When Lightning Strikes (19 page)

“Speak the words, Sarah,” he said softly.

“I am supposed to marry him when I get home. What about the promises I made to him and to everyone?” She swallowed back the lump in her throat.

“Forget what you think you are supposed to do and do what your heart tells you to do,” he said.

She looked up at him for a moment, into those crystal clear, silver-blue eyes of his. She felt as if he was looking into her soul again and in fact, he was. He knew how she felt. And he knew what her answer would be. She could no more deny it than stop the sun from rising tomorrow.
God forgive me for this,
she thought
.

“I, Sarah Douglas, accept the terms of this hand-fasting,” she said, very softly.

He pulled her to him and kissed her softly at first and then seemed to inhale the very breath from her lungs. He swept her up into his arms and laid her back down in the grass.

“Sarah
du Barbaronne
,” he whispered into her ear. “I give you this token as a symbol of our love and our wedded union.”

He pulled the galbi from his shirt and very quickly threaded a thin lace from one of his shirt sleeves through the small hole at the top. She sat up and he tied it around her neck. He kissed her again.

“And now I will show you exactly how much your husband loves you.”

He pushed her back down into the damp grass and marveled at how beautiful she looked to him in this moment with her golden curls spilling all around her head like a halo. His galbi shimmered between her breasts in the sunlight as a symbol for all to see that she belonged to him.

He lifted her shirt up over her head and tossed it aside. He kissed each of her breasts one after the other paying adequate attention to each rosy nipple, and then said, “Now, where was I? Oh, yes…”

His voice trailed off and smiling wickedly, he traced a long, wet path down her belly with his tongue, pulling her skirt down as he went. He pulled his lips back from her skin just above the line of her pubic bone as he hiked the skirt down around her hips and pulled it free, exposing all of her lush curves. Her long legs were dark and smooth and he wanted to just drink in the sight of them for a moment before continuing down the delicious trail he had begun. His lips found the hollow behind one knee and then the other. He kissed his way back up her inner thigh…back to that sweet, wet place he had been a few moments ago before he’d spoken the words that made her his wife.

He wasted no time burying his tongue inside her. His shaft was so hard and thick he thought it would explode, but he was going to take his time and make this experience something she would never forget. And he supposed a small nagging feeling in the back of his head wanted him to make sure she never forgot
him
in the instance that she was somehow torn away from him and taken back to her own time without warning.

She moaned as he glided his silky tongue over and over the little jewel that was the center of her heat.

He paused for a moment and said, “I will do this for as long as you will let me…you are delicious. Quite.”

She was writhing now with her fingers entwined in his long black mane
,as she watched the erotic scene taking place. She wrapped her long legs around his neck, which he seemed to enjoy greatly. She was more beautiful to him in that moment than he’d ever seen her…damp with sweat…her sweetness glistening on his tongue and
his
name spilling from her lips in reckless and breathless abandon. He made good on his promise and continued his assault for a long while until she couldn’t hold herself back anymore. So she just closed her eyes and let herself go. He drank in every drop, savoring the sweet taste of her before finally turning her loose.

Sarah had felt as if she had erupted like a volcano. She opened her eyes and saw him smiling at her as he slid upwards across her damp, sweaty body.
Okay. Two could play this game.

She ran her hands down his muscled back, gliding her fingers over his skin as she licked his chest, tentatively at first and then with more bravado, taking one of his hardened nipples into her mouth and nipping it with her teeth. She could taste the rivulet of sweat that ran down across one of his thick pectoral muscles on her lips. The smell of his skin intoxicated her and she wanted to taste every inch of him and lick the sweat from his body like a cat lapping up a bowl of sweet cream! His breathing grew heavier and she could feel his rock hard shaft pulsing against her leg.

She took her hands and placed them on either side of his waist, pulling him upward over her, licking his stomach and placing a trail of kisses down the carved out muscles that ran long his hip bones to his groin. He groaned and dug his fingers into her hair and she finally pulled his breeches down over his hips as he slid forward. He sprang free and she licked the end of his shaft teasingly before finally taking him fully into her mouth, and looking up at him as she did with an almost feral intensity. He was not small. Nothing about Dominic was small, inside or out! He tasted slightly salty as she ran her tongue up and down over him in long strokes. Her tongue felt like soft velvet gliding over his flesh as he moved with her.

Sweat broke out on his brow anew. Dear God in heaven, it felt so damned good to have her sweet lips wrapped around him! He could barely keep from exploding into her mouth. But he must wait. There would be plenty of other times to do this and anything else they wanted to explore. This time he needed to bury his seed inside of her, taking her maidenhead as he did so. That way their union would be fully consummated and no one could ever dispute it. Not the church, God or man…or even this David du Bois she had spoken of.

And so after allowing her to tease him to the brink for several long minutes, he pulled himself back from her very slowly and kissed her, savoring the taste of his own wetness and sweat on her lips. He gracefully moved down the length of her body with his own and slid himself to where she was slick and wet from the pleasure he had given her moments before.

“I wish that this could feel the way I made you feel a few minutes ago. But we both know that will not likely be so.”

She nodded up at him. She couldn’t help but tense up a little bit in anticipation of what it would feel like. He took his time easing his way into her as gently as possible. Sarah began to feel the burn. The further he pushed in the more intense it became and her urge was to push him off her. She didn’t.

His eyes bored into hers.

“Try to relax your body, and it will hurt much less.”

The burning was searing now and a second later she felt her hymen tearing as he pushed fully inside of her now stretching her until she thought she would burst.

“Oww! Oh, God dammit, it hurts! You are too big!” she cried. Christ who was the idiot who ever portrayed this first time stuff in the movies as a tiny smidgeon of pain and then nothing but pleasure?!! She wanted to scream.

He kissed her slowly, trying to ease the misery he knew she was feeling. Damn. He knew he was hurting her and there was just no help for it. There was no turning back and there was no way he could stop his throbbing body now. He would just have to follow through as gently as he could, knowing it would get easier each time they did this. The first time was always the worst.

“I promise you this will not hurt like this next time.” he said softly.

She nodded as he slowly began to move in and out of her.

She felt her muscles begin to relax and the burning was letting up to some degree. It was by no means completely gone but at least it was no longer searing. He began to breathe harder and she almost felt excited again despite her pain, just watching him. He reached between their bodies and began stroking her again in her most sensitive spot hoping to excite her a little bit in the hope she would forget that it hurt. It seemed to ease her tension a bit.

“Does this feel good?” he asked her.

She nodded. “Yes. But it still hurts too! Quite a bit, in fact.”

She pulled his face to her own and kissed him. He continued to move on top of her gracefully and yet primal. She pulled back from him to watch his chiseled body in motion marveling that he was really here doing this very intimate act with her right now.

At last he shuddered, and collapsed on top of her burying his face into her neck. A second later he slowly pulled out of her and lay next to her with his arms splayed across her abdomen.

“I am sorry, Sarah. I hope the pleasure I gave you somehow made up for the pain. Believe
me, this will grow better for both of us over time. And I will enjoy every moment exploring you all over.”

He traced the curve of her neck with his lips and planted a soft kiss in the hollow of her collar bone.

She sat up for a moment reaching down and cradling his face in her hands, she very softly kissed his lips.

“I never dreamed that I could feel pleasure like you’ve already given me. Yes, it hurt…like hell! But, I’m glad that I did it with you and no one else. I’m glad you were my first.”

“And your
last,
” he added, smiling at her. He ran two fingers down the side of her cheek and pulled her down closer to him. “I will never let anyone touch you as I have. You are mine now, in truth, Sarah du Barbaronne.” He pulled her closer to his body as they lay there naked in the grass with the soft rustling of the water in the background.

She smiled.
Sarah du Barbaronne
. She liked the way her name spilled from his lips with that sexy accent of his.

There was no turning back now. She had married him. She still needed to confront what she was going to do about going back to her own time. But right now was not the time or the place to worry about it. She knew she couldn’t put it off forever, but right now she wanted to simply revel in her newfound love
and
her newfound expansion of her sexuality, enjoying every moment she could in the arms of her husband.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Navarre stood at the edge of the Gypsy camp staring Marco squarely in the eye.

He had been given directions to this place after finding a drunken beggar outside of the tavern and offering him a few pieces of silver and a free tankard of ale. It was well worth the piddly amount to gain the valuable piece of information that had led him here to this ragged band of gypsiens who thought themselves above the law.

Yes, it would be a great moment to watch du Barbaronne squirm, but the real heart of the matter here was to find out who the witch was that was running about pretending to be Melissande.
And
why
…

“Bonjour.
I have come seeking du Barbaronne. I will spare your time and my own as you know full well he is my half-sibling.” Navarre’s eyes narrowed. “I have heard rumor that my lady wife Melissande is alive and well and in the care of my dear
brother
.”

“My lord Navarre.”
Marco bowed briefly though he felt more like spitting on Navarre’s boots.

“Dominic is not within our camp at this time. And yes, the lady Melissande has been within our care. She went out this morning to bathe and go riding upon one of our finest mares,” he lied. He wasn’t about to tell him the truth that Melissande had run away and Nico had ridden off after her. He didn’t feel like being hanged today.

“You allowed my lady wife to ride off
unattended
?!” Navarre roared.

“No, my lord…Dominic is with her.” Marco smiled, almost sarcastically.

“And that is supposed to ease my mind, I suppose?”

Navarre’s mouth curled into a sneer. He breathed deeply and eased his expression.

“I am going to assume that my dear brother, having my best interest at heart of course, has not dared to lay his hand to my
wife’s
flesh. If he has done so, then I will be forced to retaliate within all limits of the law.”

He smiled in a very sinister way. Not that it really mattered, since this woman was not his wife. But as long as these lowly gypsiens thought she was, they would be at his mercy, especially du Barbaronne.

Ah, to threaten him with painful death was such a delight! And if he could somehow see to making it look like he had committed a crime worthy of punishment, a very painful punishment, well, that would be even better. Then he would deal with this little imposter pretending to be Melissande.

Marco leveled a look at him unwavering and unafraid.

“Your lady is unharmed,” was all he said.

“Let us hope so…whatever your name is.” Navarre nodded towards Marco.

“My name is Marco.” He stated it simply and without respect.

Navarre turned on his heel and spoke to his men. “We shall wait here for my dear brother and Melissande to return. I am going out to the field over the hill to see if there is any sign of them. I will be back momentarily.” He waved them aside, mounted his horse and took off without another word.

Dominic rolled over and pulled Sarah down on top of him.

He held her there for a moment just staring up into her golden eyes.
The eyes of his
wife.
A second later he stood up and offered her his hand.

“Shall we cool off, my lady?” He nodded toward the pool of water.

She nodded and stood up next to him. A bath in that pool sounded like heaven right about now. She was damp with her own sweat and his. She loved the smell of him on her skin, but the soreness between her legs was making itself known now. And there was some blood on her thighs as a little reminder of their encounter and her own lost innocence. Cool water would ease the ache.

They waded into the water and Sarah gasped. It was icy cold! On second thought, maybe this was not such a brilliant idea. Dominic didn’t seem fazed by it and in about one second flat he just dove in. He came up gasping and laughing as he pushed his long, wet hair back from his face.

“Come in.”

He began wading in closer and closer to her and she knew he was about to drag her under. Before she could stop him, he had pulled her in close to his body and in one fluid movement he pulled her under.

She popped back to the surface gasping from the icy coldness on her skin. She smacked him hard on the shoulder.

“Oh…you….oooh!
It’s freezing!” she sputtered racing towards the edge of the pool to dry off and get warm. He followed close behind and in a moment they were back out on the grass where he grabbed her and they collapsed laughing in a heap.

“Ow! Be careful,” she warned guarding her side. He reached down and kissed the place where she was burned very softly as the warmth of the late morning sun chased the chill from her bones.

“My God, that is COLD! How could you stand it?”

She looked up at him. God, he looked so handsome to her lying there all wet and glistening.

“Stand it? What does that mean?” He looked puzzled.

“Oh. I mean, how do you ‘bear’ it. To ‘stand’ something means to bear it.”

“Ah. I see. And cold? What cold? What we just did over there in the grass warmed me quite thoroughly.” He laughed. “As for the water, it comes from an underground spring up at the top of those rocks. The water coming from there is much colder than further down river.”

He reached down and toyed with the galbi hanging between her breasts.
His galbi. “This looks quite fetching upon you…wife.” He liked the sound of the word.

She looked down at his fingers there toying with the coin.

“Well, alright, husband. I won’t ever take it off then.” She kissed him.

“Dominic.” she stopped. Maybe this wasn’t the time to bring it up. But she had to. Yes, she had married him, but how was this going to work? Could she survive here with him? And what if somehow she was pulled back to her own time unexpectedly?

He stood up, pulling her with him and helped her put on her shirt to warm her. He rubbed her shoulders and pulled her close to him as he spoke.

“Sarah, I know what you are thinking. Do not speak of it now. I do not know how just yet, but I will never leave you and I will not let you leave me. Even if it means I must go with you to your own time.”

Sarah wasn’t sure she had heard him correctly. But his expression told her that he did. Her heart blossomed with new hope….and yet she didn’t dare allow herself to imagine him coming back with her.  Did he know what he was saying? Maybe the cold water had frozen his brain.

He spoke before she had a chance to voice any arguments.

“I do not wish for you to worry. Everything will be…..oooh-kay. I give you my word.”

He reached down and straightened the galbi hanging from her neck and pulled her hands to his lips where he kissed her fingers.

She blinked at him in amazement.
Had he just used the word “okay”?