He grinned and reached back for her, taking her by the waist. She responded by wrapping her arms around his middle and pressing her cheek to his tunic. She had spoken of familiarity not realising she was the epitome of it.
‘You reached for me,’ she said quietly.
He nodded. ‘The castle joke got me.’
When he turned, her arms fell to her sides, and she looked up at him expectantly. All that trust in her eyes. All that power she was handing him. The smart thing to do was leave before things got very out of hand, but his feet appeared to have grown roots, and now she was waiting for him to lead her through the next part. Always the eager student.
Naturally, Eda being Eda, she lost patience and made a move for him. He caught hold of her wrist. ‘I’m worried you don’t understand what you’re initiating here, soldier.’
Her lips curved into a smile. ‘Oh, Commander. I’m inexperienced, not naive.’
Letting go of her wrist, he trailed the tips of his fingers up her arm.
‘I’m going to lock the door,’ she said. ‘Then you’re going to teach me everything.’
‘Everything?’
‘Allof it.’
The room felt stifling suddenly. ‘That.Thatis what you whisper into my ear.’
Smiling, she went to lock the door, then returned. They stared into each other’s eyes, not touching. He had no idea where to begin. The enormity of his feelings was impairing his ability to act.
Sensing his dilemma, Eda began unbuttoning her dress. He watched, hands clammy, as she removed every weapon and item of clothing until she was completely naked before him. Then she looked up at him. ‘Your turn.’
He removed his own weapons, boots, and clothes. Her eyes travelled down, curiosity winning. If she was afraid, she did not let it show. He stepped closer, cradling her face in his hands as he dipped his head and kissed her slowly. Her breath hitched, and her hands landed on his chest. The naked warmth of her made every inch of him hard.
He continued to kiss her that way until he felt her nails dig into his skin. Pulling back slightly, he whispered into her open mouth, ‘First I show you pleasure.’
She wound her arms around his neck and drew him closer so every part of her was touching every part of him. His eyes sank shut, and he knew without a doubt that whatever happened next would change them both.
‘You’re sure?’ he asked as he picked her up off the ground.
She wrapped her silky legs around him. ‘When have I ever gotten cold feet?’
Carrying her to the bed, he laid her down on it and pressed a kiss to her neck. Then he brought his mouth to her ear and whispered, ‘You’re going to want to hold on to something.’
CHAPTER27
Eda woke to grey light, but she was not ready for morning. She kept her eyes firmly closed as she recalled every detail of her night with Roul. Every sensation. Smiling, she reached back for him, but he was not there. The smile fell from her face. She could not remember him leaving, though it was hardly surprising given how deeply she had slept afterwards. Roul had destroyed her, body and mind.
‘He left an hour ago’ came a voice that did not belong to Roul.
Eda sat up with a gasp, clutching the sheet to her naked body. It took her eyes a moment to adjust. She froze when she spotted Lord Roger sitting in the chair beneath the window.
‘He must have heard us coming, because he stepped out into the corridor before I even had a chance to knock. It was all very civilised—at first.’
He was talking about Roul. Her Roul, who would never let a stranger into her bedchamber while she slept. She looked to the pile of clothes on the floor, where her weapons were buried.
‘You know, this is an extraordinary number of knives for a lady of your standing to be carrying,’ Roger said, drawing her attention back to him.
She saw then that he had them all laid out on his lap. He held one up, inspecting it closely. ‘They are beautifully crafted.’
‘Where is Sir Bradley?’
He lowered the weapon and angled his head. ‘Perhaps you mean Commander Thornton?’
Her heart pounded in her chest. Something had gone very wrong while she slept.
