Page 5 of Seduction

Eyes still closed, he grabbed her wrist and yanked her across his body. He reached for her gown to bare her bottom. But, instead of a wool skirt, his hand encountered a silken fabric covering her ass then separating to wrap around each leg. Frustrated, he gave her a firm swat right at the spot where the lush curves met the tops of her thighs – and heard a scream.

Haldor’s eyes popped open. Though he lay in a soft white bed, this was no dream. And the woman lying over his crotch encased in a slippery second skin was not his well-padded Hilda.

The female struggled, writhing against his stiff cock. Still half in the throes of his dream, he brought his hand down again with a loud smack. Hilda or no, this wench deserved to be punished for awakening his manhood and then trying to creep away without finishing what she’d started. He whacked her again, harder, his broad palm covering her entire bottom with one stroke.

She let out an ear-splitting shriek.

“Stop it! Let me go!”

“Not a chance,” he growled. “Unlike you, I don’t stop something once I’ve begun. Not till I’ve finished it. And you won’t ever again, either, after I’m through.”

He draped one arm over her waist, held her down. Let her wiggle as he whacked her bottom again. She stopped dead, as though she’d just realized her wild gyrations simply ground her body against his cock, making it even stiffer.

Haldor sat up, only to fall back against the pillows, suddenly weak as a newborn lamb. Bright lights shone in his eyes, glared off walls as dazzling as a hunk of quartz glistening in the suns. The room whirled in circles, as though he’d polished off one too many pitchers of honey mead.

“Where are we?” he roared. “And what in the name of all the gods have you done to me, wench?”

* * *

Selena braced her palms against his thigh and shoved backward until her feet touched the floor. Shaking, she took two steps back, out of range of those powerful arms. Even after two months of inactivity, he was still frighteningly strong.

She’d miscalculated. Badly. Reduced the dosage way too much, not taking into account the rate at which his increased muscle mass would metabolize the drug. Now she had a wide-awake, sexually aroused primitive warrior to deal with.

He glared at her. Well, I was half-right about Vikings. No blond hair, but you do have blue eyes. She stopped herself just in time from blurting it out and choked back a burst of nervous laughter.

Selna took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm. Surely the huge man was too weak to do her any real harm. She’d just been caught off guard, or he’d never have been able to…to… Her bottom stung but she couldn’t bring herself to say the word, even in her mind.

Forget about yourself. Concentrate on him. He’s been badly traumatized, awakening in a strange place with a strange woman touching his private parts. I did something unforgiveable to this man. Now I need to make it right.

“My name is Selena,” she began, keeping her voice soft, her words simple. She had no idea of the level of intelligence of such a primitive being. “You’re on Earth. Ambassador Anderson sent you here. You were badly wounded. We’ve been nursing you back to health.”

He glanced down at his penis, still engorged. “Apparently you succeeded – at least with part of me.”

Selena stared at him, mouth gaping open. She’d underestimated him in more than one area. Even though he’d just been jerked out of sleep mode, he had both the quick thinking and the intelligence to skewer her with dry wit. “I – I apologize for touching you inappropriately,” she stammered, caught off balance. “It was wrong of me. If you wish, you can make a formal complaint to Minister Symon at the Federation. I will accept whatever sanctions he chooses to impose.”

“You will not,” he growled. “I don’t know who he is, but if there’s punishing due for what you did, I’ll be the one to hand it out. I may have been wounded, but as long as I’m alive I don’t need some other man disciplining my woman.”

“I’m not your…” Selena stopped. She was hardly in a position to argue with him. You should be grateful he’s willing to keep this incident between us.

Haldor ignored her outburst, his eyes scanning the room. “What manner of place is this?”

“It’s the East Metropolis Medical Center.”

“So you’re a healer?”

“Yes, I’m a doctor, a trained medical professional. I’ve been seeing to your care –”

He broke in, as though suddenly remembering. “The king. He is well? And Kylar and Talia and the others?”

Selena nodded. “They are all fine. Your rescue mission succeeded. I’ve been in touch with Ambassador Anderson, advising her of your progress. She sent word that the king is anxiously awaiting your return. All of Gadolinium is ready to welcome you home as a hero.”

He frowned. “How long have I been here?”

“You’ve been in slumber mode for nearly two moons.” She found herself automatically using the Gadolinian term. The Tellex chip had kicked in immediately, allowing her to speak his language fluently as well as understanding it.

His eyes widened. “Two moons? The other warriors will never let me live it down. Slumbering like a newborn babe while the kingdom is in turmoil.”

He struggled to get out of bed. She rushed forward, pushed his shoulders back against the pillow. “It’s all right. The invaders have been defeated. Ambassador Anderson said your warriors drove them back through the star portal. The king ordered it sealed from your side, so they can never return.”

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