Carroll, Laurie - War Of Hearts.txt

by War Of Hearts. txt (lit)

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