Page 51

They climbed the stairs in silence and even inside their chamber, neither of them moved to pierce the quiet.

Ambra assessed the tension in her husband’s wide shoulders.

He had said he desired her, yet not a flicker of emotion showed in his face.

He had said he wanted her, but taking her body, using it for his pleasure, even should she experience that pleasure too—in these final moments, she realized it was not enough.

“I cannot do this,” she said into the stillness, leaning a hand against the bedpost for support. “I will not.”

“What are you talking about?” Richard’s broad shoulders went even more rigid. “You are my wife. ’Tis too late now for regrets.”

“We’ll have the priest annul the vows. The marriage has not yet been consummated. ’Tis not impossible for us to—”

“The marriage will be consummated—and soon. You may count on that.”

“No!”

“For God’s sake, Ambra, we must do this. ’Tis the only way you will be safe.”

Tears welled but she blinked them away. “I cannot do it. If I didn’t care for you as I do, mayhap I could go through with it. But each time I see the regret in your eyes, it breaks my heart. No, Richard. I will not let it happen.”

Richard looked at her in stunned disbelief. “You are willing to marry Beltar because you believe I regret the marriage?”

“All I have left in this world is the person that I am. If the man I love does not value that person—”

Richard caught her arm. “What did you say?”

“Please, Richard. Lord Ral will do as you wish, I know he will. Tell him you’ve changed your mind, that you desire to wed another.”

He tipped her chin with his fingers. For the first time, the lines had left his forehead. “Why would I do such a thing… when it would be a lie.”

Her eyes searched his dear handsome face, trying to comprehend his words.

“’Tis truth that we are different,” he said.

“And aye, it worries me some. But from the moment of our first meeting, you have stirred me in some way. Since the day I discovered you were a woman, you have been a fever in my blood.” He pulled her gently into his arms. “If ’tis truth that you feel love for me as well as friendship, then I am no longer uncertain.

” He brushed a tear from her cheek. “We will make this marriage work—you will see. We will find a way to be happy.”

His kiss took the breath from her lungs and the fear from her heart. “Do you mean it, Richard?”

“Aye, ’tis a vow I mean to keep.” His lips covered hers once more, a kiss of possession that at last became tender.

“Are you afraid of what will happen between us this eve?” he asked softly.

“I have never been afraid of you.”

“I promise I will be gentle.”

Ambra shook her head. “I do not want gentle. When you kiss me, a fire rages inside me. ’Tis passion I want from you, Richard. Mindless blazing heat and kisses without end.”

Richard smiled so broadly deep grooves appeared in his cheeks. He cradled her face in his hands. “You are more woman than a man could ever hope for. You believed I regretted this marriage? Had I not wed you, I would have regretted it all the days of my life.”

With a last thorough kiss, Richard carried her to the bed and began to strip off her clothes. Fresh tears stung her eyes, but they were not tears of sorrow. Already she was happy and the night had only begun. With God’s will, it would be so for the rest of their lives.

***

Caryn tossed and turned, caught up in a hazy dream. Ral was lying beside a stately dark woman—Eliana, she saw. He was naked and covered in sweat. They had just made love yet Ral’s hand moved over her breast, caressing a nipple, urging her to once more respond.

Willing the image away, Caryn’s eyes snapped open.

She battled her way to wakefulness with the first dim rays of the sun.

Ral lay close beside her, his massive frame enfolding her spoon-fashion, his fingers cupping a breast. He was teasing her nipple, stirring warm languid sensations.

His touch had spawned the dream, she realized, feeling his hardness against her bottom.

It felt thick and heavy and she knew the pleasure it would bring.

Still, the dark images lingered, vying with the heightened tempo of her heart.

’Tis only a dream and a dream does not matter, she told herself firmly. She was the one Ral wanted, not the beautiful Eliana. She was the one who would take him inside her, the one who would ease his passions, and yet…

His lips brushed the nape of her neck. Pushing her heavy mane of hair out of his way, he gently nipped her skin then laved it with his tongue.

“Part your legs, cherie,” he whispered, the husky note in his voice sending a shiver of heat through her body.

She did as he instructed, the dream faded now, replaced by the flames sweeping hotly through her body.

His fingers touched her lightly, probing, teasing, sparking fires, making her achy and damp.

She gave herself over to the passions he stirred, the feel of his lips against her throat, the play of muscle as his massive chest rubbed against her back.

When he had readied her enough, he sank himself inside her, huge and hard, and Caryn arched her hips to accept him.

He felt rigid and pulsing, hot and thick and demanding.

He pulled himself out and sank in again, and fire careened through her body.

Caryn moaned at the heat roaring through her, at the overwhelming sensations of sweetness.

He held her hips with his hands, thrusting deeper, harder, touching the far walls of her womb.

Each stroke lifted her higher, spiraled her upward, and forced her nearer the edge.

Out and then in, out and then in, the steady rhythm hypnotic, the feel of his rock hard flesh against her slick damp skin making white-hot shivers run through her veins.

In minutes she had reached her peak, shattering into fragments of pleasure, then floating, floating, drifting down into a warm, honeyed sea.

She felt Ral tense as he reached his own release, then began to drift back down.

They lay quiet for a time, arms and legs intertwined, Ral as sated and relaxed as she.

She felt a masculine finger tracing patterns on her shoulder. His softly spoken words moved tendrils of hair beside her cheek. “I wonder was Richard’s night half as pleasant as mine.”

“I hope they are happy.” Caryn settled herself beside him, trying hard not to think of the dream or her uncertain future. For a while those worries had left her. Now they were wont to return. “I would not like to think our interference brought them grief.”

“I believe the marriage was Richard’s true wish,” Ral said. “’Twas only that by the time he had realized what he wanted, it would have been too late.”

Caryn smiled softly, enjoying the feel of having him so near no matter the consequence she might one day face. “I am always amazed at your wisdom, my lord.”

Ral scoffed at that. “We will see how wise a decision it was when Beltar arrives.”

Lifting her head from a muscular arm, she sat up and turned to face him. “How shall we proceed, Ral? What do you think is the wisest course?”

Ral sat up, too, pushing heavy black hair from his forehead.

“I have thought long on this. I have decided we will welcome the man as a guest. We will prepare a feast, though ’twill have to be a small one, then should things go smoothly, we will make plans for a hunt.

’Tis said the man has a liking for boar.

Mayhap the bloody taking of a beast will sooth the loss of his little virgin’s blood. ”

“I hope you are right,” Caryn said.

Ral nodded. “My scouts will arrive well before Beltar. We will know how many men we must fight, should my wisdom prove wrong.”