A VOW TO KEEP (The Vengeance Trilogy) (32 page)

Why didn’t that make her feel any better?

“I think I’ve found it,” Royce called out.

“As did I,” she said, realizing she’d nearly trampled the herb.

“Do I pick the whole plant?”

“If you could just pinch off a few leaves of several plants, then it should continue to grow,” she instructed him. “I’ll dig up the entire herb from the one I found.”

The bland look he gave her suggested she asked too much of him, and she couldn’t help but laugh. With a heavy sigh, he bent down and did as she requested. Alyna was pleased he had regained his good mood.

She pulled her gaze away from him and bent to gently dig around the herb with her knife and fingers. Gunnell would be pleased they’d found it. Alyna hoped it helped her.

Royce walked over with leaves piled in his hand. “Where would you like these?”

“Would you fetch the bag that Tellie packed for us, please? We’ll make a place for them in there,” she said, pointing to the leather bag tied behind the saddle.

He placed the deep green leaves
in
her
lap
and walked over to get it. “This seems awfully heavy for some bread and cheese.”

“I think it’s more than that. Tellie is always trying to get me to eat more. There’s probably enough in there to feed half your men.” She looked up at him, shading the sun from her eyes. “Thank you, Royce. I’m very glad you offered to accompany me.”

He set down the bag and squatted beside her. “You are never to venture outside the curtain wall without a guard. Am I clear?” He asked as he tapped her nose with his finger.

Ire at his bossiness struggled with appreciation for his concern for her welfare. Appreciation took the lead, and she smiled at him. “All right. Until the situation with the thieves is resolved.”

A shadow passed over his face. He said nothing but sat beside her and took out the contents of the bag, item by item. Several were wrapped in cloths, and she gestured toward one. “May I have that to wrap the herb in?” She held up the herb, root and all.

He took off the cloth to reveal a meat pie and handed her the cloth. She wrapped the herb, taking great care not to break off the stem or leaves. A glance at Royce showed him holding the meat pie as though not quite certain what to do with it. “Surely you’re hungry. Why don’t you just eat it?”

“I’d rather get back to the keep. The longer we stay out here, the more risk we take.”

“We’ve seen no sign of the thieves, nor is this the side of the castle they attacked from. Taking a few minutes to eat will surely cause no harm. Besides, I’m hungry.” She couldn’t help but put a hand to her growling stomach.

Looking less than pleased, he gave in, taking a bite of the meat pie as he handed her one of the cloth-wrapped parcels.

Along with the meat pies were dried fruit, fresh baked bread, cheese, and a small corked jug of wine to wash it down with. “No wonder the bag was so heavy,” Alyna said as she shook her head.

“How many days did the cook think you’d be gone?”

Alyna chuckled as removed her cloak and bit into a meat pie. She could think of nothing to say, and the silence between them grew long and awkward. She knew Royce was impatient to be on their way. He probably had many duties he’d yet to see to that he’d neglected in favor of escorting her. For that, she was sorry, but she was not sorry he was here with her now. Awkward or not, she enjoyed being in his company. She well knew the chance of having another secluded afternoon with him was unlikely.

Desperate to think of something clever to say, she stole another glance at him.

To find him watching her.

Heat rose in her cheeks as she held his gaze, her mouth suddenly dry.

He reached out and touched her cheek just as he had on the horse earlier.

Her heart melted. Until she realized he was merely brushing a crumb from her cheek. Embarrassed, she smiled, hoping he didn’t realize the effect he had on her.

He lowered his gaze to the meat pie in his hand. Unsure of what to make of his behavior, she continued to glance at him as she nibbled a dried peach, her stomach a flurry of butterflies.

He finished eating and took another drink of wine before handing the jug to her. As he brushed off his hands, he asked, “Are you ready? We should be on our way.”

Reluctance filled Alyna. Never had she shared a meal in a pretty meadow with a man, let alone one to whom she was so attracted. Would she ever again? Saddened by the thought, she looked again at Royce, wondering how she could prolong the moment.

He packed the bag with the remaining food, then folded the leaves they’d collected into one of the cloths with care. The sun glinted on his hair and turned it golden. His features, now achingly familiar to her, were relaxed. As she watched him, her heart twisted and filled with a wave of emotion so great, it swallowed her whole.

So, this is what it felt like, she thought. Half pleasure, half pain, it threatened to erupt into something she could not control. She loved this man body and soul.

She swallowed hard and tried to put the lid back on the cauldron bubbling inside her.

Royce glanced over at her. “Are you all right, Alyna?” Concern etched his features as he drew nearer.

“Royce,” she began. She laid her hand on his, willing him to understand in some small way everything happening inside her. Then she did what she’d thought of doing since she’d first met him. She stretched up to gently kiss the small scar near his eye.

He jerked back. His gray eyes darkened as he stared at her for an endless moment.

Dismay filled Alyna. What had she been thinking to act so forward? She pulled her hand from his warm skin, but he captured it with his own. He held her gaze as he turned her hand in his. Then he closed his eyes and placed his lips on her palm.

And stole her breath.

He withdrew his lips only to place them again on her palm, the addition of his tongue sending a rush of sensation through her. Shock mingled with desire and rooted her in place as his searing gaze found hers. At last, he released her hand and bent his head toward her, seeming to take an eternity before his lips met hers.

Joy and desire sang through her. She returned his kiss, reveling in the freedom her love for him gave her. Her arms wound around his neck and held on tight, wishing she never had to let him go.

He eased her down onto her cloak as his gaze searched her face as though to make sure she understood. “Alyna, I desire you more than words can say but–”

Before he could say more, she put her fingers against his lips. “Nay. Let us simply enjoy this moment.” She drew his head down for another kiss, her tongue giving chase to his.

His gruff grunt of approval was all the encouragement she needed. She slid her fingers through his soft hair, moving along his neck and well-muscled shoulders, glorying in the sensations singing through her.

His desire for her seemed to have no bounds. No longer did he hesitate. He nuzzled her neck, his lips finding every sensitive spot she hadn’t known she had. His hands joined the sweet torture, his fingers trailing along her bare skin before gripping her waist, moving even lower to her hips.

The weight of his upper body on hers was an unexpected pleasure. He felt so good, so right. Her hands continued their discovery of him. Her fingers caught on a thin strand of leather he wore around his neck. Again she kneaded his wide shoulders and back, marveling at the muscles rippling under his tunic.

His hardness pressed against her thigh through their layers of clothing, confirming his desire for her. Though she didn’t know what could come of their attraction, she knew she wanted Royce. At least for this one enchanted afternoon, she wanted him in every way possible. This was her chance to share her passion with the man she loved.

Her roaming hands seemed to free his. He caressed every inch of her. A moan rose in her throat, and she broke their kiss to give voice to it. His lips moved to her throat, kissing, licking and nipping, until she stirred restlessly beneath him. “So beautiful,” he muttered.

His words fueled her desire, and she throbbed everywhere he touched. “As are you.”

His deep chuckle made her smile. Then his fingers found the laces of her kirtle and pulled them free. The garment opened to his searching hand and revealed her linen shift. He eased it down her shoulders and rained kisses as he explored her.

She followed suit and found the bottom of his tunic and raised it up his chest, running her fingers over the smooth skin of his back, then to the mat of hair that covered his chest. His muscles flexed under her fingers as he moved, making her wish she could see more of what felt so fascinating. She pulled his tunic higher, and he rose to his knees to remove it.

As he dropped it to the ground, he hesitated, uncertainty evident on his face. “Alyna,” he began.

“This moment is ours.” She rose to her knees and pressed her lips to the scars that marked his bare chest. A pale blue stone hung on the strand of leather around his throat that she’d touched earlier and her breath caught.

A blue stone the color of the sky
.

Of course. Hadn’t she always known in her heart he was the knight destined to aid her?

“Royce,” she said without hesitation, “let us enjoy each other for this one day.” She ran her hands over his chest and pressed kisses to the broad expanse, breathing in the clean scent of him, delighted to see what she’d only felt moments before.

His breath hitched and his muscles quivered as she touched him, reveling in his response.

“Alyna,” he said her name again, this time with desire. He reached out to cup her cheek before trailing down to the sensitive skin of her neck, then lower still to linger at the curve of her breast still covered by her shift.

She held her breath as his fingers dipped lower and lower, her breasts tingling with anticipation. At last, he grazed her nipple, and she gasped with pleasure at the sensation. Desire shot through her entire body and pulsed deep within her.

He gently pushed down her shift to reveal her breasts to his heated gaze. “You are so very beautiful, even more than I had imagined.”

She smiled and for once in her life, felt beautiful. His rough fingers alternated with his calloused palm to perform an intricate dance on each breast. The throbbing in her very core kept beat with his touch until she felt she would burst with pleasure.

He lowered his head and kissed her shoulder, his mouth leaving a heated trail as he moved lower. She frowned in confusion. Surely he didn’t mean to–

Oh! His mouth was so hot. She arched back and tangled her fingers in his hair as he gave each breast equal amounts of attention. She ached with need. “Oh, Royce.”

“Aye,” he murmured. The sight of him kissing her so intimately nearly matched the pleasure of his mouth on her. When she was certain she could bear it no longer, he eased her back onto her cloak, his body partially on hers. The wiry hair of his chest against her added another layer of sensation, and she gasped and shifted against him in response.

His hand moved to her thigh, and she caught her breath. His fingers caressed her bare skin, moving ever closer to the heat of her center.

“Let me touch you, Alyna. Let me touch all of you,” he murmured against her throat. He took her mouth with his as his fingers brushed against her. She moaned, amazed at how he made her feel.

More, she thought. She needed more.

As though he’d heard her, Royce gently touched her.

Her hips
raised
in answer.

“Aye, Alyna,” he murmured as he continued his sweet torture.

But still...there had to be more. A release from the aching need that consumed her. “Royce?”

He moved away for a moment, but only to help her remove her clothing. His gaze
admired all
of her, his appreciation for her evident by the intense expression on his face. Then, he removed his chausses and his manhood sprung free.

Alyna gazed in wonder, the size of it giving her pause. But she had to touch him. She trailed a finger down him, surprised at the hardness under the velvety skin. Royce moaned in response, and she looked up
,
alarmed, only
to see the pleasure her touch gave him.