Denise Lynn Read online

  He was going to send her to the wolves alone?

  'I thought it was your responsibility—your duty—to protect me.'

  Jared nodded at Agatha. And to Lea's shock the maid left the chamber, closing the door behind her.

  'Agatha? What.. .where...' She turned on Jared. 'Now you order my maid about?'

  'Agatha is part of Montreau. That makes her my responsibility.'

  Lea couldn't believe what she was hearing.

  'Oh, yes, all of Montreau is your responsibility—your sacred duty—yet you are going to leave me to fend for myself against Villaire.'

  Jared closed the distance between them. 'Is it any less than what you deserve?'

  This was how he planned to get even with her? She gazed up at him. 'Yes! It is far more than what I deserve. I am sorry I hurt your pride and embarrassed you. But I didn't ruin your life. I didn't take all you possess from you.' Fear and pain shot up her spine. 'I didn't condemn you to a life of hell.'

  She didn't think watching his men die wasn't his own version of hell? Jared grasped her upper arms. 'You have no idea what you did to me.'

  The hoarseness of his own voice caught him by surprise. After all these years her betrayal was still a raw open wound. It shouldn't bother him so much. He no longer cared for her, so their past should have no effect on him.

  'Did you tell him that I lied? That you and I are not betrothed?"

  'No.' He wanted her to be present when that lie was exposed. 'I thought I'd leave that for you to explain.'

  'Jared, please.' She grabbed the front of his tunic, bunching the fabric between her fisted hands. 'I will do anything—' Lea swallowed hard '—anything you ask to keep my secret.'

  Certain she'd take offence, he winged an eyebrow as if mocking her, and asked, 'Anything?'

  'Yes. Anything. Everything. All I have is yours—I will give it to you freely. Just please, Jared, please don't tell Villaire the truth."

  He stared down at her, amazed at the desperation of her tone. Yet, instead of seeing this as the perfect opportunity to savour a taste of revenge, he was struck with the sudden, illogical urge to help her.

  What hold did this woman have over him? Her lower lip quivered, yet she held his stare—

  although her eyes appeared suspiciously bright.

  Jared released her arms to pull her close. She needed him and to his chagrin he could no longer deny how much he wanted her.

  His lips a breath away from hers, he cursed her, 'Damn you, Lea.'

  Even though she pushed against his chest, her lips were soft and pliant beneath his. In a matter of heartbeats, she parted them to return his kiss and snake her arms around his neck.

  When Lea relaxed in his arms and moaned softiy, every memory of her flooded his mind. The days they'd shared, the softness of her skin, the laughs and teasing, the sweetness of her kiss and the stolen moments.

  He wanted more than stolen moments and kisses. Jared backed her towards the bed.

  Lea didn't resist. She let him lead her across the chamber, ignoring the cloak as it fell from her shoulders to rustie on to the floor. In fact, she clung to him, inviting him to share her desire.

  They fell on to the bed in each other's arms. When he broke their kiss, Lea whispered his name.

  He recognised the hunger and longing in her breathless whisper. It matched his own. At one time he had dreamed of this moment—how could he ignore the heat setting his body afire with lust?

  He traced a line of kisses along her jaw, pausing against the soft spot beneath her ear. 'Stop me now, Lea.'

  She couldn't have stopped him had she wanted to. Not now. Lea didn't care if this was what he wanted in exchange for his sdence. It didn't matter. She wanted him, needed him, longed to once again lose herself in the magic of his touch.

  'No, Jared, don't stop.'

  She moved beneath him, straining to get closer, to feel his touch upon her.

  His ragged groan brushed across her ear. The longing it conveyed sent ripples of anticipation skittering the length of her body.

  Lea tugged on his tunic, pulling one end free of his belt. She longed to stroke his flesh, wanted to feel the play of his muscles beneath her hands.

  'Jared.'

  He must have understood her frustration, because before she could be certain of his intention, their clothing lay in a pile on the floor. Now there was nothing to prevent her from running her hands over hard muscles, or stroking warm skin.

  Before, their stolen moments had been fraught with the danger of discovery. And so there had been half-clothed, brief sessions of heavy breathing, deep kisses and near-frantic touches.

  This would be their first time sharing the luxury of a bed. No longer did they need worry about the expectations of their parents. They no longer needed to restrain their desires. Instead, they could let lust and passion guide them.

  Lea trembled at the thought of giving herself fully to Jared in ways she'd only imagined before now. She curled her fingers over his shoulders, holding on as he parted her lips.

  His kiss demanded a response as his tongue swept along hers. She moaned softly against his mouth.

  His lips left hers to trail a hot line to the soft spot beneath her ear. 'I want all of you.' The huskily spoken statement brushed a heated shiver down her spine.

  She sighed as Jared caressed her breasts, teasing the already hardening nipples. She arched into his caress, more starved for his touch than she'd realized, and closed her eyes.

  His lips trailed fire across her breast, over her collarbone and up the length of her neck.

  The heat pooling between her legs begged for his attention. Lea slid her hand down his chest and stomach to rest against the length of his erection.

  He brushed her hand away. Slowly trailing his fingertips along her collarbone, he paused to gently trace the outline of her breasts before chasing the shivers down her torso.

  The first ragged sigh of anticipation hadn't even fully left her lips as his gentle touch skated along her leg, parting her thighs to stroke over her mons before slipping between the slick folds.

  She gasped at how quickly her body responded to his touch. Jared's kisses, his caresses, tormented her until she begged breathlessly, 'Jared, please.'

  He drew up over her, supporting his body on his elbows, cupping her face, and came into her with a sure, fluid stroke that drew a cry from her lips.

  While his touch was gende, his thrusts and kisses were not. She clutched him tightly to her, crying out his name as she fell headlong into fulfilment.

  Jared covered her lips with his own and answered her cry with a deep ragged one of his own.

  Spent, he fell alongside her, breathing hard. He gathered her into his embrace and kissed the top of her head. 'We were fools to wait.'

  She couldn't disagree. Had she known making love with Jared would be this.. .amazing.. .she would have ignored her parents' wishes. Perhaps then the past might have been different.

  But it wasn't different and, to Lea's horror, guilt and shame threatened to overwhelm her. While she'd often wondered what it would be like if Jared made love to her, not once had she given a thought to the aftermath.

  She felt like a whore. The only difference was that instead of gold, she'd offered her body in exchange for his silence. And there was nothing to assure her that he would keep his word. She'd been foolish to trust Jared, to permit herself to get so caught up in the moment that she'd temporarily forgotten how much he disliked her.

  He sat up on the edge of the bed and gathered his clothing. Lea grazed her teeth across her bottom lip, trying to decide what to say—or do.

  Finally, unable to stand it any longer, she blurted out, 'You won't tell Villaire the truth now, will you?'

  Jared tensed, but said nothing as he pulled his shirt over his head.

  Suddenly panicked, Lea cried, 'You promised!'

  He shrugged into his surcoat, picked up the rest of his clothing and headed towards the door.

  She calmed her tone. 'Jar
ed, please.'

  Without pausing on his way out of the chamber, he said, 'I promised you nothing, Lea.'

  Chapter Seven

  Lea stared at the door—again. The inanimate object had been the sole focus of her attention since Jared had left her in open- mouthed shock.

  All through her bath and even now whde she absently combed her hair dry, she'd gone over his action again and again.

  She'd known he was angry about her untimely rejection. And she'd expected some type of revenge—maybe even deserved it. But she never would have imagined his revenge to be so brutal, cruel—or thorough.

  He'd used her. Not just her body—after all, she'd made the offer and so had no one to blame for that except herself.

  But Jared had known exacdy how her body would respond to his touch and had used that against her. He'd made her mad with desire until she all but begged for more.

  Then, just when she'd begun to believe their feelings toward each other could be more companionable, he'd tossed it back in her face.

  If Jared told Villaire the truth about their imaginary betrothal, everything would fall apart around her. She was nearly out of time to conceive a child she could claim as Charles's. With both Jared and Villaire here it would impossible to even find a man, let alone conceive a child.

  Her stomach knotted with the realisation that she'd taken a big risk with Jared. But it was doubtful their one time would result in a child—she prayed that would prove true.

  It had been a mistake, a huge mistake. Jared made her feel things and think things she had put behind her years ago. She needed to make certain the opportunity to be alone with him never happened again.

  'Lady Lea?' Agatha queried from the doorway. 'They await you below.'

  'Villaire or Jared?'

  'Both, along with Sir Blackstone.' Agatha made a sour face when mentioning Villaire's companion.

  Lea set the comb down. Not anxious to see any of them, she said, 'They can either start the meal without me, or keep waiting. It is up to them.'

  'Would you like my help?' Agatha asked as Lea swept her hair over her shoulder.

  The woman would complete the task of braiding her hair too quickly and Lea was in no rush to join the men. She answered, 'No. I'm fine. I'll be down when I finish.'

  Her presence wasn't required. Jared would only make her more nervous and sick to her stomach on purpose. Villaire would take advantage of every opportunity to belittle her. And this Blackstone only wished to size up his prospective bride.

  Why couldn't they all just leave her alone? She and Montreau didn't need, or want their proffered help.

  Jared stared at the men milling about the overcrowded Great Hall. He'd rather be with them, flirting with the women, sharing

  a drink, a laugh and a tale than sitting at the table on the raised dais with Villaire and Blackstone.

  He glanced at Agatha; catching her attention he raised one brow in question. She shrugged in reply. He'd sent the woman above stairs to inform Lea they awaited her for the meal. She was taking her sweet time joining them.

  This was probably his payment for leaving her chamber the way he had. What had she expected him to say? They'd just been intimate and all she could think of was if he was going to keep her secret or not.

  That shouldn't have bothered him. It isn't as if they shared any feelings toward each other—at least not tender ones.

  But it had sounded to him as if she were begging and that irritated him. He wasn't used to weak-willed women, and had not the slightest inkling of how to deal with them. Nor was it something he wanted to learn.

  He would rather they argued or snarled at one another than try to figure out how to respond to whining or begging. Such instances always left him feeling.. .incompetent, and that did nothing except anger him.

  Jared frowned. He needed to think about something else instead of Lea. Other than someone he needed to protect, she wasn't his concern. He'd need to be more careful in the future and stay out of her bed. As much as he enjoyed making love to her, it would only lead to problems later.

  Problems he wished to avoid.

  Right now, the food was getting cold and the men had yet to eat. Just he started to rise to go see what was keeping her, Villaire said, 'We will eat without her.'

  Jared sat back down and glared at the man. 'No. This is her keep. We will eat when the lady arrives.'

  It certainly wasn't as if Villaire would perish from lack of food any time soon. The man ate enough for two men, all day long. Jared was amazed at the amount of food the short, squat man could shovel into his mouth.

  He wondered how close Charles had been in appearance and acdon to his brother. If they were alike, in either circumstance, he would pity Lea if she hadn't so deserved such a man.

  Villaire shifted, turning towards Jared, to ask, 'I am told you have called off the search?'

  'Yes. Enough time has been spent searching for a body that is apparently there no longer.' Jared leaned back in his chair, adding, 'I think it would be safe to assume the sea has claimed him.'

  The expression of deep sorrow, one that Jared had quickly recognised as false, fell over Villaire's face. If this man felt anything for his dead brother, it wasn't sadness. Greed for what he saw as a chance to grab control of Montreau, perhaps. The thrill of presumed power over Lea and her keep, through Blackstone, most definitely.

  Villaire could wallow in his dreams all he liked—they would never come to fruition. Jared would gut the man first.

  He'd sworn to protect her. So until the empress saw fit to relieve him of this duty, or she remarried, he'd see to it that no one forced any unpleasantness upon her.

  For the briefest moment, the hall fell quiet. Jared looked towards the stairs to see Lea approaching the table. Her bright green gown made her look overly pale, but he doubted if that was caused by any lingering illness. She was more likely sdll upset with him.

  He glanced at Villaire. 'You need take another seat.'

  'Why would I do that?' The man gripped the arms of the high-backed chair.

  'Because you are in Lady Montreau's seat.' Jared toyed with his eating knife. 'You will move.'

  Villaire shot him a dark, hate-fdled look, but he did rise to wave Blackstone down a chair.

  Lea signalled a start for the meal, then sat down between Jared and her brother-by-marriage without comment.

  'Ah, yes, and a fine meal it will be.' Villaire glared at her, continuing, 'Congealed gravy, greasy cold meat and wine that tastes like verjuice. I never should have expected better since, under your control, Montreau never could set a decent table.'

  Jared thought for certain Lea would throw a well-aimed dagger at Villaire's heart. To his surprise she merely looked down at the trencher they shared. He stared at her. Surely she wasn't going to let that swine get the better of her?

  Finally, she suggested, 'Perhaps you would be happier if you were before your own fine table instead of mine.'

  Villaire laughed before shaking his head. 'Oh, no, my dear sister, it is becoming more and more apparent that my brother let you slack far too much in your duties. If you are to wed Blackstone, you need to be taught how to manage a keep correctly.'

  'Trust me, you can be certain that I am not going to wed this Blackstone.'

  As if she'd said nothing, Villaire continued, 'You obviously require a firmer hand in your retraining. Thankfully, I am well experienced in seeing that it is applied correctiy.'

  Jared read far too much of a threat beneath those words. 'The first brigand that lays a hand on Lady Montreau will see it cut from his arm.'

  Lea made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a choked laugh. Villaire paled, and was quick to say, 'My Lord Warehaven, you misunderstood. I never meant she needed a hand put to her physically, only that she obviously needs more detailed guidance on how to perform her dudes so she brings no disgrace to her husband.'

  'My husband is dead.'

  Ignoring her statement, Villaire reached out to pat her hand. Lea jerked away
from his touch.

  Nonplussed, he cajoled, 'We all understand how distressing Charles's passing has been for you.

  But rest assured that Sir Blackstone will help you through your grief.'

  Lea glanced at Jared before leaning forwards to glance past Villaire to Blackstone, before once again addressing her brother- by-marriage. 'If you brought him here to wed me, you have wasted his time.'

  'He comes with the king's permission. Besides, any other woman would show gratitude at having someone willing to care for them and properly run their keep. You are an oddity who disgraces your gender, dear sister.'

  'And you are—'

  Jared slid an arm across her stiff shoulders and interrupted, 'I should be insulted that the two of you seem to have forgotten one thing.' He paused, waiting until Villaire and Lea turned their attention towards him before continuing, 'Lea is already betrothed—to me.'

  Lea relaxed beneath his touch. Her expression softened and she touched his shoulder.

  Jared gritted his teeth. If she so much as mouthed one word of gratitude he would set everyone straight about this supposed betrothal.

  She must have understood his glare because she quickly lowered her hand and looked down at the table.

  Villaire's face turned red as he blustered, 'But King Stephen Lea slammed a palm on the table, cutting off anything Villaire was about to say. 'Has nothing to say about what happens at Montreau.'

  'That's where you're wrong, my lady.' Blackstone smiled slyly before suggesting, 'Before you turn down my suit, you may want to hear what I have to say.'

  'It's doubtful anything you say will change my mind, but feel free to talk.'

  Blackstone and Villaire exchanged a look, making Jared wonder if this had been planned beforehand.

  After glancing around the Great Hall, Blackstone rose. 'Perhaps somewhere more.. .private?'

  'No.' Jared hooked a foot around one leg of Lea's chair, preventing her from leaving. 'You can talk here, or not at all.'

  Lea wanted to tell Jared to mind his own business, but she was indebted to him for keeping their betrothal alive. Besides, she really had no wish to be alone with Blackstone.

  'No. Lord Jared is correct, you can talk here.'