Rise of the Defender (34 page)

     Then, it happened; her body stiffened and
her loins contracted with a sweetness that brought stars before her eyes and then
she was falling, falling back down to earth and landing gently in a feather bed. 
Tremors rolled through her body, signaling rapture.  The tremors faded but the
rapture, the glow, remained.

     But he was still moving within her, his
breathing coming in hard grunts when finally she heard him give a low groan and
his movement lessened and lessened and then eventually stopped. Dazed, Dustin
lay clutched in his arms, her legs still wrapped around him, wondering why she
had been so terrified of coupling. Her mother had clouded her mind with her own
ideals, and Dustin thought for the first time in her life how wrong her mother
had been.

CHAPTER
NINE

     Christopher awoke before dawn, burrowed
down into the thick mattress with his wife cradled against him. He smiled into
the darkness of the room as the events from the night filled his sleep-warmed
mind and he kissed his wife’s head softly, fondly remembering.

     Outside it was still pouring rain, yet he
had dozens of things to attend to. Dustin’s trunks still needed to be loaded
onto the wagons, something he had neglected to do last night due to the
circumstances, and he intended to be on the road to London before noon. Thunder
clapped and he was reluctant for Dustin to travel in such weather, but they had
no choice. The prince and his bastards were waiting for him at Windsor, like
jackals waiting for fresh meat.

     He rose, carefully disengaging himself from
her, and proceeded to order a bath for his wife. He sternly admonished the
maids and serving men who brought the tub to be quiet, standing over them like
a great sentinel, watching every move they made and glaring at them for any
small sound.

     When everything was prepared and waiting
for her to awaken, he went over the wardrobe and drew forth the traveling
clothes he would wear beneath his armor.

     “Aren’t you going to take a bath, too?”
Dustin sat up in bed, her hair tousled wildly and a huge smile on her face.

     He felt his heart go soft at the sight of
her. “Nay, lady, I shall be wet enough this day, I assure you.”

     She scooted forward in the bed, her smile
fading but her eyes alive. “I shall bathe you.”

     Christ, how could he resist her? Of course
he could not, and within a minute or so he was submerged in the water and she
was up, lathering a great horsehair brush with a cake of plain soap. He smiled
as she came over to him and began to scrub him silently.

     It was amusing and highly erotic. With the
new heights their relationship had reached, they were both eager to explore it
again. Dustin could not believe she was bathing a man, she being naked as well,
no less. When did she become such an exhibitionist? She knew her mother, from
her perch in paradise, must be having fits at her behavior.

     As she soaped his chest she purposely grazed
him with her full breasts, the second time drawing a growl from deep in his
throat. She giggled with delight with his torment, feeling very powerful to affect
him as she did. She even washed his hair, making sure her nipples teased his
bronzed back mercilessly.

     When she came around front to wash the rest
of him, he would have no part of it. He snaked a massive arm out and pulled her
right into the tub. Dustin squealed and giggled, her protests very weak because
she was delighted with the newness of his intimate attentions.

     “Now, you little nymph, I will wash you,”
he said in a husky voice that sent shivers up her spine.

     He did just that as she sat between his
legs in the great copper tub. Starting at the top of her blond head, he
lathered her completely with rose-scented soap and didn’t stop until he had
soaped every one of her toes. Even after he rinsed her feet, he kept his eyes glued
to her face while he brought a dainty foot up to his mouth and suckled
passionately on her big toe.

     Dustin went stiff with the sensation, her
whole body running hot and cold and her loins turning warm and wicked. He
grinned and returned the foot to the water.

     She was sitting opposite him, her wet hair
slicked back and her gray eyes wide and alive. All Christopher could think
about was making love to her again and again, knowing he had many tasks to
accomplish in a short time, yet not wanting to leave the warmth of the room and
the company of his wife. It would seem that after last night, it was as if
seeing her nude was like teasing a man who was dying from thirst with a drink
of water. He had to have her.

     “Come here,” he growled.

     She grinned, biting her lower lip, and
complied, laying atop him in the tub of cooling water. He lay back, stroking
her wet hair, touching his face.

     “Why is it that you affect me so?” he
whispered, more to himself than to her.

     She gazed back at him, thinking the very
same thing, yet afraid to admit it to him. She was feeling vastly comfortable
with him now, yet she was not quite ready to reveal her most intimate self.

     His hands ran down her back, to her
buttocks, and out to her knees. He parted her legs and forced her to straddle
him.

     “Do you feel my want for you, lady?” he
asked hoarsely. She nodded, indeed feeling his organ rub up the cleft of her
bottom. “Aye, my lord.”

     “What do you intend to do about it?” he
asked of her.

     She shook her head. “What would you have me
do?”

     He cracked a lopsided smile and lifted her
up in the water, bringing her core to bear on top of his pulsing shaft. Her
eyes widened, but she quickly began to melt as her slippery passage gave way to
his thick maleness.  She was a bit tender from losing her innocence, but it was
bearable. In a rush of heat and pleasure, she was impaled on him and she wound
her arms around his neck for she was sure she would slide right under the
water.

     “Do you know how to ride a horse when it
canters, so that you will not bounce up and down?” he asked in a husky whisper,
almost mad with his need.

     “Of course,” she answered haltingly. “Move
your hips with the animal’s gait.”

     He caught her lips with his own, biting her
lower lip gently, his rapidly filling-in beard scratching her. “Ride me.”

     Dustin threw her head back and was lost,
riding him, feeling him full within her, creating her own heat. His hands were
running all over her and she thought it terribly wonderful to be touched so gently,
so caringly. She went with the motion, oblivious to everything else except the
exciting new feelings and Christopher’s big body underneath her.

     Christopher was so far gone with excitement
that it was no time at all before he was climaxing deep within her. When he
felt his own release approach, he reached down and rapidly manipulated Dustin,
bringing her to her own peak at nearly the same time. She cried out as her body
stiffened with wonderful spasms before collapsing on his broad, beautiful
chest.

     He held her against him in the cooling
water, never wanting to move ever again. She felt too wonderful exactly where
she was.

     “Did I hurt you?” he asked. “You must be
somewhat sore.”

     “Not much,” she replied. “Not enough to
matter.”

     She sat up and he cupped her face with his
big hands, completely swallowing her head up. “You are a remarkable woman,
Dustin. I believe God had a plan in mind when he chose you for me.”

     “What sort of plan?” she asked.

     He shook his head. “I do not know, at the
moment. Mayhap it was to show me that I wasn’t the only perfect soul on this
earth. Mayhap it was to teach me humility. I simply do not know.”

     She shrugged vaguely and shivered. He
suddenly realized that the water was cold and he did not want her to catch a
chill.

     “Out, sweetheart,” he said briskly. “We
have a busy day ahead of us.

***

     Lioncross was a chaotic mass of servants
and soldiers, all preparing for the baron’s trip to London. The rain had yet to
let up, although the lightning and thunder had somewhat dissipated. The two
wagons were led into the bailey and close to the front steps of the castle so
that Dustin’s trunks could be loaded and covered with straw to protect them.

     After Christopher had dressed and left her,
Dustin took more time than she could ever remember taking to prepare herself
for the day. Usually, she tossed on the first dress she came across, but this
morning she found herself actually debating about what she was going to wear.
She finally chose a burgundy silk surcoat that had belonged to her mother with
a wide, embroidered collar and long sleeves. It was heavy and very warm, and
had a thick cloak to match. If she was going to be riding in rain, then she
wanted to be well-protected.

     The surcoat went on, albeit a bit tight,
and she pulled on thick stockings and doeskin boots that she wore in winter.
She also wore a heavy shift and a heavy off-white underskirt for extra warmth. When
she was finally finished, she felt as if she were wearing an entire set of
bedding. Her nearly dry hair was pulled back to the nape of her neck with her
ivory clip.

     Dustin made a trip a-purpose to look at
herself in her mother’s polished bronze mirror, and was not displeased with the
woman she saw before her. The closer she looked, the more she realized that she
had somehow changed over the past several days. It was difficult to put the
change into words, but she could see it in herself and knew that her mother
would have been pleased that her rough-and-ready daughter was finally starting
to show signs of growing up.

     She had had to grow up with everything she
had suffered through and endured, yet mayhap even the negative had a positive
side. Christopher had told her that he believed God had chosen her for his mate
with a plan in mind. She wondered if the same theory applied to her, mayhap God
had sent Christopher to her for a purpose. She wondered.

     By the time she went back to her rooms, the
knights were taking her two trunks out. She actually smiled at David as he passed
by her, drawing a curious-but-amused stare from the man.

     “My lady is jovial this day,” he commented.

     She shrugged. “Not jovial, but content. We
are going to London!”

     He laughed softly at her excitement. “I
know,” he let one of the soldiers take the heavy burden from him, wiping his
hands. It seems that I am going with you, as are Edward and Leeton.”

     “You are? How wonderful.” she exclaimed. “Tell
me, David, have you ever been to court?”

     “I have been there,” he said casually.

     Dustin expected more of an answer,
encouraging him to go on when he stopped. “And?”

     He made a face. “
And
it is nothing
but a gaggle of deviant, gossiping geese in fine clothing, trying to pretend
they are better than the rest of the peasants.”

     She laughed happily. “I cannot wait.”

     He chuckled again at her enthusiasm,
wondering how she would feel after a day or two of exposure. But he wasn’t
worried about her; with her temper and aggressiveness, she could hold her own
easily against the catty court bitches… and with Christopher’s reputation, she
would have to.

     Looking at her this morning, it was hard to
believe she was the same wild woman who had killed a man the night before. She
looked radiant and beautiful and he had a suspicion as to why. Christopher had
the same look.

     “Then I should hope for your sake, my lady,
that the weather clears a bit,” he said. “It will be miserable to travel in
this weather.”

     She shrugged lightly. “We cannot control
the weather.” She looked at him seriously. “And another thing - call me Dustin.
You are my brother now and I would have you address me as your sister.”

     He nodded, pleased. “It would be my
pleasure, if Christopher approves.”

     She put her hands on her hips. “Approve or
not, ‘tis my name, and I say call me by it.”

     He put up a hand in agreement, not wanting
to agitate her. With a smile, he extended his arm and they left her chamber,
heading for the great hall.

     Christopher was below in the foyer, his
eyes riveting to his wife as his brother escorted her down the stairs. Christ,
she was so beautiful he could scarcely believe she belonged to him. He left Max
to meet her at the bottom of the steps.

     “What do you do?” he sized David up and
down. “Who gave you permission to touch my wife?”

     “I did,” Dustin said firmly. “As I have
also given him permission to call me by my Christian name.  Do you disagree?”