“Maybe not,” she allowed. “But just in case it does—your word?”
“You have it.”
She grinned at the way he gritted that out. “Poor baby,” she purred, knowing how he hated being called that. “If that was so hard for you, you’re going to have a hell of a time complying with the rest of my demands. But since you don’t have any choice, why don’t we go on to the next one? Lie down for me, baby, on your back.”
For a moment she thought he would balk, but he must have recalled he’d given up that option. She helped him to recall it by pushing on his chest and coming up as she did, switching their positions after all. Now she was looking down on him, and what she saw was a very stiff and wary barbarian, dreading her next outrageous order.
Not to disappoint him, she said, “Open your legs a little, sweetcakes.”
Again he looked like he was going to balk. His jaw clenched. His fists clenched, too. Long moments passed before he raised one leg and slammed it down a few inches away from the other. Tedra almost laughed. He hated this, hereallyhated it, and any other man would have fire blazing out of his eyes by now, but not her barbarian. He gave a few paltry signs of his feelings, as powerful as they must be, but his eyes remained inscrutable. She’d have to see what she could do about changing that.
“You’re not to touch me tonight, warrior, unless I tell you to. And so you won’t forget yourself and disobey me, you will place your hands behind your head and keep them there.”
This he did without hesitation, probably because he was already thinking about putting his hands on her—around her neck. But she was safe and knew it.
She took a moment to observe him as she had arranged him, in a position he usually assumed for rum-self, the difference being he wasn’t at all relaxed in it now. Being forced to lie just so wasn’t the same, making it her idea instead of his, thereby making it objectionable to him, so objectionable that he probably wasn’t even aware that itwasa preferred position of his. But she wasn’t going to point that out to him. Giving him a little taste of the suspenseful, sexual teasing he liked putting her through wasn’t going to hurt him at all. And having his big, gorgeous body in her power, even for a little while, was heady stuff.
Stars, how she loved just looking at him, at his massively muscled chest and shoulders, twice the width of hers; at those mighty arms with more strength in them than she could possibly guess at, the biceps bunched and deeply ridged in their present position, the forearms thicker than her calves. Smaller ridges stepped down his abdomen like a steel casing, and she knew firsthand how little damage could be done to that area. Solid rock couldn’t be much harder. And those long, powerful legs were in perfect proportion to the rest of him.
His size never failed to thrill her, and now was no exception. Having command of him was a particular turn-on, putting them on the equal footing she could expect from a normal sex-sharing relationship on her world. She was ready for him again, despite having experienced no less than six explosive orgasms just a short while ago. This didn’t surprise her anymore. He had to no more than walk into the room she was in for it to happen, her body reacting with embarrassing swiftness to the mere sight of him. She didn’t like his having that kind of effect on her, but there didn’t seem to be anything she could do about it. It wouldn’t even be so bad if she had the same effect on him, but it had been drummed home to her in a maddening way that she didn’t.
Recalling that, and with the evidence before her, a dent was put into her smugness. Challen having earlier attained satisfaction three times himself, his flesh was soft and sated, not at all the way she wanted it just now. Also brought home to her was the annoying fact that he could keep it that way if he so chose.
The plain truth was shecouldn’tpunish him as he had her, even if she had meant to. To command him to readiness was ludicrous. It couldn’t be done and she knew it. Unlike a woman, a man had to feel desire to be accommodating, and under the circumstances, Challen wasn’t likely to be feeling anything of the sort. But the barbarian also had one up on that. Unlike normal men, he had complete control over his flesh. Farden hell. This wasn’t going to be a bit of fun if he exercised that control, and she had little doubt that he already was. And worse than that, she hadn’t even tried to stem her own arousal, expecting it to be seen to at her own convenience. For Stars’ sake, had she gone and maneuvered herself into self-punishment?
“Relax, warrior.”
The sudden anger in her tone startled him, but only for a moment. “This I am powerless to do.”
“All right, I’ll buy that. Let’s try this one, then. You are not to use your superhuman control tonight, not even a little. I want honest reactions from you, and I wanteveryreaction, not just those you’re willing to show me.”
He started to growl in answer, and she blinked in surprise herself. Was it that easy to get around his control? She immediately put it to the test, leaning down and biting his nearest nipple, and not too gently either. His growl turned to a groan, proving how quickly his flesh could come to life when he was powerless to control it. She’d made him powerless by ordering him to react, and he’d agreed to obey any order she gave, no matter what it was. His eyes were no longer inscrutable either. He wasn’t pleased that she’d snatched away his only defense.Shewas, immeasurably so. She’d got upset over nothing.
She laughed low, and bent to make amends to his nipple, swirling her tongue around it. She kept her eyes on him as she did, but he closed his, as if that would stop what she was making him feel. She grinned and changed her position, crawling up him until both arms were resting just below his neck and she could look down at him, her face only inches above his. She was lying half on him to do it. She could feel her nipples harden with the contact.
“Look at me, babe.”
She smiled when he did. There was hot passion in his eyes now, but whether from anger or desire, she couldn’t tell. Not that it mattered, when any reaction from him was gratifying.
“Now give me a joining kiss, and make it so hot it’d blow my circuits if I had any.” He started to bring his hands into play to do this, so used to having things come to him, like lips and breasts and such. She shook her head at him. “No-no, you still can’t touch Tedra.”
“How then may I kiss you?”
“With your lips, sweetcakes, just your lips.”
She grinned at the scowl he gave her, and waited patiently for him to catch on that his head was going to have to come up if he was going to obey her. It wouldn’t be a very comfortable position for him, but she wouldn’t prolong the kiss. She already had other ideas about what was next on the agenda.
When he finally raised his head, it was to capture her lips quite thoroughly, so thoroughly all thoughts of a short kiss vanished. In this he dominated as usual, his lips demanding she return their pressure, which she did, demanding she open her mouth for him, and she did that, too. Heat snaked to the pit of her stomach, but that was only one of the reactions her body was telling her about. There were others, just as powerful, and they all escalated when his tongue slipped in to caress and play with hers.
Stars, how she loved the taste of him. Intoxicated, she unconsciously slipped her hands behind his neck to support it. Not that those thick neck muscles couldn’t have done the job on their own, but she wasn’t taking any chances on having that kiss end before she was ready. She also wasn’t aware of his hands slipping around her wrists to hold them there, since he was in no hurry to have the kiss end either.
It went on for a very long time, because, as usual, she couldn’t think when his mouth was joined to hers. But finally she broke contact out of sheer self-preservation. She was going up in flames. She wanted him every bit as much as she had last night. And all he’d done was kiss her!
But then she became aware of his hands clamped firmly around her wrists. Also that her hands were holding his head up. Immediately she let go. So did he. Mentioning the breach was out of the question, even if she could find the breath to do it, since she’d practically put her wrists in his hands, trying to give him support he didn’t need.
She sat up, facing away from him. She felt like fanning herself, but she was sure his eyes were on her, so she didn’t. She did, however, take as much time as was needed to get her breath back to normal before turning back to him, only to have it catch in her throat when she did. There was no doubt now which passion burned in his eyes. His body gave hard evidence of it—very hard evidence.
She almost said to hell with everything else she wanted to do to him. It wasn’t fair that his need could fan her own. And the ease with which she had made him want her—was that another attempt at appeasement on his part, after his total lack of desire last night? She had demanded he relinquish control, but she knew very well he could retain as much of it as he liked and she wouldn’t know the difference. He could have merely told her he felt nothing and she’d have to believe him, since that was the one thing she couldn’t do anything about if it were true. And she wouldn’t even have doubted it after he’d already come not once but three times. Yet he’d allowed her to arouse him, giving her the response he thought she wanted from him even when he suspected she meant to leave him high and dry. Or did he know her well enough by now to know she couldn’t do that even if she wanted to, that her body would demand its own release, thereby giving him his? Maybe he did know it, or at least suspect it, and that was enough incentive to make her keep him in doubt a while more, and to add to that doubt.
