After everything hed done for her, she would do anything he asked. Besides, despite his relaxed expression, lines of tension branched from his eyes, as if permanently etched there. Something more was bothering him, and she wouldnt add to his troubles.
I wont. She used the hem of the offered fabric to clean her face.
The corners of his mouth twitched, his inner worries momentarily forgotten. What did he find so humorous? Did you sleep well? he asked.
Yes, thank you.
Good. Now. Will you dress for me? A question layered with apprehension.
She thought she knew why. Her nakedness aroused himor at least, she hoped it didbut he didnt want to do anything about it. Not after what had happened here. She was grateful.
She knew the old adage replace the bad with the good. She also knew there was nothing better than Nicolais touch. He could play her like a piano, stroking all the right keys and creating a symphony. But she didnt want their first time to spring from any need but the one to be together.
Jane? he prompted.
Dress. Right. With what? Her robe was ruined beyond repair.
Your tissue.
Oh. She chewed on her bottom lip as she studied the tissue. A faded yellow cotton robe, clean, and free of rips. Perfect. Where did you get this?
He motioned behind him with a tilt of his head. The only other females here were so grateful to be free of their ogre masters, they stayed long enough to help me clean this room and offered you all of their possessions.
That was thoughtful of them.
They also offered me the use of their bodies.
I will wipe the floor with their blood! She jerked the robe over her head.
When Nicolai came back into view, she saw that he was grinning. That grindecadent and shameless. Her blood heated. Blood that belonged to him, had once been a part of him.
I sent them on their way, he said. Without accepting.
Like I care what you do, she groused. This conversation, on the heels of her harem worries, brought out the fires of her temper.
That wiped away his amusement completely. You had better care.
She sighed. Honesty was needed if they were going to have any kind of relationship. And she wanted a relationship with him, however long they had left together. A day, a week, a month? Or would she remain here forever?
She wouldnt worry about that now.
Fine, she said on a sigh. I care. Her stomach growled from hunger, and in the quiet of the cave, the sound echoed loudly. She blushed. Do you?
More than I can say.
I justdont want you to be hurt if I leave.
You wont leave. Now, come. He stood and waved his fingers. Ill feed you.
He cared! And how could he be so certain she would remain? What time is it? she asked, accepting his aid with a tender smile. A smile that quickly fled. Her bones creaked and ached as she straightened.
Close to midnight.
Back home, she would have been in her bed right now, tossing and turning and dreading the coming morning.
They made their way back to the river. Limping at first, but muscles relaxing with the exercise, she gathered mint leaves and twigs, and they brushed their teeth as they walked. Afterward, Nicolai foraged for fruits and nuts to tide her over. As she nibbled, she kind of expected creatures from childhood storybooks to jump out and grab her, or Laila to scream a curse and appear, but no. The thirty-minute journey was incident free.
Nicolai stepped into the water, dipped all the way in, came up wet and sputtering and motioned for her to do the same. Bathe, and Ill gather the fish you scare away.
Ha, ha. Shows what you know. Fish adore me. Dont be surprised if they dance at my feet.
Are you trying to make me kill the fish in a jealous rage so you can have more to eat? he teased.
Maybe. More than gorgeous, he was sexy. Amused, playful, all that wet dark hair plastered to his scalp and dripping down his face, crystalline droplets scorching a path down his mouthwatering pectorals, the ropes of his stomachand, sweet heaven, there were a lot of ropesand finally catching in the waist of his loincloth.
Without the taint of the cave, there was nothing to dilute her need. Jane hungered for her man more than anything else.
Youve gotta clean up if you want to get dirty with him.
Prepare to be awed, he said, giving her his back.
I already am. She removed her new robe and jumped into the watersuch cool, refreshing waterbefore he could turn and see her beaded nipples. She scrubbed up until her skin tingled. Well, tingled from more than desire.
All the while, she snuck secret glances at Nicolai. He caught several fish and tossed them ashore. As time ticked by, he became more and more apprehensive, his motions clipped. And he was utterly oblivious to her stare. Not once did he glance back at her.
Moonlight spotlighted him, golden and magical. He was so strong, so capable. She chewed her bottom lip as she treaded water. The water might be cool, but the liquid between her legs was warm.
Perhaps she should have been scared or experienced post-traumatic stress symptoms. Flashbacks at the very least. After all, shed nearly been raped and had been beaten. But this was Nicolai. Her protector. Not even bad memories would dare attack her while he was nearby.
Nicolai, she said, a husky note in her voice. She hadnt meant to call him, but his name had emerged unbidden, unstoppable.
Finally he turned to her. Her breath caught. His eyes were brighter than shed ever seen them, the gold flecks out to play, mingling seductively with the silver. His cheeks were flushed, his fangs long and sharp.
Awed yet? he demanded.
Yes. Oh, yes. Was that why he was so distressed and distant? She hadnt properly praised his skills? Youre the best fisherman Ive ever met. Granted, youre the only one Ive ever met, but
No hint of a smile. Ill feed you, he said, adding darkly, After.
After?
I smell your desire for me, little Jane, and I gave you time to grow used to the idea of being with me. Time is up. Come here. He crooked his finger. I want you.
After wasnt such a bad word anymore. About time. She didnt hesitate. She swam the distance, the water caressing her skin. When she was only a whisper away, she let her feet drop to the bottom and stood. The waterline reached just under her breasts.
Im going to have you, he said fiercely.
Yes.
All of you.
Yes. Please.
He stepped closer. Every time they inhaled, their chests rubbed together, creating the most dizzying friction.
Nothing will stop me, he said.
Not even thoughts of another woman waiting for you? She hated herself the moment the words left her, but she was still glad they had. Another woman was the reason he had resisted her before.
Shadows couched his features, turning him into the warrior of the night before. Thereis. A woman. Most likely.
Oh, God. Who? A plug was lifted, and the desire drained from her, leaving her cold, hollow. Do youdid you love her?
No. My father arranged the marriage. I do not remember my intendeds face or her name, or even my proposal. I know only that I promised my father I would wed her.
Dont cry. Dont you dare cry. At least his heart did not belong to someone else. That should help.
That didnt help. She wanted all of him. For herself.
Youre remembering? she croaked.
Not everything, only bits and pieces at a time. I tell you this, not to upset you, Jane, but to warn you. No matter what happens, Im keeping you. You are mine. That will not change.
No matter what happensas in, if he had to marry another woman. No.
The possibility of his involvement with another had been so easy to dismiss before. And she could very easily dismiss it now, when it was a reality. If he had decided to end the engagement.
She wouldnt be the other woman. She wouldnt! She had too much pride. Didnt she? Oh, God. The fact that shed even asked meant she already wanted to consider the option.
No. No, no, no. Her parents had loved each other, respected each other, and thats what she wanted for herself. A deep, abiding love that placed her first. She didnt want to spend her nights wondering if her man was in bed with his wife, giving her pleasure and babies. She didnt want to find herself regulated to the fringes of his life. She didnt want to be the one everyone blamed for their troubles.
She deserved better.
When she returned home and thought back on her time hereshe knew she couldnt stay now, because somehow, some way, she would find a path homethis was the night that would haunt her. Not those pain-filled hours with the ogres. Not even the humiliation of her whipping. This hurt the most.
She backed away from him. Not allowing the retreat, he reached out and gripped her shoulders, tugging her back to him. Closer this time, until not even a whisper separated them. They were flush against each other, his erection smashed against her belly.
I know what youre thinking, Jane.
What, youre a mind reader as well as an engaged man? She threw the words like weapons, needing to lash out even in the smallest way.
No, but I know you. You are not leaving me. The command didnt come from the tender savior who had held her while shed slept, but from the dangerous predator who had removed a mans limbs just to hear him scream. I told you these things, not to worry you, but to reassure you. Betrothals can be broken. And mine will be. I will have you, and no other.
II Was that a declaration? A proposal? Her emotions ran the gamut, and her mind didnt know whether to release the despair and accept the sudden tide of joy, or wallow in both. I know you said I wouldnt, but what if I do, in fact, leave your world? You would Die. She shouldnt know that, couldnt yet admit that she did, but then, he hadnt asked her to forever mate with him, had he?
If he did, mating could very well tie her to this world forever. Her eyes widened. Was that how he knew she would stay?
You will not leave, he said. I will make sure of it, whatever I have to do. Now, we finish this, Jane. Here. Now. He didnt wait for her reply, but swooped down, thrusting his tongue deep inside her mouth. Joy won.
She couldnt help herself. She welcomed him. He still tasted of mint, warm, wet mint, and she couldnt get enough. And when he tilted her head, taking more, sampling deeper, her nerve endings erupted with sensation. This was what a kiss was meant to be, a possession, a claiming. An awakening of every sense.
Her hands wound around his neck, her fingers sinking into his hair. Later. Shed ask him what hed meant by whatever I have to do later. Right now, she had the most important fact. He wasnt pledging himself to someone else. Here, now, she would enjoy him.
They stood like that, kissing and rubbing against each other forever. And every second of that forever ramped up her desire, until she was trembling, needy, aching with a fever only he could assuage.
Wrap your legs around me, he commanded harshly.
Yes. Even the thought left her reeling. She jumped up and did as commanded, expecting him to possess her in the next instant. He didnt enter her, though. No, he carried her to the shore, his hard length sliding against her. She moaned as he laid her down and stretched out on top of her. Still he didnt enter her.
Dont stop, she breathed.
I wont. He placed his hands beside her temples, removed his loincloth and anchored his weight.
So lovely, my female.
Prove it. Prove that Im yours.
His lips peeled back from his fangs. When Im done, you might regret such a request.
Promises, promises.
Once again, he defied her expectations. He didnt go in for the kill, didnt deliver instant relief to her raging desires. Instead, he spent the next few minutes kneading her breasts and laving her nipples, his fingers tracing erotic patterns on her stomach, but he never quite reached where she needed him most.
When he began kissing the same white-hot path his fingers had taken, her legs fell open, a silent plea for contact.
He didnt give it to her.
He licked her inner thighs, between her damp lips, even speared her core with his tongue, sinking inside for the briefest of seconds, teasing her with what could be, but he was always careful to bypass her clit.
She needed to come, damn it.
Nicolai. Stop teasing.
Warm breath trekked over her. Who do you belong to, Jane?
Well, well. Now she knew his game. Work her over, tease her with what he could give her, until she gave him what he wantedwhat shed demanded of him. Ownership.
Look at me, she said.
He rested his chin on her pubic bone. His lashes lifted, and his gaze met hers. Tension strained his features. He wanted to come as badly as she did. Yes? he said.
Who would break first? My turn.
She flattened her feet on his shoulders and pushed. A second later, he was the one flat on his back and she was looming over him.
What are you doing, Jane?
Having my turn. She laved her tongue over his nipples, loving how they speared her tongue. If I do anything you dont like, just say stop.
Ill like. His hands tangled in her hair. His claws must have regrown, because she could feel them biting into her scalp, and she loved it. Anything you do, Ill like.
Well, then, lets see what you like most. She licked her way to his navel and dipped inside. His muscles quivered with anticipation. Her breasts cradled his erection, and she rubbed up and down, up and down, fueling his passion. Soon the tip of him grew moist, allowing a smoother glide.
She wanted him out of control. Mindless. Desperate. Exactly as she was when she was with him. She may not have very much experience, but she wouldnt let that stop or intimidate her, she decided. She would learn his body, his every secret desire.
Jane, he rasped.
Yes, Nicolai.
I need I want
Me to taste you?
Oh, gods, Jane. His voice was a croak. Yes. Please.
She crouched between his legs and peered down at his cock. He was so long, so thick and hard. Down, down she leanedbut she didnt gobble up that delicious length. Not yet. She lavished attention on his testicles, teasing him as he had teased her, until his hips were lifting in supplication.