The Taken Bride: A Medieval Romance Page 2

  She lathered it against the wet washcloth and gingerly brushed his back with the soapy cloth. It was going to be hard to complete the task with her eyes closed or averted. Her eyes darted around the room for something to hit him with, but all she found were blankets and pillows on the bed. She sighed and looked down at him.

  His shoulders seemed as broad at the entire bath tub, narrowing down to a slim waist somewhere under the water. He obviously spent a good deal of time outdoors without his tunic, judging from the even tan tone of his skin. His dark hair curled at the nape of his neck, trying to hide a rather nasty looking scar. She was terrified to look at anything on the front half of his body.

  When she had scrubbed his back to his satisfaction, he leaned back to lie against the rim of the tub, giving her no choice but to get a full view of the front half of himself.

  She had never been so insulted in her life. All of the years George had used her body as a whipping post and as a whore, but she had never had anyone so blatantly disrespect her in this manner.

  “Sir. I believe you can wash your own front.” She held the rag out to him and turned her face away.

  “No ma’am, I cannot. You have to be thorough.”

  “Sir.” She thrust the rag to him vehemently. “I cannot.”

  She gasped when he grabbed her wrist and dunked her hand under the water. The sudden movement sideways threw her off balance and she had to turn towards him and clutch at the rim of the tub. Unfortunately, this particular position placed her full breasts right at his eye level and her dress was once again splashed into translucency.

  He guided her hand to his chest, still holding the wet soapy cloth. “Start here.”

  She tried not to make eye contact as she performed the task, especially when he would move her hand just a few inches further down. Then another few inches further down. His chest felt as solid as a stone wall under her hand. And his skin was warm when her fingers would brush up against him. He smelled like grass and horses which was not altogether an unpleasant smell. Certainly better than the whiskey or wine that George always breathed on her.

  He purposefully placed her hand on his upper thigh and she gasped. “Sir?”

  “Thorough. Remember?”

  “But…”

  “No buts about it. Thorough.”

  As she washed his legs under the water, she had to constantly lather the soap again since the water quickly ate away at the soap bubbles. She could feel the hardness of his thighs and calves even through the washcloth. If she had allowed herself to think such things, he was quite a good looking man. But she had no explanation as to the warm water that seemed to have seeped into her veins, heating her body from the inside.

  She breathed a sigh of relief as she finished the second leg. But as she withdrew her hand from the water, he grabbed her wrist again.

  “I said thorough. You forgot something.” He leaned back against the rim of the tub again, crudely bending and spreading his legs.

  “Sir! No! I cannot! I refuse!”

  “You are in no position to refuse.”

  “You are in no position to ask such things of me.”

  He smirked again, knowing that a tiny portion of that statement was true. She almost had the upper hand, given his vulnerability in that state in that position.

  He tightened his grip on her wrist and pulled the smirk back down. “I said thorough and I meant it.”

  Her breath came faster which caused her breasts to rise and fall just at his eye level. She pretended not to notice his eyes watching them. But she could not avoid noticing that as he watched her bosom, the floating member under the water seemed to lengthen and expand.

  “But sir, I’ve never…”

  “Well thorough but gentle. Surely you have touched your husband.”

  “No sir, never. He simply has his way and leaves the room.”

  He soaped the washcloth himself and wrapped it around himself. He seemed to be washing it and the entire area but his face told a different story. His eyes stayed on her breasts as he washed himself but his lips were parted and his cheeks were flushed. And the longer he washed it, the larger it became. She had never seen anything like it. She knew she should not be watching such things but she could not make herself turn away.

  That warm water in her veins was starting to bubble a little. Mary had never felt such sensations inside her own body before. And she was captivated by the scene under the water’s surface. The water swirled and dipped around his hand’s movements, hypnotizing her.

  After a few minutes, it was several times larger than it had been at the beginning. She thought for a moment he was actually going to faint since his breath was coming very shallow and quick and his eyes were rolled backwards.

  “Sir? Are you okay?”

  “Huh? What?” His hand stopped moving.

  “Are you going to pass out, sir? You look faint.”

  He sat there in the water, holding on to his cock, and saw the earnest expression in Mary’s face. And laughed. Not a sly mocking chuckle, but a full on belly laugh.

  “No woman, I am not planning to faint. How can you, as a married woman, not have any idea what is going on?”

  “Any idea about what? I thought you were going to pass out like George after too much wine.”

  “I may in a minute but we are not there yet.”

  “Oh….”

  Her eyes dropped back down as his hand started moving under the water again. She could not tell why he was enjoying this washing that he was doing but it made the hot little bubbles in her veins pop quickly, like water on the stovetop. Suddenly the man grunted loudly and thrust his hips towards his own hand. Small white puddles formed in the water. When he finished, he looked up at her, smiling with a devilish glint in his eye.

  “Tomorrow it will be your turn.”

  Dinner forgotten, Thomas claimed the bed for the evening while she curled up in one of the sitting chairs in the living space. Mary was baffled by the entire episode but mostly she was confused by the flow that seemed to be churning inside her body. And she could not get it to calm back down.

  The next morning, she made oatmeal for breakfast for the two of them just like some sort of common farm wife. How had she gotten herself into this position? Not to mention what a strange incident that was last night; something told her that it had been grossly inappropriate but a different something told her that it was not altogether unpleasant. In fact, in a small way, she liked the little bubbles that had formed in her body.

  “I am headed to Robert’s house to determine our course of action from here. I am unsure how long I will be but I strongly recommend that you be here when I return. You do not want me to have to hunt you back down.”

  She nodded, afraid of what could happen if she fled this place. Any number of men would be after her hide -- George, Robert, and Thomas.

  She tried to tidy up the place while he was gone. But he did not seem to own many possessions so it was not a difficult chore. She looked in the pantry to see what the options were for lunch and dinner. Not much really. She wished her cook was here, for help and someone to talk to. She desperately wanted to ask someone about last night, but who would believe her.

  It turned out that Thomas was gone all day. Mary dozed in the chair a couple of times and wandered around the grass out front. It felt like a brand-new rug against her bare toes and she wiggled them around in the softness.

  She had a simple dinner ready when he returned -- bread and cheese with some ham she heated on the stove.

  “See? You are learning already? Such a good wife you must be.”

  “At home I have a cook.”

  “Well not all of us can live quite like that, ma’am.” His sarcasm was cutting.

  “And do not forget, after dinner, it will be bath time.”

  Her cheeks flushed and she looked away.

  “I expect that you can finish the job this time, now that I have demonstrated for you.” His dark eyes glinted and glimmered at her, and he did
not even try to hide the fact he was staring directly at her breasts.

  After she cleared the table and washed the dishes, she made the requisite trips to and from the well out back to fill the tub again. He stood naked in the corner, watching as her dress became soaked through again and staring when she bent over to pour the water in.

  Her face was flushed, but she did not know if it was from the exertion or the lecherous ogling from this man in the corner. She had seen more of his physical body in twenty-four hours than she had seen of her husband’s in twelve years. She did have to admit, however, that it was a much nicer body to have to look at, should she be in the situation of having to look.

  He climbed into the bathtub, all the while staring at her face and studying her expressions. She started with his back again and then his chest. He felt so much different that George’s pudgy rolls; Thomas was firm and toned and well-muscled. She felt the same warm water in her veins again, thousands of tiny bubbles popping and prickling places inside her she did not know she had.

  She paused when she finished his legs.

  “Come now, we said it was your turn tonight. Be thorough.” He lounged back with his legs drawn and spread, exposing himself fully.

  She took a deep breath and wrapped the washcloth over his soft member. She thought it reminded her of a grass snake, ready to strike. He sighed and closed his eyes.

  “Just make sure you wash it well,” his voice was hoarse.

  She rubbed the soapy cloth over it, her petite hand fitting easily around it at this point. But with just a few motions, it twitched and swelled in her hand. A few more motions and it swelled further. It was mesmerizing and she could not help but continue. The tiny bubbles inside her had turned into larger bubbles that tickled even more.

  After several minutes of washing, her hand no longer fit around it. She marveled at how hard it was but how soft it felt at the same time. She glanced up at Thomas’s face. His lips were parted and his eyes were fixed firmly on her breasts. The stroking motion of her hand was making them shimmy under her dress and she had never had someone so intent on them before. George barely took the time to undress her if she was not already undressed.

  His tongue slid across his lower lip and a large ripple of bubbles tingled at an unknown place between her legs. His hips started thrusting into her hand, sloshing water over the front of her dress. Now it clung to her form completely, and he could not stop his large hand from kneading one of them.

  “Thomas…” her voice waivered, the bubbles inside of her body causing her confusion and discomfort now.

  “Mary,” he grunted as she felt the member in her hand twitch and swell and contract. The water was again spotted with the same thick white fluid and she felt her fingers start to close around him again as he shrunk.

  His head lolled back and she leaned on the tub breathlessly.

  “Tomorrow night we shall try something new altogether.”

  She closed her eyes and rested her head on her hands, not realizing how close that put her face to his body. He fought the urge to pull her into the tub with him and start all over again.

  The next day looked a lot like the previous, with Thomas gone and Mary trying to make herself busy around the little house. She knew she was still a captive but it was starting to feel more pleasant than fearing George’s return to the manor house back home although she did miss her friend the cook.

  That evening she fixed the same supper since he had a limited pantry. She considered serving him an apple but thought it might be too far to walk, and could be considered an attempt to escape. And she found that she was not dreading bath time quite as much as the night before. It did not escape Thomas’ notice that she moved a little quicker that night, and he smirked to himself, pondering several options for this evening’s bath time.

  “I think you might be able to bathe me more thoroughly if you joined me in the tub,” he mused aloud.

  “Wait. What? I am to get in the tub with you?” Just as Mary had started to breathe easier in the house and around Thomas, he threw a new curveball at her.

  “Yes, I think that might just do the trick.” He was enjoying watching her squirm at all of the attention he was requiring of her. And he most certainly wanted to see more of what was under that dress.

  He stripped and entered first, this time sitting towards the middle, and then gestured to her. She slowly unbuttoned the front of her dress. He knew it was from fear and shyness, but she was moving so achingly slow, it seemed as though she was teasing him on purpose. The women at the house in town did this too, but their actions were much more intentional.

  The first few buttons revealed her firm breasts. The next few showed a tight stomach. Then the last row displayed a pair of smooth legs and the patch of auburn curls in between. He could not stop himself from groaning at her firm yet curvy figure. She approached the tub as though it might actually bite her.

  “Woman, I do not want to wait all night for my bath.” The gravel in his voice belied his arousal and made him sounds angrier than he intended.

  She slowly crept into the tub behind him and sunk beneath the water. He handed her the soap and washcloth and she began the process, trying to forget the fact that she was exposed and naked in front of a stranger. Occasionally her thigh or arm or breast would brush against him and he exhaled deeply.

  She paused when she finished his back.

  “Well, you are either going to have to reach around or come around front.”

  He did not present any appealing offers. She attempted to just reach around, but her arms did not sufficiently fit around his broad shoulders or chest. She reluctantly climbed out and reentered the tub from the front of him.

  He grinned at her and sat cross-legged to make space. When she leaned forward to rub the cloth on his chest, her breasts fell forward and floated in the water. His hands could not resist the magnetic pull and he reached up to brush them lightly with the backs of his fingers.

  “Thomas, please…” she tried to squirm away, but the tub was too small and his arms were too long.

  “Oh just wait…” he threatened with that devil glint in his eye. “Your bath is next.”

  When she finished his legs, this time he took the soap and cloth from her. “Your turn I think.”

  “Oh, no, please, no” she protested but could not get up fast enough. With one arm he pulled her body closer to him, pinning her in place with his legs.

  He soaped the cloth thoroughly, never breaking eye contact with her. Her green eyes looked so scared but he thought he saw something else spark behind the fear. She tried to repress the ripples and bubbles in her body but they just kept spreading. She could not tell why her body seemed warm from the inside, especially from between her legs.

  He rubbed the cloth over her shoulders and arms, letting the soapy water drip down her back. When he re-soaped the cloth to start on her legs, she had to break her eyes away from his intense study. He was surprisingly gentle as he massaged slow circles up her legs. As he inched higher, the ripples and bubbles felt like they would burst out of her. His hand came to rest between her legs and she gasped.

  “Thomas? What are you—?”

  “Have to be thorough, remember?” She could see that his member was at full strength below the water and she had to stop herself from touching it.

  He worked the cloth down between her legs and she gasped again. “No, Thomas, what—I—?”

  He kept washing her, in slow circles. But as gently as he was touching her, the bubbles seemed to be reaching a boiling point. Her face and chest felt flush and there seemed to be one large bubble building inside her body. She was so focused on the warm sensations inside that she did not realize he had dropped the washcloth and was touching her directly.

  The same slow circles now seemed to cause an ache in her belly, as though she was taking ill or feeling faint. One of his fingers slipped inside of her folds and grazed a new spot that she did not know existed.

  “Oh! Thomas! I... You… Wh
at was that?”

  Her honest surprise threw him off a little. How could a married woman of this age never have been touched?

  He grazed the same spot again and she moaned. “Ohhh, what is that there? Thomas, what have you done to me? Have you given me whiskey? I feel… so… strange…”

  He focused his attention on that little nub hidden in her folds, tiny little circles while she gasped wide-eyed.

  The bubbles were at a full boil inside her body and she could not catch her breath. Thomas grinned to himself when her legs parted further, her body inviting him in when her brain was so foggy it could not tell her to deny such contact or such feelings. He pressed harder and circled faster on her spot, feeling her grow slippery even in the water.

  The bubbles inside her body seemed to be building up against her skin, against his tormenting finger. She was not certain she liked the feeling but she needed more. She could not pull away even though it felt like she was falling.

  A couple more circles of Thomas’ finger and she gripped the sides of the tub with her fingers. She felt as though she was teetering on the edge of a canyon but did not understand why she wanted to fall in. The swelling and tingling inside of her was nearly unbearable but she could not find the words or the willpower to tell him to stop.

  His voice was gravelly, “Go with it, feel it, let it happen…”

  His other hand twisted and pinched her stiff peaked nipples and she gasped, the teetering was right there, one more push and she was going to…

  A few more hard fast circles of his finger and she fell. Dark swirls behind her eyes, starlight exploding, her fingers and her toes tingled. She gasped and pushed her hips towards the unrelenting fingers.

  Thomas groaned deep in his throat, and without letting up on her clit, he managed to lift her enough to slide himself underneath. And while she slid down that mountain of sensations, he slid himself up inside her.

  “Thomas!” she cried, throwing her arms around his neck.

  She made no motions to extract herself, instead her hips bucked against him and he dug his fingers into the swell of her ass, pulling her down hard on top of his cock. She wrapped her legs around his waist and uttered a muffled cry against his neck.