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Page 250
Joanna and stood up with her in his arms. He carried her through the solar and laid her softly on the bed. Dire need lends strength and agility. It was no easy thing for a man to shed a hauberk unaided, but Geoffey had it off in one swift pull, indifferent to the way the steel rings scoured his face and tore an earlobe. The precious garment, ordinarily so carefully examined and folded was tossed aside without a glance. Tunic, shirt, and chausses followed, one cross garter untied, the other torn loose. All the time, Geoffrey stared at Joanna, fearing that the enchantment that held her would break.
The trance of desire was deep, and his frantic haste to remove his clothing cried aloud of the need that was as exciting to Joanna as a caress. When he was naked, Geoffrey's fearful urgency diminished. He did not fling himself upon her. He came to the bed slowly, slowly leaned forward to touch his mouth to hers. Joanna's eyelids quivered and slowly, as the kiss grew more insistent, closed. Gently and carefully, kissing her still, Geoffrey unknotted Joanna's belt and drew her robe aside. Then he released her lips and looked at what he had.
Her flesh was white, whiter than he had ever seen, and fair women were no novelty in this northern land. The raised nipples were like pink roses at the summit of her firm breasts, and brilliant, even in the dim light of the night candle, the red-gold curls drew the eye to the mount of Venus. Breathing as if he had run a mile in full armor, Geoffrey placed a knee beside Joanna's thigh and mounted her. Under him, her body jerked, her eyes flew open. He let himself down hastily, damming her mouth with his lips and cupping her breasts with thumbs raised to rub the nipples. She whimpered again and, involuntarily, her thighs parted. There was still one thin thread of sanity in Geoffrey and, for all the raging and plunging of lust, it held firm. Sobbing, he thrust himself between Joanna's thighs and closed her legs with pressure from his own.
When he was done, he lay quiet above her, less with exhaustion than for fear of Joanna's reaction. If he had

 
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