He relieved her, all right. No sooner did he enter her than she climaxed violently and collapsed in a heap. He completely supported her hips with his hands, driving himself into her with more satisfaction than he had ever thought possible. He erupted turbulently, spilling himself with unbelievable force.
Shaken and breathing as if he had just run the entire distance from London to Mt. Holyoak, he pulled Remington up against his sweaty body and then collapsed with her onto the bed.
Neither one of them spoke for some time. Gaston was actually speechless and Remington was basking in the most wonderful, intimate act they had shared yet. She was in heaven.
“I never knew,” she murmured against his chest.
“Nor did I, angel,” he agreed fervently. He meant it.
She raised her head. “Guy tried to force me to have sex with him as we just did, but he hurt me terribly. With you….Good Lord, I have difficultly believing the sweetness.”
He kissed her, not knowing what to say. Words had never been too terribly easy for him and he wasn’t sure he could accurately convey his feelings to her. He was afraid his voice would crack with emotion.
She was smiling at him, listening to the faint sounds of the bailey below. “You have duties that await, my lord?”
He heard the sounds, too, and passed a disinterested look toward the slit window. “Aye, I suppose so.”
She looked regretful. “A pity we cannot stay here all day. And all night. And all day.”
He snorted. “We’d kill each other, I fear. I’d die a young, but very happy, man. Not a bad suggestion at that.”
She laughed, and then cuddled back against him with a happy sigh. “As it is, I fear our passion may have come to bear.”
He knew exactly what she was saying and she felt him stiffen beneath her. “Remi…?” he asked hesitantly.
“I am not completely sure,” she said truthfully. “But my menses are usually quite regular and… well, it’s past my time by a few days.”
He sat up so fast she yelped with surprise. His smoky eyes were wide. “You are carrying my son?”
“I do not know,” she repeated, unsure of his reaction. “But it is possible. I wanted to tell you so that you would not be surprised if… if I have news for you in the future.”
He stared at her, dumbfounded. She pursed her lips, half in irritation, half in uncertainty. “Surely the thought had crossed your mind, Gaston. After all, we have had several encounters and after last night, quite possibly your seed has found its mark. What did you think would happen if you kept me abed as you have? Nothing?”
He read her annoyance at his silence and put up his hand to ease her. “Nay, angel, it’s not that. It’s just that…I never thought we would be so blessed. Not this soon, at any rate.”
She was puzzled, some of her anger abating. “And why not?” He shrugged, looking away. “I do not know. I just did not. It took Mari-Elle several years to become pregnant with Trenton and she always accused me of having impotent seed. I did not believe her, of course, but somehow the thought always stuck with me.”
She still could not tell if he was pleased or not. “If what I suspect is true, then your seed is anything but impotent. To have planted it within my womb within a matter of weeks is a testimony to your virility, my love,” she eyed him hesitantly. “Are you not pleased, then?”
His gaze snapped to her and he cupped her lovely face between his great hands. When he spoke, his voice quivered. “Remi, if it is true, then you have made me the happiest man onthe face of the earth. If I loved you before, madam, a child would only add to this impossible dream.”
She broke into a wide, beautiful smile, kissing him eagerly. He responded with fierce tenderness, pulling her against him and tasting her sweetness.
“I must confess something, Gaston,” she said after a moment. “I, too, thought I was somewhat infertile. In the entire time Guy and I have been married, I only conceived once. Guy blamed the lack of heirs on me, of course, and when Jasmine conceived, it only reinforced his accusations. If this is true….if I truly bear your child, then I am as amazed as you are.”
He looked at her thoughtfully. “Mayhap it wasn’t us after all. Mayhap it was them all along, looking to cast the blame elsewhere for their shortcomings.”
She nodded hopefully, wildly happy in his arms. It had only been a few days since her menses had failed to appear, and in truth, she had been a bit apprehensive. But no more. If there was a God, she prayed to him awkwardly that she was indeed pregnant with the Dark One’s child.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Gaston put offtheir departure for an entire week. He had troops to train, a keep to run, and had little if any time for the papal envoy. The fat little man was outraged at the delays, and since Gaston refused to see him, he managed to corner Remington one day in the downstairs corridor and lay into her like an enraged father.
Remington, deeply upset by the man’s words, ran straight to Gaston and found him outside with his new soldiers. It was early afternoon and the hot August sun beat down upon the suffering males as they went through their paces.
The knights were out of armor, stripped naked to the waist as they paced among the columns of men as they practiced quick placement of shields. The troops were in mail, sweating rivers, and already they had lost half a dozen men to heat exhaustion.
Remington stood by the inner bailey gates, her misty eyes searching for Gaston. He was not difficult to locate; the largest man by far in the middle of a collection of men, his bronzed skin and red-kissed shoulders standing a head and a half above the rest.
