We lay together in a tangled heap, breathing heavily and slick with sweat. He was lying half on top of me, his forehead against the hollow of my neck, breath warm on my chest. My arms lay limply on his back, fingers lightly caressing his skin. I moved my head to kiss his temple softly and he returned the action to my collarbone. He rolled off me and pulled me against him, holding me close. I snuggled in closer and drifted off to sleep.
When I woke the day had long past begun. Guy was curled up behind me, as usual, snoring lightly. I smiled as I remembered the evening's activities - by the time we had drifted off to sleep dawn had already begun, the sky lightening almost imperceptibly. The removal of my dress had only been the beginning.
It hadn't taken me long to figure out what he was doing - recreating our wedding night. We had both been so nervous that night that, although it had surpassed both our expectations, it wasn't the same as the nights we had shared since - especially those nights after I had realized my feelings for him. He was giving me a new night to remember. Sweet as the other night had been, this one was passionate and full of love.
He had taken his time, as he said he would, untying the laces on the front of my dress and loosening them until the top fell away from my chest. Pulling it further down, he bared my breasts, my dress simultaneously pinning my arms to my sides. Bending his head he took one nipple, and then the other, into his mouth, teasing them to sensitive points. His hand came around my back, holding me in place as he continued the sweet torture until my moans became pleas.
He had then straightened up, his eyes burning into mine, and helped my dress to the floor. Running his hands down my arms, over my stomach, and around to the small of my back, he kissed me slowly again, and then drew me against him. I thrilled at the feel of his leather jacket and pants against my heated flesh. His arousal was pressing through his pants and I ran my hand over it, eliciting a groan from him.
"Go lay down on the bed," he whispered huskily, and I did, much like I had that other night, but without the flimsy nightgown. His eyes followed me and I shivered with anticipation.
Once I was settled, he turned and took off his clothes, as he had the first night. I watched his jacket, shirt, and pants slide off, leaving bare skin in their wake. Then he sauntered over, eyeing me hungrily. He masterfully worked toward the whispered objective, lavishing attention on me the way he had on our wedding night, until neither of us could hold back any longer.
He kept his eyes on mine as he slowly entered me, his name tripping off my lips in my feverish desire. When he was buried to the hilt he stopped and we stayed that way, our bodies humming with the joy of connection. Then he started the age-old movements, pulling out and thrusting back in, our concentration fully on that part of him inside me and that part of me surrounding him.
It didn't take long, as aroused as we both were, for our cries to reverberate through the room. He thrust one last time and collapsed on top of me, both of us exhausted. Not too exhausted to wake a few hours later and repeat the activity while the weak sunlight poured through the window and the rain beat on the roof.
Now I felt the insistent call of nature and gently moved his arm from where it lay on my waist so I could make a quick trip to the chamber pot. He stirred as I crawled back into bed and smiled sleepily. I snugged up to him, twining my legs with his, and sighed happily.
"Did you enjoy yourself, my Lady?" he whispered, trailing kisses down my neck. I shivered with delight.
"Mmmmmm," was all I could come up with for a response, and he chuckled. "I do still treasure our first night together, though, Guy," I said in all seriousness, wanting him to know that it still meant a lot to me. He nodded in understanding. My hands began roaming, caressing over various parts of his body, one of which showed its appreciation of my attentions. Now it was my turn to chuckle, and he rolled me to my back, thrusting into me before I had a chance to react.
I drew him down for a kiss and we quickly got the morning off to a roaring start. If it was still morning. I wasn't quite sure. A few minutes after we finished there was a polite knock at the door, and the announcement that Robin and Allan were waiting downstairs for us. I started thinking that perhaps it was afternoon. We dressed hastily and hurried downstairs to greet our waiting guests.
As we stepped into the room, Robin glanced at me, and then quickly away, a fleeting expression of disapproval on his face. Mine grew warm in response, and I looked away too. When I looked back, he was composed. Although he smiled at me, the expression didn't quite reach his eyes. I smiled tersely back, and sighed softly.
Of course he knew what we had been doing. The walls weren't soundproof, and Guy and I hadn't exactly been quiet. We hadn't known we had visitors at the time. But it wasn't embarrassment that heated my face; it was irritation. Robin had no right to disapprove of what I did, or with whom. But I bit my tongue to keep the peace. It wasn't the time or the place.
We sat around the table and started a stilted conversation. I was pretty sure Guy had seen the expression on Robin's face also, and while he wasn't bringing it up, he wasn't talking much at all. Robin seemed truculent, but after a few minutes he appeared to shrug it off and started talking a little more animatedly. His desire to best the Sheriff won out, as it always did, and he forgot (for the moment) what Guy and I had been doing upstairs.
Robin and Guy did most of the talking, and the plan began to take shape. Allan would play the part of the spy. This would mean he would have to make himself scarce, keeping close to Robin's camp so as not to get caught. Guy would "find out," but Allan would already be gone. After that we would have to be more circumspect about our involvement with Robin so the Sheriff would have no reason to become suspicious again.
We would have to be as subtle about it as we used to be, with the one change that Guy was on our side this time. But it would lower the Sheriff's suspicion if there was a suspect in place. He would still be shrewd and on his guard, but not as much as when he suspected something.
I watched Guy talking with Robin, feeling the pride well up inside. He really was completely different than I had thought. I had assumed that because he was with the Sheriff he was the bad one, and the one to beat. But I was learning that human relationships are complicated, and most people are not all good or all bad.
Glancing back at Robin, I realized it even more firmly. I had grown up worshiping Robin, although apparently I had worshiped Guy too before he had to leave. I had thought he could do no wrong. The various things he had done since I married Guy proved me wrong and added to my clearing vision. Guy wasn't all bad, and Robin wasn't all good. In fact, they might both have the same amount of good and bad in them.
With the plan ironed out, Robin and Allan took their leave. After eating, Guy and I made our rounds to visit Locksley's tenants. We hadn't had the time recently, so it was good to get out and see them. I liked being in touch with their needs, and helping them feel like there was someone there to help them. Guy and I talked between houses, discussing the Sheriff's possible reactions to Allan's unveiling.
I was concerned that he might not take the bait, and his continued suspicion would bring his attention to Guy. He wasn't as concerned as I, and tried to reassure me as we rode. I did calm down a little, but the Sheriff could be unpredictable, even to Guy, and this could prove to be one of those times. I ended up telling him I supported him, and would trust him to know how to deal with the Sheriff.
When we got back to the house we were exhausted, having made all the visits in less than a full day. Although we had slept in, it really hadn't made up for the hours we had stayed awake, and we stumbled upstairs after eating a quick dinner. After disrobing we crawled into bed, and I fell asleep nestled in his arms.
I was a bundle of nerves the entire next day, as Guy rode to the castle alone to deliver the news of Allan's treachery and hope the Sheriff bought it. Guy had woken me for a slow and thorough lovemaking session, and I could tell he was nervous too, despite his confidence in the plan. I tried to put my anxiety aside and love him tenderly, avoiding any thoughts of not seeing him again. I kept up a brave facade, which I knew he could see through, until he disappeared around the bend of the path.
After he left I realized that I couldn't wait around on my own and went to visit my father. Guy and I had talked about my going to visit him, and so Guy would go there if I wasn't home when he returned. I readied my horse and was off within a half hour of Guy's departure. My father was glad to see me, as always, and I was a little less anxious when I was with him.
I went back home as the sun was setting, arriving in time to see Guy striding from the stable to the house. When he saw me he smiled and waited for me to ride up. When I would have dismounted, he grabbed the reins and swung up behind me, urging the horse to a slow gallop away from the house. I leaned back into his chest, knowing by this reaction that it had gone very well.
He slowed once we got into the forest, and we walked through the twilight. His arms lifted me as he whispered in my ear that it seemed like a great time to try out the experiment I had mentioned on that first ride to the castle after I had realized that I loved him. My breath quickened, and I let him help me turn around on the saddle.
He had to keep his hands on the reins, so I took over, unlacing his pants and then wrapping my arms around his neck so I could lift myself up and ease back down onto him. We both inhaled sharply at the sensation. I stilled, and he urged the horse to a fast walk. The jostling motion did the work for us, and it didn't take long for us to reach the end of our experiment.
He slowed the horse back down so we could catch our breath, me clinging to him, my cheek against his chest. Turning it around, he headed back toward home. We hadn't disengaged, and after a time I felt him growing again, and the familiar ache inside myself. After our second finish, he murmured in my ear that perhaps we should make ourselves presentable, and I laughed softly and looked up at him.
"I don't know if I have the strength, Husband," I said huskily, batting my eyelashes, and he laughed back.
"Hmmmm, let me help you," he responded, and stopped the horse altogether. Holding my face in his hands, he kissed me thoroughly. "That was a very enjoyable experiment, Wife. Perhaps one day we can repeat it. For now, I shall be content to take you to bed." He lifted me off of him and back onto the horse, and then laced his pants back up. Turning me back around, he clucked his tongue and the horse resumed walking.
I leaned back against him, enjoying his warmth on my back. We talked about his day, which seemed to have gone well. He was optimistic that the Sheriff's suspicions had been put to rest with Allan's uncovering. I breathed a sigh of relief and snuggled closer. He urged the horse faster, and we entered the clearing where Locksley stood.
After we dismounted and unsaddled my horse, we took each other's hand and made our way into the house and up to our room. We snuggled back together once unclothed and in bed, drifting off to sleep in each other's arms.
The next morning we both left for the castle so Guy could prepare for a meeting of the Black Knights. They were to sign a pact to kill King Richard so Prince John could take the throne. These people refused to accept defeat, and it was starting to frustrate me. I told Guy as much and he agreed, but was helpless to do anything outright.
I took a deep breath. I knew our position was more precarious than ever, but it tore at me, the possibility that King Richard might be killed. Guy's reaction to that thought wasn't quite as I had expected.
"He's not the shining example that you and Robin hold him up to be, you know," he said quietly, and I looked at him with surprise.
"What do you mean, Guy?" I asked, hoping I wasn't losing him again.
"He is off fighting this Holy War, leaving England to fend for itself. Don't you think it's odd that a king would abandon his country for as long as he has? That he would ignore the unrest and those who would take the throne from him? I'm not saying he shouldn't be king, just that perhaps he should be a more present one." I stared at him for a few moments, thinking about what he had said.
"It's true, Guy. It's all true. Just like you and Robin, he is not all good or bad, but a mixture. He is only human, as we all are, and makes mistakes. I just hope this mistake won't cost him, or anyone else, life." He nodded, and we smiled at each other. Then we looked ahead, at the castle that was appearing through the trees. Taking a deep breath, we started toward it.