Betrothal (Time Enough To Love) Read Online Free PDF

intimate things she would have to get used to, and a stir of desire rose in him. He imagined her thick black hair fanned out on the bed, her full-lipped mouth beneath his, and the small dark mole just above the right corner of her lips begging for the touch of his tongue. That dot had entranced Geoffrey in the Great Hall earlier. His mind fixed on the tiny, curious mark, and filled his head with images… A shiver coursed through him.
    He conjured her naked, luscious body before him, but his cock insisted on more substantial fare. The thought of two weeks of such torture elicited a low groan. Perhaps he would seek relief with another before the wedding night. Too much hunger might make him overeager, and the last thing he wanted was to hurt Alyse unduly. The problems of sampling plain fare were not unknown to him, though his tastes usually ran, as Thomas’s did, to the more seasoned. Still…this plain fare, with the addition of a little spice, promised to be delectable indeed.
    With that pleasant thought, Geoffrey quit the window, doffed his chausses and doused the light. He contemplated the morrow when the campaign for the capitulation of Lady Alyse would begin—with its success to be decided in this bed two weeks hence.
    As he drifted down into sleep, Geoffrey grinned in anticipation. He dearly loved a challenge.
     

Chapter 4
     
    “Well, you had best try to like him,” Anne scolded Alyse as they made their way to the Great Hall for the morning meal. “You do not have a choice, now do you? And for God’s sake, put Lord Braeton out of your mind. That will only lead to trouble. Do you believe Sir Geoffrey will brook any such—”
    “Good morrow, gentle ladies.”
    Alyse jumped at the sound of his deep voice so close behind her. Her heart pounded out an insistent, erratic beat. She turned, as did Anne, and dipped her curtsy. “Good morrow, my lord.”
    God’s death, did he overhear us?
    Anne somehow managed to sound cheerful. “Good morrow, Sir Geoffrey. You are here quite early, are you not?”
    “Yes, I was here early.” His voice held a soft reproach. “’Tis you and Lady Alyse who have tarried. The meal is almost over.”
    Anne’s eyes widened in glee and her mouth crooked into a lopsided smile. “We would have been earlier, my lord, but Alyse took more pains than usual this morning with her hair. I told her we would be late.”
    “Anne!” Heat bloomed in Alyse’s cheeks and her tone was shrill. “’Twas not my fault the pins would not hold it aright today.”
    She glanced at Geoffrey, chagrined lest he think she had fussed with her appearance in anticipation of seeing him. “My hair sometimes has a will of its own, my lord. It can be stubborn.”
    He laughed while his gaze rested on the now-neatly-coifed hair beneath a blue net studded with seed pearls. “I am sure you bend it to your will regardless of its capricious nature, my lady.”
    Alyse gave him a wary smile. “Aye, my lord, I generally win the battle, although the skirmishing can be fierce.” He seemed better behaved today, but why was he here?
    Geoffrey’s eyes sparkled. “Would you do me the honor, ladies, of taking the meal with me?” He gestured toward a table.
    “You are kind, Sir Geoffrey.” Anne headed to the place indicated and Alyse had no choice but to follow, although her steps were reluctant. Geoffrey left them to seat themselves, signaled a servant to attend them then paused to speak to another courtier.
    She darted glances at him and grudgingly admitted the splendid figure he made. Once again attired in blue, his coat ran to a lighter hue this morning. Almost the same shade she had chosen for the day, in fact. She fingered the rich folds of her figured gown—they already looked like many couples who dressed to complement each other. A sign of harmony between them? She could only pray so after yesterday’s encounter.
    She stole another glance, noting once more the lean-muscled arms straining the fabric of his