Juliandra’s limbs stiffened as ripple after ripple of pleasure radiated from between her legs where Kevin was impaling her on his manhood. It was like nothing she had ever experienced in her life, causing her breathing to come in shrieking gasps. The more Kevin pounded into her, the more heightened the sensation.
It seemed as if it went on forever when, in fact, it was only a few moments because the moment Kevin realized that she had found her release, there was nothing to hold back his own. Feeling her body throb around him brought about the greatest climax he had ever experienced. He spilled himself deep into her body, feeling his hot seed as it filled her. Marked her.
His wife.
It was the sweetest thing he had ever known.
When the tremors faded away and Kevin lay on top of Juliandra, his head on her breasts, it took very little time for him to drift off to sleep from sheer contentment. Juliandra realized it when he began snoring softly, his arms wrapped so tightly around her torso that when she tried to move, in his sleep, his grip on her tightened. His mouth was by her left nipple and he awoke long enough to take it in his mouth, suckling on her gently until he drifted off to sleep again.
When Juliandra realized that he wasn’t going to release her, she put her arms around him, holding him close against her body and thinking that all the things she had been told about marriage and coupling were nothing compared to the reality of it. The reality had been passion and warmth beyond anything she could have imagined, a sense of belonging to someone and he, to her. It was sense of peace and a sense of place – her place, with him. Two weeks ago, she had been certain her life was about to take a turn for the worse.
That fear couldn’t have been further from the truth.
She slept, too.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“What are you doing?”
Those were the first words out of Juliandra’s mouth when she saw a collection of men, all kneeling in a circle, as one of them threw what looked like rocks into the center of the circle. It took Juliandra a moment to realize that they were throwing bones.
Gambling.
The young man throwing the bones leapt to his feet and faced her, somewhat guiltily.
“Games, Lady de Lara,” William said.
The next day after her wedding to Kevin had dawned lovely and bright, and Juliandra had awoken to Kevin’s kisses and a renewed sense of purpose. She felt as if Wybren truly belonged to her now and she was determined to be the best chatelaine she could be.
The best wife she could be.
She’d come into the stable yard on the hunt for clean straw to put in the kitchen yard to sop up the excess moisture and debris, but what she found were men gambling. She knew who William was, as she had been introduced to him when he had arrived with the other knights. But here he was, surrounded by men twice his age, all of them taking advantage of the young man.
Of that, she was certain.
She frowned.
“Get out of here, all of you,” she said, waving her hands at them. “You should be ashamed of gambling with this poor, innocent boy. Get about your business before I tell the knights.”
The circle broke up unnaturally fast as men scattered, but William stood there as if uncertain what to do. He had a fist full of coins he’d just won and he tried to keep them out of Lady de Lara’s sight.
He didn’t want her to know that he’d instigated the games.
“Truly, my lady, there was no trouble,” he said innocently. “It was nothing serious.”
Juliandra peered up at the handsome young man who was quite a bit taller than she was. “You should never play games with men who are older than you are,” she said. “They will take everything from you.”
That hadn’t been the case at all. William had taken everything from them and they had been trying to win it back, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. He didn’t think she’d take it very well.
“Thank you for the cautionary tale, my lady,” he said, eager to leave. “With your permission, I will be along my way.”
Juliandra pointed to the clean straw piled in one of the stalls. “You can help me before you go,” she said. “Will you help me carry this straw into the kitchen yard, please?”
William looked at the straw. He wasn’t a stable servant, but he didn’t want to deny the lady, so he dutifully went to the wheelbarrow that was propped up against the wall, righting it so they could pile straw into it. Juliandra handed him the pitchfork.
“Thank you for your assistance,” she said. “I hope I am not taking you away from anything important.”
Only my gambling game, William thought unhappily. But he simply smiled politely at her.
“Nay, my lady,” he said. “How much straw do you want?”
“A big pile.”
William started shoveling the straw into the wheelbarrow as Juliandra took a second pitchfork and began to help.
“You are a good worker, William,” she said. “But then again, you must be if you serve the Earl of Bath and Glastonbury.”
William tamped the straw down. “I do not serve him, my lady,” he said. “I serve Caius d’Avignon.”
“Who is he?”
“They call him The Britannia Viper,” he said. “He is one of the Executioner Knights, like your husband.”
Juliandra looked at him curiously. “Who are the Executioner Knights? I have not heard that term.”
“Those are the agents of William Marshal,” he said. “They are the most ruthless, skilled warriors in the entire world. Did you not know that?”
Juliandra stopped shoveling. “I did not,” she said. “My husband told me that he had served William Marshal, but I have never heard of the Executioner Knights.”
William piled more straw on. “I want to be one,” he said. “I am going to be a great knight, someday. Even greater than William Marshal.”
Juliandra smiled at the young man with big dreams. “I am sure you will be,” she said. “Do you plan to serve the king, then?”
William shrugged. “Mayhap,” he said. “It depends on what he offers me for my fealty.”
“You are going to have lords bid on your services?”
He looked at her, completely serious. “Of course,” he said. “My father says that I am worth the price.”
Juliandra bit her lip to keep from grinning at his arrogance. “Where is your father?”
“Warstone Castle,” he said. “My father is the Earl of Wolverhampton.”
Juliandra nodded. “I see,” she said, setting her pitchfork aside. “I wish you well in your quest to become the greatest knight England has ever seen, William. With so many great knights in England, you have a task ahead of you.”
William didn’t seem too concerned. The wheelbarrow was full and he rolled it out, heading for the kitchen yard as Juliandra walked after him, silently laughing at the brash young squire who wanted to be the greatest knight England had ever seen.
Over near the gate to the inner ward, she could see Alexander and Peter, dressed in full regalia and their horses loaded for travel, as they spoke to Kevin and Sean. The sun was climbing in the sky as the morning advanced, and the gatehouse that had been shut yesterday after Aeron’s visit remained closed.