(Special thanks to a friend for the art work for the 31 prompts and to Bekki for beta reading these. And thank you to all who read, review, follow and fav this.)
Day 12-Knife To His Throat
(A/U Historical Setting)
Robin Locksley, the Earl of Sherwood, was enjoying a night in one of London's gaming clubs. He was at a high stakes gambling table with some of his friends. There were many who were wearing masks, mainly to hide their true identity. Robin had not one, not two, but three clinging women, eager to serve his every need.
Robin couldn't help himself, as women of all ages tended to tumble at his feet. His smile was captivating, piercing female hearts with deadly accuracy. And when those clever blue eyes glimmered with amusement, well no female could resist his charms.
His gaze scanned the room, and locked on a new arrival. He watched as she adjusted her face mask, and tried to blend into the throng gamblers and prostitutes. But she stuck out like a sore thumb, she was a lady he could bet his life on it. Her beauty was very rare he could tell, even with her wearing the mask. She had the grace and dignity of a queen, he was very intrigued already. He saw a man approach her and stood up to assist the lady in any way that he could.
The lady in question was going over her mission in this dreadful sin club, as some called it. She had attended a sin club once before, in Paris, with her widowed friend Mal. The gaming room boasted a large gathering, as did the adjacent drawing room, where dancing and refreshments and a lavish buffet could be found.
Her name was Regina Mills, daughter of the Baron and Baroness Mills. She berated herself for coming here tonight, if she was caught in a den of iniquity, it would only cement her scandalous reputation, which would wound her family. But she had to do this for her friend Rose, who the Earl of Sherwood had his sights on as was rumored.
She had met him, when she was engaged to wed one of his friends, Graham Hunter, the Earl of Wolfland. She had broken it off with Graham on the day of their wedding, she had heard about his romps the night before with a harem he had. There she had been walking down the aisle to him, slapping him across the face and throwing his ring at him, before marching off. Her family had been so embarrassed, her mother mostly. She had walked past Robin Locksley on her way to her family's carriage, he had simply smirked at her. She had been around his presence at many functions, those dimples of his had always made her stomach quiver.
She well knew that masculine breeding, charm, virility, and stunning good looks were potent weapons against the fair sex. In her case, Robin's keep wit and sharp mind had always impressed her far more. It was a grave pity that he was such a rake, squandering, his exceptional intelligence and talents on debauchery and rake ways. Ordinarily, she wouldn't care how many women he seduced or how many mistresses he kept, but Rose was very dear to her, almost like the sister she never had.
And if she couldn't conquer her attraction to him, what chance did Rose have to doing so?
As if sensing her eyes on him, Robin focused his penetrating gaze to stare directly at her. The spark that flared in his vivid eyes at her immodest attire made her breath catch. She had borrowed her evening gown of scarlet velvet from Mal in order to fit in with the other ladies of the evening. The décolletage dipped much lower than her usual wont, leaving her shoulder and the upper swells of her breasts bare.
"May I have the honor of this dance, love?"
Regina jumped at that question, she had been so distracted by Robin, she had not seen another gentleman approach her. Regina needed no complications to divert her from her goal of saving Rose from the Earl of Sherwood's romantic pursuit.
"Thank you, but I was just leaving," Regina muttered, as she knew it had been foolish of her to come here in the first place. She tried to leave, when she heard the man say,"Not so fast, love."
Robin was indeed staring, staring at the beauty before him. She was very familiar to him, as he kept trying to think of how he knew her, it hit him. Miss Regina Mills!
What the bloody hell?
She was the kind of woman, any sane man would doubt they would ever forget meeting. She was one of the loveliest women he had ever encountered, luminous dark eyes, rich black hair, creamy skin, with the most kissable mouth imaginable. Pure temptation even to a man of his jaded appetites. More than once he had fantasized about kissing those luscious lips. In truth, he'd wanted her from the first moment they met four years ago, during her first season. But he had controlled himself as she was to marry a friend of his.
Robin was taken aback, at seeing her here at such a place, known more for its sexual sport than gambling. Robin wanted to know what she was doing in such a place like that, and why she had been looking at him like she had.
He saw the drunk man approach her, put his hands on her arm as she tried to get away. She was ill-equipped to fend off a drunken lecher, Robin suspected, his protective instincts keenly aroused, as with other parts of him. He saw the man lean down to steal a kiss or more and that sealed it, Robin jumped from his gaming table and walked to her.
He had nearly reached her when, despite her predicament, she saw him approaching and visibly flinched, whether in surprise of dismay, he couldn't tell.
"There you are, my love," Robin said as he came up to her. "I have been eagerly awaiting your company."
The drunk man reached out and grabbed one of her breasts, causing Regina to shove at the man. Robin had another reaction, he punched him in the jaw!
"I'll thank you to leave the lady alone," Robin warned.
"She's...not a lady," the man said.
"Regardless, she is mine," Robin said as he put an arm around her waist and drew her close to him,"I have missed you, darling. Have you missed me?"
She possessed huge, lustrous dark eyes, which were mostly hidden behind her mask. She was clearly wondering what he was about.
"Are you pleased to see me, love?" Robin prodded Regina.
"I...why, yes, my lord," she stammered, reminding Robin how pleasantly musical her voice was.
"Perhaps you should show me how much," Robin dared her.
Bending his head, he captured that full, kissable mouth the way he had longed to do for years now. She gave a faint gasp at the contact and stiffened in response. Robin could feel shock ripple through the graceful curves of her body, while his own breath quickened at the enticing taste of her.
Her lips were just as soft as he had dreamed, relishing their fullness. Lush, resilient, the texture of silk, ripe and warm as her body. When she tensed further, he increased the pressure, parting the seam of her mouth and boldly slipping his tongue into her mouth, to tangle with hers.
Her lips trembled under his. Encouraged, he changed the slant of his head, and took her mouth more thoroughly, coaxing her to participate in her own seduction. When she finally opened completely to him, Robin felt the unexpected impact like a jolt of lightning, heat, pleasure, excitement, sheer satisfaction.
Her taste was keenly arousing and infinitely sweeter. Sliding one hand behind her nape, he pulled her closer so that he could drink more deeply of her kiss.
The drunk and a few others who had been watching, fell away so there was only the two of them, man and woman, enjoying an embrace powerful enough to shake them both to their cores. Her scent wrapped around him, as his did to her.
Their kiss was a slow, devastating, magical kiss. When her entire body softened instinctively against him, her surrender only increased his craving for her. Painfully aroused now, Robin felt a primal male urge to take what he wanted, and an even stronger need to heighten her desire.
When his tongue delved inside her mouth, exploring, she gave a helpless moan and leaned into him. The sharp pleasure of it stabbed him in his loins, a pleasure that only heightened when her hand crept up to twine about his neck.
He felt another measure of triumph when her tongue met his willing this time. Raising a hand to cradle her jaw, he angled his head even further, the better to devour her mouth. Her breath faded to a sigh as their tongue mated. It had been a very long time since Robin had experienced anything such as this sizzling sexual attraction. If ever.
When at last he broke off, he kept hold of her waist to support her as she swayed weakly, clearly affected by their kiss as well.
Her eyes fluttering open, she raised her face to stare at him. Despite her mask, he could see those lovely eyes were dazed. Her hands rose to touch her lips in wonder, as if feeling the burn there left from his lips on hers.
She was profoundly shaken, he knew. He felt her trembling as she returned his gaze speechlessly.
Robin was at a loss of words himself. He couldn't recall ever feeling such intense, unreasoning desire.
"I should have expected you would act so outrageously, Lord Sherwood," Regina snapped at him.
He raised an eyebrow,"What was so outrageously?"
"You did not have to kiss me."
"It seemed the easiest way to prevent others from coming after you, you wouldn't want them to know your true identity, would you, Miss Mills?" Robin asked.
"No, but I am not your love," Regina said.
"I know that, but I thought you would be grateful to me for assisting you," Robin said. "A simple thank you would suffice."
"I did not ask for you assistance!" Regina said loudly, gathering the attention of some around them.
"Why don't we take this someplace more private?" Robin asked as he gestured upstairs.
"Fine, it will make others think, I'm a ..." Regina wouldn't finish. Instead she turned and took towards the stairs, Robin followed her, watching the sway of her hips as she walked.
Once she found a room, they went in and Robin closed the door behind them,"Must you close the door?" she asked.
"Yes, that way they know the room is occupied," Robin said.
With the door shut, Robin was more cognizant of the primitive sensations still streaking through him, possessiveness, hunger, desire. Sexual awareness was suddenly rife between them.
She felt it also, he knew. The tension in her body had returned with a new, sharp edged tautness he could actually sense.
"So what truly brought you here tonight?" Robin asked.
"My friend Rose," Regina answered,"Its rumored you intend to court her."
"You sound very protective of her," Robin said.
"I am, she is like a sister to me," Regina said.
"And you don't consider me a legitimate suitor?" Robin inquired.
"No, my lord. You may be extremely eligible, but you are not at all suitable for her. You are not the marrying kind," Regina answered truthfully.
"You have clearly assumed the worst about me," Robin said.
Her smile was sweetly fake,"With good reasons. I predicted your debauchery, and this evening I was proved right."
It annoyed him a little that she considered him a dissolute,"I am not as depraved as the gossips paints me."
"I found you in this place, with more than one trollop draped all over you," her jealously was in her voice, as much as she tried to hide it.
Robin smiled before he rebutted that,"Appearances can be deceiving."
"Do you deny that you are here for...carnal sport?" Regina asked boldly.
"Actually, I do," Robin answered,"but I also do not have to justify myself to you."
"No, you don't. But Rose is not in your league, she is a delicate flower, not meant for you," Regina said.
Robin smirked shortly at her, before taking a step towards her, another, another, his body swayed as he walked up to her, their heads were only inches from one another,"And who pray tell, is meant for me?"
Regina could feel his breath on her skin, he was that close to her,"Not Rose, my lord."
He considered her for a long moment,"Perhaps I could be persuaded to end the courtship."
"What do you mean?" Regina asked, she watched as he moved from her and sat on a chaise lounge.
"I will give you the chance to sway me, come here and kiss me," Robin offered her.
Regina felt a shiver run down her spine at his words,"Surely you are joking."
"Not in the least, you say you want me to stop pursing Rose, then convince me to stop," Robin dared her.
Regina thought herself mad to even consider responding to his proposition. She had been thoroughly shaken by his kiss, his mere touch was like a lightning bolt streaking through her.
"What would I have to do?" Regina whispered.
"Kiss me, just as I said," Robin answered.
"And then you will give up?" Regina asked, her heart pounding almost out of her chest.
"I will consider it," Robin answered.
He was merely playing a game with her, she decided with disgust,"I won't kiss you, Sherwood."
"Then let me escort you out of here," Robin said as he started to stand.
"No, wait!"
His smile was lazy and full of charm as he settled down again."It's your choice. I have all night. Plus we are believed to be lovers, I can't have you leaving already."
"I am not your lover," she exclaimed in exasperation.
"No, you are too afraid to fulfill that role," Robin said.
"I am not afraid of anything!" Regina said, angrily.
"No?" Robin asked, as he threw down the challenge to her. They stared at one another for a few moments.
"Just one kiss?" Regina asked.
"Just one."
Regina moved to stand before him,"Remove your mask, there is little pleasure in kissing when your face is half hidden."
Regina did as he said, he studied her face for several heartbeats,"It is a shame to cover such stunning beauty."
"I'm not some idiot who will fall at your feet over a compliment," Regina said.
"We shall see," Robin said. "Now sit down beside me."
Regina sat on the lounge beside him, she titled her face up to his, closed her eyes and held still.
A long moment passed, when nothing happened she pried one eye open. "What are you waiting for?"
"You must kiss me, love,"
Cursing under her breath, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his briefly. Even the brief few seconds of contact with his warm lips against hers, jolted her, making her think of a raging fire.
"Surely you can do better than that," Robin jibed at her. "Do you need assistance?"
"I can manage," Regina said as she placed her hands on his shoulders, looking at his eyes which were glued on her.
"I am willing to instruct you if need be," Robin offered.
"I know how to kiss," Regina said. "I just don't want to kiss you."
"You wound me, love," Robin said, his tone jokingly.
"Not severely enough, obviously," Regina said.
Robin was faintly amused by her sass towards him. He also was aroused by her, he wanted her, and he could tell she knew it as well.
Regina took a breath, and steeled herself for the renewed shock like before, she moved closer and touched her lips to his, holding the contact for the space of several heartbeats.
Only then did he resume responsibility. His kiss was soft this time, not taking but offering. Her senses were in overdrive by this kiss.
His tongue came out and parted her lips, sliding into her mouth. She knew she ought not to give in, but his kiss was too enticing. Long moments later his hand cupped her bare shoulder and drew her closer, pressing her against his hard, muscular body, creating an ache inside of her she never knew existed.
Regina made a sound between a sigh and whimper. Robin's response was to deepen the kiss immediately. His tongue stroked against hers, tangling in a sensual dance, twining in a long sensuous patter of withdrawal and penetration.
With consummate care, he shifted his position, leaning back against the incline of the chaise until she was draped over his muscular, form. He was assailing her mouth with such languor-molding, caressing, teasing, tempting...
With the slow awakening of desire, Regina felt herself yielding, felt her resistance dissolving. Her bones were surely melting with this heat. When he shifted beneath her again, one of his knees separated hers. Through her skirts she felt the pressure of his thigh against her core. Regina tensed.
She knew a little about what to expect from physical relations. Her friend Mal had endured a dreadful unhappy marriage and had wanted her to be prepared. And in Paris once, she had explored her artistic talent and studied sculpture, including the nude male form. But stone was a far cry from a live man.
Then she heard the change in Sherwood's rhythmic breathing and realized that a certain part of his had throbbed to life. She knew what that male hardness at his loins meant. He was aroused from their brazen intimacy.
Before she could say anything, she felt his knuckles skim over the exposed swell of one of her breasts, then slipped inside to brush her nipple, his fingers plucked gently before pulling the velvet down. When he cradled one breast in his palm, Regina whimpered at the feverish surge of pleasure his touch was making her feel.
She had to stop this! She grabbed at her reticule on her lap and managed somehow to open it, once inside she grabbed the blade she had inside and held it to his throat.
Robin froze, then blinked at her. His features were heavy and drugged, but the sensuality faded as understanding dawned on him. Then shockingly, he chuckled as if this was a game to him.
"Don't make me hurt you," Regina warned.
He pressed his forehead against hers and gave another laugh,"You have already hurt me, love. Twice tonight you have left me aching."
"Serves you right," Regina said,"Now that you have had your kiss, you'll leave my friend Rose alone?"
"Indeed," Robin answered.
Regina let out a deep breath, she had done it! "Thank you."
"No need to thank me, for I now have a new lady to court," Robin said.
"Who?" Regina asked, surely he wouldn't...couldn't mean...
"You," Robin said with a smirk on his face.