by Cerys du Lys
I cried out, clutching at his shoulders as my climax hit. It thundered through me, sweet bliss. If it was possible to feel joy in every cell of my body, I felt it then.
Nick held me tightly while I rode the waves, sheltering my convulsing body. When I finally emerged on the other side, he kissed my hair and eyes and brought me safely down.
I opened my eyes to see his bright head silvered by moonlight. He smiled at me. “You’re very sweet, canim.”
“So are you.” And because I wanted him to feel the same intense pleasure I’d just experienced, I reached my hand between our bodies, going straight for his dick. He jumped as I touched him. I marveled at the feel of his smooth, warm flesh. I closed my fingers around him, stroking the tip with my thumb.
“Ellie—” His voice was hoarse, breathless.
“Don’t you like it?”
“Yes. Yes. But if you keep doing that, I’ll explode.”
“That’s the plan. I’m not going to sleep on you this time. I want you inside me, Nick.”
Chapter 25
Nick
“It’s where I want to be,” I told her. I was feeling good. At ease with her, as if we were old lovers who’d been together many times before. And because I felt comfortable, I showed her how to touch me to give me the most pleasure. She was so sensual. A sexy woman who enjoyed the arts of love. She might be antsy about the dark, but she had no hang-ups about sex. I loved the sound of her laughter, the desperation of her sighs.
There was something else I wanted, though. I reached into the cubby at the head end of the bed where I kept the rope. I could be gentle, but I didn’t want her to forget that kinky was the way I liked it.
She presented her wrists willingly. I bound them together and raised her arms over her head. “Keep them like that,” I ordered, not actually tying her down to anything. Shipboard berths really didn’t make the best locations for elaborate bondage games.
“But I want to touch you,” she said, writhing a bit. “I guess this means I should call you Master? I keep forgetting that.”
I chuckled. My sweet red-haired slave still had a way to go before she’d be winning any submissive of the year prizes. But that was okay with me. I liked her fine the way she was. She looked amazing lying there—her hair wildly strewn on the pillow, her skin still flushed from her orgasm, her nipples hard little peaks, her hands bound.
When I moved to cover her, she parted her legs eagerly. I could tell she was aroused again. She was moist, warm, and willing. So soft. Fragrant and delicate, like rose petals. I caught my breath as I eased inside her.
I wanted to take it slow, but I was hard-pressed by my body’s demands to thrust fast and furiously. I wanted to string it out so she’d feel and remember every moment of this.
She lifted her hips and rotated them against me. It was too much. I couldn’t stop myself from plunging deep and wild.
She gasped; we both did. “You’re finally in me. At last.”
“Does it feel okay?”
She giggled. “It feels awesome. May I lower my arms? I want to grab your ass.”
“You may not. I like you helpless, even though you’re about the least helpless female I’ve ever encountered. And stop talking.” I kissed her long and hard, swallowing any of her random words. “I’m gonna fuck you hard.”
“Do,” she gasped. “Please do.”
I slid my palms under her buttocks, raising her slightly as I drove into her. She felt magnificent around me—silken, hot and tight. Almost as delicious were her breasts pressing against my chest, the nipples hard and pointed, the rest of her so soft. I pressed random kisses to her mouth, her throat, her eyelids; I buried my face in the wild profusion of her hair.
I was already so hot from tonguing her and seeing her come that it wasn’t going to take much to send me over the edge. Still, I tried to drag it out for as long as I could. I’d wanted her so much, and I was finally claiming her. I needed to savor that.
She was mine in every way, and it thrilled me to know it. I wanted her to know it, too, so I kissed her hard and rough and allowed my hips to slam into hers. Her warm, slick tissues gripped mine tightly, sending sweet pleasure roaring through my cock and balls, winding me higher, making my rhythms frantic.
“Ohmigod!” There was a catch in her voice as her body coiled beneath me. I could feel her thighs go rigid and knew she’d reached another peak. The knowledge filled me with exultation. I felt good, strong. I could go all night; I was potent as a god. But when she started pulsating around me, I lost all control.
She was kissing me passionately. She must have lowered her arms, because I felt her nails digging into my buttocks as if to pull me deeper inside her, and I went crazy. I was helpless as a torrent of blindingly intense pleasure swept through me. I shot through space, an arrow exploding from a bow. The entire world seemed to shudder as I released.
Fuck. Amazing.
Several minutes later, when I’d stopped panting and my heartbeat had settled back into its normal rhythms, I leaned up and grinned at her. I untied her wrists, wishing I had a pair of comfy cuffs to keep her in, but BDSM toys had not been among the gear I’d packed for this escapade. “I think I’m going to keep you prisoner forever.”
Her violet eyes opened and looked playfully into mine. “That good, huh?”
“Mmm. Yeah. My naked captive and sex slave.”
“I could get into that.”
“I thought so.”
The lighthearted aftermath of love lasted while we prepared for sleep. We were tender with each other, touching and kissing and sighing like lovesick idiots.
Instead of falling asleep, we ended up fucking again. The second time was just as good as the first. “Canim, hayatim,” I muttered in the spasm of orgasm. With her I tended to revert to my mother tongue.
When she laughed and climaxed joyously, my world seemed luminously bright.
* * *
I woke up before Ellie, and eased out of her embrace. She’d been sleeping curled to my side, her head nestled against my shoulder. I kissed her fiery hair, surprised at the protective feelings that shot through me. Still sleeping, she rolled over, making a faint melancholy sound as if she knew she was once again alone.
I shaved and washed, wishing the damn boat had a shower. Physically I felt great, but my mental state got increasingly edgy as I recalled the details of our night. I’d done the thing I’d tried not to do. Okay, it hadn’t been rape, but the circumstances were not exactly normal, either. Would she have fucked me if she weren’t dependent upon me for protection in a hostile environment? I’d snatched her forcibly and brought her to this place, so anything she did with me, no matter how pleasurable, was done under some sort of coercion.
Plus, I’d been using terms like “my life, my soul” for her, and she fucking understood Turkish. What was that all about? I’d never been accused of saying things I didn’t mean in bed. Rather the contrary. Women tended to get pissed because I displayed so little affection when I fucked them.
Deep inside, I was aware of some weird atavistic fear of giving myself up to anything that resembled romantic love. It wasn’t something I cared to examine too closely. It made me edgy, uncertain, maybe even a little scared.
Why, then, hadn’t I been more cautious with Ellie? With her my self-discipline failed. She was uncovering feelings in me that I usually kept hidden.
The sexual passion she inspired truly did go beyond anything I’d experienced before. It was freaking me out. I’d been in an altered state of consciousness while making love with her. It was as if we were coming together in another place, another time, not here on a sailboat in the Aegean Sea on a moonlit spring night. The same thing had happened on the night we’d danced. There was something unreal about both interludes.
I shook my head, trying to clear it. You’re not falling for Ellie. You’re hot for her, that’s all.
What a mess. I remembered her huge eyes, the joyful flush on her face as we’d played together, exulting in pass
ion, again and again. She was going to be hurt by this. I’d already hurt her. She was a sweet, warm, giving woman—far more generous in spirit than I would ever fucking be. I prided myself on being a cold-hearted bastard. The kindest thing I could do for her now would be to stay away.
Anyway, how could I think about romantic entanglements when I had so many other things to worry about? If I had any scruples at all, I’d leave the girl alone.
I groaned at the thought. No more sex, no more kink, no more sweet hot passion? Shit. I wasn’t sure I could give that up.
I flashed back to an image of her sweet body twisting beneath mine, her lovely eyes dilated with passion, her hips arched, her breasts glistening with my sweat and her own, and I turned rigid with a twitching, aching hard-on. Fuck! I needed a cold shower.
Chapter 26
Ellie
When I woke, I wasn’t surprised to find myself alone. Nick always seemed to be up and about while I was still asleep. I would have liked to snuggle with him a little longer, kissing him and admiring his lean body by the light of the sun, but there would be time for that later.
I opened one of the portholes and inhaled the fresh ocean air. It was a beautiful day—sunny and sparkling. In the thick glass of the porthole, I caught a glimpse of my reflection, and hammed a smile.
I found Nick leaning over the instrument panel with a pair of pliers in one hand and a screwdriver in the other. Metin was with him, offering advice. I was abashed to see Metin. I wondered if he’d slept on board last night, if he’d heard some of my more impassioned cries. Then I remembered that Metin believed I’d been having sex with Nick since the day we met. It was a little late to be embarrassed in front of him.
“Gunaydin, Metin,” I said, the Turkish for good morning. “Gunaydin, Nick.”
Nick merely grunted.
“Gunaydin, lovely lady,” Metin said, sending me a wide grin. “Your man is in a bad mood, trying to fix the radio.”
“The electrical system’s been sabotaged,” Nick snarled. “Fortunately they didn’t do an expert job. The lights are already working and we’ll have communications again soon.”
“Is that why the lights wouldn’t work? Sabotaged by whom?”
“Three guesses,” said Nick.
“Nigel.”
“Bingo. Nigel or one of his thugs. It happened night before last. Metin heard a noise and saw someone swimming away. The creep escaped before he could stop him. We can’t take the chance of its happening again. From now on one of us is going to have to keep watch on board.”
I gazed at his golden-blond hair and longed to run my fingers through it once again. “Why should Nigel want to sabotage your radio?”
“I told you he doesn’t trust me.”
“So what does he think you’re going to do—call in the customs patrol?” I spoke lightly. “If you did, you’d be arrested, too.”
Nick said nothing. Metin was looking idly out to sea. No one offered an explanation.
It took a while for Nick’s coldness to make an impression on my lovesick brain. He never had been overly demonstrative. If he didn’t wish to pull me close and kiss me in front of Metin, I could understand that. After all, we’d supposedly been lovers for several days. We were adults, not teenagers; there was no reason for us to be all over each other every minute.
But I would have liked to hold his hand or perhaps to sit beside him, shoulders touching. At breakfast he sat across from me, farther away than Metin. He didn’t seem to notice my frequent attempts to catch his eye.
Never mind. Maybe we’d be alone together after breakfast. Maybe we could go back to the stateroom and fuck.
But after breakfast he announced we were returning to the compound. “My grandfather’s finally consented to leave. He’ll be packing up his things, Ellie, and I thought you could give him a hand. He can’t get around too well in that wheelchair. I know he’d appreciate some help, even though he’s too stubborn to ask for it.”
“Of course I’ll help him. Is he giving up on the search for the Trojan artifacts?”
“For this season, yes. Nothing else has turned up. It’s beginning to look as if we haven’t got an ancient settlement at all, just some random pieces left by some temporary visitor to the island.”
“He must be discouraged,” I said, feeling sorry for the old man.
“A little. But he hasn’t given up—he’s vowing to return next fall and finish the job.”
“You never told me what happened yesterday after I made that scene at the cavern. Do they know I speak Turkish? Did they hear what I said?”
“No,” said Nick.
“They concluded you and Nick were having a personal argument,” Metin said. “The men gossiped about your tempestuous spirit, saying, leave it to Nick to choose such a one.” He grinned at Nick and added, “One thing they don’t believe, though, was that you were taking Ellie away to bind up her ankle. It was more likely, they said, that you intended to beat her.”
I felt myself blush. He hadn’t beaten me, but he had spanked me a few times during the night. I’d loved it. “I suppose I’d better act chastened today,” I said dryly.
“Be thankful you’ve still got your cover,” said Nick. “Don’t blow it again.”
“What about the photographs?” I asked in a small voice. “What are we going to tell your grandfather about them? The truth—that I have claustrophobia?”
Nick hesitated. “I don’t know. Let me think it over. Nigel’s hot now on getting those pictures taken. For your own safety, it’s probably better that he doesn’t start thinking of you as less useful than I promised you’d be.”
I shivered a little at the underlying threat.
“Don’t say anything yet,” Nick added. “I’ll stall them for another day or so.”
Nick didn’t join me in the cabin, where I dawdled for a few minutes before we left to go ashore. He didn’t sit next to me in the rowboat. By the time I was installed with his grandfather in the compound, I had some serious misgivings. Nick had made sweet, fervent, almost desperate love to me all night long, but not once in the hours since the dawn had he kissed me, or touched me, or smiled.
Something was wrong.
* * *
“Is something the matter, Ellie?” Nick’s grandfather asked later that afternoon.
“No. Everything’s fine.”
“Are you having trouble with Nick?”
Some actress, I chided myself. I’d have to do better than this. I paused in the painstaking task of wrapping small clay potsherds in plastic and packing them in a box. “Why do you think that?”
The elderly man’s blue eyes seemed to twinkle. “Everybody knows you two had a disagreement yesterday. Hauled you off to his boat so he could yell at you in private, I understand. Nigel was talking of organizing a rescue party.”
“I doubt Nigel had my welfare at heart.”
“No, probably not. He’d have been glad to embarrass Nick, though. I stopped him. I figured you could handle the matter yourself.” He waited. When I didn’t speak, he added, “I hope I wasn’t wrong.”
I could feel myself color slightly. “I handled it. Everything’s fine.”
“Nick can be moody,” he observed after a slight pause.
I made a noncommittal sound.
“Are you in love with him?”
I gave a careless laugh. “Oh, yes. For now.”
“No doubt he knows it, and that’ll be what’s scaring him.”
“Scaring him?”
“You think he can’t be scared? Cool-under-the-collar, unflappable Nicholas?”
“He’s not likely to be scared by me.” Rather the contrary, I thought.
“A woman’s affection might scare him. Especially if he felt drawn to her, too.”
“Why?” My voice was no higher than a whisper.
“Because the women he’s loved have either died or left him. The young Nick was different from the cool customer we see now. He was sunny and affectionate, full of life and joy. He
adored his mother. She died. He transferred his affections to my wife, his grandmother, but before too many years had passed she, also, died. Finally, he loved a young woman he went to college with. Elizabeth was her name, a lovely girl, if somewhat fickle.”
“I’ve heard about her,” I interrupted. “Nigel lured her away, apparently.”
“That’s right. A most unfortunate situation.”
“What happened to her?”
“She also died.”
My mouth dropped open. “I didn’t know that. How?”
“I’m not certain. But the point is, Nick’s had woman problems ever since. That can happen when you lose too often. He’s not the most forgiving person in the world. Oh, yes, Nick’s been getting back at the fair sex for a while now.”
I considered the implications of this. Was that why he could sometimes be so hard-assed and cruel?
“I’d like to see him settled,” Sir Avery went on, sounding wistful. “With a wife and a family.”
I blinked. Wife and family? What did those things have to do with me? “Why are you telling me this? I haven’t known your grandson long, and soon we’ll probably go our separate ways.”
“If so, I’ll be sorry for it. You strike me as the sort of woman who’d be good for Nick.”
“Forgive me, but you hardly know me, Sir Avery. How do you know what sort of woman I am?”
“I’m an old man who has seen much, my dear.” After a moment or two of silence, he added, “I know, for example, that you’re secretly appalled by the task your fingers are performing now. Wrapping those potsherds for illegal sale.”
My fingers faltered.
“Nick never should have told you the truth. It offends your sense of values, perhaps even your sense of history, to know what we are doing here.” He paused while I raised troubled eyes to his face. “You don’t criticize, yet you make me feel ashamed.”
