, opening her small satchel. “Besides,” she rushed to continue before he could call her out on her lie, “I don’t remember asking ye for yer help.”

He chuckled. He couldn’t help it. “Ye never have to ask fer it, mo ghrá.”

“Ye shouldn’t be calling me that. If me father hears-”

“Then, he’ll know that much sooner that ye belong with me,” Tadgh said firmly, loving the way that she worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she tried to hide a pleased smile from him.

She didn’t say anything else while she laid out her herbs and cleaning cloths and he didn’t care. He was more than happy to lie there and watch her. She was his heart, his soul, and he’d known that since the moment that he’d laid eyes on her when they were nothing more than children.

“Ye need to stop pushing me father,” Macha said, sounding sad as she set to work cleaning his cuts.

“Then, he needs to keep his hands off ye, lass,” Tadgh said, trying not to cringe when the herbs stung him.

“He could have killed ye when ye threatened to kill him if he ever touched me again.”

“It was a promise, lass, and believe me, if I ever see him hurt ye like that again I will kill him,” Tadgh swore, meaning every word because he would kill the bastard.

He’d do whatever it took to keep her safe.

* * *

“Please,”Macha said, panting heavily as she shifted beneath him in an attempt to tempt him to take her.

“Please what, mo ghrá?” Tadgh asked, teasing her with the tip of his cock and loving the way she growled in frustration as he pulled away when she tried to roll her hips and take the choice away from him.

“Don’t make me kill ye,” Macha growled, making him chuckle as he returned his cock back to her core.

“Who knew that my wife was such a violent little thing,” Tadgh teased her as he leaned down and stole a kiss.

“Ye did! Now, take me before I’m forced to kill ye!” she snapped, rolling her hips up, and this time, he let her catch his cock.

“We wouldn’t want that now, would we?” Tadgh groaned as he slid inside her hot sheath, amazed at how wet she could get with a few simple touches and kisses.

Knowing that they needed to be quiet, Tadgh leaned down and took her mouth as he picked up his pace. He swallowed her moans as she did the same for his groans, both aware that any noise could draw the wrong kind of attention and cost them their lives. They shouldn’t be doing this, but he couldn’t help himself.

She was everything to him and he needed to be with her and touch her. He hated that they were forced to sneak around, but until his service to his king was over or he figured out another way to get her out of her marital contract, this was the only way that they could be together. One day, the king would pay for forcing him to sneak around with his wife like she was one of the whores that followed after their camp.

That day couldn’t come fast enough for him.

* * *

“I can’t askye to do this!”

“Ye don’t have to, lad,” Liam said, unconcerned as he grabbed his sword and headed for the door of their small hut.

The rest of his brothers grabbed their swords and satchels without a word and followed after Liam, but this wasn’t over. Tadgh grabbed his own sword and the satchel that held his and Macha’s things and headed after his brothers.

“I’ll be right back,” he told her, hoping that for once, she’d do as she was asked and wait here for him, but she didn’t and probably never would.

“Ye know that yer not going to be able to talk them out of this,” Macha said as she caught up to him.

“Aye, I know,” Tadgh bit out, taking her hand in his. “Stubborn bastards.”

She chuckled as they hurried to catch up to his brothers, who were already a good distance ahead of them.

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