Page 38 of Lionheart

Sweepingher into his arms, he carried her to the bed. His gaze never left hers as heshed his clothing and lay down beside her. His mouth found a sensitive place onher shoulder and teased it with his teeth and tongue, causing her to writhebeneath him. Lowering his head, he took a nipple between his teeth, flicking itwith his tongue as his fingers tormented her feminine flesh below.

Slipping twofingers inside her, he stroked the length of her with small, fluttery movementsthat made her cry out softly and arch against him. Then his mouth left herbreasts and began to travel downward; a cry of dismay ripped from her lips whenshe realized what he intended. His lips brushed across the flat of her belly,caressing the velvet softness of her thighs, pressing his face into the sabletriangle between.

Somethingdark and primitive surged through her, and she tried to push him away, but hegripped her slender waist and pressed her firmly into the bed furs. When shefelt his tongue flick deep inside her hot, slick channel, she gasped inoutrage. Then he began to lap her, tasting her with slow, languid strokes,swirling his tongue in and out and over the swollen petals. The little bud ofher secret place flowered beneath the heat of his mouth, and Vanora feared thesinful feelings he was arousing in her.

Fearedthem because she no longer recognized herself in the woman writhing beneath thepowerful English knight. Her husband had turned her into a wanton, and sheliked it not.

"Stop!'Tis sinful."

"Naughtis sinful between husband and wife," Lionheart said, looking up from thebountiful feast between her thighs. He heaved a regretful sigh. "Mayhap wewill save this for another day. Before I leave, I shall teach you all the waysto give and receive pleasure."

"Mayhapyou will not be around long enough," Vanora said hopefully.

"Icannot predict the future, but whatever time is left to me will be put to gooduse teaching my wife how to please me."

Reachingbetween her thighs, he drew his fingers along her cleft. Honeyed dew seepedover them as he caressed the swollen folds, still slick and wet from his mouthand tongue. Vanora moaned and unconsciously parted her legs wider as he againslipped two fingers inside her and moved them in and out in hard, deliberatethrusts. Liquid fire spilled through her as the deep penetration of his fingersexplored her so thoroughly.

Suddenlyshe was gasping for air. She struggled against the rising tide of passion, butLionheart was relentless. Then she burst into a brilliant shower ofoverwhelming sensation. She cried out, a desperate cry that shook her verybeing.

Lionheartfought for control; his cock was ready to burst and his balls ached with rawneed as he guided himself to the entrance of her body. He wanted to thrust hisway inside her, to take her quickly and spend himself violently. The only thingthat stopped him was the code of honor he had sworn to abide by when he hadachieved knighthood. The code demanded that he should honor his wife, andthough his hasty marriage was probably the biggest mistake of his life, hurtingVanora was not his intention.

He hadaroused her with his mouth and fingers; she was damp and ready. Nevertheless,he proceeded with caution, penetrating her slowly, until he felt the barrier ofher maidenhead. He did not go any further, but pulled slowly back, then dippedinside again, and slowly back, over and over, until she grew accustomed to thefeeling of being stretched. It was not easy to breach her, despite the dampnessthat readied her for him. He rocked his hips back and forth, forcing himself alittle deeper with each thrust.

Vanora'sbody resisted the increasing pressure; the pain surprised her. She had known itwould hurt but was not prepared for the degree of pain she was suffering.

"Stop!You cannot fit."

If she hadexpected him to stop, she was mistaken. He merely tightened his arms and heldher firmly beneath him, controlling her struggles with his weight and strength,focused now on his own pleasure. He pushed harder, and her tender flesh gaveunder the pressure, closing around his thick length as he surged full and deepinside her. Finally he was in her to the hilt; she writhed helplessly beneathhim, shifting to ease the pain.

"Theworst is over, sweeting," he said, soothing her without withdrawing.

The deedwas done; she was truly Lionheart's wife now.

Herbreathing calmed, became deeper. Now that she was reconciled to the fact thather virginity had been breached, some of the pleasure she had experiencedearlier returned. She felt him deep inside her, pulsing strongly within hertightness, and she moved her hips experimentally. It felt. . . good. Nay,better than good. She wanted more. She looked up at him and met his glitteringsilver gaze.

"ShallI continue?"

She felthis tenseness ease; until then she had not realized how tight his muscles hadbeen. Swallowing hard, she nodded.

"Iwant to hear you say the words. Do you want me, Vanora?"

Admittingsuch a thing bit deeply into her pride, but she could no longer deny her need.While her mind utterly deniedhim, her body wanted him. "Aye, I want you."

He kissedher, deep kisses that shook her to the very core. Grasping his shoulders, shewanted to move more quickly, to finish this and be done with it. but hecontrolled her; his hands beneath her buttocks rocked her against him. He urgedher to accept his pace, sometimes slow, sometimes fast, but always masterful.

Headjusted his weight, leaning into her, pressing her down further into the furs."I told you we would fit," he whispered into her ear. "Can youfeel me inside you?"

She tossedher head back and forth on the pillow, feeling every turgid inch of him fillingher. "Aye."

"Youare so tight and warm and wet inside."

His wordsserved to heighten her awareness of the motion of his hips, the heat, the puresexuality of their coupling. She whimpered. He thrust deeper. He overwhelmedher with his passion. The pressure grew, intensified; yet she fought to containit.

He sworesoftly. "Do not hold back. Give yourself to me, Vanora. You aremine."

He movedwithin her, relentlessly, faster and deeper, as if he wanted to touch her soul.She was suddenly frightened of the way she felt, as if she had no control overher body. She pushed aside the inner voice that whispered what she did not wishto hear: that it was Lionheart's right to use her in such a manner, and thatshe enjoyed what he was doing to her.

Time stoodstill as she clung to him, their bodies moving as one. She heard her ownmuffled cries and could not stop them. With each thrust of Lionheart's staffshe flew higher, her senses pulsing with soaring ecstasy. Then her bodyclutched the hard, thick length of him and convulsed in mindless rapture. Thepleasurable contractions seemed to go on forever, her cries filling the chamberwith sweet music as her body climbed unimaginable peaks.