First Knight

by Ines Johnson

Curious fingertips poked at the top of his towel. The pad of her thumb rubbed at the line where his bare belly met the trail of coarse hairs.

  Arthur growled. The low, deep rumble shook loose Morgan’s fingers, and he caught her free hand. He held it captive as he glared down at her. But the growl wasn’t filled with menace. It was desire that had burst from him. The tight leash of control slipped a few notches, leaving his defenses woefully lacking.

  “Morgan,” he warned.

  “What?” Her brow pinched in genuine puzzlement. “You said you’d prove it. We’ll need your tool for this experiment.”

  That caught him off guard. A chuckle escaped him. Forget keeping him on his toes. This woman would constantly knock him back on his heels.

  “I’ve never seen a naked man,” she said. “Outside of pictures and statues. And little boys that I’ve babysat for.”

  “I’m not a little boy.”

  “Prove it.”

  He was a grown man. But he couldn’t resist the challenge from this woman. He’d show her his. Once she saw how eager he was to make her acquaintance, she’d back off.

  Arthur let the towel drop.

  Morgan took a step back.

  Arthur clenched his hands to keep from reaching out to her. His erection showed no such manners. It sprang toward her, the tip straining to cover the distance she’d placed between them.

  But Morgan hadn’t run away. She’d only taken the necessary step to look down and take him in. “Well, now. That is impressive.”

  Arthur had never blushed a day in his life. But the taut flesh of his groin did. The color was beyond a pale blush of pink, it was nearing bloody red.

  “I suppose it’s my turn now,” she said.

  Before Arthur could launch a protest—and in all honesty, he wasn’t exactly sure if that was what he would’ve done—Morgan reached for the tie of the robe she wore and tugged.

  The fabric fell off her shoulders revealing honey golden skin. Arthur’s eyes were immediately drawn to the dark brown nipples at her chest. They pebbled like the topping of a decadent treat. He hadn’t even touched her, yet the sugar rush went straight to his head, and he nearly lost his mind. Nearly.

  “I know it’s hideous.” Morgan’s hands went to cover the scar at her belly.

  Arthur’s jaw clenched at the sight of it. His own brother had been responsible for that mark there when she’d been cut with the weapon that stole her magic. Arthur pried her palms away from the bit of flesh. Heat met the backs of his knuckles when he touched her torn skin.

  “I know I’m not flat in all the right places and bumpy in some other places.”

  With great difficulty, Arthur lifted his gaze from said bumpy places to watch the movement of Morgan’s lips. His brain was truly muddled. The words she formed weren’t making any sense.

  “My mother will be sure to put me on a diet before the wedding, so things should smooth out somewhat by then. And I’ll try to keep it tight, but I actually like bread and believe that the only way to eat a tomato is on a bed of pasta, not lettuce and—”

  Arthur silenced her with a kiss. He let his lips communicate just what he thought about her bared flesh. His tongue told her how much he wanted to taste every inch of it.

  “You’re perfect,” he said when he let her take in air.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’ve never wanted anyone, or anything, more in my life more than I want you,” he said. “I vow to you my blood and my bone. I give you my body, that we two might be one. I give you that which is mine to give. I give you my spirit until the day your life is done.”

  He’d had a plan. He’d planned to teach this woman who was boss. He’d planned to show her who was in command. And yet again, like every time he came face to face with Morgan Galahad, he found himself on his knees and at her mercy.

  He was on his knees now. A dark triangle of a gift was before his eyes. Arthur leaned forward and used his tongue to unwrap it.

  Morgan gasped, jerking her hips back.

  Arthur slid his hands up the backs of her thighs. He cupped her full ass, holding her in place. “Be a good girl.”

  This time she didn’t protest. A spark lit her blue eyes, like a lightbulb shining from the inside out seeking clarity. He would show her. He’d hide nothing.

  She’d asked him for proof; proof of his prowess, proof his lovemaking would bring pleasure and not pain; proof that the vows he’d just made he’d hold to the end of his days. Arthur dipped his head and set about proving his position.

  At the first swipe of his tongue, Morgan’s knees buckled. Arthur held her upright, slipping his tongue deeper into the folds of her sensitive flesh. His lips found the tight bud of her pleasure and he sucked, pulling it into his mouth and flicking his tongue mercilessly.

  Morgan braced her hands on his shoulders. And finally, for the first time in their lives, she gave into him.

  Her sweet nectar flowed over his tongue. Her tremors radiated from her core. Her thighs shook. Her knees bent. She collapsed in a puddle into his arms.

  Arthur scooped up his treasure. He rose on steady legs and lifted her onto the bed. He lay her soft form onto his firm mattress and then covered her with his hard body.

  She uttered no protest. She offered no analysis. She simply opened for him.

  Her gaze was wide and trusting. Her arms uncrossed from her chest, leaving her heart bare. Her knees parted, pink flesh glistening as it continued its aftershocks of pleasure.

  His patience had been tried. He’d said his vows. Arthur could wait no longer. He took himself in hand, preparing to take the final step of this lifelong journey. But first, he couldn’t help himself.

  “Morgan.”

  “Yes, Arthur?”

  “It’s been thirteen minutes,” he said. “I’m still standing.”

  Realization was slow to straighten her brow. She smiled sheepishly. “I stand corrected.”

  “You need to understand; once I’m inside you, you’re mine.”

  “I thought I already was yours.”

  “There was a slim chance I’d have let you go. Caveman tendencies will kick in once I breach your treasure. I will never let you go. Do you understand me?”

  One of Morgan’s hands went to his heart. The organ beat so powerfully, it moved her fingers with each thump. The other hand she moved to his cheek. The warmth of her fingers permeated the thick hair of his beard, and he felt her touch deep inside him. It was all the consent he needed.

  Inch by inch, he made his way inside her warm and welcoming flesh. When her untried channel constricted his advance, Arthur reached down and rubbed at the swollen flesh at the apex of her sex. Even though the nub had given her pleasure just moments ago, the tight bundle of nerves eagerly reacted to his continued attention. With each contraction her core pulled him farther and deeper into her channel, claiming him as her own.

  Arthur had never pondered the origin of the universe. He knew for a fact that there was a god and she was a woman. Or at least humanity’s concept of the feminine. He knew magic existed because it flowed through his veins, and he could see it with his own eyes.

  Touching Morgan, tasting Morgan, was like watching the sunrise. Warmth spread throughout him, thawing the deep recesses of his soul that had never expected to receive light. Feeling her climax while he was at the center of her was what he imagined the Big Bang was like.

  There was nothing for him to hold onto as the universe exploded around him. He felt himself expand, come apart at the seams. He was flung far and wide to an abyss where he could see nothing, only feel. It was frightening, terrifying. And he couldn’t wait to do it again.

  When the embers of their passion cooled, Arthur felt he had a new lease on life. Mankind had once believed the sun to revolve around the Earth. Opening his eyes, Arthur came out of the dark ages. The light of his world lay beneath him.

  Morgan’s eyes were closed as the tremors slowly subsided. Her nails dug into his skin, anchoring him close to her. She needn’t hav
e worried that he’d ever leave her orbit.

  Was this love?

  Arthur wanted Morgan near him, to protect her, to kiss her, to touch her.

  He wanted to hunt a beast, kill it, and feed her the choicest pieces of its flesh.

  He wanted to spill his seed in her again and again. He ached to see her lush body swell with his child.

  Was this love?

  “Go on,” she whispered. “Say it.”

  Those fire blue eyes bored into him. Arthur was tongue-tied. His heart raced.

  She knew.

  She knew that he was in love with her. He’d never felt so vulnerable in his entire life. And yet, even in this defenseless state, he knew with certainty that he’d give her his sword to do with him as she saw fit.

  Love was madness.

  “Say I told you so,” Morgan said.

  That was not what he wanted to say.

  “You were right. It didn’t hurt.”

  And then she smiled. That same smile filled with pure joy and delight that he’d seen cross her face days ago when she was in the kitchen with Igraine. That’s when Arthur knew for certain exactly what it was that he was feeling and exactly what it was called.

  He pulled her close, placing a gentle kiss at the corner of her mouth, tasting her sweet joy. He wanted more, but what he’d taken, what they’d shared, would tide him over. For now.

  “I told you,” he said. “I will never hurt you. Raise my voice at you—most definitely. Try to intimidate you with my size—most likely. Dazzle you with my charisma and prowess—every moment of our lives. But never pain. I promise you that.”

  “Wow,” she said snuggling into his chest as though she intended to stay forever. “It never felt so good to be proven wrong.”

  24

  The sun streamed in announcing the new day. The rays flickered and danced, urging Morgan’s eyes open. The stream of light was both particle and wave, like ice cubes melting and solidifying before her eyes. Morgan held her breath and watched, saw particles in the light stream.

  Was this the residual effect of the hart? Or maybe it was a side effect of Arthur’s lovemaking?

  Morgan knew a woman wasn’t supposed to feel any different after losing her virginity. It was a simple physiological event. But she felt different. She was seeing things differently. That warmth in her belly hadn’t cooled, it burned in her gut. Nearly as bright as when she’d had her magic.

  Maybe Arthur’s penis was magic? There were a number of romance novels out there that purported it was possible. Scientifically speaking, spermatozoa was a natural anti-depressant and a multi-vitamin containing melatonin, Vitamin C, calcium, and magnesium to name a few.

  She hadn’t consumed Arthur’s seed. Though she knew that was done. Would Arthur want her to do that to him at some point? He had taken her sex into his mouth. Turnabout was fair play.

  But no. That’s not why Morgan was feeling so warm in her belly. It had to be because of Arthur’s hand resting possessively on her abdomen.

  She shifted, turning on her side so that she could see him. Immediately, his hold tightened, stoking the flames within her. It could’ve been the heat rolling off her body, or the shift in her position that woke him. Arthur’s eyes sprang open. His gaze narrowed at her, accusingly.

  “I’m not trying to escape,” she said. “Just shifting positions.”

  Arthur sighed as though put out. He pressed a kiss to her temple and then released her. But his hold only opened enough for her to shift closer to him. Then he recaptured her in his arms, pulling her flush into his solid, hard body.

  Morgan stole a glance down between their bodies. The muscles in Arthur’s thighs and ass flexed as he wrapped a leg over hers. She caught only a glimpse of that taut appendage between his thighs. What she couldn’t see, she could most certainly feel.

  “Keep looking at me like that,” Arthur said, “and I will do something about it.”

  “We can’t do anything about it again. Not now at least. I need to sneak out of here and get back to my room before anyone notices I’m gone.”

  “Sneak?” Arthur reached around her neck and gathered her nape in his palm. He gave a light but firm tug so that she tilted her head back to look at him. “From your husband’s bed?”

  “You’re not my husband yet.”

  “I gave you my vow, Morgan.”

  The words he’d said to her last night came back to her. Her mind had been so fogged that she hadn’t really been paying attention. But now she remembered.

  She’d heard those words before. They were the Celtic vows of marriage. He’d said them to her while he was on his knees. As far as the old laws were concerned, they were bonded as man and wife.

  “I told you,” he said. “There’s no going back. Your things will be out of your room and in here, in our room, before lunch.”

  Morgan’s hand came to rest on his strong chest. Her fingertips brushed roughened skin where he’d nearly lost his heart for her twice. His heartbeat was steady and strong. It kicked up at her touch.

  “I’m not going back,” she said.

  Arthur’s hand slid down her back. It came to rest at the curve of her ass as he pulled her thigh higher up over his.

  “But I do want to talk about moving forward,” she said. “I’m not going to take the fellowship.”

  He growled his assent as he bit at her neck.

  “They’re looking for Element 119. As we saw last night, that element is pure magic. I can’t reveal that to the human world.”

  “No, you can’t,” Arthur agreed after tasting her collarbone. But then he paused and lifted his head. “Could they find it on their own?”

  Morgan inhaled and then let out a slow breath. “Simon. That’s the physicist I’ve been working with, he is quite brilliant. But he’s going about his search the wrong way. They probably would’ve found it using my theory. Without me? It’s possible. But not for a few years at best.”

  “Good. Magic in the hands of humans is dangerous.”

  Morgan didn’t entirely agree with him. Not every human was out to burn witches at the stake. Many of their inventions and discoveries added creature comforts to the townsfolk here in Camelot.

  “So, you’ll take your role as Lady of the Castle?” he asked as he rested an elbow beside her head and peered down at her.

  “No,” said Morgan. “That’s still Gwin’s role. She’s still married to the eldest Pendragon. She’s better at it than I’d ever be. And you know it.”

  He neither conceded nor disagreed. “What will you do with yourself then? Before you answer that, know that I plan to take up a majority of your time at night …” He kissed her shoulder. “At dawn …” He kissed the top of her breast. “And pull you into dark halls at odd times during the day.” He captured her lips with a searing kiss.

  “But,” he said after pulling away to peer down at her again, “I know you need something for yourself. Something without controlled substances and children would be preferable.”

  “I don’t know,” said Morgan. “I’ve always wanted to go to university, but I see now it’s not the place for me. I’m back to being between the world of magic and science. Not many people live on this island. But I have time to figure it out. I have a wedding to plan. You’re helping, by the way. If I have to postpone my career, you’re staying at my side to plan this fiasco.”

  “And so the nagging begins.” He rolled away, flopping back onto the mattress.

  Morgan rolled on top of him and punched him in the arm. He gripped his arm as though her love tap had done true damage. She used the momentary distraction to slip out of his hold.

  “Where are you going?” he growled as he reached for her with lightning quick reflexes. Luckily for her, she was just beyond his grasp.

  “To get dressed.” She slipped on her robe to his look of pure mutiny. “I have to go to the university.”

  “Didn’t we just discuss how you’re not taking the fellowship? Can’t you snap or kick a message over the in
ternet?”

  “I need to tell Simon face to face.”

  “Simon?” Arthur spat out in a whiny, singsong voice.

  “Things happened between us last night.”

  All humor left his voice “Things?”

  “We nearly kissed.”

  Arthur swung out of the bed.

  Morgan held up her hands before Arthur could start. “But I stopped it. Because I realized I had feelings for someone else.”

  That caught his attention. “Feelings? What kind of feelings.”

  Morgan swallowed. “I’m still examining them.”

  She would not be the first to say those three words. Though she was very certain that they were what she felt. That’s what the thing was. There was no other logical explanation for it.

  “Simon and I made sense,” she said by way of evasion. “But I’m coming to see that matters of the heart don’t follow the laws of physics.”

  Arthur captured her in an embrace. His hold was loose, but she knew it was a false sense of freedom. He was not about to let her go.

  “I don’t have feelings for Simon. But I do have respect for him. He stuck his neck out on a limb for me. The least I can do is turn him down face to face.”

  “Fine. I’ll come with you.”

  “You will not. I’m a big girl. I can do this myself.”

  “He’s a man.”

  “I’m a witch. A non-practicing one, true. But I’m also a Galahad girl. Do you really think I can’t handle a human scientist?”

  Arthur gave her the look. It was the look he’d aimed at all three Galahad girls when he suspected them of something. It never worked on Morgan. That included now, even after he’d made her shake and tremble. He probably should’ve tried to kiss her silly. That would’ve likely gotten her to mind. But he hadn’t gone that route. And she had no intention of directing him in this case.

  “It won’t take long,” she said. “I’ll drive in and be back—”

  “Drive? Have Gwin open a ley line.”

  “You’re being controlling. It will only take a couple of hours. Then I’ll be back at your beck and call.”

  Arthur snorted, eyeing her with suspicion. “Do you want to know what I think? I think you just want another look at that lab.”