Denise Lynn by Pregnant by the Warrior

Author:Pregnant by the Warrior
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Kings and Rulers, Man-Woman Relationships, Heirs, General, Romance, Historical, Fiction
ISBN: 9780373295784
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2009-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Jared tossed the now-damp drying cloth over the bench in his chamber. He'd wanted a bath to wash the stench of the smoke from him, but there hadn't been enough hot water and he avoided cold baths as often as he could. A quick wash would have to do.

The ship had taken a lifetime to burn into embers. Each passing hour had felt like years. Like the rest of the men, exhaustion had set in long before the last crack of burning wood. They'd made their way back to the keep by the light of the dawning sun.

Now, before he took a couple of hours of sleep, he wanted to talk to Lea. She would argue with him, Vehemently. Marriage to the son of a bastard was something she couldn't bring herself to do before, and he doubted if she'd changed her mind about that. But wedding him had to be a better option for her than being seen as a whore in her own keep.

So, going into this discussion tired, and on edge, would be his wisest choice. He'd be less likely to take her logic, or complaints, into consideration and more likely to end up ordering her to wed him. If ordering her didn't work, there were other, more enjoyable ways to make her see reason.

Yes, she'd be angry. She'd get over it. And, yes, the beginning of their marriage would be tempestuous, but that would most certainly stave off boredom.

Empress Matilda might rage at him for his high-handedness, but he was willing to wager this had been part of her plan all along. So, in the end, she'd be smugly happy, claiming to all how successful she'd been at seeing her nephew wed.

Jared finished dressing and ran a comb through his wet hair, intentionally ignoring the slight tremor of his hand. The coming argument didn't bother him in the least. Lea's anger was nothing compared to his own.

What if this was a mistake? What if some day, tomorrow or even a few months, or years, from now, he met someone better suited to be his wife?

No. He shook the idea from his mind. It was nothing more than a passing thought meant to make him stop long enough to think twice about his coming action.

He'd always trusted his gut reaction before; now was not the time to change tactics. Forcing Lea's hand was the right thing to do.

He didn't want an emotional attachment and he'd not have to worry about that with Lea. He did want someone well accustomed to running a keep. Lea certainly wouldn't need any training to do that task.

He wanted a wife who didn't shy away from passion. Lea was far from being a fearful woman in the bedchamber. In fact, she was undoubtedly as lustful as he. He doubted if there would be any complaints from either of them on that score.

So, why did he stand here staring at the door?

Jared sneered at a nearly unheard whisper warning him that wedding Lea might prove more than he expected.

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