Gem of Gravane (The Northern Knights) (5 page)

He abhorred tears, for none other
than knowing most women used them to their advantage but not this one. 
Nay, hers were genuine.  Her body was soft, warm and shook with each heart
wrenching sob that tore from her full mouth.  Aric thought of his sister
Liza and how she always cooed softly to his twin nephews after a scrape or
two.  He murmured softly against her ear, her soft hairs teased his mouth
as he caressed her shoulder.  

Aric did not know what to say.

He, after all, had yet to say much
more than a few words to her since his arrival. 

They were strangers. 

Married strangers now. 

Albeit, he felt, with the way
she melted against him and fit easily into his arms, ‘twas as though she had
always belonged right here.  He groaned and let his lips touch the smooth
skin of her lobe.

Danielle felt his warm breath near
her ear.  He was whispering in French. She understood most of what he said
and it had the desired effect and within moments, her sobs, pent up over the
years finally came down to a few hiccups and light tremors.

His warm embrace was like a cocoon
and she didn’t want to move.  His soft lips against her ear caused
something to stir within her as his deep husky voice slid over her like liquid
fire.

Danielle squirmed in his lap to
burrow deeper against his chest. She could not believe he was holding her and
she found she liked the odd sensations that his enveloping embrace brought to
her.  It was those same sensations whirling within her that caused her next
move.  Brazen and shocking to her as it was, she found she could not stop
herself. 

His warmth, the hardness of his
thighs, the stirring in her belly had her turn her face into the crook of his
neck and Danielle kissed the pulse under his chin.  His soft whiskers
tickled her lips.  He would not notice one small kiss she
thought. Her lips, wet from her tears made her mouth slid down the column
of his throat to the neck of his tunic.

Oh bloody hell! His sharp
intake of breath told her he’d felt it. 

Aric nearly jumped up from the
bench.  What was she doing?  Her sobs had quieted and now, that
succulent mouth had practically licked his skin.  Aric could not stop the
groan that slipped from his lips.  The feel of her hot, wet mouth against
his skin coupled with her round bottom sliding around in his lap, so near the
head of his swollen shaft, had him ready to explode inside his
breeches.  

By the Saints!  What was this
luscious woman doing to him?  He forgot about everything else, cupped her
chin gently and lifted her face.  She resisted but a moment before lifting
those unique eyes to meet his.  He read want, wonder and hope in
them.  Her lips moved and she gave him a timid smile. 

Aric needed no further
encouragement.  He captured her mouth and heat soared through him like
never before.  Her soft lips were pliant beneath his at first until he
coaxed them gently apart.  He had to taste more of her.  She opened
like a flower for him and Aric invaded her softness, plumbing her warm moist
welcome. 

She met his kiss, awkward at first,
and then within seconds, she was meeting and matching the caress of his tongue
with the same ardor as he. 

He groaned in her mouth, deepening
the kiss.  She pushed into him further and he felt her arms move up to
lock around the back of his neck. The movement caused her bottom to press
directly over his straining flesh.   

He had to stop.  He was near
to shaking with his need, so close to release by a simple kiss.  Once
again, he blamed the suddenness of it on the fact that he’d not had a woman in
months.  But, he knew it to be a lie as his new, bold wife moaned and slid
her bottom over him in a slow dance old as time.  He was sure she was not
even aware that she was doing it. 

He bucked beneath her and pulled
away slowly, but not before giving into what had driven him crazy since meeting
her.  He sprinkled her mouth with little kisses.  She sucked his
bottom lip into her mouth.  Aric grumbled under his breath. This was too
much.  He had to stop it and stop it now lest he’d take her right here.

C
hapter 4

Danielle wanted
more. Oh, he tasted so good.  Heat hummed through her blood as she
sought his mouth once more. She should have been shocked at her behavior but,
the explosive pleasure was too sweet to ignore and she didn’t care.  His
gentleness, his warmth made her wish for the moment that she had created the
same emotion in him as he had in her. 

She tugged up her dress in
frustration.  

That hard, rigid part of him
pressing against her bottom caused moisture to flood against her
undergarments.  She was so hot there.  So damn hot. She bunched
the material of her dress up and around her hips. 

She wanted to take everything off
to get to him and that hardness.   

It took her a moment to realize
that he no longer returned her kisses and her eyes shot open.  His hooded
gaze was dark, but he wasn’t scowling.  He wasn’t smiling either. 
His expression was unreadable.  Dropping her gaze to his mouth, she
smiled.  He’d given her what she wanted and the other part of her that
still burned, she could wait for later.

His eyes widened as her lips
brushed over his quickly before she pulled back.   

Her voice was thick and husky with
her need. “Thank you, milord.”

Aric frowned, and then it hit
him.  He’d been so incensed with her cousins that the memory of a chaste
kiss in the chapel- Nay! 

He was now sure after tasting the
honeyed nectar of her mouth that his lips had not touched hers after the
ceremony.  They’d been a breath apart and she had leaned into him
expectantly for the kiss and he’d already turned away from her.  

Something moved inside his chest
and he reached out and wiped the stains of her tears from her face.  Wisps
of that brown hair had come loose and lay across her forehead.  

He managed to give her a little
smile. “You are welcome, milady.”  

He slid her hair back behind her
ears and bit back a groan as she slid that full bottom against him again. 
He could feel the heat between the apex of her thighs brushing over him. 
He wanted to bury himself inside her, but her wide eyes were full of innocence.
She would let him take her right here and now if he wanted, he could see the
welcome in her blue-grey eyes.

But it was the trust he saw there
that changed his mind. He’d wait until they were in their chamber where he
could take it slow and enjoy every inch of her. He wanted to savor every
moment, not rush her like she was his first. Why he wanted her first time to be
special, he didn’t question his thoughts. He just knew it was something he
wanted to do.

“Come, we have people awaiting the
feast. Shall we not keep them waiting any longer to celebrate, milady?”

Danielle flushed, basking in the
warmth of his smile, could not help but ask.  ”Is it a celebration,
milord?”

His response came without
pause. “Aye, indeed it is. Indeed it is.”

With the utmost care, he removed
her gently from his lap, mindful of her favored leg and smiled at the gown
gathered around her hips.  After a few quick adjustments, he had her gown
back down over her full hips, all the while wishing those sweet curves still
caressed his lap.

She surprised him by taking his
hand in hers.

“I’m ready.”  Her sharp intake
of breath told him she was holding it, awaiting his reaction. 

Aric paused.  Her affection
threw him off.  But when she smiled up at him, he thought no more about
it.  She made him doubt if they should go on to the celebration, for he
was not so sure he’d last long. 

Looking at her now, her hand
clasped firmly within his large hand, all he wanted to do was take her right
now to their chamber and have their own private celebration. She was
intoxicating.  

 He smiled at her and walked
with her at a slower pace back toward the manor. He was married not even a full
day yet and if he was not careful, he was going to start to have feelings for
this woman. 

****

Not nearly sated as she craved,
Rose walked out of the stables without a backward glance to the sleeping and
naked Harvey, sprawled on the stable floor.  She had run to him to
slake the desire that had built up inside her when she’d witnessed that all too
male Norman all but making love to that fat sod’s mouth in the garden. 

By the strong look of lust on his
handsome face, there had been no doubt, Rose fumed, that he’d more than just
enjoyed it.  And the groans that came from him cinched it.  

It had only been just a kiss.

That fat cow had what should have
been hers. She was the beautiful one!

She deserved a man like Aric
Claydon. She wanted to scream. No one had ever kissed her the way that Norman
had kissed her cousin. Damn it all to hell! 

Rose fisted both hands at her sides
as she stomped toward the manor. 

She may not be a virgin, but, by
God, she did know how to please a man. Unlike that stumbling fat cow of a
cousin he would be saddled with.  Let him stumble about with the virgin.

Surely once he undressed her, he
would want nothing more than to get Danielle quick with child and then he’d be
looking elsewhere to slake his animal desire.

And she, Rose lifted a hand to her
lip to stifle the giggle that burst forth, would be there to assist him in
every way and then some.  But she must not move too fast. Nay, the right
time would come. She’d see to it.

So a hot kiss sparked some lust in
the man. 

He did not smile much and Rose
could care less about that.  She didn’t need the Norman to do much
talking.  She just wanted him pounding that hard body of his into
hers.  And by all that was holy, she was going to get him to do just
that! 

He would relish a woman of
experience.  After all these Normans were a savage and lusty lot and had
raped many a Saxon maiden when they’d plundered and conquered England.  He
was no different and he’d just proven it.   Rose smiled at her
thoughts. He would not have to rape this one. 

Her stupid brother was taking too
long with his plan and she’d had her fill of Danielle.  An evil plan
of her own began to form and take shape inside her head.  It had to be
timed just right.  Rose went to her chamber by way of the kitchens to
freshen up.  She laughed aloud.  She had to prepare herself to get
through this ridiculous farce of a wedding celebration.

***

Aric watched Balwain’s eyes follow
his wife’s maid, Edie as she served them.  He knew his second’s thoughts
simply by the spellbound expression he wore.  Aric felt his lips turning
up at one corner when his eyes fell on the comely, little maid. She was aware
of his friend’s interest and that he watched her every move, for Aric caught
the hesitant glances she shot in Balwain’s direction with a hint of a smile on
her face.  

He turned away and let his gaze
sweep over the hall quickly.  Tightness filled his chest when his eyes
fell upon his wife’s cousins.   Thomas and Rose. 

Balwain had seated them two
tables away from the lord’s table and on the opposite side.  He could
see the steam coming out of their ears at the clear and direct insult. 
Good. 

He wanted them to get used to
it.  For soon enough they would be even further away from him and away
from Gravane manor altogether.

Nevertheless, the pair showered him
with tight smiles and returned his toast with their raised cups as he
acknowledged their presence.  Thomas reddened and turned away, but before
she did, Aric saw the lustful gaze Rose shot his way before turning back.

Had he truly thought that was
beauty?

He looked at his wife.  She
had barely eaten anything yet again.  He frowned.  Probably her
nerves, he surmised.  He found it difficult to look away from her as she
openly smiled and chatted away with almost every servant that attended them.

She was even pleasant to his page
and the young lad all but fell over his own two feet whenever she glanced his
way.  Aric almost smiled at the lad’s immediate infatuation for he was
sort of feeling the same way himself.  He blamed the feeling on the wine.
She beamed with life when she spoke with her maid and Aric grunted at the
sight.    

Best he keep his attention on the
hall’s activity, lest he found himself wearing the same spellbound expression
as Balwain.

Aric looked around the
hall.  

The majority of it was filled with
his men along with some unhappy faces of the villagers that had attended.
 He cared naught for whatever their dislikes were at the moment. Come
tomorrow, either they swore fealty or they were out of the village and off his
lands.   Aye, Aric‘s scowl returned, over the next few days, many changes
would come to Gravane manor. 

Laughter drew his gaze back to his
wife’s face.  She was laughing at something Edie was saying to her, her
white teeth against her tan skin made her look even more radiant.   

Enough, Aric thought.  He was
feeling good and had not indulged in too much ale or wine, for he wanted to be
aware and alert for his wedding night.  But, he had noted that Edie had
given his wife quite a few refills to her goblet of wine.  This was soon confirmed
when she moved to stand and swayed slightly towards him.  He frowned.

Perhaps she had partaken too much.
 Her eyes were hooded and her cheeks were flushed more than before. 
  

Everyone rose as the lord and lady
moved to take their leave.  Balwain and Edie followed them from the hall.
  Aric had cried off earlier to his men, no tradition for him. He would
have none of it.   No one would even consider balking at his order
. 

At the chamber door Balwain pulled
him aside and gave him a hearty slap on his back while mumbling something about
gentleness.  Aric frowned and pushed his friend away.  Edie stopped
attending her lady and quickly took her leave at his nod.  He closed the
door quietly as a foot soldier appeared to take up his post outside the chamber
door.