She turned in her chair and smiled brightly. “It is about time you came down. No, I did not laze about in bed all morning like you. Did you not sleep well?”
How innocently she asks. Jacqueline’s turquoise eyes seemed to sparkle with amusement. “I slept well enough.”
“You missed eating your morning meal, but I made sure there would be something for you once you came down to the hall.”
Standing, Jacqueline indicated that he should take her chair. A platter of bread and cheese sat on the table. Thankful for that small courtesy, he did as she had suggested.
Jacqueline remained standing by the chair. Expecting her to step back, he made to slide into it from her side. She did not move aside as he had expected. Almost intentionally, she turned to face him at the last moment, causing him to literally walk into her. Her breasts lightly pressed against his chest. It took all his willpower not to pull her to the floor and under him.
*
Terric stiffened as their bodies met. A shudder ripped through him a second later. There was no question about it. She was getting to him—badly. Beth’s advice was working better than Jacqueline had anticipated. All that was left to see would be how long it would take him to admit defeat and do what they both wanted.
Deciding to make him squirm all the more, Jacqueline tilted up her head. This brought her lips a hair’s breath away from his. Terric sucked in a sharp breath through his clenched teeth. She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. His violet eyes darkened with desire.
It was the slight movement of Terric’s head as he began to lower his lips to hers that brought Jacqueline back to reality. She quickly jumped away, disturbed that she too had fallen under some sort of spell. “I will leave you to finish your meal. I have dawdled enough in the hall.” Before he could respond, she beat a hasty retreat.
* * * *
Bright and early the following morning, Jacqueline once more faced Terric on the training field. He had assured her his shoulder was not the worse for wear from their training two days before. He did not appear to be favoring his left arm so she made no further comments.
At least this day, Terric had no-out-of-the-ordinary training techniques planned, which suited Jacqueline just fine. He said would not break lances with her, but he would go through the motions as if he were.
At his signal, she set her steed into motion. Terric did the same. Keeping in mind what he had told her, not to correct her aim once she was on her way down the list, Jacqueline barreled toward him. They met in the center of the field, and her lance hit his shield dead in the middle. It shattered on impact.
Jacqueline turned her mount around, then headed to Terric, who had halted his steed beside Edwin. The squire had another lance ready to hand up to her when she reached them.
“You did well, Jacqueline,” Terric said. “I see you remembered what I told you. You did not change your aim. Now, let me see you do it again.”
She spent the next hour breaking lance after lance upon Terric’s shield. Not once did she miss her mark. When he suggested they take a rest, she could not keep the foolish grin from her lips, even after she removed her helm. He helped her dismount and must have noticed her expression since he smiled back.
“Now do not get too smug, Jacqueline. This is just the start.”
“You must admit, Terric, I have proven myself this day.”
“I admit you are a fast learner. I am happy with your progress so far.”
“Thanks for your kind words, sir.” Buoyed by her success, she stepped closer. “I have found a good teacher.”
The smile slowly left his lips as he looked at her. Jacqueline sensed the change that came over Terric. The way he stared so intently caused all the new sensations he had awakened in her to come rushing back. Unable to stop herself, she leaned closer as if an invisible string pulled her to him. He slowly bent his head toward her.
Their mouths were a mere breath apart, and Jacqueline closed her eyes. As his lips softly brushed hers, she sighed. She reached up and wove her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling him closer still. He obligingly increased the pressure of his lips.
Edwin very loudly cleared his throat. When that did not gain their full attention, he did it again, adding a barking cough. They jumped apart. Terric had a guilty look upon his face, and she imagined she did as well. Jacqueline, embarrassed about having lost her head so completely, grabbed her horse’s reins and swiftly left the training field. Terric seemed to be getting to her as much as she was getting to him.
* * * *
Terric watched Jacqueline’s retreating back as he struggled to bring himself back under control. He thrice damned himself for a fool. He always prided himself on having control over any given situation that he found himself in, but his so-called control had utterly deserted him when she had leaned nearer. She had looked so kissable at that precise moment. He had had to taste her lips once more.
Edwin moved to Terric’s side and cleared his throat again. “Just what are you playing at? Trifling with the Lady Jacqueline is likely to have us booted out of Carisbrooke Castle faster than you can spit. Lady Elizabeth is not the type of woman to allow her daughter to be toyed with.”
Terric snorted. “You think I do not know that.”
“You could not have been too worried a moment ago. That was quite a display you two put on.”
“Shut your mouth, Edwin. I am well aware of what occurred between us. It was not very well done of me—again. When it comes to Jacqueline, I have no control. I just cannot stop myself.”
“Then you have a bit of a dilemma on your hands.”
Terric ran his fingers through his sweaty hair and nodded. “You are indeed correct, Edwin. So there is only one option left—I will have to leave.”
“What!”
Terric turned to stare at Edwin, and said, “We leave on the morrow. I will inform Lady Elizabeth at the evening meal.”
“What of your promise to Lady Jacqueline? The grand tournament is still a couple of months away.”
“Sir Guy can take over her training. She now knows what she was doing wrong. Besides, I did not plan to stay here until the grand tournament took place. Each one I miss lessens my chances of earning coin. We leave come first light.”
Dejectedly, Edwin shook his head. “I will see that everything is ready. I just hope you do not break Lady Jacqueline’s heart with this decision.”
Under his breath, Terric said, “So do I. So do I.”
Chapter Eight
Jacqueline slammed her chamber door closed behind her, then angrily threw herself onto her bed. She balled her hands into fists and pounded the mattress. It helped some, venting her anger, but not much. She would have had more satisfaction if it had been Terric she pummeled. The wretch deserved it.
She rolled onto her back as her anger was slowly replaced by hurt. Terric’s announcement of his departure on the following day was completely unexpected. Jacqueline had known he would not be spending all the days leading up to the grand tournament at Carisbrooke, but she had not thought he would leave after only a few days. The training had just started. Plus, she had thought he was beginning to feel something for her.
That was what hurt the most. She thought the kisses they had shared meant as much to him as they did to her. She was a fool to think so.
The chamber door opened, and Beth walked in. She shut it, then walked across the room to the bed. Jacqueline refused to acknowledge her presence. She stared pointedly at the ceiling, but that didn’t stop her friend from intruding. Beth calmly sat on the edge of the mattress and smoothed the skirts of her gown around her.
“You can act as if I am not here if you want, but I am not leaving, Jacqueline. You are upset about Terric going. I can see that, but I have only one question for you. Are you just going to stand by and let the man you are coming to love walk away without a fight?”
Jacqueline quickly sat up and looked at Beth. “What choice do I have? It is not as if I expected Te
rric to pledge his undying love for me.”
Beth shook her head. “Jacqueline, the man is running scared. I am sure his feelings are a lot stronger for you than what he shows. He has probably never felt this way about another woman. So like the man he is, he is running away.”
Jacqueline rolled her eyes at Beth’s assumptions and snorted. “I think not. You are making Terric out to be a better man than he is.”
“Is that so? All right, prove me wrong.”
Jacqueline inched across the bed to sit beside Beth. “What do you mean? Prove what?”
A small smile played upon Beth’s lips. “How else? Confront Terric. Tonight, before he leaves.”
Jacqueline shook her head. “Are you mad? Mother would have my head for pulling such a stunt.”
“So you are willing to let him walk out of your life, possibly forever? Because I can guarantee you, if he leaves without you making him face his feelings, he will not come near you again.”
Standing, Jacqueline paced back and forth. She mulled over Beth’s words. Admittedly, there were some very good points in what she had said, but how to arrange such a meeting would be the tricky part. Terric’s chamber was right beside her mother’s.
Having reached a decision, Jacqueline ceased her pacing. “Fine, I will do as you say, but I need your help. Terric has to come to my chamber. His is too close to Mother’s for my liking.”
Beth gained her feet and shook out her skirts. “Leave that to me. Once your mother has retired for the night, I will devise a way to have Terric come to your chamber. That is the easy part. Yours, Jacqueline, will be the harder.”
“What do you have in mind?”
Beth gave Jacqueline a sly smile and stepped to the chamber door. “Do not fret, he will come. Just be prepared…for his arrival.”
After passing on that cryptic remark, she swept out the door, softly shutting it behind her.
* * * *
Terric was in a deep sleep when someone roughly shook him awake. Thinking it was Edwin who disturbed his rest, he brushed the offending appendage away and rolled onto his side. He was shaken once again. He rolled onto his back, ready to give Edwin a stern rebuke. Much to his surprise it was Lady Beth.
He propped himself up on one elbow and reached for the covers to make sure he was sufficiently covered since he slept every night naked. “Lady Beth, what do you here? Is something amiss?”
“Oh, Sir Terric, I am so sorry to disturb you, but I need you to assist me. Something is wrong with Jacqueline.”
Terric sat up straighter. “Cannot her mother help her?”
Beth shook her head. “I am afraid not. Please, will you come with me?”
Terric glanced to where Edwin lay asleep on his pallet, and nodded. “Of course, just give me a moment to get dressed.”
“I appreciate this, Sir Terric. I will await you in the hallway.”
Once Beth softly closed the door behind her, he quickly donned hose and a tunic. Not bothering to awaken Edwin to tell him where he would be, he quietly left the chamber. Beth motioned him to follow her as she headed toward Jacqueline’s chamber, which was at the far end of the hallway.
Beth opened the door, then stood aside so Terric could enter the chamber before her. Thinking she had followed him in, he turned to ask her what exactly was wrong with Jacqueline, only to find her shutting him inside. Before he could move to grasp the handle and try to open it, he heard her lock it from the other side.
“Sorry, Terric. I could not let you leave without speaking to you privately.”
He spun around at the sound of Jacqueline’s voice and found her standing in the middle of the chamber. “You did not have to go to such lengths, Jacqueline. All you had to do was ask.”
She stepped closer. “Would you have come to me?” When he did not answer right away, she shook her head. “I thought not.”
“Be that as it may, I am here now. What do you wish to say?”
*
Seeing the way Terric avoided looking at her even when she came closer, Jacqueline sensed he would not make this easy on her. “I want to know why you have decided you must leave on the morrow.”
Jacqueline positioned herself so a few inches only separated them, and Terric fixed his gaze on the wall at the farthest end of the chamber.
“It is time for me to go. Tournaments are how I make my living. You know that. I must follow the circuit.”
Jacqueline looked him up and down. He had his hands clasped behind his back, trying to act as if her closeness had no effect on him, but she knew she stirred him. He could not hide how stiffly he stood.
“Is that so? If I were to offer to pay you to stay and complete my training, would you still leave?”
Terric opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, but in the end he said, “Nay, I would not.”
He squirmed, and Jacqueline had to admit Beth had been correct. He was a man running scared, after all. Wanting him to squirm even more, she took another step nearer. Now she was toe-to-toe with him.
“If I were to pay you for your services, there should be no need for you to leave in such a great hurry. Unless there is another reason. One you have not mentioned.”
He groaned and brought his gaze down to focus on her face. “Jacqueline, please do not do this. It is better for the both of us if I leave on the morrow.”
“How so?”
“Because of this.” Terric cupped her face in both his hands and lowered his lips to hers. He claimed them in an all-consuming kiss. Jacqueline wrapped her arms around his waist and held him closer. He lifted his mouth. “If we continue, I cannot promise you I will be able to end this before it is too late.”
She ran her hands up and down his back and smiled. “What if I do not want you to stop?”
Her answer elicited another groan from him. “I have no right to touch you this way. You deserve better than a landless knight.”
“The choice is mine to make.”
“I cannot promise you more than one night. This does not change my decision to leave, either.”
“Then make this night memorable for me. I choose no other.”
Terric picked Jacqueline up in his arms and carried her to the bed. “God help me, but I am not strong enough to refuse you. I promise you will not regret this.”
He laid her on the mattress and slowly followed her down. He claimed her lips again and seemed to give his passion free rein. Increasing the pressure of his lips, he urged her to open her own. His tongue gently entwining with hers brought a moan to the surface from deep down inside her. Jacqueline could not hold it back. As he ran his hands all over her, the sensations he caused took her over.
Gently cupping Jacqueline’s breast, Terric took her pebbled nipple between his thumb and forefinger, rolling it between his fingers. Jacqueline moaned. He left her mouth and caressed the skin under her ear with his mouth. He nipped that sensitive area, then licked it. He moved lower on her body and took her breast into his mouth. Through the material of her tunic, he suckled her hard until she squirmed.
As if he found their clothes too much of a barrier, Terric divested them of the offending garments. The contact of bare skin against bare skin caused them to groan. Jacqueline gasped as they touched more intimately. Her senses became overwhelmed. Not wanting to lie still any longer, she tentatively ran her hands down his strong back. Much to her satisfaction, his muscles quivered beneath her touch. Growing bolder, she caressed his chest. Her fingers ran through his chest hair. She relished the feel of the thick padding of muscle to be found there. At his flat nipple, she pinched it between her fingers as he had done to hers. His harsh intake of breath was all she needed to hear to know he felt the same pleasure she had.
Terric took back control and caught Jacqueline’s lips in a demanding kiss. He sucked her tongue into his mouth and battered her senses until she rocked her hips into his, demanding more. With a trail of kisses, he kissed and licked his way down her body until he reached her core. He settled between her thighs and
forced her legs farther apart.
Coming out of the sensual fog Terric had wrapped around her, Jacqueline looked down, feeling self-conscious. “Terric, I do not think you should…” Her words trailed off in a moan as he showed her exactly what he planned to do.
He swept Jacqueline’s sex with his tongue as she fell back in total surrender. He swirled it around the nubbin of hard flesh, the very center of her pleasure, then sucked it into his mouth. She buried her fingers into his hair, holding him in place as she arched. He gave her one last sweep, then pressed his tongue into her opening. He gave her no quarter and continued to stab into her, mimicking the act yet to come. Something built deep inside her, something she had no name for. She whimpered as he backed off and the sensations subsided.
Terric slid up Jacqueline’s body, then slowly pushed himself into her. He groaned as he sank deeper. The feel of him entering her made her gasp in pleasure. Once he pushed past the barrier of her maidenhead, she could not stifle a small cry of pain. He stilled, allowing her time to adjust to his intrusion. The pain, though sharp, did not last long. The feel of him filling her so completely made her want something more. Something she had no idea how to obtain. Instinctively, she shifted her hips, sending waves of pleasure throughout her whole body.
Terric moved inside her. With each thrust of his hips, the pleasure build ever higher. It was like nothing she had felt before. Keeping a steady rhythm as he pumped in and out of her, he drove Jacqueline ever higher. She wrapped her legs around his waist and held him tightly. He pushed her over the edge when he reached down between their joined bodies, found the center of her pleasure, and stroked hard enough for her to drown in pleasure. Her inner walls squeezed his shaft, which made him thrust into her one final time. He threw back his head and groaned as he stiffened above her and a warm wetness filled her body.
Once he collapsed atop her, Jacqueline wrapped her arms around him, welcoming the feel of his greater weight. Their breathing slowly returned to normal. Terric rolled onto his back and pulled her up against his side. She placed her head on his chest and closed her eyes. The pleasure she had found in his arms had been like none she had ever felt.
Knight of Her Life Page 7
