"Let me have him, Letia. Mayhap the wee boy needs a man's attention."
She let him take Aubrey from her, her face anxious, her body tense and ready to snatch her son back if he became worse.
"Shh, shh, little one," he crooned, "you're all right. Nothing is going to hurt you."
Raik snuggled Aubrey to his chest and rested his cheek on the babe's head, all the time murmuring sounds that were not words. He rubbed his back then patted it while gently jiggling him against his chest. Finally, Aubrey belched. Loud. Raik laughed at the surprised look on the babe's face. Aubrey craned his head back to look up at Raik's face then belched again. The tears stopped and his skin lost its bright red color.
Letia looked hesitant, like she was about to take the babe from his arms.
"Nay, wife. Dinna disturb him. He's safe and warm and will be asleep soon."
Letia bit her lips as she often did when undecided. She stood on tiptoes to peek at Aubrey's face, looked up at Raik and nodded.
Never had he felt such satisfaction. As he paced the room, his big hand on the child's arse moved him upward until he felt the little sigh against his neck and heard the soft slurping sounds of Aubrey sucking his thumb.
He stopped beside the cradle, swaying his body back and forth the way he had seen Letia do. He waited until Aubrey's breathing evened and slowed before he cautiously lowered him to the cradle.
o0o
That night was the first of many times in the following month that Raik would coax Aubrey from Letia's arms. Sometimes he carried him around the bailey or the wall walks, telling Letia 'twas good for the boy to be familiar with the castle from an early age.
He no longer searched for the woman who had seduced him but watched for glimpses of his wife throughout his busy day. Why, if he didn't know better, he would think he was falling in love with Letia. How had he ever thought her unwomanly? Whenever he spied her, he pictured her lush body beneath the clothing and remembered how she quivered and moaned when his hands explored her. Aye. She more than pleased him in bed sport.
She pleased him in other ways, too. The keep was as comfortable and well managed as Raptor, Hunter or Symon de Mortimer's castle. After finishing the great hall, she had brought other treasures from out of hiding to place them in the solar and different areas in the keep.
Now, he began to think of ways to please her.
"My lady, the baron asks that you join him." Edulf bowed with a smile.
Letia looked around but didn't see Raik. "And where must I join him?"
"Giles will escort you."
As he spoke, Giles approached astride a horse known to be gentle. Freki followed behind him, his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth. After draping a folded blanket behind the saddle, Edulf reached for Letia to pitch her up to it. He quickly backed up when Freki flashed between them, his teeth bared in a snarl worthy of the largest wolf in any pack.
Though Letia scolded and tried to send the dog away, it stayed between them. It was not until they walked over to a mounting block that Letia was able to go up behind Giles and clasp him around the waist.
"Are you comfortable, Lady?"
"Quite, if we are not in for a long ride."
"Nay. Just to the water basin within the woods."
She was curious as to why Raik wanted her to come to the pool, but didn't have time to worry about it. They were there in less time than it took her to mount because of Freki. The dog loped beside them until they cleared the drawbridge, then he lengthened his stride as if bored and streaked ahead.
How did he know where Giles was taking her? He must have scented Raik, for barking with excitement, he entered a path at the woods.
Giles stopped three horse-lengths within the path and helped her slide to the ground. He grinned and pointed to where the pool laid hidden behind the trees. As she followed the crashing sounds of a waterfall, she felt the presence of guards standing at discreet distances. Her anticipation mounted, wondering what awaited her.
Pushing aside the last branch, she came out into a lush grassy clearing surrounding a wide basin of clear water. At the far end, the rushing falls sent a heavy mist through the air. She didn't see Raik, but she spied his clothes neatly folded beneath the canopy of a large oak tree. Glancing over the pool, she saw someone moving at the falls.
Raik was on the rock shelf, his right side toward her. He tilted his head back and shoved his hair away from his face as water cascaded over him. She fidgeted, nervous. Since they wed, this was the first time she saw his unclothed body in the light of day.
Her mouth dried as her gaze traveled over the warm tones of his flesh, the powerful muscles of his back. She had thought his hips would be pale, like Warin's had been. Instead, his buttocks were as golden tan as his shoulders and arms. His back was now fully to her. She bit her lips when she spotted the brown area on his left buttock.
How could she get the courage to tell him? No matter what he did to her, he deserved to know Aubrey was his son.
He turned toward her now. She studied his sculpted chest and stomach, admiring the warm hue of his flesh. Did all Scotsmen have sun kissed skin? Curious, she scanned downward. The only pale spot on his body was his sex nestled against a bed of black hair. Though water beat down on his flaccid tarse, it did not look subdued even against his large balls.
Had she thought it flaccid? Far from it.
Her brows lifted.
His tarse followed suit.
CHAPTER 32
Saints! When Letia's startled gaze rose, his captured it. How long had he known she was standing there? By the wicked glint in his forceful blue eyes, long enough to know she wanted him.
What little of her flesh that had not been hot was now fiery. She smiled and blinked, trying to appear unconcerned.
"Come, Letia, join me." His strong voice rose over the sounds of the water.
"I cannot." She shifted from one foot to another
"Are ye afeared someone will see us? No one would dare. My guards will protect our privacy."
"Nay, I'm not fearful of that. Freki would not let anyone close even if your men are there."
She didn't fear prying eyes. It was a lie. She feared his. His reluctance to bed her when they married had been no secret. And he always had to darken the room when he did. In sunlight, what if he did not find her form appealing? It was one thing to feel a woman's shape in the dark, another to see her from all sides. Standing upright. She hesitated and looked down at the inviting water.
"I cannot swim," she blurted out.
She looked up in time to see him tuck his head between his arms and dive into the pool. His hands separated the water and his body followed with barely a splash. It was a beautiful sight, one she would gladly see again.
The water was so clear she watched his arms cutting through it, his feet thrusting him forward. More than that. She couldn't take her gaze from his sleek brown body. With easy strokes, he reached her side. Her face flamed when he put his hands on the rock and bounded upward like a fish jumping a wave.
"Ye canna enjoy the water while fully clothed, wife." His blue eyes crinkled at the corners, watching her undecided expression.
How could she undress without the cover of a darkened room?
"Turn."
"What? Turn where?"
"Turn yer back to me, of course." Raik's wet hand on her shoulder urged her around. "Lift yer arms, Letia."
She bit her lip and did as he bid her. He grasped the violet kirtle's hem and lifted it all in one fluid motion then tossed it atop the closest bush. Before she could protest, her smock received the same fate. She felt foolish standing there naked except for stockings and shoes. To give herself time to recover, she grabbed the clothing and started to fold it.
He waited. Naked and wet.
It didn't help her recovery one whit. She hurried to finish her chore. How in Hades could she take off her footwear without bending over in front of him? She couldn't turn her back. 'Twas unthinkable. And she couldn't lean forward
and have her breasts bobbing about. He saved her the trouble by going down on one knee and rolling her stockings down to her ankles.
"Lift." She lifted her right foot for him to slide off her shoe and the offending stocking.
"Again." He finished the job, baring her left foot.
She wondered if he would kiss her now. He did not. Instead, he dove into the water and came up shaking his wet hair from his face. He stroked backward, giving her room to join him.
"Dinna be affrighted. Hold yer breath and jump. I'll bring ye to the surface."
She gulped, took a deep breath and plunged in. The cold water exploded around her near making her gasp. She felt herself going deep. Raik's hands gripped her waist as they went to the bottom. He kicked off, hard, and shot them both to the surface.
Once her head cleared the water, she feared he would let her go. Instead, he enclosed her in his arms, sharing his warmth, and kissed her.
Savoring his lips, she wrapped her fingers in the wet hair at the back of his neck and forgot where they were. When the kiss ended, he leaned backward pulling her along with him.
"Have ye never enjoyed the waters here?"
"Nay. We did not have men enough to guard us without taking from what was needed for Seton."
He nodded, understanding. Had de Mortimer not given him the men, he would not have, either. He cleared his throat and reached up, letting her know she was pulling his hair. When her grip eased, he widened his legs, allowing room for her own between his as he propelled them around the basin. She began to relax and enjoy the sensuous feel of his wet body brushing against hers. In fact, she enjoyed it so much she deliberately lowered her hips so her woman's place brushed against his sex.
She was not the only one who relished the contact. Raik was more than ready. How could two bodies create such heat amidst cold water? When he brought them back to a spot to the left of where she had undressed, Letia was as eager as he was. To her surprise, her feet brushed the bottom.
Not all of the basin was as deep as she had assumed. Letia huffed.
Raik grinned. "Think of what pleasure ye would have missed if ye simply walked into the water?"
His teasing eased her embarrassment. When his eyes heated with that heavy-lidded, hungry look, she glanced down to where he gazed. With each step, water lapped at her breasts then finally exposed her hardening nipples. Blushing, she started to cover them with her forearms.
"Nay, dinna hide yourself. 'Tis a beautiful sight." Raik's bronzed hands urged her arms to her sides.
When a cloud covered the sun, she bit her tongue to keep her chin from shivering. He noted, for he stopped, knee-deep in water, and lifted her into his arms. His flesh felt as warm as it looked. She stopped shivering and nestled her face in that comforting spot between his jaw and neck then wrapped her arms around him.
His strong arms beneath her knees and around her waist felt so right as he headed to the shelter of the overhanging branches. Each step he took, she felt new sensations. One she was very aware of. His stirring sex brushed against her bottom. With each footstep, that brushing changed to prodding until his tarse lengthened to its full size. She muffled a giggle, wondering if she glanced down to her side, would she see the eye of his sex peering at her.
"What amuses ye, wife?"
"Uh, naught. Why did you think it?"
"Ye stifled a giggle like any lass. Nay. From a grown woman, I would call it more of a snicker."
She eased her head back to look up and saw he grinned. Why, he knew what amused her. Maybe not exactly 'what' but he guessed rightly it had something to do with his bobbing sex for he stopped. Instead of releasing her legs, he gripped her right knee tight to his left hip, then hefted her in his arms and brought both legs around his waist.
Letia clutched his shoulders, thinking he meant to dump her back in the water or on the ground. Far from it. Warm hands on her buttocks lifted her higher until his eager arousal nudged at her sex.
"Open for me, wife." His voice roughened with need.
He positioned his straining erection at her opening and held it there until he started to enter, bit by bit. His breath rasped and his heartbeat quickened against her chest. When he buried himself deep inside her, he groaned. His mouth searched for hers, traveling along her chin to find her lips. His tongue plunged inside with desperation as if he couldn't get deep enough.
He gripped her hips and set the rhythm until it became so frenzied she feared he would lose his balance. Both were in such need, they didn't try to prolong their mating. When her muscles tensed and quivered, his arms tightened until she feared she would not get her next breath. His head lowered, his mouth opened and clamped on her shoulder. Not a bite as to harm her, but one that clearly marked her as his. As his seed pumped into her, her greedy body was as dominating as his bite as it squeezed his shaft.
Raik stretched out on the ground, Letia still atop him. He did not want to put her beneath him, afeared rocks or twigs hidden in the grass would bruise her back. Though no longer joined, both still panted.
If anyone had told him he would respond so strongly to a woman he had once considered unappealing, he would have scoffed. Feeling the ground to his right and finding naught that would cause discomfort; he rolled her to his side. He turned to face her, rubbing his left leg over the top of hers.
Letia blushed at the sensual caresses. Teasing her, he pulled her closer until he surrounded her lower body with his sex and belly. Looking down, he brushed her wet hair from her face and arranged it in a semi-circle around her head much as she had arranged the pikes on the wall.
"Why do you stare at me so?"
She spoke so softly, he barely made out her words.
"To see if ye are as beautiful as ye feel in the darkness." He grinned when she looked hesitant. He could almost see her mind mulling over his words, wondering what answer he had found.
"Oh." She looked away. "Likely you find me lacking in softness."
"Lacking?" His brows rose as he cupped her right breast. "Nay." He stroked down over her side watching chill bumps follow everywhere he touched. "Ye are soft in all the right places."
Aye, and he was hardening in all the right places. He debated whether to indulge in more lovemaking. If he did, Cormac would be left waiting in the practice field. He sighed and ignored his eager cock.
It would have to wait until nightfall.
o0o
Letia and Sybilla selected herbs for the next day's meals in a hut alongside the short wall dividing the gardens. Letia stored herbs and spices for cooking as well as medicines there. Tied clusters of clippings hung upside down from the low ceiling beams to dry. One wall of shelves held sealed jars and bottles of all sizes. Everything was there, from remedies to calm headaches from too much wine to medicines that staunched bleeding from a sword thrust.
The day's earlier events distracted Letia. She had never made love when the sun was up, and though she had felt shy, it was wondrous seeing Raik naked. He was far more impressive than she had imagined him. Though she had felt his strength, seeing the sleek muscles playing in his body as he swam brought home the powers they held.
They had not talked much, but they'd had no need. It meant more, for after the awkward moments in the beginning, they had been comfortable together. Once he had seen her unclothed and found no fault in her body, she had relaxed.
She blushed, thinking about what hid beneath his tunic.
"What ails you, sister?" Sybilla's gaze probed Letia's face. "Do you have a fever?"
"Nay. I'm well. 'Tis nothing." How could she tell her that she was thinking of Raik's hairy leg tickling her flesh?
"Mayhap a wet-nurse should feed Aubrey?" She came over to put her cheek against Letia's forehead. "Huh. You do not feel hot."
"Truly, I'm fine." She put her arm around her sister's shoulders and hugged her. "You worry about everyone else and have little care for yourself. You should take more time to be out in the sun working on your flowers. You know, that handsome Cormac seems to b
e taken with you."
Sybilla's face flamed. She reached up to cover her cheeks and must have felt her own heat there. Her eyes lit with understanding.
"Ah, I know what ails you, Letia! You had a tryst with your comely husband."
Letia's giggle confirmed it. They took their time in their selections, for she did not expect to see Raik until the morrow.
He had made a habit to accompany a patrol one day or evening in a sennight. The men never knew until they prepared to ride out which time he would choose. He had sent Giles earlier to tell her he would return by the bells of Vigils, the darkest part of the night.
When Letia went above after the evening meal, she spent the time in Maud's room instead of having Aubrey brought to her. If he nursed soon after dark, he slept through until morning. Unfortunately, something she had eaten that day did not agree with him, for he spewed over her shoulder, soiling her hair and soaking her robe. Once she comforted him, he slept soundly. Maud called the servants to bring a fresh robe, hot water and a small tub and helped her wash her hair and bathe.
By the time she went to her bedchamber, she was surprised to hear Raik's soft snores in the darkness. She eased the door to and stood there, accustoming her eyes to darkness. The sounds had eased, and not wanting to awaken him, she slipped out of the robe and laid it on the end of the bed.
She eased between the sheets and against his always-hot flesh.
o0o
Raik had more than his share of ale when he returned from patrol. He, Cormac and Sir William had taken a tankard and cups up to the battlements. Raik used the time to ask Sir William about his father and half-brothers. He had a hunger to know all about them, though he would not trade the time he spent with his cousins for anything. Had he lived at his father's castle, he would have had the agony of being on the outside watching their family.
Seduced Page 25
