“I don’t mind at all,” I said, and the glorious smile that greeted me was impossible not to return.
Branford looked up, glancing quickly from left to right before he turned back to me. I looked around as well, but saw no one save Channing, who was tending to the pups.
“Yesterday you told me I didn’t have to ask permission to kiss you,” Branford said so softly I didn’t think the breeder could hear him. “Pray, is that still the case?”
The skin all over my body started to tingle just at the sound of his words. Other than waking in his arms and the few touches of his fingers on my chin, he had barely touched me at all since yesterday morning. I didn’t dare look at his eyes because I knew if I did, they would be smolderin
g, and there would be no doubt I would agree to his wants. I needed to figure out if it was still all right if he kissed me or not before I looked at him.
There was certainly a part of me that feared even the most casual touches from him. It was difficult to see his hands and not remember them balled into fists and pounding the cold stone wall of the morning room, so dangerously close to my head. If I thought about it, I could feel his fingers grasping the flesh of my arm as he hauled me back up the stairs and into our rooms.
But today, he had been the Branford who had carried me on his horse to the abbey to prepare for our wedding. Today, he had been the same man who didn’t take me by force the first night even though it was his right. He was using the same tone of voice he had used when he held me the second night and told me he would be gentle when he touched my skin. He had been gentle, and the feelings he evoked were unknown and exciting.
Forgetting myself, I looked into his eyes, and as I suspected I would be, I was trapped there. Not only could I see his want for me, but I could also see his confusion and his hope. I had waited too long before answering him, and I could see he had all but decided I meant to deny him. He nodded slightly and then started to turn away.
“It is,” I said quickly before he could turn his back to me. His gaze swiveled back to mine, curious and hesitant. “It is still all right for you to kiss me.”
A slight smile appeared over his lips, and he looked around the area once more before leaning close to me again. I closed my eyes and felt the warm burn of his mouth as it pressed carefully against my lips. He didn’t push hard against me, nor did he open his mouth or touch my lips with his tongue. He kissed me simply and softly while my heart pounded in my ears. After exactly seven kisses, he pulled his head back, and his smile was much larger. His expression made him look much younger than he was—a boy, even. A boy who had just been given his first horse to ride—excited, encouraged, and relieved the day had finally arrived. Branford’s eyes were literally glowing along with the rest of his face, and I couldn’t help but smile back at him.
“Thank you, my wife”—Branford glanced first at the cart full of hunting dogs and then to my lips—“for everything.”
And that is how I knew our marriage just might work.
Chapter 4—Increasingly Establish
“Do you remember anything of your parents?” Branford asked.
“Not really,” I said. We were walking back from the marketplace to our rooms. The sun was high in the sky, and Branford claimed to be famished. “I was too young when they died to remember them. I only know my father died before my mother and that their surname was Fay.”
Branford opened the door to the morning room, and we walked inside. There were already several dishes containing stew, fruits, and breads arranged on the table inside. Dunstan, who had been following discreetly behind us, stopped at the doorway and took his place outside the rooms. Branford glared at him but said nothing as he slammed the door with the guard on the other side of it.
“I’ve never heard the name before,” Branford said. “My father knew a few families from the Village of the Eagle, but I don’t recall that one. Camden spent some time there. It reminds me, though—your things from Hadebrand arrived yesterday. I’ll tell Dunstan to have someone retrieve them for you. It will give him something to do other than hover around the damn door.”
“My things?” I repeated, trying to ignore his slight outburst. I had honestly been afraid he might decide to remove Dunstan by force as we had walked around the marketplace.
“Yes, a few articles of clothing, a comb, and a bowl I believe you wanted.”
“Oh! The bowl!” I exclaimed. I had all but forgotten it. Truly, I didn’t think he would actually have it retrieved. In my happiness, I turned and reached up to wrap my arms around his neck. “Thank you so much, Branford.”
“You are very welcome.” He chuckled and rested his hands on my hips. “If this is your normal reaction, I may have to start bringing gifts to you on a daily basis.”
I blushed, of course, and dropped my arms from him immediately, surprised by my own reaction. I turned from him and walked to the fire to add more wood.
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” I said.
“What if I just want to?” Branford asked. He came up behind me, turned me around, and touched his fingertip to the end of my chin, but I couldn’t look into his eyes.
“There’s nothing I need,” I said softly. The idea of Branford bringing me gifts was unsettling, to say the least. Besides, there was already more in this room than I could ever want or need.
“But what do you want?”
“Nothing, my…Branford.”
“Nothing at all?” he asked. “I have the means, you know. I can get you anything you desire. Clothing, jewelry, exotics foods…anything.”
“Really, there is nothing.”
“There is nothing you desire?” he asked, disbelief apparent in his tone. “Nothing?”