Was he or was he not wed to Willow?

He had known fear in his life, but nothing compared to the sheer fright of Willow not being his wife. The cleric could not get here fast enough for him.

Slatter reached for his wife’s hand as soon as she stepped near him and his hand swallowed hers in a possessive grip.

“You know you can’t get rid of me, don’t you?” she asked, understanding his need to cling to her, since she felt the same. They were one and to part them would cause an agony she didn’t believe she could survive.

“I told you once, wife, I can escape anything,” he teased with a wink.

She smiled and shook her head. “There’s one thing you can’t escape.”

“And what’s that?”

“Love.”

Chapter 25

Slatter snagged his wife around the waist and kissed her as he kicked the door shut behind them. There had been no time to sneak off to their bedchamber. He couldn’t get through supper fast enough and now that they were finally in their bedchamber, he didn’t want to waste one moment.

He wanted them both naked and in bed.

She was as eager as he was, her hands rushing to free him of his plaid.

He helped her in between stripping her of her garments all while not relinquishing her lips.

They fumbled and stumbled through shedding their garments, getting rid of their boots, and he hurrying them both to the bed to fall down on it.

She felt so good, warm and soft, and a sweet scent drifted off her, not to mention her womanly scent that drove him mad with the wont of her. He caressed her breasts, loving the feel of them plump in his hand, the hard nipples begging to be suckled.

His mouth was just about to close on one when she popped up on her elbows.

“I forgot to tell you what Maddie told me.”

“You told me it all earlier.” The thought of Maddie, Kevin, and the others being held in a pen like animals sent a spurt of anger through him and dampened his passion a bit. Not wanting his time with his wife disturbed, he pushed it from his mind to revisit later.

“No, not that. Maddie felt Beck was giving her a message to deliver to you and only you—which was why I waited to tell you until we were alone—before Sterling finally ended his misery.”

Slatter raised his head, his mouth once again having been about to settle on her nipple. “What message?”

“Maddie said Beck looked directly at her and told her to make sure she told you that he won, that he got you. He got you good. He kept repeating, ‘Slatter. You tell Slatter, I got him good.’”

Slatter rolled away from his wife to lie flat on his back, glancing up at the ceiling. “Damn.”

Willow turned on her side, leaning on her elbow to rest her head on her hand, and placed her other hand on his chest. “What is it?”