Chapter Nineteen #2
Mira waggled her eyebrows. “I think some require more than others,” she said. “I hope I do not tax yours overly.”
“You haven’t yet,” he said, grinning. “Where was I? Oh, and Roi is the brother who is a king’s chief justiciar.
He is quite scholarly, but also an excellent knight.
His story is a little sad, in fact. The woman he married was meant for his eldest son.
When Beckett was killed, Roi married Diara in his stead, and I swear to you I have never seen him more content.
From him, I learned acceptance. Sometimes you must accept what life brings you. ”
“And it has brought you to me?”
He chuckled. “Something like that,” he said.
“Myles is the fourth brother, the one I am closest to. He is a glorious stud of a man, much pursued, and he fancied himself in love with a woman who, in fact, was no good for him. That pushed him into the arms of a bookish, beautiful woman whom he had no interest in, or so he thought. But Veronica is the best thing that could have happened to him, so from Myles, I have learned that what you want in life is not always what will make you happy.”
She was watching his face as he spoke. “Does that apply to you?” she asked. “Wanting something in life that has slipped away from you?”
He shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “Nothing that mattered, although I will say that out of all of my brothers, Myles and Westley and I seem to be the most pursued by women. I suppose we all look somewhat alike with the hair and the big build. Women seem to find it pleasing.”
Mira started to laugh. “God’s Bones, man, are you so humble?” she said. “Douglas, you are positively gorgeous. Surely you know that.”
He looked at her rather coyly, part of his hair hanging down over one eye, which made him look impish. “If you say so, then it must be true.”
Mira rolled her eyes because she could see that he was toying with her. “Spare me the false modesty,” she said, reaching out to playfully pinch him. “You are a man among men, and if you ever cut your hair, I will disown you. I find it wholly attractive.”
He grinned, flashing his teeth. “You needn’t worry,” he said. “My hair has never been cut and never will be.”
“Why not?”
“Because my mother never had the heart to cut it as a child and I got used to it that way,” he said. “It has become part of my identity. As strange as it sounds, I do not think I would know myself if I did not have it.”
Mira inspected his hair, running her fingers through it, feeling its strength in her hands. “Odd how things define us,” she said. “Mayhap not to other people, but to us.”
He closed his eyes, relishing the feel of her fondling his hair. “What defines you?”
She stopped grooming his hair and thought on it. “This,” she finally said, turning her head and pointing to a little freckle on the edge of her chin. “See this? Strangely enough, my brother has one, too. In the same place.”
“That is strange.”
She nodded. “With everything that has happened in my life, with my mother virtually disowning me or even the harassment by Raymond, this little freckle ties me to someone I will always be part of,” she said.
“My twin brother. He will always be Payne and I will always be Misery. No matter what, I have him and he has me.”
She resumed stroking his hair, and he watched her face as she did so. “You’ve not spoken much about your brother,” he said. “Is he good to you?”
She nodded. “Verily,” she said. “Where do you think the dowry is coming from? Payne inherited my father’s lands and title and has always been kind and generous with me.
When my mother sent me back to Axminster, he is the one who escorted me.
He wanted to make sure I was well settled and had a good position.
He knows I am happy here and he is content with that. ”
Douglas found himself wrapping his arms around her as she continued to stroke his hair, feeling her sweetness against him, dipping his head down to kiss her bare shoulder gently.
“I suppose I should ask him for permission to court you,” he said. “He is technically the head of your family, is he not? I am not entirely sure I can accept Lady Isabel’s permission because she made it sound as if your mother had the final word on your future.”
His warm, soft kiss to her bare shoulder brought her movements to a halt. It was the naughtiest, most decadent thing that had ever happened to her, and her heart began to race. He caught her looking at him with a startled expression.
“What?” he asked. “What is it?”
The startled expression transformed into something of a smirk. “You should not have kissed me,” she said. “In fact, you should not be alone with me in here. You know that.”
He lowered his gaze but didn’t move away. “Do you want me to leave?” he said. “I will if you want me to.”
She reached up, pushing a long strand of hair that was hanging over his eyes back behind his shoulder. “I did not say that,” she said. “But we should, at the very least, have a chaperone.”
“Why?” he said, eyeing her. “Are you afraid of what I might do?”
She bit off a smile. “What are you going to do?”
“If you keep touching my hair, I just might have to touch something of yours.”
“You can if you wish.”
He looked at her fully then. He studied her face for a moment before lifting both hands and cupping her head between them.
His thumbs brushed her cheeks, his fingers found their way into her hair, and before he realized it, he had pulled her to him and his mouth was slanting gently over hers.
Every so gently. He was acutely aware that she was battered and bruised from the day before, but that wasn’t going to stop him from kissing her.
He was desperate to do it.
Mira had never been kissed before, at least not like this. Raymond’s childish attempts those years ago had been the only time she’d ever come close, and since he filled her with revulsion, that had been her predominant opinion of kissing in general. Sloppy, rushed, and unwelcome. But this…
This was not unwelcome.
The moment Douglas put his mouth against hers, she felt a jolt.
His touch was warm and soft, but there was an undercurrent of…
something. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it felt as if lightning was coursing through his lips and bolting into hers.
It was thrilling to say the least. For the first few moments, she kept her eyes open, looking at him because he was so close to her.
She could see his eyelashes and eyebrows, the pores on his skin.
Then she inhaled through her nose and his scent filled her.
Something musky and salty and delicious.
That was when her eyes finally closed.
Now, her other senses were experiencing Douglas in a way her eyes couldn’t.
Mira felt like flotsam in the sea, being pushed around by wave after wave of Douglas’ strength.
He suckled her lips, first the top, then the bottom, and managed to pull her mouth open when he did that so his tongue could stage an invasion.
Mira’s arms were around his neck, holding him fast, as he tasted her deeply.
She let him, experiencing every movement, every sensation, with the greatest of curiosity.
When he finally pulled away, he was breathing as heavily as she was.
For a moment, they simply stared at one another until Mira broke the spell.
“What… what did you do?” she said breathlessly.
He grinned, his lips red from his onslaught. “I think that should be quite obvious.”
Mira struggled to regain her wits. “That… that was a kiss?” she said. “I’ve never known a kiss like that before.”
He cocked a blond eyebrow. “Well and good that you haven’t,” he said. “Did you at least like it?”
She nodded eagerly. “Will you do it again?”
His mouth was on hers before she even got the last word out.
His powerful arms went around her and she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him so tightly that she was nearly strangling him.
His hair got wrapped up in her grip and he finally had to ease up because she had trapped him with her vise of an embrace.
He started laughing, pulling his hair out from underneath her arms, from her hands, and even from her mouth.
It was everywhere. Mira laughed along with him, smoothing his hair down because she’d mussed it so badly.
“Are you done now?” she asked.
“Done with what?”
“Kissing me?”
His laughter grew. “Never,” he said. “But if I keep going, we may… Well, I do not want to be caught in a compromising position. Lady Isabel might box my ears.”
Mira grunted. “You’ll be fortunate if that is all she does,” she said. “But… it would be worth it, wouldn’t it?”
Grinning, he cupped he back of her head, leaning over to kiss her again in a most tender gesture.
Mira groaned softly, throwing her arms around his head and knocking him sideways in the process.
She ended up pushing him into her and his teeth cut her lip.
He realized it almost immediately because he could taste blood.
“Christ,” he muttered, stopping his onslaught and holding her chin in his hand so he could get a look. “Let me see what I’ve done. I’m so sorry, love. I did not mean to.”
He was looking at her lower inside lip even as she answered. “It was my fault,” she said. “I’m not very good at this.”
There was only a tiny speck of blood where he’d shoved a tooth into her gum, and he leaned down to kiss it. “You are excellent,” he said. “But we will become more coordinated with practice. Enough so that I don’t bite your lip or knock you silly.”
Mira giggled. “I would not mind, I assure you,” she said. Reaching up, she stroked his beautiful hair again. “It would be pain most pleasurable.”
He chuckled, too. In fact, he couldn’t seem to stop smiling or laughing.
Everything about this moment made him want to smile and shout it to the world, to experience a joy he’d never known before.
He wanted more of it, but he was also very conscious of the fact that Mira was bruised and battered from yesterday, so he didn’t want to pile onto that.
Better to let the woman rest and heal before he ravaged her again.
But he honestly wasn’t sure he could wait that long.
“This is not supposed to be a game of pain or battering,” he said.
“This is supposed to be something passionate and tender, as much as two people can be, but I appreciate your sentiment. And your confidence. In any case, I think we have pushed the limits of propriety as far as we can, because I keep waiting for the chamber door to open and Lady Isabel standing in the doorway with a club that has my name on it. Therefore, may I summon a servant to help you dress?”
Mira’s smile faded. “If I must.”
“What’s wrong?”
She shrugged, averting her gaze. “It is nothing, truly.”
“Do you not trust me enough to tell me?”
She looked at him. “Of course I do,” she said. “I simply do not want to sound silly with petty complaints.”
“Let me be the judge of whether or not they are petty,” he said. “I hope you feel that you can always tell me anything and I will never judge you. I will help you if I can.”
Her smile returned. “That is very kind,” she said. “I suppose… I suppose I was thinking that I do not want to leave this moment in time between us and face the world. When it is just the two of us, I feel very safe and happy. It’s something I’ve never felt before.”
“Nor I,” he said. “I should not like to leave this moment, either, but the truth is that we must for now. But moments like this will come again.”
“Then I shall look forward to that,” she said. “It shall keep me fortified for what is to come.”
“Meaning?”
She gestured toward the door. “Meaning I am not looking forward to facing what is outside that door,” she said.
“I am sure Lady Isabel wishes to speak with me about the incident involving Raymond. I can only tell her what I told you, but I know she’ll want to hear it.
Speaking of it again is reliving it, and I am not looking forward to that. ”
He cupped her face with one hand, kissing her on the cheek before he stood up. “I wish I could make this all go away for you,” he said. “I will be with you when she questions you if you would like.”
“I would, thank you.”
He smiled at her, encouragingly, and she nodded as if to acknowledge that she could face whatever she needed to as long as he was by her side.
Strange how a woman, so independent and used to being alone, now found herself swept up in this glorious creature who had declared his intention to court her.
To marry her. God, how she could so easily give herself over to Douglas and blend in with him until there were no lines between her and him.
Until they were one mass, one mind, one thought, one body.
Oh… to be so happy.
It was finally within her reach.
“I’ll send a servant up to you then,” Douglas said as he moved for the door. “I will wait for you down in the solar. I must speak to Lady Isabel anyway, so come when you are ready.”
Mira nodded. “I will,” she said. “And Douglas?”
He paused at the door, hand on the latch. “What is it?”
“Thank you.”
With a wink, he was gone. Mira sat there a moment, an enormous smile on her face, before tossing off the coverlet and leaping from bed.
Oh… to be so happy!