In My Wild Dream Read online

  Scottish wool from fine merino sheep was displayed in several stages of refinement from large bags, to cards, to spools and ultimately to final skeins of yarn or thread. There were metalworkers displaying tables of girdles, headbands and belts. Jewelers offered set and unset stones as well as a few elaborate examples of their commissioned work.

  The streets of the Ladies’ Market were filled with ladies and gentlemen casually strolling along the rows. A few men carried packages while many ladies fingered items of interest. As Cadedryn weaved through the throng to locate the glove makers, a cut garnet amulet caught his eye. The reddish color gleamed in the sunshine like a pair of cat eyes. As he looked closer, he saw that the piece had been skillfully shaped into the form of a cat.

  “I’ll take this,” he said as he handed the jeweler several coins. “And the gold chain.”

  “Beautiful purchase, milord.”

  Cadedryn nodded. “Where are the glove makers?”

  “Over there.” The jeweler motioned. “Next row.”

  Cadedryn walked around to the last rows, but was flummoxed when he saw three stands. He was scanning the tabletops, searching for a note, when he was appalled to see Lady Kassandra once again. She was staring at him quizzically.

  His face drained of color. Why was she here? What if she saw his missive and read it?

  “Lord Caenmore,” Kassandra said in a surprised tone. “Did your meeting end so quickly?” In her hand she held a pair of pink gloves that matched the silken mantle on her head.

  Ignoring her question, he started to turn away, but she stopped him by laying a bare hand on his arm. “Don’t let me be a distraction. You were clearly searching for something or someone. Perhaps I can help? Are you looking for a pair of gloves for Lady Corine?”

  Her touch was light, but it sent tiny shock waves over his skin. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that she was not his tigress. She was a prim virgin with a ludicrous dream of finding her true love in the one man who had no desire to love. He should not react to her with similar sexual interest just because her face was similar to his mistress’s.

  “No, not for Corine,” he mumbled.

  “No? Then for whom?” She lifted an arched eyebrow, secretly laughing at his obvious discomfort.

  He flushed and quickly reversed his statement, aware that he had no other excuse for shopping in this aisle. “I mean, yes. I was looking for a present for her.”

  “Indeed! Well, then, what about these lovely white gloves with the silver buttons? No? Too youthful? How about this gray crocheted pair? No, too dowdy for her.” Kassandra ran her fingers along the rows, reveling in Cadedryn’s distress. This was so much fun! “Oh!” she cried as Cadedryn tried to move away. “What an awful color! Red! Why would anyone wear red gloves?”

  Cadedryn froze and stared at the pair in Kassandra’s hand. The corner of a white parchment peeked out from under the pearl buttons, and he swallowed, wanting to snatch the item from the lady’s hands.

  “Remove these immediately!” Kassandra called to the vendor. “You insult the good ladies of the court by displaying such vulgarity.” She coughed to stifle her laugh at the look of horror on Cadedryn’s face.

  “Wait!” he said as the vendor reached for the offending articles. “Let me see them first.”

  “No,” Kassandra replied as she tossed them over the table. “I insist that you find something more suitable for your lady. How about these?”

  Cadedryn practically ripped the pair from the vendor’s hands. “I will choose my own gifts,” he grumbled. “Good day, milady.” He tossed Lady Kassandra an angry glance and flung some coins at the seller.

  Kassandra smiled at him. She opened her eyes wide and batted her eyelashes while offering a ladylike inclination of her head.

  It was the gleeful glimmer in her eyes that made Cadedryn pause. He narrowed his gaze suspiciously. “Are you laughing at me?” he asked in a warning tone.

  “Heavens no! What would I have to laugh about?” She turned her back to hide the quiver on her lips. If she didn’t leave soon, she would give away her secret!

  Cadedryn stared at her back, aware of the slender curve of her shoulders. Shoulders he wanted to shake!

  “I have to be going,” Kassandra mumbled as she hurried away. “Have a good day.”

  “And you as well,” he replied without thinking, his mind spinning. Lady Kassandra was the most unpredictable creature he had ever encountered. From spitting hellion to teasing pixie, she was continuously portraying different sides of her perplexing personality.

  He clenched his hands around the pair of gloves and heard the crinkle of paper. Abruptly reminded of his quest, he dropped his gaze from Lady Kassandra. His tigress was exciting and sexually interesting, and far more comprehensible. She had clear needs and desires, and she offered specific enticements. He wanted that certainty, that predictability. He nodded, convincing himself. But he had to force himself not to look after the retreating form of Lady Kassandra.

  Chapter 15

  The chapel bell tower. He caught his breath at the audacity of his tigress’s next clue. How had she been able to sneak up into the bell tower and leave a piece of her under linens in a sanctuary? Or was she, perhaps, waiting for him there?

  His groin twitched and he peered over the village rooftops toward the chapel spire. Could she be watching him right now? He shoved the gloves into his inner tunic, next to the other items he had collected along the way, and hurried out of the market. If she wasn’t there, he was going to explode.

  A street urchin sprang out from behind a pile of logs and clung to his leg.

  Cadedryn was forced to an abrupt stop and shook his leg. “Go away, you pest!” he shouted, but before he could pull the urchin off, the boy scrambled away. Cadedryn stared after him, his brows drawn. The child had not asked for money, nor tried to steal anything.

  Shrugging, Cadedryn resumed his quick stride, his gaze fixed on the spire on the far side of town. With his rapid pace, he would be there in minutes.

  Suddenly, a flower cart barreled out of an alley and crashed directly in front of him. Cadedryn jumped back. “What idiocy is this!” he yelled when he saw the same urchin running away. This time he was considerably delayed as he was confronted with a wailing flower girl, who was alternately tearing at her hair and clasping her hands in distress.

  Unable to bear her antics, Cadedryn gave her a coin and retreated a block to circle widely around the mound of broken debris, spilled dirt and wilting flowers.

  His impatience soared and he mentally berated the street urchin for being such an annoyance, wondering at his motivation.

  Up ahead, he spotted the chapel. Unlike the church at the castle, this sanctuary was still under construction, although the villagers were already using it for their services. It was made of gray stone and had a series of wide steps rising to its iron door. There were arched alcoves along the sides, some containing colored glass while others were still empty of adornment. The incomplete frontage should have made the place look forlorn. Instead, it seemed haphazardly welcoming, its jumbled outline gently inviting.

  Cadedryn slowed his approach, noticing the urchin shadowing him. He spun around and glared at the boy. “What is your purpose?”

  The boy slid to a stop several feet out of Cadedryn’s reach. He shuffled his feet, then glanced up at the chapel bell tower and nodded, but as Cadedryn followed his gaze, the boy scampered off.

  Far above, seated in the archway holding the iron bell, sat his elusive mistress.

  The urchin forgotten, Cadedryn stared up at the flame-haired siren who had obsessed him. Her scent, her warmth . . . her brilliantly blue eyes were invading his thoughts and making him oblivious to all else.

  The memory of her skin against his made him hot and he took a deep breath. She had led him on a merry chase, but he was ready to wrest back control.

  Mounting the steps in one long leap, he yanked open the heavy doors as if they weighed nothing. His footsteps echoed on the st
one floor. Rows of wooden pews hindered his progress and he had to skirt along the wall opposite the bell tower door. Growling with impatience, he cut through the pews, careful to avoid a series of small basins.

  “Tiger kitten!” he called out.

  A musical tinkling answered him and he peered upward, trying to locate the sound. He stopped short, stunned to see over a hundred bells strung along the length of the upper supports of the church. Sprawled along a wooden beam, holding a tiny bell, was Kaitlynn.

  “Have I found my treasure?” he asked, his mouth curving into a smile. “Or are you going to force me to seek more bits of frippery?”

  “Come on up,” she purred. “Think you can catch me?” A wisp of wind rustled through the chimes, accenting the sensuous invitation.

  He leapt onto the back of a pew, then jumped for a low crossbeam. After swinging for a moment, he pulled himself up and swung his legs over the beam, then turned and stared challengingly at his mistress. “Why are there chimes in the chapel?”

  Kassandra smiled and ran her finger through a set of bells near her. “I heard that they each signify the wedding of a maid to her groom.”

  “Or mayhap the bedding of a bride by her husband,” he murmured huskily.

  She squealed and sprang to her feet, balancing with both arms outstretched. Casting a quick glance over her shoulder, she ran nimbly to the far side of the chapel roof.

  Cadedryn rose more slowly, cautiously. “ ’Tis a far way down,” he warned. “You should wait for me where you are.”

  She grinned and reached under her skirt. With a few tugs, she untied her petticoat and draped it over the beam. Pointing her bare toes, she wriggled them in his direction, then scampered to another beam and waved at him.

  “If you have undertaken this ruse to make me forget your assault upon my person just yesterday, you have succeeded.”

  “More than forgetting, I want to make you remember.”

  He jumped to the beam on which she stood by leaping over the one in between. The vibration caused by his heavier weight sent the chimes tinkling.

  She gasped and shrank back. “How did you do that?”

  He stalked forward, his powerful frame pressing hers back along the narrow perch. “You sent me along a merry chase, but I intend to claim my prize.”

  She bumped against the stone wall, clutching the bell in her fist. She stared at him, her heart pounding with excitement. She had meant to arouse his slumbering passions, but now she trembled. He reminded her of a green-eyed McCat stalking its prey.

  She glanced right and left, seeking another beam to race along, but he bore down upon her and trapped her with both hands on either side of her waist.

  “ ’Twas a fine game, tigress, but one I am about to finish.”

  Kassandra’s heart throbbed as she stared into his blazing eyes. He was a firestorm and she had fanned him to life. She knew that, at this moment, he had forgotten his earldom. He had pushed aside his determination to regain his familial power. Right now he was balancing on the beam of a half-built chapel and chasing after a half-dressed tigress as a hundred chimes whispered encouragement.

  She was his entire focus.

  The knowledge made her breathless and she swayed, feeling faint.

  He pushed against her full length, holding her upright, then shoved his knee between her thighs. “Open for me.”

  She shook her head. “I’ll fall!”

  “You came to me the other night, and now you entice me with an erotic game of cat and mouse.” He reached between them, untied his breeches and pulled her skirt free. Nothing remained of her under linens, and he smiled in satisfaction at her vulnerability. “You are no longer in control,” he informed her. “Obey me.”

  She nodded, her mouth dry.

  “Wrap your legs around my waist.”

  She cast a quick glance down at the stone floor, very much aware of the precariousness of their footing so high above the ground.

  Gripping a rafter with one hand, he smiled slyly. “You thought to outwit me? To outplay me?”

  She yelped in surprise as he pulled one of her legs up with his free hand. Balancing on the other foot, she teetered. When his fingers touched her intimately, she felt like swooning. “Oh heavens!” she gasped. “I can’t concentrate!”

  “Then don’t.” His fingers swept over her swollen nub, then tickled her thigh, urging her to open wider.

  She stared at him, knowing that if she let go of the wall, she would be completely dependent upon him. Only he could prevent them from crashing to the flagstones.

  “Trust me.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her other leg. With both thighs wrapped around his strong body, she felt his shaft press against her. They both moaned, feeling an intense connection. Trust in each other. Passion with each other. Games fled and plans disappeared. As if they were truly in heaven and angels were caressing them with golden bells, she felt transported.

  Holding the rafter with one hand and supporting her with his other hand wrapped around her back, he pushed partway into her. He groaned again as the sensitive tip of his penis burned with her heat. “I want you,” he rumbled.

  “I want you,” she answered breathlessly, tightening her legs around his waist.

  The chimes echoed in the high ramparts, merging their music with Cadedryn’s and Kassandra’s heavy breathing.

  He shoved her back against the stone and pressed deeper inside. “Take me,” he commanded. “Take all of me.”

  She arched her hips, mutely accepting him within her. She threaded her fingers through his hair, then dug her nails into his back and pulled him closer.

  He responded by angling his hips and sliding deeper, measure by measure, until the long length of his shaft was enfolded in her pulsing sheath. He felt her insides clench and sudden moisture proved her excitement, exciting him in turn. He rotated, sliding the tip of his penis along her ribbed channel, hearing her responding gasp as he struggled to control his own responses.

  “Yes!” she cried as she locked her ankles together. “More!”

  “Slower,” he demanded. “Take your time. Feel me.”

  She moaned and tossed her head back and forth, her ecstasy spiraling upward despite his caution. Her motions rocked the beam, sending the chimes jingling, drowning her passionate cries. “More! Now! I don’t want to wait.”

  He swelled, his rod responding to her command as his passion mounted. Her moans echoed around him, reverberating in beautiful harmony like a church choir. The sounds guided him onward, and he stroked quicker and harder, forgetting his dangerous footing. He shifted to get more leverage and his foot slipped, sending a shower of dust far below.

  She pulled him back, the weight of her body keeping him balanced until he regained a foothold, but neither paused in their motions. She scratched his back, urging him on, and her thighs quivered with a mixture of weakness and ascending passion. “Now!” she screamed. “Now!”

  With two, quick strokes, he sent her tumbling over the edge of passion’s precipice; then he leapt after her, his buttocks bunching, his arms rippling and his essence pouring deep within her.

  Though they were frozen in ecstasy’s grip, they felt as if they were falling. The wind swept over their sweaty faces and their arms quivered. The bells rang around them, reverberating off the high stone ceiling. Their minds swirled as if the world were spinning in huge circles around them and they were the only two people alive. For several, heart-stopping moments, their souls floated free.

  Then a large bang startled them both back to reality.

  Snapping their eyes open, they looked down below and beheld a village family entering the chapel.

  “I be wantin’ pink flowers on the altar and white bows on the pews,” the young girl said to her mother. “And a set o’ chimes bigger than any other!”

  The mother nodded, but the father shook his head. “No flowers,” he responded gruffly. “How do ya be thinkin’ we can afford flowers?”

 
The girl’s eyes filled with tears and she looked pleadingly at her mother.

  “Harry,” the mother said sharply. “What’s be getting’ into ya? ’Tis yur daughter’s wedding day. Ya can get a few flowers for the lass!”

  Kassandra and Cadedryn looked at each other in shock.

  Kassandra slid her legs down and covered her mouth with her hand, taking care not to shake the beam and send the chimes tinkling. Still dizzy from her orgasm, she found it nearly impossible not to laugh aloud.

  Cadedryn shook his head, although he, too, was finding it difficult to pull free of his kitten’s inner embrace. He did not want this moment to end. He wanted to feel the connection of their bodies and the merging of their spirits.

  Kassandra nudged him back one step and carefully smoothed her skirts, then reached to adjust his breeches.

  He grimaced, his shaft still sensitive and eager for her touch, but when he caught her mischievous gaze, he smiled. “You minx,” he mouthed. “What do we do now?” He shifted over to allow her a hand purchase, and a spray of dirt again trickled through the air.

  “Fine!” the father grumbled. “But only a few. Two or three ought to do it.”

  “Just wait,” Kassandra mouthed back. “They will be gone soon.”

  “Ten,” the girl insisted as she brushed the dirt off her sleeve and glanced around.

  “Five.”

  “Eight. Eight is a good number,” the daughter cajoled, the dirt forgotten as she sensed her father giving in.

  The father sighed in defeat. “Eight.”

  She squealed with delight and grabbed his hand. “What a wonderful father ya are! I’ll show you where we will serve the feast.” She began dragging her father forward as her mother smiled and followed. “I be wantin’ a whole goose.”

  “What?” he shouted, but then the family exited through the side door and the rest of their plans became inaudible.

  Cadedryn chuckled as he touched his tigress’s nose. “You got us into this,” he whispered. “How do you propose we get out?”