The image had him slipping out of bed as quietly as he could to sneak up undetected behind her though he wasn’t as subtle as he had thought. She went eagerly into his arms as they wrapped around her, and her damp, shimmering skin was like quick fire to his loins.
“I thought you would never wake,” she said, resting her head back so that their cheeks met.
“And imagine my surprise and delight when I caught a beautiful water nymph washing in front of the fireplace.” He nibbled hungrily along her ear, and she tilted her head, offering her neck to him. He kissed along the silky column, enjoying the fresh taste of her.
She rubbed her backside against him, and he ran his hand down between her legs to tease, but she turned quickly in his arms.
“No time,” she whispered, nipping at his lips. “I want you inside me now.”
Reeve didn’t waste a minute. He threw his arms around her and hoisted her up, her legs swinging to wrap around his waist. Once she settled, he eased his way into her, not wanting to jab into her like a rutting animal. But she wanted none of his gentleness; she plunged down on him, taking the full length of him inside her. She threw back her head with a sensual moan, and all thought of tender lovemaking vanished.
He grabbed her backside and forced her to match his urgent rhythm, and she did. She rested her brow against his as they both concentrated on the passion that built like a raging storm inside them.
“Don’t stop; good Lord, Reeve, please don’t stop,” she begged.
His labored breathing didn’t allow a response. He rushed with her to the door to brace her back against it so that he would have more leverage to quicken their movements even more, and he did.
He drove into her again and again.
“Reeve,” she cried with bated breath.
“Let go,” he urged, and increased the tempo.
She let out a scream, and her legs tightened around him, her fingers digging into his arms. Her explosive climax forced his own, and a groan that he couldn’t stop erupted from deep in his chest and burst forth in a mighty roar.
They clung to each other, their bodies trembling from lingering ripples of pleasure. Reeve braced one hand to the door for support while his other hand held firm to her backside. Her head rested on his, and her arms lay draped over his shoulders.
He took a few deep breaths, then held her tight and carried her to the bed, following her down to lie beside her. When the heat of passion began to fade, and their bodies cooled, he pulled the blanket over them.
“That was the greatest morning greeting I have ever had,” he said with a chuckle.
“I wholeheartedly agree.” She sighed.
Reeve reached out and took hold of her hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss. “Your beauty is beyond words.”
She remained silent, and he turned his head to her. She was staring at him, her cheeks still flushed, her lips still plump, and her eyes soft lavender, the color speaking volumes to him though the hint of tears disturbed him.
“My words upset you?”
She shook her head and sniffled in an attempt to hold back the tears. “No. It is just that it has been so very long since anyone has told me that. And I didn’t realize how very much I have missed such loving words until hearing you say them with such sincerity again and again.”
“Who spoke of your beauty as I have?”
“Rory. He was a good man.”
“You still miss him?” He was glad that she didn’t hesitate to answer him.
“Not as I once did. I will keep the good memories he left me with, but it is you who now constantly fill my thoughts and dreams.”
He kissed her hand again. “And I always will.”
“You are so sure?” she teased.
He turned on his side, releasing her hand and running a finger along her cheek and over her lips. “You and I will live a long life together.”
“You are so sure of this?”
“Need I remind you again that I’m—”
“Always right,” she finished.
He took hold of her chin. “Believe in us, and you will know it too.”
Both their stomachs rumbled at that moment, and they laughed.
“See how alike we are?” he said. “We’re both in want of nourishment.”
“I have bread baking.”
He grabbed his chest, feigning shock. “I didn’t think this morning could get any better, and it just did.”
She gave him a playful shove. “Wait, you’ll get tired of being stuck here with me soon enough.”
He gave her a gentle kiss. “I will never grow tired of you. I dare say we will have our battles at times, though never ever will I feel stuck with you. Besides, I can’t live without that delicious bread you bake.”
She gave him another playful shove, and, laughing, they got out of bed and dressed, and Tara got busy fixing them breakfast.
Reeve grabbed his cloak off the peg. “I’ll be right back.” He stopped before opening the door and glanced at the two buckets of water by the hearth. “You went out in the snow this morning?”
“Briefly,” she said. “You must remember that I am used to doing things on my own. There were none who extended a helping hand to me.”
“That is no more. You have me now, and you have a family to help you.”
Her smile was hesitant, as if she wanted to believe him, but uncertain if she should. He knew he couldn’t force her to believe that he spoke the truth. She would need to learn it on her own.
“Do you need more snow?” he asked.
“Not at the moment,” she said. “Be careful, the wind and snow blind.”
He threw his hood over his head. “Fear not. The weather knows better than to torment me.”
His dramatic exit left her laughing.
Later in the day, with the wind and snow picking up in intensity, they stripped and climbed beneath the bedcovers and made love. They took their time exploring each other, and Tara allowed her inquisitiveness to take control. Soon she was kissing and tasting places on Reeve she had only dreamed of doing.
It was a lazy play of teases and taunts until they finally joined as one to finish in exploding bursts of pleasure. Afterwards, she lay in his arms, and when reason finally returned, they began to talk.
“Do you think we will need to remain here long?” she asked.
“God, I hope so.”
She smiled, for she felt the same, but there was his duty to consider. “What of your missions?”
“Presently, all parties are settled in for the winter, making plans, seeking direction, and continuing to choose sides.”
“And waiting for the true king to make himself known,” she said.
“He’ll show himself when the time is right.”
“You have met the true king?” she asked surprised. “I had begun to wonder if he was a myth the people created to give them hope.”
“He’s no myth. He is a man born and bred of strong conviction, honor, and distinction.”
“You sound as if you know the true king well?”
“Well enough to know he is a good man who will serve his country and people fairly.”
“You sound honored to serve him.”
“I am,” he admitted, “but enough about the king. There will be time for me to deal with that soon enough. I presently only have thoughts of you.”
“And I will see that it stays that way.”
“How?”
She slipped her hand along his leg and began to stroke him.
Later that night, Tara sat by the hearth in the lone wool nightdress that the women had packed for her. Reeve slept soundly in bed, snoring lightly. It was a scene she would have never imagined possible only a few months ago. She had thought death was just a matter of time after her father had explained that he had made arrangements for her to wed King Kenneth. She had never expected to be rescued, let alone fall in love. But how did she protect the man she loved from the curse. She wondered why the curse had yet to claim Reeve but had co
me to the conclusion that it was because he had yet to claim aloud his love. Rory had claimed his love for her and had died before they had exchanged vows. And no love was involved when it came to her second husband. It was when they exchanged vows that he also died. The curse brought suffering and death to anyone who loved or wed her.
So, as much as she wanted to wed Reeve, she couldn’t, for exchanging vows would surely kill him. Bliss had told her to remember when it came to the curse, but what was it that she was supposed to remember?
Tara wished that she could find the witch who had cast the curse and have her remove it, but she had disappeared that day so many years ago never to be seen again. She often wondered what had happened to her. She remembered screaming when her father had her torn away, and though Stone had never spoken a word, she had thought she heard him say, “Go, all will be well.”
At the time, the curse meant nothing to her; her only thought had been for Stone’s safety. It hadn’t been until much later that she had learned the power of the witch’s words. Tara wondered if it was possible to find a more powerful witch than her. Bliss had said that a more powerful witch could remove the curse. But where would she find one?
She felt as if she ran in circles, round and round, again and again getting nowhere. She felt completely helpless, and she had felt that way far too long. There had to be something she could do to stop the madness.
A yawn warned that sleep was approaching, but she paid it no heed. She had thinking to do, solutions to reach before they were reached for her. Never again did she want decisions made for her. Choices from now on belonged to her; she would have it no other way. How she would see to that, she didn’t know. But she was determined, and that was half the battle.
She yawned again, and her eyes drifted closed. She would rest for a moment and then think again on finding feasible solutions to her dilemma. One more yawn, and sleep laid claim to her.
Reeve woke and rolled over in search of Tara. When his hands found empty space, his eyes shot open, and he cast an anxious glance around the cottage. Relief poured over him when he saw her in the chair by the fireplace.
He leapt out of bed and padded over to her, ignoring the cold air that rushed to nip at his bare feet. He was about to playfully scold her for deserting him when he saw that she was sound asleep.
She wore her worry even in sleep, and he surmised that it was her concerns that had brought her to sit in front of the hearth. He wished she understood that he had no intentions of ever letting her go. They belonged to each other and always would. He had no doubt that his family would find a feasible solution to the matter. He worried the bigger problem might be getting Tara to wed him.
He leaned over and lifted her gently into his arms. He smiled, for she was toasty warm, and, at the moment, his body felt chilled. He held her close, sharing her body’s heat, and once he placed her on the bed, he hurried under the covers and cuddled her close.
He tenderly tried to stroke away the worry lines from her brow, and, surprisingly, in only moments, his gentle persuasion worked. Her brow relaxed, and he thought he detected a slight smile. If only he could chase away their problems so easily.
He watched her sleep with one thought constant in his head. He loved her; beyond all reason, he loved her. And he wanted desperately to tell her so. Speak the words loud and clear so that she would hear the conviction in his voice.
He continued watching her, and, when finally he heard a slight snore, he smiled. He leaned over and kissed her softly on the cheek and whispered as he had done before while she slept, “I love you. I will always love you.”
Chapter 29
Tara struggled with the two buckets of snow. How she would love a good soak in tempered water. She’d been washing with the melted snow for the last few days, and while it served the purpose well enough, she longed for a soak.
She plunked the buckets down in front of the door, the snow gobbling them up to the bottom rim reminding her that several inches had fallen since their arrival. And though the snow had stopped yesterday, she couldn’t say she was pleased. It meant that departure was imminent, at least for one of them.
The door suddenly swung open, and Reeve greeted her completely naked.
“You left me to wake alone,” he said with feigned sadness.
Tara looked him up and down and smiled. “And you woke in your usual state, the cold not shriveling you a bit.”
“It’s you who keeps him at attention,” he teased, and swiped the two buckets up before retreating completely inside.
Tara followed, admiring his taut backside and rock-solid legs. She smiled, closing the door behind her. Before she could turn, Reeve cozied up behind her, his arms wrapping her snugly against him.
“We should go back to bed,” he said, nibbling at her ear.
“You’re tired?”
“And you’re funny,” he said, turning her around in his arms.
He went to kiss her, and she stopped him. “I need to wash though I would much prefer a good soak.”
“If I provide a good soak for you, will you spend the rest of the day in bed with me?”
She knew he teased by his grin though she also knew that a good portion of the day would be spent in bed enjoying each other in so many ways. Whether it was touching, kissing, coupling, laughing, talking, they enjoyed every minute of each other.
“I most certainly will,” she said, though wondering how he would ever accomplish such an unlikely feat.
He gave her a quick kiss. “Give me a minute to get dressed.”
“What are you up to?” she asked skeptically.
“You’ll see.” And as soon as he was done, he took hold of her hand and out the door they went.
Reeve stood a moment, as if getting his bearings, and then turned, tugging her behind him. He stopped here and there along the way and gave a quick look around before proceeding with what appeared confidence. In one sense, he appeared to know where he was going, and in another, he wasn’t quite sure.
Then suddenly he said, “There it is.”
Tara looked though didn’t see anything until they got closer, and then she saw it, an opening to a cave. A bit excited about their mysterious destination, she followed along eagerly. At first, upon entering, it seemed like any cave until they proceeded deeper inside, the yawning-wide cave producing enough light to follow the twist and turn that lay ahead. Then a turn that led into a narrow passageway lit with dusklike light, followed by another turn that had her stopping suddenly and staring in shock.
It opened on a cavern, light from beneath the water illuminating the place and steam rising from the water.
Tara clapped her hands, and her face lit with pure joy. She grabbed Reeve’s face, and said, “You wonderful, wonderful man. I adore you.” She kissed him quick and then almost ripped off her clothes, so eager was she to soak in the water.
“Be careful,” he cautioned. “Bliss warned that the water can get hot.”
Tara tested it with her foot and sighed with pleasure. “It’s perfect.” Anxious to be fully submerged, she hurried in, the water greedily devouring her up past her breasts.
Reeve was beside her in no time, groaning with pleasure as he dunked himself to his neck. “This is—”
“Heaven,” Tara finished. “Bliss told you of this place?”
He nodded. “I had forgotten about it until you told me you wanted a soak. Bliss had told me you might want to bathe and that there was a perfect place for it near her home.”
“Bless her,” Tara said, and dove beneath the water. She came up with a cheerful jump, her hair soaked through.
“Soap,” Reeve said.
Tara laughed. “I wish.”
Reeve wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “I can make wishes come true.”
Tara chuckled. “Bliss told you where she keeps the soap.”
“I prefer to think of it as me making your wishes come true.”
Her smile faded, and she touched his cheek ever so gen
tly, almost as if she wasn’t sure he was real. “You’ve made so many of my wishes and dreams come true.”
“And I’ll make many more come true.”
Her smile returned. “I’ll settle for the soap wish right now.”
He laughed, let her go, and left the water to retrieve the soap from behind a small outcropping of rocks, tossing it to her before he joined her once again.
Tara caught it and proceeded to scrub her hair with sheer delight. When she had lathered it good, she passed the soap to Reeve.
“I can help scrub you if you’d like?”
She chuckled again. “I’d never get washed.”
“You know me well.”
As Tara scrubbed, she realized that she had gotten to know Reeve well, except for his involvement with the true king. She knew only bits and pieces of that part of him. And she wondered why. Why hadn’t he discussed it with her?
And so she asked, “Tell me of your missions for the true king.”
He stopped scrubbing. “I cannot. And before you think it is because I don’t trust you, it isn’t. My missions must remain secret for the good of the king and for your own protection. You must trust me on this.”
“I do,” she said without hesitation.
“You believe me so easily?”
“You are an honorable man. I see no reason to believe otherwise.”
“That tells me much about you,” he said with a satisfied smile.
“Which is why I inquired about your missions. I want to know everything about you.”
“Someday I will tell you all.”
She hoped that day would come; she hoped that this time spent together was not the only time they would have. That they would, as Reeve promised, grow old together.
“What do you think of the true king?” he asked.
“I had believed the prophecy no more than a myth at first, or perhaps it was because I didn’t believe there was someone strong enough to overthrow the present king. Then I began to hear people grumbling, my father among them. King Kenneth was demanding too much from his people and giving nothing in return, not even to those who had helped him gain the throne.”
“Then you began to believe?”
Loved By a Warrior Page 24