A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I'm so glad that you guys are open to this idea! Rating for a reason ;)

Disclaimer: Same

"Are you hungry, my lord?" April asked quietly after a lengthy pause. He held a cup of what she assumed to be wine in his hand, but he wasn't eating anything, and she had been given food to bring to him. She tried not to squirm uncomfortably under his gaze but it was difficult.

He slowly shook his head. He was hungry, but not for food, not after looking at her. "You can lay that on the table."

She did as she was told and then clasped her hands together in front of her. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do...well she did... but she didn't know how...and she didn't want to. She didn't even know the man! And he had probably killed dozens of her father's men. She continued to feel his eyes on her and she was afraid to meet his gaze. She was afraid that those eyes of his would pull her in and make her forget that she was supposed to hate him.

Jackson could tell that she was incredibly nervous and there were only two possible reasons why, either she had no experience in these matters or she had heard certain things about him. Perhaps both. Most likely both.

"What have you heard about me?" He asked casually as he propped himself up on his elbows. He thought about getting out of bed but the sight of him stark naked would probably frighten her more than she already was.

"They say that you're the best sword this side of the sea," she answered meekly.

"Both sides I reckon," he quipped with a grin. "What else?"

She looked down at her feet as she shuffled them awkwardly. "Well, they say that you're quite handsome."

"So, you don't think I'm handsome?" He asked cheekily, just to get a reaction from her.

She blushed fiercely. "Um, no, my lord, I didn't...I didn't mean it like that...I-I think that you're quite handsome too."

She couldn't believe that he had trapped her like that, she had thought that she was cleverer than that.

"Good," he replied with a playful smile. At least she seemed a tad more comfortable now. "Join me on the bed? Help yourself to some of the food you brought me if you want," he said as he placed his wine cup on the table beside his bed. She hesitantly took a step forward and he noticed that she moved not unlike a skittish wild animal. "You know things about me and yet I know nothing about you," he began when she sat down next to him. "Hardly seems fair."

"There's not much to know," she whispered shyly. She was surprised that he wanted to talk to her at all, and she was trying to ignore how close his thigh was to hers, and the feeling of his hot breath on the back of her neck. But it was very difficult. She had never been this close to a man before, and he was very handsome, and he definitely had a certain charm about him. It was easy to warm up to him after only talking to him for a few minutes, but she knew that he only wanted one thing from her and it made her uneasy. Her mother had always told her that she should not lay with a man until she's married. Not that she had any choice in the matter in this situation.

Jackson pushed back her lovely auburn hair so that he could have access to her neck. Her skin was just as lovely. He would have to thank the men who raided Arrington today for their choice. She certainly was a beauty. "Let's start with your name," he encouraged.

"April," she finally revealed. "My name is April." He, like so many others in this camp, seemed to have no idea who she was, and he was clearly too distracted to put the pieces together.

"Pretty," he murmured as he placed his lips against the nape of her neck. "You were born in the Spring?"

She nodded as a shiver ran down her spine. "Yes," she gasped.

"How many Springs ago?" He asked curiously.

"Seventeen," she whispered.

He gave the soft skin of her neck another kiss before he fell back onto the bed. "Seventeen," he repeated to himself. "You should be wed. Are you wed? Were you betrothed in your homeland?" She shook her head. "And why not?" He found it hard to believe that no man would want to take her for his wife.

"My parents were more worried about finding a husband for my older sister," she answered honestly. She bravely turned her head so that she could look down at him. He looked like a boy grinning up at her but she knew that he was very much a man, the hardened muscles of his torso that were exposed made that very clear. "What about you?" She spoke after chewing on her bottom lip. "How old are you? Why aren't you wed?" She may be asking too many questions but her curiosity had gotten the best of her. Her father had always called her too inquisitive.

Jackson smiled to himself. She was finally participating in the conversation willingly. "I have seen twenty-three Winters and I am not wed because I'm a solider. I've been fighting since I could hold a sword. My father swore his loyalty to the Sloans so I must do the same. My life is no life for a wife."

Although his mother still badgered him about marrying a lady of King Sloan's court. She wanted him to fully accept his role as Lord of Fountain Head, the nicest area of the south, and create many many little heirs.

"What about when the war is over?" She asked shyly.

He smiled at her innocence. "Maybe." He grabbed the hand resting on her leg and brought it to his lips. He knew that he was going to have to take his time with this one. In order to enjoy her, he was going to have to be patient. "You may go back to the Queen's tent now, she'll find you a place to sleep, but come and visit me again tomorrow night, and pull your hair back. I want to see your face."

She nodded and gasped in surprise. "Okay."

April spent the next day in Queen Addison's tent with several other girls. They were washing clothes and even though April had no idea what she was doing, she followed the lead of the other girls who had clearly done this chore before. She kept her head down and did the work as best as she could.

Halfway through the day, another lord that she had grown up hearing tales about entered the tent to pay a visit to the Queen. Lord Derek Shepherd was just as handsome as she had imagined him to be and he appeared just as gallant as well.

He got down onto one knee as he spoke, "You called on me, my Queen."

April had expected to see some respect or affection in the Queen's gaze but instead all that she saw was disdain. She would have thought that the Queen would like one of the King's oldest friends. She had thought wrong.

"Yes, Lord Shepherd," she began slowly. "I was just wondering how your wife is doing."

Lord Shepherd tensed at the Queen's words and April knew why. He had married a Grey and the Greys had always been loyal to her family.

"My wife is excellent," he finally answered with a smile. "She is with child again."

"And her father and his men have ridden to Kepner castle."

He tensed again but his obvious discomfort and anger did not seep into his voice. "What Thatcher Grey decides to do is his business and what I decide to do is mine. I have known the King my entire life, of course I'm going to fight for him."

The Queen pursed her lips in displeasure. "Still, it is disconcerting that you are married to a traitor."

The dashing lord instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword. "My wife is not a traitor," he replied in a low, dangerous voice.

"We shall see," the Queen answered with a smirk.

Lord Shepherd finally showed his full displeasure and angrily spun on his heel. He left the tent with his cloak twirling behind him and April looked on in shock. It appeared as if there was some discontent amongst those that the King trusted the most. The Queen and Lord Shepherd did not care for each other and she found it quite curious.

And surely it was something that her father would benefit from knowing. But how could she get word to him?

Later, she did as she was told and ventured into Lord Avery's tent the same time as the night before. Once again, he was lying in his bed with the sheet pooled around his waist and a wine cup in his hand.

"Hi," he smiled happily upon seeing her.

She bit down on her bottom lip shyly. That smile of his made her stomach flutter. "Hi."

"How was your day?"

"It was fine," she shrugged. "Yours?"

"Dull," he answered with a dramatic sigh. He considered any day that he wasn't on the battlefield dull. "I thought about you though," he told her with a grin.

She chuckled softly as she felt her cheeks heat. "I'm sure that you had more important things to think about, my lord."

He shook his head as he sat up. "I disagree." During the King's war council meetings all that he had been able to think about was her long hair and soft skin, and her unclaimed body that he had yet to touch. Being patient was very frustrating. "Would you like to join me on the bed again?"

She nodded before tentatively closing the space between them. She sat beside him and he instantly sat up and raised his hands to cup her face. She had pulled her hair back into a braid, like he had asked, and it showed off every inch of her lovely face, from her strong jaw and plump lips to her cute nose and nicely shaped eyes. "You are breathtakingly beautiful," he whispered softly.

April gulped and blushed as he continued to stare at her intensely. She could say the same exact thing about him. She had never seen a prettier man in her life...his eyes and his teeth...she wasn't even sure if he was real. "Thank you," she squeaked.

He smiled as he looped an arm around her waist and pulled her body closer to his. "You are very welcome." He brushed his nose along hers and as the tip of his thumb grazed her lips, he listened to her breath hitch. "Have you ever been with a man?"

She shook her head and gasped nervously, "No."

He hummed thoughtfully and licked his lips. "I didn't think so." He knew a virgin when he saw one and it was why he was taking his time with her.

"Sorry," she apologized, "that's probably not what you want."

"Shhh," he whispered before she could say anything else. "Why do you think they brought you to me?" He lowered his head and placed a kiss in the crook of her neck. "Would you like to sleep here tonight?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea, my lord," she answered shakily.

"Why not?" He asked with a chuckle as he continued to kiss her neck. "I will behave like an honourable gentleman, I swear."

She laughed nervously as his hand slipped down to her waist to join the other. His hands weren't demanding and insistent, like she knew some men's hands to be, they were soft and caring. She was beginning to think that Lord Avery wasn't half as rude and brutish as her father made him out to be. He actually seemed pretty sweet. She tentatively placed both of her hands on his face and raised his head so that his attention was no longer focused on her neck. She took a deep breath before she closed the gap between them and pressed her lips to his. "Okay," she murmured.

He smiled as he could still feel her soft lips on his. "Okay," he repeated. "You may take off your clothes, if you wish, or you may keep them on."

She blushed fiercely yet again. "You sleep...?"

"In the nude, yes," he grinned.

She glanced down at the sheet that was covering his lower body and became even more embarrassed. She could see the trail of fine hair that started at his navel and now she knew exactly where the line of hair ended and that it was covered by a flimsy sheet. "Oh."

"The sheets feel nice on your bare skin," he smirked as he lay down on his back and stretched his arms above his head. "Get ready for bed," he encouraged.

April stood up and slowly removed the dress that she was wearing. She elected to leave on her nightgown and Jackson didn't mind, the material of her gown was thin enough that his imagination could do the rest of the work. It clung to her every curve and fell well above her knee. She returned to the bed beside him and began to take down her hair. Jackson quickly pulled her against his chest and began to play with her hair himself.

"So so pretty," he muttered as he moved his fingers through her auburn tresses. "You have such gorgeous hair."

"Thank you," she smiled to himself. She comfortably settled against his chest as he lay against the mountains of pillows at the top of his bed. "Some of the things they say about you aren't true, you know," she told him quietly.

"Like what?" He asked in amusement.

She thoughtfully chewed on her bottom lip before she spoke. She wasn't sure if telling him these things was the wisest move, but it's what she wanted to do. "People north of the river say that you and your family are hard and cold, pompous, and savagery when angered. They say that you only care about gold and your name. They say you have too much pride."

He considered her words thoughtfully. "And you don't think those things are true?"

She tilted her head back so that she could see his face. "You've been nothing but sweet and kind to me," she told him with a small smile.

He gently lifted her chin and captured her mouth in a kiss. "Well," he began as he continued to kiss her. "Maybe those things are true, but it seems that I have a soft spot for you." He spread his fingers across her neck and gingerly slipped his tongue into her mouth. It was clear that she was uncomfortable with the intrusion at first, but after a moment her tongue started to play with his.

She was a fast learner.

He pulled away with a happy hum and she curled up on his chest. She rested her head just below his chin and her hand on his abdomen. He stroked her hair until she fell asleep and then he allowed himself to close his eyes.

April awoke as soon as the morning sun streamed through the weak spots in the tent. She stretched, and as she did so, her bare feet grazed along the legs of the man beneath her. He squeezed her waist in response and she knew that he was awake as well. She looked up at him and smiled happily. His pretty eyes were glazed over and fresh stubble littered his jaw once again; he looked quite handsome after waking, but that didn't really surprise her. "Good morning."

"Morning," he responded gruffly. "How did you sleep?"

"Good," she smiled, "you?" She couldn't deny that his bed, with its silk sheets and bear furs, was very comfortable. It reminded her of her bed at home.

"Better than I have in months," he answered honestly. "For once I didn't dream of war."

She looked down at his chest to hide her smile and ran her fingers along his muscled pectorals. "What did you dream?" She enquired coyly.

He chuckled huskily as he grasped the material of her silk nightgown near her hip. "Oh I think you know." He buried his face in her neck and she giggled as he peppered kisses along her skin. His hand moved down to caress the bare skin of her thigh beneath the hem of her nightgown and he was rewarded with a soft mewl.

She wantonly grasped his shoulders and climbed into his lap on instinct. She gasped when she felt his hard, naked manhood against her. She slid back towards his knees so that she could look at him and her eyes widened in awe. She had never seen a man like this before and it wasn't exactly how she had pictured it in her head. He was much bigger than she thought men were supposed to be. "My lord, I—"

He quickly sat up so that they were face to face. "While you're sharing my bed, don't call me my lord," he whispered as he cradled her lower back.

"What will I call you then?" She whispered back.

"Jackson," he smiled. "My mother called me Jackson."

"Jackson," she repeated seductively. "I like that name."

His grip on her tightened and he grit his teeth in arousal. She was incredibly tempting without even knowing it. The way that she purred his name had just about done him in. He kissed her hungrily and pulled her against him so that she was sitting atop of him but he was still not inside of her. "And I am beginning to like everything about you, lovely." She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him back while swivelling her hips against him.

She gasped as the tip of him brushed against her, underneath her nightgown, and it caused goosebumps to rise on her skin. This felt nice but she knew that laying with a man required much more than what they were doing now.

He groaned and nipped at her bottom lip. He wasn't even inside of her yet and he felt as if he was about to finish like a boy with his first whore.

When a voice called to him from outside the door of his tent, he wasn't sure if he was incredibly grateful or incredibly angry. He hated to be interrupted but maybe it was for the best. "What do you want?" He called back.

"King Mark requests your presence, Lord Avery. He says it's of the utmost importance."

Jackson sighed before he responded. "Tell him I'll be there in a moment."

He kissed April again before he guided her down onto her back and slipped out of the bed. "Sadly, I have to go, lovely. Duty calls."

She watched him discreetly as he pulled on his trousers. He really was a fine looking man. "Do you want me to come back tonight?"

He turned to her with a grin once he had pulled the rest of his clothes on. "I want you to come back every night."

She giggled softly and he gave her one last kiss before he left his tent and headed for the King's.

Jackson pushed the material of the door aside and announced himself, "You summoned me, my King."

Mark glanced up from his war board and smirked. It was easy to tell from his young friend's facial expression and tone of voice that he was annoyed. "I interrupted time with your present, didn't I?"

Jackson ignored him but couldn't prevent his boyish grin from showing. "Do you have a new plan?" He asked to change the subject as he stepped towards the map spread out on the table.

Mark cackled and slapped the younger man on the back. "You are enjoying her, aren't you?"

Jackson decided to finally throw the man a bone. "Yes, I am, thank you."

"Well," Mark shrugged, "you deserve to have a little fun after all the battles you've won for me." He cleared his throat before he gazed down at the map. "And speaking of battles, two thousand of Kepner's men are waiting on the other side of the river, hoping to scare us away."

"And you want to attack?" Jackson asked with a furrowed brow.

Mark nodded slowly. "Four days from now. Old man Kepner still isn't taking me seriously so let's show him that he can't protect the river. He's waiting for us to fail and we're not going to fail."

Jackson looked at the map thoughtfully. It was certainly possible to accomplish, but like every battle, it wouldn't be easy. "How many men?" He only had five hundred men under his command but they were five hundred incredible fighters.

Mark scoffed as he walked around the table. "One of your men is worth ten of his," he paused before he added, "but take Shepherd with you."

Shepherd had one thousand men, and a lot of good men, but he also had a lot of boys.

So Jackson spent the rest of the afternoon training those boys as best as he could. By the time he lowered himself into the steaming hot water of his bath, almost every muscle in his body was sore. He hadn't spent an afternoon that way in a very long time. It wasn't the same ache that you had after a battle, it was much worse. There was no satisfaction of victory, just tired limbs and a heavy mind.

He closed his eyes and winced as he stretched his legs and draped his arms over the sides of the tub. "You're hurt?" A soft voice called.

He opened his eyes again and smiled at the young woman standing at the mouth of his tent. "I'm just tired, beautiful. It's nothing a hot bath won't fix."

She stared at him skeptically as she approached him and picked up the scrub brush sitting on the table beside him. She knelt down behind him and started to clean his back. She had never done something like this before either but it felt natural. "I don't believe you," she spoke quietly. "I saw you wielding your sword all day."

"Keeping an eye on me?" He asked teasingly.

"No," she blushed. "I don't have much to do here in case you haven't notice."

He laughed as he grabbed her hand and tugged her arm over his shoulder. He ran the tip of his nose along her cheek as he whispered, "You know what you're supposed to do here." He kissed her on the cheek before he said, "Join me."

"In the bath?" She squeaked.

"Yeah," he chuckled, "take off your clothes. Let me see you."

She shook her head and continued to wash his back. "Your back and neck aren't clean yet," she protested.

"Have you changed your mind since this morning?" He asked curiously. She had seemed more than willing to be intimate earlier. Had he done something wrong?

"No," she answered quietly. She had thought, perhaps naively, that he would want to take her quickly, to bury himself in her and be done with it. She had thought that it wouldn't require her to bare herself to him. She had thought that she would be able to leave her nightgown on. But since their first meeting, Lord Avery had appeared much more interested in her than she thought he would be so she wasn't sure why she was surprised. She sighed before she laid the brush down and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, my lord, I'll disrobe in a moment."

"I told you not to call me that," he groaned.

"Sorry," she grimaced.

"It's okay," he sighed as he reached a hand back to stroke her face. "Just join me in the bath...please."

It was the word 'please' that hit her the hardest. A man of his stature and status was essentially begging her for something, a woman that was supposed to be his property. Apparently, she had a little bit of power over him...but she wasn't about to test it...not yet anyway. She stood up straight and quickly dropped her clothes to the floor. She stepped around to the front of the tub and she tried not to blush as she felt his eyes all over her. She gathered all of her hair with her hand and pulled it to one side as she carefully stepped into the water and sat across from him. She offered him a small smile and he stared back at her with a hungry expression.

He waited a moment before he extended his hand towards her. "Come closer, lovely." She tentatively placed her hand in his and he pulled her into his lap. She comfortably settled her knees on either side of his thighs and rested her hands on his chest. "You are so gorgeous. How's the water?" He asked after licking his lips.

If she had even the slightest idea of how perfect her body was she wouldn't be so shy about it. He supposed he should be grateful, her self-consciousness contributed to her innocence and he was very aroused by her innocence.

"The water is nice," she smiled. She grabbed the brush that she had been using earlier and began to wash his chest. "You should finish washing up before it goes cold though."

He hummed in response and simply watched her as she washed his chest and arms. He was really restraining himself by not touching her. Her skin was so inviting and her breasts were too beautiful not to be held. "April," he finally whispered. "Will I be the first man to lay hands on you as well?"

She nodded as she bit down on her bottom lip. "Yes."

He smiled. "Well take a deep breath and don't be afraid to tell me what you want."

She furrowed her brow in confusion. She had no idea what she wanted...but then he placed both of his hands on her breasts and she instantly knew that that felt good. He held both of them and brushed his thumbs along her nipples. She inhaled a ragged breath and dug her short fingernails into his shoulders. He smiled smugly but was obviously taken aback when she desperately pressed her mouth against his. She kissed him roughly, and although she had no idea what she was doing, she pushed her tongue into his mouth. He was making her feel good so she hoped she was doing the same for him.

"What do you want?" She asked as she placed a kiss on the corner of his jaw. "I was brought here for you wasn't I? So what do you want?"

He was pleasantly surprised by her boldness but he had known the answer to this question ever since she had stepped foot in his tent. "I want you to want me," he told her candidly. "I want you to be here with me because you want to and not because you were told that you belong to me now. I want you to enjoy pleasing me as much as I enjoy pleasing you, and I really want you to enjoy yourself when I please you," he laughed huskily.

"I like this," she admitted shyly as she looked down at his large hands on her breasts.

"Good," he grinned. He leaned forward and started to place open mouth kisses on her neck. She dropped her hands from his shoulders to his thighs, beneath the water. He gently nipped at her skin with his teeth when she gripped his thighs...her small hands were so agonizingly close to where he wanted them. He tangled both of his hands in her long hair and tugged her head backwards. She released a sound between a gasp and a laugh and he grinned against her throat. "Are you teasing me, love?" He asked playfully.

"I don't think I would know how," she laughed softly.

He growled before he replied. "I think you have a better idea than you think." He placed his mouth against hers again as he stroked her sides with both hands. He kissed her slowly and allowed her to become accustomed to this level of intimacy before he slipped a hand between them and fondled her private flesh.

She whimpered and rested her forehead against his. "What are you doing?" She asked innocently. The feeling of his fingers against her was foreign, but good.

He grinned at her as he ran his free hand over her hair. "You'll see."

She stared at him in confusion and he held her gaze, grinning at her like an eager boy. She started to kiss him again but gasped against his mouth when she felt his fingers inside of her. "What are you doing?" She asked again, this time quite breathless. "I didn't think that men...I...uh..." She grunted and collapsed against his chest. She felt a great pressure building up in the pit of her stomach and she wasn't sure how to get rid of it. "Jackson," she panted. "Stop it. Please."

"Shh, beautiful," he whispered soothingly. He brushed that spot inside of her that drove most women wild and increased the pressure of his thumb on her untouched bundle of nerves. He kissed her neck as she writhed and moaned on top of him. She finished a moment later and captured his mouth in a frantic kiss. He kissed her back hungrily as both of his hands settled on her hips. "Better?" He enquired mischievously.

"What was that?" She asked in disbelief as she grasped his neck.

He smiled triumphantly. "What? You didn't think I was going to do anything for you? Did you think I was going to mount you like a dog and have my way with you?" She blushed and her eyes widened, and he knew that the answer was yes. "Well," he began as he slowly rose to his feet. "I'll have to change your opinion of me."

April gasped as she steadied herself by placing her hands on his shoulders. Her legs were around his waist but he was carrying all of her weight with one arm wrapped around her lower back, his other hand was cradling her face. He was so strong. She gulped nervously as he stepped out of the tub and carried her to the bed. He laid her down and covered her body with his own as they kissed.

"I'm nervous," she confessed shyly when he pulled away to kiss her collarbone. "I know I probably shouldn't tell you that, but I am." And she knew that it was going to hurt, her mother had warned her of it...and she had always imagined completing this act with her husband...all of those things made her very uneasy, and yet she was excited as well, for some reason.

"It's okay," he answered soothingly. He kissed her again before he ran his mouth down her neck and shoulders and soaked up the water droplets that remained on her skin. He wanted to spend more time exploring but he felt so bloody impatient. He pressed his mouth against hers again as he tightly gripped her knee and started to push into her. She gasped in pain and he tried his best to comfort her. "Breathe."

She bit down on her bottom lip as tears stung her eyes. She felt like she was being stretched and she wished that he had used his fingers again instead.

He gave her what he thought was enough time to adjust to his size and then he began to rhythmically thrust into her. She couldn't hold back a whimper, and it certainly was not one of pleasure. These were not the sounds that he liked to hear from a woman in his bed. He was hurting her, and unlike so many women of his past, he couldn't just continue and pretend that she would get used to it. He pulled out of her with a groan and flopped onto his back on the other side of the bed.

"I'm so s-sorry," April hiccuped. She was pretty sure that a lady was supposed to have more composure than this during her first time. She angrily squeezed her eyes shut before she chanced a glance at him. His gaze was fixed upwards and he was clenching his teeth together. She knew that all of the power that she had previously held over him had now vanished. She had been unable to please and no doubt he was furious with her.

She started to slide out of bed but he caught her around the waist. "Hey," he whispered, "wait." He rolled onto his side and pulled her into his chest. He wiped away her tears before he planted a soft kiss on her lips and then numerous kisses on her cheeks. "I'm sorry for hurting you. I tried to make it easier by having you sit in the bath with me and by using my fingers on you first, but it still isn't always pleasant for a woman, especially her first time." He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and softly kissed her temple. "You can go to sleep now, lovely."

The red-head smiled to herself as she cuddled into his chest. Maybe she had underestimated how he felt about her yet again.

A/N: Do not fret! Things get easier ;)

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