LITMIR.BIZ

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he finished with, ‘And you like kissing me.’

      ‘Sometimes,’ she admitted.

      Styr took her hand in his, leading her up to the open meadow where new sheep grazed upon the tall grasses. ‘I brought you gifts from Dubh Linn,’ he told her.

      Caragh tried to keep the interest from her face. She couldn’t let herself be swayed by offerings, but he said, ‘Come to the boat and I’ll give them to you.’

      A sense of warning flared up. ‘If I go with you now, you’ll steal me away.’

      He cocked his head. ‘Would it be so bad to spend a night with me on the boat, watching the stars?’

      It did tempt her, and he offered, ‘I’d take you south to the lands of the sun. Where the warmth would change the colour of your skin darker.’ He traced a single finger down her throat, and the touch burned through her.

      ‘You would taste foods you’ve never had before. Spices and wine that linger upon your tongue.’

      ‘Would I see my brothers again?’ she ventured, going along with the dream.

      He nodded. ‘Whenever you wanted to go back, I would take you there.’

      His hand moved around her waist, but she stopped walking. ‘What happened with your wife? Tell me.’

      ‘I already did. She learned there was no child, and she divorced me.’

      Elena had divorced him? At her shocked expression, he continued, ‘She saw us together before you left with your brothers.’

      Her face darkened with shame. ‘I didn’t mean to come between you, Styr. And I shouldn’t have gone to you that night. It was wrong of me.’

      His fingers moved up her ribs in a light caress. ‘I haven’t stopped thinking of it, Caragh. Only the next time, I want my hands upon you.’

      A flare of desire shuddered through her at the thought. But she couldn’t simply drop the shields around her battered heart. ‘I want a man who will protect and love me.’ She raised her eyes to his, the apprehension rising within her. ‘But I need time.’

      Another barrier hung between them, and she questioned whether or not to voice it. His first marriage had ended because there had been no children. Though she didn’t want to hurt him, neither did she want to ignore the truth. If she chose him for a husband, there was a very real possibility that he could not give her children.

      ‘There is time now,’ he acceded. ‘I’ve come to stay, Caragh.’ His hand moved to touch the small of her back, and the gesture made her next words all the more difficult.

      ‘I won’t deny that I’ve missed you,’ she began, trying to choose the right words that needed to be spoken. ‘And my feelings haven’t changed.’ She took a breath and met his eyes. ‘But you only left her because she could not bear you a child. What if the same thing happens to us?’

      Her words were a sharp blade between them, for he didn’t know if he could grant her a child. Though it was possible that it was Elena who was barren, Styr had known men who had married again and again, never to bear sons of their own. If he couldn’t give Caragh children, were they condemned to the same fate as his first marriage? Would she grow to hate him, pushing him away and not wanting to share his bed?

      It was a truth he hadn’t wanted to face.

      The reality of her words made any other conversation impossible. He guided her back to the ringfort and found that Onund had brought their supplies to shore, anchoring the ship off the coast.

      She made excuses about having to begin preparing a meal, But he caught her hand. ‘This isn’t finished, Caragh.’

      She shook her head. ‘No. But I don’t know what to say to you or what to feel right now.’

      He let her go, and once she’d disappeared into her own house, her brothers approached. Neither appeared pleased to see him. While Ronan kept a short distance away, eyeing Styr’s ship and the few men he’d brought with him, Terence made no effort to disguise his rage. He strode towards Styr, and when he reached him, he swung his fists.

      Styr caught the man’s hand before it could strike his jaw, holding it in place. ‘I didn’t come to fight.’

      ‘That’s good, Lochlannach. It means I can kill you quicker.’ Terence followed up with his other fist, clipping Styr across the opposite jaw.

      Pain radiated through him, but he smiled at the man, no longer caring that this was Caragh’s brother. ‘You won’t succeed.’ If the man wanted a fight, he welcomed the chance to release his frustration and anger.

      ‘You made her cry,’ her brother accused. ‘And now you dare to show your face again?’

      ‘I’m going to wed her. You’d best get used to my face.’ He circled the man, knowing that Terence wouldn’t fight fair. Not when it came to guarding his sister.

      ‘And what does your wife have to say about that?’ he taunted. Before Styr could respond, he added, ‘Brendan told us. Were you ever going to tell Caragh?’

      ‘She knew, from the beginning. And Elena is my wife no longer.’

      Terence threw another punch that struck Styr in the ribs. He grunted against the pain and blocked another blow.

      ‘You’re nothing but a bastard who doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as Caragh,’ he taunted. ‘She should have left you chained to rot.’

      Without warning, the man unsheathed a blade, darting towards Styr. He saw a piece of driftwood lying nearby, and when Terence lunged, he dodged the strike and reached for the wood, using it to block the man.

      In one swift motion, he swung the wood towards Terence’s head, intending to knock the man unconscious. But at the last second, he heard Caragh cry out, and he halted the motion.

      She came running from her home, and the distraction rewarded him with a slice against his arm.

      ‘Terence, don’t!’ Caragh exclaimed, rushing forwards. Though his arm bled freely, Styr didn’t think the wound was too deep. He was amused when Caragh drew her hand into a fist and punched her brother in the shoulder before she came to his side. ‘That’s enough. Leave him alone.’

      Terence sent them both a dark look, but relented.

      ‘Why were you fighting?’ she demanded, urging Styr to sit so she could tend the wound.

      It occurred to him that he could take advantage of the minor cut, especially if it meant she would tend him. ‘He was angry at me for hurting you. And he thought I’d lied to you about Elena.’

      Caragh found a cloth and dipped it in water, washing the blood away. She held it in place, informing Terence, ‘You will not harm him. Whatever comes is between the two of us. Not you.’

      The desire for murder burned in Terence’s eyes. To Styr, he ordered, ‘You don’t hurt her again. If she cries one tear because of you, I’ll—’

      ‘Go and eat,’ Caragh interrupted. ‘Both of you. I’ll join you soon.’

      ‘He’s not eating with us,’ Terence insisted. ‘Let him dine on seaweed and whatever he can find crawling on the bottom of the sea.’

      Styr said nothing, knowing that he’d have done the same for his own sisters.

      ‘Go,’ she repeated.

      Her older brother Ronan started to guide Terence away, and he added, ‘We’ll expect you to join us soon.’ The unspoken words were: Or we’ll come and fetch you.

      ‘I’ll come when I want to. Not before.’ She crossed her arms, glaring at them.

      ‘You deserve better than a man like him,’ Terence said.

      ‘I deserve the right to choose.’ Waving them on, Caragh

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