by Aston, Alexa
His lips dropped to her throat, where her pulse jumped. He nuzzled the point and nibbled around it, causing her pulse to beat rapidly. Nicholas released her hands, his fingers sliding up her arms and coming to rest along the sides of her neck. Once more, his lips returned to hers. Katelyn found herself kissing him back with everything she had. She wished time would end, here and now, for she didn’t think she would ever know greater happiness.
Nicholas’ mouth finally parted from hers. He gazed into her eyes and Katelyn saw need written in them. She realized nothing good could come of this dangerous game. She’d played with fire and now had been burned—because she felt her heart slipping from her grasp, as if she had no power to stop it. She hadn’t intended to give her heart to this man but she could stop any further pain from occurring for either of them.
“I don’t think we should kiss again,” Katelyn told him.
Chapter Fourteen
Nicholas stood utterly still, his hands still resting along Kate’s slender neck. Though he longed to stroke the satin skin with his thumbs, her words had brought everything to a halt.
Why would she want to cease their kisses?
He knew she’d enjoyed them from her response. As they’d kissed the last two days, he hadn’t limited them to a single kiss. He’d allowed each one to melt into the next, allowing them both to become familiar with the taste and feel of one another. Though certainly an innocent, his new wife had taken to the art of kissing. Her skill didn’t match his—yet—but she had done a few things that surprised and delighted him. Nicholas knew once he got her into their bedchamber and consummated the relationship, he could look forward to many years of pleasure.
So why, after two enjoyable sessions of kissing, did she wish to put a stop to it?
He looked at her lips, swollen from their love play, and decided it might be fear taking hold of her since she had experienced a wedding night with his father. Nicholas hadn’t forced Kate to do anything he thought she might be uncomfortable with but who only knew what his father had done to her? Kate must realize that these heated kisses between them would definitely lead to even more heated caresses. Mayhap the idea of passion unnerved her. Growing up among nuns, who knew little of the outside world and probably had deemed all physical contact between men and women as carnal and base, his bride might be worried about what lay ahead, especially if Cedric Mandeville had used her roughly, as Nicholas suspected.
Demanding to continue their daily kissing could frighten her off for good. Foolishly, he had told Kate it was her choice to make on whether or not they remained wed after a month’s time, thinking he would easily persuade her to stay in the marriage. Nicholas already knew she was the only woman for him and yet he couldn’t take away the choice he’d promised her. Too many people had disappointed—or even lied to her—in her life. Besides, he had promised never to break his word to her. That meant he must now tread softly and make her feel safe.
“If that’s what you wish for, Kate,” he said simply, dropping his hands to his sides. He knew his response startled her. Those amazing emerald eyes darkened and went wide with surprise.
“You . . . agree?”
He shrugged. “I merely said that kissing was one way for us to become better acquainted. We still can do other things to ensure we know each other more intimately. Simply spending time together in various activities. Conversation is a wonderful way to come to know another person.”
Nervously, she wrung her hands together in front of her. Nicholas could see her trying to formulate a response.
“You would . . . still come to visit . . . even if no kissing was involved?” she finally asked.
“Aye. I come to see you, Kate. Our kiss is simply a pleasant addition to everything else.”
“I see.” She twisted her hands until she realized what she did and quickly crossed her arms. “You don’t have to visit me daily, Nicholas.”
“I don’t have to—but I want to. You are an interesting woman, Kate. I am intrigued by you.”
She huffed. “I don’t see why. I haven’t led an exciting life. In fact, it’s been the opposite. Very sheltered.”
He smiled wryly. “And yet here I am, captivated by everything you say or do.”
“We should head back to the manor house,” she said abruptly.
“If you wish.”
Nicholas loosened Sunset’s reins. Before Kate could protest, he seized her hand and kept it firmly in his as he led them from the woods. Mounting the horse, he leaned down and brought her up in front of him, his fingers splayed against her belly. She grabbed on to the pommel instead of his arm but he didn’t remark on that slight change. Instead, he made sure she fit snuggly against him and took off at a brisk pace. Knowing she wasn’t familiar with the estate, he took a longer route returning to the manor, savoring the feel of her against him and the smell of vanilla wafting from her skin.
They saw Alfred once they approached their destination and waved to the knight. Nicholas climbed down first and then lifted Katelyn from Sunset’s back, releasing her more quickly than he had earlier.
She stroked Sunset’s neck and rested her cheek against the horse for a moment, her long, dark lashes sweeping across her pale cheeks as she closed her eyes and savored the moment. Then she kissed the horse’s neck and told him farewell.
Nicholas captured her hand and brought it to his lips for a tender kiss. “I will come again tomorrow, Kate.”
When she opened her mouth to protest, he shook his head. “I will come. Until then.” Nicholas kissed her hand a second time and then quickly mounted his horse and rode off.
He had a little more than three weeks to win Kate over. Nicholas had never lost anything important to him.
His wife would be no exception.
*
Nicholas returned every day during the following week, always bringing some small gift with him. The first day, he came with the promised parchment and ink. The next, he brought a satchel full of candles. The third, he brought scented soap. Each day, he found something new that might please Kate in some small way.
And each day, he still insisted upon a kiss.
Not the kind of kisses that they’d shared before. He knew better than to attempt one of those. At the close of each visit, he would award her a brief kiss. On her cheek. Against her brow. On the top of her head or hand. Nicholas wanted for there always to be some type of physical contact between them. He wanted Kate to miss their kisses as much as he did.
Nights had been the worst. He found it hard to fall asleep in the solar, knowing her head had rested against the same pillow for a brief time. He fantasized about what he would do to her in this bed. The ways he would touch her. How he would worship her tall, slender body, which held curves in all of the right places.
Finally, he saved his best ideas for last and would gift her with them on two separate occasions. Nicholas had no difficulty using the weapons he had at his hand and his greatest weapon was one she wouldn’t be able to resist.
Bethany.
He and Kate usually spoke about his sister during every visit he made and he understood that Kate had not only taken an interest in Bethany but expressed compassion for her. On Bethany’s part, she continually mentioned Kate and how Nicholas would take her to see her new friend.
Today would be that day.
He went to Bethany’s bedchamber after breaking his fast and found she and Mary had just finished their simple morning meal.
“Nicholas! You came!” Bethany flung herself at him with her usual joy.
He stroked her hair and then asked, “How would you like to see Katelyn today?”
Her eyes lit up. “I go see Kate-lyn? Now?”
“Now,” he confirmed. He looked to Mary. “You, too, Mary. Since it takes an hour to get there, I’ll bring you both in a cart.”
“Oh, Lord Nicholas, that would be splendid. Wouldn’t it, my lady? You’ll get to see the countess.”
Nicholas stepped closer to Mary. In a quiet voice, he said
, “Mayhap, you will stay overnight. We will have to see how Bethany accepts being in a new situation. If she does, I will leave you both and return tomorrow.”
“I can’t say how she’ll react, my lord, but I’ll pack a few things for us both all the same.”
“What about Kit?” Bethany asked, holding the growing kitten to her chest. “Kit go?”
“Of course, Kit can go with us,” Nicholas reassured her. Turning back to the servant, he said, “I’ll hitch a horse to a cart and bring it to the keep.”
“We’ll be waiting for you, my lord,” Mary promised. “Thank you. This will be good for Lady Bethany.”
“I think so, too,” he agreed.
Within a half-hour, they were driving out the gates of Northmere. Bethany sat close to Nicholas, her arm looped through his, turning from side to side as the horse trotted along. Kit sat in her lap, wrapped in a small blanket, fast asleep. Mary sat in the bed of the cart, a small bundle of their things next to her, in case they did stay the night.
Usually, Nicholas came later, in the early afternoon. This time, they arrived before mid-morning. He helped his sister and Mary from the wagon and they approached the door of the manor house.
“Kate-lyn live here?”
“She does,” Nicholas said as he rapped on the door.
For now . . .
Dorinda answered his knock. “My lord, you are early today. Lady Katelyn will be surprised.” She glanced behind him. “Oh, Lady Bethany. ’Tis good to see you.”
Though normally shy, Bethany nodded and made no attempt to hide or bury her face against him. Once again, more progress.
“Come in,” Dorinda urged, stepping aside to admit them.
Bethany looked around, studying her new surroundings. “Where Kate-lyn go?”
“The countess is digging in the garden. Shall I take you to her?”
“Nay. Bethany and I will find her. Mary can stay and keep you company. Come along, Bethany. Let’s surprise her. Leave Kit here. She can explore the great hall.”
His sister handed the kitten to Mary and he led them back out the door and around to the side of the manor. Kate was nowhere in sight so he placed a finger against his lips and took Bethany’s hand. They crept around the side of the building and he spied Kate on her hands and knees, digging in the dirt.
Nicholas pulled Bethany back and said softly, “Walk quietly and tap her on the shoulder. I’ll stay here.”
Bethany took slow, small steps away from him, though she looked over her shoulder several times. Nicholas encouraged her to move forward and she finally reached Kate. As he’d told her, she lightly touched Kate’s shoulder. He could hear her gasp of surprise from where he stood.
“Oh! Lady Bethany! You gave me a start.” Kate stood.
“I surprise you.” Bethany laughed sweetly.
“You certainly did. Come here.”
Kate wrapped her arms around the younger girl and held her close. She glanced to Nicholas, her brows arching. He headed toward them, not bothering to keep the grin from his face.
Kate released Bethany but kept an arm about her. “I think you must have had a role in this wonderful surprise, my lord.”
“Someone had to drive Bethany here.”
“I’m glad you did.” A smile lit her face. She looked back to Bethany. “As you can see, I’m working in the garden. It’s been sorely neglected. Mayhap you would like to help me?”
Bethany nodded. “I help Kate-lyn.” She looked to him and shook her finger. “Not Nicholas. Just me.”
“That’s quite all right,” he told them. “I will sit under the shade of that tree and watch you at work.”
The next two hours were pleasant ones for Nicholas could observe Kate without her worrying about him staring at her. She quickly became lost in explaining what she was doing to Bethany and helping the girl dig in the earth and plant seeds before covering them up and smoothing the dirt flat again. He enjoyed hearing both of them laugh and how Kate paid such attention to Bethany. It didn’t hurt that as she leaned over the ground, her skirts tightened against her rounded bottom. Between that and focusing on the curve of her breasts, he thought the time spent sitting against the tree trunk some of the most productive he’d engaged in for some time.
Finally, it looked as if their work was about to cease. Nicholas stood and moved toward them, assisting first Bethany and then Kate to their feet.
“I’m afraid I’ve muddied your hand,” Kate apologized to him.
He brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek, removing a smudge of dirt lying against it. The air between them seemed to crackle.
“I so tired,” Bethany proclaimed. “I dirty and thirsty.”
Kate pulled her hand from his grasp and turned. “We need to wash our hands. Let’s go inside. I’ll want to change into something else.”
“I change, too,” Bethany said, skipping ahead of them. “I go get Kit.” She vanished around the corner.
“Thank you,” Nicholas said as they returned to the manor at a more leisurely pace.
“For what?”
“Bethany adores you. It’s obvious. You speak to her as if she is ordinary. As if nothing is wrong with her.”
“I don’t think there is. Mayhap others should treat her the same.”
“If you come to live at the keep, you could lead by example. Think of the progress Bethany has made already.”
Kate lowered her eyes, a flush spreading across her porcelain cheeks. She took a long breath and expelled it before raising her eyes to his. “Don’t make this about Bethany, Nicholas. I don’t want to feel guilty.”
“You mean you would feel guilty if you choose to seek an annulment? If you had to leave Bethany behind? Or me?”
Her lips thinned. “I will make my decision without any undue influence or pressure from you, my lord.” Her brows arched. “And don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, bringing all these small gifts every time you come.”
Nicholas gave her a crooked smile. “I merely mean to please you, Kate.”
“And convince me to stay,” she added.
“Is it working?” he asked teasingly. “Nay. Don’t answer that.”
He took her arm and led her back inside. She and Bethany vanished for a few minutes. Lucy brought him water to wash his own hands and then Nicholas sat in a chair beside the fireplace in the little great hall, Kit purring in his lap.
Kate was very smart to realize his tactics in trying to win her over. It was another reason he needed her as his countess. As his lover. As his wife. His true wife, in every sense of the word. Life with Kate would never be dull.
She returned, wearing a cotehardie of palest yellow, her dark braid a sharp contrast against the material as it hung down her back past her waist. Nicholas longed to undo the thick braid and run his fingers through the mass of raven hair.
“Bethany is hungry after all of our hard work. Would you mind eating a bit early?” Kate asked.
“Nay.” He handed the kitten to his sister and stood.
“I’ve told Lucy that we will eat in the solar.”
Kate led them upstairs, where the meal had already been laid out on the table. Bethany insisted upon eating next to Kate so Nicholas took the seat opposite them. They ate a spiced starling, surrounded by onions and peas, and finished the meal with baked apples and cheese.
Bethany yawned. “I so tired. I sleep.” She went to the bed. “I sleep here?”
Kate drew the curtains so Bethany and Kit could sit on the bed. She removed Bethany’s shoes and helped her slip under the bedclothes. Kit curled up next to his mistress and both fell promptly asleep.
Returning to Nicholas, she said, “We should leave so she’s not disturbed by our conversation. Allow the door to remain open. I’ll have Mary come up and sit with her so when she awakens, Bethany is not alone in a new place.”
They exited the solar. Pausing outside the door, he said, “She’s not used to so much activity. I think it was good for her, though.”
Her words confirmed what Nicholas had thought. “Did they speak against what a man and woman do together? When they become intimate?”
Kate blushed. “They did.”
“Is that why you decided we shouldn’t kiss anymore?”
She frowned. “Nay. I thought kissing . . . made us . . . too close. That you were becoming more interested in it than in me. Than getting to know me.”
He took her wrist and rubbed the pad of his thumb against her palm in slow circles. “I’ll admit that I enjoyed our kisses. But I’ve also appreciated our conversations. Strolling with you. Telling you about Northmere. Hearing about you running away from the convent. Naming your chickens and goats.”
“Nicholas . . .” Her voice trailed off.
Continuing to circle her palm, he asked softly, “What, Kate?”
She looked at him with eyes full of yearning. “I wish . . . I wish that . . .” Without finishing her thought, she pulled away from him and hurried away.
Nicholas followed her, his stride long enough to catch up with her before she reached the top of the stairs. He saw Dorinda climbing them.
The servant spotted them and said, “Lady Katelyn, there is someone here to see you.”
Nicholas glanced to the foot of the stairs and fumed when he caught sight of the man making his way toward them.
It was Bryce.
Chapter Fifteen
Katelyn heard Nicholas curse softly as she said, “Thank you, Dorinda.”
The servant scurried down the stairs.
Nicholas took her arm and drew her several feet away, out of view from Bryce. Quickly, he said, “Do not let him know Bethany is here under any circumstances. She is terrified of him.”
Before Katelyn could ask why, Bryce had arrived and stepped toward them. He took her hand and brought it to his lips. Katelyn deliberately withdrew it before he could press a kiss of greeting upon it.
“What? No welcome, Katelyn?” Bryce looked from her to Nicholas and back again.
