Dream of Me/Believe in Me

would rather not know. “My father was a skilled warrior and even more able at trading. He left Sven very well off.”
    “Left
you
very well off,” Dragon corrected. He glanced around. “Good thing Hawkforte's as large as it is. You're going to need the room.”
    Krysta thought of all the wedding presents she had only just managed to find places for and groaned. That set off a fresh round of amusement between the men. They remained in high good spirits through supper, during which Dragon renewed his acquaintance with the red-head, who blithely shoved aside anyone else trying to serve him and took that task entirely upon herself.
    Watching her, Krysta remembered her own brush with jealousy and reddened. Her cheeks warmed yet further when Hawk leaned over and suggested they retire early since their guest obviously planned to do the same.
    Making love under the stars was thrilling but there was also a great deal to be said for their big bed high up in Hawk's tower room. He was in a mood to be indulgent and gave her free rein to explore the body so very different from her own and so very tantalizing. She lingered over him, her hands and mouth drifting languidly across his broad, heavily muscled chest, following the arrow of fine golden hair that ran down his abdomen and thickened at his groin. She could not get enough of him. When he groaned, his hands clenching into the mattress in the struggle not to seize her and be done with it, she finally took pity. Tossing back the tangled mane of her hair, she lowered herself slowly onto him. He grasped her hips, guiding her even more cautiously, and remained still within her despite the effort that so dearly cost him. His features were taut, sweat beading his forehead, when Krysta began to move.
    Even then he would not allow her complete freedom but controlled the pace of their lovemaking until she thought she could not possibly bear any more. Her head dropped onto his chest and her back bowed as he continued to move within her slowly, lingeringly, an exquisite torture that ended finally in an explosion of release that made her oblivious to all the world.
    When she returned to full awareness, she was still lying atop Hawk and he was gently stroking her back. She raised her head and looked at him chidingly.
    “That was very unfair.”
    He raised an eyebrow and said, “But effective, you can't deny that.”
    Krysta was well aware of her unbridled response. “I have no restraint where you are concerned,” she admitted. The smile he gave her was boldly male, prompting her to add, “And sometimes you have too much.”
    He said nothing but only drew her closer, turning onto his side and tucking her into the curve of his body in a gesture that was oddly protective. “Go to sleep,” he murmured and promptly did the same.
    I T WAS LATE THE FOLLOWING DAY WHEN KRYSTA RE -membered Daria's wish to show her around Hawkforte. She would have thought of it sooner but scarcely had she appeared than Aelfgyth found her. Her maid looked flustered, her soft brown hair in tangles around her face, her cheeks flushed.
    “Oh, my lady, thank heavens! Edvard, that clodhead, finally saw fit to mention that Lord Hawk has decided to honor our wedding with a feast. The gown my mother and I were making is far too simple and neither of us has any idea what to do. I should have considered all this when I agreed to wed a man of Edvard's stature but now I'm afraid he will be ashamed of me and …” She looked close to tears.
    “Now, now,” Krysta said reassuringly as she hugged the young woman, “everything will work out fine. You've seen the bolts and bolts of cloth we brought back from Winchester. We'll just pick out whatever you like best and get to work on it right away.”
    Aelfgyth looked tempted but shook her head. “I cannot ask you to—”
    “You needn't ask at all. I'm simply saying that is what we will do. Come along and dry those eyes. You don't want Edvard to see you like that, do you? He'll think you're having second thoughts about marrying him and you'll find yourself whisked off to Winchester!”
    The absurdity of that made Aelfgyth laugh. The two young women climbed to the tower room Krysta thought to make into a solar modeled on Queen Eahlswith's. The chamber looked east and south with wonderful light for sewing. It had been used to store weapons but Hawk had graciously agreed to remove them. That had yet to be done completely, with the result that bolts of glorious fabrics,