Page 71 of Ella’s Desire

She gasped for breath and leaned her head back against the hard stone behind her. She needed distance from Bronson now that their lust had been sated. He’d brought incredible release to her body, aye, but he was still the same courtier; the same fraud of a man he had been before their joining.

Her supporting leg shook with the effort of holding her upright as she uncurled her other from his waist. He held tight, as though hesitant to let her go, of sliding free from her.

Ella released a shuddering breath as she lowered her unarmored leg and the intimacy between them fell away. The heat they’d generated between one another still blazed against her skin and ran like wildfire in her veins. She had expected, nay, hoped, their passion would chill as soon as they separated. She did not want his lingering affection, lest it tear deeper into her heart.

Bronson leaned over her. “Did I hurt you?” He dragged a hand through his hair. “Was I too rough?”

Ella shook her head, unable to trust herself to speak. How could she when the ache of her loss was so great? She had loved him. Loved him. And he had been nothing but lies.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked again. He lifted her face with his fingertips and frowned. “I didn’t mean to be so vigorous.”

She shook her head with more conviction. “You didn’t hurt me.” At least not in the way he thought. “I wanted it as badly as you. As intensely as you. I felt only pleasure.” It was true. Her body still hummed with delight at the force of their loving.

She glanced out toward the mouth of the cave where the rain appeared to have relaxed into a drizzle. “The guards will be gone by now and the rain has relented.” She pulled up her hose, fastened the belt into place once more and popped the greaves off her other leg. It was a far easier task when her hands were not shaking in anticipation.

“Let us wear only our gambesons and pack the rest on our horses.” She shoved her helm and chain shirt into her bag. “The reivers will not be in full dress and we should not be either. We need to appear like everyone else.”

Quickly, Bronson assisted her with fastening her plated gambeson and she aided him into his. Once done, they strode from the cave to where the horses had been tied out of the rain. Ella ignored Bronson’s pointed gaze on her, grateful he refrained from speaking whatever it was he clearly wanted to voice. At least for now. She was certain once they were on the road, he would continue to try.

She wished he wouldn’t. For how would she ever know if he told her the truth, or simply offered another appealing lie?

She swung up into her saddle and waited for him to follow, then she urged Kipper from the woods. She didn’t know when she’d made up her mind about bringing Bronson to Scotland, but he did not ask, and she did not offer an explanation. After all, she knew how much he cared for Lark, as she did for Leila.

Silently, they headed not in the direction of Werrick Castle and its safety, but to Scotland and the debatable lands filled with danger. To rescue their sisters together.

Scotland was not as treacherous as Bronson had assumed. After all the stories he’d heard, after all the wariness of the inhabitants of Werrick Castle, the lands didn’t appear much different than those they had left behind on the English side.

At least until the first set of riders approached on stubby-legged ponies, wearing grimy gambesons that had seen battle. The men eyed Bronson and Ella with suspicion. In the end, they said nothing and went on their way without pause.

Ella ignored them and Bronson did the same, although he remained tense, ready to draw his blade at a moment’s notice. The need never arose, thanks be to God, and the men passed by without issue, but it was enough to set Bronson on edge.

“We’ll need to visit a tavern,” Ella said. “I have not been to the debatable lands but I know how to get the information we need.”

Bronson looked behind him to where the men had nearly disappeared in the distance. “I doubt the men here will talk.”

“That’s why I’m going to speak with a woman.” Ella indicated a cluster of houses and steered her horse in that direction.

The only tavern in the small village, if it could even be called a village, had no name and was denoted simply by a beaten-up wooden sign with a mug of ale painted on it. There was a boy at the entrance who took several coins to see to the safety of their horses out front. Still, Ella and Bronson took their packs into the tavern with them, and Ella hesitated to leave Kipper.

Inside, the air was thick with greasy smoke that clogged in Bronson’s lungs and left him swallowing down a hearty cough. Multiple candles were scattered about, emitting as much black smoke as they did light. Regardless, the room was dark, almost blindingly so, when coming in from outside.

Ella led them both to an open table near the hearth. As Bronson’s vision adjusted to the darkened room, he couldn’t help but notice how nearly every man stopped to stare at Ella. The gambeson hugged her fine figure and the hose extending beneath showed off her long, slender legs. The binding on her braid had slipped free at some point and her wavy blonde hair fell around her shoulders, wild and beautiful.

Bronson gritted his teeth.

Ella sat at the table, oblivious of the attention she drew. The man at the table beside her grinned, revealing a missing bottom tooth, and the reiver beside him nudged one of their companions with appreciation. Bronson hurried to take his seat opposite her.

A woman appeared before them; her clean dark hair bound back from her face. Her dress was brown and flecked with spatters of ale and grease. “What can I get for ye?”

“Ye, to warm my bed,” the man missing his bottom tooth said. The table laughed and clapped their mugs on the table in appreciation.

“We’ve got some sheep ’round the back.” The woman put her hand to her hip and turned her attention to Bronson. “What about ye?”

Ella chuckled at the woman’s retort. The barmaid tossed a grin in her direction. “If those men bother ye, let me know. I’ll see to them.”

“I can take care of them if need be, but thank you,” Ella said.

“Aye, looks that way.” The woman nodded in appreciation at Ella’s gambeson. “In that case, I might be calling on ye if I need help.”