Claiming His Lady: Novella (Norfolk Knights Book 1) Page 8

  He rolled her over and she was atop him. His hands reached up for her breasts as she moved up, tentatively at first, and then down, and her eyes closed in bliss. She continued until the rhythm increased and she rode him hard, and harder still, until the coiling of desire exploded inside her and she cried out as she pulsed around him.

  He drew her into his arms and then, still joined, side-by-side, he pushed into her. It would not be over so quickly this night, she thought to herself. Nor, she realized with a gasp, did she want it to be. The candlelight flickered gently in the summer breeze that blew in from the unshuttered window, cooling their sweat-slicked bodies that raised and lowered in an age-old dance of sensuality.

  She rolled onto her back, while he continued to thrust slowly and rhythmically into her, bringing her to another wave of pleasure. But it did not stop then. He continued as before, holding her, kissing her, as his thrusting slowly increased in tempo. His body and face tensed as he thrust harder now into her, taking her with each thrust to a place she couldn’t have imagined. All she could do was hold on tight to him, her fingernails digging into his resistant shoulders, her legs tight around his body as he blasted both of them into a frenzy of cries as he pumped his seed deep inside of her, her body taking all that he could give.

  They rolled to the side once more. “You are mine, Rowena.” He thrust his fingers in her hair and held her face firmly as he took his fill of her mouth. “Forever. I claim you and I will cherish you.”

  Claimed. It was a word that a short week ago would have sent terror through her body. Claimed. The word sent a slice of lust through her belly and she wriggled against him as he became as hard as he was before. Claimed. His eyes met hers in an understanding and appreciation that she knew instinctively would never die.

  She was claimed, and she never wanted to be unclaimed.

  THE END

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed Rowena’s story. You can read Melisende’s story in Seducing his Lady (excerpt follows) and Angelique’s story in Awakening his Lady.

  The fourth book in the Norfolk Knights series is a full-length novel—Defending his Lady—which begins the stories of the de Vere siblings with Rufus de Vere:

  A warrior without a heart. A gypsy without a name. A marriage which will ruin them all.

  You can read an excerpt of Defending his Lady on my website.

  Reviews are always welcome—they help me, and they help prospective readers to decide if they’d enjoy the book.

  For news on forthcoming books or to sign up to my newsletter, please check out my website—http://www.saskiaknight.com.

  Happy reading!

  Saskia

  Also by Saskia Knight

  —Norfolk Knights—

  Novellas

  Claiming his Lady (Book 1)

  Seducing his Lady (Book 2)

  (excerpt follows)

  Awakening his Lady (Book 3)

  Full-Length Books

  Defending his Lady (Book 4)

  Seducing his Lady

  Excerpt

  “…I like to solve mysteries and you are a mystery to me.”

  She shook her head about to deny it when he stepped towards her and she backed away, and caught her unbound hair in a rose briar. “Oh, I…” she tried to pull her head away but it was held fast and both her hands tightly gripped the basket.

  “Stay still,” he said coming towards her. She had no choice. She doubted her body would move even if she commanded it to—and she didn’t. His hands reached up and unravelled her hair from around the thorns. He dropped it back into place with a quite unnecessary stroke. Then he looked at her and her breath hitched. He was so close, and the night was so dark, it felt as if they were the only two people in the world. “Melisende. A beautiful name for a beautiful lady.”

  Her mouth dried. She couldn’t move, couldn’t think of a word to say. She could only feel—the breath of his words on her lips and see—the fringe of dark eyelashes shadowing his dark eyes, the gleam of the torchlight on his cheek which illuminated the hard planes of his cheek and jaw, so strong, even to the hardest fist.

  Then he did something she’d dreamt he’d do, night and day. He leaned towards her and pressed his lips to hers. And for one long heartbeat, one breath, the world around them faded away, and stopped. There was only their connection, of his lips upon hers.

  Then he pulled away. His hand, that was still pressed against her hair, stroked her cheek briefly before he stepped away.

  “Go now, Lady Melisende, before I forget myself.”

  For one long moment Melisende wanted to stay, to feel the pressure of his lips against hers once more, to feel his hands that had stroked her hair, stroke her skin, her neck, to breathe his breath into her mouth. She wanted to taste him once more. She pressed her fingers to her lips, wondering if it was all a dream. Then she stumbled away, pressing the back of her hand to her lips as reality hit her like a powerful blow. “Sir! These are not the actions of a priest!”

  “Go,” he repeated, ignoring her rebuke. “Before I discover your secrets.”

  Just the thought of him discovering the secrets of her body, of pleasuring her, of doing the things her unruly mind imagined late at night when she was alone, made her feel giddy. “What secrets could I, a humble novitiate, possibly have?”

  He laughed, a low seductive laugh that sent a thrill through her body. He plucked a rose and slid his hands along the stem, as if inspecting it for thorns. “Oh, you have many, some of which a few people already know, to do with your mission this night, and some of which no man knows. Not yet. But I would know.” His eyes grew darker as he stepped away from her. “And you’re right, of course.”

  She stopped walking and turned to face him again. “About what?”

  He brought the rose to his face, as if to smell it but looked up suddenly and caught her gaze. “My actions weren’t those of a priest. For the very good reason that I am not one.” He smiled a smile that shocked her with how it made her feel. He walked up to her and tucked the thornless rose behind her ear. “I am no priest, with no morals of a priest, with no restraints of a priest.” He stepped back and his lips twitched into a grin that had only reinforced his words. “Just as you are no nun.” He laughed softly, and turned and walked away.

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