Page 23 of The Herald's Heart
“Not in front of whom?”
“That woman, the one you called Cat,” Larkin whispered. Of course, he could be so casual about taking a whore in his bed. “What you do is your affair, but I need not remain here to witness it nor offer my own actions for a whore’s amusement.” She tried to push past him.
“Wait a moment. You think I whore here in my ... the earl’s bed?” His eyes lit with humor as he asked the question.
“Yes,” she hissed. “In the hallway, I heard you laugh with her about your bath.”
“I think you must meet Cat.”
Larkin sucked in a breath. “I will not. ’Tis bad enough you flaunt her.”
Talon chuckled and grasped her arm. “I flaunt no one, and I insist that you give a greeting to Cat.”
Larkin tried to shake him off, but his grip, though gentle, was iron, and she could not break free. “Nay, please you. I do not want ...”
Over her protests, he dragged her to the bed and pulled the curtain aside.
When she refused to look, he turned her so she could not avoid seeing the bed and its occupants.
“Oh you poor dear things,” she cried on seeing the mother cat and her newborn kittens. She reached out to stroke the tabby’s soft fur. The cat hissed. “’Tis all right,” Larkin crooned. “Do not fear. I’ll not hurt your babes.”
“I tried that earlier and got scratched for my pains.”
“Do you not know better than to come between a new mother and her babies?”
“I only wanted to move her to the sheepskin before the fire.”
Larkin eyed the sheepskin, stroking the cat all the while. “’Tis a good place for her. But you’ll not get her there this night.”
“Why not?”
“The kittens are very fragile just after birth. Their eyes are not even open yet. She will guard them with her life, if she believes them threatened.”
“Then where should I sleep this night?”
“Wherever you like, but ’twill not be in this bed.”
“Would you take me into yours, sweet Larkin?”
She stared at him and sputtered. “N ... nay. I will not.”
He leaned forward, one arm braced against the bed frame. With his free hand, he caressed her cheek, matching his strokes to the rhythm she used to soothe the cat. She wanted to purr with each easy caress.
“Perhaps, not this night.” His breath tickled her ear. “But soon, Larkin, very soon.”
Her lips parted in a voiceless “O.”
He dipped his head and kissed her there, teasing the sensitive flesh of her mouth with his tongue.
Tantalized, she leaned into the kiss, wanting more.
His palm drifted down her neck, resuming those rhythmic strokes at her collarbone, then her breast, where contentment tightened to an aching need that speared straight to her belly.
She felt boneless, unable to hold herself upright. Her hands clutched for purchase against the bed but found hot, smooth skin and muscled shoulders instead.
Sweet Lord in heaven, he felt so good. When had she ... She pulled back, eyes wide in horror at her actions. She saw her hands resting on his shoulders, her fingers twitching as if they wanted more. A glance at his eyes showed his passion and his sure knowledge of her own unruly desires.
“Aye, Larkin, soon.” He stood and put on his shirt. “Stay here and care for the cats until they can be moved. They will keep you safe enough.” He walked to the door. “But, Larkin.”
She shifted to look at him.
“Once those animals are gone, if I find you alone in that bed or in this chamber, I will take it as an invitation. Be sure you understand me.”
Larkin swallowed and nodded. She understood him perfectly. So well that the image of her naked body entwined with his burned within her mind’s eye. She shivered. To think of Talon thus was sinful. She was his father’s wife. The church forbade passion between a wife and her husband’s son. If she acted on that desire, she would condemn both of them to eternal damnation. Was the pleasure he promised worth her soul? She would not risk her hope of heaven, so she would never know.
