"I will not harm you, or kill you, if that is what you are worried about." He found himself unable to resist the temptation to tease her. Her reactions never failed to entertain. Now was no different.
"I should not be punished at all!" She sat up now and poked his shoulder. "I believed you to be in need and only sought to help. Not to disobey your silly rule!"
He laughed, making no attempt to rein in his mirth. When she scowled, he reached for her other wrist and enclosed both in one hand. With a swift twist of his body, he was sitting up and pulling her across his lap.
Apparently, the reality of her punishment became clear, for she lurched and writhed and yelled. Her attempts to free herself failed.
"I am not a child, you beast! How dare you!"
"No, Katrin, you most certainly are not a child." He caught her kicking legs between his own, grateful her position made it difficult to resist. With her wrists pinned to the bed beside him, she had no leverage to buck him off. He gave her a few minutes to settle, chuckling at the curses she directed toward him.
"Son of a whore! May you suffer the agony of Odin's lightning bolts in your cock!"
Part of him worried she might truly persuade the gods to strike him. The other half disregarded the concern, stroking the creamy flesh of her bottom so nicely displayed for his punishment.
"For someone as pure as you claim to be, you possess a vicious tongue!" His amusement refused to be contained and he laughed again, giving a sharp pinch to her ass. She shrieked.
"Bastard!"
"Remember, little witch, you agreed to accept my hospitality, along with my wishes. You didn't abide your agreement."
"You said nothing about my acting as thrall! I am your honored guest, as you told me several times."
"But guests also have a responsibility to honor their host's traditions and customs, as well as their requests and instructions, do they not?"
She tugged against his grip, her hips shifting in an attempt to free herself. A rough squeeze of her ass brought a momentary freeze before she once again writhed in his hold.
"You are disgraceful! You will pay for treating me this way! The gods will see to it!" She gave another rough twist but remained captive.
"The gods know well that there are consequences to shaming your host by refusing his request. And now, so shall you."
He lifted his hand and brought it down sharply on the left curve of her ass. She let out a gasp. He waited several moments before giving her another spank, this time on the right, drawing a sharper cry. Against him, her body tensed, waiting for the next blow. Instead, he taunted her, trailing his fingers across the pinkening flesh. She kept her face buried against the furs, muffling the sounds she couldn't quite contain. Damn her! He wanted to hear her.
He caught a piece of flesh of the underside of her bottom between his thumb and forefinger and pinched. Her head lifted up and a throaty shout echoed. His cock throbbed, the ache for release growing yet again. Instead, he focused on giving her three moresolid strikes, each accompanied by a sobbing moan. He paused, sliding his hand between her legs. The heat of her pussy beckoned his searching fingers and he slid along her swollen flesh, the slick evidence of her desire soaking him. He grinned.
"You have a liking for the painful side of pleasure." His thick words hovered and he wondered if she noticed the clue to his own raging need.
She remained silent, yet her body trembled. He recognized the way she tried to contain her sobs. The peculiar desire to soothe her distress overtook his own lust. He released her wrists and helped her up, pulling her into his lap.
She curled into herself, refusing to even lay her head upon his shoulder, until he forced her to rest against him. He slid a hand into hers and opened her fisted fingers. Her bare skin against his warmed him.
"There is no shame in enjoying the darker side of passion." Where the words of comfort came from, he couldn't be sure.
She stiffened for a moment, before sliding away from his tight embrace. She lifted her chin, her deep blue gaze now clear and narrowed on him.
"I have no shame. You did this to me, though I accept my part, dubious as it may be."
She hesitated, her gaze darting away, her innocence and uncertainty enchanting. A breath later, she yanked her hands from his grip, twisting them together before her.
"But you enjoyed it, didn't you?" he asked.
Several deep breaths lifted her shoulders. Though he tried to keep his focus on her face, he found his gaze lingering on her rosy-tipped breasts, his fingers itching to touch her again. He held back. Rushing her now would only spook her and spark a further rebellion, though the idea intrigued him, for he suddenly found himself anxious to show her more of the wickedness of pleasure.
"I have … never … experienced … such things."
The words, accompanied by another shuddering breath, instead spurred him to warp his arms around her again, but she resisted, pushing his arms away until he fell still again. This time, she surprised him by looking straight into his eyes.
"I confess, I found your… punishment … exciting. And frightening. And I want to know more, even as I don't want to. Do you understand?"
