Her Knight's Quest: A Warriors of the Mist Novel (17 page)

When the back of his legs hit the cool stone, he sat down and settled Lavinia astride his lap. When the position brought the juncture of her legs in direct contact with his shaft, he thrust upward, groaning at the sweet connection between them. Lavinia responded by rocking hard against him, the surge of heat startling a moan from each of them.

He splayed his hands across the curve of her hips to still her motion. “My lady, you’re weaving a spell of amazing power tonight.”

Her mouth curved up in a seductive smile. “I am certain that it takes two to create this kind of magic, Duncan.”

“I do believe you have the right of it.”

The crush of her breasts against his chest was sweet, but it wasn’t enough. He lifted her higher, enough so that he could brush his tongue over the dusky tip of one breast and then the other. The delicate fabric of her chemise was no barrier at all.

“Duncan!”

Lavinia dug her fingers into his shoulders as he suckled one breast, working it with both his lips and the barest hint of teeth. At the same time, he eased one hand between them, seeking the damp center of her need. She rested her forehead against his as he pressed harder, her breath coming in quick bursts.

The situation was quickly reeling out of control. If they didn’t seek the comfort of Lavinia’s bed soon, he’d end up taking her on this cold stone bench. She deserved better.

He slowed his touch, carefully banking the fires of their passion. “We should take this inside.”

Her eyes heavy lidded, she smiled down at him. “Yes, let’s.”

Before she could stand up, he kissed her again as he muscled them both up off the bench. She broke away from him long enough to drop the wards that protected her door. He was glad she was thinking clearly enough to take care of it. His own mind could focus on only one thing: stripping them both down to the skin. The time for any kind of barrier between them was gone.

Inside, he set Lavinia back down on her feet. She immediately brought the mage lights in the room up to a soft glow and turned back the covers on her bed. That done, she faced him as she slowly removed her chemise. At that moment, Duncan wasn’t sure he could talk, much less manage the coordination it would take to remove the rest of his own clothing.

The lady, though, would have none of it. “Duncan, if you think you’re going to wear those boots in my bed, you are sadly mistaken.”

Her teasing comment broke the hold the sight of all the silken skin had on him. Had he always been this inept with women? He didn’t know because he couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually been with one. Most likely it had been that night when he and all four of his friends had slipped away from their duties guarding a caravan just before they were claimed by the Lady of the River.

Now wasn’t the time to get lost in the mistakes of his past. Hopping on one foot and then the other, he yanked off his boots and tossed them aside. His trews followed, leaving him standing there, the evidence of his hunger for Lavinia at full attention.

Lavinia made no attempt to disguise her approval. “Duncan, you are certainly . . . impressive.”

He was very afraid he blushed, but the approval in her voice only fueled his need for her. He sauntered forward, giving her plenty of time to watch him if it brought her such pleasure.

This time, when they embraced, he was aware of the many contrasts between them. Her feminine build made him feel oversized and awkward. Lavinia’s hands were soft to the touch, unlike his, callused as they were from years of holding a weapon. His body was all hard edges, whereas she was a delight of soft curves, the perfect fit for a man’s hands. His hands.

He wanted her. Now, with all the rush of a callow youth caught up in the throes of his first love. That wasn’t so far off the mark. He’d never given his heart to a woman, and he was in no position to do so now.

But he could give her body the worship it deserved. He caught her up in his arms and gently laid her down in the center of her bed. Bless her, she immediately held her arms out to him.

“The night passes too quickly, Duncan. We’ve dawdled enough.”

“You should be courted.”

She shook her head. “We both deserve better than we’ve had, Duncan. Now may be the only chance we have together. Let’s not waste a single minute.”

So he took her at her word and stretched out beside her, drinking in the scent of her hair as he caressed every part of her. Lavinia was not a shy lover, a trait he found delightful.

She wrapped her fingers around his shaft and gently slid her hand up and down its length as she pressed a series of nibbling kisses across the line of his jaw and then downward along his neck to his chest.

He tangled his fingers in her hair, loving the feel of it sliding across his skin. His control was slipping. Soon he would have to stop her or lose it all together. It was time to turn the tables on her.

He caught her hands in his and gently pressed her over onto her back. She started to protest, but he stopped her with a kiss.

“I promise to go slower next time.”

His words came out as little better than a growl, but his lady didn’t seem to mind. He rose over her, kneeling between her feet. Running his hands up the inside of her legs, he spread them wide. Lavinia’s head kicked back when he reached the apex to stroke her gently, making sure her body was ready for what he planned next.

She raised her hips, showing her pleasure as he tested her passage. “Duncan, now, please!”

Who was he to deny a lady? Mindful of the difference in their sizes, he moved over her, careful to support his weight with his arms. Once again she clasped his shaft firmly, guiding him right to where they both wanted him to be. With a series of quick thrusts, he settled his cock deep inside her slick heat.

He held himself back, waiting for her to catch her breath. Lavinia smiled up at him and wrapped her legs around his hips, driving him deeper still.

“Are you sure?” He prayed she was ready for him because he wasn’t confident how long he could hold back.

Her eyes were huge as she nodded. “This feels so good, so perfect. I want more.”

He withdrew and thrust forward again, this time hard and deep in one stroke. Her hips rose up to meet him, her hands reaching up to hold on to his shoulders, her fingernails digging hard into his skin. The sharp pain snapped the last of his control.

He gave Lavinia everything he had to give—hard, fast, and nearly desperate. Yet his lady demanded more, so he called on the strength and endurance the goddess had given all of her avatars. At last Lavinia keened in release, the first ripples taking him with her. He shuddered deep within her as he found his own satisfaction.

And as the two of them lay there, twined in each other’s arms, waiting for their hearts to slow back to normal, the moment was so perfect, he wondered if anything would ever be the same again.

Chapter 18

W
hat was happening? The sound of running feet down the hallway brought Lady Alina to her door to peer out. If she had to guess, the first set of footsteps had belonged to Captain Gideon. Then the door opened a second time, and Merewen followed him downstairs.

Alina quickly dressed. She’d been awake anyway, dark dreams having left her unable to sleep. Curiosity had her following after them. If there’d been any danger, the captain would’ve made sure Merewen stayed in her room with the door barred. As Alina picked up a candle to light her way down the stairs, a brief taste of jealousy over Merewen’s happiness with the captain made Alina feel ashamed. She should be glad that her niece had found a man who made her feel cherished, protected.

Captain Gideon was as different from her late husband as a man could be: honorable, fierce in battle, and gentle in bed. She’d asked Merewen about that, even knowing it was an improper question. After all, a man had the right to use his wife’s body as he saw fit, not that Gideon and Merewen were actually married. She wasn’t even sure what she would have done if Merewen’s answer had been anything other than yes.

No, that wasn’t true. She could have turned to Sir Murdoch for help. He and Gideon might be friends, but he would have defended Merewen if it had been necessary.

“Lady Alina, what are you doing about this hour of the night?”

The man himself had caught her unawares. At least this time she didn’t humiliate herself by throwing her arms up to defend herself as he loomed up out of the shadows.

“I heard Lady Merewen and the captain run past my room and down the stairs. I wanted to see if something was amiss.”

The huge warrior kept his distance, telling her that he’d noted her reaction to his sudden appearance despite her best efforts to hide it.

“Duncan’s owl has returned. They are outside waiting for Kiva to come to perch. I came in to get some food for the bird. He’s bound to be exhausted.”

To show that she wasn’t afraid of Murdoch and hadn’t been from the first time they’d met, she stepped forward to place her hand on his arm. “Shall we go to the kitchen and see what we can find? Then we’ll hear what news he has brought from your friend.”

He stared down to where her fingers rested on his sleeve. A ripple of tension flowed through his muscle, but then he nodded. “I would appreciate your help. The cook would come after me with one of her knives were I to invade her territory uninvited. Ellie will forgive you more readily.”

As if he’d be afraid of anything, although Murdoch had been as skittish as a young kitten around her since she’d walked in on him when he’d been all but naked. She was at a loss as to how to deal with it.

He’d apologized even though he’d done nothing wrong. She was the one who’d been caught staring at him. And how many times had she recalled the image of his powerful body in the days since? Especially when she stared at the night sky and wondered what it would be like to have Murdoch lying in her bed.

“May I borrow your candle?”

“Of course.”

He stepped away from her, leaving her in the edge of the darkness as he used the flame to light several others to drive back the shadows. She remained motionless, taking advantage of the moment to drink in the sight of Murdoch as he walked around the kitchen, peering into pots and checking the shelves for something suitable for the owl to eat. He even picked up a loaf of bread and sniffed it.

That made her smile. Murdoch happened to glance in her direction as the first giggle escaped. “What?”

She tried to stop, but the moment was a bit too ridiculous. “There you are, creeping around in silence because you’re afraid of Ellie, hoping to find something for an owl to eat. I doubt he’d want the bread that she set aside for the morning meal.”

Murdoch’s stern expression softened just enough to let her know he wasn’t angry with her for teasing him. Finally, he relented, and grinned back at her as he returned to her side.

“Do you have a better idea?” His deep voice echoed off the walls as he looked down at her, his light-colored eyes glittering in the candlelight.

She nodded. “An owl might be happier with one of the mice that Ellie is always complaining about.”

Murdoch responded by putting his finger across her lips and tilting his head to the side. She couldn’t discern what he was listening to, not when he surrounded her with his size and strength. But rather than feeling crowded by him, she felt . . . cocooned. Safe.

She liked it. Liked him. Wanted him.

That startling realization confused her even more. After her wedding night in Fagan’s bed, she’d never for one moment wanted a man in that way. There’d been too much pain, humiliation, and brutality. But after meeting Murdoch, she wondered if things could be different with another man. No, not just another man.
Him
.

He eased away slightly, moving toward the table behind them. With that little bit of space between them, her mind cleared enough for her to think of something else. Finally, she heard it, too—the sound of tiny feet skittering across the counter behind them. With a move that was too fast for her to follow, Murdoch lunged toward the table, his big hand coming down on the wooden surface with a hard slap.

“Missed!”

But Murdoch kept at it, finally managing to capture the rodent with a bowl he’d snatched off a nearby shelf. When he removed his hand from the upended bowl, it continued to scoot across the tabletop, heading right for the edge.

Alina was not overly fond of vermin of any kind, but she couldn’t help but pity the wee beast. Murdoch stopped the crockery from going over the edge and lifted the edge far enough to grab the mouse by its tail. Then he gave her a perplexed glance as if unsure what to do next.

“Shall we take Kiva his meal?”

Murdoch held the mouse out at arm’s length, clearly unhappy with the situation. “I suppose so.”

“On the other hand, it would hardly be our fault if that mouse made a daring escape.”

Murdoch immediately carried the mouse over to the other side of the kitchen. He pushed the door open just far enough to let the mouse go. No doubt it would soon find its way back inside, but for now it was gone.

Murdoch wiped his hands on a rag and then returned to Alina’s side. “I won’t tell if you won’t. They’d never let me live it down. We both know I could’ve killed it if I’d wanted to.”

He was so handsome standing there, genuinely worried that he would seem less than manly for sparing the life of a mouse. Instead, it only proved to her once again that he was at heart a gentle man, one who treated those within his care with tenderness.

“You honor me with your trust.”

*  *  *

Alina spoke with great solemnity, as if she were swearing a vow of great import, not one intended to save him a small bit of embarrassment. He’d also noted that she showed no sign of renewed skittishness around him. He’d been worried about that ever since she’d walked in on him the other day.

Her pretty eyes were so serious as she stared up at him. Her silvery blond hair was down about her shoulders, reminding him that this was the middle of the night. No doubt it was highly improper for the two of them to be alone, but he couldn’t make his big feet take one step away from her.

Instead, they moved forward, closing the small distance between them. He made sure she had every opportunity to back away, but she held her ground.

“Alina, I very much want to kiss you.” He spoke the words gently, hoping not to frighten her. “I know I have no right to ask such a boon, but it would be a gift I would cherish forever.”

She worried at her lower lip briefly before answering. “I would like that very much, Murdoch, but I fear that I will only disappoint you.”

Damn Fagan to hell and back. Even though the bastard was dead and buried, he still continued to haunt his lady wife. Now was not the time for anger. Murdoch gently clasped Alina’s shoulders, letting her grow accustomed to his touch before pulling her closer.

“There is nothing you could do that would disappoint me, Alina. I’ll go as slowly as you need me to. If you want me to stop, you need but to say so.”

She stepped into his embrace. “I’ll be fine. After all, it is just a kiss.”

Just a kiss? It was and it wasn’t. They both knew this would change their relationship forever. There was no going back, not after this. If she could muster up the courage to trust him with a small part of her heart, then he could do the same.

He enfolded her in his arms as if she were made of the finest glass, but she felt solid and so very real. Her mouth curved in a tentative smile as she rose up on her toes. He made sure to meet her halfway, knowing instantly he’d never forget the moment their breath first mingled, the second their lips first touched.

It was perfect.

Alina leaned into him, clasping her hands around his neck for support. The sign of trust tugged at his heart. He kissed her slowly, but thoroughly, keeping his hands anchored firmly at her waist. It nearly killed him not to explore farther, to follow the feminine curves downward to the flare of her hips or up to test the fit of her breasts in the palms of his hands.

A kiss was all he had asked for. It was all he would take unless she offered more.

With a soft sigh, her lips parted and stayed that way. A man could only resist temptation for so long. His tongue darted forward briefly before retreating. To his delight, hers followed suit. The sweet sweep of her tongue across his lips, to delve into his mouth, however briefly, left him burning.

“Alina, are you wanting more? Because if you’re not, we need to stop now.” For the sake of his sanity.

“Maybe a little more?”

It might kill him if they stopped, but he would. “As much or as little as you want. Touch me any way you want to, anywhere you want to.”

She looked over her shoulder, reminding him they were hardly someplace private. Ellie or any of her workers could walk in at any time.

“Kiss me again, but then we should stop.” Then she smiled up at him, her eyes alight with temptation. “For now.”

For now? Did she mean? Rather than pursue that line of thought, he did as the lady asked and kissed her with everything he had.

*  *  *

Where had Murdoch gotten off to? It shouldn’t take this long to fetch some raw meat for a hungry owl. Gideon settled Kiva on one of the railings in front of the stable. After the big bird ruffled his feathers and settled in, Gideon untied the pouch from Kiva’s leg and waited for someone to bring a light so he could read the enclosed message.

Even with his enhanced eyesight, he couldn’t make sense of Duncan’s long missive in full darkness. Merewen had returned to the hall to fetch a torch, but that was after Murdoch had gone looking for something to feed Kiva. After the owl had a small meal and a chance to rest, he could do his own hunting if he needed something more.

But Duncan’s avatar would be anxious to return to his master. Dawn was but a short time away, leaving Gideon just the coming daylight hours to read the note and decide how to proceed. Then he’d compose an answer to send back to Duncan.

All of that coupled with Kane and Averel riding out at first light had him gritting his teeth. He hated sending his men on a mission without him, and prayed for the gods to watch over his friends. Kiva stirred restlessly and drummed his wings, probably picking up some of Gideon’s own tension.

“Everything’s fine, Kiva. You’ll get a good meal, sleep the day away in the rafters, and head back to Duncan at dusk.”

Gideon crooned the words, hoping the same tone that soothed his own avatar would work on the owl as well. While he spoke, he watched the door to the keep, waiting for Merewen to return. She’d quickly become his anchor in this world. With her at his side, he could face anything, even the departure of the friends who’d never been far from his side for centuries.

At last she appeared with Murdoch right behind her. Gideon leaned forward, trying to see who was walking at his side. The light from the torch Merewen carried reflected off the other woman’s silver blond hair.

What was Alina doing up at this hour?

Her presence most likely explained why it had taken Murdoch so long to return. The way those two danced around each other would be entertaining if Murdoch had unlimited time with which to woo his lady. Alina deserved a man who would treat her well, which included being able to stay by her side through life. But all things considered, Gideon had no right to judge.

Which drew his eye right back to Merewen. He took such comfort and strength from her simple acceptance of him and his men. She had no idea what it meant to them to be treated as friends, not just warriors sent by the gods to fight her battles.

At least Murdoch had a bowl in his hand. Even in the dim light of the torch, it was obvious that Murdoch and Lady Alina had done more than simply find a meal for Kiva.

The big man gave Gideon a sheepish look. “Sorry to be gone so long, but we were . . . I was . . . that is, I hesitated to raid the kitchen without asking Ellie. You know how she is about people invading her domain.”

Alina joined in the explanation. “We looked around but couldn’t find anything suitable. It was fortunate that one of Ellie’s assistants arrived to stoke the fire for the morning meal. He was able to show us where we could carve up some meat for Kiva.”