The Wolfe (64 page)

The knights didn’t know whether to
pull them apart or laugh at the whole thing. They were, for once, glad of Jemma’s
aggressive behavior. She went after the new English wench like a bulldog. They
didn’t like Aloria, either, and it bothered them that she was to be so close to
Jordan.

“I have no intention of laying a
hand on Lady Jordan,” Aloria stated, eyeing Jemma. “You, however, are another
matter.”

Jordan’s eyes widened. It was a
challenge, and Jemma never backed down from a challenge.

Jemma laughed loudly. “Ye think so,
do ye? For yer information, court wench, I am Lady Jordan’s cousin and her
first
lady-in-waiting. We dunna need ye, nor do we want ye here, so ye can just go
back to yer precious queen and tell her so.”

She was bordering on blasphemy.
Jordan passed a glance at ever-cool Kieran to see that even he looked concerned
with Jemma’s body language. She wondered if he was going to intervene.

Aloria put her hands on her big
hips. She was finished being tolerant. “You little bug,” she snarled. “Somebody
should have squashed you long ago. What you want or need is of no concern to
me, and if you want to get rid of me, then you’ll have to tell the queen
yourself.”

Jemma matched her frown. “Dunna call
me a bug, ye big cow.”

“Cow?” Aloria raged.

“Aye!” Jemma yelled. “Ye’re as fat
as one and just as ugly.”

Aloria’s mouth went into a flat
angry line and she clenched her fists. Just as she took a step, Kieran was
between the two women and fixing his hard stare on Aloria. Jordan was shocked;
she’d never seen that particular expression on Kieran’s face and he suddenly
looked most frightening to her.

“I do not think that would be a wise
move,” he said, taking the top step as Aloria stepped back. He had been
standing two stairs below Jemma, and now that he was on level ground, Aloria could
see that he was absolutely massive.

Aloria eyed him but she was far from
backing down. “And just who are you, sir knight?”

“Sir Kieran Hage, third in command
of Northwood’s army,” he said evenly, his eyes glittering with rare temper. “And
this woman you were about to advance on belongs to me.”

Aloria took a calming breath,
realizing that she was in a no-win situation. “Then she should learn to control
her mouth, my lord,” she said as respectfully as she could manage.

“As you should learn to control your
temper, speaking from one large-boned person to another,” he replied. “Now,
continue with Lady Jordan and I do not want to hear that you have so much as
spit in Lady Jemma’s direction or my retribution will be swift. Is that clear?”

Aloria swallowed and moved around
him. Jordan, surprised to see Kieran’s anger and furthermore thinking he had
been a bit harsh on her new lady-in-waiting, eyed Jemma reprovingly as she
moved down the stairs. The knights followed the two women, leaving Kieran and Jemma
alone in the hall.

Jemma frowned at Kieran. “Why did ye
do that? I can handle myself.”

He focused on her and she was
surprised to see his eyes dark and angry. “She was right, Jemma. You need to
learn to control your mouth, for I will not always be around to get you out of
trouble.”

Jemma blinked at the reprimand and
lowered her gaze. She wanted to say something, anything, but she could not
think of the proper words. She didn’t want to fight with him, mostly because
she knew he was right. With a frustrated shrug, she moved to a small window
seat and sat.

Kieran watched her tiny, graceful
movements. Lord, she was a sweet, caring woman when she wanted to be, but she
was as feisty as a cornered fox. She was the pinnacles of female temperament.

“Go away, Kieran, and leave me be,”
she said after a moment.

“Nay, I will not,” he said firmly. “And
do not start feeling sorry for yourself. You always do this when I scold you.”

“I canna change who I am.” Her head
came up. “I have always been this way and I canna change. I am not the calm,
sweet, gentle girl my cousin is so quit trying to mold me into an image of
Jordan. I am what you see….
me
.”

He went over to her. “I would not
change you into Jordan.”

Her eyes narrowed at him. “I heard
that when ye were traveling with Jordan from Northwood, ye and the captain were
in love with her. So William married her and ye had to take the second prize.”

His eyebrows rose and he sat on the
seat next to her.  “Who told you such lies?”

“It doesna matter who told me,” she
looked away, “but I know it’s true. It has always been true with Jordan. She’s
always been the most beautiful, and I have always been second.”

“That is the biggest cock and bull
story I have yet to hear you utter,” he said bluntly. “You are not, nor ever
have you been, second to me. I knew the first minute I saw you that you were
special.”

Jemma turned back to him. “But were
ye ever in love with my cousin?”

If he admitted it to himself, he had
been. But that would be his secret and his alone and he was sorry he would have
to lie to Jemma. But he could not have that cloud hanging between them, or
between Jordan and Jemma.

“I think she is very beautiful, but
I love you,” he said softly. “And I think you are more beautiful.”

She smiled a little, her cheeks
flushing at his look. “I am not.”

“Aye, you are,” he reached out and
grabbed a fistful of raven’s-wing colored hair. “Your hair is silkier, your
eyes purer, your smile brighter. Aye, you are more beautiful than your cousin.”

She smiled broadly as his hand caressed
her cheek. “Then I thank ye, sir knight. I had no idea ye felt that way.”

“Aye, you did,” he corrected her. “I
have been telling you that for weeks now. You were never my second choice, Jemma.
Always my first.”

She threw her small arms around his
neck and kissed him with all of the passion and force her luscious red lips
could muster. He wrapped his massive arms around her, swallowing up her entire
torso as he pulled her against him. Their tongues met and probed, suckled and
licked at each other until Jemma was gasping with excitement. Without another
word, Kieran picked her up and carried her into the ladies’ apartments.

He took her into her small
bedchamber and laid her upon the bed, removing his armor and clothing between
hot kisses. He had tried before to bed her, but she had always balked. This
time, however, she had stripped herself nude before he was done undressing and
his eyes raked over her small, perfect form appreciatively.

“Jesus, you are beautiful,” he said,
running his hand lightly over her full breasts.

She shuddered at his touch,
forgetting her fear and reservation, only wanting him to touch her and love
her. He laid on the bed next to her, half-covering her with his big body while
his hand roamed freely about her silken skin. He was so pleased to see the way
she responded to him and for a brief moment their eyes met.

“I love you, Jemma,” he whispered. “I
always will.”

She put her tiny hands to his face
softly. “I know what a bitch I can be,” she said. “I pray ye can forgive me my
indiscretions. Sometimes I act before I think. But know that I would never do
anything in the world to embarrass ye intentionally.”

He grinned and kissed her cheek. “Jemma,
you bring fire into my life. I would not have you change for the world. With
you, I know my days will never be dull.”

She smiled at his words and he
descended on her mouth, kissing her until she could not catch her breath. His
huge hands completely covered her full, round breasts as he teased her nipples
into hard little peaks. She ran her fingers through his close-cropped hair as
he suckled the hard pellets, wondering if there was anything more wonderful on
earth than his hot mouth.

His hands parted her thighs and he
moved in between them, being ever so mindful that she was the smallest woman he
had ever made love to, yet by far the most perfect. Even so, she was easily less
than half his size and it excited him greatly.

“How tall are ye, Kieran?” she
breathed out of the blue.

His head came up to look at her. “Three
inches over six feet. Why? How tall are you?”

She shoved his face back into her
abdomen. “Almost five feet exactly.”

She had asked because it suddenly
excited her terribly to have this huge man possessing her. Her mind was full of
silly, irrational thoughts. She smiled and closed her eyes as he returned his
attentions to her belly and thighs. Then her eyes opened again and she gazed
dreamily up at the ceiling, feeling the newness of his intimate touch.

“How tall is William?” she asked.

Kieran didn’t care how tall William
was. He only cared about the fragrant blossom he was about to unfold. His
kisses were delicate and sweet on her inner thighs and about her groin.

“Five inches over six feet,” he
whispered between kisses. Why was she so damn curious about height, anyway? But
he remembered, too, that this was her first time and she was probably trying to
distract herself from her natural nervousness. But, so she could not ask
anymore dumb questions, he anticipated her thoughts. “And Michael is seven
inches over six feet, and Deinwald is one inch over six feet, and Jason is not
quite six feet, and Ranulf is exactly six feet, and Paris is my height, and
Marc is four inches over six feet, and….”

She put her hand over his mouth. “All
right already,” she whispered with a smile. “Quit talking so much.”

He grinned and suckled each one of
her fingers as she closed her eyes with pleasure. After a moment, he lifted
himself back over her, gazing into her liquid amber eyes as his fingers began
probing her.

Jemma’s thighs parted wider as he
inserted a finger into her, feeling the proof of her virginity immediately.
He’d never bedded a virgin before and wondered if all virginal barriers felt as
thick and tough as hers did. He was going to have to thrust hard to move past
it and his heart sank a little; she was so tiny that he knew the pain was going
to be excruciating.

She pressed into his hand as his
finger moved in and out, making her wet and slick for his entry. He was nearly
going mad with her response but he had to gage himself and slow down, waiting
until he was sure she was ready for him. He inserted two fingers, and then
three, and her eyes came open in distant alarm.

“‘Twill be easier this way,
sweetheart,” he promised, kissing her face. “You know that there will be some
pain.”

She nodded, feeling his thick
fingers in her. “I know, but I dunna care. Come to me, Kieran.”

His composure slipped and he put
both huge legs between her thighs, parting her own legs wide. He removed his
fingers and began to apply pressure with his thick organ, firm and constant.
She was so slippery that it was no time before he had gained about an inch or
more of headway, her barrier the only thing standing in between him and
heavenly pleasure.

Jemma, however, felt far too much
pressure. There was no pleasure. Her fear was beginning to grow as he filled
her full.

“Kieran….” she began fearfully.

He kissed her to shut off her
protests. He had stopped his onslaught for the moment and when he felt her
relax again and respond to his kisses, he drew back thrust hard into her,
breaking through and nearly driving himself to the hilt.

Jemma whimpered, trying to move away
from him, trying to escape the sensual assault. But he held her firmly,
whispering to her in an even, soothing tone even as he began to move within her
once again. But she had begun to cry and he stopped his movements, kissing her
tears away.

“I am so sorry,” he whispered. “I
know it hurts, sweet, I know.”

“I dunna want to do this anymore.”

“It’s all over, the pain is all
over,” he kissed her gently. “Just lie there and enjoy it, now. Trust me.”

She shook her head and he laughed
low, waiting a good long time for her to grow accustom to him before moving
within her again.

She was small and tight and it was
the most incredible pleasure he had ever known. Never in his life had a woman
given him so much pure pleasure and he wished he could tell her that, but she
probably would not understand. But more than that, he had claimed her for his
own and never would another man mark what he had taken; she was his forever.

True, the stabbing pain had subsided
but Jemma still felt as if she was being stuffed full. When he began to move,
she tried to lie still and wait for it to end, but somewhere in the process a
strange fire started low in her loins and she realized her legs were wrapping
around him of their own accord. His hands gripped her buttocks and she was
aware that her hips were grinding against his own. It was new and wonderful.

He was terribly heavy on her and he
was aware of it. He suddenly stopped and held her to him, moving to sit back on
his knees and putting Jemma on his lap, still embedded in her. He was afraid if
he withdrew she’d never allow him in her again. But she sat on his thighs,
gazing back at him with a seductive look and he was seized with lust and desire.
His thick arm held her against him as his free hand sought out her large
breasts, suckling her nipples as he began to pound into her again.