So decided, she climbed up on the edge of the bed, but it suddenly shook so forcefully, she tumbled backward to land on the floor. She stared up at the ceiling, fighting for the breath that had been knocked out of her, wondering what had happened. But then she heard the chains settling down to silence and knew—and got mad.
Damn you!she wanted to rail at him, but all she did was get back on her feet and glare down at him. “Iwillcopulate with you. Do you understand? I have to!”
She got back on the bed, ready for his violent thrashing this time, but less prepared to actually watch it. Hewasviolent, and the power behind his bucking and twisting and writhing was terrifying to behold. His body strained beyond limits, seemed to grow in size. The entire bed bounced and moved across the floor. She lost her balance again, started to topple, but bent toward him just in time, so that she was thrown across his loins instead of to the floor.
He stilled instantly. She worried then that she might have hurt him, and lifted herself up to look under her. But his manroot still looked the same, so she could not tell if her belly had harmed it or not. But from that position she saw the blood coating his ankles. She glanced at his hands, and there, too, blood smeared over his wrists.
She hissed through her teeth at this evidence of his violence. “You stupid man. Why cause yourself pain over something you cannot prevent?”
He answered with another growl. But while he was still motionless, she swiftly threw her leg over his hips to straddle them and gave him a triumphant look. If he was going to buck now, it would be all to the good. But he did not. He just watched her with murder in his bright silver eyes.
Warrick had never been so furious in his life. She meant to steal a child from him,hischild! If she succeeded he would kill her. Nay, that would be too quick. He would make her suffer the agonies of hell. But she could not succeed. What she intended enraged him, but it also left him cold, and the stupid wench did not even realize that, if that look of utter triumph she had given him was to be credited.
He watched her lift her shift just enough to bare her warmth and settle it against his loins. Perversely, it enraged him even more that she did not intend to remove her clothes. She could steal his child, but she would not show him her nakedness to do it. Well and good, she would learn soon enough that she was doomed to fail. To that end, he closed his eyes against the look of her, which was too lovely by half.
He fed on his anger. He seethed with it, his only desire to get his hands on her so he could beat her senseless. That she woulddaredo this to him! He recalled the words he had thought a jest, that she needed no help to rape him. For that alone he despised her. For that alone he could kill her, but she meant to steal from him as well, flesh of his flesh. The mere intent sealed her fate.
But she was a stupid wench to think it was even possible to rape a man. Had she kept her mouth shut and merely offered herself to him, she could have had what she sought. His flesh would have responded instantly to the invitation, as it had nearly done at the mere sight of her. But now he did not even have to fight to remain unmoved beneath her, for his killing rage continued to leave him soft and uninterested in her warm flesh.
She did not just sit there atop him and expect miracles. He could feel her fingers handling him, yet in a way that he had never been caressed by a female before. But when he became aware that she was trying to stuff his soft flesh inside her, his eyes opened incredulously. He saw that hers were closed now. She was biting her lower lip, and concentrating so deeply on what she was about, her features were scrunched together. He flinched when one of her nails poked him, but he realized she was not even aware she had done it.
He wondered how long she would continue to attempt the impossible. Not long. She finally released a sob of frustration, and without meeting his eyes again, she gave up her seat and nearly ran from the room in defeat.
Warrick felt such fierce satisfaction, he wanted to shout with it. To have thwarted her so easily, with no effort on his part. He had won. She had failed.
But she returned.
He had not thought she would. And her face was now flame-bright, but also filled with such a look of determination, he felt his first stirrings of wariness, and rightly so. She slowly shrugged off her bedrobe and let it drop to the floor. When she reached for the hem of her shift, he closed his eyes tight.
Her voice came softly to him. “You can fight me, sirrah, but I have it on good authority ’twill do you no good.”
He would not have answered that even if he could, but he would like to cut the throat of whoever had just given her the courage to try again. He strained to hear if she approached. Her small hand lighting on his chest told him she had.
“You must have realized I am a virgin.”
He did not know it, but the word had the desired effect on him, even though he did not believe it. But so, too, did her hand, tracing a slow path down his chest to his belly. He expected his rage to distract him, but her voice continued to distract him instead.
“In my ignorance, I did not even know you were not ready for me—that you needed encouragement of a certain kind. I did not even know that this soft flesh of yours would change and grow to a hardness like the rest of you.” She touched him, there, as she said it. “I find it hard to believe, for ’tis already large, yet did Mildred assure me ’tis so. I am eager to see this strange happening for myself.”
Did she know that what she was saying was as stimulating as her touch? Damn her and her advisor to perdition! Sweat broke out on his brow. He wouldnotsuccumb to this seduction.
“I am to kiss you and—and lick you, everywhere, even as a last resort—there. Mildred said you would have to be dead do you not respond if I kiss you there.”
He was already responding. His mind screamed his rage, but his flesh was a betrayer of the worst sort, with a mind of its own, tantalized by her promise. He strained at his bonds. He went wild, trying to dislodge her hand. But she stood beside the bed, undisturbed by his thrashing, and her fingers closed around him, holding on tight. He stilled when he realized all he did was aid her.
“I would not have believed it did I not see it,” she gasped.
There was awe in her voice. And she was petting him now, giving that worthless piece of flesh praise for obeying her instead of him. She did not even know he had not reached his full size, that he still fought with every particle of his being.
“I suppose now I need not kiss you.”
Was that disappointment in her voice? Oh, God, he could not stand much more. What he had thought impossible was not. Shecouldhave what she wanted did she continue, and he had no hope that she would not continue.
When she climbed onto the bed, he thrashed again, but she grabbed hold of his hips and hung on. And he couldfeelher nakedness now as she hugged him, her breasts pressing against his skin, nearly at his groin. This, too, merely aided her, forcing more blood to rush to that traitor, so he stilled again, hoping he was not hard enough to penetrate her, praying shewasa virgin so she would not know the difference and would still fail.
She crawled up him, still holding on tightly in case he tried to throw her off again. Warrick groaned at this further stimulation. And then she was seated, and he was hard enough that she only had to nudge him in the right direction.
Heat. Scalding heat and moisture. Why could she not be dry? Why could she not…?
