Her hand went into the picture.
Not through the canvas, but into the scene.
At once rain pelted her wrist and the back of her hand. Cold air blasted out of the painting, against her skin, air that smelled of salt and brine from the sea, mingling with the rain.
She started to jerk her hand back when the man reached out of the painting and grabbed her by the shoulders.
Annie cried out in shock and surprise and instinctively tried to wrench herself free.
The man was far too strong. He pulled her forward, into the painting, dragging her through the canvas’s frame.
A strange sensation whooshed over her, as if she were being pulled through a giant bowl of cake batter. For a moment, everything went dark and she felt like she was floundering in a black hole filled with that same gooey batter.
In the next instant, her feet touched wet ground, mud and grass squishing between her bare toes. She found herself held tight in the man’s steel embrace, her arms trapped between his body and hers. He was huge, a good eight inches taller than her five foot nine, and his muscular frame made her voluptuous body feel almost petite.
She’d never felt petite in all her life until this moment. It was strangely exciting and frightening all at once to feel small and helpless in a man’s arms.
Rain pummeled their bodies but Annie barely noticed as the man’s intense black gaze captured hers. A flare of recognition and desire sparked in his eyes, and then it was gone as if buried deep within the black depths.
“Do I need to guard my balls with you?” He studied her features as he spoke then answered his own question. “I think not. You are unlike Darronn’s Alexi, the tigress. You seem more like a kitten.”
“My claws can be sharp,” Annie responded, her Southern accent growing stronger as she tried to withdraw from his grasp, but it was hopeless. She might as well have been struggling to climb out of a straightjacket. “Where are Alexi and Alice? What have y’all done with my cousins?”
Lightning illuminated the landscape followed by the bellow of thunder. Hair rose on the back of Annie’s neck. The smell of ozone mingled with fresh rain and the smell of wet earth. It was all so eerily familiar, her painting come to life.
The man scooped Annie up and into his arms so fast that her world spun and she gasped in surprise. Automatically, she grabbed onto his neck to keep him from dropping her.
“Wait!” She cast a glance over his shoulder as he strode toward the mansion. Like a window to her living room, she saw a rectangle cut into the sky. Through it she saw her overstuffed chair, one of her paintings on the wall, and her cat clock. Abra jumped onto the armchair, put one paw up to the rectangle, gave a loud “Yerowl,” and hissed.
Panic gripped Annie. She couldn’t leave Abra, and she couldn’t leave without writing a note to Awai.
She clenched her glasses tighter in her hand as she looked up at the dark, powerful man carrying her. “I need to get Abra, my cat—”
Another lightning bolt struck and the crash of thunder was even closer, cutting off her words. The man’s strides grew even wider, bringing them closer to the mansion.
“And I have to leave a note for my aunt.” She was now talking over the keening winds. “Awai will freak if I disappear, too.”
“It is too late.” He jogged up massive stone steps to the mansion. “You will not be able to return until a new path opens.”
She looked back and her heart sank to her bare muddy toes.
The window to her living room was gone.
Her heart pounded. What would happen to Abra? Then she remembered that Awai was coming over in the morning. She had a key to the apartment and she would make sure Abra was taken care of.
Then she remembered how she had found the note after Alexi had disappeared. There couldn’t be a portal appear only once a year then. So one had to open at other times, too.
Annie knew she shouldn’t believe any of this was happening, but after the way Alice and Alexi disappeared, and the note… Maybe anything was possible.
Karn shoved aside the possessive feelings the maiden inspired in him as he opened the mansion’s doors with his magic. He had to force himself to remember all the reasons why he did not want to bring a female from another world to Tarok. He could never give her what she needed.
He strode into the foyer and used his powers to shut the doors, slamming them closed and causing the sound to reverberate through his home.
Carefully, he set his nearly drowned kitten onto her muddy feet on the flagstone floor and grasped her by her upper arms to hold her steady. Raindrops rolled from her wet hair, over her cheeks, and from the tip of her nose. Wide, warm brown eyes stared up at him, expressive eyes filled with a mixture of fear, confusion, and desire. Her lips parted as if she asked for his kiss.
Seas and skies but he wanted this woman.
The resolution to not allow himself to feel anything for another female was already teetering on a fine edge and he knew nothing about Annie.
He tightened his grip on her as he studied her in a slow and deliberate perusal, starting with her face and then resting on her chest. His erection grew tighter against his breeches as he saw that her white tunic was drenched. The dark circles of her nipples were clearly outlined against the wet fabric.
Waiting for his lips, his mouth, his teeth.
When his eyes met Annie’s, she was biting her lower lip and her cheeks were red.
“You are a beauty,” he murmured without intending to.
Her cheeks flamed brighter yet and she appealed to him all the more. She said, “You don’t have to say that. I know it’s not true.”
“I only speak the truth.” He narrowed his brows as she spoke the words. Could she be insecure like Alice was? His words came out harsh as he responded to her. “How dare you question me?”
She looked almost as if her mind was lost in a whirl of confusion. Likely it was. “I—what’s going on?”
He drew her flush against him. “You are mine. That is all you need to know.” He captured her mouth with his.
Annie gasped against his lips, allowing him to dart his tongue inside. He took possession of her, claiming what rightfully belonged to him and only him. A moan escaped his kitten and then he swore she purred into his mouth. Her tongue flicked tentatively against his, as if uncertain, perhaps timid.
Could his mate be inexperienced in the ways of men?
The mere thought was both heady and intoxicating, and nearly caused him to roar.
All thought fled Annie’s mind. The past or future did not exist. Only now. Her mind spun and her body tingled from head to nipples to toes. She’d only experienced a few clumsy kisses before, and nothing had prepared her for this. Was the room supposed to whirl, and was she supposed to feel like her knees were going to give out, as if she’d had more than a couple of glasses of wine?
His tongue tangled with hers and she followed his lead. It felt incredible to have his tongue inside her, and even though she didn’t know him, she wanted him.
Oh, my heavens, did she want him.
A rumble rose up in the man’s chest and she would have sworn it was a possessive growl of a tiger or lion. Her entire body was on fire.
When he broke the kiss and pulled just inches away, he stared at her with an expression of surprise, maybe even amazement. Had he felt what she had? A crazy insane lust that made her want to slide between the sheets with this man.
Better yet, she’d like to go at it right here, right now, in the water dripping from them and pooling around their feet.
“I don’t even know your name,” she whispered.
“Karn.” It came out like the snap of a whip, and his eyes were once again barren of emotion.
Annie tried to pull away but he held tight. So tight that her arms had gone numb. “You’re hurting me, Karn,” she managed to say. “Think you could let up a bit?”
“My apologies.” He released her and let his hands fall to his sides. “Welcome to Diamond Hall, you
r new home.”
Annie frowned at his statement, but she couldn’t help glancing around her as he gestured to their surroundings. She’d been so mesmerized by Karn that she hadn’t taken the time to notice where they were. The mansion was stately and elegant, but dark and depressing as hell.
She was in a mammoth-sized entryway, looking into an enormous room. Stairs made of carved dark wood like mahogany curved at either side, rising up to the floor above. The room was filled with elegant furniture in the same dark wood, and everything cushioned in sapphire blue.
Heavy blue velvet drapes shrouded every window, and would likely blot out any sunlight that might attempt to squeeze into the mansion on sunny days. If there were sunny days here. Between the stairs stood a set of closed double doors, and to either side of her were more doors, all closed tight.
The place smelled of burning candles, sandalwood, and a hint of roses. Outside, the storm roared on but the mansion muffled the sound.
Annie folded her arms across her breasts as her gaze returned to meet Karn’s. She tried to keep her teeth from chattering, but she was cold, wet, muddy, and confused. Heaven help her, but this dark and mysterious man turned her on.
“Forgetting your manners, your Highness?” someone said in a small, high-pitched voice, causing Annie to jerk her attention toward a tiny woman. Annie blinked—she could almost swear she saw sparkles all around the woman. As if floating on air, the three-foot-tall person approached them. Her green skirt reached the floor, long enough to cover her feet and trail over the mottled gray flagstones.
Where had she come from? All the doors were closed.
The elderly woman wiped her hands on a flour-coated blue apron. Her cheeks were full and pale, her eyes like bright-blue buttons against the whiteness of her skin. She was short and squat and reminded Annie of one of those toys she’d played with as a child. The ones that wobbled but never fell down.
“For shame, your Highness.” The woman gave a sniff in Karn’s direction when she reached them, then turned her attention toward Annie. “A drowned cat you be, Mistress. A king should know better. Come with Beya, and I will see to your bath.”
Annie’s jaw dropped. Karn is a king?
“I will escort Annie to her chambers, Beya.” Karn’s baritone caused Annie’s pulse to race. “Please see to it the servants draw her bath and leave.”
Beya sniffed again. “At once, Sire.” She gave a curt bow and turned, her skirt swirling over the floor. And then she vanished. A few sparkles remained where she had been only moments before.
Annie gasped and shot her gaze back to Karn’s. “Where’d she go?”
He raised a brow. “To see to my instructions.”
Annie flipped her soaked braid over her shoulder and frowned. “That isn’t what I meant.”
Karn took a step toward the staircase. “Follow me.”
“I’m not following you anywhere.” Annie put her hands on her full hips and glared at him. “I want to see my cousins, and I’d like to see them now."
His jaw tightened and his nostrils flared as he came back to stand mere inches from her. “You will see them when I believe you are ready.”
Ooooh! Now he had her good and riled.
“I don’t know who the hell you think you are, mister, but I’ve had enough.” Her Southern accent grew stronger and she was talking fast like she always did when she was angry. “I want to see Alice and Alexi right this minute.”
Karn scowled so fiercely she almost stepped back. He gave a growl and grasped her around the waist. Her world spun and she shrieked as he flung her over his shoulder and marched toward the stairs.
Heat flushed throughout Annie, but she was too stunned to know what to do next. Her wet T-shirt slid up to her neck and her bare breasts rubbed against his leather shirt. Her braid flopped over her head. She still gripped her glasses with one hand and tried to pull her shirt back to her waist without a lot of luck.
While he climbed the stairs her thoughts raced, imagining every horror her mind could come up with. What if he was some madman and he was going to lock her away? Worse yet, what if he intended to kill her? What if he had hurt Alice and Alexi, or maybe killed them?
Annie swallowed. What if he was going to rape her?
Her gut told her this powerful man wasn’t that kind of dangerous. He was some kind of dangerous, but not that kind.
More like he was perilous to her libido, although she couldn’t find anything wrong with the thought of enjoying this man in bed. The mere image of that made her ache in a way she’d never experienced before.
After he reached the top of the stairs, Karn headed down a hall lit by sconces fastened along the walls. The sconces glowed from flickering candlelight. The walls were paneled in the same dark wood as the downstairs furniture.
All the blood had rushed to Annie’s head but she still had the presence of mind to admire the flex of his muscular ass beneath his leather pants while the earthy, virile scent of him surrounded her.
He carried her through a door and into a beautiful room. Draped over his shoulder the way she was, she only caught a glimpse of it but it seemed much more feminine than the rest of the house with rose velvet cushions, lots of flowers, a full-length mirror, and a hearth with a crackling fire. The flames, along with the soft glow of candlelight, gave the room warmth, yet it was still somehow dark and oppressive, as though it needed something or someone to give it life.
Karn strode through another set of doors then slid her from his shoulder and set her on her feet on the surprisingly warm flagstone floor. For a moment Annie clung to him while she regained her balance, and studied her surroundings.
He had carried her into a bathroom of sorts. The huge room was made of dark stone, the centerpiece being a pool built into a corner.
A small waterfall tumbled from a corner and greenery filled the room. Palms, vines, and other exotic plants obscured the ceiling and a good portion of the walls, making it feel more like a jungle hideaway than a bathroom. Steam rose like mist from the pool’s surface, bringing the perfume of orchids to her nose. With so much steam, the water appeared to be incredibly warm and inviting, especially since she was freezing cold, not to mention mussed and muddy.
How had they drawn the bath so quickly?
Magic.
Nah. Couldn’t be.
“Remove your clothes,” Karn said, and her attention immediately snapped to him.
Annie stepped back, her cheeks burning. “Beg pardon?”
The man advanced on her. “If you do not, I will remove them for you.”
Her jaw dropped for maybe the hundredth time and she knew she had to be ten shades of red. “You wouldn’t.”
Karn cocked a brow. “Indeed.”
He would.
Crap.
Annie’s whole body caught fire with embarrassment. “Well, turn your back then.”
His brow raised a notch higher.
“Please?” The word came out in a tortured whisper. For the first time in her adult life she was about to undress in front of a man, and it scared the hell out of her.
Karn studied her for a moment, then folded his arms across his chest and turned his back to her.
Annie had never undressed so fast in her life. She worried he’d turn around and see her before she got into the water, and she wasn’t taking any chances. Not only was this the first time she was taking her clothes off around a man, she was self-conscious about her full figure. She set her wet and dirty glasses on a rock shelf, flung her T-shirt aside, shimmied out of her jeans, and practically bolted into the pool, which was larger than she’d realized.
When Annie was sitting on a rock bench, slumped so she was up to her neck in the warm water, she held her knees tightly together, and folded her arms across her large breasts. “Okay, I’m in. Will you go now so that I can take my bath in peace?”
Karn turned to her and studied her long enough that she began to tremble beneath his gaze.
With a wave of his hand, his clothing
vanished.
As in disappeared like magic.
As in he was standing completely naked before her.
Annie’s eyes widened. Oh, heavens above but the man was gorgeous from his ebony eyes, to his black hair, to his powerful arms, and his narrow hips. Even the scars across his muscled chest made him even more exciting, possibly dangerous.
And oh, my God. Karn’s cock was so thick and so big she was sure it would be considered a lethal weapon in all fifty states.
Karn walked across the room, straight toward the sunken pool.
Straight toward her.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE MIXTURE OF EMOTION IN ANNIE’S expression told Karn how innocent she truly was. His senses told him without a doubt that she had never been with a man before. Amazement, surprise, terror, and definitely desire flashed in her expressive eyes as she stared at his erection. He had sensed that desire the moment he had allowed her to see him through the path opening, and had felt her need in her kiss.
Well and good. If I must have a bride, better that she enjoy me. I will certainly enjoy her.
One resounding thought went through his mind. She was precious. The most precious thing he had ever encountered in his long life.
Candle flame flickered, casting warm light over the pool and his mate. He scented the air and with his keen senses caught the essence of her arousal blending with the vanilla musk of her skin and the orchid perfume his servants had put in the bath water.
Yes, his beautiful woman’s desire matched his equally.
Eyes wide, Annie pressed back against the bathing pool’s rock wall, her arms folded across her luscious breasts. “W-what are you doing?”
Instead of answering, he stepped into the pool’s warm waters. It skimmed his balls as he walked toward Annie, his eyes never moving from hers.
Her cheeks went crimson and she bit her lip and looked away from him. “I-I don’t bathe with men I don’t know.”
Karn eased onto the underwater seat beside Annie so his hip was firmly against hers, his biceps against her shoulder. She was trembling and all the bare flesh he could see had flushed a lovely shade of rose.
Bound by Desire: King of Diamonds (Wonderland Book 3) Page 3
