Gavin chuckled devilishly. Then his hand swept out and tore away the fragile garment. “You don’t think so?” he asked as he grabbed her by the waist and picked her up. The nude curves of her body were made silver by the moonlight. He swung her high in his arms, laughing at her gasp of fright. “Don’t you know a good wife does not argue with her husband?” he teased.
He sat her on the branch of a tree, h
er knees at eye level. “I find you particularly interesting this way.” He looked at her face, his own smiling, then he froze when he saw the sheer terror in her eyes.
“Judith,” he whispered. “I forgot your fear. Forgive me.” He had to pry her hands loose from the tree limb, the knuckles white. Even when she was loose, he still had to drag her across the limb, scraping her bare bottom on the rough bark. “Judith, forgive me,” he whispered as she clung to him.
He carried her back to the edge of the river and wrapped the mantle about her, holding her in his lap and cuddling her close. His stupidity infuriated him. How could he have forgotten something so important as her terrifying fear of heights? He lifted her chin and kissed her sweetly on the mouth.
Suddenly her kiss turned to passion. “Hold me,” she whispered desperately. “Don’t leave me.”
He was struck by the urgency in her voice. “No, sweet, I won’t.”
Always she had been a woman of passion but now she was in a frenzy. Her mouth clung to his; then her lips ran along his neck. Never had she been so aggressive.
“Judith,” he murmured. “Sweet, sweet Judith.” The mantle fell away and her bare breasts pushed against him, insolently and demanding. Gavin’s head began to swim.
“Do you leave these garments on?” she asked in a harsh whisper as her hands ran under the loose tabard. Gavin could hardly bear leaving the nearness of her body for even a few moments to remove his clothing. His doublet was quickly tossed over his head, then his shirt. He hadn’t bothered with underwear when he left the tent.
Judith pushed him to the ground and leaned over him. He lay very still, scarcely able to breathe. “It is you who looks to be frightened,” she laughed.
“I am.” His eyes twinkled. “Will you have your way with me?”
Her hand moved over his body, delighting in his smooth skin, the thick mat of hair on his chest. Then it moved lower and lower.
He gasped, his eyes turning black. “Do what you wish,” he said hoarsely. “Only do not take your hand away.”
She laughed throatily, feeling a surge of power course through her. She had control of him. But the next moment, feeling his hardness in her hand, she knew he had as much power over her. She was insensible with desire. She climbed on top of him, leaned over and hungrily sought his mouth.
Gavin lay still as she moved on him but soon he could lay still no longer. He grabbed her hips and guided her—faster, harder, his fierceness beginning to match her own.
And then they exploded together.
“Wake up, you hussy,” Gavin laughed and slapped Judith’s bare buttocks. “The camp wakes and will search for us.”
“Let them,” Judith murmured and pulled the mantle closer to her.
Gavin towered over her, her body between his feet. Never had he experienced such a night as the one just past. Who was this wife of his? An adulteress? A woman who went from one loyalty to the next, as the wind carried her? Or was she good and kind, as his brothers thought? Whatever she was, she was a demon when it came to lovemaking. “Shall I call your maid to dress you here? Joan will have a few words to say, no doubt.”
When Judith sleepily thought of Joan’s smirks, it took little time for her to come fully awake. She sat up and looked at the river, then took a deep breath of cool, morning air. She yawned and stretched, the mantle falling away, exposing one full, impudent breast.
“God’s teeth!” Gavin swore. “Cover yourself, or we will never reach London and the king.”
She smiled at him enticingly. “Maybe I would rather stay here. Court couldn’t be half as pleasant.”
“Yes,” Gavin laughed, then bent and wrapped her in his mantle and swooped her into his arms. “Come, let’s return. Miles and Raine leave us today, and I wish to speak with them.”
They were silent as they returned to the tent. Judith snuggled against Gavin’s shoulder. Would that it could always be like this, she thought. He could be kind and tender when he wanted. Please God, she prayed, let this last between us. Don’t let us quarrel again.
An hour later, Judith walked between Raine and Miles, each man holding her hand. They looked to be an incongruous group: two large men dressed in heavy wool traveling clothes, Judith between them, barely reaching to their shoulders.
“I will miss you both,” Judith said, squeezing their hands. “It’s good having all my family near, though my mother rarely leaves John Bassett’s side.”
Raine laughed. “Do I hear jealousy in that?”
“Yes,” Miles said. “Aren’t we enough for you?”
“Gavin seems to be enough,” Raine teased.