“See? This is how you trouble me.”
A resurgence of heat invaded her whole forehead. Palms damp, stomach constricted, she had to make a conscious effort to tear her gaze away from his swelling member. Looking at his face didn’t turn out to be the best solution either because his smirk immobilised her.
“Given that half of your time is devoted to blushing, your days must be very boring indeed. Now I understand why your nights are more active.”
The desire to force his words back down his throat overwhelmed her. He was having so much fun at her expense! To top her extreme discomfort, he made no attempt to hide his blatant enjoyment.
“What do you say we bathe together? I promise you can handle my dick to your heart’s content.”
This side of him wasn’t mentioned in his heroic tales. She had listened to them time and time again, but they only told of honour, courage, and fierce battles. Never of abashing girls with raised shafts.
“If you’ll excuse me, my lord, I must go down to the stables. I don’t like leaving my saddlebags unattended for the whole night.”
The urge to escape his will almost clouded her judgement. Not quite, though, as she perceived the panic inside her to be born of her own desire. Whereas she feared he might get angry with her, he only smiled.
“By all means, run away. I shall make excellent use of this wonderful hot water anyway.”
Relieved, for the time being, she flew down the hall, dashed outside, scampered across the street to the stables and threw her arms around her horse’s neck. She hugged the animal for a while, murmuring soft words of appeasement, pressing her cheek against his hair.
The violent tide inside her ebbed. Her chaotic pulse slowed down to a regular beat as the palpitations between her thighs dwindled. The Lord of the Clans roused powerful passions in her but, whatever her state of mind, she mustn’t lose sight of the course of her life and of Kelton.
When her frayed nerves allowed her to think clearly, she unbuckled her saddlebags and carried them back to the room. She lingered in the hallway. Would he be decent, or had he decided to have a little more fun with her? There was only one way to be certain.
She closed the door and dropped the saddlebags next to his before glancing around. The tub stood empty. She exhaled a deep breath when she saw her worst fears wouldn’t come true.
Although he hadn’t put his garments back on, he had wrapped a cloth around his waist and sat on a chair in front of the fireplace.
The tip of his sword rested on a floorboard. Holding the weapon by the hilt, he worked on the length of the blade with a sharpening stone. She watched the heavy muscles of his back swell in and out with every stroke, until he broke the captivating spell.
“Do you feel better?”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“Good. You can use the tub if you wish.”
She wished. She’d have liked nothing better than to immerse her tired body in the enticing hot water and dispel the soreness of her hard afternoon’s ride, but not with him watching. Although he faced the fire and the tub lay at his back, it would be so easy for him to take a peek behind him.
“I won’t look, I swear. Don’t be a fool.”
In other words, he was telling her to quit acting like a frightened, rosy maiden and enjoy the bath while she could. The road to Frahern would last several days and they might not find comfortable taverns every night. In truth, she’d be stupid to pass on this opportunity.
Without taking her eyes off him, she unstrapped her double sling, undressed quickly, and stepped over the rim. He never glanced back, but kept on cleaning his sword with concentration. Hot water encased her body. A wonderful sensation of wellbeing enveloped her. As she sighed with contentment, the tip of his blade slipped against the floorboard.
“Damn!”
She tensed, but he only bent over to grab an oiled cloth. She caught a glimpse of the side of his face. Light from the candles enhanced his chiselled features and her stomach tightened with desire. She winced, appalled at the confirmation that her flesh dominated her mind.
What could she do to put a stop to this? Although nonsense it might be, she relished the feel of his nearness, the hard lines of his face, the delightful view of his brawny back.
Fingers gripping the edge of the tub, she forced herself to calm down and enjoy the warm bath. As she slid her arms under the surface he laid his blade down and got up.
She froze, all her senses riveted toward him. Without looking at her, he walked past the tub, picked up the double sling holding her weapons, unsheathed both her swords and came back to sit on the chair.
He once more set about sharpening, oiling, and cleaning with the same tools. She’d never liked this task. Grateful to be spared the mundane job, she spoke to the back of his head.
“Thank you for doing that for me.”
“My pleasure.”
His courteous tone brought a smile to her lips. Despite his previous flirtatious behaviour, he hadn’t attempted to see her naked or to touch her. Had he finally realised she would never yield, never succumb to his desires? Then she hastily revised her newfound opinion of him when he halted his work, as if an afterthought crossed his mind.
“Although this isn’t how I envisioned pleasing you.”
She plunged her head under water. She didn’t want to hear his innuendos, didn’t want to be torn away from this relative moment of peace.
Yet she wasn’t a fish, and the need for air soon prompted her upward. Water blurring her vision, droplets sticking to her lashes, she rubbed her eyes to discover he’d kept his back to her.
She’d be drawn into yet another daydream if she insisted on contemplating him. She grabbed the soap instead, and made good use of its purifying quality on her body and hair. When the water turned lukewarm she stood up, draped a piece of fabric around her, and stepped out of the tub.
A small draught from the window gave her goose pimples. Maybe she’d stayed too long in the bath. She tightened her grip on the cloth and went to her saddlebags to retrieve the hairbrush she always carried with her. From the other side of the room, he waved his hand.
“Bring a chair and sit with me. I wouldn’t want you to catch a cold.”
He sounded sincere. Too chilly to deny herself the pleasure of drying off by the fire, she did just that.
The heat from the hearth agreed with her as she shook moisture out of her hair. They sat in silence. He polished the swords while she untangled and brushed her locks. Somehow she felt comfortable at his side.
Pretty soon she felt dry, warm and a little sleepy. Yet the satisfying moment stretched until he finished his work. When flames from the fire glimmered on the blades, he turned toward her.
“Let’s have dinner. I’m famished.”
He didn’t allow her to contradict him or to jump for her clothes, but offered his hand, palm up. As soon as she reached out, he led her to the table. The food proved to be even better than the bath. Now that they had some time to converse, her curiosity woke up.
“Do you always have meetings in that kind of house?”
“You mean the brothel?”
His brow puckered. She lowered her eyes and brought a small piece of goat cheese to her mouth. Although she chewed while looking at her plate, she perceived his amusement.
“It’s anonymous, quiet and private. All in all, the brothel is the best place in town to conduct business.”
“Especially when your business is secret.”
She raised her face in time to catch a glimmer in his gaze.
Putting his knife down, he observed her with interest. “What makes you say that?”
She shrugged. “Just an impression, I guess.”
“As long as you travel with me, I think it’s best to keep your impressions to yourself. Some people wouldn’t appreciate them.”
Far from a threat, his statement sounded like a cautious warning. Whatever he dealt in private, not knowing ensured her safety. Still, she wondered why the tall ma
n in the purple boudoir would give the Lord of the Clans such a big purse. What was he paying him for?
He wouldn’t tell her even if she asked. Actually, she couldn’t enquire about it, given that she wasn’t supposed to have witnessed the transaction. If anything, maybe time would enlighten her.
Not that his having accepted money mattered much to her anyway. She might be young, yet she knew the ways of the world, especially in post-war periods. Something else mattered, though. A little thing she’d enquired about earlier, but never got an answer to.
“Is Coreen your mate?”
He swallowed a bite before clearing his throat. Eyebrows arched in a funny way, he expelled a sigh.
“You won’t let go, will you?”
“I’m curious, that’s all.”
“Yes, I noticed. Well, she was my mate for a while, after I rescued her. Then one day, she stopped coming to my pallet on the grounds that I couldn’t give her what she needed. She married a good warrior the following year. Believe it or not, I still don’t know what she was looking for.”
“Love.”
His sharp glance seemed to burn a hole between her eyes. Regretting her spontaneous reply, she stuffed herself with grapes to avoid his uncomfortable scrutiny, yet she heard his comment.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury, or the time, for love.”
His cold voice suggested he’d never let himself care for anyone. Heart heavy, she stretched out while he finished off his plate. He didn’t want to love a woman. He just needed to mate with one.
A wave of weariness descended on her as she cast a glance at the large pallet, the place where bodies slept, or coupled.
She didn’t have to be told he had every intention to spend the night there, but what about her? Lying by his side would be a mistake. On the other hand, she didn’t fancy sleeping on the cold floor.
“Don’t trouble yourself, Ariana. I have the perfect solution to your inextricable and dramatic dilemma.”
His knack for sarcasm obviously wasn’t buried very deep, just momentarily misplaced. A fleeting smile playing on his lips, he stared at her with an intensity that made her quiver.
“Tell me something first. Are you a virgin?”
His bluntness took the breath out of her. How did he dare ask such an intimate question? Well, he dared because he was her ruler, and she had to answer him. Willing her cheeks to stay pale, she murmured with difficulty.
“No, my lord.”
He pushed his chair back, walked to the cabinet, and retrieved a blanket. When he reached the bed, he rolled the cover into the shape of a long tube, and laid it in the middle of the pallet, like a barrier.
“Here you go. This will be more than adequate to guard the virginity you no longer have.”
She must have blushed because a silver streak flashed in his eyes. Infused with discomfort, she watched him snuff out the candles and hop onto the bed. He wedged his back against the blanket and closed his eyes.
“Come get some rest, Ariana. We have a long day’s ride ahead of us and, please, stop calling me ‘my lord.’”
He really meant to sleep. Unable to tell if she felt relieved or disappointed, she used the light from the fire to approach the pallet. Loosening the folds of the fabric so she could breathe easier, she then lay down on her side of the blanket.
Tiredness pulled her down. So much so that the images behind her eyes seemed to belong to the realm of dreams, but...
She woke up moaning from pleasure. Her back blazed with heat and her breasts swelled with desire. She touched her side, only to find that the towel and the blanket separating her from the Lord of the Clans had disappeared.
Chapter Nine
Air rushed out of her lungs. The skin of her back prickled against his strong chest, and her stomach tightened with want. She felt his face in her hair, his hard sex pressed between her buttocks. So hard. So big.
“I desire you much more than I should, Ariana, but I’ve never forced myself upon anyone.”
A violent need to become slave to his passion overwhelmed her. Limbs quivering with lust, pulse throbbing, she gasped as his confession ripped her mind apart, as his cock stiffened like an iron bar.
Her pussy didn’t seem to belong to her anymore, but to the heated flesh pushed against it, to the powerful man who enfolded her in the clutch of his desires. A surge of wetness pelted out of her while his voice against her ear couldn’t conceal his feral arousal.
“Do you want me, flower?”
So much. Her out of control body pleaded to be stroked, penetrated, taken. It demanded the thick shaft inside, rubbing, thrusting, invading. She demanded it too, and a single word burst out of her like a long-awaited liberation.
“Yes.”
His harsh intake of breath inflamed her, yet she couldn’t move. Eyes closed, she let herself melt down under the touch of his hand. As if she was a fragile trinket, he passed a gentle finger along her side, around the curve of her buttock. Goosebumps erupted wherever he caressed her. A fierce craving drilling her stomach, excitement swallowing her, she opened her mouth to pant.
His rigid sex shivered against her folds. Although he wanted her as badly as she wanted him, he didn’t appear to be in any hurry. But the fire blazing inside her belly needed to be quenched.
When moisture doused her expectant slit, she brought a finger to her mouth and grabbed it between her teeth. His face still buried in the mass of her hair, he moved closer to whisper in her ear.
“Let me make you happy.”
He slid his hand toward her belly. The warmth of his palm fuelled her lust to the point where she couldn’t hold her hunger any longer. When she started moaning, he took her breast into his hand.
Her legs twitched. However brief, the spasm pushed his cock against her pussy. She bit back a cry and he couldn’t refrain from groaning as he cupped her mound. A grunt escaped his lips, the exciting sound quickening her pulse. Without ties to bind her to reality, she rejoiced in the sensation of his strong arm around her, of his chest fastened upon her back.
Deeply conscious of his every move, she twitched as he straightened his palm to draw circles on her nipple. Delightful shards ran through her, consuming her from head to toe. He took his time. He rubbed her bud as if the night would never end and she vibrated under his slow strokes.
“Do you like what I’m doing to you?”
The compulsion to open her heart to him took her by surprise. She’d never felt like speaking words of love before, but she did now, and the unfamiliar clamour heightened her senses. As he caressed her erect flesh, she pictured the severe lines of his face drawn with passion.
“I do. Please, don’t stop.”
He shuddered. His rigid cock slipped past her wet opening and he seized her nipple between his fingers.
“No, I won’t.”
His strained voice betrayed his ardour. When he kissed her neck, she thought the bed shifted under their weight. When he twirled her tit with increasing speed, she believed her racing heart would come out of her chest. He rolled her bud. He brought it alive. She yielded to his fondling, buttocks stretched to encase the length of his erection, pussy dying to be opened and filled.
Although hindered by a lifetime of repressed impulses, she longed to declare her wish. The challenging words tumbled down her throat while he continued tweaking and rubbing her nipple with an eagerness that left her breathless, but they didn’t come out, and the ensuing ripples of frustration shaking her body increased her desire. She wanted to tell him. She had to tell him.
His hard-on soaked in her wetness, he still didn’t attempt to gain admittance. His patience spoke volumes, though, and an unbelievable urge to say it out loud staggered her. Set on fire by his relentless strokes on her quivering flesh, she gave in to her most sacred instincts.
“Take me, my lord.”
He instantly released her nipple to lower his hand down to the top of her thigh. His panting grew harsher, his chest palpitated at her back, but he kept on wai
ting, and she knew why. As if a connection linked them, she understood what he wanted from her. Sweat dampened her brow. Flames ignited her stomach, and she licked her lips.
“Take me, Cameron.”
He groaned again before he tightened his fingers on her thigh and slowly pushed his cock through her drenched slit. Inch by inch, he sank into her. She trembled against him. The powerful sensation generated by his gradual penetration frightened her. How come she didn’t know about this incredible feeling? What was he doing to turn her into this mass of pure desire?
He brought her to him with a gentle nudge of his hand, while his considerable member filled her to the brim. Her pulse rivalling the capricious course of her blood, she squeezed her eyes shut when he withdrew the thick shaft holding her to mighty life. As easy as the first time, he slid inside her again and she moaned with irrepressible pleasure while he grunted against her neck.
“You’re so tight, Ariana. I’m... Oh, dear Gods!”
He sounded almost in pain, yet his aching tone made her crave more. She hankered for his steely erection rubbing her most intimate part, for the wild commotion jumbling all her senses. He extracted himself from her and this time, the words flew out of her mouth.
“Do it again. Please, Cameron, do this to me again.”
She felt a long shudder course through him while he seemed to hesitate. Then he dug his fingers into her buttock and drove his cock into her. Once, twice, three times. She uttered a sharp cry. Her pussy throbbed, calling for something, burning with a strange fever she couldn’t name.
With his lips bearing down on the back of her shoulder, he wheezed like a dying man. She thought she heard him curse, but the sound got swallowed in the mishmash of her loud moans.
He shifted his hips to bury his dick deep inside her. She jolted, submerged with an uncontrollable emotion. As if her tremors touched something in him, he pressed his forehead against her shoulder bone.