by Sher Dillard
“So tell me, did you see what you wanted to see? Did you like it?” he asked.
Her heart fell to her stomach. Her cheeks grew hot with shame. He had known. All along, he had known.
“I… I ah, I’m sorry,” she stuttered. “I just, I …” she shut up. What could she say that would make it right?
He chuckled and shook his head.
“Have you ever even seen a man before? A naked man, that is?”
Her stomach rebelled with fear. Why did he have to bring it up? Why talk about it except to embarrass her?
Reluctantly, she shook her head, unable to meet his gaze.
He didn’t laugh at her. He didn’t tease her. Instead, he stepped closer and gently lifted her chin so that he could stare into her eyes.
“You didn’t answer me. Did you like what you saw?”
She couldn’t pull her eyes away from his. Couldn’t control her own thoughts and wishes. She would have sworn the man held her under a magical spell. He had become the center of her universe. The only thing of any importance.
Biting her lip, she slowly nodded.
His eyes blazed with passion as he lowered his head to take her lips with his.
She melted. A simple kiss and she melted into him.
Their time together, her life before, her future. All of it disappeared. There was just now, just him.
Her hands went up to pull him tighter. Traveling over his back. Feeling each hard muscle. Her chest pinned to his, she kissed him back. Kissed him like there was no tomorrow.
His tongue found hers, making her moan deep in her throat. He answered with a groan of lust as his hands snaked down to hold her rear. Pulling her into him.
Suddenly, there were too many clothes. She needed her skin next to his. But how, what was she to do next?
He could read her mind, could tell what she needed before she could even form the thought. His hands slowly unlaced the back of her dress while he continued to devour her mouth with his kisses.
She felt the dress fall away and with it, her petty coat, and then her shift. She kicked it aside. All the time, keeping contact with him. Taking from him.
Her bare breast rubbed against his hard chest. It was as if a fire burned inside of him. The heat and strength radiating off of him made her mind whirl.
His hands returned to her bottom, caressing, squeezing, as he rained kisses down her neck. Her nipples grew erect and hard. Her insides grew wet with excitement and anticipation.
She needed more, needed it now.
Her hands slipped into the waist of his pants and pushed them down. She glanced briefly and froze. He was fully aroused. Ready for her. Wanting her.
She swallowed hard. It would never fit, she thought again. Especially now.
The pure maleness of it captured her, held her in thrall. She could not take her eyes off of him.
He chuckled deep in his throat and gently led her down to his blanket.
His lips immediately went to her breasts. As if he had denied himself too long. Taking a nipple into his mouth, he began to suck and lick.
Her world came alive with new colors and sensations. He had opened a door into a new and strange universe.
His hands traveled over her, caressing, fondling, squeezing. Her hands raked his back as she responded to every touch.
“Oh, Drake,” she whispered, unable to believe what he was making her feel.
He nipped at her shoulder, that special spot where it met her neck.
“You are truly beautiful, Princess,” he said.
“Please. Elsbeth, call me Elsbeth, I love the way you say my name.”
She could feel him smile next to her. “Elsbeth,” he said, “you are as beautiful as a morning sunrise on a misty morn. As sweet as elderberry wine and just as intoxicating.”
His words washed over her. Burying her in emotion and need. She knew it was wrong, but didn’t care. Nothing else in this world mattered but this moment.
She had never felt this urgent need to couple. This need for him to cover her and take her.
Arching into him, she tried to pull at him.
He didn’t move. It was like trying to shift a mountain.
Instead, his hand traveled down her stomach to come to rest at her core. He lifted his head to stare into her eyes as his finger found her.
She threw her head back and moaned as he touched her there. Touched her where no one had ever touched her before.
She felt herself swell with need, grow wet with want.
He caressed and pressed his finger into her. Invading her, touching her as nothing had ever touched her.
Her heart raced. What was he doing to her? She had never felt such racing emotion. Such need and want.
He slowly began to circle her spot. Driving her upward. Driving her to something new, something unknown.
His lips found her breasts as his fingers continued to push her higher.
“Elsbeth,” he said. Her name on his lips sent a warm shiver through her. “There are things you don’t know about me,” he continued.
“I don’t care,” she said. “I know what I need to know.” Stop talking, she thought. Just touch me. Don’t ever stop touching me.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
Her eyes met his, stared into their dark depths. Was she sure? How could he ask her that? Of course she wasn’t sure, but she did know, she wanted him. Needed him.
“Yes,” she said as she nodded her head. She had never been surer of anything in her life.
He smiled and returned to suckling at her breast. Every kiss, every caress driving her upward.
At last, she could stand it no longer, she needed him desperately. Needed him inside of her. Whimpering in the back of her throat, she pulled at him. If necessary, she would beg. She needed him, now.
He relented. Smiling down at her with that silly smirk of his. The one she normally found so infuriating. Now it drove her insane.
“Please,” she asked.
He chuckled to himself.
Smiling down at her, he slowly parted her knees with his legs. She swallowed hard with both fear and anticipation. She glanced down and saw how big he was.
It was impossible. It would never work. How?
A brief look of understanding passed behind his eyes.
“I’ll be careful,” he said. “Relax,” he added as he positioned himself before her. Taking himself in hand, he pressed himself against her opening.
She naturally tensed, her eyes searching his.
He simply smiled and rubbed himself against her.
His hardness, his pure maleness sent a warm feeling of want through her. Every fiber of her being cried for him. Every emotion inside of her was set aside so that she could have this.
Slowly, he started to enter her. Just a little. Slowly spreading her wider. The strangeness surprised her. Her need drove her forward.
She gasped at his largeness. Her stomach knotting up with fear, as she bit her lip. She wanted this. She desperately needed him. But still, there was fear.
Fear of pain, the fear of disappointing him. But, most of all, there was the fear of what he would think of her afterwards.
She pushed those fears aside and concentrated.
“Relax,” he said. “I won’t hurt you,” he whispered into her ear.
His voice soothed her soul. As if he had known the perfect words to say.
He entered her a little more. She felt herself expanding, she could feel him filling her. Yes, this was what she needed. The strangeness, the perfectness of it all, infused her with a need for more.
She wanted him inside of her. A part of her. As far inside of her as was possible.
She set aside the pain and discomfort. She ignored her fears as she placed her hands on that perfect butt of his and tried to encourage more.
He smiled down at her, and slowly thrust himself into her until he reached her barrier.
He halted, his eyes staring into hers. A strange look came across his eyes, as he hesitat
ed.
“Please,” she begged. “Please.”
He slowly pushed forward until he was through. There was a brief flash of pain, followed almost immediately by a sense of wonder that she had taken him all.
He was inside her. Buried to the hilt inside of her.
He filled her. All of him was a part of her now. She had grown, expanded to take him. As if she was made for him. There was some pain, but much more pleasure.
She marveled at the thought. Relished the feeling of pure joy that flowed through her. Every nerve tingled, every fiber of her body sang.
Then he began to move, and her world shifted once again.
Slowly at first, quicker, and quicker. Slowly building to something more.
“Drake,” she screamed. “Oh, My … Yes”
The feeling was so intense, and yet, her soul told her that there was something more. Something coming.
Arching into him, she met his thrusts. Grinding into him. Demanding more, demanding faster. She needed him.
Her legs wrapped around his, her hands raked his back as she sought a release. He drove into her. Over, and over, and over again. Always pushing her higher.
She felt … Yes … Almost.
Her world exploded into a thousand stars as she felt herself become lost. A sharp, shuddering tingle traveled throughout her. Muscles quivered, and her thoughts left her.
Still, he continued to thrust into her.
“More,” she yelled. “Please, again.”
He continued to move inside of her. Back and forth, ever onward, until she thought she would surely explode.
He thrust into her one last time, burying himself. Throwing his head back, he roared as he finished inside of her.
She felt warmth fill her. Felt him throb inside of her and she joined him in release.
Her body shaking, her world ending as they finished together.
He held himself above her and looked down into her eyes. That silly smirk on his face.
That grin of his didn’t bother her now. She knew it was for her, he was pleased with her.
Sighing, she pulled him down on top of her. She needed his weight, needed his strength. She would worry about tomorrow and next month, then. For now, she had him in her arms and the world was good.
Chapter Seven
Drake turned over onto his side. Elsbeth turned in her sleep to hug him from behind, her arm draped over his side.
He fought the need to turn back into her and take her again. She would be sore, he reminded himself. This was new to her. He must remain patient.
But the need in him was strong. The beast demanded more. It took every ounce of willpower to restrain himself.
Instead, he pulled her arm tight and tried to sleep.
Her virginity had surprised him. He shouldn’t have been. She was a princess after all. Yet, it had. It changed things somehow.
He had been her first. That fact made him smile with pleasure.
As he lay there, he wondered about this woman, and his need for her. It amazed him, this burning need to cherish and protect her. As if his very existence depended upon her happiness.
She is not your mate, he reminded himself. She is a princess. A woman destined for Sinstra where she will ask another man for help.
The thought sent a shaft of pure hate through him. An urge to destroy flowed into his soul.
No! He reminded himself. She is not yours. It is for the medallion only.
The thought of the coin lying next to her skin filled him with curiosity. How did her mother get it? What travels had it taken to wind up with this young princess?
Sighing, he pulled her in closer to him. He could wait, tomorrow night. He knew where they would stop. It would be perfect for what he wanted.
A smile crossed his lips as he fell asleep. Sleep that was filled with dreams of her, beneath him. Above him. On her knees before him. A thousand dreams, each of them better than the last.
.o0o.
Drake woke with the beast inside of him demanding to be set free. Wanting to stand on the highest mountaintop and roar.
He pushed the monster back down and turned to find Elsbeth.
The bed was empty. She stood across the clearing looking at him as if he had taken her first born. Her eyes burrowed into him, trying to understand. Trying to fathom the depths of what they had done.
He could see it now. She was going to be upset. Guilty, ashamed. A thousand emotions would trouble her all day until he could put them to rest tonight.
“What?” he demanded as he rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
She hesitated a moment, shaking her eyes. “I didn’t know,” she said.
“Didn’t know what?” he asked.
“I didn’t know it could be like that.”
He laughed. “Oh honey, that was but the opening event. Wait until tonight.”
Her cheeks flashed with red and she hid her eyes for a moment.
But, he noticed that she didn’t say, ‘no.’ Didn’t cry and whimper that it had all been a mistake. No, this woman knew what she wanted and took it.
He looked at her again, surprised at the lack of shame and guilt. He had misread her. The ladylike princess persona could be set aside for the wanton woman. Insatiable, and demanding.
A powerful combination, he thought. The kind that could trap a man into wanting more. Always more.
Sighing, he pushed himself up to start the day. She backed away from him, obviously afraid he might renew their liaison. Or, afraid that she might initiate something.
Laughing to himself, he rolled up his bed. Their bed. It was going to be an interesting day.
.o0o.
Other than the initial awkwardness that morning, the day’s journey had gone well. She wasn’t a clingy woman, Drake thought. She had too much pride for that. But she did seem to go out of her way to find reasons to touch him. Her fingers brushing against his arm. Her hand holding his a little longer than necessary when he helped her up a hill.
He had made it a point not to push the pace. Her body would ache because of him. The magic of the spring would not last. It had worked yesterday. But tonight, only he would be able to salve her tired muscles. A prospect he was looking forward to.
Throughout the day, he caught her looking at him strangely. Her brow creased with confusion. At other times, her eyes would drink him in. Savoring, enjoying herself.
She spent most of the day smiling though. He even caught himself almost smiling occasionally. The night before had been special. He would not soon forget it.
He had been with many women. But, none had drawn him in like this one. None had weaved their way into his heart like this.
Grumbling to himself, he tried to shake off the feeling. No, how could he think things like that? It was her body he wanted, he reminded himself. Only her body, and the medallion.
He glanced back. The sunlight caught her hair, surrounding her with a golden glow. Her breasts pushed against her bodice, her hips flexed as she stepped, curving in just the right way.
The kind of way that made the beast inside of him come alive. ‘Later,’ he said. Soon, they would be there soon.
They continued to walk, he made a point of not turning around and looking at her. If he did, they might never get there.
“Do you have any family?” she said from behind him.
He scrunched his shoulders. How to answer that? he wondered. With the truth. At least the part of the truth that he could tell her.
“Yes,” he replied, “my mother, two brothers, and a sister. I am the oldest.”
“No one else?” she asked. Her voice hitching, as if she were frightened about something.
His brow narrowed in confusion. Wasn’t that enough. Heaven knew his family could swamp a large ship. Their drama and issues had filled his life until he had been sent away.
He missed them, he realized. Even his mother. He missed the banter and friendly rivalry. He missed being with people who understood him. Who knew his faults and loved him anyway.
The thought surprised him. He hadn’t thought that when he had left almost a year ago.
“No, no one else,” he said in answer to her question. There would probably never be anyone else. A fact that he had come to accept long ago.
A heavy release of her breath cued him into her concerns. She had been afraid that he had a wife stashed somewhere. That was what she meant by someone else.
She was worried he had a wife. The thought sent a smile to his lips.
Only a short while later they arrived at that day’s destination.
The old stone farmhouse looked no worse for wear, it would serve them well. His body reacted when he thought of the bed inside and what was to come.
He held the door for her and flourished a hand.
“My Lady,” he said with a smile.
Her eyes narrowed in confusion, as she glanced briefly inside the dark home.
“An old huntsman’s cottage. It has been abandoned for years,” he said in response to her questioning look.
She dipped her head and stepped inside. He followed, leaving the door open for some light. He threw the roughhewn shutters open, letting in even more light.
.o0o.
The floor was made of flagstone. A brick fireplace stood on one end, with a cane chair and a small table next to it. On the other end, to her left, a bed.
Both of them looked at the bed, and then at each other. Elsbeth felt her cheeks grow pink as she imagined laying with him.
“No sleeping on the ground tonight,” he said with a smile. The idiot actually thought she was worried about sleeping on the ground.
She smiled weakly and removed her pack. Setting it down in the corner.
“I’ll go get dinner,” he said as he turned to quickly leave. What? He couldn’t get away from her fast enough? All day, he had been like that. She had wanted to talk. Wanted desperately to hold him. Have him hold her. To learn about this man. What were his dreams, his secret fears? She wanted to know everything.
All he wanted was to walk. To hurry up and get to Sinstra so that he could get the damn medallion.
Sighing to herself, she looked around, again. Someone had left the makings for a fire. She smiled to herself. At least she could do that. She would show him.
Bending, she gathered up some straw. Retrieved his flint and steel from the pouch he had lain on his pack. Being careful, she struck the steel. It took several attempts before a small spark landed in the cupped shavings.
