Page 35 of The Highlander's Inconvenient Wife
“I daenae ken if that’s a good idea, lass,” he whispered and gently touched the tip of her nose before smiling.
“Why not?” she pouted slightly before coming in closer and pressing her lips against his, stifling his protests.
Jasper’s eyes remained shut for a second before he looked at her again. “Ye will have far too much power over me then,” he winked at her.
“I command it,” she said in a breathy tone, placing her hand flat against his abs and feeling the muscles through his shirt before making her way to the hard bulge between his legs. Her pulse suddenly quickened as she felt his reaction through his breeches. She’d heard that a man could get hard when he was attracted to a woman, yet the power she felt beneath her fingers was almost more than she was expecting.
Taking in a sharp breath, Jasper cursed and placed his hand over hers and guided her into his breeches, showing her how to give him pleasure in the same way that he had done for her as his eyelids drifted shut.
Joan’s breath began to quicken along with his as she wrapped her fingers in the way that he showed her and began to move. It wasn’t long before Jasper with grunting with pleasure.
* * *
“Was it good?” she asked as he collapsed his head against her chest, slowing his breathing and holding her close.
She stroked the hair from his face and kissed his forehead, expecting his answer. She needed to know that she’d brought him just as much pleasure as he had given her.
“Aye, it was.” He smiled up at her and kissed her chest before shifting his position and pulling her onto his chest in a tight embrace. The warmth of his body chased away the breeze as they lay in each other’s arms.
The sun was just beginning to set as Joan watched the clouds floating across an amber sky. The mountain above them changed colors as the wind painted pictures, manipulating the trees and their shadows.
Running his fingers over the bare skin of her shoulders where her dress had slipped, Jasper continued to hold her close. The moment between them stretched into what seemed like an eternity.
18
Laying in his arms, Joan reached up and stroked his cheek; she’d never felt more at peace than she did in that moment. She felt as if she could open up and have the discussions that needed to be had.
“Can I ask you something?” she whispered with her cheek against his chest.
“Aye?” His body seemed fully at rest as he lay in the grass, gently stroking her arm with the tips of his fingers as his breaths came in an even flow.
“What happened to your eye?” Joan immediately regretted her decision when she felt his body tensing beneath her touch.
Gently moving her aside, Jasper sat up and clenched his jaw with his back to her, looking out over the meadow that was barely visibly now that evening was creeping in.
“I didn’t mean to offend you,” Joan sat up and fixed her dress, giving him a few moments of silence; her question had obviously angered him. His sudden distance was evidence of the fact that he’d rather not talk about whatever had happened.
“It was a long time ago,” he spoke with his back still turned to her.
Joan stopped pulling the pieces of grass from her braid and stared at his broad shoulders. She felt as if she were watching a dear — any slight movement could chase him away.
“Me faither was a very cruel man,” he sighed heavily and shook his head. “I daenae like talking about what happened…” his voice trailed off again as if he were fighting an internal battle that caused him a great deal of pain.
Feeling a wave of empathy toward him, Joan crept forward and came to his side, looking out over the evening sky as she waited patiently. Giving him the space he needed to process his feelings, she drew her legs up to her chest and hugged them tightly.
“He used to wage wars against the nearby clans for wealth more than anything else.” Jasper looked down as he spoke, recalling the memories that he’d pushed to the back of his mind. “There was never really any due cause for the wars other than me faither wantin’ more land an’ coins.”
Joan thought of how difficult it must have been to live in constant unrest with a father who sought nothing but wealth and war. Her mind briefly wandered to the baron and his reasons for trying to entrap her. There was a rumor that he just wanted a wife with a large dowry, yet none of that had ever been confirmed.
“Everyone sought revenge after he died; it was up to me to ensure the safety of the clan.” The corner of his mouth twitched nervously as he opened up, continuing with his story. “There were quite a few lairds that made as if they wanted peace, but they only wanted to get close enough to enact their plans.”
Placing her hand on his arm, she offered him the comfort she hoped would encourage him to trust her and finish his story. “That’s why you keep to yourself.” It suddenly made sense to her why the castle was so isolated from the rest of the world. Keeping everyone away was his only form of defence.
“Aye, I was only seventeen when I became laird. I had to learn a lot of the lessons the hard way. It may seem as if everything I do is unreasonable, but it’s the only way that works. I cannae tell ye how many battles I had to win.” He shook his head in disgust. “The innocent blood that I had to spill to make the rest of the lairds respect me.”
“Did you lose your eye in battle?” She felt completely lost in the story he was telling as she hung on his every word.
Shaking his head, he took a deep breath. “Nae, I told ye ‘afore that me faither was nae a good man. He used to hit me maither an’ I whenever he pleased. We were the constant outlet for his anger. It happened on the day I turned seventeen…” he spat in disgust as his words trailed off.
