Luke remained silent for a while. I held my breath, praying he’d help the girls. The wind gusted upon the mountain with an eerie howl that had me leaning back into my husband-to-be. Despite the tension radiating from him, his arms were a welcome refuge compared to the back of the slavers’ wagon.
“Jesus Christ,” he hissed, then pulled his horse to a halt. “I despise slavers and would have killed them all, but they outnumber us, and I’ll not risk any harm coming to you.” After another string of curses, he barked instructions over his shoulder to his men, ordering them to follow the wagon and buy the rest of the girls. He withdrew a purse similar to the one he’d used to purchase my freedom and tossed it at the nearest man.
They took off in a flash, riding hard up the dirt path in search of the wagon. Luke’s arms constricted around me as he adjusted his grip on the reins. I stared at his black leather gloves and tried to think of something to say, but it felt awkward to strike up a conversation with the man I’d tried to escape marrying.
“How did you find me?” I managed to ask.
“We received reports of slavers in the area and suspected they would be headed this way. The mountain towns are the most barbaric settlements around.” His voice hardened. “Do you have any idea the kind of life you would’ve lived had you been sold at auction, Nora?”
My face heated with shame, and I lowered my head further. “I’ve an idea, and I thank you for finding me, sir.”
In a flash of movement, he wove his gloved fingers through my hair and jerked my gaze to his. “You would have been starved, beaten bloody, raped, bred with other slaves, and eventually worked to death.” His hold strengthened, and I winced, and as quickly as he’d grabbed me, he released my hair and rearranged me in his arms.
I knew he spoke the truth about what would’ve happened to me, and relief flooded me to have been rescued, even if my rescuer intended to punish me later.
While we awaited the men’s return, Luke fed me bits of dried meat and gave me a canteen of cold water. His kindness moved me, and soon I felt much better, having something in my system besides stale bread for the first time in days.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Do you want more?”
“No, thank you. I’m full now.”
He withdrew a handkerchief from his jacket and dabbed at my face where a rivulet of water had rolled down. His gentle touch made me want to cry. After what I’d done, I didn’t deserve any gentleness. My tears soon followed, and, damn him, he wiped those away, too.
“Shh, Nora. You’re safe now. Don’t cry.”
“I’m so sorry for running away. I never imagined slavers would catch me. I’d only meant to hide out at my cousin’s compound for a few days, until the date of our wedding passed.” I sniffled. “I am selfish and foolish.”
His arms tightened around me briefly, then he tugged the hood of my cloak around my face, warming me further. “You did a selfish and foolish thing, Nora, but that doesn’t mean you are a selfish or foolish person. I happen to know you are a very lovely girl with a good heart; you only made a bad decision. You’ll be punished for your disobedience, but you will also be forgiven, little one.”
A harsh gust of wind descended from the sky, and he turned his horse to face the opposite direction and shielded me from the cold with his body. The heaviness of my guilt almost had me looking forward to my punishment. I feared the pain and the humiliation of being chastised, but oh how I wished for the forgiveness he’d promised.
The moment Luke’s men returned, each with a frightened looking girl seated in front of him, we rode hard through the countryside for Marystown. Hours later, we paused for a quick meal and to water the horses, during which time I tried to reassure the girls that Luke would be a fair master. Of course, convincing them of this was difficult when my intended kept shooting me displeased looks. I supposed he had a lot of reasons to be upset with me. The cancellation of our very public wedding ceremony had likely caused him embarrassment, he had undoubtedly taken offense to my rejection of him, and the trouble and expense of tracking me down had combined with the rest to put him in a serious mood.
As Marystown came into sight, I counted the days in my head to calculate the date. The tenth of February. I vaguely wondered if the people of Marystown celebrated Valentine’s Day, or if Luke had even heard of it. Perhaps I could manage a gift to surprise my new husband in honor of the holiday. Perhaps such a gesture could move him to forgive me for all the grief I’d caused him. We certainly weren’t starting our marriage out on a cordial note.
The houses in Marystown were more modern than Gerrardsville. Larger, too. The streets were cleaner, the solar lamps more abundant, and the people dressed in quality clothing. Many of those walking past the shops appeared fashionable, dressed like the richest in Gerrardsville. The place held more color, too, with many of the houses painted in bright shades of red, blue, yellow, and pure white. Massive greenhouses dominated the far end of the town, looming clear domes brimming with greenery. My breath caught at the sights surrounding me. I couldn’t wait to go exploring.
“Your friends will be freed, Nora. I don’t keep slaves, but they are welcome to stay at our estate and work as paid servants.”
Warmth spread through my chest at his words. Tears burned in my eyes. Please let him be a kind husband. Please don’t let him hate me forever. I swallowed hard and turned to peer into his dark, unfathomable gaze. “Thank you, sir.”
An odd look briefly crossed his face before a young boy rushed up to take the reins from Luke. The boy guided the horse through the gates of a resplendent courtyard then Luke swung down from the mount and assisted me to the ground. Unused to riding horses, my legs and bottom ached, and I wobbled momentarily. Luke caught me, wrapping an arm around my waist and ushering me into his mansion. He walked so fast, I barely had time to glimpse the outside of his massive estate.
To my dismay, he passed me off to a maid with orders to bathe me and see that I rested for a few hours. He also whispered something in her ear that made her blush. Too tired to argue, I followed the red-faced maid upstairs to a rustic but beautifully decorated master bedroom, where I luxuriated in a claw foot tub that had real running water, just as Ella had promised.
Though welcoming, the maid spoke little as she helped me wash my hair and scrub away the dust from the road. My family had never retained servants and I felt awkward, not knowing how to interact with her or any of the many servants I’d seen bustling around the mansion on my way upstairs. I supposed I would learn. After all, this grand brick mansion was my new home.
Had I not run away, Luke and I would’ve married in Gerrardsville before traveling to Marystown. He had been scheduled to arrive three days prior to our nuptials, and I’d run off a mere two days before I would’ve met him.
I desperately wished to mend the rift between us. Flutters rose in my stomach at the thought of tonight. We hadn’t had a wedding ceremony yet. Would he take me before we spoke our vows? Were we to have a quick, private ceremony, or did he wish to plan a public one?
Rumors spread like wildfire from village to village. The traders who traveled between settlements liked to talk, and I had no doubt every last person in Marystown knew I’d attempted to escape marriage to Luke Holsten.
He was the wealthiest resident of this town. Everyone probably thought I was mad to have run away. But if Luke was so desirable a husband, why hadn’t he already found a match here in Marystown? How on God’s green Earth had my stepfather convinced Luke to marry me?
This last thought played over and over in my mind, and my nervousness over the impending evening made my breaths come faster and my legs tremble in the water.
When I announced I was ready for bed, the maid gave me a mortified look and dipped into a nervous curtsey.
“Begging your pardon, my lady, but Master Holsten wishes me to shave you for your wedding night.” She swallowed hard and turned tomato red. “Your privates, that is, my lady. He wishes you completely bare below the waist.�
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I opened my mouth to protest, but then I remembered my promise to obey Luke in exchange for his rescue of the other girls. A flush heating my cheeks, I watched as the maid gathered a small razor and a container of shaving cream. She paused before the tub and nodded at the edge where she’d placed a folded towel.
“It will be easier if you sit on the towel, my lady, and spread your legs.”
I felt an odd mixture of humiliation and arousal as the maid worked the razor over my nether hairs. It wasn’t her touch that had me aching but the idea that Luke had ordered her to shave me, and the knowledge that I would be so bare and vulnerable before him when he claimed me as his wife. Or when he undressed me for punishment. When I imagined him meting out discipline, I pictured myself with my skirts thrown up over my back and my underthings yanked down to my ankles.
Mercifully, the maid was quick and had my privates, as well as my legs and underarms, shaved smooth in about five minutes. Once out of the bath, I dressed in a long, white nightgown constructed of thick silk, soft but warm and with ruffles adorning the neckline and the ends of the sleeves. I’d never owned a garment so lovely.
As I moved toward the bed at the maid’s urging, waves of heat from the fireplace wafted against my ankles. After spending days in the freezing cold, I reveled in the warmth.
Sleep claimed me the second my head hit the soft pillow. Traveling through the night on horseback had left me exhausted, and, by the time I awoke hours later, night had fallen.
I moved to the window and stared out, unsure if Luke wished for me to leave the room. Staying put until he summoned me or came to speak with me himself seemed like the smartest course of action, so I remained in the room, curled up in a large chair near the window. The faint glow of solar street lights blanketed the village below, and stars sparkled in the vast dark sky.
Just two days ago, I’d been headed for my doom on the mountain. If Luke hadn’t shown up in time, I would have already been auctioned off, along with the rest of the girls he’d rescued from certain misery.
I peered around the room, my gaze moving from the crackling fire to the sturdy pieces of furniture and the artwork hanging on the walls. The room smelled like Luke, with a faint hint of smoke. I felt as if he surrounded me even in his absence. I hadn’t bothered asking the maid if this was his room; I already knew the answer.
A tray of fruit, crackers, and cheese had been left on a nearby table, but I left it untouched. My stomach had twisted into so many knots, I didn’t know if I would ever be able to eat again. Though anxious about our next encounter, I wished to see Luke again as soon as possible. If he would only arrive and get my punishment over with, the punishment he’d promised me, perhaps we could move on and get to know one another. But how long would it take him to forgive me?
I’d always dreamed of a happy marriage. Now that I was here in Marystown with my fate sealed, I would do anything to build one with Luke. With my family and friends in Gerrardsville, I needed to make a new life for myself here. Start a family of my own and make new friends.
The door creaked open, and my breath froze in my chest. I faced the entryway on trembling legs. Luke strode in and locked the door behind him. His strong presence filled the space, making it harder to breath. I focused on inhaling and exhaling slowly in an attempt to calm my nerves. He wore a dark three-piece suit, much more formal attire than he’d been wearing when he’d found me on the mountain. He also appeared freshly shaven. I wondered if he’d cleaned up in this room while I’d been sleeping.
“You look well rested, Nora.”
“Th-thank you for your hospitality.”
“This is your home now, too. You are to be my wife.”
“Our wedding ceremony?” My tongue felt heavy in my mouth. “When will it take place?”
His eyes darkened. “Tomorrow morning. It will be a small affair in the parlor downstairs with only the priest and the required number of witnesses present, likely my butler and one of the maids.” He crossed his arms and glared at me, the sort of glare a parent directs at a recalcitrant child. “I arrived in Gerrardsville to find your family’s household in chaos, your stepsisters and mother fretting over your disappearance, and your stepfather trying desperately to locate you. As your family began to fear the worst, we had to cancel the wedding. I promised your stepfather I would find you, and I did. I’ve dispatched a messenger to inform your family of your whereabouts so they can cease worrying about you.”
“Thank you, sir.” Calling him by his first name still didn’t feel right. If being called sir bothered him, he gave no indication. I lifted my chin and took a deep breath. “Are we to sleep together tonight, before the wedding takes place? I mean, that’s fine with me, sir. I won’t object. I was just wondering about your plans for this evening.” I spoke so fast, the words ran together in a ridiculous jumble. Tremors shook my hands, and I clasped them together in an effort to hide my nervousness.
He lifted an eyebrow at me, an amused lilt in his voice. “I have no intention of claiming you before we are properly wed, Nora.” He closed the distance between us in three large steps. “I ought to add to the punishment you already have coming for suggesting such a thing. Naughty, naughty little girl.”
A heated wave stole through me. I ducked my head, my face burning. “Forgive me, sir. I only wish to please you. I didn’t mean to disparage your character by suggesting you would partake in pre-premarital se-sex.” My face flamed hotter. I’d never said the word sex aloud in my life.
“Were you trying to seduce me, Nora, in hopes that I would forget about your punishment?”
“No!” I held my hands out in a gesture of innocence. “I promised to submit to my punishment, and I intend to keep that promise.” I felt frantic and cornered. He stood directly before me, looming over me with his wide shoulders squared and his nostrils flaring.
He grasped my hands in his and pulled me forward until my knees brushed his legs. Then he moved his grip up to my arms, holding me in place as he peered into my eyes.
“Are you a virgin, Nora? Your stepfather insisted you were an innocent girl, but your forwardness has me wondering if you’ve given up your maidenhood to another.” His voice hardened. “Is that why you ran away? Because you wished to marry another?”
“You have it all wrong, sir.” I trembled. God, how I trembled. “I was honest with you before, I swear it. I ran away because I feared marrying a stranger, and I didn’t wish to leave Gerrardsville. That is all. I’m a good girl! I promise I’ve never been with a man.”
He relaxed, if only slightly, but he maintained a secure hold on me. “I hope you are not lying to me, Nora. May God have mercy on you if you are. You don’t want to find out what happens to little girls who tell lies.”
I gulped and made a mental note to always tell him the truth, even if the truth got me in some sort of trouble. Maybe he wanted me because he desired a virgin. Maybe the women in Marystown had a propensity for premarital relations. I was grasping at straws as I tried to decipher his motives toward me, but nothing else made sense.
“I will make you my wife, Nora, even if you aren’t a virgin. I simply do not like being lied to. Lies can destroy the foundation of any relationship.”
He’d been hurt, then. A woman had lied to him, wounded him. I tried to imagine his past and what had happened to turn him into the commanding, fearsome man he was today.
“I promise to never lie to you, sir.” I forced a smile and nodded, trying my best to be sweet and submissive. It wasn’t difficult, and I needn’t pretend. I felt hopelessly surrendered to him already, though he’d yet to lay a hand on me.
His assessing, dominant gaze bored into me. “I am going to examine your privates before I punish you, Nora. I want to be sure the maid did a proper job of shaving you bare, and I also intend to find out if you’ve ever had a cock between your thighs.”
Chapter Three
“Take off your nightdress, Nora.”
I stared at him, my open mouth no doubt portrayi
ng my deep shock. He crossed his arms and leaned against the foot of the bed, my discomfort seeming not to move him. In fact, I could’ve sworn a glint of desire sparked in his dark gaze, and his nostrils were flaring again. I wanted to argue that we weren’t married yet and this wasn’t proper, but I feared his reaction if I resisted.
If only I hadn’t run away. We could’ve had our wedding and started our marriage pleasantly. Instead, I was to be punished by my husband-to-be the night before our nuptials.
“Yes, sir,” I mumbled, drawing the nightdress over my head with slow movements. I held it bunched up in front of me, keeping my nudity concealed from him. I couldn’t help it. This was the first time I’d ever been naked in front of a man.
His gaze trained on mine, he pushed away from the bed and took off his jacket, placing it over the back of a chair. With a determined look, he removed his gold cufflinks and rolled up his sleeves.
I quivered, still using my nightdress as a shield. The silk fabric trailed against my freshly shaven cunny with each quick breath I inhaled. I felt especially sensitive and achy between my thighs. My nipples grew tight and tingled, as if begging to be touched. Shame heated my face, and I hoped he got my punishment over with soon. But, at the thought of my impending examination, I gripped the nightdress and backed away from Luke.
He frowned and lunged forward, ripping the garment from my hands. I wasn’t wearing underthings, since the maid hadn’t provided a pair, and I instinctively moved my hands in front of my center and stared at the floor, too ashamed to peer into Luke’s eyes for a moment longer. Did he know I was achy between my thighs? Did he realize embarrassment wasn’t the only cause of my flushing?
“Get on the bed, Nora, and lie down on your back, with your knees bent and your legs spread.”
I obeyed, my body humming at his nearness. He stood tall beside the bed, watching intently as I got into position, his hands on his hips. His size intimidated me as much as his commanding presence.
Bound, Spanked and Loved: Fourteen Kinky Valentine's Day Stories Page 32
