Page 154 of Propriety
He returned with a second cloth, a cooler one, and gently brushed it over the proof he had left on her chest. Small bruises and bite marks. “I would say I’m sorry…” He tossed the rag aside carelessly.
“I know you’re not.” She allowed herself to be pulled against his side, warm and sated. “Are you hurt? Did anything pull?”
He sat up, turning his injured side to face her. “Not a scratch.” He kissed her softly. “Told you I wasn’t the one to worry about.”
Their breath fell into rhythm, the fire crackling low. Guinevere drifted first, her fingers curled lightly against the planes of his chest. Lancelot followed soon after, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other tucked behind his head, peace settling over them like a balm.
They slept wrapped around each other — messy, warm, and completely theirs.
55
Morning light spilled across the sheets in pale gold, soft and quiet. The inn was still. Somewhere downstairs, someone was stirring a pot, but in their little room above the world, time didn’t seem to move.
Lancelot was tangled half around her, one leg flung over hers, arm tucked under her waist. His face was pressed into her neck, breathing her in like heneededit. And Guinevere… Guinevere was smiling.
It had been a long while since she had felt relaxed… both in body and in spirit. She knew they couldn’t stay in Kineton forever, but it felt like they had restored a little piece of themselves here.
“You think too loudly in the morning.” He mumbled into her skin.
Her grin widened. “Because you’ve never experienced thought, I must keep my own quiet?”
A light pinch on her hip, followed by a failed attempt to control her laughter.
Lancelot groaned, clearly pretending to be offended. “I’ll have you know I’ve hadat leasttwo whole thoughts in my life. One of them was about kissing you, and the other was about doing it again.”
Guinevere rolled toward him, mock-serious. “Oh? And which one led to you tying me to the bed?”
He grinned, eyes still closed. “A very powerful third thought. It came on suddenly. Divine inspiration.”
She burst out laughing, burying her face in his shoulder to muffle the sound. “You’re terrible.”
“I love that sound.” Pressing his fingers into her ribs again, drawing another chime of giggles from her. She tucked her head againsthis throat, desperately trying to stifle the sound.
He grinned like a boy who’d just stolen something sweet. “No, no… don’t hide it now. Ilivefor that laugh. It’s better than sunlight.”
“Stop it,” she wheezed, laughing harder, trying to wriggle away as his fingers waged a gentle war on her sides. “You’re going to kill me!”
“Death by laughter,” he said solemnly, then leaned in to kiss her forehead. “I can think of worse ways to go.”
She was breathless, smiling so hard her cheeks ached. He kissed her again, this time softer — her temple, then the tip of her nose, then finally her lips, feather-light.
When they broke apart, she sighed happily, resting her forehead against his. “I missed this.”
“Me too,” he whispered. “I missedyou.”
“Even when you were wrapped around me all night?”
“Especially then,” he said, brushing his nose against hers, his smile lopsided and sleepy. “You know how long it’s been since you’ve relaxed? You were a prisoner in that castle, even with me by your side.”
His lips met hers gently in a barely there kiss. “In fact,” his smile widened. “I believe the last time you allowed yourself to be so wholly… free might have been the morning after the Grail quest.”
She stilled, body and mind remembering those months without him. She had pushed those days into the recesses of her mind, suppressing every ache she had felt. “Stay with me,” he whispered against her cheek, kissing her again. “Do you remember that morning?”
Guinevere nodded, fingers tightening against him. Lancelot shifted, so he was hovering over her, mischief written all over his face. “Went a little something like…” He ducked his head, peppering quick kisses to her jaw, her throat, her cheeks. Resting on one elbow, his other hand returned to her hips, pressing his fingers against her skin in rapid succession.
Her giggles started again, low, bubbling up and out until it became a snort.
He blinked. “Did youjust….”
