by Wood, Lynn
Melissa reached up to brush a stray lock of his shoulder-length hair from his face. At her soft touch he jerked away from her hand as if she held a branding iron. “You promised me, Luke. You gave me your word of honor as a knight.”
Luke looked down at her with wild eyes. “You cannot be serious. I am absolutely certain I misunderstood you. Believe me you do not want to know what I imagined I heard you just ask me.”
Melissa smiled at the panicked expression she read in Luke’s eyes. In their brief acquaintance she witnessed those same eyes filled with pity, outrage, indignation, even sputtering with rage and injured male pride, but never had she seen him as overset as he was in the present moment. “Did you imagine I confessed to you I did not wish to die a virgin?”
He covered her mouth with his hand to keep any more such confessions from spilling out. “Would you mind keeping your voice down? I am certain any of my men would be only too happy to oblige your wish.”
She pushed his hand away from her lips. “But I do not want any of your men to oblige me. I want you.”
Just three little words but they had the impact of a lash on untried flesh. He was forced to shift his position where he knelt on the ground next to her on account of his breeches becoming suddenly uncomfortably tight from where his manhood strained against them. “Have you lost your mind?”
“No, it seems a perfectly reasonable request to me.”
“Perfectly reasonable…” he parroted weakly.
“Well, think of it from my point of view. If you were in my shoes, and you were still a virgin, you would want to know what it was like before you left this world, would you not?”
Luke found her ridiculous question highly arousing. So it took him a moment for him to realize her busy little hands were undoing the ties of her gown. He reached out to clasp them both in his. Melissa wriggled against his restraint, protesting an insistent voice.
“But I have to take my clothes off. I’m supposed to be naked right? I’m sure that’s how it works, Luke. Your demon brother kept trying to rip my clothes off, even though it was freezing cold. Why would a man want…?” Her voice trailed off and she pitched forward and fell asleep against him. Still her bizarre request filled his head with erotic thoughts. His eyes roamed over her face. In the past week the swelling had gone down. He’d washed her hair that first night while she slept and combed the tangles from the long strands, but only now did he realize the full extent of her beauty. Her features were finely formed, giving evidence of her noble heritage. Her eyes were bluer than even the truest sapphire, and her long midnight curls, like silk in his hands, curled around his fingers binding him to her the way her bold spirit wrapped around his heart and drew him in.
Her feminine scent filled the air around him reminding him, as much as he tried to pretend otherwise, she was a beautiful, daring woman that struck an answering chord in his own bold spirit and appealed to him as no other woman ever had. He brushed her hair away from her lovely face, trying to think about anything else but how her soft feminine warmth felt against his chest, the whisper of her breath on the bare skin of his neck.
Everything about her combined to draw him in, her audacious spirit, her insults and unconventional opinions she flung at his head at every opportunity, contrasted with the innate femininity she seemed unaware of, the way she brushed her hair away from her face, how she burrowed closer in his embrace seeking his strength and his protection whenever the violent memories surfaced in a nightmare, though she would no doubt deny his conclusion with her last breath, the soft whisper of her voice when they shared confidences and she leaned so close her lips brushed across his ear, the way her tongue swept over her bottom lip when she was thinking about how to evade a question he put to her about her past In every intimate moment they spent in each other’s company he fell deeper under the spell of her enchantment.
He looked down at her now to find her blue eyes staring up at him, pleading with him.
“Luke you promised.”
Another chink in his armor. There was no way no matter what he promised, he could take advantage of her weakened condition. The woman was dying for God’s sake. Was he truly no better than his brother…who was after all responsible for her mortal injuries in the first place?
“Luke?”
Drawn by her whispered pleading, his eyes returned to her lovely face. He didn’t need to guess at the softness of her skin. He was familiar with its silky feel. He wished he was forced to imagine the sweetness of her lips, the way they softened beneath his, the way she tasted. Her scent was driving him crazy, tempting him to take what she so freely and so tantalizingly offered. Unbidden, his hand reached out and trailed up the long column of her neck, his fingers played in her silky hair, then his hand cupped her chin. Drawing on his control he bent down and brushed his lips against hers, hoping to satisfy her curiosity and his vow with a simple kiss.
His naïve hope was dashed the moment their lips met. Hers opened eagerly beneath his and her tongue tentatively reached out to mate with his. He groaned at her boldness and at the thought of denying himself the sweet release he could find in her arms, a release he feared he would never find with another. Thinking a bold response to her seeking curiosity might make her rethink her ridiculous plan, he let his arms sweep around her pulling her closer into his embrace. His mouth plunged deeply into hers, tasting, exploring, testing her resolve.
Overwhelmed by his brash assault Melissa whimpered and burrowed closer against his strength. Here was the warmth she craved. Here was the answer to the little girl inside of hers search for a knight in shining armor. Feeling her response, Luke pulled her closer still and gentled his hold around her. His hand rubbed her back, his fingers tangled in her hair, even as his tongue sank deeper as if he could devour her purity in this one gulp he would allow himself. When she shuddered against him, he drew back and their eyes met. Hers were cloudy with both fever and newly awakened passion. He didn’t need to see his own reflected in the depths of hers to know they were filled with raw, male lust.
This woman, even in her failing state, roused him as no other woman ever had. Here was his equal in strength and spirit. Here was the woman God intended for him. And Goddamn his brother to hell for robbing him of her. Seeing the question in her eyes, and unable to gather the strength to draw away, Luke lowered his head until he slid his cheek against the long curve of her neck. What was left of her gown was loosened in his rough treatment of her, and her full breasts peaked out the top of the previously modest neckline. He couldn’t resist the urge to just this once feel their softness against his skin.
He turned his face and drew in a deep breath of her soft scent. It was fortunate he was already on his knees, because he was quite certain he would be there now after his being was filled with her, surrounded by the heady feminine scent that was so much a part of her. It was not the fragrance of a girl’s innocent sweetness that her sister exuded. No, this was a woman’s full-bodied, spirited aura, but a woman still who longed to know the richness of her own desire. If he honored his rash vow to her he would be the man who taught her the secrets of her own feminine passion. There was nothing he wanted more. Unable to resist, one hand trailed down her back and slid around to cup her full breast. Melissa moaned softly at his touch. She thrust her head back exposing the vulnerable skin of her throat. He trailed his lips along the alabaster column even as his fingers slid beneath the neckline of her gown to explore the softness of her breasts. Her breathing quickened as his lips trailed lower and his hand undid the ties to the neckline of her gown and pushed the rich material aside. His tongue circled one straining nipple and drew the taut peak into his mouth.
Melissa moaned and strained closer. “Luke, Luke, please…”
Luke realized too late his reckless idea to convince Melissa of the foolishness of her request of him had completely backfired. Rather than draw away from his bold assault on her flesh, she was lifting herself more fully into his embrace, her arms gripping his shoulders with her wani
ng strength. He told himself he was still in control. He would not surrender to his body’s fierce urging. Melissa would surely stop him before he went too far. If she failed to do so, he would find a way to convince her to release him from his vow. He was not an animal. Nor would he allow himself to be ruled by his passions. If he yielded to them now he would be no better than his brother.
He lifted her in his arms and carried her deeper into the recesses of the shallow cave, away from the curious eyes of his men who slept not far away. He laid her gently down on her blankets and his cloak and then hesitated when their eyes met, giving her a chance to rethink her reckless plea. She held his gaze steadily and he could find no regret lurking within her midnight blue eyes framed by long dark lashes, as black as the stallion her sister rode, but as long as she lived the honor of mounting the Salusian king rightfully belonged to Melissa. She reached up to bring his head closer to hers until their lips met and she whispered against his. “You promised me, Luke, on your honor as a knight. I demand you keep your vow to me or surrender your honor.”
He knew she meant to salve his savaged conscious with her foolish demand, but he was man enough to admit he did not need her gentle urging. He pressed her back against the hard ground, wished it was a feathered mattress they rested upon, and then claimed her lips with a possessiveness he would not allow himself earlier. This woman belonged to him. She was meant for him and he would not deny himself the precious gift she was offering even now as her lips parted to invite him to explore her secrets more intimately. His tongue thrust inside, no longer gently, but demanding now, needing her to surrender not just her lovely body into his keeping but her even more beautiful, untamed spirit.
In response, she fit herself more closely against him while his mouth left hers to explore the tender skin of her throat and then to close around her soft breast and suckle there. Melissa arched against him, her soft moans of pleasure escaping her lips at each fresh touch. Her face was turned against his neck and she feasted on his skin the same way he devoured hers. His hand moved restlessly downward, pushing aside her gown as he went, even as her hands blazed their own restless trail across his back, his shoulders, until finally tangling in his shoulder length hair. When his hand reached the damp curls shielding her virginity his fingers circled the opening until Melissa lifted her hips invitingly against his hand, pressing herself against him. Her voice was husky with passion as she pleaded with him, “Luke, yes…more…please…”
Luke pressed her back against the pallet. He lifted his head to stare down into her deep blue eyes, almost as dark as his own as passion filled them until he thought he might drown in them. She raised her mouth to his even as he bent to take what she was offering. As their lips met, he plunged one finger into the damp opening between her legs. “Oh God, Luke, what are you doing to me?”
Her dazed question brought him back to a sense of what he was doing. He lifted his lips from hers. Feeling his withdrawal, she clamped her legs together to keep his probing finger inside of her. He continued to stroke her tenderly, unable to deny her the pleasure he knew he could bring her. This he could do and not rise from the pallet with the bleak feeling of knowing he was completely devoid of honor. He reached higher, pressed deeper, and quickened his stroke. She bucked against his straining hand and moaned louder.
Aware of the proximity of his men not far removed from the entrance to the cave, he bent to silence her moans with his mouth even as he spread her wider and pushed another finger into her tight sheath. He could feel the tautness of her body, knew she was close to finding her release. He wanted to give her this. He wanted her to know joy and passion in his arms. She was whimpering now against his mouth, needing to give voice to the feelings he knew were crashing over her in wave after wave of intense pleasure. He pushed her higher and higher until he knew she couldn’t control her body’s passionate response to his touch. He pressed against her. She screamed into his mouth even as her body arched against him and her release shuddered through her. Her body tightened around his fingers and drew him deeper inside. It took every bit of self-control he possessed not to replace his fingers with his rock hard male member that was straining in dazed confusion against the restraint his mind was exercising against its natural inclination. He watched as Melissa floated back to earth, a part of him wishing she could simply go to sleep and not return to the pain of her fever wracked body, her last memory of this world the sweetness of a lover’s tender caress.
Her eyes slowly opened and she smiled up into his face. “Luke?”
“Yes?” He didn’t know what he was expecting. Gratitude maybe? He should have known better.
“I’m still a virgin.”
“What?”
“I’m still a virgin. I want you to keep your vow to me.”
“For God’s sake, Melissa. Trust me when I tell you what you just experienced is far more pleasurable for you than if I sacrificed your virginity in the process.”
“I do not want you to take my virginity for the sake of the pleasure it would give me.”
“No, then why?”
“I want to know what it’s like to share myself completely, wholly with someone I could love.”
“Melissa…”
“I know you are not in love with me. It is not as though you will be stuck with me for long.”
“I am not worried about being stuck with you.”
“Then what is it? Do you not find me attractive? Did you lie about that?”
Tears filled her eyes and her mood darkened with astonishing swiftness. He switched their positions, so his back was against the cold ground and she lay atop him, nestled against his warmth. She sighed content as he combed her long hair with his fingers and did his best to straighten the tangles from her dark curls. “I did not lie about being attracted to you. I meant it when I said you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” When she would have protested, he added quickly, “Yes, even more beautiful to my eyes than your lovely younger sister.”
“Truly?” She lifted her head to meet his glance as if she could discern the truth of his declaration in his eyes.
“Yes, truly.”
“Rhiann would make you a compliant wife.”
“Yes, well unfortunately, she is already wed to my friend, Nathan, who I think would be astonished about your claim of Lady Rhiann being a compliant wife.”
Melissa laughed and her eyes were filled with fresh joy when she stared down into his. “Rhiann is not a good wife to your friend?”
“I did not say that. Only that I think she is not the most compliant of wives. I do not mean to imply she is disobedient or disrespectful, I think it just fails to occur to her she should ask permission of her husband before setting off and carrying out some inclination of her own.”
Melissa’s amused laughter was a balm to his troubled spirit. “Oh, I am so glad to hear you say so. I thought there was a Salusian spirit lurking inside of her somewhere, but she always took such great pains to hide it, I was beginning to wonder.”
“You need wonder no more.”
“Your friend is a patient husband with her?”
“My friend is a saint.”
“Then perhaps my sister has found the perfect husband after all.”
“Yes, I believe so and my friend the perfect wife. I believe he is beginning to recognize a compliant wife is an overrated commodity.”
“I would not be a compliant wife. I did not plan on being a wife at all. Perhaps I knew somehow I would never be given the opportunity.” She leaned her head back down and snuggled closer against him. “You’re so warm, Luke. I’ve been cold for so long. Thank you for being with me.”
His arms tightened around her even as she drifted off to sleep against his chest, her face pressed against the side of his neck. He could feel the quickness of her breath against his skin, the shallowness of it, as if she only drew enough breath into her failing body to get her through the next moment, all effort at healing abandoned. He brushed the soft strands away from
her face and gently kissed her forehead, recognizing he would mourn the loss of this woman as he had never mourned another.
He was astonished by the depths of his feelings for her, an enemy’s daughter, and his brother’s last victim. She was everything he sought in a mate, beautiful, high-born, at home in the most exalted households, but with a wide streak of wildness running through her veins to match his own. Here was a woman he could risk his heart to. Part of him already lamented her passing, the loss of what they would never know together, what they would never share.
“Luke?” His name whispered along the side of his neck. He wasn’t sure if she was awake or dreaming, so he answered softly so as not to disturb her dreams if it was the latter.
“Yes, love. I’m here.”
“I would really like you to keep your promise to me. I realize I have nothing to offer you in return but the comfort of knowing you rendered a friend a final service.”
“Melissa, how can you speak so? How can you believe you have nothing to give me in return? What you offer me is everything…the most precious gift a woman has to bestow on her husband. You offer me yourself. Do you think I don’t value the magnificent treasure you speak of?”
“Apparently not, since you do not seem to have any trouble rejecting me.” He felt her fevered tears scald the side of his neck and knew each one further weakened his resolve to deny what would no doubt prove to be her final request of him.
He lifted her face so he could meet her forlorn expression. “Melissa, my love, you are ill. Shall I take advantage of you at the last? Would you have me carry my betrayal of your trust in me for the remainder of my life? Will I not already be burdened enough by your loss?”
