The Arranged Marriage (11 page)

“If it hadn’t have been for you,” She
poked his chest again. “I would have been either wed to Baron
Minley or on my way to the Foreign Lands right now,” She prodded
him again as Ison felt his legs hit the base of the bed. “I would
not be here wed to a man,” She continued. “Who is rumoured to be
heartless, who is confusing me by acting like a true knight because
he no doubts thinks me a fool, and now on top of having an empty
wedding day, I have to bow down to my stepmother who hates me. I
have to wear a gown of pink cushions to my own celebratory wedding
ball just to keep everyone happy.” She noticed her voice was near
to shouting so she prodded him again just for comfort. That was all
Ison needed to push him over the edge. He had never felt so turned
on his life and he wanted her, badly. He quickly placed his hands
on her hips and swung her round so she fell beneath him onto the
bed. He gently pressed his weight against her and nudged her legs
apart with his own. She looked up at him with sudden knowledge of
the impact of her words.

“I apologise to you for losing your
precious baron,” Ison said quietly, his face so close to her own
that she could feel his breath on her cheek. “And I am sorry that
you have had to resort to wedding a bastard,” He gently stroked her
hair that sent a mass of shivers through the whole of her body.
“But I do not think you a fool Rohesia,”

She felt his lips touch hers as the
comments started to reel rapidly around her brain. His weight was
pressing harder against her as he deepened his kisses but she did
not care, her fears ebbing away.

She thrust her body upwards to try and
get closer, and Ison let out a moan as he shifted into a position
that wasn’t going to end their first time early. He sat upon his
knees and removed his belt and tunic before leaning back down to
devour her, his lips already cold without her kisses. He wanted,
needed to feel her, to see pieces of her that no one before him
had, and he needed to claim her. He had to make her his.

Rohesia felt a sudden rush of heat hit
her cheeks as he removed her completely from the corset of her
gown. She felt the cool air hit her chest as she became exposed to
him, and at that moment she didn’t know how to feel. He was staring
at her hungrily as he reached out with his hand to touch
her.

He started to knead her with his
fingers that gave her feelings of pleasure that she never even knew
existed, shyly looking away at her own thoughts. He noticed her
reaction and used the fingers of his other hand to gently turn her
chin to look up at him.

“Look at me Rohesia, this is nothing
to be ashamed of. You are truly beautiful.”

A moan escaped her lips as his mouth
came down to replace his fingers against the light peak that they
had created.

“Oh Ison.” She moaned aloud, no longer
caring what he was about to do to her. She felt safe with him and
that was all that mattered.

“I’m here my sweet, this is just the
beginning.”

His hands were lifting her skirts as
his tongue flickered against each part of her skin exposed to him.
She felt his fingers run up the inside of her stocking and rummage
through the fabric of her undergarments, searing the skin as he
touched the most intimate part of her.

At first it felt like he was invading
her privacy, but as he gently moved his fingers in soft circles, it
felt more right than anything she had ever known. She wanted to
scream, she wanted to pull him to her and kiss him forever. She
wanted to thank whoever had sent this man to her and she definitely
wanted to scream.

Ison acted quickly to stop the sound
that was threatening to erupt from Rohesia’s mouth as he brought
her to peak. He was aware the walls in the chamber were thick, and
he personally would have no problem with the whole kingdom hearing
her screams, but for her first time he felt honoured to keep her
dignity intact. At least until she had grown a little confidence in
her pleasures.

She shuddered underneath him as the
scream was pushed back into her mouth by the haven of
Ison’s.

Her lids were heavy as she felt the
sudden pressure of his manhood press against the outside of her
entry. She was suddenly very awake.

“What are you doing?” She said quickly
whilst hoisting herself up on to her elbows.

“Do not worry my love, it only hurts
the first time.” He told her as he continued to push
forth.

“Ouch,” She screeched. “Get it away
from me,” She ushered herself up the bed to get away from him.
“Like you would know,” She uttered. “Do you have to have your skin
ripped open in order to have relations? No, I don’t think
so.”

He didn’t know whether to laugh or
throttle her at this moment. He had assumed her fear the eve before
was just a jest, a way of getting one over on him, but at this
moment she looked like a scared little lamb.

“I have been told that it is like a
little pinch, then maybe a little tightness until your body gets
used to it.” He said breathlessly. “The pleasure overrides
everything. Trust me.”

“Taken a lot of virgins have you?” She
asked suspiciously.

“No I haven’t Rohesia, to my knowledge
I have not taken any, only been told of it. I apologise for my lack
of experience.” He added sardonically but Rohesia ignored his tones
as her heart softened a little. She was being a little timid. And
this man was her husband.

“I’m sorry Ison,” She said with a
slight smile. He watched her lying there with her hair loose and
her legs exposed. He felt himself growing hard again.

“It’s just that what I have heard
about the deed isn't very nice,” She continued shyly. “I guess the
fear has just built over the years.”

He smiled with her and gently took a
hold of her hand.

“I will never force you into doing
anything that you don’t want to do Rohesia, but I will not allow
the pleasures that can be found between us to be pushed aside. I
want you.”

She felt her body tingle again at the
sound of his words.

“I want you too,” She whispered.
“Shall we try again?”

Her innocent question sent fire
roaring through him; he wouldn’t need to be asked twice. But he
decided to take this opportunity to divert what he was doing. A
tactic that he didn’t want to use but one he felt the best to
counteract her fear.

“Rohesia?” He asked her as he put
himself in place against her softness.

“Yes Ison?” She whispered, her eyes
still closed.

“The rumours about me are all
true.”

“What?” The anger of his deception
suddenly threw itself across her face and he took the opportunity
to thrust forward. She didn’t seem to notice that he was suddenly
inside of her as she started to rant on about his deceit. Ison
tried hard to stop laughing.

“Rohesia, I’m jesting with you, it
isn’t true,” He felt a pinch on his arm. “I promise it’s not true,
I only said that to get your attention from the matter. Look.” He
looked downwards so her eyes would follow in the direction of their
joining.

“Oh,” She said quietly, acknowledging
the feel of him between her legs. “But it didn’t hurt.”

Ison started to thrust forward gently
as the delight of her soft tunnel threatened to consume
him.

“Fear is half of the pain my sweet,”
He whispered as the gratification could not be hidden from his
voice. “This will get so much better with time.” He continued, not
knowing how much it could better with her. This was truly
amazing.

He wanted her to feel the climax of
her pleasure with him inside her, so they could ride it together,
but he didn’t think he had the power to go against the spell she
was weaving on him.

“Rohesia, I think I’m ready to feel
those feelings you just felt, but I want your pleasure also my
sweet. I just, oh my, I just don’t think I can, wait.” He managed
to say as his quicker thrusts were urging her to grow and feel more
and more of the intensity. She held on to him.

“Take what you need Ison,” She
whispered, knowing that she was starting to fall deeply in love
with this man. “We have the rest of our lives together to do
this.”

He kissed her, the last of his control
disbanding. He felt the pleasure come at him in waves, so explosive
he thought he would drown. Holding tightly on to her hands, he
moaned into her hair to drown out the volume.

Chapter Seven

“
Tell me again why I am
subjecting myself to this my lady?” Ison asked Rohesia as they made
their way down into the first village. They were to distribute
invitations to their wedding personally and she had been very
insistent on him going.

“It is tradition to do the Walk my
lord,” She said, whilst stopping to straighten the neck on his
tunic. Her body was pressed quite close to his, making him wish
they weren’t stood, exposed, in the middle of a public road. They
had not made love since the first time due to Argarth demanding all
of Ison’s attentions well into the eve, and Rohesia – even though
trying to wait up for him – would be asleep upon his return. It had
only been two days but it had felt like a lifetime for them
both.

“
Newlyweds take the Walk,”
She continued. “Normally to obtain gifts from people in celebration
of their marriage but I hate that bit.” Ison hated that bit too. If
having to walk through a throng of people who believed ill of him
wasn’t bad enough, having to accept gifts they would begrudgingly
give would be even worse.

“But don’t worry,” She continued. “I
asked father to add to the announcements yesterday that we would be
giving the gifts in apology for lack of invitation to the royal
wedding and its haste,” She waited for Kaya and some of the
children from the court to catch up to them. They were to join them
on the Walk with the basket of gifts. “Cook has baked us some
goodies to give them and Kaya has kindly dressed a gold coin for
each family. I hope it is enough for them not to feel antagonised
by this.”

“You mean by having a bastard for a
potential king who is rumoured to ravish young women and burn
villages?” He whispered to her in jest, but it did not stop his own
worry for her; a feeling that was foreign to him. She looked at him
out of concern.

“You know you really need to tell me
the truth of those rumours one of these days. I am certain you have
a way to quash them but refuse to due to your
stubbornness.”

“One day.” He promised with a huge
grin on his face.

“Will you stop fretting about it my
lady? Surely you did not expect anything else?” Ison advised her as
the third door had been shut on them with only an apology to
Rohesia as it was done.

“Oh this is ridiculous,” She said
stubbornly as she looked around her. “I am not one for being a
stickler for the rules I know, but even I don’t think that slamming
the door in the face of your Prince and Princess is
justified.”

Ison agreed, and if it had only been
him doing the visits he would have demanded their respect. But he
couldn’t do that with Rohesia present. She and her father seemed to
treat the people as if they ruled the kingdom, and until Ison found
his feet he would continue to let them. His strategies always had
him learning first and acting last, hence why he had always so
successful.

He shook his head as he watched her
climb on to the steps of the large statue that stood in the centre
of the village. The statue that resembled the faces of the first
two kings of Centurias.

“I relay a royal order to each and
every one of you, to come out of your homes and make your way over
to where I stand.” She shouted and waited until the people
surrounded her. Her voice had taken on a strong authoritative tone
and Ison found himself glorying in it. He watched on amazingly as
one by the one the people started to obey her request.

Rohesia waited until she had acquired
a sufficient audience for her to carry her speech, trying hard to
turn her fury into something productive; even though she felt like
throwing the gifts right at their judging faces.

“Thank you,” She started once enough
people had gathered. “Now I would like to request and not order
that in the future, when your Prince and Princess start knocking at
your door to bear gifts, that we are not greeted with a door shut
in our faces.”

Claimont Stewart, an elderly man of
the village, started to speak up in the people’s
defence.

“We meant no insult to you my lady, I
assure you, but we do not want a murderer in our midst.”

She snatched her head around to face
Claimont but raised her chin enough so everyone could hear her
reply.

“He is my husband, and an insult to
him is an insult to me,” She advised them with a tone that carried
across the people. “You may have heard rumours about this man
before you but I vouch as your Princess, and a friend to you all,
that I will stand against anyone to deny those rumours. I ask that
you respect that until it can be proven otherwise.”

Ison admired her as she turned on each
and every person that questioned her support of him, yet at the
same time remained one of them