The Warrior Knight and the Widow

by Ella Matthews

  ‘Why, you arrogant...’

  He raised an eyebrow. ‘Deny it.’

  ‘I don’t deny it,’ she said, tilting her chin defiantly at him. ‘You’re a very capable lover. And I won’t object to you coming to visit me in my castle when I’ve returned there.’

  ‘You little...’

  He reached out a hand and pulled her to him. She fell against his chest with an oomph and he brought his mouth down on hers, pressing her lips apart and sweeping his tongue inside once more.

  He tugged at the edges of her veil, desperate to run his fingers through her hair. Her fingers joined his, and for a moment he thought she was fending him off, but when her hair fell free he realised she was helping him and he growled in satisfaction.

  The silky locks fell over his hands and she moaned as he threaded his fingers through the strands.

  ‘So beautiful...’ he whispered against the skin of her neck as he trailed his lips along her soft skin.

  ‘Don’t lie,’ she whispered, tilting her neck to allow him better access.

  ‘I’m not,’ he said, returning his mouth to her lips. ‘You are exquisite. Your long, graceful neck...’ He ran his fingers along its length. ‘Your body...’ His hands traced the outline of her figure through her dress and she shuddered against him. ‘Your beautiful, elegant legs...’

  He kissed her again. This time without the fury but with all the longing he’d been feeling for days. She kissed him back and he forgot about duty, forgot about his father’s treason and all the reasons he had to stay away from this lady. She was his, and he was damned if he was going to leave this room without her knowing it.

  He gathered her up in his arms and strode over to the bed. Remembering just in time that she was still scared of what happened between a man and a woman, he sat down on the edge and pulled her gently but firmly onto his lap.

  Her soft whimpers filled the room as his hand stole beneath her dress and her thin chemise. He’d believed he’d never have her in his arms again, and now that she was here he was going to savour every touch of her soft, delicate skin.

  He trailed his fingers up her calf and over her knee. She shifted on his lap as his hand reached her thigh, rubbing her bottom against his length.

  He groaned. ‘I’ve dreamed of you like this,’ he murmured as his hand travelled up past her hip.

  ‘You have?’ she whispered.

  ‘Aye. All during those long horse-rides with your thighs between mine I imagined you soft and pliant in my arms, your body mine to explore.’

  Her breath came out in a wispy moan as his thumbs skimmed the underside of her breasts.

  ‘But you’re even better than my imagination,’ he said as he pulled her dress and chemise over her head in one movement.

  He didn’t dare raise his head to look at her in case he broke the moment and gave her time to think. He wanted her senseless with desire...desire that was all for him.

  His lips kept on moving across her mouth and down her neck as he explored her body with his hands, tracing the curve of her back up to her shoulders and along her collarbone.

  She sucked in a breath as his hands traced the outline of her breasts, his fingers brushing over her taut nipples, and he smiled against her lips. Slowly, so as not to frighten her, he eased her back onto the mattress, stretching out so he was lying next to her.

  ‘Ellena...’ he murmured as her lips travelled down the length of his jaw.

  ‘I want to see you,’ she whispered as her fingers stole beneath the top of his tunic.

  ‘It’s not a pretty sight, my love—not like you,’ he said as his own fingers resumed their journey down her back.

  She tugged harder at the fabric and he smiled slightly. He’d never really cared before what women thought of the many scars that crossed his body, but he didn’t think he could bear it if the lust in her eyes was replaced by repulsion.

  He stood and disrobed quickly, joining her back on the bed before she had the chance to change her mind.

  ‘Let me see all of you,’ she demanded, pushing gently on his shoulder.

  * * *

  Ellena watched as Braedan reluctantly obliged by rolling onto his back. He propped his head up on one bent arm and looked at her as she studied his body.

  ‘I’m sorry I’m not beautiful like you,’ he murmured as her gaze took in the hard planes of his chest, where the solid muscles were crisscrossed with many scars.

  She looked up at his face, surprised to see vulnerability in the depths of his eyes. Her heart tugged; the arrogant warrior was worried.

  Her blazing anger at him had been consumed by the desire pulsing through her. It was as if the last ten days had been leading to this point.

  She glanced down at his magnificent body and bit her bottom lip. If this was the only time she was going to have with him then she wanted to savour it. She wanted to touch every perfect inch of him, to learn what made him shudder and cry out with desire as she’d cried out to him.

  Her fingers traced the muscles on his arm, up and over to his hard chest. One hand brushed over his nipple and she squeezed it as he had done to hers. He gasped, so she brought her mouth to his other nipple and licked.

  He groaned deep in his throat and his arm moved to pull her to him.

  ‘No,’ she said, before he could take over again. ‘This time it is for me to explore you.’

  ‘You’re going to be the death of me,’ he ground out as her fingers carried on their journey over his abdomen.

  ‘Possibly,’ she agreed.

  He huffed out a laugh. ‘Well, there are worse ways to go.’

  She continued downwards, past the hardness of his impressive length, which strained towards her, and over his hips. Up close, she could see thin scars littering his body. She brought her mouth to him and kissed each one, her hair brushing over his skin.

  His breathing was coming heavily now, and his eyes were hooded with desire, but he still kept himself in check and she knew he wouldn’t move until she told him he could. In that way she knew she could trust him. Unlike her late husband, he would never hurt her physically.

  ‘Ellena, I...’

  Her fingers traced his length and he bucked off the bed, a deep groan breaking free from his throat. She pressed her lips to its base and his hands tightly gripped the bedcovers. Using her tongue, she travelled up the solid length of him. Another groan ripped out of him as her lips slipped over the head and she sucked him into her mouth.

  ‘Ellena...please... I can’t...’

  Her tongue swirled and his groans became even more incoherent as she explored him with her mouth.

  ‘Stop...’ he groaned. ‘Please, I’ll... This will be over before...’

  She raised her head and looked at him. His fists were bunched so tightly the veins stood out against his skin.

  ‘Make me feel the way you did before,’ she breathed.

  ‘Oh, thank God—yes,’ he said, and before she knew what was happening he’d flipped her onto her back and his lips and tongue were everywhere, kissing and licking as if he were devouring her.

  Then it was her turn to writhe against the mattress as his mouth settled at the juncture between her thighs. She cried out as his tongue teased her sensitive skin, her world narrowing to the single point where their bodies connected.

  ‘Ellena...’ he growled against the skin of her thigh. ‘I want you so badly.’

  ‘Yes...’ she whispered, her hands tugging ineffectively at his shoulders.

  She felt his laugh against her stomach and she wished she’d seen it. He hardly ever smiled, and he never laughed.

  ‘Are you certain about this?’ he asked as he moved up the mattress to join her.

  ‘Yes, I’m sure,’ she said.

  She knew Braedan’s body would help remove the nasty memories she had of bedding. It was as if his body had been
made especially to bring hers to ecstasy.

  ‘I’ll try to be gentle,’ he said as he placed a feather-light kiss against her lips.

  ‘I don’t need you to be gentle,’ she said against his neck. ‘I only need you to be you.’

  He moved, and she felt his hardness press against her entrance. She braced herself for the intrusion, her muscles clamping involuntarily.

  ‘Ellena, look at me.’

  She opened her eyes and looked into his warm gaze.

  ‘I won’t hurt you, my love. There is nothing to be afraid of.’

  He lowered his mouth and kissed her once more, his lips soothing and caressing against hers. She turned boneless again as the power of his kiss relaxed her. Slowly he eased himself into her body. There was no pain, only pleasure, as he gradually filled her.

  ‘Oh...’ she gasped as he reached the hilt.

  ‘Aye,’ he murmured, and he pulled out again, only to slide slowly back in.

  ‘Now I see...’ she breathed as he did it again.

  She felt him smile against her lips and she couldn’t help but smile back.

  He deepened the kiss as he began to rock into her, building a steady rhythm. Her hands skimmed over the muscles in his shoulders and down over his back as new, thrilling sensations built at her centre and spiralled through her.

  As the pace quickened she wanted him deeper and harder. She dug her fingers into the base of his spine and pulled him tight against her.

  ‘God, Ellena,’ he ground out.

  He increased the pace, his tongue delving into her mouth and driving her to that edge she now knew existed. He pushed into her once more and she called out as wave after wave of sensation washed over her.

  He groaned as he followed her over the edge. Both of them were lost in an unending moment of intense pleasure.

  He continued to kiss her softly as the world returned to normal, the sensations slowly dying away and leaving her with a bone-deep contentment.

  ‘Are you all right?’ he asked softly as he rolled onto his side, bringing her with him so that her head nestled in the crook of his arm.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘It didn’t hurt?’ he asked, and the tenderness in his voice was unmistakable.

  ‘No, it felt... Words can’t really describe it, but it didn’t hurt.’

  ‘Good,’ he said, as he brought his hand up to run his fingers lightly over the skin of her back.

  For a long moment they lay in each other’s arms. Ellena wanted to prolong this moment, to hold on to it before real life intruded once more. Only a tiny gap of air separated them but it seemed too much, so Ellena shuffled forward until they were skin to skin.

  Braedan responded by hooking one of her legs around his waist and pulling her tight against him. ‘It won’t be easy,’ he said into her hair.

  ‘What won’t?’

  ‘Persuading your father. But if we come up with a plan together, and we present it in a favourable light, then maybe it won’t be so bad.’

  ‘What are you talking about, Braedan?’

  ‘Marriage.’

  ‘Marriage?’

  ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Marriage to me. You didn’t think I would do this and not want to marry you, did you?’

  Her heart stopped. Did he really think that this one act of passion would wipe away his betrayal? They’d both been angry, and then half-mad with desire. But that didn’t change the fact that he’d deceived her so completely.

  She unhooked her leg and scooted away from him, cool air washing over her body and making her shiver.

  ‘Braedan, you’ve not been listening to me. I’m not marrying again. Not you. Not anyone. I won’t be owned by a man—especially by one who has no respect for my hopes and dreams.’

  ‘Ellena, if you think your father is going to let you get away with not remarrying then you are sadly mistaken.’

  Ellena pushed herself off the bed. ‘And this brings us right back to the fact that you lied to me.’

  ‘I did not lie,’ he ground out, following her off the bed and coming to stand before her.

  ‘Yes, you did. You implied that I would be able to negotiate with my father, all the while knowing full well that you had already been promised the stewardship of my castle. That, Braedan, is a lie.’

  He blinked at her, and then bent to pick up his clothes, pulling them on roughly. ‘I did what I needed to do to survive.’

  She nodded. ‘And I’m doing what I need to do to survive.’

  ‘Did this mean nothing to you?’ he asked, gesturing to the bed.

  ‘Yes, it meant something to me, Braedan. But it didn’t mean enough for me to give up my freedom to a man who has lied to me since the day I met him.’

  He stepped back from her as if she’d slapped him.

  ‘If that’s the way you feel, I won’t insult you with my presence any longer,’ he said stiffly.

  She nodded, even though her heart was hurting so badly it felt as if it had split in two.

  She turned and pulled on her clothes, so that she didn’t have to watch him leave. Shortly she heard the creak of the door as it opened and closed sharply behind him.

  She waited until she heard his footsteps stride away before she crawled into the centre of her bed and began to cry.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The air of the solar was grey with smoke as a fierce autumnal wind blew down the chimney, disturbing the logs in the great fire. But the revelry was undimmed by the weather. If anything, it only served to heighten the enjoyment of Ogmore and his guests. They were all together on an evening when it was better to be inside than out. Food, ale and rich wine were being served in abundance, and the insistent babble of voices was intermingled with the fiddlers’ playing to entertain them all.

  Ellena watched the proceedings dispassionately; she was the only one not partaking in the laughter and camaraderie that flew around the hall. She took a long sip of fruity red wine and looked around her. But perhaps it wasn’t true to say she was the only one not enjoying herself.

  Braedan sat among his men, a deep scowl lining his forehead, his lips twisted into a sneer. Conversation flowed around him but he ignored it all.

  Ellena wished she wasn’t aware of his every move. She wished she wasn’t even aware he was in the room. But that was proving impossible.

  Every bite he took, every drink he gulped, every person he glowered at—she observed it. From her position on the raised dais at the front of the room she could see him clearly, and she was hypersensitive of everything he did.

  ‘Would you like some lamb, Lady Swein?’ asked Borwyn, who was seated to her right.

  Ellena’s only consolation in her unending fascination with Braedan was his obvious awareness of everything she did. And the fact that every time she interacted with Borwyn his frown became deeper.

  ‘Thank you, my lord,’ said Ellena, bestowing a smile upon him—a smile that was not meant for her suitor but for the man who couldn’t keep his eyes off their exchange. ‘Tell me,’ she said, taking a small bite out of the proffered meat. ‘How close is your land to Swein?’

  ‘My nearest border is a day’s hard ride away.’

  Ellena smiled again—not because his response was amusing, but because even from a distance, and through the smoky air, she could make out the whiteness of Braedan’s knuckles as he gripped his tankard of ale.

  She turned her gaze away from him and tried to concentrate on what Borwyn was saying. Over the last few nights she’d been gathering information from him about the land between Ogmore and Swein, mining him for any facts he could give her. She wanted a mental map of the most direct route between the two estates. She would never be dependent on someone else knowing the way again.

  While her father was insisting he was too busy to meet with her, she was busy plotting. And if he kept prevaricating any longer she w
ould send to Swein for her own men. True, they weren’t as ferocious as Braedan and his soldiers, but they were loyal and would defend her if necessary. She would travel back to Swein with them and stake her claim to the castle. It might finally wake her father up to the fact that she was serious: she would not give up Castle Swein and her independence without a fight.

  Finally the long meal drew to a close. The rest of the guests showed no sign of rising to their feet, but Ellena had long since had enough. She rose to her feet. Aldith, who was sitting next to Merrick further down the hall, reluctantly rose to join her.

  Ellena didn’t want Aldith to follow her. She wanted some time to herself—time to think about the events of yesterday evening—but Aldith must have been told to follow her closely because she’d not left her alone all day.

  Ellena bade goodnight to her parents and dropped a curtsy to Borwyn before sweeping from the solar, aware of Braedan’s stare following her the whole time.

  * * *

  Aldith bustled into Ellena’s bedchamber the following morning carrying a tray of seed cakes—Ellena’s favourite delicacy.

  ‘I’ve brought you these, my lady,’ she said, placing the tray on the dressing table in front of Ellena.

  ‘How kind of you,’ said Ellena.

  Aldith smiled and busied herself by straightening out the objects on the table in front of her.

  Ellena forced herself to pick up a cake and take a bite. When she could chew no longer she managed to swallow past the lump in her throat. She had no appetite, and not even her favourite food could tempt it to come back. She hadn’t wanted to eat anything since Braedan had left her room less than two days since.

  She closed her eyes. Only a month ago they’d never met, and now he was occupying almost her every thought.

  She’d half expected him to renew his attempts to get her to marry him, but he’d not approached her since she’d rejected him. She was glad and heart sore in equal measure. She didn’t know whether she would be able to refuse him if he asked her again.

  She’d started to fantasise about dark-haired sons with rich brown eyes and little daughters with thick hair running to their father when they were hurt. Braedan would be a good father, protective and kind. And he’d be a caring husband, who’d never lock her in a room when she displeased him.