The noise from the hall below was a quiet rumble, reminding them that they were not alone in this tryst. Although men could not see them, any sounds from the loft might surely be heard,so Vesper put a hand over her mouth as Val pinched her nipple between his teeth. It was enough to cause her to cry out but the hand over her mouth prevented any noise from escaping. Still, his hands were moving over her, his mouth on the flesh of her breasts when she could feel one of those roaming hands snaking up her skirt.
As a woman who had never known the touch of a man until this moment, Vesper should have been fearful of the hand on her thigh, moving upwards, but the truth was that she wasn’t afraid. She was curious and eager to learn, and everything Val had done to her until this point had been thrilling and pleasurable. Therefore, she wasn’t afraid. She liked his mouth on her breasts so much that she was quite willing to see what he would do next, something more to give her such pleasure.
What she wasn’t prepared for, however, was the shock of his fingers probing her woman’s center. She barely touched herself down there, only to wash and to tend to necessary woman’s needs, so to have a man touch her there– even a man who would be her husband. She was growing embarrassed and Val must have sensed that. His hand came to a halt and he stopped nursing at her breasts, lifting his head to look at her.
“Did I hurt you?” he whispered raggedly.
Vesper shook her head. “Nay,” she said. “’Tis just… I have not…”
He could see how embarrassed she was and he leaned forward, kissing her on the chin. “You needn’t be ashamed,” he murmured. “This is a wonderful and natural thing. You will enjoy it, I promise. Will you trust me just a little?”
She had liked what he’d done to her so far so she nodded. “Aye,” she murmured. “But… but there are men in the room below us….”
He kissed her again. “They will not hear us if we are quiet,” he said. “And they cannot see us, even if they come up the staircase. But if you are still uncomfortable, then I shall stop.”
She quickly shook her head. “Nay,” she said softly. “You promised that I would enjoy this. I am waiting.”
He gave her a half-grin, kissing her once more as he resumed his heated kisses on her shoulder. The hand on her thigh remained still for a few moments longer before beginning its exploration once more, moving to the dark curls between her legs. He probed her gently, causing her to twitch and buck, because his fingers made some kind of magic happen down there. There was a certain spot he would touch that nearly brought her off the floor. It made sparks fly, causing her legs to tremble, but it was oh-so-pleasurable.
Val had been right; she liked it a great deal. It was the most amazing sensation she’d ever known. As she lay there, thoroughly enjoying his attention, Val pulled her skirts up to her waist and settled himself between her legs. Then, she could feel him fumbling with his breeches as something very warm and very hard suddenly pressed against her womanly center.
Vesper didn’t have time to think on what he was doing; she barely had time to breathe before he was slanting his mouth over hers again while at the same time, thrusting his hips forward so that his manhood slid into her waiting body. Vesper gasped at his sensual intrusion, groaning softly as he tried to muffle the sounds with his kisses. Three gentle but firm thrusts and he was seated to the hilt, having broken through the barrier of her virginity. The flash of sharp pain told Vesper she was no longer a maiden, but true to Val’s word, she was enjoying it. Oddly enough, the pain hadn’t been enough to frighten or distress her. It had quickly come and was quickly gone. As Val gathered her up against him, his hips began to move.
Vesper’s arms were around his neck as he thrust into her repeatedly, a gentle rhythm at first to allow her to become accustomed to him, but Vesper very quickly discovered that his pelvis against hers caused those sparks to fly again. It was that pleasure he spoke of, overwhelming her, and she closed her eyes as the sparks grew hotter and more intense. All she could do was hang on to Val as he had his way with her but she didn’t care a lick; not a bloody lick. Had Henry’s army stormed the loft at that moment, she wouldn’t have let go of Val and she wouldn’t have let him stop, not for anything. This was what she was born to feel with the man she was born to feel it with.
Every stroke, every kiss, was pure magic.
Somehow, the sparks he was creating in her exploded into a shower of stars and ripples of pleasure coursed through her body as she experienced her first release. As Vesper went limp in his arms, gasping for air, Val took his own pleasure, releasing himself deep. In truth, his mind had been a miasma of lustful thoughts from the moment he entered her until this very second when he climaxed so hard that he bit his lip. Now, reality was settling along with the taste of his own blood and the smell of her, the feel of her, was filling the very air around him. Even after he released, he continued to move his hips gently, his body joined to hers, the feel of his seed making her hot and slick against his flesh.
His seed… God, he’d never imagined he would wish for a woman to conceive his child but, at this moment, he prayed for that. He prayed that his seed would find its mark and take root, and a son in his image would be born. He couldn’t imagine a better mother for his child, the wise and beautiful Vesper, a woman he adored deeply. If he went to Winchester tomorrow and Henry decided upon a punishment that would see him leave this earth, then at least there was a chance that something of him would live on.
That’s what this night meant to him. Hope for his destiny.
“Vesper?” he whispered, his face in the side of her head. “Sweetheart? Are you well? I did not hurt you, did I?”
Vesper shook her head, tickling his nose with her hair. “You did not,” she murmured. “I am well. More than well.”
He smiled. “Then I kept my promise? You enjoyed it?”
She nodded. Then, she pulled back to look at him, putting a hand on his cheek and watching him as he kissed it tenderly. There was reverence in his movements.
“I did,” she said, trying to think of a way to voice her thoughts and not sound foolish. “I have never felt so close to anyone, as if we were made for each other. As if you are a part of me and I am a part of you. Val… let me go with you tomorrow when you go to Winchester. Please.”
His smile faded. “Nay,” he said with regret. “I would have you remain here with my mother. If Henry should punish me, then I should not want you there.”
Vesper didn’t like that answer. “But you are going into a den of men who only seek to harm you,” she said. “Let me go as the one person who would support you.”
He touched her face, kissing her on the cheek. “It is out of the question, so please do not ask me again,” he said. “I feel strongly that you must remain here. Whatever I must face with Henry, it will bring me comfort knowing you are here and you are safe. Will you please do this for me?”
Vesper was unhappy about it but she didn’t want to spoil the mood. He seemed sorrowful enough without her pleading, so she simply nodded her head. “If you wish it.”
“I do.”
“Then I shall do as you ask.”
There wasn’t much more to be said after that. Val continued to hold Vesper in his arms for a few minutes longer, knowing that they should return to the feast below before someonedid, indeed, come looking for them. They’d already been gone overlong. Therefore, he kissed her gently once, twice, and sat up, pulling up his breeches and helping her smooth her skirts. There was some evidence of their activities on the back of her gown, but the fabric was dark and masked it quite well. No one would ever know of their encounter.
But they certainly knew.
