The Tempest (10 page)
“I thought I told you to stay inside.”
Her words were defiant. “As if your commands mean anything to me.”
She put her arms around her father, slowly helping him to his feet. While she led him back to the house, Guy examined his horse and found the animal to brcin. He glanced around, his eyes focusing on the bodies of the three guards. Two would have to be buried. The third he wasn’t sure of. Was the man alive or dead? In all honesty he didn’t care either way. But he knew he couldn’t leave corpses lying around to be discovered.
He saw his horse settled, and returned the chickens to their pen. Then he slowly dragged each of the two dead men into the woods, throwing leaves and brush over their bodies. They wouldn’t be missed, and in all likelihood they would become a feast for some wild animals before anyone even gave them a thought.
Dragging himself back towards the property, his foot throbbing viciously from overuse, he looked about for the third guard…and found he was nowhere in sight. For several minutes he scanned the area, but he knew that the guard had probably come to life and was likely headed back to Nottingham in a hurry. Would the man remember what, or more particularly, who he had seen? Would anyone even believe the rambling of a drunken guard? Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought altogether, too exhausted and in too much pain to think of anything but getting back to the house.
As he stood in the doorway, he watched Cassia with her father. Robert sat in a chair with a blanket around his shoulders, while Cassia handed him a cup. Seeming to sense Guy’s eyes upon her, she slowly turned to look at him. His expression was blank, but his eyes burned bright as he looked at her…saying just what he was thinking.
One good deed deserves another, Cassia. What are you willing to give me as repayment?
“Are you prepared to reward me, Cassia?”
She raised her eyes to him…then just as quickly she lowered them, her face flushing with warmth. Kneeling at his feet as he rested in a chair, she examined his swollen ankle. To his question, she gave no reply. Instead, she remarked on the condition of his injury.
“The bone is sound. You are fortunate not to have damaged it again.”
He reached out and grasped her chin, making her look up at him. His scowl was dark. “Do not attempt to change the subject. I saved your father’s life, at possible risk to my own. Such heroics should be rewarded accordingly.”
She swatted his hand away. “Then where is my reward, Sir Guy of Gisborne? Where is my father’s reward? You forget, it was we who saved you from certain death. I should say that neither of us now owes the other. Our debts are paid in full.”
“Oh, so we are at an impasse, then?”
She nodded. “Yes, Sir Guy. There is nothing more to be said.” She made to turn away…but suddenly he reached down to take her by the arms, pulling her close. He brought her face to within inches of his own.
“There is much more to say, Cassia. I have been more tolerant of your defiance than I have ever been with a woman. But my patience is at its end. I will have what I want.”
“What about what I want?”
He released her, his eyebrow raised in curiosity. “What are you speaking of?”
“You insist on claiming me, by force if necessary. On that you will give me no choice. But if I consent to your wishes, will you consent to mine?”
He snorted, looking at her as if he thought her insane. He did not answer, choosing instead to stare into the fire. She turned away, moving to the little store room where her father lay sleeping on a cot. Leaning down over him, she placed a kiss on his forehead and pulled the blanket over him. For a moment she just sat there, looking at him.
After bringing him inside, she had insisted he drink a goblet of wine to calm himself. Fearing that the incident had strained his nerves, she had added a powder to the drink that would make him sleep deeply. He did so now, relieving her fear that some ailment would befall him as a result of the attack. And yet, she could not help but worry what trouble the future might still bring.
He was not a young man, and age was coming upon him much too quickly for her liking. She feared for the loss of him…the only family she had left. He had lived such a difficult life, like so many of his fellow laborers. And he had always tried so hard to make her lif easier. He’d been such a good father…so loving and kind. Looking down at him now, she wondered if, perhaps, she now had an opportunity to repay him in some way.
She thought of what Guy had said…of how she could benefit by giving herself to him. He had said he would deny her nothing. She need only consent to being his mistress.
And would being his mistress truly be so terrible?
Needing a moment alone to think…not looking at Guy as she went…she stepped away from the house to breathe the night air.
For a mid-April night, it was quite comfortable out. She wasn’t fearful of more prowlers lurking about. Those men had stumbled upon the property, in their drunken state, probably by accident. And they had paid for their mistake, very dearly. But her thoughts didn’t linger on them. Her mind was on Guy, as it always was.
She thought about what he had said…that he would have what he wanted, whether she agreed or not.
Selfish bastard
, she thought.
But it made her wonder if
she
should be just as selfish as he was. Why not make demands of him? After all she and her father had done for him, they deserved to benefit from their good deeds.
Suddenly she heard Guy’s voice behind her.
“Name your conditions, Cassia.”
She was startled by his sudden appearance, but only for a moment. As he came to stand beside her, she took a cautious step away…and being so close to him, feeling the sudden tension of his presence, she tried to redirect his thoughts.
“You should be inside, resting…”
“Answer me,” he demanded.
She let out an irritated sigh, hating his tone. But then she turned to him, arms crossed, shoulders squared as if ready for a fight.
“If you are to keep me, you will do so quietly. I will not be flaunted as another of your whores.”
He scoffed, looking her up and down.
“How will I manage to keep you ‘quietly’ as you say? If you are to be mine, to live under my roof…”
“I will not live at your manor house.”
He stared at her, his mouth open slightly in shock. He gave her an odd look, her meaning not quite clear to him. She clarified.
“There is a cottage in a glen, north of Nottingham. It has been abandoned for some time. You will set me up there.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “Woman, are you mad?”font> height=“0”>
“You will set me up there…” she went on. “And you may come to see me when you wish, so long as the secret is kept between us. I have no need of servants, so there will be no worry over loose tongues.”
“And what of your father? Do you think he would consent to such an insane arrangement?”
“He will not know of it. You will concoct a tale to tell him…something that alleviates his fears, but does not reveal the truth of the matter.”
He raised a curious eyebrow. “You would lie to him?”
“It will not be I that lies to him. It will be you, and somehow I doubt that your conscience will trouble you over it. And you will watch over him. You will see that he is well cared for. That he does not want for anything.”
His sneer was cold. “Why should I give in to such demands…the demands of a woman?”
She pulled free from his hold. Then she pushed him back a step, quite forcefully.
“Why should I give in to the demands of a man? An ungrateful, selfish beast of a man who has no place in his heart for anyone or anything save himself. I was a fool to think that I was ever in…”
She caught herself just in time, just before the words fully escaped her lips. To confess her love, especially now, would be beyond foolish. He would never return her feelings of the heart…not the way she needed him to. The thought of it was so hurtful, she could not look at him for a moment longer. She turned to go…but he reached out to grip her wrist in a firm hold, and he would not let go.
“You were a fool to think what, Cassia?”
She tried to shake him off. Refusing to look at him, she wagged her head as she replied in a firm tone of voice.
“Nothing. Have we a bargain, or have we not?”
“Not until you tell me what I want to know.”
“Let go of me! I told you it was nothing!”
She broke away from him. Walking away quickly, she hoped he would leave her in peace…though she doubted he would do so. She found herself in the barn, where she hoped to linger in the dark…to escape him for a while. In her current state, with her mind so frazzled, she did not know if she could handle a confrontation with him…not after all that had happened this day.
But before she could find refuge, he was there at her side. He grasped her upper arms, giving her a slight shake.
“You
will
tell me what you meant to say!”
She struggled against his hold, and her rage boiled over. Why did he have to be such a heartless bastard? Why couldn’t he show one moment of real compassion, of caring? Even the rescue of her father hadn’t been done out of kindness, of that she was sure. He’d probably done it for his own selfish reasons, knowing that he could use it as a bargaining chip against her.
He’d never cared about anyone except himself…and Marian.
Marian
. Just the thought of that unworthy woman made her seethe with jealous rage. Marian had never cared for him in the least little way, and yet he’d worshipped her. But here
she
was…a woman who had done so much for him, who felt so deeply about him…and he was too blasted ignorant to see it. The realization that he was so blind and unfeeling, even after all this time, made her wild with fury. She broke from his hold and shoved him back. Then she flew at him with her teeth clenched, her fingers curled with the urge to scratch his eyes out. She cursed his wretched soul.
“Stupid, selfish brute! I wish we had never found you by the lake! I wish you had gone to the fiery depths of hell where you belong!”
He easily dodged her first few swings. Then he caught hold of her wrists. He threw his arms around her, pinning her tightly so she could not move. She tried in vain to struggle free, even as he brought his lips to her ear.
“Tell me, Cassia. Tell me what you want to say.”
His breath was warm against her skin, making her limbs tremble. She was growing weak…and yet she managed one last small attempt at resistance.
“I cannot say it. Not now.”
She made another feeble attempt to push him away, but he was immobile…and now he was trying to turn her face up, seeking to meet her eyes with his.
“Why can you not say it?”
She tried to look away, knowing that if she met his gaze, all was lost.
“Because my feelings mean nothing to you,” she said, her voice growing soft. “I used to believe there was something more to you than just a vicious, scowling, cold-hearted bastard. I was ignorant enough to believe that kindness could change you. Now I know I was wrong all along.”
“Do you hate me, then?”
The way he was holding her so firmly, it was difficult to reply. “Yes, I do.”
With a firm hand, he cupped her cheek and turned her head, forcing her to look at him.
“If that is the truth, then why did you agree to be my mistress?”
Looking at him, his face so near hers, she could not lie again.
“Because I do not want to lose you.”
A moment of silence passed between them. Then his lips came down on hers, hot and demanding…and this time, she didn’t want to push him away. If she couldn’t have his heart, at least she could have this to live on.
As he anchored her head in his hands she wound her arms around his neck, threading her fingers through his hair. It had grown longer in the last weeks, curling in that way she had always loved. Now she felt the texture through her fingers while his mouth was opening with hers. Wanting to feel more of him, her hands wandered down his back. The shirt he wore hung loose and she took advantage of it, running her fingers around his sides to his muscular stomach. She heard a muffled groan escape him, and she echoed the sound when she felt his warm hand firmly stroking her breast.
To feel his touch through the barrier of her clothing…it wasn’t nearly enough. She knew he felt the same desperation, for he broke away from her lips to focus on the laces of her dress, making short work of them. With that same ease of hand, he pulled down the sleeves of her gown and the straps of her thin linen shift all at once…leaving her bare from the waist up. In the dim light she could just make out the smug expression he wore as his eyes looked their fill. It was the look of a man who had played this game many times…a look of pure lust, one she knew he’d no doubt given to many women.
But she refused to linger on the thought of others who had been in her place before. Instead she focused on the moment, and at the moment, turnabout was fair play. Gripping the hem of his shirt, she quickly lifted it over his head and tossed it aside. A flash of memory came to her, of those few brief moments when she’d seen him completely nude during his bath…and seeing his beautifully sculpted torso before her now, it wasn’t nearly enough. She wanted to see all of him. She wanted to feel all of him. Quickly she reached for the ties of his breeches. And when she dared to glance up…though the light around them was dim…she could see his eyes. And the way he was smirking wolfishly.
“Eager, are we?”
Instantly she paused in her actions, reaching both hands up to cover his mouth. She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Do not speak. When you do, you have a tendency to ruin a pleasant moment. I will not allow that now.”
Dropping her hands back to her task, she at last freed him from his laces, pushing the material down his legs…and her breath caught at the sight of his intense arousal. She couldn’t help but stare, until she felt his fingers lifting her face up to look at him. He didn’t speak, just as she’d told him not to. Instead he brought his mouth down to hers, making her head spin with the intensity of his passionate kiss. She brought her fingers up to run through his hair once more, while his fingers quested over her shoulders, trailing down her arms and then up again. A moment later his hands lowered to her breasts, cupping their slight weight in his palms. She whimpered at the pleasure of his touch, trembling with anticipation. When his hands moved away for a moment she made a sound of disappointment, until she felt him undoing the sash at her waist. It soon fell away, and her gown dropped to a pool around her feet. They both looked at one other, no barriers between them. Then she was in his arms again, and they were falling down into the hay.
The pent up feelings of raw passion, only briefly sparked before, now exploded between them. Her hands roamed everywhere, wanting to feel every inch of his skin. His lips traveled down her cheek, her jaw, and her neck, the slight bristle of his stubble feeling wonderfully sensual against her skin. Then his mouth was moving lower, tracing a damp path to her breasts. His mouth tasted her, the feeling agonizingly hot. She clutched his head there, overwhelmed with the sensations he was stirring in her…sensations she’d long forgotten, and now longed desperately to feel again. When his hand drifted down her abdomen, she felt her pulse throb madly, her breath coming fast as his fingers sought out the source of her pleasure. Instinctively she pushed herself against his hand, wanting more. She felt his mouth wet and open against her skin as his fingers caressed her relentlessly. At last she could stand it no longer, and she moaned his name…an urgent plea to end his delicious torment. And he willingly obliged.
Moving between her legs, he entered her in one swift movement. She gasped at the sweet pleasure, the hot feeling of him. He had paused for a moment, as if to test her reaction…and she thrust her hips, silently urging him to move. It was all the encouragement he needed. He caught her mouth with his and pushed deep into her, making her moan with delight. Raking her nails down his back she bucked hard in rhythm with him, meeting his every thrust, telling him without words how wildly her desire burned. They rose and fell madly together, gasping and panting until they both shattered in a unison of pleasured cries.
*****
His eyes were clenched, pressed against her shoulder. His arms held her in a fierce embrace…unable to let her go.
Even as their wild breathing eased, their heartbeats slowing to a calmer rhythm, he held tightly to her. He could not loosen his arms, unwilling to lose the incredible warmth of her body. Every nerve he possessed was heightened. He brushed his jaw against her neck, nuzzling her. Just that slightest of movements sent a rush of excitement coursing through his body.
He’d never felt this kind of wildness before…this overwhelming intensity in every fiber of his body and soul. Somehow, he had known that it would be this way with her…that she would be like no one he’d had before. He could still feel the sting of her nails on his back, and the thought made him wild with wanting her again. For once she wasn’t resisting him. She wanted him. She was positively wild for him, judging from the eager noises she’d made and the way she’d clung so tight to him. Even now she was pressing her soft breasts against his chest, encouraging him with the delicious feel of her nipples. He went hard again, still sheathed within her, and her gasp of pleasure made him move against her. His momentary impulse was to drive himself deep and fast into her, to try and satisfy the insane craving he had for her.
Instead he began moving slowly, purposely taking his time…wanting to make her mad with longing for him. She had taunted him for so long, denied him and made him suffer. Now it was her turn to experience torment…sweet, pleasurable torment.
With deliberate haste he ground his hips into hers, pulling out slightly before sliding back in again with purposely slow movements. He lowered his mouth to her breasts, first one and then the other, grazing his teeth over the hardened nipple, tugging it lightly. Then his tongue swept over it, teasing her…and he smirked triumphantly when he heard her whimpering. She hissed her frustration out loud.
“Wicked, evil man.”
He silenced her words with a kiss, drinking in her sweet taste, relishing the sensation of her hot mouth as she kissed him back with unbridled eagerness. She was greedy for him. He felt it in the way she clung to his body, her arms and legs wrapped around him tightly. Her inner walls pulsated around him, trying to pull him in deeper. It was nearly his undoing…but with all the discipline he possessed he held back, reaching his hand down between their joined bodies to touch her. She cried out as he ravished her with his kiss, her release coming hard and fast. When he felt her hands clenching his backside, his control broke. He drove into her again and again, all gentleness gone. His movements went wildly on until he exploded within her, his own cry of release a guttural sound against her mouth.
They were both struggling to breathe. Even when the violent beating of their hearts ceased, and he reluctantly withdrew from her, he didn’t release her from his arms. Instead he rolled to his back and took her with him, delighting in the feel of her slight weight on his chest. Their skin was covered with a fine sheen of sweat, their breathing still rapid…and he felt his eyelids grow heavy from exhaustion. As he fell asleep he clung to her, hoping that when he woke she would still be there.
*****
Sometime later he stirred. Opening his eyes he found, much to his relief and pleasure, that she was still pressed against his body. Her legs were entwined with his…her arms still around him. Her hair cascaded over him in fabulous display as she slept. And just looking at her so displayed, it made him want her all over again.
He grinned slightly at the thought that having her once or twice wasn’t near to being enough. He could not remember when he’d so fiercely desired a woman…not even Marian.
Lord, he’d been such a fool over her. A complete and utter fool, he now realized. Months ago, he would never have fathomed wanting someone else. He had sought her relentlessly, blindly and stupidly believing that in time, she would grow to care for him. Desperate, lonely fool that he had been, it had not mattered to him that at times, an expression of loathing had crossed her features. She’d never wanted him.
But Cassia did.
I do not want to lose you
, she’d said.
It sent a fierce wave of possessiveness through him, as he realized that he didn’t want to lose her either. She had talked of being his mistress, and then she’d given herself to him in the most powerful way. As far as he was concerned, she now belonged to him body and soul. Never had he felt such want…such insatiable craving for another human being. He recalled how, at one time, he’d thought so little of her…that she would be nothing more than another convenient fling. But now, he knew what a fool he’d been to think of her so. Now that he’d discovered her, he felt he’d found a priceless treasure…and he had no intention of giving her up.
He heard her make a soft sound. It seemed to be a murmur of contentment, and he lazily ran his hands over her shoulders. His fingers roamed her beautifully tapered back and her sides, stroking her soft, warm skin. She lifted her head, looking at him with those beautiful, shining dark eyes…eyesv hld a power over him that he willingly succumbed to. He leaned in to claim her mouth, threading her soft hair through his fingers. As the kiss grew deeper, his entire being sprang to life with anticipation. His breath quickened…his blood pulsed madly.
But then she tried to break away. Bereft at the notion of losing contact with her, he tried to pull her back, but he felt her hands pushing him away.
They had hardly said a word until now, talking being the least of their mutual desires. But as she removed herself from his arms, slipping away from him to reach for her clothing, he could not be silent. He reached out his hand, intent on bringing her back, but her movements were too swift. The silken texture of her leg was all that he managed to touch before she slipped completely out of his reach.
“Why are you going so soon?”
He watched, disillusioned as she slipped into her linen shift. She eased the mood slightly by coming back for a moment to kiss him, and from the joyful little sound she made, it was clear to him that she wasn’t so willing to part from him yet. It thrilled him to know that she had no regrets…that she was just as needy as he was. Eagerly his hands moved over her soft body, feeling her warmth through the thin garment. He clenched the material in his fists, wishing to tear it away so there would be no impediments between them. When she tried to stay his hands he resisted, groaning his protest.
“You cannot leave me now.”
He kissed her neck, tenderly nibbling the soft skin. Her arms went around him in response, and he chuckled triumphantly, certain that he’d won…until she pushed at his shoulders, telling him that he must cease. He tried not to hear her, but she pushed even more strongly against him.
“I must return,” she insisted. “If my father wakes and finds us both gone, he will surely know what has transpired.”
His first thought was a curse.
Who gives a damn about your father
?
But even in the madness of wanting her, he managed enough of his sense to keep himself silent, at least where the subject of her father was concerned. He also knew she was right…that if they stayed here much longer, their risk of discovery would be great, and that was a dangerous game to play.