“Do you need anything?”
“Just you,” she whispered, her lips trembling.
His cock went hard. He picked her up under the armpits like a child, lifting her to wrap her legs around his waist. “We'll be back in a little bit,” he said, turning to walk away.
“Ack, Ferrum!” Phillip called out, sounding exasperated.
“Aye, my lord?” He turned around and craned his neck to see around Dani's body.
“Never mind,” Phillip said, waving his hand in disgust. “Enjoy yourselves. Try not to wake all of Camelot, would you?”
He snorted and carried his woman into the woods, looking for a suitable place to claim her. There was nothing but trees—no fallen logs or boulders to perch upon. Growing impatient, he simply pressed her back against a tree, cushioning her with his arms. She freed his erection and guided him in, and he drove into her with such force that the tree shook and cracked a bit every time he slammed into her. The need to take her, to mark her as his own, to possess her in every way possible was overwhelming. He knew he was acting like a beast but he could not stop himself. He pounded into her, flesh slapping flesh, and when he was ready to climax, he removed one of his arms from behind her to pinch her nipple hard. She cried out, bucking and shuddering her own release.
He lowered her but kept hold of her torso, guessing her legs would be wobbly. Leaning forward, he began the seduction he had skipped, kissing up her neck. He brought his lips to brush her ear, finding her earlobe, which he pulled into his mouth and sucked. “My love,” he murmured when he released it.
“Ferrum,” she breathed.
He loved it when she spoke his name. She lifted her lips to his, and he claimed her mouth, attacking it with his, plunging his tongue into her mouth and sucking at her lips with aggressive possessiveness. And still, he needed more. He leaned her forward over his left arm and started spanking her with his full strength, hand meeting the flesh still bared from their coupling.
“Ferrum!” she cried out, alarmed.
“I'm not angry with you,” he soothed as he rapidly smacked away. “Not even a little bit.” He continued to spank her. “I just need this right now.”
She made a noise somewhere between a gasp and a cry and clutched at the arm supporting her. Her silvery blond hair was loose, falling over her face, swaying with each blow. He couldn't say why he needed this—except it was the same reason he'd needed to claim her a moment before. He wanted to feel she was wholly his. He watched as her beautiful bottom turned from creamy white to pink and then red. It was deeply satisfying to see his marks on her—to know she accepted them without quarrel, that she submitted to his hand this way. With each resounding slap, he felt all the anguish that had built in him overnight completely release. When her lovely curves turned a deep shade of red, he stopped himself abruptly and pulled her up to look at him, suddenly worried she would be upset. She was panting and her face was flushed, but she met his eye and held it. There were no tears.
He smiled slowly. “That's my girl,” he said lovingly, stroking the heated flesh with his equally hot hand.
She smiled back—a womanly, knowing smile. “Aye, Ferrum.” She took his hand in the two of hers and brought it to her lips to kiss. “I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I saw something else—in our future.” Her eyes were dancing, and there was a happy glow to her.
He cupped her face tenderly. “Tell me.”
“A baby. And I survived it. We were on a beautiful bed in a chamber, playing with our baby boy. He looked just like you.” She smiled at him with the serenity of an angel.
His eyes swam with tears, and the earth swayed under his feet. When it righted, Dani was clutching his arm, looking worried. “Ferrum?”
He dropped to his knees and kissed her hands, then her belly. “Praise God and all things holy,” he murmured.
She giggled. “I'm not pregnant yet, you silly man.”