hi with her. They kissed and laughed even as they struggled out
of their clothing.
When they were naked, he let her come down to her knees beside v/ She immediately leaned down and kissed him, licked her tongue across his lips, then straightened again. She didn’t wait this time, just clasped him between her hands, leaned down again, and took him in her
mouth.
He nearly bowed off the bed. “Saint Andrew’s toes, who told you to
do that?”
She didn’t release him, just said, her warm breath on him, “Dame Agnes and Alice both recommended this to me. I thought it sounded repellent, but they assured me that it was what a man wished above all things. Is that true, Severin?”
“I don’t know. I am going to die.”
When he finally had the resolve to shove her away, he prayed that she would release him. If she didn’t, it would be all over for him. She did, finally, but it was slow and excruciatingly wonderful. He was moaning, his back arching, nearly beside himself. “You’re not dead yet, Severin, but you sound very close.”
Then she laughed, kissed his belly, and went back up on her knees to look down at what she had wrought. He sucked in air. He tried to slow his breathing. He felt her hand on his thigh moving upward and managed to whisper, “Nay, Hastings. I must recover for a moment, don’t push me anymore.”
She laughed again only to suck in her breath in surprise when he nipped her onto her back and came over her. “You bring a man to the brink of madness and laugh while you watch him teeter? You laugh to see what you have done with that mouth of yours? Well, Hastings, let’s see how long your laughter lasts.”
Her laughter didn’t last five seconds. She was panting, heaving about, W lmpering, her hands digging into his shoulders, when he raised his head’kissed her belly, and said, “Well? Are you teetering yet?”
She yanked his hair. He laughed and returned to her warm flesh. But
1 •* Q
he didn’t give her release for a very long time. She finally shouted, “Severin, I cannot bear this. Get it done.”
And he did. When she lay there, sucking in great breaths of air, quivering with pleasure, he was over her and coming into her. She closed her eyes and whispered, “Two sorts of pleasure. I did not know.”
She heard him laugh, then moan deeply. There were no more words between them, just passion that built and built until finally Severin shouted to the beamed ceiling.
He collapsed over her, kissing her until she had the strength to turn her face up to gain some kisses on her mouth.
“This is very tiring work, Severin.”
“Aye,” he said, nipping her bottom lip between his teeth, “would you believe me if I told you that most men would prefer battle to this wearisome job?”
Her laughter rang out. Trist raced up his bare master’s back to peer .f$ down at her over Severin’s shoulder.
“Aye, my lord, and most women would doubtless prefer shoveling ashes out of the ovens to this demanding task.”
Trist mewled loudly. And Severin thought it was strange to be lying on top of a woman, laughing and speaking nonsense and enjoying it quite a lot.
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