Fathers and Sons

by Le Veque, Kathryn

  “I did not mean to be cynical. Incredulous is a more apt term.”

  Bose continued to linger in the shadowy doorway, the sanctuary beyond dark and foreboding. Beyond the chapel lay the narrow corridor, and within that corridor resided his wife. After a moment, he scratched his dark head and looked away from his cousin’s inquisitive, concerned expression.

  “Be incredulous if you must. Be awed still. But do not fault me my emotions, Dag. That which I thought I had lost was returned to me by the beautiful woman you saw standing beside me this eve and I swear to you that I will die before relinquishing her.”

  Dag moved toward his massive cousin, knowing the man well enough to know that he did not profess his emotions easily. With a heavy sigh, he lay a meaty hand upon the knight’s armored shoulder.

  “Then I am pleased you have found love again,” he said softly. “Pray forgive the unthinking words of a man who has never before known the pleasure. It was not my intention to be judgmental, Bose. Merely unbiased.”

  “I realize that,” Bose replied, his hard stance softening. “But to hear your reasoning merely confirmed the knowledge I had so attempted to ignore. I have little doubt that Edward du Bonne and Breck Kerry will come for me, and I have little doubt that I will know minimal peace from this day forward.”

  “What of Henry?” Dag asked softly. “He is extremely fond of you. Surely he can intervene somehow.”

  “Mayhap,” Bose shrugged, his thoughts once again drifting to his ill wife. “I should not like to burden him with my self-invited troubles.”

  “He will be angry if you do not.”

  Again, Bose shrugged weakly. If only for Summer’s sake, he had indeed considered the possibility of contacting the king purely for the fact that the man could force Baron Lulworth and Breck Kerry to cease their pursuit of the stolen couple. If, indeed, the two slighted men chose to harass the newlyweds, and Bose had no reason to believe that they would not. Still, until such a time approached that royal intervention might be necessary, Bose was determined to handle the situation himself. For certain, he would endeavor to try.

  “Mayhap,” he repeated belatedly. “In any case, my wife awaits me. Thank you again, Dag, for your services and support this eve. I knew I could depend on you to aid me.”

  A measure of Dag’s normal overbearing character returned and he snorted loudly. “Aid you in what? Ruining that beautiful girl’s life? Out of my sight, Bose, before my superiors discover what I have done. After I am defrocked, I shall be forced to come and live with you and your beautiful bride and that shall be your punishment for your impetuousness.”

  Bose scratched his chin, grinning. “Summer’s eldest brother made the very same threat as he covered our escape from Chaldon Castle. ’Twould seem my fortress is to become a haven for disgraced relatives.”

  “It is your own fault,” Dag gave him a shove into the dim chapel beyond. “Go to your wife, Bose. Go to her and pray that she never comes to resent you for forcing her to marry you.”

  Bose’s smile faded as he took his cousin’s advice seriously. “I already have.”

  Dag watched his mighty cousin as the man approached the mouth of the narrowed corridor. Before the knight could disappear completely, he called softly to him.

  “Bose?”

  Bose paused in the open portal, his face barely visible in the weak light. “What is it?”

  Dag did not reply for a moment. “Your wife… I meant what I said. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and I find that in spite of the circumstances, I envy you your fortune.”

  Bose nodded faintly. “She is all my dreams and more.”

  Dag listened to the bootfalls fade down the hallway. For an endless amount of time he continued to stare at the dim corridor, his mind a vortex of thought and emotion. For all he had discovered this night, he found himself extremely apprehensive.

  In the alcove off the sanctuary was a small room laden with various supplies dispensed to worn and weary travelers. Grabbing a heavy, beaten cloak, he set it aside and clutched a torn, disheveled satchel. Making sure there was no one to observe his actions, he set out for the kitchens to collect a few supplies.

  To the Devil with his cousin’s stubborn pride; if he would not ask for Henry’s divine assistance, then most certainly Dag would. He had known Henry once, too, when the lad was very young and Dag was still a knight in training. They had bonded and been friends, once.

  Aye, Henry would want to know what had become of his favorite captain and Dag was determined to tell him personally.

  *

  Summer was snoring when Bose returned to the cramped room. A thin spirit candle flickered by the side of the small bed, casting little light upon the gloomy room. On the floor beside the bed, a tray of food lay virtually untouched and Bose smiled faintly as he recalled his threat. Truly, he would not awaken her to force her to eat. But he would awaken her for another reason.

  With a loud snort and a sniffle, she suddenly rolled onto her side, her beautiful hair splayed about the bed like an abstract halo. Quietly, Bose removed his armor, allowing the pieces to fall gently to the floor. Stripped to his linen tunic and hose, he proceeded to remove his damp boots, wondering if the horrid smell alone would be enough to wake her. Finally dislodging the tunic, he sat carefully on the bed beside her.

  God’s Beard, she was so very beautiful. Reaching out, thick fingers toyed with the silken strands of hair, loving the soft feel against his skin. The same hand stroked her hair a few moments before moving to her head, tracing the hairline about her face, caressing her cheek. Never in his life had he been witness to a more sensual, exquisite creature.

  “If you were still married to Lora, you would not be touching me at this moment,” her muffled voice was faint, yet alert.

  Bose cocked his head, watching the dim light play off her porcelain skin. “No, I would not.”

  Summer rolled onto her back, her golden eyes half-lidded with sleep. “I am a wicked, wicked woman, Bose. P-Please do not… do not hate me for thinking terrible thoughts.”

  “And what thoughts are those, love?”

  She blinked as if deciding whether or not to answer him. After a moment, she simply shook her head. “I cannot tell you. You will hate me.”

  “I could never hate you. What were you thinking?”

  Tears suddenly sprang to her eyes and Bose shushed her softly, wiping the moisture away. “What’s amiss, love? Why do you cry?”

  “B-Because,” she wept softly.

  “Why?”

  She tried to roll over, away from him, but he would not allow it. Instead, he lay on the small bed beside her and drew her against his naked chest, her faint rose scent filling his nostrils. “Tell me. Why do you weep?”

  She sniffled and sobbed, sneezing and spraying his skin with moisture. He held her tightly, somehow suspecting what her answer would be but wanting to hear it from her lips all the same. If you were still married to Lora, you would not be touching me now….

  “B-B-Because I-I… I-I….”

  “There is no need to be upset, love. Calm yourself and speak slowly.”

  She swallowed hard, her hands against his taut chest. After a moment, small fingers began to caress his dark skin timidly. “I was thinking that I am glad for Lora’s death,” she said softly. “If she was s-still alive, I would never have known you. Or loved you. Although my thoughts are not m-meant to be evil, I nonetheless feel wicked for believing that I should thank her for her passing. For her kindness in providing her husband to a woman she has never met.”

  She waited for an explosion of fury, but there was none forthcoming. Instead, his embrace actually seemed to tighten and she could feel his lips against her forehead, warm and tender.

  “I am a firm believer in the old proverb that states all events happen for a reason,” his voice was barely audible. “I remember Dag telling me on the day we buried Lora that God is in control of our lives, not us as we would like to believe. God had allowed Lora to die fo
r a reason, though at the time I surely could not imagine what that reason could be. Mayhap… mayhap you were the reason.”

  Her head came up, golden eyes melding with onyx-black. The tears faded as she gazed deeply into his rugged face. “Do you believe that?”

  He met her gaze, his eyes raking her delicious features. “I do,” he whispered. “God looked into the future and realized what my dilemma would be upon meeting you. Certainly, I would not have been unfaithful to my wife even if you are the most beautiful woman in all of England.”

  She smiled faintly. “G-God was thinking of me, too. I would still be living an isolated life had you not been introduced into my world. Mayhap God realized that I needed you more than Lora did.”

  Bose sighed, thinking of Lora far more objectively than he had in four years. “Lora needed my level head, my wisdom. She could be rather mindless at times.”

  “As can I. ’Tis a female trait, I think.”

  He grinned in agreement. “I remember the day I met her. She was attempting to lower herself from a window to escape her mother’s wrath. Apparently, Lora had a secret lover and Margot heartily disapproved. But the rope she was lowering herself on was made of linen sheets, tied together on the ends. Clearly, a woman cannot tie a knot as a man can and one of them inevitably came loose. She landed on top of me.”

  Summer giggled. “She did? P-Poor thing. Did she injure herself?”

  His eyebrows rose. “You think only of her health? What of mine? She could have injured me terribly.”

  She continued to giggle. “So sorry, my darling. B-But we women must support one another. I would have lowered myself from a window to meet my secret lover regardless of who I landed on, too.”

  “You did more than that. You were a willing accomplice in your lover’s secretive plans to abduct you from your home.”

  Her smile faded as she realized the truth of his words, the seriousness of her actions. His warm skin, beneath her fingers, drew her attention and she found her gaze wandering his muscular, naked torso. Bose pulled her close once again, his gentle lips finding her forehead, her cheeks, and her nose. Summer closed her eyes as his seeking mouth drew closer to her honeyed lips, feeling the heat of desire burn deep into her belly.

  The palms of her sweating hands moved up his chest, her fingers digging into his shoulders as his mouth claimed her own. Moaning noises sounded deep within her throat as Bose pulled her into a crushing embrace, smothering her with his maleness. Kiss after kiss, their desire burned hotter and hotter until Summer abruptly found herself beneath him, the small bed groaning dangerously under their combined weight.

  Straddling her luscious body, Bose fumbled with the stays of the amber-colored gown, listening to his wife’s gasps of passion in between loud, pathetic sneezes. When the bodice of the garment came free, he removed the gown completely and set to work on her silky-soft shift. Easily, it dislodged and before Summer realized her state, she was completely naked beneath him.

  The warmth from his over-heated body shielded her from the chill of the room, protecting her. Bose fumbled about again, his mouth still attached to her neck, and it wasn’t until he lay upon her completely that she realized he had removed his hose. Naked and warm, he drew the coarse woolen blanket about them both.

  Her legs were sandwiched between his massive thighs as a quivering hand gently traced her torso. When the searing kisses to her neck ceased, Summer opened her eyes to realized Bose was openly inspecting her nude body.

  “Bose?” she whispered, disappointed that he had halted his scorching kisses. “What are you…?”

  “God’s Beard, you are beautiful,” even his voice quivered with awe and desire. Moving to her breasts, his hand moved in a gentle circle as his eyes sought her curious gaze. “I am sorry this event could not take place in a comfortable bed with all the time in the world for foreplay and discovery. What I must do, I must do immediately, for every moment that passes is another moment that our location could be potentially discovered. If your father breaks down the door before I have had a chance to claim you completely, ’twill be ammunition for his cause.”

  She smiled faintly, her hand to the three parallel scars on his cheek that fascinated her so. “W-We have all night, do we not? Stephan will not tell where we have gone.”

  He kissed her hand. “I trust your brother completely, but my charger’s tracks are distinct. If Breck and your father are intent to follow our trail, it will lead them here.”

  Her smile faded. “Then… t-then they could be upon us?”

  “Possibly. And I cannot take the chance that they would separate us before I have consummated the marriage.”

  Her face darkened somewhat at the thought of being isolated from Bose. And with that thought, fear such as she had never known blossomed within her chest, consuming her, drawing her clean of all control. Throwing her arms about his massive neck, she pulled him close against her in a fit of possessiveness and desire.

  “Then do it,” she murmured against his ear. “Make me yours, my darling. I am not afraid.”

  His hands moved to her breasts, his lips to her shoulder. Summer surrendered to him completely, wanting to know the power of his touch, to feel the magic of his emotions. Two days of discovering passion and desire paved the way for a sensation that seemed to grow in intensity with every successive touch, every progressive kiss. The more he caressed and lingered, the more she wanted.

  His heated mouth was upon her nipples, drawing them into stiff little pellets. He suckled her, bit at her, until Summer was panting with the heat of her unrestrained desire. Sneezing onto the hands that held his dark head captive against her breast, she made little attempt to stifle her delightful moans against his onslaught.

  His hands moved to her slender thighs as his mouth continued to work her nipples hungrily. Gently prying her legs apart, he shifted his weight and settled between them. As Summer instinctively wrapped her legs about his slender hips, his calloused fingers moved to her delicate virgin core.

  As before, she started slightly when she felt his probing touch, forcing herself to calm as he whispered tender words of comfort. Her natural apprehension banked somewhat as he invited her to watch his actions, acquainting her with her own body, its responses and reactions to his touch. Summer watched with a calming mind and increasing fascination as Bose gently traced the dusting of dark-gold curls between her legs, telling her how pretty the thatch appeared to his hungry, amorous eyes.

  She blushed steadily as he murmured softly on the beauty of her private junction, tenderly stroking the thick lips until she gradually came to relax. Twice, he reached up to grasp her hand, insisting that she join him in his exploration, but she balked and giggled uncontrollably. Smiling at her natural embarrassment, he continued to touch her as only he was capable.

  God’s Beard, it had been so long since he had touched a woman in this fashion that he realized he had nearly forgotten the pleasure of it. His massive fingers raked the patch of dark curls, the scent of her feminine musk tantalizing his nostrils and feeding his desire. As Summer watched, he dipped his great head to deposit sweet, loving kisses along her groin. Planting a deep kiss directly on the center of the hedge of delicate ringlets, he laughed softly when Summer leapt in maidenly shock.

  “Easy, love, easy,” he murmured. “There is more to come.”

  She nodded uneasily, smiling timidly into his lust-glazed eyes. Widening her already-spread legs, his hands stoked the back of her thighs and caressed the rounded curve of her buttocks before gently probing the glistening petals of her womanhood.

  God’s Beard, she was slick as rain and he sighed raggedly as his finger slipped into her easily. Summer gasped softly, her eyes closing to the initial surprise and wonder of his intimate action. Bose groaned low in his throat as he withdrew his finger gently, slipping two into her with little resistance. She gasped again and suddenly, he could hardly stand the excitement; as his control began to splinter in the wake of her obvious readiness, he mounted her with
as much care as he could muster.

  His throbbing member was hard and heavy as he pushed against her, gliding in effortlessly until the ruby-red tip of his phallus was buried. Holding himself aloft from her body with one arm and gripping her tightly about the waist with the other, his black eyes met with her wide golden orbs and he smiled weakly, all of his strength and concentration centered on his careful, slow entry. She smiled in return, biting her lip in anticipation of his breach, expecting the pain and discomfort that would accompany such an action yet oddly eager to know the experience just the same.

  Forgetting his control, his indecisiveness, Bose collected her delicious body into his embrace and drove his eager member deep into her yielding body. Listening to her soft gasps of shock, he kissed her deeply and passionately until she ceased to whimper. Holding her tightly, he coiled his buttocks and drove into her slowly, again and again, introducing her to a world of passion. Summer stayed with him, clinging to his lips, moaning softly with each successive thrust, and Bose felt his climax approach with blinding speed.

  Abruptly withdrawing, he wrapped Summer’s hands about his erupting member, gasping with ecstasy as he spent himself upon her hands and his cousin’s mattress. Sweating and breathing heavily from his exertion, he observed his wife’s expression as she watched the final surge of his orgasm die a lingering death within the palm of her hands.

  “Good Lord,” she whispered, watching the pearl essence run down her flesh. “Are you all right? What happened?”

  Amidst his panting, he laughed and snatched the edges of the blanket, wiping off her hands. “My pleasure, love,” when she looked puzzled, he laid her back to the bed and sought to clarify his statement. “My seed, as you called it.”

  Summer watched him as he resumed kissing her breasts, her torso. “But… but you s-seemed to be in such pain. Does it hurt you?”

  He laughed again, reaching the dark blond curls matted with moisture. “Not at all,” he said, descending upon her tender nub. “As you are about to discover.”