The Barbarian's Captive (11 page)

She groaned as she felt every exquisite inch of his long shaft dragging against her sensitized tissues. This man did things to her, arousing her like no one ever had.

“Don’t threaten your mate, little one. Retribution for that is swift.”

His tongue slipped out and licked along her bottom lip, belying the harshness of his words. “Now, then, did you have another question?”

“Um…”

He bit her lower lip gently.

“It seems to have left my mind.”

“Maybe it will come back to you. After, if we’re lucky.”

He lowered her onto his shaft while thrusting upward. Her head fell back and she savored the sheer breadth and depth of him. His hand came up and twisted in her hair, as his other arm held her close. He then began to rock into her, each penetration bumping and stimulating her clit. His lips found her throat and opened on her wet skin, the tips of her breasts sliding over his chest, abrading her nipples with each pump of his hips. It was phenomenal to be so close to another in such an intimate way.

“Let go,” he urged huskily. “I want to hear you scream as I bring you to release again.”

In the next instant, she did, convulsing around him as his name echoed from the walls and bounced off the water.

“That’s it, my beautiful mate,” he said, with a groan. “Call to me.”

When she finally lay limp and replete in his arms, he rose, carrying her to the side of the pool, and laid her back on the cool tiles. While standing in the water, with her ass at the very edge, he lifted her legs until they rested upon his chest, her heels on his shoulders. He began moving again, gliding in and out of her copious slickness. His hand came around in front and his thumb found her clit, circling it in a pattern that matched his rhythmic thrusts. Kerr’s beautiful eyes locked on hers, blazing down at her with an awe-inspiring need. Soon, her own desire built again.

As she arched into him, he grasped her ankles and pulled them apart, pushing them up and out until she was spread wide open for him. He moved faster, driving into her deeply, filling her with his boundless passion until she felt another climax building.

“Kerr,” she gasped. “What are you doing to me?”

“I’m making you mine, more fully and irrefutably a part of me every time I take you.”

She surrendered to his possession of her body, as he drove her to the brink of ecstasy, holding her there, making it last, until he too was swept over the top. She clung to him, barely able to do anything except enjoy the ride as he thrust into her one more time. As he came, he shouted her name and claimed her as he did that first night.

“Forever mine, Eva.
Maes eternium
.”

As if she could ever forget it — or had any other choice.

Chapter 7

T
he thick, fluffy towel felt good against her damp skin as he gently rubbed her dry.

“The burning has subsided?”

“Yes. It wasn’t as bad as earlier, and yet, every time we, uh, join and you, well, you know.”

“Spend my seed inside you?”

“Yes, that. It seems to raise my body temperature several degrees. This morning, it was like I had a fever. The heat this time is more like the sting of a sunburn, but I still don’t think that’s normal.”

“It’s the transformation. The reaction occurs in your cells, affecting your body fluids, including your blood, the oils on your skin, and the juices of your sex. It is spurred by our joining, the friction as we move together, the rising of our body heat, and our kisses, but the strongest catalyst is my seed which is the true transformer. The elevated temperature and burning sensation aren’t uncommon and should diminish each time as your body chemistry attunes to mine. This morning, the first time after the breaching, should have been the worst of it.”

“Let’s hope.” She glanced back at him shyly as she wrapped the towel around her, overlapping the ends and tucking them between her breasts. Like every other man she’d been with, which she could count the sum total of on the fingers of one hand, excluding her thumb and including Kerr, he was nonchalant about talking about sex. When she tried, she stuttered and stammered over the words like a shy teen, despite her training and degrees. “I can’t imagine what it would be like if we weren’t matched.”

“Little one,” he replied patiently. “If we weren’t destined to be mates, nothing would happen and your body wouldn’t change.”

“Oh.” Silently, she processed all that he’d told her. “Do the males transform in any way, or is it all on the woman?”

“We do, although not in the noticeable ways our females do.”

“You mean your hair won’t turn blonde and your eyes green?”

“That has never happened to my knowledge, no.”

“What happens then, exactly?”

“We call it the hunger, because that’s how it is described by our men. It begins as desire, often on first sight, and with touch, time in proximity, and ultimately physical joining, we develop an appetite for one another that doesn’t fade over time, only growing stronger. It is nature’s way of propagating the species.”

“It sounds disturbingly obsessive.”

“To have your mate long for your body, and desire to be with you, is disturbing?”

“We don’t have such a thing on our planet; there is desire, infatuation, lust, although that ebbs over time. That is why divorce is so common.”

He frowned. “That word does not translate.”

“I guess in your world that would be like becoming unmated.”

He snorted. “Impossible. As I said, Primarians mate for life.” He brought a length of her hair to his nose and inhaled, before holding the same lock against her own, the scent, his scent, as stirring as it was startling.

“Physical proof makes it more tangible than all of my words and explanations combined. Isn’t that true, doubtful Eva?”

She met his gaze, his liquid eyes twinkling with a mix of humor and desire. Three times in less than a day and he still wanted more; he wasn’t human!

“I’m Primarian. Our stamina is unrivaled.”

“Does the transformation allow you to read my mind, as well?”

“No, but you have a very expressive face.” The trace of laughter in his voice and his casual affection, warmed her, her cheeks flooding with heat at the capacity he had for readily discerning her thoughts and emotions. He let her off easy, though, and changed the subject. “I ordered some clothing brought in. It should be in the entryway by now.”

She blanched, recalling how she had cried out his name when she’d come, the sound echoing in the bathroom. He also had a tendency to express his pleasure loudly at the end. Anyone coming into the suite would have heard.

“Everyone on this ship knows of your presence and that we are in our bonding transformation period, Eva.”

“Well, isn’t that a comforting thought.”

“Do not be embarrassed by the passion we share. It is something to rejoice in, not hide.” His fingers touched her cheek lightly. “Those who haven’t bonded will be envious, though all will be happy that we have found each other.”

He pinched her chin gently and winked. Surprised, she gaped up at him, marveling at his use of the well-known earth gesture. It shocked her how much their species were actually alike — except for the whole sex chemistry experiment, of course. He laughed softly as he lifted her chin and closed her mouth, then leaned in and kissed her. Then he turned and walked toward the door in all his gilded nakedness. Her gaze fell thoughtfully to his ass, a sigh of disappointment slipping from her lips when that handsome backside disappeared out the door. The man was simply too gorgeous for her own good.

She bent to finish drying her lower half and groaned at the tenderness she felt inside. She’d had more sex with him in the last day than she’d had in the last five years — self-induced gratifications excluded. Her muscles and tissues simply weren’t used to that activity level, and on such a grand scale at that. As she propped a foot on a nearby bench, she felt the pull across her inner thigh. Gingerly, she dried her bottom, surprised that no more than a lingering warmth and a slight tenderness remained. He’d spanked her each time, after all. And wasn’t that yet another bizarre twist in her new reality?

“Here they are,” he said as he came back in with a pair of shoes and a long dress, the shimmery fabric the same dark red as the tunic he’d worn yesterday. “The color denotes that you belong to a warrior. The gold slashes on the sleeves — four in number signifying the highest rank — display to all that you are an elite mate, that you are prima, first consort to the Maxime Princep.”

“A reflection of you.”

“Exactly.”

“Will I always have to wear the red and the gold?”

“You don’t like the color?”

“It’s beautiful,” she murmured, watching as he shook out the simply designed dress. Of course, these old-fashioned men would garb their women in something flowing and feminine — and in a dress, never pants. The last time she’d worn a dress had been on Christmas when she’d been seven. That brought up bittersweet memories of both her parents, who had long since passed, and her sister back on Earth. A wave of homesickness swept through her.

“When on the ship and in all official functions, you’ll wear my colors,” he explained, as though sensing her upset. “It is traditional and expected, but other times the choice will be yours. I think green the same shade as your beautiful eyes would suit you best.”

“Thank you,” she said, her voice soft and hesitant, not knowing what else to say. Everything was new and different, and coming at her so very fast.

“You seem distressed.”

She shook her head, feeling emotional and not really wanting to discuss it.

“Let me help you.” He removed her wet towel and tossed it aside. “Arms up,” he directed and lifted the garment, guiding her head and her arms through the holes before letting the gauzy fabric fall over her body. Turning her, he began to tie the laces in back that molded the material to her upper body. “It fits perfectly.”

“Something is missing, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I almost forgot. Come.” He led her by the hand into the bedroom and to a full length mirror. When he left her there to retrieve what had to be panties, she caught sight of herself in the gown. It was stunning. In a material similar to chiffon, the Greek goddess design draped from one shoulder, nipping in at the waist due to the laces which from the front looked like an intricate wide mesh belt. From there it hung in a full skirt that draped in deep folds to the floor. In the beautiful gown, she looked ready to dine with royalty or heads of state.

“The dress is gorgeous, Kerr, but surely your women don’t wear something like this every day.”

“Well, no, nothing this formal, but something similar.”

Her eyes shifted to his image in the mirror as he stepped in close behind her. When he raised his hands to her head, she noticed he held more gold mesh.

“What is that?”

“It’s for your hair. All mated females wear their hair up in public.”

“Is that another rule?”

“No, Eva, it is a tradition, and our women wear it proudly because it proclaims to

one and all that they are mated.”

Well, didn’t that make her feel like a real shit? She angled her head and gazed at his reflection curiously. “Do the males also wear something to show that they are mated?”

He looked startled. “No, that their woman wears a symbol to proclaim the bond is enough.”

Why didn’t that surprise her?

He picked up a brush from a nearby table and began to pull it through her long hair. “The color is remarkable. No one on Primaria will have ever seen its like. They won’t be able to keep their eyes off of you.”

She watched in the mirror as he expertly brushed out the wet tangles, her eyes drawn to the thick, silky mass of his own dark hair, long and straight, gleaming in the light, the locks falling well past his shoulders. As he settled the gold head piece over her head, he aligned the filigree bands across the top of her head until they met at her nape.

“Tilt your head forward.”

He hooked the bands together, then twisted and wound the loose curls into an updo at the crown of her head, the mass gathered and pinned in such a way that it fell freely, the ends not reaching quite to her neck, leaving it exposed except for a few loose tendrils curling down the sides. His adept and agile fingers worked quickly, and in no time he was done. His skill surpassed her own; she usually opted for an easy pony tail or boring twist.

He picked up a glossy wave and coiled it around his finger. The light brush of his fingers sent shivers racing through her so that goose bumps rose up on her arms. At the same time, her nipples tightened almost painfully, standing out firmly against the thin fabric. She crossed her arms to hide them, surreptitiously rubbing the ache away. Her neck had become a new erogenous zone and, naturally, Kerr gravitated toward it.

“Look how beautiful you are,” he said, as he gave her a head to toe scan in the mirror. His hands curved around her bare shoulders, his breath on her damp nape caused another tingle to shoot along her nerve endings.

Her eyes met his in the mirror. “It is lovely,” she whispered. “But the something missing I was referring to wasn’t for my hair.”

“Shoes? I have those in the other room.”

“No, I meant—” She cleared her throat, embarrassed. “I’m naked underneath, Kerr.”

His eyes flashed hotly before sweeping down her body, lingering on her breasts, then dipping to her hips. “You are very well covered, sprite.”

“Maybe, but I’m not used to going around without…” She didn’t want to use the word panties, never liking it personally. She sought a substitute. “Briefs. You know, undergarments like the loin cloth you wore in the jungle.”

“Unnecessary, unless it’s your monthly courses — which I know it is not.”

She ignored that comment, refusing to talk about that with him. “I can’t walk around exposed.”