by Sandy James
* * *
Ian’s touch, the feel of his tongue, his lips, threw her mind into a riot of emotions. Her skin was on fire, her breasts heavy and sensitive as she held him right where he was, demanding he continue the exquisite torture.
Jaanu. The Hindi endearment repeated in her mind, over and over in a chant. Jaanu. Jaanu.
My life and my heart.
She needed more, wanting to praise his body the same way he worshipped hers. Pushing her palms against his shoulders, she tried to separate from him.
He wouldn’t allow it, drawing her back to him by holding her nipple between his teeth.
She pushed harder, loving the mix of pain and pleasure, until he released her and let her have her way. Burying her face against his neck, she nipped at his skin, soothing each bite with a loving lick. His neck. His shoulder. Moving to his chest, where she rubbed her nose in the crispy hair that spread across his pecs, tapering as she followed the trail down to his stomach.
Her tongue circled his navel, making his abs quiver. Sarita smiled as she put her hand on his erection.
“Lass, ye donnae have to—”
Stopping only long enough to throw him a smile, she indulged herself in the one thing she’d always been afraid she wouldn’t have the nerve to try. She licked him from root to tip.
With a sharp inhale, Ian raked his fingers through her hair.
Sarita found that not only did she have the courage, she loved taking him into her mouth, learning his taste and his shape. She trailed one hand up his inner thigh until she could cradle his soft sac in the palm of her hand. Everything about his body was so new, so exciting to her. Touching him in such an intimate way made her insides burn. When she gently squeezed him, he groaned.
“I cannae take much more, loving.”
Releasing him, she kissed her way up his body until she straddled his hips again. “Neither can I.”
“Take me inside you, Rebecca. I need to feel you around me.”
The name grated on her, but she brushed it aside. It was the only name he knew for her, and no matter how she wanted to hear her name spill from his lips, that just couldn’t happen.
She loved that he let her make the choice, somehow it made everything between them equal again. He’d handed her his need for revenge, letting her know this wasn’t about Artair any longer. This was a man and woman, lost in desire, coming together in passion that had been nurtured for so long it had become far too strong to deny.
Rubbing the tip of his cock against her, she shifted until he slid inside her body.
He gasped.
She whimpered, letting the fleeting pain of losing her virginity pass and praying Ian wouldn’t notice.
* * *
Ian had never felt anything as wonderful as her tight heat surrounding him, squeezing the breath from his body. But his entrance had been less than smooth. He dug his fingers into her hips and gaped at her.
No. It wasn’t possible. She was Artair’s wife. He shouldn’t have had to push past the barrier he’d just plunged through with all the finesse of a battering ram.
“How can you be a virgin?” he demanded.
His thoughts tumbled and twisted. Why would Artair MacKay marry a woman as beautiful as Rebecca and not take her to his bed?
“How can this be?”
She shook of her head, sending her glorious mane of hair spilling over her shoulders.
“But—”
She took his words away with a heartfelt kiss.
“Not now, Ian,” she whispered before pressing herself down hard against him. “Make love to me.”
“But—”
She leaned forward and captured his lips for a kiss that robbed his every thought, especially when her tongue caressed his at the same time she lifted her hips and then pushed down again.
Ian was lost. Keeping his grip on her, he rocked up, planting himself deeper inside her.
“Goddess,” she said in a breathy sigh, “that feels good.”
“It feels a whole lot more than good, loving. ’tis heaven.”
Something primitive surged forward from deep inside him. He was the first man to possess her, and damn, if that didn’t thrill him.
Her eyes were full of desire. “Aye,” she said, imitating his brogue. “’Tis heaven, indeed, for this lass.”
“Ah, my love—you do please me.” Sitting up enough to slip his palm behind her head, he pulled her down, capturing her lips in a searing kiss.
There was no more talk, only the feel of her breasts against his chest, the slide of her tongue across his and the rhythm of her body meeting each of his thrusts. He’d be damned if he’d find fulfillment before her, especially after she’d gifted him with her precious virginity. But each time he moved within her, another thread of his control snapped.
Just when he feared he’d lose his battle, she took her lips away from his, panting for air before a cry of ecstasy escaped. In that moment where her muscles squeezed him tight, he found his own release. He called her name as he thrust into her one more time and let his climax take hold.
* * *
Sunlight trickled through the window, its warmth making Sarita stretch like a contented, lazy cat. She arched and raised her arms above her head to ease the tightness in her muscles.
A strong hand captured her wrists, trapping her arms. Ian’s body blanketed hers. He brushed his beard-stubbled cheek against the spot where her neck met her shoulder, adding nibbling kisses as he rubbed his naked body against hers. There was no doubt he’d woken up hungry for her—as hungry as she was for him.
“Such a nice way to wake up,” she murmured.
Instead of speaking, he put his lips to hers, his tongue sliding inside her mouth to stroke and tease and tempt.
She replied by wrapping her legs around his hips, loving how he moaned against her lips. Damn, if she wasn’t wishing he’d leave the teasing behind. Her desire was already soaring, and she wasn’t sure how much taunting she could take before she’d resort to begging. She needed him inside her. Now. Squeezing her thighs tightly, she tried to pull her arms free.
He wouldn’t let her. Instead, he pinned her wrists to the sheets with one hand while the other squeezed between their bodies. Without so much as a word, he grabbed his erection and slid into her body.
Sarita gasped, closing her eyes and surrendering to the riot of feelings racing through her.
* * *
Ian had awakened with the taste of her still on his lips, and he could think of nothing more than making love to her again. He was probably moving things along far too quickly. She’d need time for the tenderness of losing her innocence to leave. Finesse hadn’t entered this interlude, but the need to be the aggressor this time was more than he could control. Now that he was deep inside her, he almost breathed a relieved sigh. Her passion matched his perfectly. She was wet and ready.
And she belonged to him now.
When he moved, pulling back before thrusting inside her again, she moaned against his mouth, the sound driving his desire for her higher and higher.
Ian released her wrists, and her hands moved to his shoulders, where she dug her fingernails into his skin and raked deep furrows. The sting made him speed the rhythm.
That’s it, loving. Mark me as yours.
The race for fulfillment was on, and she met each of his strokes with her hips. Afraid her uninhibited response would force his own orgasm first, he was ready to reach between their bodies and stroke her to release. But she drew her knees up and tightened around him. Her back arched as she ripped her lips away from his and called his name.
He joined her a heartbeat later, his climax so strong, he could barely hold himself up so he wouldn’t crush her with his weight.
Long moments passed, the only sound in the bedchamber the bre
aths each gulped. He’d never known the type of contentment he felt at that moment, and with that realization came fear.
Ian rolled away from her.
Rebecca followed, draping her slender thigh over his legs while her fingers toyed with his chest. “Good morning.”
His thoughts were so tangled, all he could do was grunt in response.
Pushing up on an elbow, she stared at him. Her hair had fallen in beautiful disarray around her shoulders and her face. He combed through the heavy locks with his fingers, brushing it back over her shoulder. Then he traced the length of her scar with his fingertip. The mark grounded him, making him realize she wasn’t as perfect as the image he’d created of her.
Rebecca pushed his hand away and pulled some tresses back to cover her ear and the side of her face. “I know. It’s unsightly.”
“Nothing about you could be unsightly. How did you come by the mark?”
“It was a gift from a goddess who hated me and my sisters.”
“A goddess?”
She tried move, but he grabbed her wrist. She frowned. “I don’t want to talk about it, Ian.”
“Fine. We have other matters to discuss.”
“Discuss? Like what?”
“The weather in the Highlands?” He scoffed. “You were a virgin, woman! How is it yer married and have never been bedded?”
“The last thing I want to do right now is talk about any of this. Besides, there’s nothing to talk about. What happened—or didn’t happen—between Artair and me is none of your business.”
Jerking her wrist from his grasp, she threw herself from the bed. She picked her shift up off the floor and donned it. “I’m going for a bath in the pond.”
Without waiting for him to say a word, she hurried to the door and left.
She had it all wrong. There was plenty to talk about. In the act of loving her, his whole world had been flipped upside down.
When he’d been making love to her, he hadn’t been thinking about Artair MacKay or Helen or the Amazons. For those precious moments, the only two people who existed were him and his beautiful captive. Once he’d claimed her virginity, all his plans were thrown in disarray.
The need for revenge was a dying fire. In loving Rebecca, those flames had dimmed, growing fainter until all that remained was her.
He couldn’t use her anymore. And no matter how much he wanted to, there was no way he could keep her, either. There was only one choice remaining.
The time had come to send her back to the world—to her sisters.
Knowing she’d return to Artair killed Ian inside. The notion of another man touching her, even if that man was her wedded husband, turned his stomach. But to know she was safe was more important than worrying about her sharing her husband’s bed.
Ah, but she hadn’t shared Artair’s bed. Ian had been the first to claim her, a victory no one could take away from him and a memory he’d cherish forever.
Yet Ian couldn’t keep her. Nor could he ever allow Helen to harm her. The safest place for her was with her sisters.
How could he get Rebecca home?
Helen couldn’t harm her so long as the magicks stayed spun around dorcha àite. No doubt she’d try to end the spell when Ian refused to hand over Earth. Yet the instant the spell fell, the Amazons would be able to sense Rebecca and transport her back to Avalon. Once she was home, then Helen could do her worst. He almost smiled as he pictured the divine tantrum the goddess would throw. He’d witness quite a show before she punished him.
Until Helen returned, he would sate himself with the tiny woman who’d captured him with the stealth and skill of the best reiver. Just like a thief, she’d stolen the only thing he had left.
His heart.
Chapter Nine
After three glorious days of acting like newlyweds, Sarita wanted to pretend this was forever. That she wasn’t an Amazon. That Ian didn’t hate Artair.
Every time Ian tried to bring up why she’d been a virgin or discuss the future, she distracted him—usually through seduction. Amazed at the greed she possessed for him, she cut loose any binding she’d held on her passion. Although she’d never considered herself a prude, she’d also never experienced the kind of freedom her love for Ian gave her. Nor had her sisters warned her how terrifying being in love could be—how she’d lose herself in making love, feeling as if her soul joined with Ian’s each time they came together.
They swam nude, bathing each other, and she didn’t try to hide her body from him. They slept naked, something that seemed decadent. But she enjoyed the feel of his hot skin against hers. Without his touch, she wasn’t able to rest at night. They made love so many times, she lost count.
For as long as she was in this place, she’d act on every fantasy and fulfill all of his.
Not that she wasn’t forming a few plans...
Even though Ian had never slipped and told her that Helen was behind this, in her heart, Sarita knew. What she didn’t know was how they could come out of this mess without her losing Ian and still being able to protect Artair from his wrath.
Turning idea after idea around, she came to one stark and scary conclusion—if she could get Ian to Avalon, he would never stay for the simple fact Artair was there. Nor could Sarita leave her home and her sisters to be with Ian. She was, above all things, the Water Amazon. She owed her allegiance to Ganga and the Amazons. Although she loved Ian more and more with every passing minute, she wouldn’t walk away from her duties or her sisters to be with him.
Goddess, this whole thing’s a nightmare.
Before she could decide on a plan, the world intruded on dorcha àite.
Sarita looked up from her meal when someone pounded on the heavy oak door. She’d wondered how long it’d be before Ian’s benefactor came for a visit. No doubt, Helen would be the Ancient who walked in when Old Ewan finally made his way over to the door.
She glanced to Ian, who’d dropped his spoon into his stew. “It would appear you have a visitor.”
“Aye.” His gaze went from the door to her. “Ye best take yourself to our bedchamber, loving.” The legs of his chair scraped across the stone floor as he got to his feet.
It warmed her heart to hear him refer to his bedroom as belonging to both of them, yet she knew who’d come knocking. The time had come to face her enemy. “I’m not hiding.”
“It wouldnae be hiding—”
“The hell it wouldn’t.”
“I’m trying to protect you.”
She scooted her chair back and stood. “Rule number one for dealing with an Amazon—don’t protect her. She can damn well protect herself.”
“Are you sure?”
She tossed him a brusque nod. “Let me be a surprise.”
“You were certainly a surprise to me, especially the first time you came to my bed.”
She ignored his cheeky remark.
By letting Helen see that Ian had captured Water instead of Earth, Sarita might be able to use the element of surprise to her advantage. Since dorcha àite was shielded from magicks, she could provoke a confrontation. While she might have lost a fight in the real world because Helen was a goddess, their powers weren’t in play here. Helen couldn’t blast things or toss Sarita aside with nothing but the swipe of her hand. There would be no revenants.
Sarita was fast and a master of hand-to-hand combat. She just might have a shot now that the playing field had been leveled.
How would Ian react when her secret came out? He already knew she’d been a virgin, but from what he’d said, he’d “blamed” that on Artair. Ian took great delight in insulting Artair’s virility.
Now, the time had come to show all her cards. “I’m sure Helen will be really glad to see me.”
He clenched his jaw. “I didnae say it was her.”
&
nbsp; “Aw, c’mon. It wasn’t tough to figure out. Helen’s hated Earth from the day she became an Ancient. Each new defeat the Amazons hand her only makes her more rabid to kill us all. What I need to know is why she chose you. What’s the ace you’re holding up your sleeve that made her bring you back to the world of the living? ’Cause I know it’s more than just what your clan did to you—what you think Artair made them do.”
“Rebecca, please...”
“Are you going to tell me?” she demanded. “Or are you going to let Helen spill the beans?”
“Loving, I—”
“Ian!” Helen’s distinctive voice echoed from the foyer. “Where are you? I have news!”
“Please. Go upstairs. Now. Let me handle this. Maybe I can reason with her.”
At least he wasn’t lying by denying that he’d been used by Helen. A fair start to a new beginning for them.
“I’m not leaving, Ian. The game ends tonight. One way or another, I’m done playing by that bitch’s rules.” She headed into the shadows to wait for the right moment.
* * *
Old Ewan led Helen into the dining hall. As slowly as he shuffled across the floor, he acted as though he were being led to his own execution.
She swept past him, shoving the servant out of the way, the train of her forest-green gown dragging behind her.
“My plan is finally falling into place,” she announced as she strode over to Ian. “It won’t be long before I can call them out!”
“Who?” Ian couldn’t make himself care.
He watched her, his heart pounding, as he waited for Rebecca to make her move. There was normally no way someone that tiny could take a woman of Helen’s size, especially a goddess.
Ah, but the rules were different at dorcha àite, and Helen had been the one who changed them.
He tried to contain a grin. If hard-pressed, who knew what Rebecca was capable of doing? She might not be able to use her vines or shake the ground, but Helen wouldn’t be able to throw energy or stop her with force fields. Nor would the old Earth be able to stop the new one with any of the killing spells the Ancients possessed.
