“She hadn’t finished your lessons.” He stopped just short of breaking through the trees and cupped her chin in a warm hand once again. To her starving senses, the contact was jarring and she shivered.
“I will look forward to introducing you to the pleasure intimacies can produce in a woman when her partner takes the time to make sure she is satisfied.”
Satisfied …
Curan was as far from that as possible. He stopped when they broke through the tree line and allowed his bride to leave his side. He had to hook his hands into his belt to keep from taking her back up into the night for enough privacy to relieve the ache in his cock.
Yet he did not suffer passion’s burn alone. That bit of knowledge drew a stiff breath from him while he watched Bridget make her way back toward the wagon she’d traveled in. Her step was hurried and her hips not nearly as steady now. Her poise was deserting her in the face of the flames licking her body.
It was astounding—the way they were attracted to each other. How had he missed it three years ago? He had chosen her for many reasons, always understanding that celebrating his union would be another duty required of him. Something stirred inside him, and he realized he was happy for the first time in a very long time. There weren’t many possibilities for personal happiness while earning his spurs of knighthood, or in the service that was required of him after he became a knight. The years since he’d left his father’s house to begin training stretched out in a cold trail of completed tasks. For sure, he had been proud the day he received his knighthood and likewise during the times he had ridden in the midst of other lords who respected him for what he had proven on the field of battle.
The feeling settled in his chest, and he stood still to enjoy it. Bridget climbed easily into the wagon in spite of her dress and bulky surcoat. He was rather grateful for the over-garment that hid her form from his gaze. It would seem his self-discipline was inadequate to the task of resisting her.
There was a confidence in her he admired. Truth was he had no patience for helplessness even if he had spent many hours tempering his judgment to expect his bride to need some coddling. His lips curled up. Somehow he doubted his bride would enjoy hearing his thoughts. She was stubborn, a trait he didn’t find at all repulsive. After all, he was not some polished gentleman of court. Amber Hill did not need a lady who was despondent over being denied the court atmosphere. They would not live without comforts, but there would be work aplenty for his new wife to see to.
Yet he wondered if she would be happy. He had little taste for dealing with those who could not adjust to the way things were. Too many times he’d seen noble sons sent off to earn the respect of their king by riding with him, only to hear them whine about everything that wasn’t up to their standards. Spoiled. There was no other word to place upon them.
Well, his bride was neither a child nor spoiled. He allowed the grin to remain on his face as he walked farther into camp. It was a fine day in spite of the circumstances that had almost seen him having to fight for his rights as Bridget’s groom. He would have fought for her, and the devil take whichever man thought to claim her away from him. Maybe the throbbing cock in his britches was a result of the years he had carried the image of her face in his dreams. On countless nights he had closed his eyes and allowed himself to enjoy the vision of her face, the way she moved or the shy manner with which she had sneaked glances at him. Now that he thought about it, the happiness warming his heart wasn’t very surprising at all. He had considered her his for three long years, enjoyed her in his dreams, and taken his only leisure while thinking of her.
They would both be happy. Her brazen kiss was proof of that. Stoking her passion would be the perfect place to begin demonstrating just how content she would be as his wife.
It was a situation he was eager to begin showing her.
So this was passion.
It was as much a torment as it was delightful.
Bridget tried to hold her head steady while covering the space between the trees and the wagon. She couldn’t recall being so ill at ease before, not even when she was younger and first placed in a position of authority over the household. Tonight, it felt as if every man watching her could tell that her nipples were hard behind her stays. Her cheeks colored because she was very sure that Curan knew it.
She certainly understood that he was the one causing her such upset.
Hot and thick, moving through her veins like strong cider. The sort that her mother had insisted she sample so that she would know how potent it was, just as her mother had brought Marie to show her the power passion might yield over a man. At the moment Bridget found herself longing for that final lesson Marie had promised her.
Curan seemed very willing to instruct her; that was as clear as a summer day. To be honest, she was enjoying his tutoring. Watching Marie and Tomas had not been nearly as enjoyable as having Curan’s hand on her thigh.
What did it feel like to be touched on more sensitive parts of her body?
She was sure her blush was burning bright enough to illuminate her shame now, but the men around her only looked away when their gazes connected with her. It was a reflex, something they did without thinking because they turned their attention to any motion near them. Once they realized it was their lord’s bride, their eyes shifted. That was true respect for the man they followed. She reached the wagon and climbed in, only pausing on the tailgate to unlace her boots lest she track dirt into her bed. The evening air was chilly on her stocking-clad feet, and she scooted into the back of the wagon where she might pull her toes up into the folds of her clothing.
Someone had laid out one of the rolls of bedding. Considering that ninety percent of the men making the trip to northern England would be passing the night on the hard ground, the fact that any of them had even taken time to see to her comforts was an extreme luxury.
“Beg pardon, lady.”
Bridget looked back at the foot of the wagon to see one of Curan’s officers. She recalled his face from those who had stood nearest him when he had first arrived. This was the man who had moved her mother. He had light blue eyes that seemed to make his gaze sharper.
“We downed a few deer today, and your mother had her kitchens bake bread for us as well.”
He stretched out his arm and placed a large wooden bowl as close to her as his arm length allowed. Even covered with a linen cloth, the rich aroma of roasted meat teased her nose.
“Thank you.”
