“Continue.”
“I used to have a harem.”
She cocked her head curiously. “A harem?”
“That means I had a group of women at my disposal,” he said. “To fulfill my needs. When I returned home from The Levant, I took my time. I ended up at the Lateran Palace in Rome with the Holy Father. Whilst there, I provided a service for him. If he had an enemy, I would deal with them. If he wanted me to do something sly and deadly, I would do it. In return for this service, he provided me with a house of my own and twelve women.”
She scratched her head curiously. “They took care of your home?”
He tried not to grin at her surprising innocence in the matter. “Nay, sweetheart,” he said, putting his hands on her arms. “I am trying to tell you that these women were provided to me to take care of my needs. As a wife would take care of husband.”
Her eyes widened as she realized what he meant. “Like a brothel?”
Quickly, he shook his head. “Nay, because they belonged only to me,” he said. Then, he sighed heavily. “I was unmarried. I was not betrothed. There was no one woman who had my loyalty. I took a few of these women to my bed because, sometimes, men have physical needs. Now do you understand?”
“Oh,” she said, an expression of hurt crossing her features even though she pretended otherwise. “They were… special to you?”
He shook his head. “Nay,” he said quietly. “I did not feel anything for them. They were simply possessions.”
“Is that what a woman is to you? A possession?”
“God, no,” he waved her off. “I am trying to be completely honest with you about my past by telling you something unsavory that your father brought up. But I will tell you what I told him – although I cannot undo the past, I can make a promise for the future. I will never disrespect you, I will always ensure you are safe and warm and happy, and I will be faithful to you for the rest of my life if you decide that I am the man you want. Upon my oath, I swear this.”
Christin believed him without hesitation. He was a knight of the highest order and men such as Alexander did not take a vow upon their oath lightly.
They meant it for life.
“I believe you,” she said, her eyes glimmering warmly at him. “Did my father?”
Alexander chuckled, a nervous gesture because he honestly wasn’t sure if she would have accepted his vow so easily. “I think so,” he said. “Your father and I have known each other a very long time. He was concerned about my past, as he should be. He is a father protecting his daughter. But men have pasts; most do not live like priests until they marry. I want you to know that you can ask me anything about my past and I will answer you honestly. I say this because I am certain your father will tell you things he knows about me and I do not want you to be surprised. I want you to hear the truth from me.”
She appreciated that he was being forthright. “You are an Executioner Knight, a legend,” she said. “I am sure you did not gain that reputation by living in a monastery for the past twenty years.”
He laughed softly. “I did not,” he said. “And your father knows that.”
Her smile faded. “Do you think he will try to dissuade me?”
Alexander shrugged. “It is possible,” he said. “He tried to chase me away but I would not go. I have found the woman I wish to spend my life with and I will not leave her, no matter what.”
It was a sweet thing to say and Christin’s smile returned. “He cannot say anything that will shake me, either,” she said. “I am sure he wishes I would marry a stalwart young knight with no past and a bright future. I am sure every father wishes that for his daughter. But there is no young, stalwart knight in England that could turn my head from you, Sherry. I have made my choice.”
Alexander looked at her, fortified by her declaration but knowing they more than likely had a difficult road ahead of them. In fact, he knew of one right away.
It might change everything.
“You did not hear what William said to me?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Nay.”
Alexander averted his gaze, thoughtfully, trying to find the best way to tell her what he must. It was difficult for him to spit it out, but he had to.
Better now than later.
“He is not happy about our association, either,” he said quietly. “He fears that it will impact any tasks we are assigned together, and he is not wrong. He has the same concerns with Achilles and Susanna, although so far, they have proven him wrong. Still, he is afraid our emotions will get in the way of our judgment.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that he wants to separate us,” he said softly. “It means that he wants to put space between us to either kill what we are feeling for each other or, if that is not the case, at least give us time to think. We are not to serve together unless absolutely necessary.”
Christin’s brow furrowed as she listened, genuinely trying not to become upset. She was struggling to be pragmatic, to see things from The Marshal’s perspective, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.
“He is siding with my father,” she said after a moment. “Surely, my father must have spoken to him and told him what happened. There is no other way he would have known.”
Alexander knew that. “I am sure he did speak with him.”
“Then you lied to me.”
“When did I do this disgraceful thing?”
“You told me that my father wasn’t trying to ruin this for me. Clearly, he is.”
He could see that she was becoming upset no matter how hard she was trying not to. He admired her strength in the matter; a lesser woman would have been in tears by now. Christin was stronger than that.
But she wasn’t unbreakable.
“Come with me,” he said, reaching out and taking her by the hand. He led her over to the bed. “Sit down, please.”
She did, gripping his hand tightly. He could feel the tension, the fear, in her grip so he sat down beside her and took both of her hands in his, holding them against his thigh. Looking her in the eyes, he could see how much she was struggling with the situation.
Truth be told, he was struggling, too.
“I have had time to think about everything since this morning, so I want to discuss it with you,” he said quietly, seriously. “Only yesterday, we were declaring our feelings and, today, we have already had to face serious opposition. Would you agree with that statement?”
She nodded. “I would.”
“But that does not mean it is ruined. Nothing is ruined, Cissy. Do you understand?”
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm. “I do,” she said. “I am sorry if I sounded snappish and weak.”
He smiled at her. “You are dealing with the stress of this situation far better than any woman I know of,” he said. “Ever since we reached Norwich, this has been a tribulation for you. You’ve had to deal with an amorous king, an angry father, and an unsympathetic commander. But you have dealt with it all beautifully and you will continue to do so. Every moment shows me how strong and capable you are, and that simply makes me adore you all the more. So, I swear to you, nothing is ruined. But we do have to think of a few things about our future. It sounds ridiculously premature to say that, but it’s necessary. I have no intention of letting you go, so if we have a plan in place, we’ll both feel better. Agreed?”
She was visibly calming in the wake of his logic. “Agreed,” she said, smiling weakly. “And thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not letting me go.”
He shook his head, reaching up to gently touch her cheek. “Never,” he whispered. “For now, I think we must adhere to the plan we set earlier – that you must leave the castle until the king departs. That will keep you away from him. If your father does not know about last night, he soon will, so I am sure he will agree. The fastest and safest thing to do is take you to the inn near the cathedral, as we discussed. I will escort you there myself,
so you should pack a satchel and be ready to leave as soon as I can secure the horses.”
She nodded. “What about my father? Will you tell him?”
He nodded. “Of course,” he said. “As soon as you are safely away, I will tell him everything. I suspect he may even come to you at the inn and I further suspect he will want to take you back to Lioncross Abbey with him.”
Her brow furrowed. “I am not entirely sure I want to go there.”
“Why not?”
“Because it is a massive fortress and once I am there, it would be a simple thing to keep me locked away from you.”
Alexander chuckled. “Do you seriously think those old walls would keep me away? You do not know me very well.”
She grinned. “That is something I hope to change,” she said, squeezing his hands. “I was so hoping we would have more time to talk and come to know one another. But if my father takes me back to Lioncross…”
He cut her off gently. “It will be the safest place for you right now,” he said. “You will be far away from John and he can focus his attention somewhere else.”
Christin thought on John and his determination, and of a future where she and Alexander were separated for an unknown amount of time. “And then what?”
He shrugged. “The Marshal and I must have a serious discussion about the situation,” he said. “It may be that you will stay at Lioncross for some time and I will come to you when I can. It may be that you must give up your life of spying altogether, which I hesitate to say because I know you love it. I do not want to see you unhappy, but I will say this… as my wife, I would prefer you not continue to serve The Marshal.”
She cocked her head thoughtfully, looking at him in such a way that told him she was considering everything quite carefully. Perhaps that wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but at least she wasn’t outright denying him.
“I do love serving The Marshal,” she finally said. “Susanna continues to serve him even though she and Achilles are married.”
“That is true.”
“May I serve as she does?” she asked. “As time and the situation allows? It’s simply that I feel it is important work, Sherry. I have told you this. I would not do anything you did not approve of.”
She said it in such a way that he didn’t immediately flare. Not that he would have, and he didn’t expect her to give up so easily, but what she said made sense. Moreover, she was willing to give him the control, even this early on in their budding relationship. That spoke of her willingness to compromise. Regardless of what he wanted, however, he couldn’t have denied her.
She was gifted.
He understood that.
“We do not have to decide anything today,” he said. “I suppose that I do not see any issue with you continuing to serve in some capacity, but that is far in the future, sweetheart. Let us get through the immediate situation and we’ll address the rest. But I think, for now, getting you to the inn and then on to Lioncross is the best course of action. You will be safe with your father, in any case. The king cannot touch you.”
Reaching up, she gently touched his hair and he closed his eyes, savoring the sweetness of her touch. It was such a gentle moment of discovery, having the freedom to touch one another in a setting that allowed them complete privacy. At the moment, there was nothing lustful about it, simply the excitement of something new and wonderful at hand.
“You are worried about the king, still,” she said. “You do not think that last night truly discouraged him?”
Alexander opened his eyes. “With John, we have no way of knowing,” he said. “All I know is that we should not take any chances when it comes to you. I want you safe and away from Norwich.”
“Today?”
“Today. Right away.”
“Will you do something for me, then?”
“If I can.”
She smiled, embarrassed, and he could see her cheeks flushing. “I am not sure how to say this,” she said. “I fear we may spend a good deal of time apart and I was wondering… you see, I’ve never been kissed by someone other than my father or mother or uncle. It would give me a memory to take with me if you would…”
Alexander was on her in a flash, his hands cupping her head as his lips slanted over hers. Instead of stiffening with surprise, she was immediately soft and compliant, and he pulled her into his arms, kissing her deeply. Everything about her was warm and honeyed and the more he tasted, the more he wanted.
She was exhilarating.
He lost himself. While one hand held her against him, the other began to roam. He touched her hair, feeling the long and silken strands, before he gently stroked her arm, her back, the curve of her torso. Everything about her was so soft and beautiful, and his mouth left hers to nibble on her jaw.
Her neck…
Her shoulder.
He wanted to move lower on her. God knows, he did, but it wasn’t the right time. At least, he didn’t think so until Christin untied the front of her garment and yanked it down. Suddenly, both shoulders were fully exposed as was the rise of her full breasts. She’d pulled it down just short of her nipples and he didn’t ask questions. He didn’t chastise her or pull the front of her dress up.
He feasted.
He suckled on the top of her breasts, gently kissing, gently tugging at the tender flesh. Christin gasped at his intimate touch. As he bent lower to plant his face in the valley between her breasts, her small hands snaked into the neckline of his tunic, her bare hands against his bare shoulders, caressing him.
Touching him.
Now, he was on fire.
Never in his life had he ever known a woman to be so immediately and insistently intoxicating. There was something about Christin that drove him mad the minute he touched her, as if he’d always meant to have her, as if they’d always been meant to be.
Nothing had ever felt more natural.
The front of her gown came down to her waist.
Now, his mouth was on her nipples, suckling her furiously as he laid her back on the bed. Christin didn’t put up a fight. She lay down, with him on top of her, arms around his neck as he nursed her breasts, first one and then the other. All the while, she was gasping with pleasure, her hands in his hair, until her fingers tightened around the strands and she yanked him up. This time, her mouth claimed his and, somehow, in all of the kissing and fondling, he ended up on his back with her straddling him.
He was more aroused than he’d ever been in his life. His hands found their way under her skirts, which were merely a shift and a surcoat, so there wasn’t much resistance. His hands gripped her hips at first before sliding to her buttocks, tender and soft. Christin didn’t flinch, allowing his hands to roam as she continued her role as aggressor, suckling his lower lip, responding when his tongue probed her mouth. Everything he was doing to her, she was responding and then some.
In fact, Alexander could hardly believe how responsive she was. He pulled his mouth away from hers and resumed suckling her breasts, partially sitting up as she sat upon his lap as a man would sit upon a horse, with her legs parted. The harder he suckled her, the more she bucked and gasped until his hand moved down her belly to the thatch of dark curls between her legs.
Since she was straddling him, the jewel between her legs was an easy target and he stroked her gently. His touch in a very intimate place caused her to start, unfamiliar with someone touching her in such a place, but she didn’t try to pull away. She let him stoke her as he suckled her breasts, one hand her holding against him while the other went to work between her legs.
God, he knew he should stop. He should stop at that very moment but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. She was alluring beyond measure, unafraid of his touch, brave as he’d never see a maiden in this situation. Visions of Christopher de Lohr running his sword through his gut had occurred to him, but they were fleeting because some things were worth dying for.
Christin de Lohr was one of them.
She was already very wet and hot
, and he carefully inserted a finger into her. Christin gasped at the tender intrusion but didn’t try to shake him or pull away. In fact, her head rolled back and she closed her eyes, experiencing the tender trials of his touch. One finger went into her, thrusting gently, before he inserted two.
Christin shuddered.
“Cissy,” he murmured against her breast. “I should not go on. You know I should not go on.”
Her response was to roll her pelvis forward, awkwardly, but the message was obvious. “Please don’t stop,” she breathed. “Please, Sherry… I am yours. I will always be yours. Give me all of you to remember during the time we shall be separated. Will you not continue?”
He sighed raggedly. Her nipples were in front of his face and he leaned over, taking one between his teeth and gently tugging at it.
“You already have all of me, Cissy,” he whispered. “But what you are asking… are you certain this is what you want?”
She thrust her pelvis against his hand again and Alexander had his answer. Therefore, he untied his breeches and freed his engorged manhood. Grasping her hips, he pulled her forward so she could feel the long, hard length of him.
He thought it might give her pause, but it didn’t. She had simply found something to rub her wet heat against and Alexander moved his member so the tip of it came to bear against her virginal passage. Christin was so highly aroused, but so inexperienced, that she thrust her hips forward again to capture him and he ended up sliding nearly his full, long length into her.
The sting of possession brought a yelp from Christin. All of the fondling and suckling had been pleasurable, but the actual act of mating had been something different. She came to a halt in her wriggling, her head dropping to his shoulder to bite off her gasp of pain, and Alexander grasped her hips again and held them steady as he thrust hard, all the way into her.
With a groan, torn between pain and pleasure, Christin wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the side of his head. He could hear her breathing heavily in his ear and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.
“You are more courageous than any woman I know,” he whispered. “Relax, sweetheart. I promise you will like this.”
A Time of End Page 19
