She might have been a corpse.
Quinn’s astonishment was not enough to keep him from noting either her slender perfection or the ripe curve of her breasts.
It was certainly not sufficient to keep him from being insulted.A man of merit did not inflict his desire upon his wife—and he had told her that he would not.Quinn shoved to his feet and paced the width of the chamber.
“You do this apurpose,” he accused, shoving a hand through his hair.
“Apurpose?”she echoed, then sat up.Her eyes were bright with indignation.“Of course, I submit apurpose!”
Quinn found her vehemence reassuring.He understood her better when she was annoyed.
“Is that not what Tulley and now you want of me?I simply do your bidding from this day forward, like any dutiful wife.”This last was spat with a vigor that Quinn might have heeded under other circumstances.
“Adutifulwife!”he replied instead.“Now there is something I am not destined to enjoy!”
“Oh!”Melissande bounded from the bed to shake a finger beneath his nose.“If obedience in every matter is what you desire of me, then you should forgo Tulley’s test and let the match be annulled!I submit to this deed, sir, but I will not surrender every measure...”
Quinn barely heard her words, so transfixed was he by the cloud of gold that followed her leap from the bed.Melissande’s hair hung loose to her hips, fair gold with the sheen of the finest silk.It shimmered as she moved as though it possessed a life of its own, and in that moment, Quinn could think only of touching it.
He had never seen the like.Since he had left the Continent fifteen years past, Quinn had not glimpsed any sight so fine.
“What ails you, husband?”she asked, halting before him.
“Your hair,” he whispered in awe.
“You are not listening to my words.”
“I am too enchanted for mere words.”
Melissande folded her arms across her chest and retreated.“It is simply hair,” she said, but Quinn knew that she was flattered.
“There is naught simple about such beauty, my lady,” Quinn said.“It is like spun gold.”He reached out a hand.“May I touch it?”
Something of his wonder must have shown in his expression, for Melissande considered him for only a heartbeat before she nodded agreement.She turned slightly and Quinn stared at the majesty of the golden tresses cascading down her back.Her hair gleamed in the firelight and bounced slightly as she moved.
He took a step closer and was surprised to find a tightness lodged in his chest.Quinn reached out, noting how rough and heavy his hand looked in contrast to his lady’s splendor.
He hesitated, but he could not deny himself the temptation.
Her hair ran over his hand like a golden waterfall and slipped over his fingers as though it possessed a will of its own.It was soft beyond soft, silky and smooth.Quinn lifted a gleaming handful to his gaze and the sweet scent of his wife rose to tease his nostrils.
His body responded with a healthy vigor that caught him by surprise.He looked to his bride, but she kept her face studiously averted, her hands folded before her like a Madonna.Quinn glanced down and saw the rosy curve of her buttocks.
Then he could not help but look.He lifted her hair away, loving the feel of it as it spilled over his fingers.
She was splendid.Her skin was fair and smooth, her curves delicate and feminine.Her flared hips led his eye to the indent of her waist and thence to the curve of her breasts, her nipples ruddy and beaded in the cool air of the room.Her neck was long, her chin held high.
Quinn had never imagined he would find such a bride, let alone be cast such a prize by fortune’s lot alone.Their argument was dismissed from his thoughts and he could not imagine why he might have even been irritated with a woman of such sweet beauty.
“Melissande,” he murmured, hearing the reverence in his low tone.She turned slightly.“You are beyond beautiful,” he said, feeling again like a rough warrior in her presence.In this moment, he could wish to be a courtier, with the right words on the tip of his tongue.
Her lips quirked in amusement.“You say that only to gain my surrender this night,” she accused, though her voice had lost its earlier sting.
It was clear that his touching her hair had managed to disarm them both.
“Nay,” Quinn said with resolve.“I say that because it is true.Deny me now and I will step away.”He smiled at her.“I would even close my eyes, should you command it now, but I am honored that you have permitted me to see you.”He let her hair slip over his fingers again, then moved his hand away.
Surprise flickered in Melissande’s eyes and, for a moment, she seemed uncertain what to say.They stood close to each other in the golden light, the chamber silent save for the crackle of the fire and the slight sound of the lady’s breath.Quinn could hear his heart thundering in his ears as their gazes held once more.He saw her gaze darken and her cheeks flush and knew she softened toward him once again.
