Fragments of Grace (Prequel to the Dragonblade Trilogy) (22 page)

Chloë cried out softly as his
hot, wet mouth pulled her nipple into a hard little pellet.  He had somehow
managed to wedge himself in between her legs, his big body overwhelming her, and
Chloë knew that she could not stop him.  Her passion had run away with her also
and everything he was doing to her was new and wonderful and wicked. She craved
it. 

Keir paused long enough to rip
his tunic off before collapsing back against her, his mouth on her breasts. 
Chloë held his head against her bosom as if nursing a starving child, feeling
each suckle send bolts of dangerous excitement shooting through her body.

Keir was in haze of lust and
attraction.  Her flesh was sweet and delicious and he nursed hungrily at her
breasts, first one and then the other, before getting a grip on the tear he had
started in her surcoat and giving a big tug, ripping the entire thing in half. 
Her shift was torn too, the edges of it clinging to the damp flesh of her
breasts, wet with his saliva.  Keir ripped at the shift until it was in
tatters, peeling it off of Chloë’s body until she was completely nude beneath
him.

He paused a moment to admire her
naked body, the voluptuous lines of her breasts and hips, and he’d never been
so wildly aroused in his entire life.  He fell back atop her, his mouth on her
breasts and belly, somehow managing to remove his boots and breeches in the
process.  He didn’t even remember doing it but the next thing he realized, he
was naked, too, his hot manly flesh completely covering her soft, feminine
curves.   From where he was, he could smell the delicious musky scent of her
woman’s center and something inside him snapped; grabbing her buttocks with
both hands, his mouth descended on the sweet pink folds and he feasted.

Chloë shrieked softly as Keir put
his entire face between her legs, his tongue forging into virgin territory. 
Shocked, embarrassed, words of protest died on her lips when she very quickly
realized how marvelous it felt. He was stroking her strongly, grunting softly
with every stroke of his tongue as if devouring the most delicious thing God
had ever created.  Overwhelmed, Chloë panted and wept softly, becoming
acquainted with Keir on a level she could have never imagined.  It was all so
new and shocking but in the same breath, she had never known anything so
wonderful existed.   

Keir lapped and suckled her
tender pink folds and her body jerked involuntarily as he repeatedly pleasured
her woman’s center, that taut bud of pleasure that would take her to a new
level of ecstasy.  Chloë could feel heat building in her loins, something that
promised complete and utter pleasure should she only submit, but she truly had
no idea what would bring her such release. All she knew was that Keir was doing
wondrous and wicked things to her body and she was fully submissive to his
desires.  She didn’t care that the man, her betrothed, was taking shocking
liberties with her.  All that mattered was the feelings he was creating within
her.  She was a willing captive.

Something was happening deep in
her loins; she could feel something pulsating and warm starting.  Keir gently
insert a finger in to her virginal passage and Chloë was so wet that there was
no pain or tightness at all; in fact, she groaned softly and brought her knees
up, reacting to his touch, opening her legs wide for the primal ritual of
mating, instinctive to men and women since the beginning of time.  Realizing
how ready she was for him, Keir could no longer refrain from claiming her. He
had to feel her around him, her warm and wet tightness that would pleasure him
like no one else ever had. 

Lifting himself up, Keir’s lips
found Chloë’s once again as he carefully guided his manhood into her tender,
virginal walls.  Thrusting gently with his hips, he seated himself half-way on
the first thrust and then completely on the second.  Beneath him, Chloë cried
out softly at the sensation his enormous member inside her, the realization of
their first coupling, so distracted by his sweet kisses and heated body that
all she could do was encourage him as he thrust in to her.  It seemed like the
most natural of things, his body buried deep within her as it was always meant
to be.

She was so highly aroused by
Keir’s tongue and decadent attentions that by the third or fourth thrust, she
gasped sharply at the thrill of her first climax.  Keir could feel her wet heat
throbbing around him, pulling at him, milking him for his seed and it was the
most supreme struggle of his life not to answer.  He would, but not now. 

At this moment, he simply wanted
to savor the event of their first coupling. It was more than he had ever
dreamed, her heated, wet body responding to his as he’d never know a woman to
respond in his entire life.   He wanted to experience her, just a little,
before succumbing to his lust.

His thrusts were measured and
deep as he held Chloë’s pelvis against his, his mouth on her lips. His fingers
were in the crack of her buttocks and he could feel all of the moisture from
her body running on to her flesh, damping the linens beneath them.  It was
coupling beyond his wildest dreams and as he continued making love to her, he
could feel another climax wash over her and still another.  Chloë was gasping
beneath him as if she couldn’t breathe, her body stiffening as wave after wave
of rapture coursed through her. 

Finally, Keir could feel his own
climax approach and he accepted it, thrusting in to her with one hard, final
thrust, releasing himself, filling her womb with his hot seed and mingling her
body with his.  Even after he released himself, he continued to grind his
pelvis against her and continued to feel her ripple with climaxes. He’d lost
count after five.  His hands, his mouth, were all over her flesh, her breasts
and belly, arms and head.   As he lay on top of her, still joined to her body,
he knew without a doubt that it had been the most miraculous experience of his
entire life.  Nothing he had ever sampled had come close, not ever.

“I love you, Chloë,” he murmured
as he kissed her ear. “Until the end of my life, I will love you and only you.
You are my angel, sweetheart. You are my life.”

Exhausted, overwhelmed, Chloë
opened her mouth to respond but ended up bursting into tears.  Concerned, Keir
lifted his head to look at her but she covered her face with her hands.  Deeply
worried, he pulled her tightly against him and held her close.

“What is wrong?” he whispered.
“Did I hurt you?”

She wept softly, wrapping her
arms around his neck as he pulled her closer.  “Nay,” she sobbed. “You did not
hurt me. But I never knew… like this, I never knew it was like this.  I feel… I
feel like everything has all come down upon me all at once and I am
frightened.”

He held her close, her soft body
against. “What are you frightened of?”

She sniffled, trying to compose
herself. “I… I am not sure,” she sniffed again, pulling her face from the crook
of his neck and gazing up at him. “I think I am afraid of losing this. Of
losing you. What if I wake up and this was all a dream? I would want to die.”

He smiled faintly at her, kissing
the end of her nose. “You will never lose me,” he murmured. “I will always be
with you, Chloë, no matter what.  Put your mind at ease, sweetheart.”

She was trying to.  She wiped at
her watery eyes and he kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, smiling gently
at her until she smiled in return.   Then he pulled the curtains closed around
the bed so they were safely shut in and snuggled down into the bed with her. 
With Chloë cuddled safely in his arms, Keir drifted off into the best sleep of
his life.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Soft knocking on the chamber door
roused Keir from a deep sleep.  Blinking his eyes, he oriented himself,
realized where he was, and then looked down to see Chloë curled up against him,
warm and cozy.

Warm, fluid feelings rushed over
him as he gazed down at her, remember their night of passion. He didn’t think
it was possible to love something as much as he was coming to love her. She was
sleeping quite soundly and a second round of knocking on the door didn’t rouse
her. Keir gently shook her awake.

Chloë groaned and tried to ignore
him but he shook her again, kissing her on the cheek. “Wake up, love,” he
whispered. “Someone is knocking at your door and I do not think it would be
wise for me to answer it.”

Chloë yawned and blinked the
sleep from her eyes, smiling sleepily when she realized Keir was beside her.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” she
snuggled up against him and closed her eyes. “Did you sleep well?”

He grinned at her half-awake
antics as he wrapped his arms around her and sat up, taking her with him. The
pounding on the door was growing louder and Chloë popped an eye open as Keir
pulled back the curtains.

“Ask who it is,” he whispered to
her.

Chloë frowned at the intrusion,
rubbing her eyes. “Who in the world would be knocking at my door at this hour?”
she grumped.

“Ask, you silly wench,” Keir
grinned.

Chloë was sleepy and unhappy. She
rubbed her eyes again. “Who is it?” she called.

“Kurtis, my lady,” came the
muffled reply. “I am looking for Keir.  Perhaps you might know where he is?”

Keir was immediately up, grabbing
his leather breeches as he approached the door. Chloë remained in the bed,
wide-eyed, as Keir pulled on his breeches and went to the chamber panel,
throwing the old iron bolt. Carefully, he opened the door so that only his eye
was apparent. If there were more people in the landing beyond, he didn’t want
anyone else to see him.

Kurtis was alone. He didn’t seem
shocked or surprised to see his brother in Chloë’s room.  In fact, he had
expected it, which was why he had come straight to her.

“You are needed downstairs,” he
told him. “A messenger has come.”

Keir opened the door wider. “A
messenger?” he repeated. “From whom?”

Kurtis looked as if he had been
woken up, too at this ungodly early hour. He did not look happy, rather
slovenly dressed for the usually letter-perfect knight.

“A rider bearing Edward’s banner
rode in about a half hour ago,” he lowered his voice. “There is a missive
addressed to Coverdale but it concerns you. You had better come.”

Keir didn’t like the sound of
that at all, mostly because he couldn’t imagine what the king wanted from him.
That association had ended nine years ago.  He gave his brother a disbelieving
expression.

“Are you serious?” he said,
surprised. “What on earth could Edward want with me?”

“The only way to know is to come
downstairs and find out.”

Keir cocked an eyebrow as he
nodded pensively, fighting down ominous feelings. He eyed his brother. “Where
were you last evening?”

Kurtis gave him a knowing
expression. “Doing the same thing you have been doing,” he told him, “but at
least I had the good sense to return to my own bed. That is where they came
looking for you and you, my brother, were nowhere to be found. It did not take
a great intellect to figure out where you were.”

Keir grunted, conceding the
point, and scratched his scalp.  “Do her parents know?”

“They are asleep as far as I
know.  I doubt anyone other than me has figured this out, mostly because you
and I think alike and I have been doing the same thing.”

Keir grinned. “I will meet you
downstairs.”

He shut the door in Kurtis’ face
and locked it, making his way back over to the bed.  Chloë was sitting up with
the bed linens pulled up around her, more awake by this time. She looked sweet,
cozy and inviting. Keir smiled at her as he reached down for his tunic.

“I have been summoned,” he told
her quietly. “Go back to sleep and I will see you at the morning meal.”

She was watching him with big,
bottomless eyes as he pulled the tunic over his head. “Did the king really send
you a missive?”

He could hear the fear in her
voice and he leaned over, kissing her on the mouth before he began pulling on
his boots. The great mail coat was next.

“I do not know,” he said
honestly. “But I will find out and report back to you right away, General.”

He was trying to make light of it
but Chloë was not amused.  Clutching the bedcovers to her breast, she crept
over to the edge of the bed where he was straightening up the mail coat that
hung heavily on his big body.

“Do you think he will call you to
London?” she asked with uncertainty.

He shrugged as he popped on the
pieces of armor he wore last night. “I must admit, I am curious to know why he
has sent a missive mentioning my name,” he said. “I served Edward in Wales many
years ago but I have not had any contact with him since.”

She was watching him more closely
now as he deftly donned his armor. Since there was nothing more she could press
him on regarding the missive awaiting him, she focused on something she had
never seen before – a knight donning his armor.  Keir was a very big man in his
natural state but compounded by the armor, he was positively surreal.

“What do you call those pieces of
shield on her arms?” she asked softly.