Mystic Mountains

saw his shoulders heave as he dragged in a deep breath. "What do you do to me? You turn me into a man I hardly recognize."
    "What do I do to you?" she sneered. "You 've ruined my life, and you ask that. I wish you'd left me to Malloy. At least there I knew what life had in store for me."
    "You have your new husband, Bella, now get out of my sight before I do something I 'll regret."
    "What? Such as beat me? You 've already raped me and put a babe in my belly, what else is there but killing me?"
    "Rape? Never that ." His tone softened as he turned to stare at her from beneath lowered brows. "Accuse me of all else, but never that. And please don't start that nonsense about the child again."
    "The babe will be born in September, you 'll see. And it'll look like its father. You." Unable to face his scorn she ran to her room. Only it wasn't her room any more, but her and her husband's.
    As she was stepping out of her dress a soft tap came on the door. Before she had a chance to ask who was there Dougal came in.
    He eyed her silently as he put his new clothes on the end of the bed, then said, "I'll just leave these with you, will I? I . . . I'll best be off. See you later on." He shuffled about a bit, then left the room in a rush.
    With a ragged sigh she slumped beside his new trousers. What had she done? There was no going back now. Damnation on Tiger Carstairs. May he rot in hell, for she was already in a hell of his making.

 
     
     
    Chapter Twenty Two
     
    Isabella stared at her marriage bed and ran a hand over the starched, crisp sheet Thelma had, that morning, helped her put on.
    Her friend 's eyes had been sympathetic as she'd said, "Make the most of a bad job, Bella. Dougal's a good man, better for you by far than Tiger."
    "I know that, Thelma. That great English dolt can go and jump into a river and never surface as far as I 'm concerned."
    "Aye," Thelma agreed, knowing they both lied.
    Now Isabella shuddered as she waited for Dougal to join her. He was bathing out the back. Tiger had ridden off after the evening mea l. Thank the Lord—how she would have borne sharing Dougal's bed for the first time with Tiger on the other side of the wall, so near, yet so far, she didn't know.
    How could she have let him make love to her again this morning? She must be the whore he 'd named her for giving in to him so easily. But it would never happen again, she swore. The door creaked behind her and she gave a startled cry.
    "Did I frighten you?" Dougal asked as he came into the room, closing the door after him. "Sorry I took so long." He hovered just inside the room, looking young. And very dark.
    Isabella bit her lip. For all she cared he could have taken all night. Goodness, she had to pull herself together. Dougal was her husband and he had rights. Feeling numb, she stretched out on the bed, pulling the sheet up to her chin.
    Apart from trousers Dougal wore nothing else. She 'd seen him without a shirt before so for the life of her couldn't understand why his bare chest made her feel intimidated. Black hair curled thickly over his front, tapering to his stomach, contrasting dramatically with Tiger's fine golden body hair.
    Sitting beside her he reached out to finger a lock of her hair, his eyes meeting hers for the first time since he 'd come in. Her toes and fingers clenched as his knuckle brushed her cheek.
    "You look beautiful," he said softly, reaching to pull the sheet from her fingers. For a moment she resisted, but then realized how foolishly she was behaving, and allowed him to pull it back. "Let me look at my wife."
    His voice held a strange hard edge that made her nervous.
    "Please?" Without her consent he began to undo the front of her nightgown. Isabella clutched at his wrist as he fiddled awkwardly with the ribbons.
    "Wait," she pleaded.
    He ignored her, working his way down painstakingly until every tie was released, his eyes intent, absorbed on his task. Then with a jerk he pulled the sides of the bodice apart, gasping as he laid her breasts bare to his gaze.
    "I've waited an' waited, Bella. The waiting time is over." As he spoke he began to fondle her, lowering his head to suckle her. "You're mine now, an' I'll touch you, an' look at you as much as I want." His voice was hoarse and while he fondled one breast he pulled on the other greedily with his mouth.
    Isabella willed herself to relax. She owed him that much. Waiting for the ache of longing that always shafted through her at Tiger 's touch she was