In Bed With A Stranger by Mary Wine

She reached for his shoulders, letting her hands grip him. The onlookers cheered as Brodick brought her to the ground. His gaze flickered with heat as he held her for a long moment.
    “Welcome to my home.” His voice was gruff, and guilt assailed her. She was helping to steal the moment from him with her deception. The man deserved better.
    Suspicion clouded his face as he watched her, but the crowd wasn’t in the mood to wait. They jostled Brodick in their quest to get closer to her.
    “Later.” There was a warning contained in his voice, one that pierced her heart because although she might not know very much about him, she trusted that he was not a man who would allow anyone to dupe him without retribution. She suddenly dreaded the day he discovered the deception.
    He turned around, keeping her hand in his grip. Striding forward, he took her up the stairs and into one of the round towers.
    “Sterling is larger than Warwickshire. Mind that ye don’t get lost.” He turned his keen stare towards her. “Or wander off. The neighboring clans are not as welcoming.”
    “Listen to you.” A dark-haired girl boldly interrupted Brodick, aiming a finger at his chest. “Ye’ll have her cowering beneath the covers of her bed, thinking Scotland is full of bloodthirsty savages.”
    “And that’s what I love about it.” Cullen added his comment as he hooked the girl around the waist to pull her into a hug. She hissed at him, wiggling.
    “Stop messing my hair, you oaf.”
    Brodick squeezed Anne’s fingers, and returning her attention to his face, she stared at the unguarded expression. It reminded her so very much of her father when he was behind the closed door of her mother’s rooms. There was an enjoyment of the banter that hinted at family intimacy.
    “This is my sister, Fiona. She’s vain concerning her hair.”
    Fiona tossed her head, settling one hand on her hip. She looked formidable, much more so than any titled lady Anne had ever seen.
    “I am only vain if you don’t have standards above those of the stable animals, Brother dearest.”
    Brodick frowned, aiming a hard look at his sister. “I take pride in my horses. Best kept animals in Scotland.”
    His stern reprimand made Anne laugh, a soft sound escaping her lips before she stilled it. Brodick’s eyes narrowed.
    “I don’t need the pair of ye uniting in an effort to annoy me.” His tone was stern but his eyes glittered with amusement.
    “But I appreciate it full well. I’ve been the lone woman at this table for far too long.” Fiona offered her a bright smile that drew a groan from Brodick.
    “’Tis a fine season for weddings.”
    Fiona lost her teasing look. “When pigs smell nice.” She stood up enjoying the way all the men at the long table stopped talking to tug the corners of their bonnets in respect. The ease that the younger woman dealt with so much male attention was admirable. Fiona sent her a smile. “I’m too young to wed. Convince my oaf of a brother for me please?”
    Anne couldn’t resist the teasing mood. With a sigh she shook her head. “Better to take yourself to the chapel for I am learning that your brother is as set in his ways as an old man.”
    Cullen and Druce laughed. Fiona smiled. “Well that is a fact. I do hope for the best for yer union in spite of it.”
    She strode away, her body a tightly leashed bundle of energy. Cullen clicked his tongue.
    “You know, that sister of ours is going to drive some poor man insane.”
    “She’s already doing it.” Brodick shook his head. “To me.”
    Cullen smirked. His brother offered him a deadly look before his midnight eyes returned to Anne. His mood changed instantly, heat entering his gaze as his eyes settled on her lips for a moment.
    “It seems we have some traditions to observe, my lady. I wouldnae want to keep you waiting.”
    Yet I must keep you waiting…
    Anne didn’t like her own thoughts, not a bit, but she held her chin steady. “I am not so old that you