he should touch no place that would belong to her husband. But he was to be her husband, and those intimate places belonged to him.
But which twin would he touch?
He reached out and stroked her soft cheek with his finger and she sighed. Encouraged, he traced her warm lips with delicate strokes, the tip of his finger faintly brushing over the tip of her tongue.
She moaned softly and lifted her head, her eyes remaining closed, then he leaned over to steal a kiss.
A finger pressed suddenly to his lips stopped him; he grinned as best he could, the finger remaining tight against his mouth, then he attempted to speak.
“Awiss. You Awiss.”
She laughed at his mumbling and freed his lips.
“Fiona would have been eager to kiss me.”
“Would she now?” She leaned forward, her full chest leading. She ran her tongue over her lips. “Then I will just have to kiss you.”
Tarr backed away from her.
“Do you not want a kiss?” She moved toward him.
Her chest was near in his face, her breath warm against his cheek. He reached out and grabbed her with one hand behind her neck and swung her toward him. They landed sitting on the bed; their lips locked tightly.
“What is this?”
The shout tore them apart, though they remained sitting beside each other.
“I work without rest and you two play?”
Tarr stared at the twin as she marched in and stopped in the center of the room. She wore the same clothes she had worn since the battle and looked exhausted from her endless efforts to secure the safety of his land and people.
He turned with a start to stare at the twin beside him. Had he made a mistake and kissed the wrong sister? He turned back to look at the twin who had entered the room? Was that Fiona?
“What have you to say?” the twin asked, planting her hands on her hips.
He stood and looked from one to the other. “That this charade must end.”
“Then tell us now that if one weds you the other twin will remain here and join your clan,” the twin that stood said.
How easy it would be for him to concede, but that would mean surrender and defeat, not something he was willing to accept. His conditions had been made known from the beginning.
“My terms remain as stated. I wed one twin and the other returns to her clan.”
“I guess you do not want a strong wife badly enough,” the standing twin said.
The other twin stood and went to her sister’s side. “Good luck in finding a wife.”
“It will be my way,” Tarr said sternly.
“We remain together,” one said and the other agreed with a firm nod.
“What of your husband?” he asked and took a sudden step forward, the width and breadth of him appearing as if he were about to consume them both.
The women stood their ground and showed not an ounce of fear, their chins turned up stubbornly and their green eyes blazing.
“Your duty is to a husband, not to a sister.”
“A wife knows of her duty to her husband. It is a pity you do not know a husband’s duty to a wife.”
They turned and walked out of the room, leaving a dumbfounded Tarr staring after them.
Chapter 14
“I tell you it is impossible to tell them apart,” Kirk said, standing next to Tarr in front of the storehouse. “Though all clansmen agree either twin would make a good wife for you—” He coughed as if clearing his throat and his voice turned firm. “The clan has been talking.”
“Have they now.” Tarr rubbed his arm, now out of the sling over a week. It continued healing nicely, barely a twinge or ache, and the scarring much less than he had expected, thanks to the poultice one of the twins had applied when the wound had closed.
Kirk spit out the words rapidly. “Marry one and let the other remain with the clan.”
Tarr turned a stern glare on him, but Kirk did not cringe or shrink back; Tarr had not expected him to. Through the years it was Kirk who always had the courage to say to him what others would not and make him see the error of his ways when he was being overly stubborn. He also had been there many times to help ease his burdens.
“I have given the matter thought.”
“Then you have seen reason,” Kirk said, looking pleased.
“Reason!”
Tarr’s near shout had Kirk shaking his head. “I should have known you would be stubborn about this.”