wild!
“No,” he said, with fierce determination tempering his
desire. “Not yet.”
***
Jeremy lost his battle. Common sense had flown the
moment he touched Alicen. Now raw need battered him,
and he was too weak to resist. Rising, he yanked on his
hose and scrubbed the liniment from his chest. He crossed
the main room, paused briefly at her door, then pushed
it open on noiseless hinges.
Her back to him, she stood before her washstand clad
only in her linen chemise. Seeing her thus, he hesitated.
She looked so vulnerable, so oblivious to danger. So
desirable. He cleared his throat.
Alicen flinched at the sound and spun to face him,
eyes wide with startlement. Holding the wet cloth to her
breast, she gasped, “Captain Blaine! You frightened me.”
“Forgive me, lass,” he said, voice gone low with desire.
“But I must speak with you.”
Alicen could hardly breathe for the pulse pounding
in her throat. Achingly aware that the cloth was scant
covering, she set it in the basin and reached for the robe
lying on the bed. Jeremy intercepted her before she could
retrieve it, gently grasping her wrist. He brought her hand
to his lips.
“I need your healing skill, Mistress.” He cleared his
throat. “Please help me.”
Riotous sensation nearly buckled Alicen’s knees, but
concern fortified her resolve. To her, Jeremy looked
undeniably handsome in her candlelit chamber.
“What is amiss, sir?”
“Much,” he replied, stepping close enough for her to
feel his warmth. “I burn with a fever only you can cool.
My heart and soul ache with pain only you can ease.” His
eyes glowed a blue flame. “Heal my heart, Alicen,” came
his urgent plea. He gently pulled her close. “’Tis my heart
needs healing.”
She could only stare, knowing there would be no
retreat for either of them this time. Her breath fluttered
in her chest. Yet she wanted no retreat, only surrender.
Seizing both her hands, Jeremy raised them to his
lips for a soft kiss. Then he flattened them, palms open,
against his bare chest, spreading her fingers with his.
“I love your hands,” he murmured, rubbing the backs
of them lightly with his thumbs.
Silent, she absorbed his heart’s steady rhythm with
her palms, the feel of silky skin over hard muscles. A
hint of liniment scent reached her nostrils. Her nerves
jangled. If they hadn’t been pressed to Jeremy’s chest,
her hands would be shaking. Somehow, touching him
steadied her.
She ducked her head. “My hands are not soft like a
gentlewoman’s.”
“But they are strong and skilled and infinitely tender.”
When she looked into his eyes, he whispered, “Your touch
excites me, Alicen. Touch me more.”
Jeremy moved her arms to encircle his waist, captured
her hands behind his back, drew her tight against him
and held her along his length.
Feeling her heartbeat bound, he sought to calm her
by lightly caressing her lips. He kissed cheeks, forehead,
eyelids. Rubbed his cheek against hers and nuzzled her
throat, all the while murmuring, “Heal me, lass. Touch
me and heal me.”
He grew harder, but curbed his eagerness, seeking
instead to pleasure her by combing his fingers through
her hair, rubbing her neck and shoulders, trailing his
hands down her back to her hips.
“I want you,” he stated in a low rumble. “Do you know
what that means?”
“Yes.” Uncertain of what course to take now it had
come to this, Alicen could only stare. Jeremy’s powerful
body pressed to hers made breathing difficult. His mouth
on her skin clouded reason. She vaguely thought to resist
his tender seduction, but admitted she had no wish to do
so.
She trembled and leaned against him. “I, I’ve never...”
Her voice trailed off.
Her admission touched a tender spot in Jeremy’s heart
he’d thought long since scarred over. He would be the
man to unlock her passion, the one to show her ecstasy.
Trembling expectation seized him. This woman had
insinuated herself into his soul, and he wanted to pleasure
her so well she’d always be with him.
“Don’t fear me,” he told her, as much by the way he
held her as through his spoken words. “I’ll not hurt you.”
His mouth again sought hers, sought to draw a
response equal to his own. He caressed her back and
buttocks until just touching her could not quench the
searing inferno. His fingers shook as he grasped her
chemise to lift it over her head.
Her shudder of uneasiness gave him pause.
“I wish to please you,” he stated with quiet sincerity.
Alicen’s tension burst forth in a ragged gasp. “I’d
rather you’d just get this over with!”
He smiled wryly. “But we’ve ‘til dawn to enjoy each
other.”
Alicen felt the blood drain from her face. Until dawn.
What then? Long ago, she had resolved to give herself
only to the man who held her heart. Orrick had stood to
be that man. Now Jeremy Blaine made his claim. But on
the morrow he’d be gone. Would this soldier leave behind
any part of her unrazed, even her soul?
Jeremy cradled her face in one hand and tilted her
chin up. “Love me,” he ordered gruffly before his mouth
came down on hers.
The kiss devastated her defenses, buffeting her with
desire so strong it left her weak-kneed. Nothing she knew
compared to such wildness. Her mind warned of the trap
Jeremy set for her heart, but that same heart sought to
open to him. Sighing, she made a feeble attempt to rein it
in.
“I cannot do this,” she murmured, raising her gaze to
meet his. Her attempt to back away failed, as he refused
to relinquish his hold.
A warm, crooked smile lit his face, then he chuckled.
“I have few such reservations about you, sweetling.”
With unsteady hands he undid the tie of her chemise
and lifted it over her head. He tossed the garment to the
floor behind her, and she stood before him wearing only
her amulet on a silver chain. It rested just above her
breasts.
Such bodily perfection dazed him, and for a moment
he could only stare. Then, gently cupping her firm breasts,
he was rewarded by her startled gasp. He caressed her
nipples to hardened peaks, enjoying the change in their
texture, their satiny heat.
“Exquisite,” he murmured.
Her lavender scent filled his nostrils as his mouth
claimed hers and his hands roamed her quivering body.
He watched her eyes flare with awakening desire, and he
continued his caresses until she rewarded his patience
by slowly raising her arms to encircle his neck. A moan
of joyful surrender came from deep in her throat. It
>
mirrored his own.
His pulse raced at her response, joy flaming in his
heart. He released her long enough to untie his hose and
step out of them. Then, he lifted her and laid her on the
bed. With his soul as naked as his body, he squeezed his
eyes shut a moment so the woman beneath him could
not discern his true need.
Fear leapt into Alicen’s eyes when he moved against
her, and she tried to avoid him. “Captain, I—”
“Hush,” he soothed. “All will be well.”
Determined to prepare her fully for his claiming, he
resumed his caresses. Mouth suckled, tongue laved,
hands caressed. He tasted and touched and penetrated
areas calculated to drive her out of herself. Her pulse
pounded at the base of her throat. It quickened even more
when his lips covered her breast. As her resistance gave
way to passion, his doubts died.
When his tongue circled her ear, Alicen squirmed.
“Please—“ She panted. “I cannot...bear...this.”
Jeremy lifted his head, looking deeply into her eyes.
“Trust me, lass.” His kiss demanded, tongue thrusting
deep, then he felt her breath catch when he again suckled
a straining nipple. Her body jerked.
“Please, Captain, stop,” she begged. “I cannot think.”
“’Tis no time for thought,” he said, mouth still against
her breast. “Just feelings.”
He stroked her belly and thighs, and she started when
he touched her intimately and began a gentle possession.
On a gasp, she cried, “What are you doing?”
He continued the explicit caress. “Pleasuring you,
sweetling.”
Concentrating on Alicen’s sensitive body, he let his
fingers play. He could feel her burning from within as he
sought to drive her beyond herself to an unexplored realm.
When she finally succumbed to passion, he felt the
change immediately. Having defeated whatever doubts
she’d battled, she responded fully to his lovemaking.
Elation enveloped him. She arched, crying out softly as
he built her yearning. Finally, when he had brought her
to the fevered edge of climax, he slowly entered her.
Alicen’s eyes flew wide as he slipped deep within her,
then momentarily darkened with pain at his invasion.
Her breath caught, and her wild gaze locked on his.
“Don’t resist, lass,” he whispered on a groan. “The
pain will lessen quickly, and only delight will follow.”
He held still as long as he could, watching her face
while their bodies melded, enjoying the passion in her
eyes and the tight passageway that held him a willing
captive. “Jesu, you feel wonderful,” he whispered as he
brushed a tumbled lock of chestnut hair from her face
and kissed the spot revealed. “Come with me, Alicen. To
paradise.”
His mouth slanted across hers, sweeping her into his
rhythm. Enthralled by her heat, he thrust slowly,
prolonging contact, feeling her response. He wanted to
please her for all time, to bind her to him forever.
They joined in an earthy cadence, blissful moments
passing as they partnered each other in the ancient dance.
Speech became murmurs, sighs, moans—communicating
by touch not voice, each learning the other’s body. There
was no coming dawn, no leave taking. They had eternity.
Jeremy increased his pace, and soon Alicen arched
against him, crying out her climax. At her release, he
sought as intense a culmination as hers. He drove strongly
into her—once, twice, again—then blanketed her with his
body, pressing her into the bed while their ragged
breathing slowed. They lay entwined, the wild beating of
their hearts gradually calming.
Nineteen
“Did I hurt you?” Jeremy murmured into Alicen’s ear
before carefully withdrawing.
She stared at him, too overwhelmed to reply, then
shook her head mutely.
“I’m glad.” He grinned and kissed the tip of her nose.
“Don’t move.”
Feeling certain she’d never stir again, through slitted
eyes she watched him leave the bed and walk, casual in
his nudity, to the washstand. He soaked a cloth in the
basin, then brought both to the bed.
When she raised a brow in question, he stated, “This
will make you more comfortable.”
Confounded, she lay still as he tenderly cleansed her
body. Other women had spoken of atrocities enacted upon
them by men in the throes of lust, yet Jeremy had treated
her gently, taking her virginity with little pain. His concern
for her pleasure penetrated straight to the heart she’d
believed would never know passion, and she saw the
absurdity of physical intimacy without emotional
surrender. She could not elude the ardor Jeremy had
inspired, the joy and hope, the longing. Such feelings
astonished her every bit as much as her physical reaction
to his lovemaking.
But had he acted thus simply because they were
lovers for a night, not man and wife forever? That
disheartening thought painfully twisted her emotions.
With reverent care, Jeremy bathed away all traces of
sweat from Alicen’s body and sponged the evidence of
their loving from between her thighs. Done with his
ministrations, he returned the cloth to the basin.
His brow raised as he lay back down beside her.
“Better?”
“Yes,” she whispered, knowing no other possible reply.
His attentions comforted, but she had no experience
to compare them to. Emotions and sensations jumbled
in her mind, not to be untangled. What she had just done
with Jeremy Blaine overwhelmed her—her passion
shocked her. He had reached her in a way no other ever
had, terrifying her. How could she have made love with
him, knowing he’d leave to follow his duke?
She ignored the true answer and caught her breath
as he slid closer. His blue eyes shone, his nearness putting
lucid thought to flight. A relieved smile made his strong
face look boyish.
He cupped her chin. “I’d hoped you’d enjoy it. First
times needn’t be horrifying.”
Embarrassment at her inexperience made Alicen
snap, “You truly believe this my first time?”
“So knowledgeable in the ways of healing yet so
unlearned in the ways of loving,” he teased, then winked
and added, “You said as much.”
She knew her cheeks were flaming and couldn’t meet
his eyes. “No doubt your many other conquests were not
so simple,” she muttered.
He gently smoothed back a lock of her hair. “Simple
you are not, my sweet.”
Realizing he’d seen her vulnerability, she sought to
rebuild a defense. “I’ll not compare myself to others,” she
retorted.
Jeremy laughed. “You’re beyond compare.” His fingers
lightly traced her skin from collarbone to shoulder. “Know
you how splendid you feel? How glad I am to
be with
you?” How much I love you?
She kept silent, but her wary gaze softened.
Still smiling, he drew her close for a soft kiss, nuzzling
her ear and throat as his fingers played upon her skin,
eliciting a throaty sigh. But when his finger traced the
stones of her amulet, she tensed.
Wondering at her reaction, he sought to put her at
ease. “Your necklace is so unique. Wherever did you come
by it?”
Her tension lessened slightly when she replied, “My
mother gave it to me.”
“A family heirloom.” He smiled. “‘Tis exquisite. Do you
ever take it off?”
“Never.” Seeming to come to a decision, she added,
“My mother feels close when I wear it.”
Far closer than you might suspect, he thought, then,
upon reflection, concluded that Alicen not only felt her
mother’s presence, but heard her voice. Much the same
as he had begun to think he heard it.
But other more pressing issues brought themselves
to Jeremy’s attention, and he bent to kiss Alicen’s amulet
and the breasts it rested above. He chuckled when her
breath caught in her throat.
“Ah, sweetling,” he murmured. “This time ‘twill be
even better between us.”
Green eyes widened. “This time?”
He wiggled his brows. “Of course. What came before
was mere prelude. We’ll enjoy each other the entire night.”
Jeremy’s words burned deep into Alicen’s heart,
haunting her...“The entire night...” But come the dawn?
He moved her more than she’d thought possible, so much
that she feared her soul would not survive their
lovemaking. And when he left?
She made a decision. If they had only this night, then
she would live it to the fullest, enjoy him for the fleeting
time he lay with her. She buried her face against his neck
and gave over to the passion he inspired. Taking a deep
breath filled with the musky smell of her knight, she gave
herself over into his care.
“Show me,” she whispered.
Joy flooded Jeremy at Alicen’s response. Relieved he’d
not hurt her unduly when claiming her virginity, he
clasped her hand and held it flat over his pounding heart.
“Feel what you do to me, lass.” He pressed his hips
intimately against her and saw her eyes darken in
response. “I need you.”
The flaming passion in Alicen’s eyes was all the
Carroll, Laurie - War Of Hearts.txt Page 30