“Then quit yourcaterwauling and start scrubbing.”
Teeth chattering, Lara glanced aroundthe pool as the captain gathered wood at the shore.She could washherself fully clothed and sit by the fire he was building to dry,but that would take all night, and neither she nor the captain hadthat kind of patience.Besides, if she was already going to besoaking wet, she might as well get her body and her clothes asclean as possible, and her clothes would dry much faster off her.Plus, she could finally be free of her tortuousbindings.
She peeled her jerkin off hergoose-pimpled body and then her under-tunic, breeches, andbreechcloth and laid them on the rocks, then glanced at the shore,where the captain was tending his kindling fire.She attempted tountie the knot to her bindings, but her fingers were too cold.Biting her lower lip, she looked over at the captain as he stoodwatching her.
“What?”hebarked.
Lara shook her head and worked harderat the knot.The splash of water caught her attention and shelooked up.The captain strode through the river toward her, thewater darkening his leather breeches to the tops of histhighs.
“Here.”He stopped infront of her, so close she could have reached out and touched thestubborn set of his jaw.“Let me.”He took the knot by each end,and Lara glanced down quickly, grateful that the water came up toher waist, hiding her nakedness below.“Don’t worry,” he said.“You’ve got nothing I haven’t seen before.”
She didn’t know if he was speaking ofher in particular or women in general.Either way it brought hotblood to her cheeks and chest as he deftly untied the soggy knot.He held the loose ends out to her sides, and she took them in handand turned her back to him, waiting for him to leave the pool,knowing better than to demand he return to the shore when he didn’tmove.Not with the mood he was in.Her fingers shaking from morethan the cold, she peeled the sweat-stained bindingsaway.
“I hope you brought somehealing salve with you,” the captain said, his voice rough andclose.“You’ve got a few raw spots from the bindings.”
She dunked underwater, relishing thenumbing cold on her sores and an inner ache that had startedsomewhere deep in her belly and moved lower.Coming back up, shereached for the soap on the rock, only to find it gone.She lookedover her shoulder to where the captain stood no more than two pacesbehind her, brandishing the soap with a determined set to hisjaw.
“Your back could use awashing.”
Lara reached back to pull her hair upbut found only air and wet skin.She dropped her hands to hersides, and the captain muttered something about manes to mops asshe stood waiting for the scrubbing that Sophie would’ve given her.She almost jumped out of her skin at the first touch of his hands,which were surprisingly gentle as he massaged the soap around hersores, expertly working his thumbs into the muscle and sinew up anddown her spine.She swayed forward as he found a tender spot belowher shoulders and dug her feet into the sandy bottom to keep fromstumbling.He kneaded his strong fingers up her back and around thebase of her neck where he pressed his thumbs into the point whereher spine met her shoulders, and Lara groaned and stood threeinches taller at least.He continued to knead his way up her neckand into her hair, rubbing delicious circles into herscalp.
“There.”He stopped, andLara almost swayed back into him.“I’ve wanted to get soap andwater on that mop for days.”
His breath tickled Lara’s ear beforehe lifted his head from hers, and Lara craned her neck to get aglimpse of his face.He loomed over her shoulders, his gaze fixedon her breasts, which swelled under his rapt attention, her nipplesgrowing instantly hard and pushing up to the heat in his eyes likeseedlings to the sun.Lara’s breath came hard, but it was Talon’sshe felt as he stepped closer, the entire length of him pressingagainst her backside.He laid a hand on her bare hip, then tracedit up her side until he cupped her soapy breast.Her legs turned towet sea grass as he drew circles with the pad of his thumb aroundher nipple.Lara could barely think, much less seestraight.
“Ahem, ah,Captain.”
He stopped his play and growled low inLara’s ear.“Christ, if it isn’t your hound interrupting us, it’smine.”He stepped away from her, standing between her nakedness andthe shoreline.Phillipe stood with his back to them.“What?”thecaptain snarled as Lara dunked and rinsed.
“Sorry, Captain,” Phillipesaid over his shoulder.“But Ranulf’s pitching a fit, demanding theright to whip our girl Hamm here.Thought you’d like toknow.”
“What I’d like to know,”he muttered to Lara, “is a woman less troublesome, which would beany woman other than you.”He pulled his rolled-up tunic from theback of his waistband and held it out to her, his gaze raking herbare breasts.Lara hastily donned the tunic.“Come on.”He took herby one hand as she pulled the tunic down to her knees with theother.“Let’s get this over with.”
They made the shore as Ranulf,Lothair, and two more of the count’s men came down the path.Phillipe stood to one side of the group with both his short andlongswords drawn as Talon strode right up to Ranulf, still holdingLara’s hand.
“What do you want, boy?”he growled.
“Your bitchlidi.”Ranulf stared atLara.“I owe her a knock upside the head.”
“You touch mylidi…” Talon dropped hishold of Lara’s hand and pulled his falcata from its sheath andpressed the point to the soft underside of Ranulf’s chin.“Youwon’t have a head.”
Ranulf’s face contorted as Lothairmade for his sword.
“I wouldn’t.”Phillipeshook his head at Lothair, who looked from their four men to thecaptain’s and Phillipe’s two with a smug snort.Phillipe closed thedistance between them and pressed the tip of his longsword againstthe brute’s belly before Lothair could draw his.“Numbers don’tcount for everything,” Phillipe said.“Were I you, I’d go rightback up the way you came with your belly intact and your youngmaster’s head still on his shoulders.”
The captain twisted his sword underRanulf’s chin enough to draw a bead of blood on its point, and Laradidn’t move, let alone breathe, not until Ranulf gave a snort andstepped back, both hands palm up.
“Just keep a short leashon your bitch,” he spat when he was out of the captain’sreach.
“Just keep your distance.”The captain didn’t lower his sword.“You and your father’smen.”
“She has got you whipped,Guiscard.”
The captain said nothing, but the scaron his cheek was white and his jaw set as Ranulf headed back up thepath, making whipping sounds and laughing with Lothair.
“That was an amusingnight’s entertainment.”Phillipe gave an exaggerated waggle of hisblond brows before swiping sweat away from them.“I must say, Lara,you’ve livened up a boring march a bit.And we haven’t even met upwith the rest of the army yet.”
“Now you see why I toldyou no?”the captain said through gritted teeth as he sheathed hisfalcata.“You couldn’t keep out of trouble with only forty men,what do you think will happen with four thousand?”
