Chapter Nine #2
He lifted an eyebrow. “You let me worry about that.” With one hand, he reached beneath his chest armor and fumbled in the mail.
He suddenly drew forth a small wooden box with a ribbon tied around it.
The ribbon was a little smashed, but it did not dampen the Gray’s thrill when he extended it to her.
“Speaking of spoiling, this is for you.”
Eyes wide with awe, she timidly took the box. She turned it over in her hands, inspecting it as if she’d never seen such a thing before. “What is it?”
He chuckled. “Open it, you silly wench.”
She grinned and pulled at the ribbon. It fell away and she carefully pulled the lid off of the little box.
She gasped at the contents before reaching in to pull forth the treasure inside.
A beautifully etched thin gold band with a massive pale green stone glistened in the weak light.
It was magnificent. She gasped again, in awe, as she inspected it.
“It’s… beautiful, simply beautiful,” she breathed. “For me?”
He took it from her and collected her left hand, sliding it down over the third finger. It was a little snug, but it fit. Gray held her hand up, staring at the ring as if hardly believing what she was seeing. Braxton’s gaze moved between the ring and her astonished face.
“A token of my affection,” he said simply.
“When did you get this? I have been with you nearly every moment of the day.”
“I bought it when I bought the pig. It would seem that merchants are willing to open their shops, even at night, with the promise of a large sale.”
“But this is so beautiful. Surely it must have cost a small fortune. I am not sure I…”
He cut her off. “As my betrothed, you warrant such a thing.”
She looked at him, then. “We are betrothed, then? I thought we were merely courting.”
He grinned, full-on. “If you think for one minute I am courting without a purpose, think again. I shall marry you before this month is out.” He suddenly grasped her arms, pulling her up against his chest as his smile faded.
“No one else is worthy of you, madam. You and your headstrong daughter and your broken down fortress deserve everything I can provide for you and more. Do not deny me this honor.”
She swallowed hard, feeling his sincerity, finally allowing herself to believe that he was truly genuine in everything he said and did. Until this moment, she’d still held doubt. But no more. She wound her arms around his neck.
“Oh… Braxton,” she whispered as her soft lips came down on his.
He pulled her fiercely to him, his kiss hot and lusty and aggressive.
In little time she was off the stool, on her knees against him as his mouth ravaged her.
With her arms around his neck, there was little she could do other than hang on while he tenderly assaulted her.
His passionate mouth moved from her lips to her face, her neck, her shoulders.
His lips were hot and moist, stirring the embers of desire in Gray until she was quivering with want.
She’d never experienced such passion; in fact, her encounters with Garber had been far and few, usually drunken romps ending in her tears.
She had no glorious memories of passion or coupling.
But with Braxton, she could only imagine how wondrous it might be.
His mouth moved to the swell of her round breasts and his big hand, very gently, cupped her left breast. She gasped softly and started to pull away, but he held her close and his gentle touch turned more insistent.
He fondled her boldly as his lips reclaimed hers, his kiss moving deep.
He held her so tightly that he was sure he was squeezing the breath from her because he could hear her gasps and sharp exhales as he had his way with her.
He wanted to taste her flesh in the worst way.
He wanted to suckle a rosy nipple until she wept with the pure joy of it.
Her breast was soft and round in his hand and he could feel the hard nipple through the fabric.
But his kisses slowed as he struggled to regain his control, fully mindful that this was not the time or place for this, no matter how badly he wanted her.
When he finally pulled away from her mouth, she drew in a heavy breath as if struggling to breathe.
He gazed down into her half-lidded eyes.
“As a man of supreme control, I can tell you that it has taken all of my strength not to continue exploring you,” he murmured. “My want for you is more than I can express, sweet. I am sorry if I frighten you with it.”
His hand was still on her breast, gently rubbing where moments before he had been passionately fondling her. Gray labored to regain her wits, her hand instinctively closing over his as it held her breast.
“You do not frighten me,” she whispered. “I… I have never experienced this level of passion before. It was never this way with Garber. In fact, it would sicken me whenever he touched me. But with you… I love this already, Braxton. I never knew it could be like this.”
He smiled at her, his features illuminated by the soft candlelight. He kissed her again, tenderly this time, his hand still moving slowly, sensually, over her breast. “It is a promise of things to come, this passion that ignites so easily between us.”
“Do you think so?”
He spoke with his lips still against hers. “I know so.”
He pulled away to look at her again, her exquisite beauty in the dimness of the tent.
But he also pulled away because he was dangerously close to losing control again.
Removing his hand from her breast, he straightened her bodice where he had mussed it.
Then he helped her back onto the stool at Geoff’s bedside before rising.
He was thankful he was in armor, for the mail and pieces of plate concealed a powerful erection. God, he wished he could take her at this moment.
“Now,” he said, trying to distract himself. “I shall go and see how they are coming along with the pig. I should probably also see how Lady Brooke is faring after her scolding.”
Gray lifted an eyebrow at him. “Do not coddle her, Braxton. She must learn her lesson.”
His lips twitched but he bowed his head as if to agree to her wishes. Gray watched him go from the tent, suspecting that he would not. He would fold like a weakling the moment Brooke turned her big, sad eyes to him.
She was right.
An hour later, Braxton had not returned to the tent.
With Geoff still unconscious, Gray felt the need to stretch herself, if only for a moment.
She rose stiffly and exited the tent only to find her daughter, Braxton and both squires missing.
The men at arms tending the fire could only point towards the dark town in response to her query.
Since Braxton was with the children, she didn’t particularly worry, but she wondered where they could have gone.
The evening was cool but not cold and the stars above were brilliant.
Gray wandered away from the encampment, her eyes on the town in search of her daughter and Braxton.
The dark tournament field was to her left, the empty lists mere shadows of the excited stands they had been earlier.
Wandering aimlessly, and grateful for the opportunity to stretch her legs, she noticed that there were a few tents pitched off to the west of the tournament field.
She could see the triangle-shaped silhouettes and the flicker of the cooking fires.
Curious, she wandered in that direction simply because wanted to see their banners and then attempt to deduce which House they were from.
Purely idle curiosity. But she did not want to wander too close so after several minutes of pacing, she decided to turn around and head back to Braxton’s encampment.
Turning on her heel, she almost ran into a massive body standing behind her.
Startled, she yelped and fell back. A big hand reached out to steady her.
“Forgive, my lady,” came the deepest voice she had ever heard. “I did not mean to frighten you.”
Heart in her throat, she craned her neck back to gaze up into the face that emitted the voice.
Surely it was the Devil himself. Eyes the color of obsidian gazed back at her, although it was difficult to deduce much else in the dark.
She couldn’t see his face clearly. But he was definitely a knight for he still wore his mail and a portion of arm protection was still strapped to his right arm.
He was a very big fellow with handsome, rugged features. She took another step away from him.
“You merely startled me, my lord,” she said as steadily as she could. “I apologize if I have stepped into your camp. I was… well, I was looking for my daughter but I see that she is not around here.”
She walked a wide berth around him; though he did not stop her, his black eyes followed her like a cat tracking a mouse.
“I saw you at the tournament today,” he said. “You were sitting in the lists with a young girl who has your same color of hair. Is that the daughter you are looking for?”
She nodded, trying not to be too obvious about making distance between them. “Aye.”
“She yells like an alehouse wench.”
Gray paused in her attempt to escape and lifted an eyebrow at him. “It was her first tournament. How else should she behave?”
The knight laughed softly. “Exactly as she did. She was all I could hear.”
“You were competing, too?”
“I was the victor.”
An inkling of recognition came to Gray’s eyes. “You are Sir Niclas?”
He bowed gallantly. “At your service, my lady.
“You injured Geoff.”
He straightened up, his dark eyes flicking in the direction of Braxton’s camp. “It was an accident, I assure you,” he said. “How fares the wounded knight?”
Gray regarded him carefully. “We do not know yet,” she said after a moment. “We have done all we can. Only time will tell now.”
Niclas nodded faintly and his gaze moved to her once again. “Are you d’Uberville’s wife?”
“Nay.”
“But you travel with Braxton de Nerra’s camp?”