Warriors Of Legend (55 page)

He crouched down at the edge of the stream, and dipped his hands into the icy water. Embracing the shock that surged through his hands, he temporarily forgot about the red headed woman he planned to marry. In reality he wasn’t ready to take on a wife just yet. But his wants and needs outweighed other, more pressing obligations…

A twig snapped behind him and without thinking, he reached for the dagger that lay on the ground next to him. He had taken off his tunic and hose, and was in the middle of untying the drawstrings to his braies.

Gavin lowered his weapon when he discovered Estella standing rooted to her spot. She stared at him as if she had never seen a half naked man before.

And maybe she never did. That thought intrigued him enough to make him pause, although it didn’t help matters.

He had never suspected that a woman could drive him mad like this. He tried to ignore it, but there was something about Estella that caused this primal desire to rise. He was sure that it wasn’t just lust, although that played a factor. Nay, there was something more and he couldn’t quite determine what it was. When he first saw her he had thought she was the least attractive of her sisters, but looking at her now, he was wrong, dead wrong. There was intelligence in her eyes, but behind that intelligence was an earthy beauty.

Her long hair, the color of autumn leaves fell around her face, framing a finely structured countenance. Everything about her was delicate, from her pale ivory skin to her bluish green eyes. She had a small, straight nose, high cheek bones and a pointy, stubborn chin. But her lips were wide and generous, and on the rare occasion that he saw her smile, he noticed a dimple appear at the side of her mouth. And even though she was covered in heavy wool, he could imagine the curves on her body. His body pressed against hers too many times for him to overlook the soft curves and how nicely they molded against his.

He raised one eyebrow. “My lady?” he asked.

At the sound of his deep voice, she snapped out of her reverie. “I — I forgot to ask you whether you had soap to wash this grease from my hands,” she said, her voice sounding faint. Her eyes landed on his bare chest. The muscles spanned across wide shoulders. Her body tingled with awareness, the memories rushing in to remind her that she was crushed to that same chest only hours before. She swallowed. “‘Tis not my intention to disturb your bath.”

She stood as still as if she was a fox cornered by a hunter, unable to move even as he came closer. There was no where for her to run, she realized. But did she truly want to run away from Gavin?

When he was a foot away, he reached over and stroked her soft skin, his calloused fingers lingering on her face. “You’re a lovely sight to behold,” he breathed. “If I’d known better I would think that you’re a wood nymph that’s come to tempt me.” Then taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger, he tilted her face as if to inspect for flaws and finding none.

She pressed a hand to her heart, trying to still the wild fluttering in her chest. His steely blue eyes never left hers. Slowly, he lowered his mouth, his lips barely touching hers. “I wanted to do this for some time now,” he whispered. Not waiting for her response, he captured her lips in an intoxicating kiss. And she felt herself reeling at the contact; her bones suddenly turned to liquid as she could no longer support herself. Heat and desire whirled in her body, growing and filling every corner of her being before settling in the juncture between her thighs.

And for once, she wanted to push away all reason and allow herself to savor the sweetness of what he offered.

And it was sweet. His mouth lingered on hers, his tongue sliding over her lips barely tracing it. But that small movement fanned the flames within her loins, and she yearned for more.

Through their own accord, her hands came up and rested flat against his muscular chest, marveling at the strength and power beneath her palms. She let out a sigh and fitted her body to his hardness, giving into the instinctual need to press up against his heat.

And as if he knew what she craved, he deepened the kiss, coaxing, teasing her lips until they parted slightly. And with that small sign of surrender, he took full advantage, driving, pushing his tongue inside, leaving no part of her mouth untouched. He drank in all that she had to give, but his hunger couldn’t be satiated. His tongue plunged in and out, invoking the timeless, ancient rhythm that his body desperately sought.

She moaned in his mouth. The sound was almost torturous. And all he wanted to do was throw her to the ground and have his way with her. No woman had ever affected him like this — not with just one kiss. Yet even though his body raged with desire, a small part of his brain warned him to cease. Estella was a maiden and it went against his morals, all the things that he was taught, to force himself onto her.

Yet she was drugged with the same mad desire that coursed through his veins.

He marveled at how her soft lips fit perfectly against his. And her response was so pure, so innocent…

A cough sounded behind them.

Estella jumped. “Sir Ulric,” she said. She nervously straightened her woolen gown, the color on her cheeks high, although it wasn’t due to the morning chill.

Reluctantly Gavin loosened his hold on her. But when Estella tried to pull away, his hand settled around her waist and held her in place.

“I’m sorry to intrude,” Ulric said. His face was flushed and he looked at his feet. “I discovered a campsite not far from here. I suspect that outlaws are staying there. I fear that if we don’t leave at once, they’ll discover us.”

“Aye,” Gavin said. “We should leave now.”

Ulric nodded. He turned on his heels and quickly left them.

Gavin let out a long breath. “We’ll have to finish this another time, my lady,” he said. “If ‘tis indeed outlaws that are camped nearby, we cannot risk putting your life in jeopardy.”

CHAPTER 9

Estella sat in front of Gavin, unable to speak as the courser moved swiftly along the highway. Outlaws and robbers were the least of her worries. Her mind kept replaying the incident by the stream. What really happened there? When did she begin to trust this man who held her captive? Yet when he enveloped her in his arms, she felt so safe, so protected. This wasn’t a feeling that she was familiar with. She was used to protecting and caring for others. And the fact that she felt this way about her captor unnerved her.

Heat rushed to her face as she thought about the kiss. Even though she was ashamed to admit it, she enjoyed it. What would her sisters think of her? She was supposed to be their shining example of virtue, yet clearly her behavior was like that of a common courtesan.

Then her father’s words echoed in her mind. The man the he described didn’t resemble the Gavin that she had gotten to know over the past few hours. This man was kind, honorable and thoughtful. He also incited loyalty in his friend. He was the furthest thing from the criminal that her father had depicted. Could her father be wrong about him?

She brought out the medallion from underneath her tunic. It had belonged to her mother, and every time she touched the pendant, she felt her presence. Unfortunately this time she couldn’t sense any comfort from it. All she experienced was the hard, heavy metal in her hand.

But what if her father was right? What if the man she had gotten to know wasn’t what he seemed? Was she still willing to lose her heart to this knight?

“I need to know the truth,” she said, breaking the long silence. “Did you really save my father’s life, Sir Gavin?”

The hound that trotted along side the courser looked over at her, surprised to hear her voice.

Gavin’s mouth curved downward. “You asked me that before.”

“I do not know who or what to believe any longer,” she confessed. “My father said ‘twas Sir Etienne that saved him and not you. In fact he says that you were a part of the robbery.”

The muscles in his jaw began working as his eyes narrowed at her words.

“You father’s commander came long after Ulric and I had killed one of the outlaws,” he said flatly.

She mulled over his words. He didn’t sound like he was lying yet her father’s allegations still rebounded in her mind.

“My father insists that there is no merit to your claim. And if this is the case, you are acting like a common outlaw by abducting me.”

Her accusation hung heavily in the air.

“I’m within my rights to claim you as a wife,” he replied, his tone cool. “I had your father’s word. And Ulric bore witness to it.”

“Sir Ulric is under your employment and —”

“Enough,” Gavin said, irritated. “I will not be interrogated.”

“But we are discussing my future here!” she burst out. “I cannot marry a man under false pretenses. And I refuse to marry a man who has no integrity and lies to get what he wants.”

His nostrils flared. “Your father would be dead now had I not intervened on his behalf.”

Estella blinked at the ferocity behind his statement. There was too much feeling, too much energy behind his words that she could no longer doubt that he told the truth. She had held onto a small hope that the pact between Gavin and her father didn’t really exist. But that hope was now diminishing.

And if her father truly pledged one of his daughters to this man, then she was honor–bound to fulfill the promise. The unfairness of it all hit her with a sudden force. And although she tried to rein in her emotions, it settled squarely in her chest, making it difficult for her to breathe. There was no doubt that she had to marry Gavin.

She turned her head and looked off in the distance. “I suppose you will marry me as soon as we set foot in your castle,” she said.

“I’ve decided that we shall marry on Christmas day,” he said.

Estella swung her head back and frowned at him. “That is five days away.”

“Aye,” he nodded. “There is plenty of time —”

He reared in his horse as he saw a gang of five outlaws blocking the road. One was on a horse while the others were on foot. The days leading up to Christmastide seemed to bring out all the criminals and scum of the earth.

The hound stopped abruptly beside them, making a low growl at the back of his throat, warning the bandits to stay where they were.

Ulric halted his horse next to Gavin. “I’m certain that they’re the same outlaws that we encountered earlier,” he said. “I recognize Thomas, their leader.”

Even as he said it, the outlaws seemed to recognize them as well. A ripple of nervous tension coursed through the group. They muttered amongst themselves while looking and pointing in disbelief at what they saw. Even the horse that Thomas rode seemed to sense their fear, and it tossed its mane.

“Move aside,” Gavin said loudly. “We don’t want trouble today.”

But Thomas jerked his reins to still the horse’s movements. “Trouble came the day that you set eyes on us,” the leader said. The venom in his voice seemed to lend strength to his men. One man snickered in the background. “We might have let you pass unharmed except that you killed one of our brothers.”

“Then perhaps we should kill you all so we can pass,” Ulric growled. He slipped off his horse and took a menacing step forward.

The outlaws who were on foot looked uneasily at each other. “Perhaps we should let them pass, Thomas,” one of them said. He was the closest to Ulric, and he moved back, holding tightly onto his sword.

Thomas ignored the man, having zeroed in on the gold medallion that hung around Estella’s neck. A greedy, calculating gleam shone in his eyes and any initial fear that he displayed was gone. Estella felt a chill run down her spine.

“Give us the gold necklace on the lady, and we might give you free passage.”

Estella reached for her pendant, grasping it tightly in her hand. “You cannot have it.”

Thomas gave an ugly laugh. “You make it sound like we’re giving you a choice, my lady,” he said. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll hand over the necklace. Me and my men can do a lot of damage.”

With one arm Gavin grabbed Estella around her waist and set her down on the ground. The hound immediately came to stand in front of her, his stance tense and ready to spring at the enemies.

“I’m afraid that you’ve forgotten how much damage we can inflict upon you,” Gavin said. “‘Tis you who should move aside and be on your way.”

The leader laughed in disbelief. “Not when you carry such valuables, my friend. We might even take the lady and hold her for ransom.”

“That is impossible,” Gavin said calmly.

“We outnumber you, if you haven’t noticed.” His lips curled into a sneer. “The last time we met, we were too occupied with the old nobleman and you caught us unawares. This time you won’t be so lucky.”

“I’ll have you know that there is a reason why I’m called Sir Gavin the Bold,” Gavin said, his tone as cool as a warrior’s blade.

In one smooth motion, he lifted the bow that was slung across his shoulders, and with his free hand he drew an arrow from his back pouch. At the same time, Ulric brandished his broadsword, waiting for a signal to move forward and attack.

Thomas’ laughter stopped abruptly. A dark shadow of fear seemed to roll over the entire group. “Sir Gavin the Bold is an old man,” he said with uncertainty in his voice. “Everyone knows that.”

“He’s likely in his twentieth–eighth year, wouldn’t you say?”

With growing alarm, Thomas squinted at Gavin’s face.

A couple of men beneath his horse took a cautious step back.

Gavin drew his bow and pointed the arrow at the leader. “And if my memory serves me correctly, Sir Gavin the Bold has expert marksmanship.” As he said this, Gavin released the wooden shaft. The arrow whizzed through the crisp air, just a whisper past Thomas’ right ear.

Thomas’ face turned ashen. He jerked hard at his reins. “Disperse, men!” he barked. But he didn’t need to speak at all. His riffraff band had already scattered into the forest like scared mice.

Estella let out a breath of relief as she watched the outlaws disappear in the forest. Her heart slowed down to its normal pace. She was only too glad that the horrible incident was over.

Gavin slipped off his horse, and helped her back on the saddle before positioning himself behind her.