Chapter Four #4
He put his hands on his hips, hoping to lightly diffuse what could build into an unpleasant situation. He could just read the suspicion on her face.
“Can a man not work up the courage to declaring his intentions?” he demanded lightly.
“Must I be plain all within the first few days of knowing you? If you must know, then I am a coward. Women frighten me. It is not easy for me to state my intentions right away. I must ease into such a thing. To declare my interest for you all at one time might cause my heart to stop or my brain to freeze. The shock would likely kill me. You would not want that, would you?”
Gray was torn between giggling and the seriousness of the situation. She settled for amazement. “You would… declare your intentions? For me?”
He scowled. “Give me time, you pushy wench.”
A grin joined her amazed expression. “But… my lord, we discussed this the other night. I have nothing of value to offer.”
“And I am a knight bannerette with no property or standing.”
“I am well beyond marriageable age.”
He waved her off. “Are you mad? You are young and beautiful and when I gather enough courage, I shall… well, you know…”
She could not believe what she was hearing. The astonishment was more than she could bear. “Nay, I do not know.”
Braxton scratched his forehead. In fact, he looked almost nervous. “Must I be plain?”
“I am afraid so.”
He gazed down at her, the sweet curves of her face, the delicious manner in which her amber eyes reflected the dying sun.
He could look into her eyes and see a daughter with her exquisite face and his blue-green eyes or a strong son with her sensibility and his strength.
He could see his unborn children reflecting in the depths of her amber orbs.
Before he realized it, his hands were gripping her upper arms and he pulled her against his chest. His face was no more than an inch from hers as he spoke.
“I mean to marry you, madam,” he rumbled. “But until that time, I intend to spoil you as you were meant to be spoiled, and to shower you with attention as you were meant to know. Those are my intentions, as plainly spoken as I can make them.”
Gray gazed up at him, so completely swept away by his words that, for a moment, she forgot to breathe.
There was such power in his grip, such strength in his face.
She’d thought so from the moment she first saw him.
For the first time in her life, she felt excitement from a man’s touch.
For the first time in her life, she experienced the first sparks of true joy.
It was the most amazing dream she could imagine.
So she said the first thing that came to mind.
“Are you drunk?”
Braxton’s eyes widened. Then he broke out in laughter so strong that he nearly fell over with the force of it. Gray watched him, a smile on her lips, as he wiped his eyes.
“Aye, madam, I am drunk,” he struggled to catch his breath. “I am drunk with your beauty and charm and wit.”
She laughed shyly, watching him compose himself. As much as his declaration struck her, she was equally puzzled. “But… even if all you say is true, the fact remains that traveling is part of your vocation. I cannot wander with you. Even if you were to marry me, my place is here, with my daughter.”
His laughter was fading. “You worry overly. I would never dream of separating you from your child.”
“Does that mean you will live here, with us?”
He could only shake his head. “All I know is that the moment I laid eyes upon you, I knew I had to have you. Beyond that, I have not thought it through. Give me time, madam. I will do what needs to be done for us both.”
It was a vague answer, but not a frightening one. In fact, now that her shock was wearing off, an odd sense of elation was taking hold. Braxton watched her lovely face for a moment before extending his hand to her.
“May I have permission to court you, then?”
She gazed at his open palm before slowly placing her hand within his. “I will consider it.”
He brought her fingers to his lips, the first kiss between them sending waves of exhilaration through her body.
It was a very sweet, very tender moment in a life that had known none.
But her fingers tasted so sweet that he gave a gentle tug, pulling her up against him once more.
He held her close, gazing down into her miraculous eyes and wishing he was without his armor.
He so wanted to feel her soft body against his.
His lips came down upon hers, tenderly. When he felt her respond, his kiss turned insistent and hot.
His tongue gently snaked against her lips, tasting her flesh with all of the satisfaction of a man tasting the ambrosia of Heaven.
He forced himself to pull away, knowing he would be lost if he did not.
“Please do,” he said huskily.
His passion had left her dazed. She licked her lips, tasting him on her flesh. “What… what if you change your mind?”
“I will not.”
They walked back to the fortress without another word between them. They didn’t have to.