All in all, Talon and Lara’s firsteight months as count and countess had gone well, though Talonwasn’t sure he’d ever get used to the title.Thankfully, his menstill called him Captain, and Isabeau had called him Papa for thefirst time seven days ago.Mama and Woof, it seemed, had a new worda day, and she’d even taken her first shaky steps on her own beforeplopping down on her backside with a grin to match her proudparents’.And last night she’d slept the entire night in her crib.A crib she still slept soundly in.
“Wake up, wife,” hewhispered into Lara’s ear.“Wake up and kiss your husband before hehas to leave you for the day.”
She buried her face deeper into hispillow and he took a strand of auburn hair and gently pulled itdown to the lower edge of her shoulder blade.
“Are you measuring my hairagain?”The pillow muffled her sleep-softened voice.
“Aye, wife.”He kissed hercheek, flushed from sleep.“I am.”
She rolled over and gave him a slygrin.“I’m thinking of cutting it again.”She ran a hand backthrough the tangled mass.“It’s so much easier short.You men don’tknow how good you have it.”
“I know exactly how good Ihave it,” Talon told her.“And I don’t want to lose a single inchof it.”
“No?”Her sly grin turnedimpish.
“No.”Talon pushed a curlback behind her ear, trailing his finger along her jaw and cuppingher chin.“Not one inch.”
She sat up and leaned back against theheadboard, exposing her bare breasts.“I suppose a wife should obeyher husband about such things.”Her grin was anything butservile.
“I do remember hearingsomething about that whilst kneeling before the abbot.”He rubbedhis short beard.“Besides, if you cut your hair, I can stop cuttingmy beard.”
“Oh no.”Lara shook herhead and her curls bounced over her breasts.“No husband of mine isgoing to let some scraggly, nasty beast grow from his chin.”Sheraised an eyebrow and leveled her gaze as Talon lifted his from herbreasts.“You are my husband, are you not?”
“Aye, wife.”He sighed.“Ihave been these eight long months passed.”She narrowed her eyes.“Eight glorious months?”he said with a grin calculated to make herlaugh, but she gasped and clutched at the empty space between themwhere their daughter had been every other morning of their life aslord and lady of the keep.
“Isabeau.”
“Shhh.”Talon put a fingerto his lips and nodded toward the crib.“She’s sleepingsafely.”
“Oh.”Lara grabbed herchest as she laid eyes on her daughter.“Oh thank God.”
“What did you see in yourdream last night?”
“She was gone,” sherasped.“In my dream, Issy was gone.She was just…gone.”
Talon rubbed up and down her arm.“Itwas most likely your body reacting to her absence from our bed,” hesoothed.“This is a good thing.We may get to have our bed back toourselves for entire nights at a time.”
“It was rather pleasant tosleep the night through without your greedy little monkey waking meto nurse.”
“Well.”Talon feasted hiseyes on Lara’s full breasts.“I can’t say as I blame her forthat.”
He gave her a lusty grin, rememberingthe short time they’d shared a bed before he’d left for Saxony,before Isabeau’s birth, when they would spend the mornings wrappedup in each other.He leaned in and gave her a kiss, sweet andtender as those lazy mornings had been at first, then growing withneed and intensity as something else grew.
“See,” he whisperedhoarsely, wrapping her touch around his erection.“See how proud Iam to be your husband?”
She laughed, low and throaty.“Wouldthat all husbands were so proud.”She squeezed, then kept hermovement slow and sure.
He pushed his cock in rhythm, groaningwith anticipation, when a knock came at the door.
“What?”he snarled.
“Dawn’s breaking,Captain,” Phillipe called.
“I’m up.”
Lara covered her laugh with the handthat had been stroking his cock a moment before.
“Sorry.”Talon could havesworn he heard Phillipe chuckling.“Your orders.”
