Irish Seduction (10 page)

She picked up her skirts and hurried from the room before returning a short while later. She handed him a small leather pouch. “This was my grandmothers, now it is yours.”

He opened the bag and poured its contents into his palm. A small silver ring, wet with rubies surrounding the beaten metal twinkled back at him. His heart hammered in his chest, his throat tightened with emotion, and he thought of what the night would bring him. A wife, and a whole new life was being laid out before him. Would he be able to stand up to the promises that he was going to make this night?

“Thank you, Mother.” He wrapped his arms around her. “Will you stand with me tonight and welcome your new daughter?”

“Nothing would please me more,” she replied.

Jasper was restless for the remainder of the day. He walked from the house to the stable many times before Richard grabbed him by the hand and taking their swords, pushed him toward the forest.

“You are in need of some serious energy burning, my friend.” He laughed at Jasper’s confused state.

“Aye, I feel like a lost lamb at the moment. I have never in my life been such a bundle of nerves.”

“Oh well, that is to be expected, since you have bedded the daughter of a god and ruined her for anyone else,” Richard replied. “Who wouldn’t be nervous with the thought of death hanging over their head?”

“If you are trying to make me feel better, you are doing a lousy job of it,” Jasper snapped. “I can kick myself when I am down, thank you very much.”

“Only trying to help where I can.” Richard faced Jasper in the clearing and held out his sword. “Take out your frustration on me, my friend. It would be no good to go to your wedding jumpy like a scared rabbit, now would it?”

His words got the reaction he was looking for. Jasper growled and lunged at him, the clash of the longswords ringing through the quiet forest. They fought well and hard. Richard had the upper hand more often than not, because Jasper’s mind had a tendency to wander to other matters. After almost losing his sword, he retaliated and fought with a vengeance. It wasn’t until they were both exhausted and Jasper had settled his nerves that they called a halt.

“Best you go and bathe now,” Richard said, not one to give up needling his best friend. “Heaven forbid you arrive at the altar smelling like you had done a turn in the stables.”

He ducked when Jasper swung his hand at him. Laughing, they both staggered back to the house. Jasper went to his room to bathe and then had supper with his mother in the library beside the fire.

He fussed until she took his arm and led him out of the house. The night was cool and clear. The moon hung high above the castle, surrounded by the stars. In the garden, bathed in moonlight was Leona and beside her stood her sister, Mari.

His heart thudded when he looked at his future wife. She was beautiful, regal. She gazed calmly at him. She was wearing a white dress that clung to her body in all the places he was so familiar with. He could feel his blood pulse through his veins as he watched her walk toward him. Mari followed behind, her eyes never leaving Jasper’s face.

Leona walked into his arms and wrapped her hands around his face, then kissed him gently on the lips. He closed his eyes and drank in her smell, his heart a mixture of nerves and love. He lifted his head and gazed into the green eyes of Mari.

“Are you sure of this?” he asked her.

“More importantly, are you?” she asked, her voice cool and clear.

“I have never loved anyone the way I love your sister,” Jasper replied.

He kissed his wife to be on the hair and turned to his mother.

“Mother, let me introduce you to Mari and her sister, Leona, your new daughter-in-law.”

Lady Ellen stepped forward and took Leona into her arms. “Welcome, my child, welcome.”

Jasper watched his mother with awe when she greeted the goddess that would be his wife; Lady Ellen had no qualms about what he was doing. She was at ease with his decision and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was now the lord and master. They both knew he would not stand a chance of letting go of the woman that had claimed his heart. It was Leona that had done the chasing and would not take defeat as an option.

She let go of Leona and stepped forward to greet Mari. The older girl let herself be held, but kept her eyes on Jasper. When his mother let her go, she moved closer to him.

“You have something to say to me, lass,” Jasper said. “Best you come out and get it over with then.”

“I do not like being made a fool of,” she said, her chin held high, her gaze locked with his. “My sister says that you are the one for her and she knows her own heart. My concern is that when faced with my father’s rage, you will crumble like most earthly men.”

Jasper heard his mother gasp when the words crossed the cold night air. He liked the girl, she had spirit. And she was ready to stand for her sister. What most impressed him was that she was not scared to out him in front of others.

“I’ll not bow to any man, god, or otherwise,” Jasper said. “But I do thank you for the concern for my dear wife to be. She has no doubt explained to you how I wish to approach this and I have no fear that it will work. We need to give your father time to deal with the situation, but he will come around. You can count on it.”

“How can you be so sure?” Her red hair floated in the breeze, and she waited for his answer. Lucky would be the man that tamed her, he thought.

“Your father is an honorable man, my lady. He will not like my request, that I can guarantee, but he cannot afford to take back the offer your mother gave me of her own free will. He would lose standing with those that he governs and I don’t see him doing that. He will take his time to get used to the idea no doubt.” Jasper reached for her hand. “But I thank you for your concern and for standing in for him when I take my wife.”

He turned to where Richard was waiting for them and introduced them, giving her hand to Richard for the walk to the small chapel overlooking the sea where the priest awaited them. He turned to Leona, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her gently.

“Are you sure,
Mo grha’?”

“I have never been more sure of anything in my life,” she replied. Slipping one arm through his and the other through her future mother-in-law’s, they followed Richard and Mari to the small clearing in the trees overlooking the sea where a local priestess waited for them.

She positioned them side by side with Mari beside her sister and Richard supporting his mother by his side.

“Leona and Jasper. It is our joy to witness and share this hand fasting ceremony. You come before us to become one, to promise a new life of unity and love. Who gives this woman to this man?”

“I will,” Mari said.

“And who stands for this man?”

“I will,” Lady Ellen said.

The priestess took a scarlet ribbon from a stone alter behind her and wound it around Jasper and Leona’s hands binding them together.

“These are the hands that will comfort you and bring you joy.

“These are the hands that will protect you from all that you fear.

“These are the hands that will wipe the tears from your eyes.

“These are the hands that will cherish and love you through the years to come.

“These are the hands that will hold the children you give to each other.

“These are the hands that will hold you when you are frail.”

She paused and looked between the two of them. “Leona and Jasper, do you swear under the moon before me that you will love and honor each other, in times of sorrow and times of joy?”

“Yes,” they replied in unison.

“Even though I take these ties from you now, it is the ties in your hearts that bind you for eternity.” The priestess unwound the ties and placed them back on the alter before turning back to them. “You may now kiss your wife.”

Jasper needed no bidding. He turned Leona toward him and gently cupped her face in his hands, then put his lips to hers, teasing with his tongue until she parted them, allowing him to plunder her mouth. Her arms wound around his neck and they totally lost themselves in each other until they heard Richard coughing behind them.

Jasper lifter his head, raised his eyebrow, and glared at his friend. “Remind me of this when it is your turn, my friend.” He kissed his wife again.

They both accepted the good wishes of those present and retired to the main house once again to toast their union before the fireplace in the library. Richard soon bade them goodnight. Mari took her sister aside and spoke to her quietly before she too, wished them well and departed. That left them with Lady Ellen.

She took a chair and signaled for her daughter-in-law to kneel by her side.

“I must retire for the night shortly, my dear, but I wanted to let you know how much I admire you for the stand you have taken against your father. For too long our people have suffered the likes of Edrith O’Reilly with no recourse. Now we will have the support that we so need. But mostly, I wanted to thank you for bringing life to my son’s heart. He puts his duty before his own happiness and even though you still have difficulties ahead of you before you can openly be together, I want to thank you. You have made an old lady very happy.” She kissed Leona on both cheeks and rose to her feet. “Good night, Jasper. Sleep well.” She patted him on the shoulder when she passed him.

“Goodnight, Mother.” He watched her leave the room and turned to his new wife, his body smoldering with desire.

Jasper clasped Leona’s hands in his, twining his fingers through hers, and looked into her eyes. The light from the fire glowed on her hair and skin, making her creamy skin blush under its glow. Tonight he would make sure it was as if it was their first night together. He was unaware that she was a real person, thinking she was a dream when he first made love to her. There would be no doubt in their minds that this night would be totally real for both of them.

Taking her hand, he led her up the stairs to his room. The fire had been banked and the flickering flames threw light and shadow over the walls. Jasper pushed the door shut and turned to her. She stood before him, smiling serenely, and his heart ached for what they would face tomorrow.

But tonight she was his and he intended to savor every minute of it. Holding her cheeks in his hands, Jasper dipped his face down to hers and ran his tongue over her top lip. She gasped and opened her mouth to him while pressing her body into his.

Leona looped her hands around behind his back, fingers digging into his ass cheeks. His cock throbbed with desire, twitching painfully in his pants. His lips found the soft spot under her ear and he nipped and teased the tender skin with gentle bites.

With a soft sigh Leona pulled back from him, the firelight shining in her eyes as she gazed into his eyes. “Let me, my love. Tonight I will give you the pleasure you have given me.” Her hands lifted the shirt up over his shoulders, letting it slide free of his arms to drop to the wooden floor.

Jasper sucked in a sharp breath when her fingers slid into the waistband of his trousers.

She pulled the cord and undid the single button, pulling his pants over his hips. His erection sprung free and she ran her fingers down the silky length of it.

“Oh, my love, I don’t know if this is such a good idea. My body yearns for you so. I have no wish to embarrass myself by losing control,” Jasper said, his voice strained.

“There is no need to feel shame when your body responds to mine.” Leona dropped to her knees and Jasper squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to hold back, doubting that he could. When her warm breath blew over the sensitive head of his cock, his hips jerked with sensations that threatened to derail him. Clasping his hands in her hair, he breathed deeply.

Jasper opened his eyes and looked down at his wife. The glow from the fire highlighted the blonde tresses falling over her shoulders. How he wanted to pull her to her feet and take her to his bed.

He groaned when her moist lips covered his throbbing penis. She slid him further into her mouth, teasing the head with her tongue while he gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to pump into her. She withdrew and then took him deeper, letting her teeth scrape down his shaft. Before he knew it, Jasper was moving his hips, matching her pace. His blood raced through his veins as he reached his climax.

Leona held him in her mouth, his body shuddering as she milked every last drop from him. Jasper pulled her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her tight to his chest. He tried to steady his breathing, stunned by what she had just done.

“
Mo ghra,
that was heaven. It was not something that I expected from you.”

“Why not, my dear husband? You worship me with your body, why can I not do the same for you?”

“You are an amazing woman, Lady Leona.” He tilted his head back and gazed into her eyes. “Now it is my turn to make you gasp and squirm in delight as I explore your body.”

He found the tie of her dress and undid the bow that crossed over her breasts. Sliding the fabric from her shoulders, Jasper let it fall to the ground and pool at her feet. Her pale skin glowed in the light from the fire. He watched her nipples pucker under his gaze and his balls tightened in anticipation.

With a flourish, he picked her up and carried her to the huge four-poster bed. Jasper pulled the blankets back and tossed her onto the puffy feather mattress. Leona giggled and rolled to the center of the bed in a vain attempt to escape from him. Lying on her stomach she glanced over at her new husband, pale hair falling over her face. Jasper climbed up on all fours and reached out to her.

He kissed the spot between her shoulder blades, smiling to himself when a shiver raced over her skin. He brushed the hair from her shoulders to one side and ran his lips over her skin, working up to her neck. Jasper flicked his tongue over her earlobe, the resulting gasp from her mouth sending the blood rushing to his cock.

Half covering her body with his, Jasper pushed her down into the bed, then pulled her hands up to rest on the pillow above her head. He ran his fingers down her arms, sliding them under her body to cup her breasts as he straddled her body.