The Captive by Joanne Rock Page B

withdrawing a short way from her body and then returned in a charge of slick heat. He found a rhythm in this way, retreating and returning, drawing out the pleasure for him and her at the same time. Who knew a woman could feel such a wealth of bliss?
    She wrapped her legs tight about his hips and held him to her. She knew what would come next, since this part was one of the few marital rites of passage she’d traveled. Still, even this part held surprises since his charge and retreat renewed her breathless want of him. When the tension wound within her yet again, she began to move, her hips meeting his with each stroke. As she arched up beneath him, she felt his body tense and tighten, his shoulders stiffening under her grip.
    He shouted with his release, his fist gripping the blanket beneath her head and his muscles flexing all around her. In that moment, she found her own peak, her body clenching his tighter as the sensation seized her over and over.
    Long, silent minutes passed and Gwen wondered if Wulf had had experiences like this before. He knew that she’d never felt anything like it, but she had no idea if their night had been as amazing for him, or if this had been another idle pastime for a man well versed in the language of pleasure.
    She hoped for some reassurance on that score, her heart as tender as the rest of her sensitized body. But Wulf remained quiet beside her, his hand rubbing soothingly along her back and over her hair.
    As much as she wished to simply focus on the discovery of joys she never imagined, she couldn’t help but think about how those joys came with inevitable expectations and hopes.
    Before she’d met Wulf, she’d been content with her status as a widow, never knowing what she missed. While she did not long for a husband, a future groom could hardly disappoint when she had such a low standard as Gerald to measure him against.
    Now, she resented her time spent in the dark,oblivious to all that lacked in her marriage. And how would a future husband stack up to the level of bliss that Wulf had shown her?
    As his breathing settled into the steady rhythm of sleep, Gwendolyn’s heart ached with new hurts and she wondered if she would have been better off not knowing what had been missing in her life. As much as she had enjoyed herself this night, a future without such delights sounded bleak indeed.
     
    W ULF CAME AWAKE INSTANTLY .
    He did not know what had roused him, but he stood with his blade in hand near the door of the dilapidated cabin. Gwendolyn still lay on the pallet they’d shared the past few hours, her dark hair spilling in every direction over the blanket below her. Even now, he wanted to tuck her close and pillow her head with his arm while she slept. But if he was sweating across the forehead and holding his sword in the middle of the night, he must have heard something to put him on guard.
    Someone must be near the church ruins yet again.
    Thankfully, Gwendolyn must not have heard any noise.
    He vowed to depart this place with her at sunrise. They had not been as isolated here as he’d hoped and he would not risk endangering her. He hated even leaving her side to seek out the source of the sound that had woken him. What if someone dared to approach the lodging with her inside while Wulf was not there to protect her?
    The possibility made him even more tense.
    Silently, he opened the front door and slipped out into the night. Dawn still lurked an hour or two out of reach. All traces of the fire he’d made earlier had been hidden.No embers smoldered. No hint of smoke remained. The few coals inside the cottage must have burned out, as well, the night air clean with the scent of new spring greens.
    “Wulf.”
    The voice called to him from a scant stone’s throw away. It did not belong to Erik.
    “Show yourself.” Wulf tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade. but did not raise the weapon. Any advantage he might gain would be negated if the polished steel reflected in