The Legend (25 page)

She smiled faintly, feeling terribly
relieved that she understood his reasons for his rage but now terribly
concerned that he was leaving. She again indicated his clothing.

"Tell me where you are
going."

He pursed his lips thoughtfully
and she found herself staring at his delightfully smooth, masculine lips. Lips
that made her feel more wonderful than she had ever dreamt possible.

"There is a bit of a problem
that concerns us both, my lady. After my display this afternoon, my father is
intent on dissolving our marriage contract."

Peyton's face went slack with
shock. "He is? Why on earth?"

"Because he fears for your
safety. You see, my lady, there has never been a man or woman who could provoke
me beyond reason, which is exactly what happened this afternoon. My father
fears that eventually I will harm you in some way if you indeed possess the
power to bait me senseless."

She stared at him, her sapphire
blue eyes endless. "You would never harm me, would you?"

His face washed with
indescribable softness. "Of course not. I would kill for you, or die for
you, but I would never touch a hair on your beautiful head in anger."

She cocked her head, her brow
creased with puzzlement. "You would die for me?"

"Without hesitation."

"But why?"

He smiled gently. "Why not?
You are worth dying for."

She appeared genuinely stunned,
averting her gaze. "James never even declared such devotion," she
murmured, more to herself.

Alec heard her but he did not
respond. Suddenly, a seed of jealously formed deep within his heart at the
mention of her former love and he was shocked. He wasn't envious of a dead man,
but he realized that he wanted Peyton to speak of him with the same adoration.
It wasn't so much the words as in the tone, and the more he thought on it, the
more he became aware of how very much he wanted Peyton to speak of him as
fondly.

"Father plans to betroth you
to Colin Warrington in the hope that a marriage will ease tensions between your
respective families."

Peyton's eyes bugged wide and her
creamy cheeks flushed brightly. "Colin Warrington! Never! I would sooner
kill myself than wed that ill-mannered dog!"

"Then I take it that in
spite of my tantrum, you would rather marry me?"

"I would marry the Devil
himself before marrying Colin Warrington!"

He gave her a quirky smile.
"I am afraid the Devil already has a wife. Will I suffice?"

She eyed him a moment. "If
you promise never to rage again in my presence, I shall consider it."

He lost all of his mirth and
dropped on bended knee before her. It was a swift, graceful motion that
startled her; before she realized it, Alec was kneeling beautifully and her
right hand was neatly tucked into the fold of his closed palm.

"With God as my witness, I
swear to you that I shall never again display such appalling manners. I may
lose my temper and I cannot promise that I will never again speak a harsh word,
but I vow this day that I shall never again rage against you."

She was astonished at the passion
of his statement. She felt her guard lowering and it was further melted by the
candor of his demonstration. This was the Alec she had come to know, the gentle
giant with a heart deeper than a well. A soft smile creased her beautiful lips.

"I believe you, my
Alec," she whispered. "Aye, I would marry you over Colin Warrington.
And the Devil."

He brought her hand to his lips
and excitement jolted her so that she involuntarily gasped. Her left hand went
to his head tenderly as his lips thanked her gently for her compassion. His
kisses covered her hand and moved to her wrist as Peyton continued to gently
touch his cropped hair, thinking him to be entirely too handsome and chivalrous
for his own good.

Before she realized it, he had
pulled her into a snug embrace against his hard chest and she found herself
gazing down into his sky-blue eyes as his chin rested on the swell of her breasts.
It was remarkable that they were hovering so close to one another and not
giving in to deliciously hot kisses; instead, they gazed deeply into each
other's eyes, rejoicing in the fact that all was well between them once again.

"I thought I had destroyed
everything we had established between us," he whispered, his breathing noticeably
ragged. "I am so very sorry for what I did, Peyton. I never meant to hurt
you."

"You did not, really,"
she answered with equal breathlessness. "But you frightened me. Lord,
Alec, You are so massive that you could easily tear me apart were you so
inclined."

He kissed the palms of her hands
as they gripped his head, especially the bandaged hand. "I did indeed hurt
you as there is the proof. But I never meant to, truly. You are most gracious
to forgive me my transgression."

She smiled giddily, her insides
quivering with their close proximity. "This time only. Next time, I shall
brandish a mace and aim for your head."

"And I would stand stock
still to better your focus," he agreed earnestly.

"My aim is true, my lord. I
would not need...."

He cut her off with a bruising
kiss. She responded with eager whimpers, encouraging him. He licked at her lips
and she answered by opening her mouth to him, but he suddenly stopped.

"I would hear you call me by
my name, always," he whispered, his hot breath on her face driving her
weak for the want of him."Say it."

"Alec," she breathed.

He kissed her fiercely, his
tongue delving into the sweet depths of her mouth before withdrawing sharply.
"Not that way. The way you said it before. Possessively."

She had no idea what he was
talking about. "What do you mean?"

Again, he slanted his lips over
hers harshly, suckling and licking her until she was gasping with desire.
"Say it."

"What?" she demanded with
as much force as she could muster in between feverish kisses.

"My Alec. You will address
me as your own."

"My..?" she began, but
he quelled her inquiry with kisses forceful enough to turn her body to jelly;
her knees had long since given out and he fully supported her against him.

"Say it."

She grinned at him, a wonderful
sort of gesture that made him respond in kind. "
My Alec
. My darling
Alec."

She beat him to the kiss this
time, planting her delightfully supple lips onto his eager mouth. His gloved hands
entwined themselves in her hair and they lost their balance, toppling over onto
a large pile of fresh straw.

The stable was deserted and
quiet, as the servants were eating their evening meal. In the darkened corner
of the livery, Alec rolled Peyton on to her back and continued to ravish her
thoroughly. She gasped with the new passion he had so quickly aroused in her on
the very first day they had met, clutching him tightly as his mouth drove her
insane with desire.

The straw beneath them crunched
softly as he moved for the stays on her gown. Even as his mouth fused with
hers, she could feel him removing her surcoat, pulling it down her torso and
practically tearing it free of her legs. She heard the garment land with a soft
rush in the straw next to them as he went to work on the more restrictive
shift.

Peyton did not even realize he
had completely stripped her when he suddenly paused in his onslaught to unstrap
the studded leather belt from his narrow waist. In a fury, the belt and tunics
came off, and she watched him through dazed eyes as he lowered his hose.
Somewhat regaining her senses, she noticed in the weak light that he had the
most magnificent chest she had ever seen. Broad and nearly hairless, it was
tanned golden and smooth and her breathing grew more rapid at the sight. She'd
seen men's bare chests before, rarely of course, and she knew without a doubt
that Alec possessed the most extraordinary form she had ever seen. It took her
breath away as she gazed up at him, absolutely flawless.

He paused in his rush when he saw
that she was watching him. Suddenly, he seemed apologetic and he leaned over
her, bracing his thick arms on either side of her body.

"I know.... we should not do
this, sweetheart, but I cannot help what I feel. I must have you."

"And if I were to refuse you
at this moment?"

He paused. "I would put my
clothes back on, I suppose."

She brushed a stray lock from her
face. "Then put them back on. I am not your wife yet and you may not do as
you please with me."

He stared at her and sat back on
his heels. His gaze lingered on her a moment longer before he glanced around in
search of his tunic. Just as he located the garment and reached a hand to it,
she stopped him.

"You would really put your
clothes back on?" she asked with a hint of regret.

"I will not force you."

The setting sun cast a warm glow
into the darkened stable, bathing her beautiful body in an orange light. Her
eyes roved over his superb form, coming to rest on his freed manroot. It was
absolutely enormous and she sat up, studying him without embarrassment. Being a
proper maiden she should have been mortified, but she found that she was not
the least bit ashamed. After all, Alec's entire body was glorious and his
manhood was simply another portion, like an arm or a leg, albeit a very
personal portion.

"You say it will fit?"
she asked timidly.

He looked down at himself, tunic
in hand as he prepared to dress. "Undoubtedly."

She turned her gaze to him.
"I have never seen.... that is, I have see horses and bulls rutting, but I
have never seen a rutting man. Are they all as large as you?"

He smiled. "Nay, they are
not."

She tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Are you sure it will fit?"

He chuckled softly.
"Sweetheart, the children you bear will have heads and bodies considerably
larger than my manhood. You, dear lady, are built by virtue of nature to accommodate
a man between your legs. I promise you that I will fit."

She nodded, pondering his
statement and discovering that it did indeed make sense.

"Are you afraid?" he
asked gently, sensing her reluctance.

"A bit," she replied
honestly, lifting her gaze to meet his and he could see a faint mottling of
flush in her cheeks. "This will hurt, will it not?"

He tossed the tunic aside.
Gracefully, he lowered himself and pushed her onto her back in the same motion.
His great body half-covered her as he pushed bits of stray red hair behind her
ear.

"I am told that it most
always uncomfortable the first time for a maiden," he said softly. "I
suppose we will find out."

She gazed back at him, lifting a
timid finger to trace the line of his smooth lips. "Have you never bedded
a maiden before?"

"Never. I am quite new at
this."

"But you have learned from
other women to be gentle, have you not?"

He could read her rising
apprehension and sought to comfort her. Yet he, too, was apprehensive. When he
said he was new to this, he meant in nearly every aspect.

"Have I ever been rough with
you, Peyton? Have I ever demonstrated anything other than complete gentleness
whenever we have touched?"

"Oh, Alec, you have been
entirely tender always. Your touch is as gentle as a lamb's."

"Then I shall be gentle in
this endeavor as well," he dipped down and kissed the bridge of her nose.
"Shall we continue?"

"That depends. Is your
father intent on marrying me to Colin Warrington?"

Alec's soft face tensed.
"Mayhap. But the marriage will never take place, for I intend to wed you
myself this very night."

"But.... I do not
understand. How can you marry me if your father would dissolve the
betrothal?"

"Because I intend to take
you south to Ely tonight and marry you."

"Oh," she looked
slightly astonished by the declaration and he smiled tenderly.

"Is this not acceptable?
Either that or you marry Colin Warrington. I will allow you to choose."

She raised an eyebrow. "Some
choice. Allow me to contemplate this a moment, if you would."

He lowered his head, his lips
lingering directly above her delicious mouth. "Time has expired, my lady.
I have made your decision for you."

His lips clamped down and Peyton
reacted instantaneously, winding her arms around his thick neck as if she were
clinging to him for her own life. Instinctively, she trusted him completely. He
had always been gentle with her and she had no reason to believe that this
would be any different.

She eagerly anticipated every move
he made, moaning softly as his hot lips suckled her breasts eagerly. His
suckling motion created a fire between her legs, a sensation she was coming to
associate with Alec's touch. She wondered what magic he possessed that caused
her to react in such a manner when James, a man she loved, had never provoked
such a wanton response.  Was it at all possible that she was coming to love
Alec and not even realize it?