by York, Ashley
Rowena was a virgin no longer.
Her breathing still labored, every movement she made seemed to reverberate through his body but he knew she needed to recover from their first time. She would be sore.
He pulled her up alongside his length, and she snuggled against him, her head resting on his chest. She fit perfectly into the crook of his arm. He kissed the top of her head then grabbed the cover, tucking it securely behind her.
"Is it always like that?"
He smiled. "I take it you found pleasure in it."
"Oh, yes," she sighed. Her enthusiasm came through in her voice. It increased his desire.
"No, it's not always like that."
"Oh." Her tone dipped in her disappointment.
"Some people do not suit." He could smell her. He wanted her again.
"So, for them it is not like that?" She crossed his legs with her own, rubbing against him.
He was already hard. "I would say not."
"But…for us? It will be like this? We…suit?"
God, he could take her and fill her again and again. He never wanted a woman like he wanted her. He struggled to keep his breathing steady when he answered her. "I would say so."
She nodded against his chest, her breath warm. How long did he have to wait before taking her again?
"Rest, my love." He tightened his jaw and tried to think about something else.
After a few moments of quiet, Rowena spoke up, "John, I do not feel tired."
"No? And how do you feel then?"
She picked her head up. "Hungry."
He frowned and looked askance at her.
She smiled. "Like I've been given forbidden fruit and I want more."
His breath caught. Yes, but it wasn't forbidden.
"I'm certain we need to take some time." John shuddered with yearning when she rubbed slightly against him, his own leg dipping betweens hers and against her wetness.
"Let me feel again your body inside of mine." She stroked his face. "Make us one."
She was under him. Her firm bottom filled his hands as he raised her hips up to receive his thrust, her tightness pulling against him with each withdrawal.
He bent his head close to her ear. "I believe I've found heaven."
She shuddered. He encouraged her to move against him, showing her what was pleasing to him. She held on tightly at first then moved more willingly with his guidance. Too soon for him, it was over.
He had been a long time practicing abstinence which may explain his insatiable desire but it was more than that. It was her. She fit him like a glove. She was more than willing and her satisfaction became the center of his enjoyment.
Spent, he easily pulled her up to straddle him. With one hand behind his head, he grinned at the sight of her loveliness. Her breasts still heaving as she rolled her shoulders and stretched languorously, her hair disheveled about her. She slowly licked her lip, her eyes hooded.
"You are too enticing by half."
She reached to smooth her hair and he laughed. Clearly taken aback, she demanded. "Why do you laugh?"
"I say you're enticing and you fuss about yourself."
She frowned.
"These…" He slid her closer up his chest and held her soft globes in his calloused hands, "are beautiful breasts." Her knees were bent and rested at his shoulders. He smiled. "Quite a view I have."
She sat up straighter, uncertain what she should do. When she started to move away from him, his hand on her back stopped her. "Be still. I enjoy the sight."
He dragged his hand along her spine and leaned her toward him until his mouth enclosed her breast. Her eyes closed in pleasure, her lips separated. Lightly he nibbled her and her head dipped to her chest. He slid his hands along her bottom, grasping her hot flesh, and he was amazed at his own unbridled passion, his own response to his wife. When he leaned back, she pulled away and opened her eyes to look at him. He turned his head to the side and kissed her inner thigh just above the knee, never breaking the eye contact.
"Is there any pain?"
She shook her head slowly.
"Shall we try this again then? More slowly?"
She smiled with mischievous eyes and nodded.
He began his unhurried exploration of every part of her. With firm strokes, he touched her, encouraging her not to hide her pleasure. He sought to know what she enjoyed. She, too, joined in the exploration, boldly touching and taunting him until he couldn't hold back any longer. Each release became more satisfying because with each encounter, he knew his wife more intimately.
Every time, her throbbing pleasure resulted in moans that pulled at his manhood for sweet release. When their breathing eased and she lay still against him, he whispered in her ear. "That, my sweet, was your wedding night." He pulled her against him. "Soon, we will have our honeymoon."
"I am well pleased with you." Rowena said quietly just before she dozed off to sleep.
A deep chuckle filled his chest. She was like no woman he'd ever met. He kissed her forehead and was quickly joining her in sleep.
Chapter Seventeen
In the early dawn, Rowena awoke to her husband's mouth against her neck, nibbling and licking, sending little shivers down her body and stirring her passions again. Never could she have imagined what marriage would be like.
She rubbed against him when he pulled her close, his own arousal nudging firmly against her. Despite her fears, he had fit her perfectly.
"John?"
"Yes?" He nuzzled beneath her ear. His answer rumbled through her.
"Should we not break our fast now?"
He stilled. She waited. Had she said something wrong?
Slowly he slid his hand around to her belly to pull her onto her back, and he looked her in the eye.
"Are you saying you'd rather break your fast than be made love to by your husband? Have you tired of me so soon?"
She giggled and shook her head. "Never would I say that."
He brushed his nose against her cheek then smiled a big radiant smile. "Ah, that is very pleasing to me."
"And to me."
His smile dipped and blossomed again. "You are forthright. That also pleases me."
He took her lips with great eagerness, as if they hadn't just made love a few hours earlier. She wrapped her arms about his neck, pulling his hardened body closer to her. His hands were hot on her, his touch firm and demanding.
"Mmm." She wanted him to understand how she felt. "I do find you quite satisfying."
His hand stilled where he had been stroking her back. "Do ya now?"
Realizing how silly she sounded, she shrugged as she answered. "Yes."
His hand resumed. "Mmm."
They made love slowly, savoring each other.
"Ah, my sweet wife," John's voice was barely a whisper. "I find you quite satisfying as well."
He drifted into a heavy sleep accompanied by loud snoring. Rowena shifted closer, covering them tightly with the heavy blanket and did the same.
Rowena was awakened by the door opening and the gasp of her servant. Sitting up slightly, a finger to her lips, Rowena's sheet dipped before she could grab it back, exposing her nakedness.
"Shhh, Joan. Do not awaken him." Her voice sounded loud against the quiet of the room.
John now lay flat on his stomach, his hands spread out. One arm lay across her, holding her to him and the other lay off the side of the bed. How like a little boy he looked with his tousled hair and peaceful expression.
"Well, you do look happy, m'lady." Joan placed her tray of cheese and cider soundlessly on the table. "I am happy to see it but what of the other women?"
Rowena frowned at her maid. What of the other women? "He said there were none."
"And you believed him? You didn't settle that between you before you let him bed you?"
"Shhh, Joan." Her voice was getting a little louder with her exasperation, and Rowena didn't want to address the problem Joan was reminding her off. Smiling down at John, she was only sligh
tly startled when his hand slid down her stomach and came up between her legs, settling between her thighs.
"I just think you should have made sure he hadn't made you a laughing stock before you bedded him is all, m'lady."
Rowena tensed at what she was saying. Her friend had no idea how she was ruining what had been a very wonderful night. In all her dreams, she could never have imagined the feelings she'd experienced. His total desire to please her was something she would never have expected. He made her want him like she had never wanted anything on this earth. She had yelled out his name more than once, and he had taken her moans of pleasure in his mouth, urging her on to a deeper and deeper satisfaction. No, no one could have told her this was what it was like to be married.
When he had whispered that this was their wedding night, tears had filled her eyes. If only she'd known how she had been made for him and him alone. No one else could make her feel like this. She could trust him with her most intimate being, and he treasured her in the way he held her, the way he sought her pleasure, the way he took his release in her, filling her. When he'd said she had her honeymoon to still look forward to, Rowena had been overjoyed. Now she was feeling uneasy.
"Leave now, Joan." John's low voice was firm although muffled by his pillow. "Forthwith."
Joan's wide-eyed expression was full of fear. When he made to sit up, she jumped to run to the door, shutting it loudly behind her.
John propped his head on his hand, his face dark with a heavy growth of beard and his forehead creased. "Well?"
Trying to adjust her leg so that his hand was not quite so intimately placed, she hesitated in her answer. What should she say? Hadn't he answered the night before? His hand refused to be dislodged.
"Is there something you'd like to ask me?" His fingers moved suggestively, grazing that special spot.
"Stop." He did not listen but then she didn't sound very forceful.
"Is there something you'd like to ask me about then?"
Her eyes closed. Catching herself, her eyes flew open and she tried to adjust her location on the bed only to find his hand kept her put.
"Is there?" His mouth was hot as he suckled her, making it hard to think.
He pulled her beneath him, cupping her bottom against him. He filled her well. Giving in to her passion, she accepted his advances as he moved in her, his powerful thrust igniting her again and again into that wave of passion, and she was once more moaning his name.
Chapter Eighteen
"My lady." The noonday sun brightened the room around Rowena, causing her to become disoriented. "My sweet lady," John's insistent voice pushed through her sleep muddled mind.
"Yes?" Rowena opened her eyes to her husband's smiling face just a few inches from her own.
"You look well bedded."
Closing her eyes, she stretched languorously. The heat beside her was subsiding and with a start she realized her husband was no longer in the bed.
She sat up quickly and he tugged the blanket away when she tried to cover herself.
"Why are you up? Where are you going?"
He was dressed for travel but his eyes slowly admired her nakedness. Her heart sank as she remembered Joan's words from the night before.
"You are done with me?"
His eyes widened in surprise. "Why would you ask such a thing?"
When he moved to fondle her exposed breasts, she pulled away from him, wrapping herself with the blanket as she stood on the opposite side of the bed.
"You appear to be ready to go somewhere." She tried to stop her voice from sounding harsh but the shift from well satiated to discarded was a quick one.
"I must continue to oversee my property. I came back to be with you." His dimples came into full bloom with his grin. "I admit I was sidetracked from my mission. Pleasantly so."
The heat on her cheeks extended down her neck as she searched for the right response. She had none. All she knew was that she fell asleep totally contented and awakened to the fact that the source of her contentment was leaving. "When will you return?" Will you see another while you are gone?
His uncertainty was apparent to her now in the way he rubbed his thumb along his lower lip. Was he uncertain because he was unsure of the answer or because he was making up a lie? "I must complete my mission. The king’s orders, Rowena. You understand?"
The reminder that it was indeed his land now didn't seem intentional but it had the same effect on her. And what of the other women? Had he made her a laughing stock?
"Will you come back here when you do return?"
"Where else would I go?" He had been making his way toward her slowly and when he reached her, her body leaned into him of its volition. His lips were warm and promising but when she would have pushed more insistently against him, she learned he would not be budged.
"I cannot stay with you yet. When I return, we will spend more time together." His hand caressed her bare bottom, exposed as it was from the ill-wrapped blanket. "We will learn even more about each other." His hand worked like magic, making her desire him.
"Please, John," she spoke against his lips. While he was kissing her goodbye she was wanting much more. "What of my honeymoon?"
"Anticipation will make it even sweeter." When he pulled away from her, she struggled to find her footing. "Awww, do not disappoint me by pouting."
Her eyes flew open. "I do not pout." She could see his surprise, and she stood more firmly on her own, determined to not show how vulnerable she felt.
"I see." He was searching her face and she hoped her desire was not apparent to him. "Perhaps I will be backer sooner than I had thought."
"Perhaps you should not leave just yet." She bit her lip and looked away from him, ashamed for having said what was in her heart.
His groan as he unexpectedly pulled her firmly against him was pleasing to her ear. Pulling the blanket out from between their bodies, he leaned her back onto the bed.
"I believe you are correct. I have time to leave you with a proper memory since you are so willing," his hand worked its magic again, traveling up her thigh, "so very willing."
She waited but a second for him to make quick work of his fine clothing and he was again pressed against her, bringing her to that special place she had discovered in his arms. She knew the blessing of God was on their marriage. This was indeed the man she was supposed to be with despite the strange turn of events that had caused their marriage. He was worth waiting for and God willing, they would have many more passionate moments and even a family.
When she would have napped against his chest, he quickly left the bed and prepared to dress again. "You are a temptation I rather enjoy." He laced his breeches as he spoke, his smug look of satisfaction couldn't be missed.
"I take that as a compliment."
"As well you should."
"I rather enjoy you also, my lord." His face lit up at her comment. Self-conscious, she turned away from him.
Coming to kneel beside her as she sat up in the bed, he gently turned her face toward him. "Do not. Do not ever turn away from me when you share your feelings, Rowena. I want to learn all about you. I want to know all your feelings. I want to know your passion. I promise I will treasure your feelings."
She wrapped her naked arms around him, pulled him against her, and kissed him passionately. Although he seemed surprised by her reaction, he returned her kiss just as ardently.
"I look forward to your return." Her eyes were level with his as she spoke.
"I will not be over long." He strapped his broadsword to his side and kissed her again. Then he was gone. She sat on her haunches. Her heart dropped to her stomach as the door quietly closed.
Chapter Nineteen
"Mark never arrived?" John paced with agitation before the dark-haired man he'd left in charge. "No word at all?"
He knew he should have come himself. His guilt was palpable. Why hadn't he come himself to warn Philip. That is what he should have done instead of pleasuring himself with his wife. Rowe
na's face flashed in his mind, and he felt even guiltier at the feelings those memories caused in him.
In her arms he had found a peace he had never known. All his life, he'd felt the outcast, the bastard, always trying to measure up to standards he could never meet. In her arms he'd found complete acceptance, serenity, and peace. He hoped the cost for this peace was not the life of one of his own men.
"We need to send men out to look for him."
Philip quickly organized search parties for all possible routes Mark would have taken from the castle.
"Perhaps he is nearby and just missed us when we left camp yesterday," Philip suggested when he returned.
John ceased his pacing. "I pray you are right."
Unpacking his bag, John considered the possibilities. Mark could have followed the wrong road and missed their camp, or he could have tracked the camp from their previous night. It was true that there could be many reasons he hadn't made it to them yet.
"The information he had, my lord?"
"My suspicions were confirmed."
"Then they are verily Saxons burning their own villagers out?"
"They are." John told Philip what they had discovered at the castle.
"The red-haired man? Is he your seneschal?"
John was surprised by the accusation. "You heard something?"
"No, my lord. It was more a feeling in my gut."
John thought about his first impression and realized he had felt animosity from the start. He had later attributed that to Arthur's interest in Rowena.
"You spoke to him?" John asked.
Philip shifted uncomfortably. "My lord, our first night, do you remember? There was a problem with the horses?"
"I do remember the incident. I was told the Saxons were afraid of our horses."
"I saw Arthur during the commotion. He was standing off in the shadows just watching. I got the impression he enjoyed the ruckus."
"Mayhap he found humor in it. He is probably just a strange man." Despite his attempt to explain what he saw, John took Philip’s impressions very seriously.
"That might have been it except when I saw him later he was with a small boy. He gave him what looked like a gold coin"