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"Did he?" Evelinde asked, unable to stop herself this time. "Did Cullen love Maggie?"
"I think he grew to have affection for her," Biddy said carefully, then sighed. "There are different kinds of love, lass. For the most part, our Cullen treated Maggie with the easy affection of an older brother. In truth, I think she set out to find his father's killer in the hopes of gaining his love. And I fear that may be what got her killed. "
"I am not sure I understand," Evelinde said slowly.
"The silly lass got herself broken on the cliffs. No one kens how. She may have just fallen, or…" She paused and then admitted, "I've often wondered if she did not come close to solving the matter, if she did not fall so much as was pushed. Ye ken?"
Evelinde nodded, then just as quickly shook her head, confusion rearing up in her. "But if Cullen's father and uncle were not murdered, why would anyone kill Maggie for looking into their deaths?"
Biddy appeared startled by that logic. "Aye. That's true enough. "
Evelinde took in her troubled expression and decided Biddy obviously wasn't as certain they weren't murdered as she'd like others to believe. Closing her eyes as the woman began to pour another bucket of water over her head, Evelinde asked, "How did the rumor start that Cullen killed her?"
Biddy released a sound of disgust. "How does any rumor start? Someone spoke it and, nonsense though it was, it spread like wildfire. They say he killed her because she had produced no bairn. Howbeit, the lass was with child when she pitched off those cliffs. "
"She was?" Evelinde gasped, and peered at her with horror. "Are you sure?"
"Aye. She'd missed her woman's time three moons in a row, though she wasna showing yet. "
"Did Cullen know?"
"It would be hard for him to miss, with them sleeping in the same bed," she said dryly.
"Aye," Evelinde murmured, a blush rising to her cheeks. She hadn't considered what it would mean to be married. She would now be sharing a room and a bed with the man. He would know everything about her; every flaw on her body, and even when her woman's time was. She bit her lip at the realization, then shook the matter away with a sigh. There was little to be done about it. It was the natural way. It was just embarrassing to realize Cullen would soon know her even better than her own lady's maid.
"There, lass. Yer hair is all done. Now I shall go take yer gown and chemise below to be cleaned and fetch that salve for ye. It'll take me a minute to mix it up, so ye go on and soak a bit if ye like, then dry off, but doona dress. Lay yersel' on the bed on the linen, and I'll be back to spread it on ye. "
"Thank you, Biddy," she murmured, as the woman bustled from the room. Evelinde remained in the tub a few more minutes while she contemplated all she'd learned, but her thoughts died abruptly as she realized she had no fresh clothes to don.
A displeased mutter slipping from her lips, Evelinde carefully got out of the tub and began to dry herself. She then wrapped the linen around her body and plopped onto the side of the bed to consider her situation. Much to her dismay, all she had in the world was the wrinkled and filthy dress she'd worn on the journey. It amazed her that a man who had shown such care and consideration in other ways could be so dense about things such as this. Shaking her head, she dropped back on the bed and closed her eyes, but then winced as her hip began to ache.
Standing, Evelinde removed the linen and laid it out on the bed to protect it from any salve dripping on it, then lay down again, this time on her stomach. She then crossed her hands as a pillow and laid her cheek on them, her eyes closing as she tried to sort out how she was to deal with the issue of having only one gown. Perhaps Biddy would have an idea, she thought hopefully. She would have to ask her when she returned with the salve.
So far, the woman really seemed very sweet, and she was glad to have her there, but it didn't stop her missing Mildrede. Sighing, she closed her eyes and soon found herself drifting off to sleep as she waited.
Evelinde woke to the feel of a warm salve being spread over her back. She smiled sleepily as strong hands massaged the salve into the bruise over her ribs on her side and back. The touch was as soothing as the salve, the way the abused flesh was kneaded, easing away the last of the knots in her muscles.
"That's lovely, Biddy, thank you. "
The grunt that came in answer made her eyes pop open and her head swivel in alarm.
"Cullen!" she gasped.
"Wife," he said calmly.
"I thought you were Biddy. " It was the only thing she could think to say as her mind screamed that the man was kneeling on the side of the bed, her naked back and bottom displayed before him.
Cullen didn't bother to say she'd been wrong, but simply pushed her back to lie flat with one hand on her shoulder blade and continued his ministrations.
Biting her lip, Evelinde lay stiff beneath his efforts, even squeezing the cheeks of her bottom tight together.
Cullen worked in silence for another moment, then growled, "Relax. "
Evelinde tried. However, it was simply impossible while his hands were moving over her skin and his eyes were drinking in her naked state.
Cullen continued to work on her side for another moment while she struggled to relax, failing miserably. He then stopped, caught her by the waist, and flipped her onto her back.
Evelinde gasped in alarm, her eyes going wide, and then his mouth covered hers. She stilled at once, not rejecting him, but not exactly welcoming either. She was too stunned by the speed of everything, but then his tongue slid into her mouth, and she relaxed beneath him with a little sigh, her arms creeping up around his neck as his mouth and tongue worked their magic.
He really was a very good kisser, Evelinde thought dreamily, then blinked her eyes open in disappointment as he suddenly broke the kiss. In the next moment, he'd flipped her onto her stomach again as if she was a child and began to work the salve into her back once more. It was only then she realized he'd only kissed her to make her relax.
It had worked, too, Evelinde realized. She'd become loose and limp in his arms after just one kiss. Mind you, now that he wasn't kissing her anymore and her mind was functioning again, she was remembering she was lying naked before him, her bare behind in his face. It was having a rather deleterious effect on her relaxed state, slowly bringing the tension back to her body as she wondered if her bottom was as pink as she was sure her face was at that moment.
Cullen removed his hands, and she glanced around to see him scoop up a handful of some goop from a bowl on the table beside the bed. He worked the salve between his hands for a moment, warming it, then turned back to smooth it over her back.
Much to her surprise, he wasn't just using it on her bruise, Instead he was spreading it over her whole back, running it up her spine and kneading it into her shoulders, before sliding down her back again. She was just beginning to relax under the gentle kneading when his hands reached her backside.
Evelinde winced when his hands slid to the sides of her hips, smoothing the salve into the tender areas there. She even began to squirm a little, instinctively trying to withdraw from the touch. Cullen didn't comment, merely worked the salve into the skin gently until she began to relax as the pain eased and faded. He then shifted his attention to her lower back and finally her buttocks.
Evelinde had to bite her lip and squeeze her thighs tight together to keep from reacting to the touch. She was most relieved when his hands continued down to her legs, smoothing the salve across the backs of her thighs and down to the backs of her knees. However, when his fingers began to trail up again, moving along the inside of her thighs, every muscle in her body jerked tight.
"Roll over. "
Evelinde glanced over to see him concentrating on scooping out more salve from the bowl. She briefly considered refusing the order, but he was her husband, and he'd certainly already seen everything, she told herself. He'd had to help dress her on their wedding day.
Cow indeed, she thought with disgruntlement as she recalled the comment, then heaved out a breath and reluctantly turned over. Still, Evelinde couldn't prevent her hands from instinctively moving to cover herself.
When Cullen turned back with the salve, he didn't comment on her modest efforts but simply began by rubbing the salve into her throat and shoulders. Evelinde watched his face as he worked, but as usual it was expressionless. His eyes, however, were not, and she found herself fascinated by the slow burn building in them as he met her gaze.
She didn't resist when he took the arm she'd laid across her breasts and began to massage the salve into it. Cullen started at her fingers, then moved on to her hand, wrist, and elbow, feeding her arm through his hands so it was between them. He'd reached her upper arms when Evelinde realized her salve-slick hand had brushed against the bit of plaid that crossed his chest over his tunic as he worked.
"There is some on your plaid," she said apologetically.
Cullen glanced down and frowned. He released her to try to brush at the spot, only to make it larger. Scowling, he reached for the broach that pinned the plaid in place, then paused to stare at his salve-covered hands. Raising his head, he said, "You do it. "
Evelinde hesitated, then reached out with her still-clean hand and quickly unclasped the pin. The plaid fell away at once to pool around his waist, but she knew it was just lying there loose and could slip away at any moment.
"The shirt, too. "
Evelinde glanced uncertainly at his face. His expression was closed, waiting. Biting her lip, she sat up on the bed, wiping her greased hand on the linen as she did. She then reached for the hem of the loose shirt and lifted it up his chest, her eyes widening as inch after inch of flesh was revealed.
Unlike her, his chest looked perfect without a bruise to be seen, but then he'd landed on his back, she thought, as he as he lifted his arms and leaned forward for her to remove the shirt. Evelinde did and then sat back to look at the suddenly half-naked man before her.
Lord in his heaven above! He was beautiful. Muscles rippled through his shoulders and chest as he was freed from the shirt and lowered his arms. She had the most curious urge to run her hands over his chest, and briefly considered scooping up some salve as an excuse to do so.
"Lie down. "
Evelinde dropped back on the bed as ordered, but couldn't seem to make her eyes stop their exploration of the wall of male chest before her. The man had to be twice as wide as she.
Cullen distracted her from his chest by bending to his work again. His hands were still slick with the salve as he turned his attention to massaging her side where the biggest bruise was. Evelinde winced at the first touch, but the salve soon eased the tenderness there. She hardly noticed when his hands began to move in wider circles over the spot… until his fingers brushed lightly over the side of one breast.
Evelinde caught her lip in her teeth, her eyes fastened on his face as he worked. Truly, at first she thought it was merely an accident. There was nothing about his expression to suggest otherwise, but then his fingers brushed lightly over the side of her breast again, a little higher this time.
On the third pass, Cullen's eyes suddenly shifted to her face, and he caught her gaze and held it as his fingers glided up again, this time, sliding so high they came perilously close to brushing her nipple. Evelinde's breath caught in her throat, then he removed his hands and turned to scoop up more salve and, again, he warmed the substance between his hands. Evelinde watched the process with interest, her gaze sliding between his hands and his face. She was watching his face when he apparently decided the salve was warm enough and suddenly brushed her arm out of the way and covered both her breasts with his hands.
Evelinde gasped, her body jerking as he began to knead the flesh there. Her eyes closed as his fingers worked magic, drawing responses that left her breathless and even panting. It was exciting and frightening, all at the same time. He'd touched her before, but then she hadn't felt quite so vulnerable and… well… naked. It did not help that he was watching her the whole time, his eyes hooded and hungry.
She wanted to ask him to stop. She wanted to beg him not to stop, and she wanted him to kiss her, but he touched her with nothing but his hands, squeezing, kneading, plucking then rubbing by turn, until Evelinde thought she couldn't bear it another moment. Just when she opened her mouth to protest, to ask him to at least kiss her as he touched her, his hands slid away, and he turned to scoop up more salve.
Evelinde bit her lip to keep from speaking and clenched her fingers to keep from reaching for him as he warmed the salve. When he turned back, he ignored her upper body altogether and instead turned his attention to her lower legs. He massaged and caressed her feet, her ankles, her calves, her knees…
Evelinde watched him turn away to collect more salve, aware her breathing had become uneven and labored. It was a combination of what he was doing and anticipation of what was yet to come, then he turned back, and his hands glided over her legs just above the knees. Evelinde was stiff as a board, her entire body waiting. When his hands moved higher and crested over her upper thighs toward the juncture between her legs, she gasped and caught her hands in the linens she lay on.
She did not know if it was the salve, or his massage that was doing it, but her aches and pains were completely gone; the only sensation she was experiencing was pleasurable anticipation.
"Relax," he growled again, and Evelinde sighed as his hands moved back down her legs: rubbing, massaging, and kneading the kinks out of her muscles. This time, when his hands began to move higher along her thighs, she didn't stiffen up but squirmed slightly, her legs easing open under his touch.
What he was doing was making her eyes droop closed so she was peering at him through bare slits. She watched his face, noting the concentration and care on his expression and once again wished he'd kiss her. Evelinde liked it when he kissed her. She liked to taste him when his tongue thrust into her mouth, she liked the way it rasped across her own. These thoughts frittered away like cobwebs, and she gasped and found herself clutching at the linens again as his hands moved over her upper thighs, his fingers brushing lightly across the flesh at the apex.
Evelinde was suddenly aware that as he'd massaged her he'd spread her legs wider, leaving her open to him. A flash of embarrassment claimed her, but not enough, she thought, to make her close them and hamper his touch. And then his fingers brushed over her core again, and her legs snapped closed, stopping the caress and trapping his hand at the same.
It was an instinctual reaction. Evelinde couldn't have stopped it had she tried. Biting her lip, she opened her eyes and found him looking back at her. They stared at each other for a moment, neither of them moving, then, still meeting her gaze, he used both hands to ease her legs open again and shifted to kneel between them so they couldn't close. As he did, his plaid slipped until she was perilously close to seeing the hardness that was presently raising the cloth.
Evelinde watched him silently, aware her chest was rising and falling in rapid shallow breaths, as his fingers brushed over her skin again. Her legs tried to snap closed but were prevented by his presence, so instead she closed her eyes and clenched her fists and moaned, her hips instinctively trying to shift and arch as his fingers danced over her flesh.
If she'd thought he'd built a fire in her by the riverside at d'Aumesbery, it was nothing compared to what he was doing now. Evelinde actually began to ache with a need she didn't understand and had barely tasted at the river. Her hips began to move of their own volition, the urge so strong his hold could not completely stop it. And then he suddenly withdrew those magic fingers.
Evelinde's felt the absence keenly, and her eyes shot open at once. She met his gaze and saw the smile curve his lips before he suddenly leaned forward to dip his head between her legs, replacing his hand with his mouth. She cried out with shock and started to sit up to grab for his head and try to draw him away, but then his tongue rasped over her heated, sensitive flesh, and she froze, even her breathing stopping. A second rasp sent the breath she'd been holding out on a whoosh, and Evelinde dropped back on the bed, her body taking over from her shocked mind.
Her knees rose, her heels dug into the bed, and her hips began to undulate as a high, ululating moan began to stream from her mouth. It soon turned into a somewhat louder, uh uh uh… and then an Oh God, oh God, oh God.
Evelinde had begun to twist her head desperately back and forth on the bed when she felt something enter her, his finger, she thought, and the excitement that had built in her suddenly exploded, rushing over her in a wave that left her incapable of making any sensible sound at all. Lost in the sensation claiming her, she never noticed him rising up, tearing his plaid away to drop it on the floor, and shifting his position between her legs.
Evelinde was vaguely aware of a gentle prodding, then he suddenly plunged into her, filling her until she thought she'd break apart around him. He froze. She opened confused eyes to see his were now closed, an expression that appeared almost to be pain on his face. After a moment his eyes opened, and he watched her face silently as he eased halfway out.
Evelinde felt her body clench around him, protesting his leave-taking, then he eased back in again, and she closed her eyes once more, giving herself over to the sensations bursting back to life inside her.
She felt him catch her by the bottom and lift her hips, and groaned as he pushed back into her again, his body rubbing against her sensitive core. Her moan seemed to act like a release for Cullen. The speed picked up then, his hips moving faster, his body pounding into her over and over again, enflaming their passions until they both cried out with release.
