and tentative touch, this was no demure kiss. While she was not yet skilled at pleasuring him with her mouth in other areas, as her sweetly clumsy attempts that morning had proved, his wife had definitely got the hang of kissing. She laved his mouth, then when he opened to her, let her tongue slide inside to find his.
Aye, she definitely had learned well there. Within moments, she had him panting and kissing her back with an excitement that Wee Hethe's amazing growth was proving. And he, himself, wasn't the only one affected. Helen was moaning and making sounds deep in her throat, her body shifting and rubbing against his in ways that were increasing his swelling tenfold.
Eager to see if she was as affected, Hethe slid a hand under his wife's skirts and quickly up her leg, ignoring her startled jerk. When she broke their kiss in protest and turned her head away, he merely let his lips trail over her cheek and ear as his fingers continued up her thigh.
"Husband, I do not think - Oh." She stiffened even further as he reached the apex of her thighs, the arm she had wrapped around his shoulders tightening convulsively. The hand she had used to try to stop him, grabbing at his through the material of her skirts, clenched over his, no longer trying to pull away as he found the warm wet depths of her.
Aye, the kisses had excited her as well. And his touch was doing even more. She turned her head back and caught his lips again, kissing him almost desperately. Satisfaction rose within him at the knowledge of how he affected her, but that was quickly nudged aside by an eagerness to do more. He wanted to be inside her and briefly considered shifting her to straddle him so that he could have her right there, but the great hall would not afford the privacy he needed for all the things he wanted to do.
They would have to adjourn upstairs. But even as he thought that, he slid a finger inside her, smiling against her mouth when she clenched her legs around his hand and arched into the action. She was making little strangled sounds of pleasure in her throat, and they were exciting him, he nearly spilled himself where he sat as she suddenly pulled her mouth away and bit desperately into his shoulder, shifting on his lap so that she could find and press one hand against his manhood through his clothes.
"Upstairs." Hethe gasped, feeling complete sympathy with her when she groaned in disappointment. He retrieved his hand from between her legs, knowing he should have stopped it sooner, should have made the suggestion they move when they had first kissed. But they would go there now. Urging her off his lap, he got to his feet, wincing as he forgot his injury and set his weight on it.
Helen, of course, did not miss the look. She became concerned at once, some of the passion leaving her face. "Maybe we should - "
"Upstairs," he said firmly, turning her in that direction. Still, she hesitated.
"Mayhap we should have William come help you up the stairs," she suggested anxiously, and Hethe felt his pride stung a bit at the suggestion that he needed assistance like an old man.
"I can manage," he said testily. She didn't look wholly convinced, but she didn't argue further. Instead, she took his arm with the intention of helping him, but Hethe shook off her hand and took her arm instead. He was a man, a warrior. He didn't need help. And to prove it, he made sure to support her arm rather than lean on it as he hopped quickly to the steps.
They managed the stairs and had reached the door to the master bedchamber when Hethe lost his balance. Helen shifted to try to save him, but ended up being trapped between his solid weight and the wooden planks of the door.
Hethe rested against her briefly, then gave a breathless laugh. "This is right where I wanted you.
Almost."
Lifting his head, he peered down into her face and found himself touched by the concern in her eyes.
There had been points during these last many days when he had doubted that he would ever see such a tender feeling for him in her eyes.
Swooping down, he caught her lips with his own in a passionate kiss that revealed that his earlier intentions were still alive and well, despite their most