Tanon wiped her nose and stared up at him. “Do you mean it?”
He frowned at her. “I’m quite sure I just said it.”
Her joy was instant. She leaped into his arms and clasped her arms around his neck. While a rush of happiness swept over her, she realized that she had just discovered the most powerful feminine wile of all. Tears.
“Are you ready for bed now?”
His voice against her ear was low, lulling. His body had gone tight. His arms slipped around her waist, drawing her into his coiled muscles. But Tanon only half noticed. Suddenly, she felt too exhausted to even return his smile.
She yawned. “Oui, I am very sleepy.”
His smile faded. “Sleepy?” He leaned down and sniffed her breath. “Tanon, were you drinking whiskey?”
“Only a little.” She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes.
“How much?”
“Hmmm. Only one cup, I think. It tasted foul at first, but then it sweetened.”
“You’re drunk.”
Her mouth opened. “I am not! Ladies don’t get drunk!”
He swooped down and lifted her in his arms when she leaned against him. She held on to his neck while he strode toward the stairs. “Goodnight, mother,” she called out just before they left the great hall.
Chapter Ten
“You’re very strong,”Tanon purred against his chest on their way up the stairs.
Gareth tried to remain angry with her. But she looked so appealing nuzzled into him, wearing such a smile of pure contentment that he found his anger melting away.
“You’re not heavy,” he muttered, feeling weaker than he ever had in his life. The memory of the first time she had ever smiled at him with that adorable space where her tooth should have been, came flooding back to him. She still possessed the power to render him helpless.
He carried her to his room and sat her on his bed. Her lids drifted open, revealing a flash of green. When she saw where she was, she tried to vault to her feet but swooned and grew pale.
“Sit,” Gareth pushed her back down gently, then left her to retrieve a cloth from a small banqueting table that had been set up in the room for their wedding night. It was weighted with bowls of fruit, trenchers of bread and honeyed pastries, and two flagons of wine. He dipped the cloth into a small bowl of hand water and returned to the bed.
“This will help you feel better.” He sat next to her and pressed the cloth to her forehead.
“But I—”
“Ssh,” he quieted her. His touch was gentle, soothing, and soon Tanon closed her eyes and relaxed. A languorous sigh parted her lips.
Damned whiskey, Gareth thought miserably, gazing at her. He tugged at her wimple. Loathsome things they were, hiding the glory of a woman’s hair beneath layers of veils. A curl fluttered over her cheek. He swept it away with his fingers. His gaze settled on the dainty curve of her jaw, then over her lips. He clenched his teeth at the throbbing beneath his navel. Hell, he had plans for those lips. He’d intended on kissing every inch of her, slowly, thoroughly, until she relaxed in his arms and ceased worrying about what to do in his bed.
“Tanon?”
Her lids fluttered open. She looked into his eyes and smiled. “Gareth,” she whispered. “Do you remember the wonderful stories you used to tell me about Wales?”
“Aye,” he murmured, sharing her enjoyment of their reunion.
“Were they true? I’ve heard so many terrible things.”
She looked at him like she was ready to believe anything he told her. He told her the truth. “Aye, they were.” He reached to pull the clips from her hair. Watching, arrested, while her raven curls tumbled over her shoulders. This is how he remembered her.
“You’re angry with me.”
“Nay,” he told her sweeping his eyes over her bare face.