Hidden Obsession

by Joanne Rock

  “Riders.” Her eyes went wide.

  He tossed her back on her horse with all haste, hoping he’d stolen good mounts.

  “They don’t know what direction we took.” He hoped. “Stay right by me, and whatever you do, don’t look back.”

  Slapping her horse on the flank, he flicked his reins and launched them both headlong into the darkness.

  11

  LINNET HAD STOOD STILL for so long in the rear entryway of her brother’s fortified holding that her feet cramped with the effort.

  Graham had suggested they’d left any possible pursuers far behind since they’d never caught sight of anyone after that initial sound of riders drawing near. Thank God for men’s penchant for drunkenness or the two of them would surely be dead. But she’d scarcely breathed the whole way home, her ears constantly straining to hear hints of danger behind them. The same way her ears strained now as she fought off a cramp in her hip.

  All remained quiet in the surrounding woods. Night had turned into day during their long ride and Graham had told her to hurry inside the small structure when they’d arrived so he might care for the horses. No doubt he wanted to hide them from plain sight.

  Now, Linnet stepped deeper into the dwelling, hoping he would return soon from his task. She craved the security of his arms around her, his touch soothing her far more than the knowledge of his sword prowess. How could she have come to rely upon him—to have feelings for him—so soon after they’d met? Could her decision to trust him be sound when she had so few men in her life with whom to compare him?

  Stripping out of her shift, she regretted the need to remain indoors for security purposes since a dip in the creek water would have been ideal to wash away the dirt from the journey.

  The sound of a horse clopping across the stone path out front caused her to start, her heart leaping to her throat at the thought of someone finding them here.

  Racing to the casement, she spied Graham below, his horse towing an ancient cart that creaked and groaned under an old basin.

  A washtub, in fact. The wooden bath was full of water that sloshed over the sides with each turn of the cart’s wheels.

  That she could smile after all she’d seen and all she’d been through the night before was a testament to the effect Graham had on her. He halted in front of the dwelling to stare up at the stone walls, confusion scrawled in the furrowed lines about his face. Shirtless, his body glistened in the late-morning sun. His slick wet hair appeared darker than usual as he mopped off his damp torso with his crumpled shirt.

  Her mood lightened at his thoughtful attempt to deliver a bath to her and she found herself stalking out onto the narrow gallery without a stitch of clothes on her body to cover herself. She pulled her long hair forward in a teasing attempt to shield her breasts, but whatever her tresses didn’t cover, she would gladly let him see.

  The desire to tempt him stirred along with a need all her own. And, perhaps, she appreciated the chance to make beautiful memories with him to rid her mind of the vulgar images they’d witnessed the night before.

  “Have you decided to test my skills at giving a bath?” She wished she could somehow stall time and stretch out this day with him, her anticipation for him marred only by the knowledge that what they shared would only last until he departed for his homeland.

  “As good as that sounds, my intentions were purely noble. I thought I ought to show you how a bath should be given.”

  The heat blossoming inside her couldn’t have been any more potent if she’d been standing right next to him.

  “You’re going to give me lessons?” She twisted a strand of hair between her fingers and pretended to think it over. “You forget you’re talking to an expert, sir.”

  “I’m pretty sure I’ve got a few tricks in mind that you haven’t seen before.” He patted his horse on the neck. “So why don’t you tell me where I should line up old Buttercup to facilitate the delivery of your bath?”

  “Buttercup? Why not Comet or Firedrake? Devil Warrior, perhaps?”

  “This sweet animal that was scared of the waterfall? I think not.” His eyes narrowed. “Now, are you going to tell me the trick of getting this tub inside or am I going to have to besiege your castle?”

  “As long as I am properly ravished either way, I care not.” She slid her eyes boldly down his body and back up again. “Although I am rather eager to wash off.”

  “If you look at me like that again, I just might forget all about the bath and move straight to the ravishing.”

  Her knees weakened at the thought and she drew her hair around her breasts more thoroughly to hide her body’s response. She wanted to linger in this game, to savor each moment with him.

  “Tell Buttercup to back up to the great hall doors and you can put the tub in the common area. It will be easier than a pulley to the second floor.”

  “And what about the need to hide evidence of our presence?” He studied the roofline as if seriously considering the pulley.

  “I think we will leave soon enough, don’t you?” They hadn’t discussed plans to move on since he’d told her he wouldn’t take her to a nunnery, but the knowledge hung over them nonetheless. “Perhaps for one more day we can simply bar the door and hope for the best.”

  His expression remained inscrutable, but then he nodded.

  “Since I plan to spend all day fulfilling your every wish, I’ll start with that one.”

  Within minutes, he had the tub in the great hall in front of the empty fireplace. When he left to secure the horse and the cart he must have found in one of the outer buildings, Linnet climbed gratefully into the tub. The cold creek water chilled her, but she appreciated the chance to wash off the stranger’s hands on her—even if they’d been on her clothes and not her directly.

  She’d brought scant niceties with her upon leaving Welborne Keep, but between her soap and her comb she would address most of the damage from her journey. She only had one surcoat now that the brutish knave had torn hers, but it would have to do for whatever life she made next.

  Fear of the future threatened for only a moment before she forced it back into submission. She would not allow anything to spoil this day with Graham that might be her last.

  When he returned, he arrived with a fistful of sweet violet flowers, his other arm full of sticks. At first, she thought he meant to deliver a bouquet, but he simply tossed the lavender colored petals into the tub as he passed her on the way to the hearth.

  “They smell delicious.” She tipped her head back on the rim of a tub that was too small, her knees bent to accommodate the size.

  “You didn’t wait for me.” He flicked a tiny cascade of water onto her knee with his finger. “I hope you remember who’s in charge of the bath. You can’t plead you’re too cold just because you jumped the gun.”

  “I jump nothing, sir. I just didn’t want you to see me at my dirtiest.” She flicked a narrow stream of water at him in return, the droplets landing on his bare back and trickling enticingly down into the waist of his unusual braies that fit his buttocks with extremely pleasing results.

  He grinned at her as he tossed the sticks in the fireplace, followed by a fat log that had been left off to one side of the hearth for heaven knew how many years. The timber quickly burst into flame.

  “Maybe I like my women dirty.” He smiled as if he were privy to a joke she would not understand. “But I hope you’ll let me see you any other way I want.”

  The suggestion made her curious in a shivery way, her skin tightening and tingling as she considered the possibilities those words offered.

  Through half-lowered eyes, she watched Graham move around the hearth, his back rippling with intriguing sinew as he worked. His bare chest flushed bronze in the heat of the blaze he created with almost no effort. He seemed to have a tool for every occasion and somehow he possessed a device that must help him create a blaze very quickly. She would have to ask him if he possessed another wondrous instrument from Walmart sometime, but ri
ght now she was more concerned with the blaze he’d started inside her.

  “That ought to take the chill out of the air.” Graham rose to his feet and adjusted one last stick with his boot. “It’s amazing how these old stone structures hold the dampness.”

  “’Tis not so old.” She flicked another stream of water at him, ready to retrieve his full attention. “My grandfather commissioned the building as a young man.”

  Graham turned to face her.

  “Then I guess it’s not so ancient after all. My mistake.” He stalked closer, his gaze never leaving her face despite her nakedness. “How can you sit so leisurely in cold water?”

  “I am not a woman of endless means, sir. I can hardly afford the luxury of having my every bath heated.”

  “Would you like it if you could?” He knelt by her side, picking up the soap she’d left near the basin.

  “Bathe in only warm water?” She stared at his hand coming down into the water to touch her, to clean her, and she tipped her head back in sweet abandon to the moment as her eyes drifted closed. “What decadent thoughts you have, Graham Lawson.”

  “You deserve a little decadence in your life.”

  Just as she wondered why he had not touched her yet, her tub skidded forward toward the hearth.

  She yelped in surprise, the water splashing over the rim of the tub as he carefully lined up her toes in front of the blaze he’d set.

  “Now you can be a little warmer at least.” He stood back to admire his accomplishment, his gaze lingering over her bare legs and sending awareness skittering up her thighs.

  “I have a much better idea for staying warm.” The water around her brought back memories of their visit to the creek two nights ago and all the ways being slippery could be pleasurable.

  As amazing as those memories were, she wanted to stockpile more to comfort her when she was alone once again.

  “You think you’ve got ideas?” He hooked his foot around a trestle bench and dragged it over to the side of the tub. “I have a notion for dispelling all the ugliness we witnessed last night so that you can go to sleep dreaming about nothing but me.”

  Touched that he would remember the power of her dreams and would even consider them now, Linnet blinked back the burning sensation behind her eyes.

  “I haven’t been able to think about anything but you since we left your ex’s bonfire party.” Graham leaned close to kiss her knee where it stuck up out of the water, his tongue swirling around her wet skin with strokes that left her light-headed.

  “You were overcome by the sight of me in my shift?”

  The sight of his lips pressed to her flesh made her shiver. He must have felt her stare since he glanced up to meet her gaze while he licked her.

  “I was overcome by a bloodthirsty need to hurt any man who dared to put fear in your eyes.” He watched her with dark eyes, his hair outlined by the red glow of flames behind him. He looked otherworldly. Beautiful and dangerous.

  “You have been a far better protector than my own kin. A more noble champion than the man I would have wed. And while I wish I could remain within the haven of that security a little longer, I have known from the beginning that you would not linger with me for long.”

  She wanted to alleviate him of the guilt she saw in his eyes. The regret.

  He reached to cup her jaw in his palm, his thumb smoothing the soft hollow under her cheekbone.

  “You have had visions of me leaving?” His touch remained gentle, soothing, but she sensed a tension in his question.

  “Not in specific images, but the knowledge of your departure lurks in my mind, certain as the sunrise.”

  What she didn’t tell him was the way she’d felt upon his leaving. In her mind’s eye, she could almost taste the overwhelming sadness, the unreasonable sense that he wasn’t just leaving England but that he somehow escaped into a whole different world where she could never reach him again.

  “I have no choice but to go back.” He reached deeper into the water to wrap his arm about her waist, his fingers kneading a soft show of comfort when the only thing she really needed now was passion. Only the fiery emotions of desire could erase that gnawing sense of impending loss.

  “I know.”

  Her whispered admission faded into a kiss, him moving forward, her arching up to meet him. She offered her lips, her mouth, without hesitation. How quickly she’d emerged from her virginal captivity to revel wantonly in a man’s touch.

  And no matter that Graham couldn’t stay with her. She wouldn’t change one thing about the time they’d spent together.

  Well, except for one.

  “You will stay inside me this time.” She whispered the request—nay, demand—between kisses, her breath coming faster as he stroked the wash linen between her breasts. Down to her navel.

  Graham thanked God for the condom in his wallet, not sure how he could have accommodated her request otherwise.

  And denying her anything was out of the question. He practically fell in the water to kiss her, her arms drawing him down to where her breasts peeked out of the bath every time she drew a breath.

  His hands sought the soft weight of her cleavage, palming the generous mounds. Fingers sliding over her with ease thanks to the water and soapy lather, he wanted to touch every square inch of her, to know her more intimately than he’d ever known any woman.

  A foolish wish when she remained unobtainable for him. Living nine hundred years apart was a long-distance gap no relationship could survive, and he had to return to his life in L.A. He’d swiped a handful of scrolls from Kendrick’s private tent at the Midsummer festivities that might hold the key to the perverted history of the Guardians, but he hadn’t even opened them yet because he wanted—needed—this last window of time with Linnet before he found some place safe to leave her.

  For now, he would indulge himself.

  He lifted her out of the tub, the soap and the cloth falling back into the bath as water sluiced over her body. Flower petals clung to her skin. He’d laid some blankets by the fire earlier, knowing he wouldn’t be able to make it upstairs with her once he got his hands on her.

  “Sorry it wasn’t much of a bath but I need to have you close.” He kissed her neck as he walked them over to the hearth and the makeshift bed he’d transferred from the upstairs bedroom. “Closer.”

  She tasted like flowers and clean creek water. He laid her down on the blankets so he could look at her in the firelight, her glistening body catching the glow of the blaze in each tiny droplet on her skin.

  “To be truthful, I was most looking forward to what came after the bath.” She arched up as he kissed his way down her body, her spine stretching to put her breast closer to his mouth.

  As if he needed any encouragement to devour her.

  Lips locking around the taut crest, he drew on her hard, nipping the pink bud and then licking away the ache before starting all over again. He lingered there, quickly growing addicted to the throaty sounds of pleasure she made as she arched harder, wriggled closer.

  Only when she could hardly be still did he allow his fingers to do some walking. He drifted down over her barely-there belly to circle her hip bones and then sift through the curls guarding her sex.

  All his.

  He couldn’t help the selfish thought that he was the only man to have her, the man she’d chosen for her first time. Her second time. No woman had felt that way about him—wanted him that much—before.

  When his thumb hit the soft, swollen nub of her sex she cried out. Tensed. Her fingers gripped his forearms, nails biting into his flesh as she held on tight.

  He released her breast to admire the damp glow on her skin, the pink peak straining toward him as if to beg another kiss. If only he had the reassurance of more time with her, another day for more kisses, perhaps it would have been easier to move away, to conquer new terrain on her gorgeous body.

  But while every touch electrified his senses, sizzling his nerves into high-voltage attention, those
same caresses all burned regret into his skin like a brand. The memories would be imprinted forever, but the making of them would be bittersweet.

  “I wish I could take you with me.” He spoke the words to her navel as he kissed his way down her abs to the V of her thighs.

  “Where?” She twitched beneath his touch, her restless moans and sighs a sweet music he wouldn’t forget.

  She didn’t understand and he couldn’t explain. She might not believe him. Or worse, she might think he lied on purpose to avoid a commitment. And not for the world would he hurt this woman who had already been through so much.

  “Everywhere.”

  He spread her wide to taste her, his thumbs pushing aside the swollen folds to tease the burning center of her. Her cry filled the small hall, the shout echoing in the rafters above along with a misguided bird who chirped accompaniment.

  The hearth fire warmed his back, but not nearly as much as she sizzled the rest of him. He reached down to unzip his fly, his jeans too constraining for the want of her.

  But he never released the tight bud that made her squirm, though. She squeezed her thighs to his shoulders, whimpering with pleasure and want while he dipped one finger inside her. And another.

  She went utterly still for a moment, her every muscle tense until the first convulsive shudder rocked through her, a raw cry wrenching from her throat as she found her peak.

  He pressed harder against her inner walls, hungry to feel every lush tremor as she twisted against him. When every last spasm had quivered through her, she stirred again, fingers raking his shoulders.

  “I want you inside me.” Her whispered words were soft, but her movements were still urgent as her fingers dove beneath his boxers to stroke him.

  Levering himself above her, he kept his weight on his elbow, more than happy to give her what she wanted. Unable to keep his mouth off her, he kissed her as she touched him. She was so incredibly sweet. His pulse quickened with the desire to consume her, to savor her, taste her everywhere. He sampled her lower lip, her neck. Sucking, licking, kissing.