He smiled at the deep frown that creased her brow as she no doubt wondered whether she really would have more freedom that she’d known on Earth. He was sure that her life would be much more fulfilling on Taar-Breck where women were treated with respect rather than as a threat that must be controlled and that she would enjoy greater independence than she had before.
“Will I be able to wear whatever I want?”
“Within reason,” Andrew replied. “But you will find that most women prefer to wear long, loose-fitting dresses as it helps with the heat.”
“The planet is very hot, then?”
“Warmer than you’re accustomed to, but I’m sure you’ll adapt quickly.”
Caroline nodded and reached for another piece of fruit. For a long time, they sat in comfortable silence and Andrew watched as she nibbled at different foods, trying out some of the Taar-Breckian delicacies and seeming to enjoy every mouthful. He could see that she was beginning to relax. He couldn’t really blame her for being tense. After all, today had not been easy.
“I am sorry about that disgraceful wedding ceremony,” he said. “If we’d married amongst my mother’s people, it would have been different.”
“In what way?”
“Well, we would have exchanged promises to care for one another and you would not have been required to prostrate yourself at my feet. There would have been a great celebration in our honor. Who knows, you might even have been allowed something more appealing than a glass of water to toast the marriage.”
“That sounds nice.” Caroline bit her bottom lip and her eyes gleamed mischievously. “Perhaps we could have a ceremony once we’re settled on Taar-Breck.”
“If that’s what you’d like,” he replied, wary of the glint in her eye.
“We could postpone our wedding night until we’ve married in the proper fashion.”
The wicked grin on her face confirmed that she didn’t mean what she said, that she was just being provocative.
“Not a chance.” If she’d been aiming to provoke a response from him, then it worked. Getting to his feet, he pulled her up with him. He lifted her over his shoulder, making her squeal, and carried her back to the bedroom. Dropping her at the center of the bed, he started to undress.
* * *
If Caroline had thought her new husband cut an impressive figure before, then the sight of him fully unclothed tested her descriptive powers to their limit. He was sheer perfection. As he climbed onto the bed next to her, she put a hand to his beautifully sculpted chest and ran her fingers through a light dusting of hair that testified to his potent masculinity. She moved her hand lower, to explore the smooth planes of his taut abdomen. As her fingers trailed lower, he took hold of her wrist to stop her.
“Take off your nightgown.”
The note of command in his voice made every part of her tingle. Quickly, she untied the fastenings at the front of the nightgown, drew the sheer column of fabric up over her head, and tossed it to the floor. Andrew tutted and shook his head.
“Pick that up and put it away neatly,” he ordered.
Caroline weighed up the instruction for a moment and then, realizing he was serious, scooted off the bed and picked up the flimsy garment. She looked around for somewhere to put it.
“Over there, on that chair,” he told her.
Suspecting he’d only told her to put the nightgown away so he could get a better look at her naked body, Caroline walked across the room and bent low as she placed it on the chair. Deliberately parting her legs farther, she thrust her bottom out and, when she heard a deep growl of appreciation from behind her, she knew that Andrew could see her glistening pink pussy.
“How can you be such a temptress and yet so innocent at the same time?”
It was a question that had been running through her own mind. She had no idea where the flashes of audaciousness were coming from. Her attraction to Andrew seemed to keep overriding her uncertainties. Caroline turned to him and gave a little shrug. She could see the desire in his eyes and wondered if, perhaps, that was what emboldened her.
“I’ve read a lot of books.” A suggestive smile formed on her full, pink lips. “You’d be amazed at some of the things I’ve picked up.”
Returning to him she moved slowly, sinuously, making sure to take her time in reaching him. As she climbed up onto the bed and began to crawl toward him, he suddenly lunged for her and, before she knew what was happening, she was lying beneath him.
“You’ll have to tell me about these books one day.” He looked at her with obvious intent. “But not now.”
As his lips descended to meet hers, Caroline instantly opened to him. His tongue plunged inside her mouth and her breath caught at the back of her throat as she was thrown off balance by the power of his kiss. With each sensual stroke of his tongue, he sought to claim her and she was helpless to resist.
“Beautiful,” he marveled as he pulled his mouth from hers.
As he gazed at her, his hand skimmed along her leg and she eagerly parted her thighs. His fingers slid between her swollen lower lips and Caroline writhed beneath him as he explored her hot, wet pussy. Pushing a single long, thick finger inside her, and then another, stretching her carefully, he pressed some secret spot inside her and her hips bucked up off the bed. He began to slowly pull his fingers in and out of her, fucking her at a pace that made her plead with him for more. The sensation was just too much and it made her desperate to be taken harder, faster.
Andrew quickly positioned himself between her legs. As Caroline felt the first press of his cock against her soft, feminine mound, she stiffened, but her fears were soon vanquished as Andrew’s mouth found her breast, distracting her as he caught her taut nipple between his lips. He sucked hard on the pert pink rosebud and she softened in his arms.
As he continued to suckle on her breast, laving it with his tongue, he slid his cock against her sopping wet slit, tantalizing her with the lightness of his touch before finding her entrance and pushing inside. Clutching at his muscular shoulders for support, Caroline gasped as he pressed a little farther into her. There was a brief moment of pain as her hymen was ripped away, a searing burn that quickly became a fire of a different sort as she adjusted to the new and strange feeling of being impaled by a warm, thick shaft of masculine flesh.
His eyes never leaving hers, Andrew pulled back until the head of his cock almost slipped from her body.
“No, please,” Caroline protested, afraid that she had done something wrong and he was about to withdraw completely.
Andrew grunted and pushed forward once more, edging inside her slowly, carefully so as not to hurt her. Giving her time to accommodate his massive erection, he pushed all the way inside, stretching her as she had never been stretched before, filling her body and soul.
As he claimed her, their gazed remained locked together. So strong a desire radiated from his eyes as he looked down at her that Caroline almost came just from knowing he held such an intense passion for her. Returning his lips to hers, he captured her mouth in a kiss that was unexpectedly sweet and tender. Suspecting that he was holding back, trying to go easy for her first time, Caroline whimpered against his lips. Understanding her need, he deepened the kiss and her hips rose in restless demand. Finally, he began to slide in and out of her warm, welcoming body. He lifted her legs and urged her to wrap them around his waist. Finding his rhythm, Caroline instinctively moved with him as he set a punishing pace, driving into her hard and fast, pushing her farther up the bed with the force of his thrusts.
“Such a tight little pussy,” he ground out.
As Caroline began to drown in sensation, everything else fell away, all her lingering anxieties, her doubts. She and Andrew were a perfect fit and in that moment there was only him, taking over her senses completely. All she could see, hear, taste, smell was him. Her fingers ran over the smooth wall of his back, her touch exploring his broad shoulders with reverence as he, in turn, worshipped her bo
dy, caressing one breast and then the other, circling the nipples with his thumb so lightly she thought she would go mad with the need for something more. As her moans became increasingly frantic, he moved his mouth to her nipple and caught it between his teeth, grazing the tender flesh.
“Andrew!” she shrieked as the sensation shot straight to her pussy, making her clitoris throb. “I’m going to…”
Her words trailed off as she was overcome by the most intense, exhilarating feelings. With a scream of ecstasy, her back arched, her hips lifted higher, and a jolt of lightning made her whole body tremble. Her womb clenched as the walls of her pussy pulsed around Andrew’s cock, drenching it with a flood of moisture as she reached a mind-blowing climax. Growling like a wild animal, he drove inside her and stilled as his body jerked convulsively. A low moan escaped him as he came, filling her with his seed.
Long moments passed and Caroline relished the weight of his body, coated with a thin sheen of sweat, pressing down on her. As he finally withdrew from her thoroughly spent body, she winced and Andrew pulled her into his arms as he rolled over onto his back.
Caroline shook her head and relaxed against his solid chest. She felt him place a kiss on the top of her head and she smiled, enjoying the closeness. Moving her legs experimentally, she felt a slight chafing between them, a little twinge of discomfort, but nothing as terrible as she’d feared. Turning her body in toward Andrew’s, she nestled her head in the crook of his arm and closed her eyes. Within his strong arms, she felt protected and before she knew it, she was drifting off to sleep.
Chapter Ten
Caroline rested her forehead against the wall in the corner of the bedroom and fumed silently. Andrew had ordered her to stand there for ten minutes to contemplate the error of her ways before he punished her but, the more she thought about it, the more she became convinced that she was not entirely at fault.
Perhaps she should have reacted differently when Sereena asked her about the welcoming ceremony that would be held for her when she arrived at Taar-Breck, but she’d been upset that Andrew hadn’t told her they would be expected to take part in such a grand public event. They’d been on board the passenger transport for ten days now and had barely been out of each other’s sight the whole time, so it wasn’t as though he’d lacked an opportunity to speak to her about it.
“Are you ready to apologize for your behavior yet, young lady?” Andrew asked as he came back into the bedroom.
Caroline stiffened in indignation at being addressed like a recalcitrant child.
“I will apologize to Sereena.”
She did feel genuinely bad about having yelled at the other woman, especially since they’d been in the social area chatting over a cup of the strange Taar-Breckian tea she was growing to love and there had been people around to witness her outburst. Poor Sereena had been genuinely mortified by what could only be described as a tantrum and Caroline wished she had not reacted so explosively in front of her new friend. All Sereena had done was ask her whether she was looking forward to the welcoming ceremony and something inside her had snapped. She knew it was ridiculous, but she really hated the thought of being at the center of attention yet again, even if it was for a celebration like the one Sereena had described to her.
“You’ll apologize to Sereena?” Andrew checked and she nodded her confirmation. “But not to me?”
“That’s right.” Her tone was resolute.
“Would you care to explain why not?”
“Because I haven’t done anything to you.” She knew that was not strictly true. After she’d stormed off from Sereena, Caroline had returned to the apartment to find that her friend had alerted Andrew that she was upset and he was there waiting for her. Still angry with him, she’d let fly with a few choice words of rebuke that had resulted in her being sent to the corner to consider her actions before he spanked her. “You’re the one who’s been keeping things from me.”
“I didn’t intentionally deceive you.” Andrew sounded weary. “I simply forgot to mention that my family was arranging a public welcome for you. It’s supposed to be a happy event. I don’t see why it’s such a big deal for you.”
“Don’t you?” Caroline’s tone was petulant. “Well, I guess that’s part of the problem.”
She couldn’t see why he didn’t realize that she hated the thought of being paraded in front of a crowd of strangers while she still looked like a convict with her shorn hair that was growing back in uneven tufts. She knew that if she was put on display she would feel exactly as she had when she’d been taken through the streets to stand trial and then been punished outside the town hall where everyone could see. It was silly vanity, she knew, but she wanted to look her best before being formally presented to the Taar-Breckians as Andrew’s bride.
“Would you care to enlighten me?” Andrew asked.
Caroline shook her head and she heard him sigh.
“In that case, since you clearly need more time to think, you can stand there for another ten minutes and see if you can’t figure out why you deserve to be disciplined.”
She snorted derisively, not giving a damn that she was doing herself no favors with her continuing bad attitude. A fierce sense of self-righteousness fueled her urge to rebel.
As soon as she heard Andrew leave the room, Caroline looked around. Another ten minutes with her nose stuck in the corner? He could forget that. She might be willing to submit to him when he was in the right but, on this occasion, he was wrong and she was not going to meekly lie over his lap for a spanking. Not when she was the injured party.
Hurrying to the door, she peered out into the sitting room. There was no sign of Andrew so, she surmised, he must be in the kitchen. Good. Running lightly across the room on the tips of her toes, she slipped quietly from the apartment, closing the door carefully behind her. Summoning the elevator, she looked back nervously over her shoulder. Cringing as a beeping sound heralded the arrival of the elevator, she stepped into it and pushed the button for the second floor, breathing a sigh of relief as the doors closed and her rapid descent began. The moment the doors opened once again, she rushed out into the corridor, intending to find the reading library and spend a few hours in there before returning to face Andrew who, would, no doubt, be livid that she had disobeyed him. Well, that was something she would just have to deal with when the time came.
As she turned a corner into a long hallway with several doors leading off from it, Caroline realized she’d got out on the wrong floor as nothing looked familiar from the tour of the ship she’d taken with Sereena. She walked a little farther, looking for another elevator that might take her to the right place and, before she knew it, she’d become utterly lost.
“Damn!” she cursed as she rounded a corner and found herself facing yet another long corridor.
“Tut, tut, Mrs. Rossingham, such foul language.”
Caroline whirled around to find Lord Barron standing there, so close he was almost touching her.
“Get away from me,” she sniped.
“I would have thought the commander would have beaten the insolence out of you by now.”
The amused smirk on his face made Caroline want to slap him. Curbing that impulse, she tried to walk away, but he grabbed hold of her arm to stop her.
“Let go of me,” she demanded.
Squeezing her arm tightly, he gave a slow shake of the head.
“It seems your new husband has taught you no manners at all,” he said reprovingly. “But, regardless, you and I need to have a little chat.”
“I have nothing to say to you!” Caroline spat.
“But there are things I need to say to you.” Gone was the casually insulting tone, replaced by something more urgent. “Lives may depend on it.”
Suddenly afraid, Caroline opened her mouth to call for help but, moving quickly, he spun her around, placing one hand over her lips and an arm across her neck in a restraining hold. She struggled wildly, kicking her feet and t
rying to break free, but it was no use. As she felt a sharp pinch at the side of her neck, she thought for a moment that she heard a whispered apology and then everything faded to black as she fell limp in his arms.
* * *
When she woke, almost an hour later, Caroline was surprised to find herself propped up on a very comfortable sofa in a bright and airy room, almost as sumptuously decorated as the apartment she and Andrew shared. It was a far cry from the grim cage she half-expected to find herself chained up in when she opened her eyes.
“Ah, you’re back with me at last.” She followed the sound of the voice to find Lord Barron sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, watching her intently. Not wearing his jacket and with the top button of his shirt undone, he looked more casual than she had seen him before, as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “That should only have knocked you out for a few minutes.”
Caroline bristled at what sounded like a rebuke. She could hardly be blamed if his damned drug had taken better effect than he’d anticipated.
“I suppose that’s the risk when you sedate a person.”
“Yes,” Lord Barron agreed, as though injecting people with sedatives was something he did on a regular basis, “and I do apologize for that but it seemed necessary since you didn’t seem inclined to come with me of your own accord.”
“Can you blame me?” Caroline’s eyes widened in fear and she straightened a little as he rose from his chair and approached her and then breathed a sigh of relief when he simply poured a glass of water from a jug on the table beside her and handed it to her.
“Perhaps not. After all, I’ve given you little reason to trust me,” he said. “The water’s not poisoned, by the way. You can rest assured if I had any interest in killing you, I’d have done it already.”
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