Lord Liar Part 38

Their hearts thudded as he waited, poised above her, for the ripple of pain to subside. He kissed away the crystalline tear that trickled down her cheek, making her love him all the more.

"You have given me a gift, my sweet Aldyth," he whispered to her, "for no man has ever been where I am. Not ever will be," he added, his voice husky.

"And now I will give you a gift."

He began to move inside her, slowly at first, pulling and pus.h.i.+ng the tingling hub of flesh just above his shaft. She pushed upward, tentatively at first, and was rewarded by such a great wave of ecstasy that she repeated the motion as he surged against her again.

"Yes, my love! Ah yes," he breathed into her neck. "More... take me deeper..."

Her hands tightened around his hips, pulling him deeper, deeper, and all the time he kept up a steadily spiraling rhythm that made her heart race and her lungs burn for air. She felt as if they were running a tormenting race, a race that neither would win unless they both won. But the things he was doing to her made her no longer able to think, only to: feel. To feel some approaching culmination that threatened to shatter her into tiny pieces. But he was relentless, pus.h.i.+ng her closer and closer to that dangerous precipice.

She dug into him with her hands, holding on to him for dear life. And then suddenly it was as if there were not even a soft down mattress beneath her back, and she was launched into empty air.

She felt him thrust again, and then he was falling with her into the white-hot heat . He was lying on his side, gazing intently at her when she returned to earth minutes--hours? --later and opened her eyes.

"Are you all right, sweetheart? I wasn't too rough with you?"

"Oh, Ranulf," she breathed, still taking it all in.

"That one moment of pain was well worth what followed. I had no idea..." If I had known, I would have given myself willingly to you that day in the stable, she thought, but did not dare to voice the words aloud.

"What about your ankle? G.o.d's toenails, Aldyth, I'm a brute for forcing myself upon you when you've just fallen off your horse and come within a hairbreadth of breaking your neck" -- She had forgotten the injured ankle; it reminded her of its presence now with a faint throb, but she felt too wonderful to give it much heed.

"Hush," she whispered, laying a fin over his well-chiseled lips.

"My ankle is well enough, and you did nothing I did not want. We've already wasted lo much time..."

He nodded, tracing the line of her chin, his dark eyes "" Tis true.

I've already told you why I thought I let myself love you. "

"Foolish man," she said fondly, allowing herself the joy of running a hand through the tousled, raven black hair.

"But I believed also that after Turold you were afraid of all men.

I . I thought I would frighten you if I let you know how much I desired you.

She stared at him.

"Ah, Ranulf, I could never be afraid of you! I've loved you since we were children."

"Even when I played the debauched rogue toward you in the stable, Aldyth? I was trying to frighten you away, did you know that? But I did not feign wanting you--saints, that was true enough!"

She kissed him softly.

"I wanted you, too, even when you acted the rogue," she admitted.

"You don't know how close you came to succeeding in tumbling me in the hay!"

"Too bad I didn't," he said with a grin.

"We might have saved ourselves a lot of grief. You wouldn't have had to chop off your beautiful hair, for one thing," he said, fingering a lock that fell low over her eyes.

"But, Aldyth, what about when you saw me mince into the hall that night at Kingsclere? Surely I disgusted you--confess!" he teased. Aldyth rolled her eyes.

"Verily, that was a shock. I could not believe how you had changed. Or so I thought."

"So they all thought," he said more soberly.

"I've hated deceiving my father and mother, too, but unless all treated me as if I were radically, even disgustingly changed, Rufus might not have trusted me as much as he did."

"You were very convincing," she told him. Then, imitating the languid, drawling voice he had sometimes a.s.sumed, she mimicked him. "" Warin! This cloak has a speck of dust on it! Dust on my garments sickens mei Clean it immediately, boy! " Oh, Ranulf, I cannot wait to see their faces when we're able to tell them the truth at last."

"I hope it may be soon, just as I hope we may soon wed," he said, pulling her against his chest.

"Oh, Ranulf," she sighed rapturously, as if words could not express her joy.

He thought to doze a little, but the action brought her soft breast into contact with his chest, and then she stretched a shapely limb over his legs.

He felt a stirring reaction in his groin, felt his staff start to swell in response. Nay, 'twas impossible.

And too soon for her. She would be too sore . He rolled away from her, wincing inwardly as he glimpsed a streak of blood on her thighs.

"Ranulf" -- Her arms reached out to him.

"Nay, I've just remembered something," he said, turning his back to her as he stood up, fighting for control, trying to will his pulsing manhood to cease its clamoring for more.

"There's something I want to give you right now. It's early for a New Year's gift, I know, but I want to see how it Ranulf crossed the room to where he'd discarded his clothes when he had undressed and found the sword belt with the small pouch attached. Reaching inside, he brought out the necklace he had purchased at the goldsmith's shop hours ago.

He watched the green eyes widen as he held out the intricately worked, gold link necklace with its pendant of jade carved in the shape of a rose.

"Ah, 'tis lovely, Ranuff," she breathed, fingering the jade rose.

"I've never seen a stone of such a hue."

"" Tis from far-off Cathay, the Jew told me," he said.

"I thought it the exact color of your eyes."

She s.h.i.+vered with delight as he fastened it about her neck. Ranulf tried not to look as the pendant settled between her oft b.r.e.a.s.t.s, whose tips looked as if they were roses, too. Then Aldyth laughed.

"It seems I resented a woman who doesn't exist." At his puzzled look, she explained.

"When you went to the obvious whatever you bought--I couldn't see what it was--was not for Desiderata, I thought you had a lover back in England.

Some highborn n.o.ble lady, I thought. Oh, Ranulf, I was so jealous! "

"Foolish wench," he said fondly.

"I'll never give you cause not to trust me."