Page 38 of While Angels Slept
Her eyes widened. “So soon?”
“I’m afraid so. Unfortunately, he’s made very good time upon the road and arrived sooner than expected.”
“But… what do we do? Do I still go to Darland?”
Tevin was silent a moment, his gaze lingering on her lovely face. “Not right now,” he said quietly. “You and Hunt will stay put. I will have Val brought up to your room. She can stay with you until I can figure out what’s to be done.”
“You intend to hide us?”
“For the time being.”
“I do not mean to cause problems, but I am not sure how long we can successfully hide Hunt,” she said. “He is a very active little boy. He will want to run and play.”
“Then we must explain to him that, for now, he cannot,” Tevin replied. “I’ll think of something to tell him. Perhaps if we make it into a game, he will willingly go along.”
“What kind of game?”
He shook his head. “I do not know. But we shall have to think of something.”
She nodded, her mind racing to encompass all of the possibilities that might coerce her son in to playing a restrictive game. But her thoughts also inevitably turned to Val, and in doing so, she spoke before she could stop herself.
“If Val stays with me, then you and I.…” she trailed off, unable to finish.
He looked at her. She looked so entirely beautiful in the early morning light. He was secretly glad that Geoff had come early, secretly glad that he would not have to send her away. He could not bear the thought of sending her away, not after last night. With his big hands, he reached out to take her face in his hands.
“Then perhaps I had better steal a kiss when I can,” he said softly, kissing her gently on the lips. When he pulled back, their eyes met and they grinned at each other. “And more.”
She smiled broadly as his mouth came down on her again, gently at first, then more insistently. He left the bed and ended up lying beside her on the floor, holding her in his arms and kissing her as if to never let her go. She was still nude, warm and cozy in the bedclothes, and in little time he pulled off his breeches and boots and joined her in that cozy warmth. His mouth moved across her shoulder, her chest, familiarizing himself with the taste of her. She most definitely had a taste, something between honey and silk. It was delicious, like food to a starving man, and he suckled deeply of her flesh.
The second time around, he was more familiar with her and it only served to intoxicate him. Her nipples were succulent and tender, the flesh of her belly delicious. He could hear Cantia’s moans of pleasure and it spurred him onward until he reached the soft mound of curls between her legs. Even then, he did not stop. He continued to taste her, to savor every movement, every flavor. She had him by the hair as he held her tender core to his mouth, her legs over his enormous shoulders and his tongue doing wicked things. When he felt her stiffen in his hands, her body convulsing, he abruptly lifted himself and drove into her, feeling her tender walls throb around his manhood, drawing him deeper and begging for his release. But he could not answer so swiftly. He thrust deeply into her, so deeply that in little time her body was convulsing again and this time, he joined her.
Tevin lay with Cantia in his arms, still embedded in her sweet body, hearing the sounds wafting up from the bailey and trying not to listen. He did not want anything to interrupt this moment because he knew, more than likely, their next chance at being together would be far in the future. With his cousin around, there was no telling what was to happen during the course of his visit. Geoff was, at best, unpredictable. He found himself wishing he could run away and take Cantia with him, someplace where no king nor queen nor cousin could find them.Someplace peaceful. He sighed heavily. He wondered if such a place really did exist. It was the first time in his life he’d ever entertained such a thought.
“What’s wrong?” Cantia’s muffled voice came to him.
He shifted slightly, gazing down into her sleepy-eyed face. “Not a thing in the world, madam. Everything is wonderful.”
“But you sighed.”
The corners of his mouth twitched. “I suppose I am sighing with contentment. Or with discontentment at the thought of leaving you.”
Her head came up, mussed and lovely. “Leaving me? Where are you going?”
He gently pinched her chin. “Downstairs, to my cousin. Remember?”
She looked sheepish. “I thought you meant… well, it doesn’t matter anyway. Surely if your cousin is here, you must go and retrieve Val immediately.”
He just looked at her. “Does the thought of me leaving distress you that much?”
“Of course it does.”
His smile broadened and he kissed her again, realizing he wasn’t finished with her, and rolled her onto her back. As the sounds of the bailey below grew louder and the room brightened, he took her again, savoring every stroke, every touch. When they were finished after particularly strong and multiple releases and lay sated in one another’s arms, the sound of a young boy at the door quickly roused them.
“Mam!” Hunt was pounding on her locked door. “Mam, I’m hungry!”
Tevin sat up, pulling Cantia with him. She looked apprehensively at the door until Tevin silently encouraged her to respond.
“A moment, Hunt,” she called out. “Be patient and wait a moment.”
