Taming
A Highland Devil
by
Kimberly Killion
~Available
08/09/15
Title:
Taming A Highland Devil
Author:
Kimberly Killion
Genre:
Historical Romance, Erotica
Release
Date:
August 9, 2015
Publisher:
Killion
Publishing
Synopsis:
A
CHOICE...
Laird Magnus Sutherland loves women. His prowess in the bedchamber has earned him the name Devil of Dunrobin, but no woman has ever stirred his heart. Magnus needs to provide his clan with an heir, which is the only reason he agrees to marry the neighboring chieftain’s sister. When his betrothed arrives, he discovers the chieftain has two sisters. If Magnus must bind himself to one woman, he intends to discover which is best suited to be his wife, for he wants more than a body to plant his seed. He wants a mate for life.
A CHALLENGE...
There are three reasons Lady Effie Reay refuses to vie for Laird Sutherland’s affections…
For one, she is thirty-two and would surely lose a competition to her beautiful, younger sister. Secondly, Laird Sutherland is a well-reputed rake, and she holds no desire to wed another faithless man. And thirdly, the sight of him makes her tingle, shiver and ache.
Will Effie be successful in thwarting Magnus’ advances, or will her body succumb to a temptation that can only lead to heartbreak?
Laird Magnus Sutherland loves women. His prowess in the bedchamber has earned him the name Devil of Dunrobin, but no woman has ever stirred his heart. Magnus needs to provide his clan with an heir, which is the only reason he agrees to marry the neighboring chieftain’s sister. When his betrothed arrives, he discovers the chieftain has two sisters. If Magnus must bind himself to one woman, he intends to discover which is best suited to be his wife, for he wants more than a body to plant his seed. He wants a mate for life.
A CHALLENGE...
There are three reasons Lady Effie Reay refuses to vie for Laird Sutherland’s affections…
For one, she is thirty-two and would surely lose a competition to her beautiful, younger sister. Secondly, Laird Sutherland is a well-reputed rake, and she holds no desire to wed another faithless man. And thirdly, the sight of him makes her tingle, shiver and ache.
Will Effie be successful in thwarting Magnus’ advances, or will her body succumb to a temptation that can only lead to heartbreak?
About
Kimberly Killion:
Internationally
published author, Kimberly Killion, writes sexy historical romances.
Her debut book was nominated for the romance-publishing industry's
highest award of distinction, the RITA®
Award.
BEYOND
WRITING CREDENTIALS, Kimberly is also the Owner/Creative
Director/Photographer of The Killion Group, the umbrella company over
Hot Damn Designs. With 24+ years of experience in marketing,
communications and design, Kimberly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, a
Certificate in Web Design, and is an Adobe Certified Expert. The
Killion Group has designed 5,000+ book covers and has 2,000+ clients,
including Kensington Publishing, Amazon Publishing, Sourcebooks,
Samhain, Trident Media Agency, Kristen Nelson Agency…and many, many
more.
They
were perfect for one another, Effie decided as Laird Sutherland
entered the Great Hall. Four of his kinsmen trailed him, all braw and
thickly built, but none possessed the chieftain’s dominating
presence. Hair, black as a raven’s eye, lay disheveled about his
shoulders with a braid falling from each temple to mark his status. A
sea-green and pale blue plaide,
perfectly pleated, draped over a clean léine
shirt, but what impressed her most was the arsenal he wore on his
person—a basketsword hung from his hip, two daggers sheathed at his
waist and the black handle of a sgian
dubh
poked out the top of deerskin boots.
He
was a good match for Effie’s younger half sister, as well as Clan
Mackay. Their union would make their clans a fearsome beast to
behold. Clan Sutherland was known for their prowess in battle. They
were powerful enough to protect themselves as well as Effie’s clan.
The truth of the matter was, Clan Mackay needed Clan Sutherland more
than Clan Sutherland needed the Mackays. And her brother knew it,
which is one of the reasons Ian had traded their sister for an
alliance after Da died.
The
other reason was simple—Ian was as eager as Effie to see Vanna wed.
Effie had taken over Vanna’s tutelage after Da ousted Vanna’s mam
from the clan four years past. At nineteen, Vanna knew her letters
and could manage a household, but Effie feared her sister might be a
wee bit loose with her legs. Given Laird Sutherland’s lascivious
reputation, Effie suspected he might find such a quality agreeable,
so long as the girl took care not to spread her legs for his kinsmen.
’Twas
a mistake Vanna’s mam had made.
Effie
shook the thought out of her mind. Vanna was not to blame for Besse’s
transgressions.
“Think
ye the chieftain will like me?” Vanna swished long black hair over
her shoulder and fiddled with the brooch pinning the heavy wool of
her arisaid.
“The
man agreed to the union in writing six months past. It matters naught
if he likes ye.” The worry stitching Vanna’s thin black brows
together made Effie wince. She would do well to remember Vanna was
the daughter Da had coddled throughout her adolescence, unlike Effie
who’d had two bairns in the nursery by nineteen. “I suspect ye
will have Laird Sutherland feeding ye roasted almonds before dawn.”
Effie gave her sister’s cold fingers a reassuring squeeze then
stepped into her brother’s shadow where she belonged.
“Laird
Mackay, welcome to Dunrobin.” The chieftains embraced in a fierce
hug, smacking one another heartily on the back. “Ye must forgive my
tardiness, but in my defense, ye are more than two months early. I
didn’t expect ye and your retinue until the first thaw.” Laird
Sutherland glanced down a line of Mackay warriors, all huddled in
furs with melted snow beading their beards. He made a gesture toward
one of his housecarls. Moments later, the fire burning in the hearth
roared to life.
“A
wee bit o’ snow cannot contain the young and impatient.” Ian’s
cracked lips split into a wide smile beneath his thick copper-colored
beard.
A
wee bit o’ snow?
Effie contained a snort. They’d traveled four days through a
bleating blizzard, risking their horses’ health, as well as their
own, because of Vanna’s impatience. Effie feared her toes would
never thaw inside her worn leather brogues.
While
the chieftains introduced their kinsmen, Effie peeked around her
brother’s shoulder to study Laird Sutherland more closely. The man
was as braw as they came. Black stubble shadowed his jaw but didn’t
hide the strong angles of his chin and cheekbones. Silver-blue eyes
the color of shallow seawater glittered beneath thick black brows.
His nose, slender and straight, directed her gaze to sharply-defined
lips.
Simply
put, the man was…well, he was certainly easy to look upon.
Effie
decided her sister had been blessed with good fortune, until Laird
Sutherland turned toward his seneschal. A scar trailed a sinister red
line from in front of his ear, down his thick neck and into his léine
shirt.
Vanna
sucked in air, her spine straightened.
Effie
wanted to scold her. The girl slept peacefully night after night
beneath the blanket of protection the Mackay warriors provided. War
was essential to the security of their borders. No one knew this
better than Effie. She had her own scars, though none marred her
skin.
“Wake
the servants and warm ale for our guests,” Laird Sutherland issued
the order to no one in particular for his attention was now on Vanna.
He added instructions to prepare their accommodations, then set
himself before his betrothed.
“If
this is your sister, then ye did her no justice in your missives.”
Laird Sutherland eyed Vanna from tit to toe and awaited
introductions.
Ian
angled himself toward Vanna. “May I present Lady Vanna Mackay.”
Vanna’s
smile could weaken any man’s resolve, and she knew it. She glossed
her full lips, batted her curled black lashes and dipped low as Effie
had taught her. “’Tis a pleasure to finally meet ye, m’laird.”
His
bow was deep, reverent, but his eyes darkened with lust. ’Twas how
men looked at Vanna. She possessed uncommon, exotic beauty, unlike
Effie, who resembled every other green-eyed lass in the Highlands
with unruly copper-colored curls and pale skin. The one physical
attribute Effie had to her favor was her firm round breasts. Not that
anyone ever noticed them.
Laird
Sutherland noticed. His gaze flitted over Effie’s person then
lingered long seconds on her breasts.
Her
heart skidded, but she quickly pulled the seams of her mantle tighter
around her bosom and tucked herself farther behind Ian.
“And
who, pray tell, is this bonnie creature?”
Ian
had to follow Laird Sutherland’s eyes before he replied, “This is
Euphema Reay—”
“Effie,
m’laird,” she corrected quickly and stepped forward beside Vanna
to curtsey. As she stood upright, she glared at Ian. At four years
her junior, Ian had the bitter disposition of a man twice his age. “I
am my brother’s other
sister.”
Laird
Sutherland’s brows perked up, his head tilted, then his eyes
shifted back to Ian. “I was not aware ye had two sisters.”
Ian
scratched his beard. “I saw no point in mentioning it during our
negotiations.”
Laird
Sutherland’s gaze swept over her like a gust of heat before he met
her eyes. “Are ye married, lass?”
“I’m
widowed, m’laird.” She hated those words. Had hated them for two
years.
“And
past her years.” Ian’s callousness spiked her temper.
“I
just turned two and thirty. I’m hardly dead.”
“Do
ye still bleed?” Silence hummed in the wake of Laird Sutherland’s
inquiry. The fire cracked in the hearth, raising the short hairs at
her nape.
She
considered herself keen, but it wasn’t until he asked his blatant
question that she fully understood the path of the conversation. She
held no desire to take another husband, much less take a husband from
her sister. Staring wide-eyed at the rushes scattered about the
floor, she felt almost ashamed when she answered, “Aye.”
Effie
swore she heard Vanna’s teeth grind as Ian attempted to remedy the
situation. “Forgive me, but ye agreed to marry Vanna in exchange
for an alliance.”
“We’ll
have our alliance.” He locked eyes with Ian. “But I’ll remind
ye that I agreed to a union with your sister.” Laird Sutherland’s
attention shifted between Vanna and Effie. “I’ll need a fortnight
to decide which one is best suited to be my wife.”
a Rafflecopter giveaway
No comments:
Post a Comment