Author's Note: Hello again...sorry it's taken so long for an update. I think I must be really horny because I've been writing sex scenes in all of the stories I'm working on. It's hard to make each one different, but Maria and David deserved their own time together.

Discoinferno1, the super sluth that she is saw through my little plan and now I have to reveal a little earlier than I wanted. This chapter really doesn't have much to do with the plot, but I wanted to write it! Forgive the typos or missed words. I'm tired of re-reading it and I'm sure I missed something.

Enjoy! Shanny

This chapter contains sexual content.

Finding Pleasure

The training with Lita had been intense, but well worth the effort. Maria had learned the points in which to strike a man to kill him and where to strike only to maim. Lita taught her the different ways in which to hold a blade to slice and how to stab; she taught her where to strike a blow to render unconsciousness and how much pressure must be used to split the skull. For a woman, Lita was as skilled in defense and weaponry as any man that Maria had ever encountered.

A soft knock at her chamber door, found Maria in a panic. She was sure it was Matthew, coming for his payment of hospitality. She had just entered the bath, she was naked and wet…there was no way to cover herself or try to protect herself and her child. Lita had told her to always be prepared for as a woman in this court, she never knew when she would have need to defend herself. But Maria thought nothing of it at the time. All she knew was she was tired, her muscles sore and a bath was the cure to her ailment. Now she sat alone and vulnerable. If Matthew wished her, surely there was nothing she could do to stop him.

David stood looking at Maria, her eyes were wide with fear and she desperate way she tried to cover herself beneath the soft lavender scented water. Something was amiss, he could see it in her face and the nervous way her hand trembled as she reached for her bath cloth. "I had come to ask your company for a walk around the grounds. Hardy is home to beautiful gardens."

Maria blushed and took her washing cloth to cover her breasts. "My lord…" A sense of relief washed over her, yet she still felt like she was on display to his eyes.

David stepped in closer. "Are you embarrassed? I have seen you naked several times over."

"Tis true, but those times were before you…we…"

A large smile crossed his face, to which she noticed how his eyes danced when he was happy. "You can not say it, can you?"

Maria felt a tinge of anger sweep across her body. How dare he make fun of her? "I can too say it." She lifted her chin defiantly and spoke with authority. "You have seen me void of clothing, just before we join."

Now sitting beside the tub, David reached in the water and removed her cloth. Carefully he pulled the fabric around her shoulders and watched as she closed her eyes against the warmth of the water coursing her back. "Is that what you have learned it is called?"

"Is that not what it is?"

He shook his head; she still had much to learn. "When you join with another and it is pleasurable to both, tis making love, not joining. Animals join, animals mate, animals have sex…"

A deep red blush tinted her cheeks. "My lord, tis not proper for a woman to discuss such things. Tis not proper for you to be at my bath."

"And who sets the rules on propriety?" There was a hint of arrogance in his voice as he spoke. They both knew his station and hers as well. They both knew she was at David's mercy.

"You, my lord." She dropped her eyes in shame at his superiority.

David turned her face to look at him. "Will there ever be a time, when you will just refer to me as David? I enjoy the way that name sounds on your lips."

Her breath started to catch in her throat as his hand traveled down her neck and the cloth gently swept the hollow. "Do you wish to join with me now?" Her question was not one of fear, but one of want. She had never felt like she wanted to become one with him before, but seeing how he interacted with Lita, made her realize that she would miss his visits if he chose her instead. She had been angry of his visits to Layla, but not jealous. She had never seen Layla and David together, but she saw the way he looked at Lita; the smile on his face as she spoke, the way his eyes never left hers. It set her blood to a boil.

The adrenaline from her training still ran through her veins and seemed to settle somewhere deep in her stomach. Maria's heart was betraying her. She was not to care what David did or what he wanted, she was to kill him; no questioned asked.

"Is that what you want?" His lips were close enough to her neck that he could feel the heat from her skin on them. The smell of lavender on her damp flesh was intoxicating. He wanted nothing more than to shed his clothing and join her in that bath. But this was the time when he would teach her to find her own pleasure.

Maria titled her head slightly so that David's lips brushed her skin. "What I want does not matter. I am here to serve you."

"Let us play a game." He whispered in her ear noting the way the goose bumps arose when he spoke. "Let us pretend that you are not here against your will…that you are here of your own accord. What would you want?"

Maria was embarrassed, this was not how proper women were to behave; this was more of the actions of the women that walked the night. She could not tell him that she wished him to distinguish the fire burning in her body. She could not say that she wished for him to touch her. "I am not good with games."

David let out a laugh and moved the wet hair from her shoulder. "How do you know if you will not play?" He could tell he was affecting her. He was getting her to the point where she no longer felt him her burden. He had her flustered and he loved it.

Since that first night in Hardy, things between them had changed. She no longer did she look at him with fear in her eyes, but now those large brown orbs held something else. There was a distinct yearning in them. There was also the blush that touched her features whenever he made eye contact with her. Though he did not know the reason for the change, he did not mind it. They had been together many times before that night in Hardy, but that was the first night that she gave herself to him freely. She needed him that night and he was all too happy to help her. But since then, he could feel her hesitation. He knew that she still loved Christopher, but she did not talk of him as often. He knew that Christopher was the one man that prevented him from completely occupying her mind. But something in the way she lowered her eyes when she spoke to him, let him believe that he now held a small corner.

"Tis not a woman's place to want; tis her place to please her partner." She didn't believe the words coming from her mouth, mainly because David was too close to her. She kept fighting with herself. She was supposed to be able to loathe him and pretend to enjoy his touch. But the harder she tried, the more she needed it. She let her eyes drift to his hands. His hands were large, but surprisingly soft. His nails were neatly trimmed and judging from the smooth pads of his fingertips as they ran over her shoulder, he had never done a hard days labor in his life.

"And why would you want to devoid yourself of pleasure?" David was finding it harder and harder to remain just her master. He found himself wanting to be all to her. Even if she would just berate him for his actions, the sound of her voice was soothing to him; her outlook on the world was novel. Maria held so many qualities that he had never experienced and he found himself wanting to experience them all of the time.

He let his hand go beneath the surface of the water and pressed it softly against her stomach. "In a few months time, your body will swell with my seed. You will feel things that you have never experienced then. You will crave things that you never wanted before. I have been told that it is most pleasurable when the woman is with child."

Maria looked up at him and frowned. "When I am no longer an interest to you, will you take another?" Why could she not shake the jealousy? She did not want to want him, but his breath was heavy on her ear, his fingers were inches away from making her feel things that made her blush.

"Do you wish to be replaced?" He never let his voice go above a whisper. He paid particular attention to how she closed her eyes as his hand trailed lower.

Maria shook her head before she had time to think of his question. "I thought with Layla and Lita that…"

"If I had interest in either, I would be with them now." David stood and held out his hand, helping her from her bath. The time for talking was over; there were more important matters to discuss without words.

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David laid close to Maria watching as the water droplets rolled down her damp flesh. There was no need to have her dry herself, for what he had in mind. He noted the way her breathing became labored and she became uneasy at his proximity to her. Something as simple as his breath on her shoulder, made her eyes cloud over with lust. He took pleasure in seeing her so wanton, knowing that that he was the cause of her desire and not Christopher.

"What do you wish me to do?" He wet his bottom lip as he watched the way her nipples transformed from a flat surface to a stiff peak when the autumn air touched her damp flesh. Each droplet of water was strategically placed on her body and ran down her silken skin, creating lines that he wanted to trail his tongue over.

"Whatever you wish?" She felt foolish. David always decided when they would be together, being with him was always what he wanted. Although her body responded pleasurably and naturally with him, she had no idea what it was that she found pleasurable.

David laughed. "You are not following the rules of the game. I will not touch you until you show me where and how." He enjoyed this power struggle, finally he had her submissive. He could intimidate her and make her bend to his will, but it was infinitely more exciting to see her struggle within herself to give her will over to him freely.

"How do you know if a touch will be pleasing? How do you know what pace to set? I am not skilled in this art; you decide what I like." She could see the hurt in his eyes. She never thought that being with her meant anything to him. But something in the look on his face proved that he felt himself a failure. "I am sorry if I have offended you."

David shook his head. He never once imagined that she did not feel the same pleasure with him that he did with her. He was careful and gentle, but yet that was not enough. All this time he had used her body for his pleasure and though she found her own, he never once cared if she did.

David took Maria's hand in his and held it up to his lips. "Today you learn how to find what pleases you." He examined the small hand and smiled at the power it held. "Your hand is two fold; it posses the sense of touch. With it, you will feel what your flesh feels like; you know what it is like for me when I touch you. It also holds the sense of pleasure. Your body will come alive under the soft pads of your fingertips." He moved her hand and placed it on her stomach. "Do you even know how soft your flesh is?" Holding her wrist he gently guided her hand up toward her breasts. He watched her large eyes widen at the first touch her hand made as it swept over the sensitive area. "Close your eyes and just feel."

The manner in which he held her arm made her fingertips brush her nipple with the slightest amount of pressure. She instantly felt chills run over her body. She was embarrassed at touching herself, but curious just the same. Her hand slowly brought forth a feeling in her that she had only felt before when he touched her. It made her wonder what else she had the power to do. She closed off her mind to everything else and let her thoughts settle on Christopher's lips. She could almost feel them on her skin; the way his tongue would gently caress her neck and his hands would rest on the small of her back, pulling her closer. She could envision his beautiful blue eyes at he looked at her with want. She could hear herself giggle at his advances and felt herself actually smile. As her hand traveled down her neck and back to her breast, she no longer noticed David's hand was not touching her anymore. Instead, she remembered the way Christopher's muscular chest felt upon her naked breast. She could feel the pressure of his weight on her as he kissed her and the gentle sound of the river flowing behind them. She felt her breath hitch as her fingers trailed a circle over the flesh and suddenly she wanted to feel more.

David watched in amazement as her body responded to her touch. Her fingers were slow and dragged out each sensation with a grace and elegance that he marveled. "Do you enjoy that?" He asked softly and smiled, fighting to keep his restraint. "Is that how you wish it to be done?" The simple nod she granted him, forced him into action. He watched the slow circular motion she made with fingertips against her breast and he copied those movements with his mouth on the other. He felt her body lean into him and the sound of her gasp threatened to be his undoing.

Maria could feel a stirring in her body that she didn't know was possible. Not since Christopher had she ever felt so alive. She imagined it was his mouth gently feeding on her breast, making every hair on her arms stand straight on end. She imagined gazing into his blue eyes, then suddenly those blue eyes turned brown. His long blonde hair was replaced by a cropped black shade and his tanned skin turned caramel. Even with her eyes closed she could not remember the smell of his hair, but only the scent of David's. She longed to feel his mouth on hers, just as she had once longed to feel Christopher's. Even her imagination was betraying her.

David was surprised when he felt her hand touch his head and the gentle way she held it. He gave over to the feeling of her hands rubbing his neck, encouraging him to continue with his actions. He watched as she bit her lip to try to contain her feelings. "Tell me what you feel." His fingertips replaced his tongue still mimicking the motions she made.

"I have the need to kiss you." She was quiet in her command, but was pleased when she felt his lips on hers. He did not move, he only allowed his lips to touch hers. She needed more. She started to move her lips against his and slowly she opened her mouth and let her tongue trace his. She could feel his tongue, warm and soft, creating the same erotic feelings in her mouth that it did on her breast. Maria touched his face with one hand and found her other arm pulling him closer. She had never kissed Christopher with such passion, but at that moment Christopher was now the furthest thing from her mind.

David did not protest when she guided his head from her lips to her neck. He surmised that enjoyed the before play before the act. She enjoyed the touching and kissing and gentle feelings, before giving her body over to the ultimate union. Her lavender scented skin did something to him as his lips trailed on her shoulder. If he could have devoured her whole he would have. In the countless times he had bedded women, none had been as passionate as this inexperience woman. He gently removed her hand from his head and placed it back on her breast. He whispered to her with her eyes still closed. "There is more of you to explore."

Maria let her hand travel between the valley of her breast and gently over her belly. She flinched at the tickle, but more than a tickle was anticipation. The lower her hand got, the more her body responded. "I burn." Her voice was labored and heavy with need. She did not understand what was happening. "Why do I feel that way?"

David watched as her hand traveled between her legs and watched it come to a halt. "Your body craves release from the pressure of your desires. Give yourself that release."

"I do not know how."

He allowed himself to touch her leg and gently he parted it from the other. He guided her hand to where she needed it and watched as her face erupted in a surprised smile. "Touch yourself; give yourself over to your want." He was neither demanding nor impatient, but confused as to why she deny what her body craved. He watched as she slowly explored her femininity, touching as herself as if she never knew it existed. Her movements were small and soft and not conducive to finding an end. "A gentle pressure, a constant stroke. Find the rhythm that you enjoy, find a spot that pleases you the most."

Maria did what she was told and was surprised at the feeling that she gave herself. Never once had she considered having this power in her own hands. The more she gave in, the more she envisioned David's chiseled body looming over her. She could feel his hands and his length bringing forth that same feeling that she had on the inside. Her movements were that of a gentle stroke, like one does on the head of an animal, but even that gentle touch started a feeling in the her body that she was sure to die from if it wasn't released. "Please?"

David looked at her and read her expression. "Tell me how to touch you."

"I do not care, just release the pressure."

He let his lips touch her stomach and took the same path that her hand did. He stopped at her waist and smiled when her hips bucked slightly upward. "Would you like for to taste you?" His whisper was seductive and he smiled at her hesitation.

Maria had no idea that was possible; for every time she had been with David, he had never done it before. She found herself wondering what his mouth would feel like. Would be as gentle as his kiss? Would it ignite another fire in her just as it did when he suckled her breast? She found herself excited by the prospect. "Please…"

He was slow in his torture, just barley letting the tip of his tongue touch the peak of her sexuality. "You set the pace." He whispered and watched as she titled her pelvis closer to his mouth. Her scent was beautiful, sending him to a high that he had not known in a long time. Her folds of skin were softer on his mouth than they were to his hands. He enjoyed the way she rolled her hips in search of something more. Then suddenly he felt her hands steady his head and he knew she had found what she was looking for.

There was a point in Maria's mind when she could not remember Christopher's name. All she could do was feel the name of David wanting to escape her lips. He had opened a door to her body that she had not known was closed. He elicited behavior in her that she did not think she could posses. He created a feeling that went down to her toes and demanded to escape or she would burst. She could feel the cocoon of warmth surround her, but it was different than all the other times she had felt it with him. She heard her voice, whimpering and begging him for an end. "David…" And suddenly she felt his fingers enter her and the electricity they caused made her arch violently from the bed. She had never experience anything as powerful as that before, yet it was still not enough.

David smiled when her body tightened around his fingers. She was more pliable than she had even been. He leaned up on his elbows and looked into her eyes. "What do you want now?" He would not give in and take her how he wanted. He wanted her to take him…he wanted her to want him.

Maria felt no shame, she had tasted what she considered heaven and she wanted more. She sat up on the bed to face him and greedily attacked his lips. She could herself on him and the sensation created a monster. Somehow despite his strength she turned him and kissed his chest. Everything he did to her she wanted to return. His body flinched under her touch and when she reached his manhood, she paused. Never before had she looked at him, never before did she realize the power that he held; never before did she notice the power that she held. She opened her mouth and easily let him slide in. Just the look on his face was enough to make her want to continue. She had him vulnerable, to the point where he would give into anything. She held the power to give him life or destroy it. All this time she believed that she was his prisoner, it was not until she saw the passion in his eyes did she realize that she held him captive.

David let down his guard. Any thoughts he ever had of harming her or taming her ended when her eyes met his. All he wanted now was to hold her and protect her. He wanted to keep his child safe to have its mother want him not for the sake of duty, but for the sake of love. Never in his life did he wish to be another man, but in that moment he was envious of Christopher and wanted what he had. He wanted Maria…and not just physically; he wanted her in every since of the word. A primal groin escaped his lips as her small warm mouth pulled forth a feeling within him. "You needs stop." He tried to tell her in a breath filled warning, but she would not listen.

Maria was surprised that his release was different than hers. Yet she still not end her actions. She enjoyed the power that she held and the fact that she created the glassy look in his eyes. Those warm eyes were melting her heart and torturing her soul. She kissed her way back to his lips and laid on him as he held her. "Please…" She did not know what more she was searching for, but she knew that he could give it to her. She could feel him hardening against her body and she desperately wanted him inside of her. "I know not how to do this."

David placed his hands behind his head to keep himself from taking charge. His breathing was still impaired but somehow he found enough breath to speak. "Do whatever you wish."

Maria had never felt anything like the feeling of having him in her and being in control. She was able to set the speed, the angle, the location…the depth. She moved the way her body demanded and watched as David remained helpless. She could tell that he too felt the way that she did, from the tight grasp on her hips that he held. She felt alive and free, she felt wanted and beautiful. And when she felt his lips touch her breast as he sat up to face her, she wrapped her arms around him and held him close. He was warm and of human flesh; not the ghost of remembrance that Christopher was. He was there and real and his body slowly doused the fire in her veins. She now understood why Lady Torrie spoke of always wanting to be in her husband's arms. She wondered how the Duchess Patricia could not want to feel like this with this beautiful man. His moods no longer mattered, nor did his temper; the only thing that mattered was the feeling of his body joined with hers.

"Give yourself over. Do not deny your body pleasure." His words were gentle as he fought to hold back his tribute to their union. He wanted her to feel her release on her own. He would not aid her in her journey, only be there to support it.

She was so young and so beautiful. She did not know of the dangers of war or the pressures of the Crown. She only knew what was in her heart and that to him made her angelic. He had taught her how to find pleasure, but she had taught him that she was his pleasure. Just seeing her eyes cloudy with desire and her full lips glistening from his kiss settled something aching in his soul. He would not deny her any longer, though he knew what this would mean. "I love you."

The words from his lips caused her body to shutter. A euphoric bliss that allowed the sun to shine into her chamber and warm her flesh from its heat captured her and made her return the sentiment. "I love you too." She gave herself over to him and felt her heart break. Now lying in his arms, she watched as he settled into a light slumber and she could not control her tears. "What have I done?"

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Maria knelt at a sleeping David's side, with the blade pressed gently at his throat. How dare he make her love him? Feeling it was one thing, admitting it was another. She could not spit on Christopher's memory that way. All she had to do was slice and she would end this torment. But the more she tried the less steady her grip became.

David never opened his eyes, but reached out his hand and pressed the blade deeper on his flesh. "If you are to do it, do not hesitate." He let a small smile cross his face as he rolled his head and opened his eyes. He held her hand firmly in his and pushed with enough pressure to feel the slight trickle of blood run down his neck. "You would never fair as a solider, you feel too much."

She did not know what to do. She wanted him dead, yet she could not bring herself to do it. "How did you know?"

A throaty laugh preceded his explanation. "I know everything. I know the guilt you harbor; I know that Christopher has his hold on you still. I know that he wants me to die…why do you think I agreed to the games? You want me to fight, so that Randal will kill me; yet you want me to die sooner so that you have not to deal with what is in your heart." David closed his eyes and turned his head away from her. "If it makes you happy, do it now. I just ask that you kill me swiftly."

She felt her hand shake as she struggled to end his life and the tears flowed freely. "I can not do this." She looked at him with pleading eyes, wanting to see a glimpse of the man she hated. That would be easier than killing this man that she loved. "You have killed my love, you have displaced my life; yet I find myself wanting to make one with you."

David looked at the frightened woman and spoke to her honestly. "I know not what else to do to make you happy. I am defeated…you have won. I have never laid down my sword in a fight, but I throw mine down at your feet and beg for your mercy. You vex me more than any solider or army or Crown I have ever faced. I have tried to distance myself from you, but the more I try, the more I crave you. Your tears are like acid burning my skin; I can not stomach them. I have never loved a woman in my life, but if I must lay my life down to prove that to you, I will." He dropped his hand her hers and placed it on the side of her face. "To know that I wish you with me and that you wish to be gone kills me. So I beg you, put me out of my misery. Kill me now; do not make me wait to meet my end."

"Every beat in my heart for you is betrayal to him. He is what I have built my life around and I can not let that go. What you offer is not real. It will end as soon this child is born. You will take another and wish to lay with her, just when we return to your home, you will take your marital bed with your wife. You can not be what I need; what I need is gone." Large tears rolled down her face as she let the knife slip from her hand. "I never wanted this. I never wanted you, now I fear to be without you. The plan to kill you is my last gift to him. I can not let him think that our love meant nothing to me…he can not have died in vein. He died trying to protect me, this is the least I can do." She watched through teary eyes as David sat up and held her. "But, I fear that if you die, I will die too. I can not lose another…love is not supposed to hurt."

David kissed her head as he rocked the crying woman. "Tis why I never wanted to find it."