Why was he waiting to take her?
She could sense his hesitancy and wriggled beneath him for a little encouragement. He groaned aloud, as if suffering from indecision. He had to know he was driving her crazy. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could wait. Trying to free her wrists from the capture of his grasp, his grip tightened. Aroused by this new game between them, she relaxed, letting him have his way. But the pressure soon became painful, to the point of unbearable. Her hands numb, they tingled. She couldn’t endure it anymore. Pulling hard to release her wrists, ragged breaths echoed in her ear.
“My wrists, please release them! Love, you’re hurting me!” She squirmed beneath him.
“I am afraid I cannot accommodate your request, beautiful.”
Evangeline froze.
It wasn’t Dorien’s voice.
Her eyes flew open in a flash. There was no mistake. The man who hovered above her was large, broad, and exceptionally muscled. She couldn’t see his face. It was hidden, covered in a black ribbed ski mask. The only holes in the fabric were at his eye sockets. She wondered how he could breathe. A piercing stare consumed her. Vibrant eyes were as blue as ice.
A stranger was in her bed!
Adrenaline shot throughout Evangeline’s body. Crying out in alarm, she fought to escape the masked assailant. Thrashing, her captor’s iron grips held her body still. In a surprise move, he released her wrists. Her hands flew to the valley of his large muscled chest. Pushing with all of her might, the rogue didn’t move a muscle. Like the man she loved, he was as solid as a brick wall. A soft mat of hair brushed intimately against her breasts. The fullness of his need pressed against her hips.
He was way too close!
It wouldn’t take much effort for him to violate her body. Evangeline clawed at the black mask above her. Her heart thundered in full panic. She gasped as the mask slid off the man’s head. She stared into his perfect sculpted face. His hair was black as night. Ice blue eyes offered a stunning contrast, but to her they somehow seemed filled with regret. But remorse did nothing to alleviate the delicacy of her dangerous situation. He was still lying on top of her.
“Get off of me!” she begged, writhing in an effort to escape.
“I have no intentions of releasing you until I am finished. Keep on moving, and I will do my best to make this quick. It is a shame I can’t take the time to love you proper.”
His words registered in her brain. “Finish?” Her mind raced. She continued to fight. His cold steel-like body wouldn’t move. His gaze searched her face.
“You assume correct that I intend to take you. Since I doubt I will see you again, it is only fair to inform you that you will conceive my child within the next fifteen days. There is nothing you can do to stop the conception. Any attempt to remove the babe from your womb will result in your death. For the safety of your life, I advise against it.”
Evangeline screamed. She thought of the babies already growing deep inside her womb.
“How do you know my thoughts? Why is your skin so cold?”
He sneered. “I am immortal. These traits are normal for my kind.”
“Please stop! Let me go! I can’t conceive your baby because I’m already pregnant!” Evangeline pounded her fists against his solid muscled chest. “Please don’t hurt my babies!”
“What do you mean you are already pregnant? Babies?” He studied her with such intensity. The simple act made her think of Dorien.
“Yes! I’m pregnant with twins. Can’t you feel them moving beneath you?”
The man’s expression filled with sick remorse. It was obvious he felt the babies moving inside her. The moment he released her, Evangeline shivered. Her argument was working in her favor. He cursed in a language she had never heard before.
Seizing an opportunity of weakness, Evangeline punched him in the nose. Her hand filled with pain, but she rocked his head back good, shoving him off of her. Bolting for the door, she squealed when he gave chase. She fumbled and headed towards the stairs. Confident of a good head start on him, she cried out in surprise when his supernatural strength caught up with her in an instant. She lost her balance.
“Dorien, help me!” she cried as she fell towards the ground.
The man’s raven head snapped at attention. He caught her a moment before she hit the floor. Evangeline knew he had cushioned her fall. Why would a man like him even bother?
“Dorien! Dorien!” she screamed for help.
The man froze. “Tell me now, woman! Who is this Dorien?”
She stared at him through tear-filled eyes. “He’s the love of my life…the father of my children.”
He studied her as if she was lying. Evangeline cringed. How did he make her feel so exposed and naked? The stranger’s eyes narrowed into thin slits. His icy stare was cold and piercing. With a snarled lip, his head shook in disgust. He looked so angry, as if he wanted to kill her. He seized her arms and gave her a good healthy shake. Evangeline’s head rocked back. She swore her teeth were going to break.
Fear gripped her heart. The beat of her pulse hammered against her throat. Bile roiled in her belly. She felt she was going to be sick. In his arms she was trapped, a prisoner held by a mad man. His grip was strong. She didn’t have the strength to fight him.
He growled. “You love their father so much that you don’t even tell him about the creation of his own children? Tell me about this Dorien now…before I finish what I started!”
To be continued…
About the Author
Kristine has been married to Brett, her high school sweetheart, for twenty-one years. She is the mother of Taryn, Brett, and Zackary, and is a proud grandmother to Parker, Ivy, and Evely’nn. A huge Labrador lover, she writes with her beloved Magnus curled under her desk at her feet. A lover of the ocean, water has always been her muse. Her favorite place to escape is in Oceanside, California. Talented with a tipped bag of frosting, cake decorating is only one of her many surprising talents.
Astraea Press, LLC
Where Fiction Meets Virtue
www.astraeapress.com
Spartan Heart, Part One Page 15
