Within her voice, he heard the unspoken longing, and it fired his desire. He took the stone, bringing its smooth surface down the column of her throat. Wet from the rain upon her skin, he slid it further, until it rested upon her heart. “I remember when you used to bring me water while I was training.”
Nairna covered his palm with hers and he slid the stone lower, beneath the curve of her breast, tracing around it. His wife’s breath sharpened, but she didn’t stop him. “I remember that I slept alone on my wedding night, when you should have been there beside me.”
“I was sixteen and thoughtless.” He brought the stone over her wet shift, using the gentle pressure to arouse her. Her nipple grew taut, straining through the fabric for his touch. He used the flat stone to caress her, before he brought her to sit upon a chair.
Kneeling before her, he remembered how sensitive her legs were. He touched her ankles and brought his mouth to her knees. He kissed the rounded skin as he caressed her calves. Immediately, tingles swept through her in response.
Her breathing grew unsteady, and her knuckles tightened upon the arms of the chair. He flicked his tongue behind her knee and she exhaled, reaching for his hair.
But he wouldn’t let her go. His hands moved over the softness of her legs while his mouth moved between her thighs.
Her womanhood lay bared before him, and when he spread her legs apart he could see the moist rose flesh. Though he was tempted to touch her there, he waited, letting the anticipation fill her as he kissed the soft skin leading toward it.
She closed her eyes, lifting up her face as if she couldn’t bear the intensity of his touch. Her cheeks were flushed, her body trembling.
His own hands began to shake and the room suddenly blurred before his eyes. Hell’s teeth, not this. Not now. He blinked, trying to clear away the dizziness.
“Bram, what is it?”
He took a deep breath, but the chamber shifted again, the floor seeming to move beneath his feet. He couldn’t seem to regain control of his vision.
“I need a moment.” He turned away from her, striding to the window. He rested his hands against the stones, as if he could gain steadiness from them. The exhaustion of being without sleep for so long was making it harder for him to stand upright. The weakness infuriated him.
Behind him, he heard Nairna’s soft footsteps. She touched his arm, but he didn’t turn around. His hands dug into the limestone, trying to reclaim his hold upon the moment between them. But his body wouldn’t cooperate with the desires of his mind.
For a long moment Nairna said nothing, but merely rested her hand upon him. When he continued his silence, at last, he heard her retreating toward the bed.
“It’s all right,” he heard Nairna say. “Come and rest beside me. I won’t ask anything of you.”
Hearing the sadness in her voice made him even angrier at himself. He wanted to touch her, to satiate this reckless craving inside him. But he didn’t trust himself, not when his vision and senses were failing him.
“Wait for me in the bed, and I’ll join you later.” Leaning against the hard back of the chair, he closed his eyes. The darkness enfolded him in its suffocating arms, and he struggled to find control over his body and mind.
The rainstorm raged outside, but Nairna felt as if she might as well be caught in it. The shelter didn’t seem to matter, for her husband was slumped in a chair, his posture awkward.
What had gone wrong? One moment, he’d treated her like a desirable woman, while the next, he’d seemed unaware of his surroundings. Now, his eyes were closed, as if he were suffering in some way.
The wind battered the wooden shutters, and the eerie sound seemed to disturb Bram within his sleep. He was mumbling something she couldn’t understand.
Nairna didn’t know what was happening, but she couldn’t simply remain in bed and wait. Bram’s eyes remained closed, but he sat up when another howl of the wind penetrated the space.
The shutter rattled against the window, grinding wood against stone. Bram’s eyes flew open at the sound.
“It’s nothing,” she reassured him. “Just the storm.”
But it was as if he hadn’t heard her at all. His face was pale, his mouth set in a firm line. Nairna reached out a hand to take his palm, but he didn’t return the faint squeeze. His skin was cold, as if he’d been sleeping outside.
“Are you awake?” she whispered, already knowing the answer.
He stared right through her. What nightmares tormented him, she didn’t know. But he wasn’t aware of their surroundings or even of her.
“Come and lie down,” she murmured, hoping to coax him back to sleep. When she reached for his waist, she struggled to draw him to his feet, and thankfully it was only a few paces before she pushed him back to the bed.
He sat down and she helped him undress. The darkness hid his body, but she eased him beside her. When she started to cover him with the blanket, she didn’t know if he had regained awareness or was still asleep. Her answer came when he seized her, holding her in a tight embrace. He held her as if gaining warmth and comfort. She rested her cheek against his bare chest and heard the rapid heartbeat.
Though his hands were cold, his body was far warmer than she’d imagined. In his embrace, her skin grew heated, warming the damp shift. She tried to move beneath the coverlet and the motion pulled at her linen shift, baring her breasts.
Though likely he couldn’t see her in the darkness, she felt awkward and vulnerable with her bare skin against his. Bram lay on top of her with his mouth against her throat, his breath intensifying her pulse beat. The thickness of his manhood rested between her thighs.
