Never, not since the first woman whose legs he had laid between had he gotten so quickly and so thoroughly aroused. He had grown so hard, so fast that he was still fighting the urge to join her on the pallet and make love to her.
He turned away in disgust. What was the matter with him? He made love to no woman. He’d give a good poke and be done with it. Not that he rushed, which was why he always sought a woman with stamina and one that would make no demands on him.
He had plans for his future and it didn’t include a peasant woman who couldn’t speak.
Innocent.
The thought had him growing even harder if that was possible. Never had he taken a woman’s innocence. Just the thought that he had been the first to kiss her and taste her sweetness made him feel all the more protective of her. It was as if with that kiss he had laid claim to her and she now belonged to him and no other… ever.
He heard her stir and he turned. She lay so that the sparse light just caught her face and he shook his head. She was plain of features; no one would look twice at her, though no one would turn away. One thing he did notice about her was that she kept herself cleaner than most other woman he had known. There was a fresh scent about her and her hair was soft and shiny and her skin was soft to the touch.
Damn, if he didn’t excite himself again with thoughts of her. This had to stop. He could not let his need for a woman interfere with his plans. It had taken many years of sacrifice and endless bloody battles to finally get here and he would not throw it all away on a voiceless, peasant woman.
If need be he would take her innocence, but make certain his seed took no root and then see that she was protected. He would never let anyone hurt her; she would be safe under his rule.
He sat a safe distance from her and forced his thoughts to focus on his plans. His arousal faded while his mind swelled with battle scenarios. He searched and found a twig and began drawing in the dirt. Not satisfied he would erase some and start again.
He was so engrossed with maneuvering his troops that he didn’t hear Dawn stir awake. She lay quiet watching him. His brow was knit tightly in concentration, his eyes intent on the ground and his hand busy drawing.
Drawings she understood; drawings gave her a voice.
She got to her feet and his head shot up. She remained where she was, tapped her chest and pointed to his dirt drawing requesting permission to take a look.
He waved her over and she went to him. He held his hand out and for a moment she hesitated but only a moment and then she slipped her hand in his. He assisted her as she lowered herself to sit crossed-legged, as he did, beside him. Her eyes went to the drawings. They were a bit crude but she was able to make out the mountains, valleys, trees and the squares she understood represented cottages while the Xs were warriors. And there were many warriors.
She squinted, tilted her head and realized that she was looking at a battle plan. She glanced at him, holding up fisted hands and knocking them together.
He nodded. “Aye, battle plans forever fill my thoughts.”
She leaned her elbow on her folded knee, rested her chin on her hand and considered the drawing once again. She reached out and wiped away a couple of troops of warriors relocating them in different spots. She then pointed to the advantages of the moves.
Cree studied the changes she made and was surprised that the slight shift in location did actually give his troops a better advantage, an element of surprise that could mean an easier victory. He was impressed by her quick mind. She had sized up the plan and immediately spotted a flaw… and corrected it.
She pointed to the mountains and raised her hand.
“You’re asking if the mountains are high.”
She nodded and pointed to the valley, then held her hands out at different levels moving them up and down.
“The height of the mountains and depth of the valley can make a difference.” Again he was surprised at her perception, though suddenly realized that it could present a problem if he allowed her to continue to study the drawing.
He ran the stick through the drawing several times and Dawn turned questioning eyes on him.
“I’m hungry,” he said and stood then reached down and grabbed her at the waist and hoisted her up. She winced and his nostrils flared. He had forgotten about her wounds.