An Outlaw's Honor

by TERRI BRISBIN

  Not at all.

  When he reached his tent after fighting the two, Thomas knew he had won by luck and that his reputation and skills had served him not this day. Oh, he could blame it on the weather—which was a legitimate reason—but he knew he had fought with a lack of his usual grace and prowess. He could not seem to keep his feet under him, sliding about in the almost ankle-deep mud as if he were ten cups in on a night of heavy drinking.

  Now, covered in the muck that did not come off when his armor did, Thomas stood in his tent, trying to avoid the truth about today and the morrow. After placing two large buckets of hot water in the corner, Martel left the tent. However, he had taken the opportunity to give Thomas the most disgraceful sneer that Thomas had ever seen given by someone who was not royalty.

  Exhausted, sore as hell, and disturbed, Thomas let it go with only an order to leave him alone. He began stripping off his quilted hauberk, undertunic and chausses and breeches as he moved towards the steaming water. His shoulders ached from the blows delivered to his armor and absorbed by his body. He’d allowed too many strikes past his shield. So many things had gone wrong in both fights. So many mistakes. And looking up to see le Govic and Annora’s father watching with glee as he went down over and over had not helped.

  The abuse he’d taken today would haunt him on the morrow when le Govic would be relentless. Having observed the fights, he would strike at the places where Thomas had been hit most today. He shuddered for a moment and dipped the washing cloth into the bucket.

  He washed his body and then rinsed the mud from his head and hair, all the time trying to come up with a way to plan his method of attack for tomorrow’s fight. As he stood and poured the final bit of water over his head and then sluiced it down over his body, footsteps behind him warned him of a visitor.

  “Martel, I told you to go. Get out now,” he yelled sharply, surprising even himself that he managed to give an order at all.

  “I will leave if you insist. But I would prefer to stay.”

  Even if he had little strength, even if he did not wish to face her criticism of today’s fights, even if he needed time alone to sort his plans for the morrow, the astounded expression on her face when he turned towards her convinced him to relent. For he was completely naked, and she was staring once more at his cock and seeing it clearly. His flesh did an admirable job of rising in her presence, no matter his exhaustion.

  “Then, you should stay, my lady.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  She suspected that it was normal for a large man to have a large...appendage, so Annora should not be so surprised by the truth of it there before her. As Thomas turned and discovered she had trespassed on his privacy, his flesh rose out of the dark curls between his legs, and its length was enough to reach his waist. She’d seen some of him the other night when she’d spied on him, but this view of his attributes was interesting and thrilling and scary and exciting all at once.

  Her mouth dried, her hands itched to touch him to test the hardness of his body, all of it, and hers ached for everything he’d promised to do, even while knowing she did not understand all of it. He wore nothing but that smile—the dangerously attractive one that dared her to wickedness—and he made no move to cover himself because of her appearance there in his tent.

  “What brings you here in the dark of night, again, my lady?” he asked as he took a step towards her.

  This brought him out of the shadows and into the light given off by the lanterns spread around the tent. She inhaled swiftly as her view of him was enhanced by the flickering flames. Her gaze could not resist the sight of his manhood there before her on display. With him naked already, her purpose here this night might be easier after all. Annora blinked several times and met his gaze.

  “I but thought you might need someone to put that liniment you spoke of on your new bruises.” She tugged her cloak off her shoulders to expose her own—now much darker and etched in colors—to him. Pushing her braided hair over her shoulder so it would not block his view, she shrugged. “We match now.”

  When he stepped fully into the light, she saw how wrong she was about that. She’d seen men fight before and thought she knew how punishing the blows could be, but facing him now, her stomach clenched at the sight of the bruises blooming on him. The worst was on his shoulders and ribs. A large one on his leg.

  “Oh, Thomas,” she whispered as she stepped closer to him and reached out to touch his skin. “Do they hurt as much as I think they must?”

  His breathing stopped at the first touch of her fingers. She slid them down gently, outlining the edge of the bruise on his ribs. Although he did not move beneath her exploration, his flesh reacted between them. Annora wanted to touch him there, but these injuries needed attention.

  “Where is that liniment you spoke of? Would it help these?” she asked, already looking around the tent for a trunk or place he’d have stored it.

  “Liniment?” he asked.

  His voice was rough and shaky. She glanced at his face and noticed he panted now, as though just done running a great distance. So, he was not unaffected, no matter his extensive experience in such matters? A surge of confidence and boldness filled her then. Aye, she was innocent and a maiden, but she was curious and very much in need of Thomas’s help. First, though, she would aid him.

  “The liniment for my injuries,” she said, pointing at her neck. “The one you said your sainted mother would be horrified you offered to me?”

  He smiled then and nodded. “In my trunk,” he said.

  “Why do you not fetch it, and I can apply it for you? Surely, you cannot reach these areas on your back and shoulders.”

  She skimmed her fingers up and over those broad shoulders and down, leaning around him to reach. His body lurched then, and she nearly grabbed hold of what she could to keep her balance until he took her by her shoulders and moved her a few steps farther away from him.

  This was how flirting felt? This was how women had power? Seduction could work both ways, even if her aunt and others had made it seem like a dark and perilous thing men did to women. Nay, ’twas not just for men. Her body shivered with the heat that spread as she thought of the possibilities that could happen between them if she took the first step.

  Annora noticed he pulled a garment out of the trunk when he searched for the liniment. Before he turned back to her, he’d tugged a pair of loose breeches up over his legs and tied them at his hips. She smiled as she saw the fabric pushed up by his hardened flesh.

  And that was her plan, was it not? To come here, to commiserate with him over the difficult challenges of the day and to boost his spirits about facing le Govic? And to advise him as she could to aid him in his battle.

  Oh, and to ask him to relieve her of her maidenhead so that le Govic had no chance of taking it.

  Annora would hate to do it, but she could not ignore that though Thomas had won the battles this morn, it had been a near thing both times. And those ugly and unsatisfactory victories would weigh heavy on his mind and could interfere with his strategy of winning against his next opponent. She swallowed, trying to loosen the tightness in her throat that happened every time she thought about belonging to le Govic. Nay, she would not think on that right now, not while this matter was at hand.

  Thomas held out the small covered bowl to her, and in the moment before she touched it, it felt like he was offering her more than this unguent to apply. His gaze softened and he looked more approachable, more touchable than he had before.

  Her eyes lowered to that ever-present hardness that his breeches did not disguise. Though his expression did not speak of seduction, his flesh was clearly inviting her closer. How could she see that and not want to wrap her hands around it and slide them along its length?

  “Annora, you’re staring at my cock again,” he whispered.

  “I...’Tis just that I...” She swallowed again and reached out, passing his extended hand to lay hers on the ridge pushing
against the fabric. “I am curious,” she admitted. Meeting his eyes, she smiled. Ever since she’d witnessed that woman laying her hands on him, she’d wanted to know how he felt.

  “You will kill me, lass.”

  Annora pulled her hand away, shaking her head. Had she hurt him there? He chuckled then and drew her hand back in place, even guiding her fingers to slide lower, under his cock to touch him more intimately.

  “And ’twill be a happy death at that,” he said. He leaned against her hand more fully while he put the bowl down. His flesh surged against her palm, lengthening and growing harder.

  “But your bruises need attention.” When she would have removed both of her hands, he held them there.

  “I need attention.” He did something with his hips that thrust him against her hands. From his low moan, it must have been pleasurable. He repeated it once, then twice, and she clung tighter as he moved.

  The core of her, and the place between her own legs, grew achy and hot as she stroked him. Thomas stood unmoving in the silence, his heavy breathing the only sound, and permitted her to do as she wished. Would he allow her to untie the laces and slip her hands within? Just as she lifted one hand to tug open his breeches, he took a deep breath and stepped away.

  “Why are you here, Annora? You said to offer me help. Then you stoke my desire for you for your curiosity. If you persist, this is going to end with you beneath me on that pallet. So mayhap this is a good time for you to go.”

  Annora dropped her hands to her side and let out a loud sigh. Then frustration and anger built within her, pushing to be released.

  “I do not understand you,” she said. “Every time we have met, even that first time at Prudhoe, you have attempted to seduce me. You have touched me in ways that are inappropriate for two people such as us. You have kissed me until my thoughts and wits scatter in the breeze. You have made me want to touch and kiss and...handle you in ways I had never thought about until I met you.” She clenched her hands into fists then. “And now, I stand here offering you my virtue, and you play the coy one?”

  “What in the hell, Annora?” he yelled in a manner not unlike that day in the marketplace. “What are you thinking? Why would you do such a thing with a man like me?”

  He began that strange talking that he’d done before—cursing and speaking but doing it almost silently, so she could only hear every few words. Particularly the vulgar ones, and she did not stop him. Most people never spoke that way in front of ladies. Then he stopped suddenly and stared at her as though he’d only just recognized who she was.

  “You do not think I will win.”

  Annora blinked several times and tilted her head, studying him. The truth or a prevarication? The truth.

  “I watched you fight for the first time today and have little other upon which to base my judgement. And my expectations.” The words sounded terrible, even to her own ears.

  “You think I will lose.” He let out a loud growl. “So, this, this,” he motioned with his hand between their bodies, “is an offer to rut with me out of pity?”

  “Nay!” she cried out. The shock of the words passed, and she thought on it. “Well, mayhap?” When his eyes widened, she nodded. “Aye.” Only the song of crickets and the occasional shout or two outside in the area of the tents could be heard as she waited.

  “The women at Prudhoe said that men liked to indulge in pleasurable pursuits before fighting and then afterwards to spend their excitedness and vigor. Is that not true?”

  He did it again then—he laughed. The sound of it caused an inexplicable tremor in her. Her body reacted to the way his face changed and how his whole body let go. Familiar with the way he looked when in charge or when he was the one intent on seduction, Annora understood this was the other side of him that many did not see. Or mayhap had not seen in a very long time? That thought made her want to weep. For he looked alive now as his shoulders shook with it and his eyes filled with tears from the strength of his chortling. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands and met her gaze.

  “Well, those women know of what they speak. But, lass, right or wrong, I accept your offer.”

  “But your shoulders? I just realized I’ve not applied the liniment to—”

  “Fuck the liniment, Annora.” At her gasp, he smiled that wicked smile that melted her insides and made her willing to do anything with him. “Lay with me, Annora. Now?”

  At that moment, she understood that joining with him would be filled with laughter and epithets and passion and pleasure—all things that would never be with...

  And she wanted to know this, know him, before the real world, and its consequences intruded once more.

  “Aye, now.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  He did not care if she fucked him for pity’s sake.

  He did not care if she thought he would lose tomorrow’s challenge.

  And he could not care less if she were just interested in joining with him because of her damnable curiosity.

  Thomas knew before he asked her that if she consented, he would take her to that pallet next to them and show her pleasure that would have her moaning and begging for more. No matter the reason for it, or the reasons against it that he was trying to ignore.

  And then she said, “aye.”

  His randy cock rose without delay, though in truth, it had never truly relaxed from the moment she’d entered his tent. When he reached down and tugged the laces of his breeches loose, her eyes grew wide, and the color of them resembled the line between the sky and sea on a stormy day.

  Thomas watched as a parade of emotions flitted across her blushing face. She was so expressive and did not seem embarrassed about her curiosity and her own desires. In that single moment, before he moved or she did, he wondered if he would get out this unscathed.

  The breeches slipped from his hips, and he watched as her gaze tracked every inch of their journey to the ground. When he recognized only interest there, and as he watched a becoming blush creeping into her cheeks, he reached down and touched himself, grasping his cock in one hand the way he liked it and sliding it down and up his length. Annora’s beautiful mouth dropped open, and her body trembled as he continued to pleasure his own flesh.

  “I would rather not be the only naked one, Annora. Remove your gown for me,” he urged. He would like nothing more than to stroke his flesh as he watched his fantasy come to life before his eyes.

  “I must be naked as well?” she asked. Did she realize that her nipples had hardened to peaks, ones he’d felt before and now wanted to suckle until she screamed? Even now, as her hands slid down over the gown she’d questioned removing, her body was ripening. Blooming.

  “I could toss your gown up and take you from behind, but being naked offers so many more pleasures.” He said it, and her body shivered once more. He took a step closer. “You do want me to pleasure you, do you not, Annora?”

  Her fingers flew to her own laces—ones along the sides of her gown, which she could manage, and then up to the ones that tied the back of her gown shut, which she could not. A cry of frustration echoed around them.

  “Here now, sweetling,” he whispered, turning her around to face away. “Let me help.”

  Thomas leaned down, tugged her braid out of his way and kissed his way along her spine, as he loosened the ties inch by inch. He felt every tremor rushing through her against his mouth and let his heated breath warm and tease her skin, now separate from his mouth by only a thin shift of nearly transparent linen. ’Twould not be long before that was removed.

  But the fine fabric need not be a deterrent at all, as he showed her then. Easing his hands inside her gown, he pushed that off her shoulders as he eased his way behind her. When he pushed it down over her hips, his hands followed. He cupped her mound even as pressed his prick against her arse. Her breathing stopped briefly before returning in shallow gasps.

  “You see now? This is how your hands felt on my flesh. As you strok
ed me down to my sac.” He kept his fingers together and slid his hand over the curls he could feel through her shift and into the place between her legs. It took but three strokes before she opened her legs and let him go farther. “Do you like it, Annora? You must say so or I need stop.” He did pause then, his hand between her thighs and growing wet with her arousal.

  Deeper would come soon, and it—she—would be glorious to watch.

  Her head thrashed now against his shoulder where she’d let it fall and, only when he stopped completely, did she moan out a word. It may have been “aye” or something else, but it was not “nay.” So, he pressed the heel of his hand harder against her curls and let his fingers separate and find their way. As he knew would happen, the linen was not a barrier for, indeed, it provided a bit of friction that teased her onward.

  Devil that he was, he whispered in her ear then. “May I kiss you there, Annora? Your juices will be so sweet on my tongue.” Her legs clenched around his hand, and she shuddered, so close to satisfaction that he was not certain she had not reached it.

  “You can do such a thing?” she asked in a throaty voice that made him weak with desire.

  “Oh, aye. That, and so much more.” He slipped his hand out and followed the curve of her belly up to her breasts. Cupping them, he rubbed his thumbs over their tips until she wriggled against him again. “So much more. But right now, I want my mouth there.”

  As he said the words, he began to gather the length of her shift in his hands and tug it higher and higher. Because of his height, he could look over her shoulder and watch as every succulent inch of her was exposed. When the shift reached her waist, he turned her to face him and pulled it up and over her arms and head and tossed it aside.