He made his way to the settee and sat down. It took effort not to groan as he leaned back. Halfway up his arms, across his shoulders and a short way down his back it was already starting to hurt. He was going to have to soak in a hot bath, which was ridiculous as it was too hot for one of those. Then he heard Belle return and struggled to sit up straighter.
Belle sat down and fought the urge to grin. He was hiding it very well, but she could see he was already starting to ache. Without saying a word she held out the tub of ointment he could use.
“What is that?”
“Ointment that will help sore muscles.”
He took the tub and took off the top before taking a sniff. At least it was not made with a strong floral scent. Looking at her again, he sighed. He could not wriggle his way out of this and he had to admit, he really wanted something to ease the growing ache. He knew enough about sore muscles to know the ache would only grow worse before it eased on its own.
“It works?”
“Oh, yes, and very well, too. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can put it on here, and you cannot do it yourself. Trust me on that.”
“Then where am I to go?”
“The infirmary for now. I will rub it in there and we might even be able to get you up the stairs to a bed. If not, there is still one in the infirmary.”
“All right.” He sighed in resignation when she had to help him stand up.
Belle helped him into the infirmary, where he was quickly the victim of teasing by her other two patients. She told them to hush and was not surprised when they did not stop. She glanced at Geordie, who was muttering, and shook her head as she helped him lie down on his stomach on the bed, then worked on taking his shirt off.
The sight of his bare back made her uneasy. She was not sure she could massage the ointment into that smooth, tanned skin without revealing how much she was going to enjoy it. That could prove very embarrassing with the audience she had. Taking a deep breath, she pushed that concern aside and decided to ignore all the watching eyes and do what needed to be done.
The first touch of Belle’s hands on his back shocked Geordie. They were a bit cool and so soft, yet she massaged in the ointment with a gentle strength. He felt most of the tightness and ache fade away. He also began to feel relaxed, too relaxed, he thought as he closed his eyes.
By the time she was done, Belle knew he had fallen asleep. She was shocked by the urge she had to crawl on the bed and curl up beside him. Getting up, she closed the pot of ointment, and as she went to put it away in the pantry, she decided to just ignore that strange urge. Work was what she needed now, good hard work to push aside the strange, wanton thoughts in her head. But then she felt Geordie standing behind her.
Chapter Twelve
He slid his hand up her ribcage and over her breast, his body tensing as it filled his hand. Geordie heard her breath catch, revealing that she was feeling the same heat. A small voice in his head whispered that this was not the place, that he needed to get her somewhere more private. He slipped his hands around to her back and lifted her up with him as he sat up. Still kissing her, he attempted to keep his eyes on where they were going as they stood to climb the stairs and he began to lead her down the hall.
Several times he paused, pressing her against the wall to tease her more as well as give her a chance to push him away. By the time they reached her bedchamber, he had little doubt she was willing. She had wrapped herself around him and was pushing his shirt off his shoulders, and he was not even sure when she had undone it. He settled her down on the bed and carefully came down over her.
“This is not right,” she murmured as she ran her hands over his chest.
“Ye can say nay,” he said, not surprised at how hard it was to say those words.
“I know. Not going to do it though.”
Thank God,he thought as he began to undo her gown.
She was as quick to help him shed his clothes as he was to tug hers off, assuring him that she was as willing as he was eager. Finally they were skin to skin, and he sighed as much with relief as with pleasure.
He desperately wanted to go slow, to give her as much pleasure as he could, but he feared it was all going to be fast and furious. They were panting and stroking each other. He moved to kiss her breasts.
Belle clung tightly to Geordie as he covered her breasts with kisses. His skin felt taut and warm beneath her hands. Her body ached and she had enough knowledge to guess what it ached for. Then his hand slid over her stomach and continued down until it slipped between her thighs. She cried out at the strength of the pleasure that went through her.
Geordie groaned as he felt how wet she was. He kept stroking her as he kissed her, then settled himself between her shifting legs. Each step of the way he waited a moment in case she decided she should push him away. Taking a deep breath, he cautiously entered her, feeling only the slightest resistance before he was fully seated.
The shock of him being inside her faded fast and Belle clutched Geordie tightly. She wrapped her legs around his hips and he began to move. After that, all she was aware of was how he made her feel. Then that feeling he stirred with every thrust of his body condensed into one sharp pulse, and seemed to explode inside her, her whole body shuddering as it swept through her.
When she came back to her senses she realized she was lying beside him, turned into his body. They were both a bit sweaty and still breathing too hard. Geordie was lightly stroking her back and gently kissing her face. She was a bit shocked that she had done this, and she hoped he would say something that would reassure her.
He kissed her briefly, then got up. Belle felt the desertion for only a moment before he was back with a damp cloth that he used to clean her up. Embarrassed yet strangely touched, she tried to fight back the blush heating her cheeks. Then he crawled back into the bed and held her close. When he said nothing she lifted her head and sighed. His eyes were closed and she thought of the women who talked to her when she was caring for them in childbirth, and how they often complained about their man just going to sleep afterward.
“Are you sleeping?”
“Nay. Just resting my eyes.”
