The sound she made was the one in his dreams—from deep in her throat and so full of need that he nearly spilled his seed at the sound of it. Instead he rolled them over and plunged into her until he could go no farther. She moaned again and he hardened more at her response.
“Wrap your legs around me, Lara,” he whispered gruffly. She did and he found himself deeper, at her very core. Pulling back until he was almost out and then driving back into her, she rewarded him with another moan, then another and another. He continued to wring them from her until he knew his release was upon him.
Taking her mouth, he filled her completely and felt the rush of his seed as it exploded from him. He moved within her, in and out, again and again, until every drop was spent inside of her. Sebastien was experiencing the last of his release when he felt the contractions around him, not as overpowering as his own had been. She came in a series of tightening waves until she shuddered and clutched at him. He held her close until her body relaxed beneath his.
It took some minutes for them to recover, and he waited before withdrawing from her. As he slid from her, sated for the first time in so long, he turned on his side and pulled her into his arms.
“Enemies no more, Lara,” he whispered into her ear. “Enemies no more.”
She tensed at his words.
If he noticed, he gave no sign of it, but settled his arm tighter around her and then fell asleep. Lara lay in his embrace and tried to pull her shattered control back into place. Convinced that he was indeed an honorable man, she decided to take this step and accept his offer. After saving her from almost certain death, he offered her another chance of life—a life of promise, a life of her choice.
Lara shifted on the bed, trying to ignore the pull to sleep. Her heart still raced from his possession of her body, and she could not let go of all the sensations moving through her. He lay against her back and shared his body’s heat with her. He had not remained in bed with her the first time, so feeling him so close was new.
She shifted and he moved with her, sliding his leg over hers, tickling her with the hair on his thigh. How did men so easily accept changes like this? One moment they were strangers, living separate lives in the same place and time, and the next, they were…what? Husband and wife? Nay, they had been that for all the time they’d been together. Lovers? They were not in love, so that description did not work either. Bedmates?
Lara turned in his embrace and watched Sebastien sleep. His face was unmarred by the frown he usually wore. His hair, still damp from his time in the water, fell around his head. And the scar on his cheek still caught her attention and her curiosity.
Without warning, his hand followed her movements, gliding over her hip. The touch of it, even though unintentional, sent a shock through her. Would she ever grow used to being naked with him? Would she ever be able to lie next to him and not feel a strangeness?
A chill passed through her and Lara realized that they were lying naked on top of the bedcovers, and although he was still in his trews, she wore nothing. With no blanket in reach, she would either have to get out from under him to get one or wait until he woke. She glanced up at his face and noticed he was watching her.
“My—my lord,” she stuttered as she pulled away from him, the heat of embarrassment filling her cheeks.
“Second thoughts, then?” He leaned up on one elbow and put his hand under his head, never taking his eyes from hers. “If you cannot call me by name, you must think you have made a mistake.”
He rolled off the bed, reached down to the floor and grabbed the blanket that had fallen from around her. Holding it out to her, he sat on the edge of the bed and watched her with an intense gaze. The frown was back in place and her fingers ached to reach out and soothe the deep furrows that crossed his forehead.
Fighting the wayward urge, Lara clutched the blanket across her lap and scooted back in the bed until she reached the headboard. Tucking the cover more tightly over her legs, she pushed her own hair out of her face.
“So, Lara, did I take advantage of your condition, your confusion, after you nearly drowned? Or,” he said, moving closer and touching her hand, “have we truly taken a step today?”
She did not want to lie to him, but Lara was simply not certain how she felt…other than warm in places she never thought about unless with him. There was such a hopeful look in his eyes and he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb as he waited for her answer.
“I am not certain.”
A momentary flash of regret or sadness passed over his face and then Sebastien turned his head away. Staring off for a minute, he nodded and stood up. He walked across the chamber and searched through the trunk that held his clothing. He tossed a chain of some kind over his head and then donned a tunic and belt. He faced her before he left.
She wanted to stop him, to give him some explanation, but she was so confused in her own thoughts and heart that she could not find the words at first. Lara shook her head and called his name.
“Sebastien, please wait.”
Trapped by her nakedness, she did not want to leave the bed. He understood her discomfort and reached into his trunk once more, pulling from it the robe he’d worn on their wedding night. She’d not seen it since then. He held it out to her and she slid from the bed and pulled it on. Wrapping it around her, she stood near him.
“I still have such doubts in my heart, Sebastien. By giving in to you, I feel like such a traitor to my family and to my heritage. I know you are an honorable man, but I do not know if this can work. I wish, I truly wish that I could simply say my old life is behind me and we can start anew as though I was never the Maid of Lorne and you were not the man who defeated my people. But, I cannot.”
“I understand, Lara. Can you at least give yourself time to think on this and to consider it? I think that we could fare well in our marriage, but I know it will take time for you to accept your place with me.”
He took her by the shoulders and kissed her on the forehead. “I have duties I must see to. Rest awhile here.”
Lara knew she did not want to leave her chambers now; she did not know if she could face anyone yet. She nodded and sat back on the bed.
“Promise you will join me for supper in the hall.”
She wanted to refuse, needing for some reason to deny him in some way. But the inviting smile he gave her, one that erased the frown on his forehead, would not let her decline.
“I will join you there,” she agreed.
