Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Ellery
Callan played music as everyone in the encampment danced around the fires, sang, and celebrated our success in stealing from the duke. We didn’t rob anywhere near as much as they took from us, but it was a small victory we relished.
The woman and her son sat at a table, looking more than a little dejected. We’d learned their names were Sue and Dean; Sue had agreed it wasn’t safe for her to return to Nottingshire tonight, but she was concerned about her husband and knew he must be worried.
We’d promised to get word to him soon. One of the camp women, who wasn’t wanted for a crime, had agreed to go to Nottingshire in a few days on the pretext of shopping. The guards wouldn’t stop anyone from doing that.
She’d deliver a note to Sue’s husband and bring him back if he agreed to it. It would take time and be difficult for them during their separation, but we would get her husband to her.
Though stress radiated from Sue, she smiled at something another woman said to her, and after they finished eating, the boy got up to play with the other children. I grinned when I saw Mouse playing too; he could take care of himself, but it was always such a relief to see him.
Hands settled on my waist before Ryker plucked me from my seat beside Scarlet. He set me on my feet, grasped my hand, and spun me around.
I laughed as he pulled me against him again, clasped my other hand, and danced me out to the center of the merriment. He swirled me through all the other dancers before spinning me around again.
The fires and dancing helped ease the chill of the November night. They burned around the edge of the dance space, their flames flickering as fresh wood was placed on them and sparks shot into the air.
Ryker’s strong arms enveloped me again, and I found myself flush against his rigid chest. I tipped my head back to look up at him and rested my hand against his stubble-roughened cheek as the fires danced in his eyes.
Rising onto my toes, I kissed him. His hands locked around my waist, pulling me against him as the kiss deepened and my tongue found his. I sighed as warmth pooled inside me.
Then, without warning, he clasped my hand again and spun me away. Disoriented by the abrupt change, I was still trying to get my bearings when he pulled me against him again and grinned at me; I scowled back, and he laughed.
“You’ll pay for that,” I muttered.
“Next time, leave the town.”
Before I could start getting angry over his words, his lips brushed mine again, and a loud cheer went through the crowd. Ale splashed out of tankards when they clacked together. Ryker danced me through the celebrants as hands clapped and dancers twirled all around us.
My face hurt from smiling so much while laughter surrounded me. We didn’t have much in these woods, but we had each other, and we’d found happiness, friends, and family here.
As the song ended, the last few notes of Callan’s lute lingered in the air before drifting away. There was only a brief pause before he started playing again; this time, Luna began singing as she clapped her hands and danced toward her brother.
Ryker kept my hand in his as he danced through the other celebrants toward the edge of the woods. I didn’t realize what he intended until he twirled me again and reclaimed me amidst the trees.
Lifting me into his arms, his mouth took possession of mine in a kiss that set fire to my body and curled my toes. His muscles rippled and flexed against me as he strode through the woods.
I played with the hair at his nape and savored the scrape of his stubble as his tongue entwined with mine. I loved the feel of that stubble, so real, and so him… or at least the man he’d become.
Now that he was free of the confines of his duty as the duke’s son, he’d become more in tune with the forest and the wildness within him. It was wonderful to watch him embrace this new life and everything that came with it.
When his hand settled on my ass, he pulled me closer so I rubbed against his erection with every step. The movement sent delicious shivers up my spine.
I was so lost to him that I didn’t realize he’d stopped walking until he set me down and turned me away from him. My palms fell on the rough bark of a large tree as he pressed against my back.
His breath warmed my ear as his hand slid down the front of me and undid the button of my pants before sliding inside.
The sensation of his body against mine and his calloused hand slipping further down caused me to gasp before he found my clit and stroked it.
My hips surged forward as I sought more of his touch and the ecstasy it brought.
His lips traced my neck as his erection prodded my back, and he pushed my pants lower. Despite the cold, I didn’t feel the biting air against my skin; I was lost to the fire he’d created within me.
His hands caressed my thighs as he bent to remove my boots before pulling off my pants and tossing them aside. When he rose over me again, he’d freed his cock from the confines of his pants; it rested against my back as his hand slid down my front to glide through my wetness.
“You’re so fucking wet,” he murmured in my ear.
I turned my head toward his lips as he stroked my clit again before grasping my hips and pulling me further away from the tree. Then he was inside me, pushing deeper, as he filled and claimed me.
I marveled at the sensation; I’d felt him within me many times over these months, but how right he felt still amazed me. He was a part of me.
I didn’t notice the sounds of the forest, and the noise of the celebration faded away as I focused on the pleasure we gave each other while he moved in and out of me.
When he rubbed my clit again, I came apart with a loud cry that carried through the woods, but I didn’t care who heard it. Nothing mattered but him and the groan he emitted as, deep within me, his cock pulsed with his release.