Page 20 of Her Dark Seduction
I sighed in resignation and lifted my arms, letting him undress me. He took my shoulders and, as on countless nights before, pushed me toward the bed, until I fell back onto the straw mattress.
Slowly, painfully slowly, he removed his shirt, revealing the planed muscles on his chest. His physique was not that of a servant. The calluses on his hands and scars on his body were the marks of a warrior, relating far more of his history than any words could. He removed his chausses and hose and stood before me, utterly naked for the first time. His manhood stood thick and erect, almost brushing his stomach. Fear coursed through my veins. Until now he had taken me swiftly, but the expression in his eyes told me tonight would be different.
He approached the bed and lay beside me, the bed ropes creaking under his weight. His skin was hot to the touch, and it seared my body as he moved over me, trapping my legs with one of his own. I closed my eyes and started counting, breathing in and out, but his hand caressed my face, and my eyes flew open.
“Ah no, lover. Do not hide yourself from me tonight.”
Was there nothing this man did not know? I tried to turn my head, but he held it firm, silencing my protest with his mouth. He moved his lips possessively over mine, knowing I would surrender. He brushed his hand down my neck, circling his fingers round my throat. Those long, skilled fingers traced a path to my breasts, sweeping in smooth circles until his palm rested lightly, cupping one breast in a soft caress. He rubbed the tip with his thumb and my chest tightened in response.
He drew his hand back, and I made a small involuntary sound at the sense of loss. He smiled, knowing my defenses were almost gone, and bent his head to brush his lips against my throat. I tipped my head back to expose my throat to him. The heat from his lips sent trails of warmth across my whole body, pooling in my stomach before spreading downward. I closed my eyes. When his lips found my breast, I let out a cry at the sensation. He covered me with his hot mouth and suckled gently, teasing my now-sensitive nipple with his tongue. He increased the pressure, nipping me with his teeth. I arched my back at the sweet agony of it, burying my hands in his hair to keep him close.
He pulled away, and I whimpered in protest. I curled my fingers in his thick mane, trying to draw him to me. He chuckled at my wantonness.
“Tonight, I will only take you if you beg me.”
I shook my head. “I will never—”
“Ah but you will,” he said softly, leaning over to take my mouth again.
Tears formed in my eyes as I yielded to my body’s need for his touch. They spilled onto my cheeks as he continued to administer his sweet, torturous caresses. He must have done this to countless others just as dispassionately. Was I merely the latest in a long line of conquests? I did not care to know. He dipped his hand between my thighs and caressed me intimately where he knew my body wept for him. I bit my lip to suppress a moan.
Once again, that unfathomable ache formed inside my core. I knew not what it was, only that it always hung suspended, not quite within my reach, taunting me, driving me almost mad. He thrust his tongue into my mouth again, drawing my own tongue into his own. Instinctively I lifted my hips against his hand, surrendering to the craving that surged within me.
He slipped a finger inside me and my body shattered. It was as if I had come truly alive for the first time. Air rushed into my lungs, and I cried out at the wonder of it. He muffled my cries with his mouth, and I heard a low rumble in his throat as I clung to him, shaking, while the deep pulsing sensation in my body subsided, leaving me breathless and weak.
He nudged my thighs apart with his knee, and I clung to him, waiting. Yet this time I was not afraid. I wanted to give myself to him. He moved on top of me and the tip of him nudged hard and unyielding against my sensitive flesh. I waited for him to take me, but he moved only slightly, teasing me until I thought I could bear it no longer.
An instinctive urge impelled me to touch him. Reaching down, I curled my hand round him, my fingers caressing his skin. The soft silken exterior masked the unyielding steel within. I squeezed him gently, and he jerked in my hand. A deep growl bubbled up from within his body, and he closed his eyes, issuing a hoarse groan, so quiet I thought I imagined it.
“Lisetta…”
A sense of triumph nestled within the cloud of desire for him. I was a weak woman but here, in my own chamber that was my prison, I had the power.
He shifted position, and I cried out as he found the very spot where my body ached for him. His mouth twitched into a knowing smile. He had been toying with me, teasing me. In a heartbeat his slick, rhythmic motions shifted the balance of power and once more, I became his to command.
“Please…” I whispered.
“Please what,cherie?” his voice was quiet but demanding.
He stopped moving, and I whimpered at the loss, arching my back to offer myself to him.
He lifted his body away, and I let out a wail of despair.
“Ah, you wish for me to leave?”
“No! Please, I beg you…” my voice broke as we both recognized my surrender for what it was.
“Do you want me, woman? Are you begging me to take you?”
Blinking away the tears of shame—shame which was surpassed by my need for him, I nodded.
“Yes.”
“Show me, woman. Show me how much you want me.”
I shook my head, and he moved back.
“No!” I clung to him, pulling him toward me. He said nothing but remained, his body still covering mine, yet he did not move. He was waiting for me to obey.
