“Don’t move,” he barked over his shoulder as he left the tent.
Liam came back in a few moments with the medical kit. Selena remained mute as he rubbed her ankle with liniment, his fingers gentle but firm as he massaged it into the skin. Finally, he wrapped her ankle neatly with cloth bandages. He washed his hands and replaced everything carefully into the medical kit. He would have risen without a word, but Selena delayed him by grasping his arm and pulling him around to face her. Her eyes scanned his harsh features, and she reached up to caress his rigid jaw.
“I didn’t mean to worry you, Liam,” she whispered softly. “I was just as worried about you.”
“It was a damned fool idea to go off on your own like that,” he growled, glaring down at her. “You could have been seriously hurt.”
“I wasn’t hurt though, and I had to make sure you were alright.”
Selena scooted on her bottom until she could reach her arms around Liam’s neck. She trailed tiny apologetic kisses along his neck and up over his cheeks. When she finally reached his mouth, she pressed her brow to his and her eyes begged him for forgiveness.
“I was just trying to look after you. Don’t be mad at me.”
As she watched, his eyes softened ever so slightly, but his fierce scowl remained. “You realize that you had me worried sick,” he accused. “Promise you’ll never do anything so foolish again.”
Liam hated feeling so vulnerable, and he was furious with her for stirring up those feelings of helplessness by taking foolish risks. He had been nearly frantic as he searched for her in the darkness, and his emotions still felt raw and exposed. The fact that the entire episode could have been avoided made him livid.
Selena bit her bottom lip. “I can’t promise not to try and look after you. But we’re both alright, so can’t we just put this whole miserable day behind us?”
Searching for a way to divert him from his anger, she toyed with the hair at his nape, wrapping a tawny strand around her finger as she nibbled at his ear. She had seen his eyes flitting over her meagerly clad bosom and knew he wasn’t immune to her state of undress. Taking her lower lip between her teeth, she leaned against his chest, pressing the ripe mounds of her breasts up invitingly and smiling at Liam from beneath her lashes.
“I made you a lovely pot of chicken soup. You must be hungry after not eating since breakfast.”
Liam’s frown deepened. His temper was still brewing, bubbling just beneath the surface. He was doing his best to hold it sternly in check, but the fact that Selena had yet to admit to doing anything wrong only angered him further.
“I still haven’t given up the notion of spanking your backside,” he growled, “and I might decide to do so yet.” His face was all hard planes as he scowled his displeasure. “Now promise me you’ll never do anything so foolish again, or I’m going to give you the punishment you deserve.”
Selena’s eyes were wide as she stared at him for several long stunned moments. She realized that for the first time, Liam was so angry with her that he wasn’t treating her with tender caution. Maybe this was the opportunity she had been hoping for, a chance to make him forget her stepfather’s abuse and treat her like the passionate woman she was. Thrilled at the thought of having no-holds-barred lovemaking, she yanked his face down to hers and gave him a blatantly inviting kiss, taunting him with her mouth.
Selena knew she was playing with fire by inciting him in his current mood, but she deliberately did so. She wanted to experience all the passion and fulfillment possible between a man and a woman. Liam’s temper might be the catalyst she needed to make him abandon his protectiveness. She broke off from the kiss, and they were both breathing raggedly. When she raised one challenging brow, it was clear that she was practically daring him to make good on his threat.
“I’m not frightened of you,” she taunted.
Liam’s barely leashed temper strained at the reins. He met her challenging glare and took a deep breath to cool his anger. “You should be,” he growled ominously. He flicked a glance down to her chemise before he met her stare. When he spoke, his voice had the tone of unmistakable command. “Take that off.” When she hesitated out of surprise, he snarled “Now!”
“No,” she replied, raising her chin defiantly.
Liam’s eyes smoldered, and he bent until his nose was a mere inch from hers. She could feel his hot breath on her face when he spoke. “Take it off, or I’ll take it off for you,” he threatened. “I assure you, if I take it off, it will be beyond repair.”
Selena’s eyes were wide, and she gulped in shock. She swiftly unbuttoned her chemise and lifted it off over her head. Her breasts trembled with her excited breaths as she sat still beneath his lengthy perusal.
He pushed her none too gently down on her back on the pallet and crudely kneaded her breast. He expected her to plead for him to stop when he grasped her taut nipple between his thumb and fingers, squeezing progressively harder until he knew he must be causing her pain. He had never handled her so roughly, and he was amazed when she moaned softly and stroked the back of his hand in wordless encouragement.
He bent and seized her lips in a fierce kiss. His lips were hard and demanding on hers, and he swallowed her low moans as he continued to torment her breast. He released her mouth only to fasten his over the rigid peak of one breast. The fact that she threaded her fingers through his hair and clasped him to her only served to heighten his irritation. Despite her sweet responsiveness, he was more determined than ever to teach her a lesson. He wasn’t going to be satisfied until she atoned for her careless behavior.
Liam grasped both of Selena’s wrists and pulled them above her head, securely anchoring them down in one of his hands. The new position forced her to arch her back. Her breasts thrust up toward him, like luscious offerings to appease his fury. He growled his approval.
He cupped one trembling breast and briefly met her wide-eyed stare before he snarled and suckled her taut nipple into the fiery cavern of his mouth. He roughly nipped the sensitive peak with his teeth, pulling and tugging at the tender nubbin, barely shy of breaking the delicate skin. Selena bit down on her bottom lip to keep from crying out and arched her back in wordless supplication for more. He released a frustrated growl and switched to her other breast to repeat the torture, relentlessly squeezing the first nipple with his fingers as he chastised the second with his teeth.
“Promise you won’t ever take foolish risks again, and I’ll stop,” he urged. Selena merely shook her head and moaned with delight. Liam’s temper flared even more.
He eyed her nipples, both moist and reddened from his abuse, and his erection throbbed painfully from the tantalizing sight. Changing tactics, he held her breast steady and brutally scraped his bristly whiskers across her nipple. He knew the coarse texture would feel like sandpaper on the tender flesh. In response to this new punishment, her delicate nipples turned dark red and her breasts quivered. Selena finally released a muted sob, but still, she refused to admit her wrongdoing. Liam relented, gently suckling first one then the other abused nipple deep into the hot cavern of his mouth as he soothed them. He didn’t have the heart to torture them further. He would have to find another way to get his message across.
Just when Selena was beginning to regain her composure, Liam surprised her by abruptly setting her on her knees before him. He pushed her chest down onto the blanket, baring her naked bottom to the cold evening air and his burning perusal. Her position looked humbling, with her bowing before him, but she had yet to truly submit. Liam cupped her buttocks and roughly kneaded the soft globes. Heat welled beneath her skin, and Selena shivered with need. He moved to her side, placing one arm securely around her waist to hold her still. Selena’s eyes opened wide, shocked that he might actually spank her.
"Liam, if you think I'm going to let you…ouch!"
She had to bite her lip to suppress a yelp as his palm connected on her naked bottom with a loud thwack. The harshness of the blow shocked her. Liam had held nothing bac
k. There was a second’s delay before the sting blossomed, and Selena squirmed in agony. When he landed an equally hard smack on the other side of her bottom, she began to struggle in earnest. Her strength was no match for his, and he easily restrained her as he meted out her punishment. To her amazement, it gradually began to dawn on Selena that she was becoming progressively more aroused with each blow, and she hoped her moans of pleasure would be mistaken for pain.
“Admit you were wrong,” he demanded.
“No,” she replied, thrilled by the barely leashed fury in her husband’s eyes.
Liam continued to rain blows onto her buttocks to a steady rhythm, heedless of her writhing and moaning. He didn't stop until his hand was growing sore. Her entire bottom was bright red and hot, and he could clearly see the imprint of his hand in several places. He caressed her bottom, feeling the heat beneath his palm, and he smiled with grim satisfaction. That had been a welcome release, and he took a deep calming breath as he enjoyed the sight of her bright red bottom and waited for her to calm. When her crying had diminished and her breathing had subsided to hiccupping gulps, he fixed her with a hard glare.
“Now,” he growled, “are you ready to admit you were wrong and promise never to do anything so foolish again?”
Selena chewed her bottom lip. She wasn’t ready for her punishment to end. In fact, she had never felt more aroused than she did in that moment! Still, she wasn’t sure she could withstand even harsher punishment. Her bottom burned like the dickens. Taking a deep breath for courage, Selena met his eye and goaded him further with a petulant frown.
“I don’t have to listen to you. Let me go this instant!” She struggled just enough to fan the flames of his temper.
Liam tightened his grip on her waist, easily subduing her as he growled ominously. He unbuckled his belt with his free hand and pulled it from his belt loops. He noticed her eyes widen in fear as he doubled the wide leather belt into a loop and rubbed it menacingly over her already sore bottom.
“Last chance,” he said, raising a questioning brow.
Selena was thrilled by the dangerous light in his eyes, and she renewed her struggles to hide her smug grin.
He raised his arm high and brought the belt down with a satisfying crack. He was secretly pleased that she hadn’t backed down or begged for mercy. He had never imagined that punishing his wife would be this pleasurable. Liam enjoyed the sight of her jiggling bottom and the lone welt that was quickly swelling on her flesh as he paused to let the heat fully blossom. Her bottom had never looked more enticing!
Selena had thought the heat from Liam’s hand had been bad, but the belt left a stripe of white hot fire on her bottom. She whimpered and squirmed, burying her face in the quilt to muffle her shrieks of pain.
He took his time, stretching out her punishment until he had delivered a series of twelve lashes. After each lash, he paused to let the full effect of the burning welt spread through her tender backside. He had left a dozen raised welts on her plump, red bottom, and he knew the lush globes had to be agonizingly sore. He grinned wolfishly, kneading the tender flesh to exacerbate the burn as he surveyed his handiwork. He hadn’t scarred her or left any permanent damage. However, he knew the welts would serve as a reminder that would last for the next several days. He dropped the belt beside the quilt and paused to let Selena recover.
He took several deep breaths to calm his anger as he kneaded his wife's fleshy behind and listened to her shaky sobs. His erection was throbbing even more urgently than before, but he ignored it for the moment. His eyebrows rose in surprise when he noticed that Selena’s labia were swollen, glistening and very, very wet. Clearly, she had been aroused by the spanking he had given her. He grinned with secret delight as he stashed that knowledge away for future use. The thought of spanking her on a more regular basis was a titillating proposition.
When her sobs finally subsided, Selena held her breath as the silence stretched out, wondering if he was finally going to release her. Her bottom felt like it was on fire, but the stinging pain gradually faded and warmth radiated through her. She bit her lip again, realizing that, exposed as she was, Liam could likely tell the effect he was having on her, and her face flamed.
Just when she thought she couldn't bear to remain still any longer, two broad fingers speared deeply into her softness, invading her with arrogant, possessive strokes. Stark, searing pleasure shot through her to coalesce in her loins. Selena gasped, realizing that her body was illuminated by the glow from the lantern sitting on the ground behind her. She was displayed before him, completely naked with her bottom tipped up in silent entreaty while Liam remained fully clothed. She shuddered with delight and spread her knees wider to provide him with even better access to her most intimate flesh.
Liam growled his approval and took full advantage by spearing her with a third broad finger. He spread his fingers, stretching her to the point of pain. There was a dangerous undertone as he handled her, his anger investing his touch with a hint of ruthlessness. She found it powerfully erotic rather than frightening.
Liam explored her thoroughly exposed flesh at his leisure. The moments drew out until Selena felt her vulnerability in every pore and fiber. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Liam’s gaze was riveted between her thighs. His features were harsh, hardened with anger and determination as he fingered her. He taunted and tantalized, thrusting his fingers into her slick heat only far enough to make her want more.
He tormented her, building her frustration to a fever pitch. As Selena grew increasingly desperate, his strokes became even more blatantly possessive, almost domineering. She understood him clearly. He was letting her know without words that she belonged to him. Her pleasure depended on his whim. Until she acknowledged his authority, neither of them would find peace.
She focused on what he was doing . . . keenly aware of each quiver of his long fingers, each taunting invasion . . . as she felt herself growing slicker, hotter, and needier. She was so wet that they could both hear the slick sounds of his fingers in her quivering sheath. He knew how desperate he was making her, but Liam kept her there, not letting her reach completion until she was frantic and whimpering. When she thought she might go mad from wanting, she moaned in surrender.
“Please, Liam. I’ll promise anything you like…just, please…” Her voice trailed off in a breathless, pleading moan.
Liam’s eyes flared with satisfaction. He drove his fingers deep inside her and squeezed her clit, sending her crashing over the edge. He grunted in approval. It was a start, but he wasn’t finished with the lesson yet.
Selena barely managed to muffle her scream as sweet release finally washed through her body. She would have collapsed in a boneless heap, but he held her rigidly in place, granting her no mercy. Liam kept his fingers buried deep within her until her contractions finally eased, crushing his own desperate desires as he watched the pleasure flow through her. Before she had fully recovered, he squeezed hard on her clit. She jolted back to awareness with a gasp. Liam resumed his stroking, forcing her onto a new plane of passion, where he knew her needs would flay her even more fiercely until her emotions were as raw and exposed as his.
When he felt her body start to respond . . . when she had flowered for him once again . . . when she was trembling as her body helplessly clenched around his fingers . . . he withdrew his hand but kept her anchored in place before him. He stroked her with just the pads of his fingers, gently blowing cool air across her heated, throbbing flesh as he let the moments stretch out. He gritted his teeth, knowing that she was feeling exposed, uncertain, and utterly, achingly empty.
Selena choked back a sob, trembling with anticipation until at last Liam rose on his knees behind her. She waited breathlessly for him to unbutton his breeches, biting her bottom lip as the moments stretched into an eternity. At last, she felt his erection hot and heavy against her bottom, but he refused to enter her, and she tilted her hips backward in desperate invitation. She didn’t care that she was humbling he
rself before him. The emptiness he had created inside her was driving her insane. She needed him inside her. He seemed impervious to her desires, and she released a heart-felt groan.
“Liam, please,” she gasped, her voice trembling with her plea.
Liam dug his fingers into her hips and plunged into her with one forceful stroke. He emitted a low growl of satisfaction when her scalding sheath clasped eagerly around him, clinging to hold him inside. Selena submitted completely to his possession, feeling as if her body had become more his than hers. He ruthlessly demanded that she yield, and she gladly did so, using her body to soothe his fury and provide reassurance for his vulnerable soul. His fingers bit into her hips as he held her helpless before him. Her only option was to brace for each invasion, keenly aware that he was butting against her womb with every powerful thrust. She could barely breathe from the sheer pleasure he was forcing on her.
They had always made love in only the dimmest firelight, and for the first time, Liam was able to fully appreciate Selena’s beauty by the light of the lantern. Her back glowed pale and lustrous beneath his darkly tanned fingers. He stroked the globes of her bottom, grinning again as he squeezed the raised welts and heard her moan. He watched in fascination as he withdrew only to plunge into her welcoming heat again and again. His engorged cock was slick with her dew. He penetrated her to a relentlessly slow, hypnotic rhythm, using the measured pace to underscore her need. Each time, he withdrew until he had nearly slipped free of her sheath before slowly thrusting back into her depths. With every stroke, she grew increasingly desperate, and quivering sobs escaped as she tried to urge him to go faster.
Liam gripped her hips and stubbornly refused to speed up the pace. He kept up the leisurely torture until she became keenly sensitized to how completely he controlled her and how wantonly her body was receiving him. The more blatantly Liam demanded, the more willingly Selena responded. He knew he was winding her tension ever tighter but not going fast enough for her to reach fulfillment. His own body was clamoring for release, but he fought back the urge, intent on making her understand. He wouldn’t be satisfied until she felt as helpless as he had felt while he was searching for her. Only then would she be able to fathom the depth of his vulnerability where she was concerned.
Trailing Home: Liam's Bride (The McKenzie Series #3) Page 22
