“Maybe you could offer a reward. Tell them if anyone offers any information it will be just between you and him.”
“That’s an interesting idea. I’ll think about it, but right now we need to focus on this boat.”
“The ladder looks so much sturdier than yours, and the waves aren’t rough anymore. You don’t need to carry me,” she said confidently, raising the tunic and wading forward.
But as she grasped the solid wooden sides of the ladder, the tunic slipped from her fingers and into the water. Muttering angrily under her breath, she began the climb, and was soon stepping on board.
“This is nothing like your boat,” she remarked, looking around as Ulrick joined her. “It’s much wider, and not as long, and everything’s so shiny.”
“It will be interesting to see the rooms. There appears to be three. We may as well start with the first.”
“I got this tunic all wet,” she grumbled, staring down at the soggy hem. “That was so stupid.”
“Even the smartest person makes mistakes,” he replied, then breaking into a grin, he added, “I’ll have to take it off so it can dry.”
Though she felt herself blush, she raised her eyes and looked directly back at him. “You won’t hear me complaining.”
She knew it had been a brazen response, and when the expected flicker of surprise crossed his face, she pivoted on her feet and walked swiftly toward a set of steps. They were twice the width of those that took her to the small cabin on his ship, and led to an ornately carved door. Pushing down the metal handle and moving inside, she caught her breath.
Red and gold surrounded her.
Fine furniture sat against the walls.
But her eyes grew even wider as she spied a raised platform boasting a scarlet coverlet with large, round cushions. Walking slowly forward, she discovered it was wonderfully soft and gave way as she pressed.
“What is this?” she asked as Ulrick stepped up and stood next to her.
“A bed.”
“This isn’t a bed,” she said emphatically. “A bed is straw or pelts on the floor.”
“This is a bed for those who have money. I have one, but not nearly so grand, and probably not as comfortable.”
“You mean it’s high like this?”
He nodded, then unexpectedly untied the rope around her waist, pulled the tunic over her head, swooped her up and laid her on top of the coverlet.
“There,” he declared. “Do you like it?”
“Oh, my goodness. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt, like floating on a cloud. It’s the most heavenly thing I could ever imagine.”
“We’ll sleep here tonight,” he decreed, then leaning over, he clasped her breasts and dropped his mouth over her nipples.
Gasping as he drew them into his mouth, she instinctively raised her chest, but the pleasure was fleeting.
“You forgot your place a few minutes ago,” he murmured, lifting his head and glaring at her. “What happens when you don’t behave?”
“You punish me, but Master, we were alone, otherwise I wouldn’t have said anything.”
“Ailith, that is not an excuse to—”
“Do you want me to be boring and quiet all the time?” she asked, cutting him off. “That’s not much fun.”
A frown had crossed his brow, and try as she might, she couldn’t work out what it meant.
“You’re very confusing sometimes,” she added. “Whether I’m your servant girl or your wife, I can only be me.”
He paused, continued to stare at her for a long moment, then abruptly straightened up.
“We’ll discuss this later. Stay there and relax while I have a look around.”
“Master, who would own a boat like this?”
“That’s a very good question,” he replied, opening one of the cabinets. “Certainly it’s someone very wealthy.”
“This bed is so wonderful,” she murmured with a sigh. “I think I could sleep forever in comfort like this.”
Closing her eyes and sinking into the mattress, a smile crossed her face. When night fell, he’d climb up and move his lips over her body, press his fingers into her womanhood, then plunge his cock inside her. A surge of need rippled through her sex, and moving her hand between her legs she gently rubbed her clit.
“No!”
Startled, her eyes popped open.
“Your pussy belongs to me,” he said sternly, slapping her hand away. “You will not touch it unless I say so. Spread your legs.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“I said, spread your legs.”
He looked fierce, and before she could follow his order he grabbed her calves and pulled them apart. Her heart racing, she watched him pick up the rope she used for the tunic and slice it in half with the knife he kept at his waist.
“Your training begins now,” he declared, wrapping the rope around her ankles and tying them to the bedposts.
“T-training...?”
“You’ll remember this lesson,” he said sternly, standing at the side of the bed and smoothing his palm along the inside of her thighs, “but not because of that clever brain of yours. I’ll make sure you don’t forget. This milky skin and this furry womanhood,” he continued, placing his hand against her sex, “is for my touch only. You will keep your hands off!”
Suddenly delivering a hard slap to the sensitive skin, he began smacking from one side to the other.
“Ooh, Master, please, I’ll listen and obey, I will, I swear.”
“Yes, you will,” he growled, pressing his lips against her ear and spanking her pussy with quick, sharp slaps. “This is mine,” he whispered, suddenly thrusting two fingers into her channel. “I’ll fuck it when I want. You’ll surrender to me, and thank me when I’m done. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Master,” she stammered, barely able to speak as he shoved them in and out.
“You’re already dripping. You want me right now. Tell me how much?”
“So much, Master,” she whimpered. “More than I can say.”
Diving his lips to her nipples, he hungrily sucked them into his mouth, then moved his fingers against the sensitive nub nestled between the folds of delicate feminine flesh.
“Master,” she gasped as he vigorously rubbed her. “Master, I can feel—”
“Do you want to have your moment, pretty little servant girl?”
“Please, oh, yes, please,” she mewled. “It’s so close.”
Abruptly straightening up, he pulled his hand away and stared down at her.
“You will wait here with your legs tied apart while I explore other areas of this boat, but I will leave your hands free. Do not touch yourself,” he commanded. “I could walk through the door at any moment, and if I find you disobeying me, you will be very sorry.”
“Ooh, Master...”
“You will learn to control your needs. If you want pleasure, you’ll come to me. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Master.”
“You have a brazen tongue. When I return you will not speak unless I allow it.”
He loomed over her, his green eyes narrowed, his brow carved with heavy lines.
“Do you understand everything I just told you?”
She nodded, then watched him turn and march through the door.
Tears sprang from her eyes, but not because her thighs were stinging with a hot, prickling pain, or her aching need for an orgasm.
She hated him.
One moment he was kind and caring, the next, cruel and harsh.
Use your wits.
As her father’s kind, sage words unexpectedly blazed through her brain, she swallowed back the hot lump in her throat.
“I’m only here because I thought I wanted to be, but I don’t anymore,” she whispered. “Ulrick, you can be a mean and nasty man, and I never know when you’re going to turn on me.”
Closing her eyes, she imagined her escape.
She needed to retrieve the gold coin, but that wouldn’t be difficult
.
There were numerous small, hidden caves off the mighty cavern.
She’d gather up some food and hide in one of them until Ulrick and his warriors were gone, then disappear through the forest.
“You don’t know your heart and you treat me badly,” she murmured, picturing him towering over her. “I will perish before living under the rule of such a man.”
Resolved and calmer, the tension began to leave her body, but just as she was about to let herself rest, she thought she heard a creaking sound.
Holding her breath, she strained to listen.
It happened again.
Realizing it had come from beneath her, she dared to peer over the side of the raised platform.
A panel swung open, and quickly crawling out, a surprisingly handsome man dressed in magnificent, colorful clothes stepped out. As she stared at him in shock, he quickly straightened up and placed his finger over his lips.
He needn’t have bothered.
She wanted to scream, but her voice wouldn’t work.
* * *
In another cabin equally as grand as the first, Ulrick had found a trunk stuffed with fine female garments. In his hands he held a long, scarlet dress made of a thick fabric soft to the touch. He could easily imagine it gracing Ailith’s beautiful body, and he longed to give it to her, but plagued by guilt and self-doubt he couldn’t yet return.
Alien emotions stirred inside him.
She was unlike any female he’d ever known.
The women who served him knew their place and needed little correction. They instinctively lowered their eyes and obeyed without hesitation. Speaking back or making salacious comments would never occur to them, except for those he’d meet on his travels who offered themselves up in exchange for money.
But Ailith was the one he’d been seeking.
He genuinely cared for her.
They’d enjoyed real conversations.
She was clever and delightful, and had led him to an amazing treasure.
Why had he been so harsh?
His discipline had been too severe.
Much too severe.
Even as he spanked her womanhood, he’d known it, but he’d continued.
“How do I deal with a female so...?” he muttered, staring at the dress.
But no word came to him.
Shaking his head, he rolled up the gown and grasped it in his long, thick fingers.
He couldn’t let her see him confused.
He needed to make amends without apologizing.
He was, after all, her master.
The dress would make her happy.
He’d fuck her hard and provoke her orgasm.
Things would be right between them again.
The perplexing feelings rippling through his heart would remain a mystery for the moment. He just needed to make amends, then things would sort themselves out.
Confidently striding from the room, he stopped on deck for a moment to breathe in the brisk, clear twilight.
A gentle breeze wafted off the ocean, his warriors sat around fires watching game roasting on a spit. Lifting his eyes to the sky, the moon shone its bright silver light, highlighting the wispy clouds as they floated by.
Letting out a breath, composed and ready to deal with his chosen mate, he strode across the deck, moved down the wide steps, and opened the door of the cabin...
Chapter Fifteen
Ulrick stared in disbelief.
Untied and wrapped up in the thick, warm coverlet, Ailith was being cradled by a handsome man dressed in fine, colorful clothes. His glossy dark hair fell around his shoulders, and his tanned skin suggested he was from a place where the sun shone hot.
Abruptly gathering his wits, Ulrick snatched his knife from its holder, but he wasn’t sure what threat he should make, or if he should make one at all.
“Let go of her,” Ulrick demanded, stepping forward and raising the dagger in the air.
The stranger remained unfazed, and his dark brown eyes reflected no fear.
“Or what?” he asked, raising his thick, black eyebrows. “Will you attempt to stab me? Haven’t you upset this poor girl enough? Do you really want to kill me in front of her? Besides, I’m not holding her against her will.”
To prove his point, he dropped his arms.
“Ailith, get away from him at once,” Ulrick ordered. “How dare you surrender to another man. You belong to me.”
“No, I don’t,” she shouted, angry tears springing from her eyes. “You’re mean and cruel and I don’t want to be with you anymore.”
“What are you—?”
“You said you cared about me,” she yelled, cutting him off, “but that’s not true. How can you care about someone if you don’t want them to be happy?”
“Of course I want you to be happy,” he protested, unable to attack the man as long as she was next to him.
“How can I be happy if I can’t joke with you, or even laugh without you scolding me? You even punished me for disobeying you, but I didn’t know I was doing anything wrong. You never told me I couldn’t touch myself. Is that fair? And why were you so nasty about it? What did I do that was so terrible?”
Her words hit home, and her question was one he couldn’t answer. Unable to respond, he turned his attention back to the dark-haired stranger.
“Whoever you are, get off the bed and step away from her,” Ulrick growled. “Do it. Do it right now.”
“Do you want me to step away, Ailith?” the man asked quietly.
“No, I want you to stay with me. You’ve been kind,” she murmured, looking up at him, then glowered back at Ulrick. “He untied me and covered me up, then held me because I was so upset.”
“You see?” the stranger declared. “Perhaps you should try a little kindness yourself. A soft word and understanding can go a long way.”
“You have no right to speak to me like that,” Ulrick retorted. “You know nothing about me or Ailith, and who are you? Why are you here? Where have you been hiding? Is this your boat?”
“So many questions. I’ll start with my name. I am Ekrem, and you are Ulrick, leader of the great warrior clan who dominates your region.”
Ulrick paused.
The man was obviously wealthy, and he had the confidence that went with it, but Ulrick sensed there was more to his self-assurance than money.
“Tell me why you’re here,” Ulrick pressed.
“I could ask you the same question. Why are you here? This is my boat.”
“Don’t play those games with me,” Ulrick said tersely, searching frantically for a way to gain the upper hand.
“I can assure you, I’m not playing any games. Please put away your knife. I wish you and your tribe no harm. If I did, this beach would be swarming with well-armed, well-trained soldiers. Please, join me over food and drink. We can talk like civilized people. I heard Ulrick was a wise and powerful leader. Is my information wrong? Are you, in fact, just a simple barbarian?”
“I am not a barbarian, but perhaps you are,” Ulrick replied, lowering his voice and stepping closer. “Did you kill Gander?”
“Gander is dead?” Ekrem murmured, his brow creasing. “When? How?”
“He was poisoned.”
“This is very disturbing,” Ekrem said, shaking his head.
“Ulrick,” Ailith piped up, “please put away your knife. Why not join Ekrem for a meal and talk about everything?”
He couldn’t believe his ears.
She’d called him Ulrick.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she snapped, her tone suddenly turning angry again as he scowled at her. “I’m not calling you Master after the way you treated me. You don’t deserve it.”
She’d read his mind.
It was unnerving.
Forcing himself to hold his tongue, his hand tightened around the dress. He’d brought it as a peace offering because he’d felt guilty. Did she know that too?
“Ulrick,” Ekrem said, his voice still maddeningl
y calm. “I can assure you I had nothing to do with Gander’s death, and it saddens me to hear of it. He worked for me, or rather, my family, but you were the one we’d set out to hire. Gander intercepted the messenger and convinced her—”
“Her? Your envoy was female?”
“Women in my world answer to men, but their gifts are treasured and encouraged; however, she made a grave mistake. Gander persuaded her to hire him. Lower your weapon, Ulrick. We have much to discuss.”
Letting out a heavy sigh, Ulrick sheathed his blade, then stepped up to the bed and handed Ailith the dress. “I found this for you. I thought it would be warmer and more comfortable than the tunic.”
“Uh, oh, thank you,” she said hesitantly, but as she unrolled it, her eyes grew wide. “It’s so beautiful, and so soft.”
“I will leave you to dress,” Ekrem declared, slipping from the bed and walking past Ulrick to the door. “I’ll be waiting in the last cabin at the front of the deck.”
* * *
Waiting until Ekrem had left, Ailith climbed from the bed and let the coverlet fall from her shoulders, but when she tried to wriggle into the dress she had trouble getting it over her head.
“No,” she snapped as Ulrick stepped forward to help. “You’re nice to me, then you’re nasty. I can’t bear it.”
“Ailith, you’ve made your feelings clear, now it’s time to calm down,” he said firmly, though keeping his tone measured. “If you don’t let me help you, you’ll never get it on. The garment has clasps.”
“Clasps?”
“Just give it to me.”
Realizing she had no choice, she yanked it off and handed it to him, but she didn’t meet his eyes.
“You know, Ailith,” he began, softening his voice as he sat on the edge of the bed, “I’m only human. I make mistakes too. What you said—you were right. I shouldn’t have been so...”
“Nasty and mean,” she muttered.
“If you want to put it that way,” he replied, finally managing to unfasten the small fasteners with his large fingers. “There, you’ll be able to put it on now.”
Still not looking at him, she took it from his hands, slipped it over her head and slid her arms into the sleeves.
Rough Warrior Page 11