Page 84 of Propriety
"Worse?" he gasped, pretending to be wounded. "Cruel woman."
"You asked," she said, laughing as he rolled them, pinning her beneath him with a lazy grin.His hair fell into his eyes, and his smile was boyish and devastating.
Then, with mock solemnity, he said, "I hope you know you’ve ruined me."
Guinevere tilted her head, giving him a teasing, scandalized look. "Ruined you?"
"Utterly," he said, with a mournful little sigh. "I’ll never recover."
"Oh, you poor thing," she cooed, brushing a curl back from hisforehead. "I suppose I’ll have to take responsibility for you, then."
“You will," he said gravely, though his mouth twitched with a barely suppressed grin. "It’s the honorable thing to do."
She giggled, and he caught her mouth in a kiss, quick and playful, their smiles brushing together.
“For the record,” Gwen murmured once they broke away. “You’ve ruined me too.” Her voice was soft, teasing. “I will never enjoy another man after you.”
“I’ll kill any man who tries,” He growled, peppering her jawline with gentle kisses.
“That’s not very knightly of you.” The words came out breathier than she expected, tilting her head back to give him more access to her throat.
“I am the Queen’s Champion before all else.” His breath was hot against her neck, teeth dragging across her jaw. “Besides,mon amour, you are more than worth the fall.”
The fire in the hearth crackled low, casting flickering gold across the rumpled sheets. They lay tangled together, the hush of their breathing the only sound between them for a long, aching moment.
Guinevere traced mindless shapes on his chest, fingers curling around dark tufts of hair.
Lance kissed the top of her head, his voice soft and a little tentative when he spoke next. “Gwen?”
“Mmm?” She tilted her face up to look at him. Drowsy and warm and soconsumedby him, she could hardly breathe.
“How…” His thumb rubbed against the curve of her jaw, almost like he was stalling. “How did you come to be the Queen of Camelot?”
She blinked, surprised by the question. “My father served Utheruntil his dying day. When Uther passed, and Arthur crowned… my father offered the hand of his only daughter to show continued strength between Tamalide and Camelot.”
She continued to draw her fingers across his chest, trying to keep her voice level. “The Round Table was part of my dowry.”
Lancelot shifted quickly, turning so his eyes could meet hers. “You’re telling meThe Round Table, the very thing that Arthur established his knights, hisruleon… is yours?”
She bit back a laugh. “No, my love, it was my father’s.” She sighed. “I was just part of the deal.”
“A fucking deal.” He sneered, “You should have beencherished. Not bartered with.”
“Hush,” she chided playfully, stretching up to press a kiss to his jaw. “I am cherished now, that is what matters.”
His sour expression didn’t melt away, so she continued. “I didn’t grow up with Arthur, not like you did. But I’ve known him for a very long time. My father respected Uther a great deal. We spent much time in Camelot whilst I was growing up.”
Lancelot’s brow knitted at that. “I never saw you…”
Guinevere laughed, “You wouldn’t have. I followed Ygraine around like a lost puppy.” A soft smile tugged at her lips. “I thought it must be so glorious to be the queen. So many people loved her. She got to wear the most beautiful dresses. And there I was, wide-eyes and scraped knees, ogling at a person.
“Just like they do to me now.” The last part was quiet, like she hadn’t meant to say it.
Lancelot shifted, propping himself on one elbow so he could see her face better in the firelight. “They don’t ogle, Guinevere,” he said,voice low and rough. “They worship.”
She laughed, but there was a tightness to it. She traced a pattern along his arm, the motion featherlight. “They don't know me,” she said softly. “Not really.”
“To know you is to love you,ma chérie.” He kissed her softly.
