Winter’s Desire Read online

  Margaret looked toward the fire and appeared deep in thought.

  “Yes, cousin, I think you are. Go now, the night wanes.”

  I kissed her cheek, tied my robe tight and opened the door. I peered up and down the dark corridor, dimly lit by torches placed every few feet. I summoned my courage, knowing I had quite a walk to Benedict’s chambers located above the great hall.

  “Milady, what are you doing out at this late hour?”

  My heart faltered as my maid, Nuala, rushed from the shadowed hallway. “Ah, Nuala, your cousin is better, then?” I tried not to allow my nervousness to show. She would not be pleased with my current plan.

  She nodded, but her eyes were curious.

  “Milady, I must offer that it is unwise for a woman to walk the castle alone in the middle of the night.”

  “Do not fret so, Nuala. I have not far to go. I must ask that you return to your rest and ask no more questions of me. We will talk come the morrow.”

  “Milady, as your maid, I am your keeper and so must caution you of the wisdom—”

  “Then so you have performed your duty exceedingly well.” I patted her hand. “Now go take your rest. I will be well.”

  She stared at me as she contemplated whether to heed my words or belabor the point further. With a deep sigh of resignation, she kept her ground as I continued down the corridor. When I looked over my shoulder a moment later, she was gone.

  My footsteps echoed as I passed through the silent foyer that led to the circular stairs. I kept my palm against the stone wall as only a single torch provided light for my ascension.

  My fingers brushed the tattered hem of the massive tapestry that hung above the stairs. Woven into the dense fabric was my maternal grandfather’s tribal crest of Ireland. With this marriage, the lands it depicted would become property of the Lord Benedict and, hence, of England as well. Its colors faded, it was still a symbol of my father’s allegiance and respect for my mother. Theirs had been an arranged union, also, but a happy one and their example was what I hoped for with Lord Benedict.

  A mouse scurried across the floor at my feet, and I covered my mouth to stifle a scream. My heart thudded against my chest as I approached Benedict’s chamber door. I hesitated, my hand resting on the latch. With a deep breath, I summoned all my courage and eased open the door.

  The room had begun to cool and the stone floor was frigid through my thin slippers. The fiery remains of the embers in the hearth bathed the room in an eerie glow. From where I stood, I could see the end of Benedict’s bed, a fine piece my father had had constructed especially in honor of our wedding. The heavy drapes, hung from iron rails, blocked out the cold as well as the light.

  As I tiptoed to the bedside, I prayed that he did not sleep as many warriors did, with a blade at his side. I drew back the drape, adjusting my eyes to the darkness and saw that he slept with his back toward me.

  A loud snore stopped my heart and my body went stiff with the fear of what I was about to do. In the dim shadows, my breath hung in frosty puffs as I hastened to drop my robe and gown to the floor. Stepping from my slippers, I peeled back the corner of the quilt and slipped effortlessly beneath, edging close to Benedict for warmth.

  Trembling, I leaned forward to place a chaste kiss on his cheek, his eyelid, and finally his mouth. With a quiet murmur, his hand snaked around my waist and he drew me into his embrace. His mouth found mine, soft and warm, hesitant at first. His kisses fueled my desire, quelling all concerns of my previous tryst with Ranulf.

  He was gentle, his hands moving over me, caressing my breast, sliding down the small of my back, drawing my thigh over his as his fingers traced the valley to my waiting maidenhood. His hardening cock teased my opening even as his fingers slipped between my petals, stroking until I grew soft, seeping with need.

  Lost in his kisses, I gave over to him entirely, wanting him to possess my body and make it his own. In all that I knew of Benedict, I had not anticipated such thorough loving, such gentleness with his passion. In our cocoon of darkness, he lavished me with the attention I craved. He was everything I desired. I gave in to his musings, taking delight in what he was able to command from my body. Passion consumed me with each touch, each stroke. I grew bold, curling my fingers around his thick cock, impressed by its powerful length, anxious to know what pleasure it would give.

  His mouth moved hungrily over mine, my desire to please matching his. He tasted of wine, and I surrendered to the expertise of his hands, sliding languidly over the insides of my thighs, his thumb brushing teasingly between my thighs. Dark tendrils of smoke curled inside me, clouding my reason as need took control of my body and my mind. He nudged my knees apart and I offered myself willingly, the need for becoming one with him so strong I would not have known how to stop.

  Fully clothed, Benedict was a most impressive man, but without the hindrance of his clothing, my hands were given fully to caress his sinewy arms and shoulders. The sensation of his hard muscles flexing against my tender flesh took me deep into a euphoric bliss.

  With another kiss, he nestled himself between my thighs as he pushed his rigid staff slowly into me, stretching my virgin sheath. A stab of pain brought a gasp from my lips and he hesitated as I pressed my knees against his ribs and bit my lip against the sting. Insistent to see through my plan to seduce him, I held his face and kissed him hard until my body grew pliant. He rocked gently against me until my body accepted the slick, heavenly friction of him.

  His sigh turned to a quiet groan as he shifted and pressed deeper still.

  Liquid heat coursed through my veins as I lifted my legs to welcome him. I wanted desperately to possess him and sensed his body was determined to do the same. In the black-velvet darkness, I found with him the rhythm of life, of passion, my hips tilting to meet each fervent drive of his cock.

  “Sweet goddess,” his hot breath whispered near my ear. My mind spun, abandoning itself to this carnal magic. My fingers gripped the corded muscle of his arms, hot and damp with his aroused fever. I sensed him above me, his breathing labored, insistent with each determined thrust.

  My body coiled tight, I held the sensation as long as I could while I teetered on the brink of joy until my body at last broke free. Tumbling with each magical wave, I surrendered, pressing my thighs against his ribs as my glove tightened around him. I heard the sound of his breath catch and twice more he pushed deep, spilling his hot seed inside me.

  Only then did I consider the possibility of a child. Yet would that not be all the better to give him an heir? I gripped the muscled flesh of his hips, holding him deep inside me as residual ripples of pleasure cascaded over me.

  He leaned down, offering a slow, lingering kiss before he rolled over and drew me against his chest. I lay awake, sensing the change to my body, realizing that I was no longer a virgin. Wetness trickled betwixt my legs and I used the sheets to dab myself clean, wondering if I should reveal myself to him now instead of at dawn. A few moments later, I heard his steady breathing and realized he was asleep.

  Certain the fates had left the truth for daybreak, I snuggled my back against his chest, content within the security of his strong arms, and fell into a deep sleep.

  I dreamed of my dark lover, his face obscured, but his familiar hands dominating my every other sense. He seemed to know what gave me pleasure, how to bring me to a dizzying need, and when to let the desire ebb before building my body to desperation once more. I dreamed of the days to come, of how complete our life would be with both passion and purpose. In spite of the uncaring, unseeing man I had thought him to be, Benedict had proven otherwise with his tender loving.

  I was nudged from my ethereal dreams with the delightful sensation of Benedict’s hands upon my breasts, gently caressing as his mouth planted soft kisses on the flesh of my shoulder. I turned to speak, but his hand touched my chin, gently pushing my face away from him as he lifted my hair and focused his kisses along the curve of my neck.

  His palm slid down my thigh and in
stinctively I lifted my leg, allowing his fingers to stroke me deeply until I could barely breathe. Wrapping his arms around me, he lifted my leg over his thigh. He was hard and ready as he entered my ready quiver from behind, introducing me to yet another new pleasure as I held my leg aloft. One hand cradled my breast as the other stroked my mons, fostering a dizzying need within me. My body jerked with each delicious, fervent drive, pushing my body to a shattering climax. With a quiet groan, his mouth gently bit my shoulder and he emptied himself deep inside me. His phallus spent and still nestled betwixt my legs, he wrapped his arms around me and, satiated, we both drifted off to sleep.

  8

  MY COCK AWAKENED, AS DID I, TO THE WARMTH of a woman’s body snuggled against mine. Too much wine the night before gave me pause to wonder whether the slumbering woman next to me might be the good lady Margaret come to finish what she had begun in the hall. I raised up on my elbow and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. The drizzle of early dawn seeped through a crack in the curtains and there, cradled in the crook of my arm, was the serene and very satisfied face of Sabeline.

  The crumpled bedsheets, the stains of her virgin blood and her unclothed state put quickly into perspective what had transpired. Yet I had no regret for one stolen moment as I stared down at her, mesmerized by her beauty and by the emotions that stirred within me. The sheets pooled at her waist left exposed the soft, round breasts that my mouth had a few hours before taken pleasure in teasing. I could not help but be curious as to her change of heart, until a cold realization came over me.

  Benedict had come to my chambers last night and we drank far too much, exchanging stories of shared battles. He’d fallen asleep on my bed and, seeking an empty bed, I’d barely made it to his chambers…

  Nausea roiled in the pit of my stomach as I watched her sleep.

  She stretched and I fisted my hand to keep from touching her. She was even more beautiful in the sobering light of day. I grew hard, knowing how her body responded to mine. Unable to keep from tasting her lips once more, I leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her mouth.

  Warm and pliant, her mouth responded to mine, and her arms came around my neck. If this was a temporal moment, let it be the one I carried with me for the remainder of my days.

  “Mmm, that is nice to awaken to, milord,” she whispered, her eyes still closed.

  Encouraged by her enjoyment, I savored the last dredges of this mysterious moment, lifting my face from hers. She slowly opened her eyes.

  Satisfaction shone in her eyes just before they grew wide with fear. She sat up and drew the bed linens around her nakedness.

  “Why are you here?” She searched the bed as if she might find Benedict lurking amid the sheets.

  “Milady, let me say this before all else. I do not regret one moment of what has happened between us.” I reached up to brush away the hair hiding her face.

  “Where is Benedict?” she asked again.

  Though I had expected her response, my heart squeezed painfully. I dropped my hand, wanting more than anything to draw her into my arms and make her forget Benedict.

  “We were drinking and he fell asleep in my chambers. I came to his, but I swear to you I had no idea this would happen.”

  “Yet you made no effort to stop it?” she asked, her gaze landing on the red stain on the sheets.

  “I was overcome with drink, milady. I responded only as any man would when seduced by a beautiful woman in the middle of the night.”

  She did not spring from the bed as I had fully expected she would. Yet I dared take that as a good sign. “I do not regret one moment, Sabeline,” I spoke, hoping to quell the concern in her eyes. “I pray that I did not hurt you.”

  Her eyes skirted over my torso. The mere sight of her in my bed and the way she looked at me caused me to grow hard. I was glad to have the bedsheets wrapped around my thighs.

  She worried her lower lip as her eyes met mine. “You were most generous and gentle, Ranulf. As loving as I could hope for, it being my first time.”

  She started from the bed and I stopped her.

  “But you thought it was Benedict who worshipped you through the night?”

  She nodded. “It is true, I cannot lie.”

  I closed my eyes. “Then the dawn brings you disappointment, and for that I am deeply sorry.”

  She did not look up.

  “No, Ranulf, God help me, I may be many things, but I am not disappointed.”

  I opened my eyes and searched her face to be sure I understood what she was saying. I took a moment before I spoke, the anticipation causing my body to heat. Still, I needed to be certain. “Were this night to happen again, would you wish it was with Benedict?”

  Her beautiful eyes rose to mine.

  “It is no longer the night, but the dawn. What shall happen now?”

  Perhaps desperation spawned my words, perhaps the hope that desire alone could change the outcome of our lives. “Sabeline, were it in my power I would awaken each day to capture the sweetness of watching you sleep, to kiss that most tempting mouth and feel your body stir beneath mine,” I said, leaning toward her, my heart praying that she would not turn away.

  There was no protest.

  A soft whimpering sound escaped her throat as her mouth melted with mine. I dared to touch her face, her cheek velvet against my callused hand. I do not possess the charms of noblemen, nor am I one to tease, or to be teased. But as with all else I have attained in my life, once I set my sight on my goal, I do not waver until I attain it.

  But she was more than that. She was inexplicably a part of me and now I could not just let her go—at least, not without a fight.

  I eased her back to the pillows. There was, this time, the understanding of the choices we made, of the risk that we took.

  Her gentle hands moved over me, exploring my flesh. I cradled her breasts, satisfying my need, drawing her pearled tips gently through my teeth, taking pleasure in her sighs.

  She surrendered to my touch and the result was more intoxicating than any wine, drugging my senses, quelling whatever concerns had come before.

  I held her gaze as I covered her body and eased into her swollen glove. Her legs came around my waist as she raised her arms above her head in abandon. I fought the urge to drive madly into her, resting instead inside her as I stole a lifetime of kisses from her.

  If our joining was a sin that would damn my soul forever to a fiery hell, I was prepared to go there for her. “I want you to know whose body you claim, Sabeline. For even as you do, know that you have already claimed my heart, no matter what it may cost.”

  I held her close as I rolled to my back, my staff impaling her deeply as she straddled my thighs. Her gasp of surprise turned quickly to one of satisfaction as her hips settled over my rigid cock. I rested my palms on her thighs, giving her time to find what pleased her about the position. The sight of her body perched atop mine, her eyes closed and her lips parted would remain forever etched in my brain.

  She pressed her palms to my chest and leaned down to kiss me. In that instant, she had no idea of the thoughts I had of spending an entire lifetime at her side. She awakened yearnings in me that I had not known existed—yearnings of family, home and children.

  “It is your pleasure I wish to see.” I cupped each breast, suckling the rigid nubs as her fingers laced through my hair. Seated on my lap with her warm thighs wrapped around my middle I kissed her swollen mouth as she began to rock her hips back and forth.

  “Ranulf,” she whispered, her eyes glazed with arousal.

  She held tightly to my shoulders, our gazes locked. More than fleeting passion passed between us as my body approached ecstasy.

  I gripped her waist, our bodies moving in heated rhythm. I kissed her as if it would be my last. “I want you to know the depth of my feelings for you.” I struggled to speak as my body grew tighter.

  “M-milord,” she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.

  “If it were my decision, I would be the one you
marry and not Benedict.”

  “Ranulf.” She held my face as tears streamed down her cheeks. With her next breath, she thrust her chin upward and cried out, succumbing to her release.

  I lay back and pushed deep as her sweet glove milked me. “Do not regret one moment of this, my love. Tell me that you do not. Let that be enough for me to carry to the end of my days.”

  She wove her fingers through mine and turned her angelic face to mine. Her words came in short breaths, “If my life…ended today…I would have no regrets.”

  My body shook with the ferocity of my climax, knowing it would be the last time our bodies would join as one. As I offered one last thrust, the sound of footsteps registered in the back of my brain.

  Sabeline collapsed on my chest and I wrapped the sheets around us, expecting that Benedict’s servant was about to get an eyeful.

  The drapes were torn aside, sending in a rush of light as Sabeline sprang from astride my hips and covered herself with the rumpled bedsheets.

  Benedict stared down at us with an amused but puzzled look clouding his face.

  “The noble Sir Ranulf and my bride? Now, this is a surprising turn of events. Not to find Sabeline in your bed, of course, but that you had it in you to serve a woman.”

  “There is a simple explanation, Benedict. Do not blame Sabeline for I forced her submission.” I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, grabbed my breeches, and pulled them on in haste as I scanned the floor for Sabeline’s clothing.

  I found her robe and gown and lay them on the bed, standing as a screen between her and Benedict as she dressed behind me.

  “Is that quite necessary? I have been privy to naked women,” Benedict said as he rounded the bed and perched on the edge of the writing desk. “Just not my intended…yet.”

  For a man destined to wed this woman in but a few hours, he seemed far too at ease in finding her in my bed. “There is no reason that this should change anything, milord.” It tore at my gut to say the words, but I had to on Sabeline’s behalf. “We both want what is best for Sabeline.”