Her mouth opened with shock. “Why, my manners are impeccable! I’ve never once brought shame to my family, or my king.”
For a tense moment, their gazes locked in a heated battle of wills. And then Tanon snatched the sheet up off the floor and handed it to Rebecca. “Fine. As you wish. But if you are disappointed, do keep it to yourself.”
Gareth almost laughed, but she was serious. Could she truly be that naïve not to know what she was doing to him just standing there with her hair spilling in wild disarray around her shoulders? If they were alone, he would have told her that it was taking every ounce of control he possessed not to get up and tear that gown off her himself. He would have said something if Lorette hadn’t opened the sheet at that moment to conceal her while the other two began to undress her.
Chapter Eleven
Tanon thought undressingin front of her husband would be mortifying. Instead, she found it to be one of the most scintillating experiences of her life.
He watched in silence, comfortably sprawled out in his chair, elbows resting on the cushioned armrests. His smoky blue eyes were fastened on the back of her shoulders as her gown and shift fell to the floor. Tanon was grateful for the sheet, but still crossed her arms over her bare breasts when she turned slightly to have another look at the man appraising her. Like a sultan lounging on his throne, he took his pleasure in her, seducing her without even a touch. His intense gaze soaked her in as if there were no barrier between them.
Her maids worked quickly, washing her with the same cloth Gareth had used the night before. When Eloise fit a fresh shift over her head, Gareth finally spoke.
“Turn around.” His deep, lilting voice sizzled Tanon’s blood. He waved his finger at Rebecca, commanding her without a word to discard the sheet. His eyes moved over Tanon like a brushfire. Barely concealed beneath the thin creamy muslin fabric, her nipples were the first part of her to react. His gaze strayed to them briefly, then he raised his eyes to hers and winked, effortlessly dousing her fiery nerve endings with a more comforting kind of intimacy. He wanted her to feel at ease with him. It was a thoughtful gesture that earned him Tanon’s most grateful smile.
Looking at him straight on now, Tanon could tell that she delighted him, excited him. That pang of desire she was beginning to grow accustomed to whenever he was near flooded through her. She didn’t think herself homely. Her parents often called her beautiful. But she never credited it with much importance. Men looked at her, but never for too long. Even at home at Avarloch her father’s guards barely spoke to her. Most nobles’ daughters her age were married with a child under each arm. But the only men who had sought Tanon’s hand were old, withered, and half blind, save for Roger who made it known to all the night before that he was more interested in her dowry than in her. But that was what she expected, what she told herself she wanted: no chance to lose her heart to a man who didn’t love her.
But Gareth’s eyes were always on her. On the crowded lawns, in the great hall, even on the competitors’ field, his sultry gaze had found her. From the moment he’d stepped into Winchester’s doors, he made her feel attractive. Her mother was right, he hadn’t tried to kiss her in her room because her father would have taken the sword to him. He certainly looked like he wanted to kiss her now.
Gareth held her gaze while Lorette fit her into a soft woolen gown of rich burgundy with gold piping. The bodice fit snugly, accentuating her slim waist and softly rounded hips. When the handmaiden began to pin her hair up, Gareth stopped her.
“She prefers it loose.”
Tanon arched a raven brow at him, then remembered complaining about all the pins in her hair the night Hubert led Gareth to her room. She was surprised he remembered and pleased that he didn’t seem to mind if she didn’t look her very best. “Just pin the sides, Lorette,” she said softly. “To keep it out of my eyes.”
Lorette ran her fingers through Tanon’s curls and crowned her head with a gilt wimple and circlet.
Gareth appeared not to be able to breathe. In fact, she was certain she heard him suck in a breath. She was glad to please him.
“Just her hose and we’ll be done, my lord.” Rebecca smiled seeing the approval that lit his eyes.
“Nay. Leave now,” he commanded without looking away from his wife.
“But…” Rebecca began. He wasn’t listening. He stood to his feet and went to Tanon as if lured by a siren song only he could hear. The nurse shooed Lorette and Eloise out of the chamber and followed behind them. They left, shutting the door softly.
“I’ll need my hose if it’s cold where we’re going,” Tanon said, a bit unnerved by the staggering heat of his gaze.
“It’s not. But if you wish to wear them, I’ll put them on you.”
Tanon smiled nervously when she realized he was serious. “Don’t be silly, Gareth.”
He reached for the hose and ran their downy softness through his fingers. When he squatted before her, she glanced at the door. “This is mad. Husbands don’t dress their wives.”
He lifted the hem of her gown away from her leg then handed it to her and cupped her ankle in his palm.
Tanon bit her lower lip as he rolled her hose over her pointed toes, then over her heel and up her calf. His deft fingers glided over her skin, whisper soft, bewitching her senses. “You’ll dress before me every day from now on.” His fingers grazed across her sensitive inner thigh, and then, with even more provocative slowness, moved to the back of her knee. He secured the hose and then did the same with her other leg. When he finished, her breath came in heavy bursts. He straightened to his full height in front of her and before she could calm the dizzying thud of her heart, he snaked one arm around her waist and dragged her into his arms. She sucked in a sharp breath feeling his heavy arousal pressed against her.
“Never think you disappoint me again. You please me, Tanon. You always have.” His gaze drifted over her features and then seized her breath all over again when he lowered his mouth to hers. “You please me well.”
*
Gareth clenched histeeth around a string of vile oaths when he stepped into the bailey and saw the four-horse carriage waiting there. The cumbersome coach would have been bad enough on its own, but piled high atop the roof were four wooden trunks of various sizes. Another was being hoisted up under the careful supervision of Lord Brand. A few feet away, Tanon exchanged farewells with the rest of her family amidst of deluge of tears.
“What’s this?” Gareth stepped up to the carriage and tilted his head back to gather in the complete horror of what he was seeing.
Appearing at his side, Madoc popped a sliver of hay into his mouth and chewed. “Some of your wife’s belongings.”
“Some?” Gareth turned to him with disbelief widening his eyes. “There’s more?”