Vow of Seduction (28 page)

“You have been avoiding me.”

Two days later, Alex tracked Kat down in their chamber. She sat in the stone window embrasure beneath the opened shutters writing a letter. Her hair was unbound and she wore an azure tunic with yellow embroidered flowers on the rounded neck and flared cuffs. Sunshine illuminated her, giving her an ethereal quality that made her appear otherworldly.

She surprised him when she did not deny the accusation. “And?” Kat shrugged without looking at him, then dipped her quill in ink and continued writing.
Scratch, scratch, scratch
.

He spread his legs and fisted his hands on his hips. “And? That is all you have to say? You have been staying at the lodge for the last two days nursing Sir Luc, causing scurrilous talk with your behavior and you have naught to say in your defense?” Alex grimaced. It was not how he had intended to start this long overdue conversation.

She snapped her head around and glared at him. “Why should I? I have naught I’m ashamed of which needs defending,” she said pointedly.

Scratch, scratch, scratch
.

Alex tugged on his tunic and cleared his voice gruffly. “Ahh…I understand what this is about now. When I mentioned we had matters to discuss, ’tis one of the things I wished to address.”

“And that would be?”
Scratch, scratch, scratch.

Alex gritted his teeth. Obviously she was not going to make this easy for him. “You know what I am referring to, Kat.”

Kat placed the quill aside, capped the inkwell and turned to him. “Aye, but I would hear it from your own lips. No more lies or evasions,” her voice implacable.

Alex paced away. He felt incapable of proceeding, unsure how to begin as Kat stared daggers at him. Though he had imagined what he would say a hundred times, his suddenly dry tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. The month he had been given to woo Kat had concluded and the time had come to learn her decision.

But first, he had some explaining to do. He wavered with indecision. He realized now his reason for deceiving Kat had been shortsighted. By keeping his secret, Alex had done the very thing he had wanted to prevent. He had put Kat in danger. And there was no defense he could give to justify his actions.

So clumsily, he blurted the first thing that came to mind. “Kat, I love you.”

“I see,” she said, her voice much too calm given the nature of his declaration.

“Did you hear what I said?”

She perused what she had written on parchment and then sanded it.

“Kat!” He moved to stand over her. “To whom are you writing?” he asked suspiciously. “What is so important that you cannot do me the courtesy of giving me your undivided attention?”

After placing ink and quill in her writing box, she set it down. Then Kat unfolded her legs from the window seat, stood up and brushed past him, her scent a sensual lure that distracted his senses. She whirled to face him and handed him the letter without comment. Eyeing her curiously, he read the neat, no-nonsense script. It was a letter to her steward at Montclair informing the man of her imminent arrival.

Alex crunched up the letter and tossed it out the window. Kat squeaked in protest. “When were you going to discuss this with me?”

Kat moved away and flounced down on the bed, crossing her arms. “That was a childish thing to do.”

“Answer me, Kat.”

She sniffed. “Though I need no longer give account to you, I had planned on informing you before I left.”

“So you were running away.” It was a statement.

She stiffened, offended. “Nay. Our bargain is at an end and my return home is overdue. I fulfilled my obligations of the bargain, now I expect you to do the same and see that our marriage is annulled.”

Alex spun away and scrubbed a hand down his face. “So, as easy as that you have made your decision?”

Kat jumped up and clenched her skirts in her hands. “How dare you, you arrogant son of a bitch. I resent that. Naught about us or my decision has been easy.”

“Then you admit you care for me?”

“Of course I do. But you lied to me, Alex, and put my life at risk. So how can I ever trust you?”

Alex clutched the bedpost, his knuckles straining. “I admit I should have told you about the traitor. But I did it to protect you!”

“Protect me?” Kat strode forward and poked her finger into his chest. “I was attacked by two outlaws and nearly raped, then bound again by Sir Stephen and almost stabbed. Had I not my dagger, we would both be dead.”

Alex could not argue with such sound reasoning. He had been in the wrong. He had let his obsession for finding the traitor cloud his judgment, and in the process he endangered Kat. And that he could not forgive. At least the two outlaws had been caught and confessed that Lydia had hired them. Lydia was bound for a convent on a barren island in the north. And as soon as Sir Luc recovered, he would be dismissed from the king’s service and banished from court, likely forever.

Alex turned to Kat. “I’m still confused how you learned about the traitor I sought?”

Her dark eyebrows drawn into a frown, Kat explained. “The day you recovered from your fever, I overheard you speaking to Rand about the traitor. At the mention of Scarface, I reasoned that the attack on you the day of our betrothal and the subsequent attack in the Holy Land were connected somehow. Then later I searched your belongings and found your dagger.” She shrugged.

“Very clever. I always admired that about you.”

Her eyebrows rose in disbelief. “I find that unbelievable considering you treat me as though I am an infant in need of mollycoddling.”

“I do not treat you like an infant, but as my wife. I love you, Kat. You cannot expect me to stand by and watch while you’re in danger. I have taken a vow to protect the helpless—”

Silver eyes flashed. “Arrrgh…When will you learn that I am not helpless.” Her arms shot down beside her hips, her hands fisted. “Have I not proven to you again and again I am perfectly capable of protecting myself?”

“I’m sorry. ’Twas a poor choice of words, of course you are not helpless. I realize I should have been forthcoming and never kept secrets from you. Have you never done something you later regretted but at the time did for what you thought honorable reasons? Can you not forgive me for being so blind?”

She turned her back on him and wiped her cheek impatiently with her hand, her voice riddled with pain. “I’m sorry, Alex, but I cannot. You have betrayed me for the last time. I want an annulment.”

Alex stared at Kat’s stiff back in disbelief. He had never been at such a loss before. Command had always come easily to him. But neither had the outcome of a skirmish been more vitally important to his survival. Though he knew her pain was genuine, Alex hurt, too, and he inadvertently reverted to anger.

“And what will you do when an annulment is granted? Marry Sir Luc if he survives? Oh, but I forgot, he is in love with his stepmother. He was just using you so he could fornicate with his mistress.” He flung the words at her like barbs, cold mockery evident in his tone.

Kat gasped and spun on him. “’Tis a cruel thing to say, Alex. How could you?”

In that moment, Alex hated her. Hated her for being so stubborn. Hated her for being so proud, so unforgiving. Mostly, he hated her for making him fall in love with her. But even as she stood before him, her face flushed, her silvery eyes condemning, a surge of excitement quickened his phallus.

“
Mayhap
because I’m not feeling very
kind
at the moment.” He growled.

His gaze dropped to linger on her full bosom, which rose and fell in agitation, then lowered to her narrow waist and flaring hips. Lush hips made to harbor his hedonistic thrusts despite her denials.

Hate, anger and lust rose up and toppled him over the edge. Fierce possession blazed.

Kat saw the moment his simmering anger turned to hot lust. His eyes darkened to pitch and dropped to ogle her heaving breasts.

He released the bedpost and slowly stalked her. “Indeed. Kindness is far from my mind. You want to sever our marriage? Fine. But not before I demonstrate how much you crave my cock between those hot thighs of yours.”

Instead of feeling disgust at his crude words, Kat’s heart raced and her thighs quivered in anticipation. With each step Alex took, her resolve weakened. She could not seem to summon up any resistance. This would be the last time she would ever experience the amazing closeness they shared during lovemaking. The one time she could forget the past betrayals. Her disappointments. The life of loneliness she saw stretching before her.

Finally, he stopped before her, his gaze a torrid caress. Heat and hunger emanated from his body in sultry waves, reaching out to her like a primal beast in the forest calling its mate. Her breasts swelled and throbbed, blood pounding, her nipples prodded her silk chemise.

Then he raised his lustful gaze to her face, his satisfied devil-grin splashing her cheeks with the heat of embarrassment.

“You may deny that you want me, but your eyes do not lie. Your body does not lie.” His voice was a dark silken taunt.

Without preamble, Alex kissed her. He took her in his arms and crushed her to his chest, his mouth a tempest as lightning struck her fevered flesh. Kat clutched Alex’s back, her tongue stroking his in perfect tandem. Her nipples prodded his hard chest and she quivered in sweet torment.

“You were made for me, Kat. Deny it to yourself, but not to me.” He pressed his erection against her, prodding her moist delta and causing a hot tingling.

Just as suddenly, Alex stepped back. He grabbed the hanging end of her girdle and yanked it free from the buckle. It went
thunk
to the floor. Next he removed her gown. Not to be outdone, Kat reached for Alex’s tunic and tugged it over his head. They quickly divested themselves of their garments in a frenzy to touch skin to skin.

When they were both naked, Alex bent and took her nipple into his mouth. She emitted a low cry. In the same breath, the sound altered to a blissful sigh as he stroked her nipple with the rasp of his tongue, once, twice, and thrice. Then he drew her breast deep into his mouth, sucking and releasing, sucking and releasing the rigid point.

Heat shot to her feminine delta, igniting a molten flame. She pressed her lower body to his and ungulated against him trying to get closer. But she would never be close enough. She needed the oblivion of penetration where her mind did not trump her heart, needed a sweet memory to savor wherever life took her.

Alex murmured in approval, his husky voice thrilling her. Then he surprised her when he spun her around and wrapped her hands around the bedpost.

Standing behind her, Alex saw the bewildered look on Kat’s face as she peered at him over her shoulder.
She is so innocent
, he thought.

“Hang on,” he said and cupped his palms under her full breasts, weighing, measuring and squeezing the exquisitely soft flesh. Next he worried the fiery tips with thumb and forefinger. Kat moaned, trying to twist around to face him. But he shoved her legs further apart with his knee and he stepped between her spread thighs.

“Alex, w—what are you—”

He kissed her upturned face hard, his tongue thrusting deep as his manhood soon would. The hot pounding of his blood filled him to bursting.

He released her lips. “You trust me in this, at least, do you not?” he asked, his breath harsh with excitement.

Kat nodded without hesitation. “Aye, Alex. I need you inside me. Now!”

She surprised him this time when her hand reached back, closed over his shaft and drew him to her entry. The passionate response nearly unmanned him, his need spiraling out of control. So poised at her entry, he dipped his knees and drove up into her in one smooth stroke. Their groans mingled as her wet sheath sucked him inexorably upward. When he reached the hilt, Alex hissed like a hot steel blade plunged into water.

“Oh God, this is wicked,” she cried, her voice ragged. “We shall surely burn in Hell.”

“Nay, we shall burn in ecstasy.” To demonstrate he rotated his hips.

Kat whimpered. The sensation of Alex inside her, stretching her, was still new and strange, but the pleasure was like nothing she had ever experienced before. With him inside her, his arms wrapped tenderly around her, she no longer felt alone, abandoned. And though she knew she should be appalled to be taken in such a primitive fashion, her secret feminine side that wanted to be dominated found it supremely provocative.

Then he began to move inside her, guiding her hips back and forth, teaching her the primordial rhythm. She took it up and pushed her hips back to meet him. He drove into her again and again, his thrusts hard, savage, making her wild.

With each plunge, pleasure spiked deep inside her, spreading rapidly, their flesh slapping in frenzied abandon. Sweat from his body dripped onto her back.

He moaned in her ear. “Aye, my feisty kitten, that’s it, move with me.” He attached his lips to her earlobe and sucked.

Their strokes became hard and uncontrollable. His teeth nipped her vulnerable neck, only to soothe it with a swipe of his tongue. A shiver of pleasure raced down her spine, raising goose bumps in its wake.

“Mmmm,” he murmured, “you are delectable. I shall never forget your taste.”

His hand pressed against her quivering stomach, she clutched the bedpost tighter, arching her back wantonly as he plunged deep inside her. Faster. Harder. In that moment all thought was obliterated. Her sheath tightened around his marble-hard shaft, a silken torment as he rammed into her with jarring force.

“Alex…Oh God. Ahhh…Ahhh…Ahhrgh,” she screamed, unable to hold back her wild moans. Heat and desire surged through her body like a mighty tide, her moist folds pulsing and throbbing unbearably.

Kat’s screams carried Alex over desire’s precipice. Her inner muscles contracted around him. Squeeze and release. Squeeze and release. Alex convulsed excitedly, shouting in satisfaction as pleasure erupted and his seed flooded her.

He came and came, her steamy vortex sucking him dry till he was spent, weak, and shaken by the aftermath.

But when her legs collapsed he had enough presence of mind to support Kat with one arm. His own legs shaky, he drew her onto the bed and settled in beside her. He wrapped his arms around her, their panting breaths harsh in the intimate confines of the curtained canopy bed.