RulingPassion by Katherine Kingston Read Free Book Online

was all in order, he stood and took the comb from her.
    “Your turn, now, my lady,” he said, nodding for her to take
his place on the stool. She did so. Her near-waist-length hair was slightly
curly and turned into a mass of tangles after being washed. He was surprisingly
gentle in pulling out the knots and seemed to take as much pleasure in the
process as she’d done in caring for his. He was nearly done when another knock
sounded at the door.
    When he called, “Enter,” two men and a woman came in,
bearing platters of food and pitchers. They set it all out on the table at the
side of the room, moved two chairs close to it on either side, and then
departed after ascertaining nothing else was needed.
    Lord Jeoffrey served her slices of several sorts of meats, a
selection of vegetables, and a chunk of fresh, white bread before heaping his
own trencher high.
    While they ate, Jeoffrey regaled her with stories of his
childhood and adventures as a young man in the king’s service. She returned a
few vignettes from her own childhood, the things she could remember now without
breaking down as she had so often in the terrible time after the slaughter of
her family.
    The food was the best she’d had in quite some time and
Rosalind ate her fill.
    There was more wine, too, and her head grew fuzzy as she
consumed it. Unaccustomed as she was to taking so much strong drink, it had a
potent effect on her. The candlelight sometimes grew brighter in her eyes and
sometimes the room seemed to dance around her. She stared at the man seated
across from her and admitted to herself he was by far the most attractive one
she’d ever laid eyes on. She wanted him. And not just for now. Though she’d
known him only a day, she suspected she’d be a long time forgetting him. Nay,
not so. She’d never forget him. For as long as she lived, if this was all she
ever had of him, she wouldn’t forget it.
    “You have an expressive face, my lady,” Jeoffrey said,
wiping his mouth and hands on a cloth and then dropping it to the table, “and I
see sadness creeping in there. It will not do. Whatever tomorrow may bring
tonight is not about sadness. It’s for us to enjoy.”
    He reached across the table and tipped her face toward him.
“We’ve yet to eat the bread pudding.” He stuck a finger into the small bowl and
scooped up a tiny bit, then brought it to her mouth. She opened for him and
sucked the sweet off his finger. If anything had ever pleased her senses so
much, she couldn’t remember it. When he offered a second bit, she took it
eagerly, sucking so hard on his finger, it made a small pop when it withdrew from
her mouth.
    Before he could get another fingerful, she said, “Wait. It’s
my turn, my lord.” She mimicked his action, plunging her index finger into the
bowl of pudding to scoop a few drops of it and bringing it to his mouth. The
smile that spread across his face as she offered it to him was even sweeter
than the pudding. It struck straight into her heart, setting off a little quiet
laughter from pure joy.
    He opened his mouth and she put her finger into it. His lips
closed slowly, caressingly over the tip. The touch sent strange waves of
tingling heat all through her skin. His tongue move across her finger, licking
off the pudding, scraping delightful quivers on her flesh.
    They took turns feeding the pudding to each other until most
of it had disappeared, although some slopped onto the table or their robes.
Jeoffrey spotted a small drip that had fallen on her skin, sliding down between
her breasts. He stood up and came around the table, then knelt beside her and
leaned forward until his tongue reached the spot.
    Shivers exploded up and down her spine at the touch. The
hunger for him rose again, and she buried her fingers in his hair—soft and
silky now that it had dried—forcing his face against her. His tongue moved
against her, seeking out the soft curve of breast and feasting on each inch it
found.
    She never did