have stayed her ground, but the sheer breadth of him so overwhelmed her that she backed away. She did not know if the shadows rushed after him and made him appear an enormous winged bat in flight, or if it was the strong scent of earth, pine, and male that beset her senses. She only knew she needed to distance herself from him.
He seemed to feel the opposite for he moved closer to her.
“He was in no condition to talk.”
“I decide that not you.”
“He was no threat,” Fiona countered.
“Again my decision not yours.”
“Then do what you will with him.”
“You defend him no more?” Tarr asked unbelievingly.
“A healer heals; he heals well and soon will be fully recovered. I did what I had to do; now he is yours.”
“So opposite,” Tarr said, staring at her and moving his body so that he nearly imprisoned her against the stone wall. “One twin heals, the other wields a weapon with precision and intent.”
“Think what you will; it matters not to me.”
“Obviously since you kept the truth from me.”
“You asked me nothing of Raynor’s condition,” she said.
“And you told me nothing.”
“If you had asked—”
“Stop! I will not tolerate duplicity.”
“Tolerate?” she said her voice harsh. “I am to tolerate being taken from my home, threatened with being separated from my sister, forced to wed a stranger who wants me to bare him sons, and you expect me to care what you think of my actions?”
“You would be wise to,” he warned.
She stepped forward with such might that it forced him to retreat. “I have been threatened enough. I care not what you think of me or my actions and remember well, Fiona would not be a compliant wife, so take heed or you will find yourself saddled with a most undesirable woman.”
She pushed past him and entered her bedchambers. He followed behind her, entering before she could close the door.
“You are not welcome here.”
“This is my home.”
“And this is my room while I am forced to seek shelter here,” she said, her green eyes blazing like shimmering emeralds.
“Nothing here is yours.”
She walked up to him and poked him in the chest, her finger meeting solid muscle. “Nor would I want it to be.”
“What you want matters not.”
“Think again, Tarr of Hellewyk,” she said with another jab of her finger. “What I want will decide your fate.”
“No one decides my fate.”
“And no one decides mine,” she said with a final jab, and walked several feet past him then turned around. “Get out of my bedchamber.”
Tarr faced her from where he stood, a grin slowly surfacing. “You are Fiona, for only she would have the courage to poke at me and challenge my word.”
Fiona placed her hands on her hips and approached him. “If you are so sure, then get the cleric now and wed me.”
A moment of doubt flashed in his eyes and his grinned faded.
“You asked for this battle, Tarr, though I do not think you were prepared for such worthy opponents.”
“Stubborn opponents,” he said tersely.
“Thank you,” she said with a nod and a smile. “Stubborn opponents usually prove victorious.”
“And what of foolhardy ones?”
“You should not be so harsh on yourself.”
He was too fast; she did not even see him move. His hand grabbed her face and he gently squeezed her lips to pucker.
“Have your fun, but know now that this will be your home; you will be my wife, and I will do my damnedest to protect and provide for such an ornery woman.”
He released her and walked out of the room, leaving the door open. She walked over and peered past the door, watching him. She admired the thick muscles in his legs—and then there was his backside, not too large but perfectly rounded and firm. She liked that, drooping backsides or flat ones did nothing for her. The width of his shoulders always impressed her, and she favored his auburn hair for he kept it clean and combed.
She sighed when he turned the corner and closed her door, resting her back against it. She liked that he returned her challenge. Men either cowered when she challenged or thought her foolish and simply ignored her, or at least tried to.
Tarr did not back down. He actually respected her as an opponent, and that sparked excitement in her. She wanted to experience more with him, after all he just might prove worthy of being a husband.