“You promised you wouldn’t,” he grated.
“I promised I wouldn’t last night,” she corrected. “This won’t be like it was in the garden, I promise. This will be different.” She almost said, trust me, but this time Darias had to come to that choice on his own, without any prompting from her.
“I can’t.”
“Because I did it during punishment or because it caused you embarrassment yesterday?” Tears burned her eyes. Tears she refused to allow fall.
He turned over. He lifted his hand, cupping her face and catching one glittering drop on his thumb. “No. No to both.”
She sucked the tip of his thumb into his mouth, taking her inside him. Riana thought her heart would melt even as the ache in her chest refused to go away.
“I just can’t.”
She produced a wobbling smile. One step at a time. Maybe one day he’d trust her as he had in the office. Trust her to remove the other memory. “Turn over.” Even to her own ears, her voice was smoky, sensual.
He met her eyes for a long moment before he abruptly rolled to his stomach.
She pressed her thumbs on each side of his spine, loving the firm, glide of strong muscle under oiled skin. She skimmed her thumbs, framing the deep indent, down until they met as the start of the powerful muscles of his buttocks. He tensed. She smoothed her hands back up to his shoulder blades. There, she spread her fingers. He was so broad she didn’t even begin to span the breadth of his massive shoulders. An exquisite heated tingle puffed the lips of her pussy and started a trickle of moisture down the inside of her thigh. He made her feel so small, almost dainty.
A wry smile lifted the corner of her mouth and she almost snorted. Dainty! Life as an independent trader didn’t have room for dainty. She had to be self-reliant and able to look after herself. To give as good as she got. And she could. She had the scars to prove it. But, against Darias’ size and strength, she felt feminine and all female. She loved that. Almost as much as she loved the fact that all that power and strength submitted willingly to her.
Leaning forward, she kissed the spot between his shoulder blades then just under the left one. Tightening her thighs against his haunches, she slid sensuously down until she was sitting just above his knees. Her breath caught as her pussy dragged over the sculpted perfection of his ass.
She poured more of the oil into the cup of her palm, rubbing it between her hands to warm it. Placing a hand on each buttock, she savored for a moment the flex of the powerful muscles beneath her touch. She nipped the curve of his ass. Her lips stilled on his skin, she murmured, “You’re built like a warrior, all clean lines and strength.”
“I am a warrior.” His voice was deeper, hoarser.
Her hands continued rubbing and stroking, testing the resilience of his inner thighs and then the softness behind his scrotum.
He spread his legs a bit more, silently encouraging her to further exploration.
Sitting up, she ran her hands back up, this time letting her thumbs trace the seam of his buttocks.
He tensed, an almost imperceptible tightening of his muscles, so slight that she wouldn’t have even noticed if her body hadn’t been hugging his.
“Mmm. I know you are.” Pretending she hadn’t felt his reaction, she slid her hands down again, this time dipping a little deeper into the crease separating the cheeks. She paused, her thumbs on each side of his anus. “You pleased me last night.” He’d done more than please her. She’d pushed him hard, teased him with the threat of punishment, only to show him that if he gave himself to her, trusted her, she would give him pleasure that a Nexarian couldn’t even begin to imagine. She should be satisfied.
But she wasn’t.
For there was that last bit of his trust she didn’t own.
Most women wouldn’t mind.
As his Mistress, she wanted Darias, cock, balls and ass.
As the woman who loved him, she wanted him heart, body, mind and soul…and his complete trust.
No, not until she had that would she be completely satisfied.
Nor would he.
“When you trust me, really trust me…” Her touch light, she ringed the tight opening with the pad of one thumb. His cheeks clenched, trapping the motion. “I will take you here.” Not giving him time to protest or to say anything, she swung her leg over him and cuddled next to Darias. “But not until you trust me.”
Darias pulled her close, next to his heat and power. He didn’t say anything, just pulled her hand over until it cupped his rear.
She sighed, not sure if they were ever going to get to that point. One of them was going to have to compromise.
* * * * *
Darias woke up, a contented groan on his lips as he rolled over, noting that Riana was already up and about. How did the woman do it? She’d worn him to a nub. Not even his most vigorous workout with Gaith had stolen his energy this much.
He grinned, then again, he’d never felt the need to wrestle with Gaith all night.
Pulling himself upright against the headboard, he yawned and scratched his stomach. His hand froze mid-stroke.
There, on the foot of the bed, were his well-worn leather breeches and work tunic.
Chapter Fourteen
Three weeks later
Gaith had a dark frown on his face as he hurried down the wide staircase. “We need to talk.” Not giving Darias a chance to say anything, he hauled him into an empty room and shut the door.
Darias crossed his arms over his wide chest. “Well?”
“Our plan is not working!” Pure frustration glinted out of his First’s eyes.
Darias looked closer. The fine silk of Gaith’s tunic was sticking to his back. He glanced away quickly as the man’s buttocks clenched in a rhythm he immediately recognized. Darias fought the flush creeping up his neck as he remembered some of his encounters with Riana’s toys. At least the leather breeches she’d returned to him hid the effect of her mischief better than the silk slave trousers had. It was odd, really, how quick Bryta had been to adopt Riana’s ways and attitude but still insisted on keeping Gaith in the revealing clothes.
In fact, he was amazed at the dominant tendencies all the women showed. Despite his belief the women would soon crumble without the men to guide them, they were not only showing themselves as capable of running a business but of not hesitating to keep their men in line.
A grudging respect filled Darias.
“Perhaps we need to rethink our plan.”
The words were out of his mouth before he even realized what he was going to say.
“We need to take control from the women.” There was a pugnacious thrust to Gaith’s jaw.
“You would have us break our word?”
Though the admonishment was mild, deep chagrin flashed across the other man’s face. “No, of course not. It’s just that everything we try the women find a way around. I just heard that the trade strike is over. All of our planning, all of our interference, all of our punishment was for naught! Bryta is even selling,” he hesitated, “things to the other women! She should be punished.”
A surge of impatience went through Darias. “Have you not had your fill of punishment? Perhaps if we men had listened to our women instead of seeking ways to keep them subservient, we wouldn’t be in this predicament now.” Ignoring the shock on the other man’s face, he turned to leave, needing some time alone to think.
“Riana is opening Nexar to traders from out of the sector.”
Looked as if he wasn’t going to be alone after all.
* * * * *
“You can’t be serious!” Darias stormed into the Great Hall, his expression as dark as the storm clouds outside the huge windows.
Riana sighed. Somehow he’d heard about her plan to open trade with select offworld traders. She settled deeper into the elaborately carved chair. A hush fell on the chamber. Several of the nearest women, members of the Council, turned expectant faces in her direction. The men, who had been quietly going about the business o
f seeing to the Council members’ needs, froze.
“You can’t seriously intend to invite outsiders to trade with Nexar.”
“Why not?” she asked mildly. “Nexar needs an influx of both goods and money to pull it out of the economic slump.”
“Outsiders will ruin Nexar with their ways.” Darias continued up the steps until he was standing less than a hand’s breadth from Riana. “I forbid it.”
A collective gasp went up from the interested spectators.
Riana heard a tap, tap, tap. Annoyed, she looked around for the offender then realized she was drumming her fingers on the polished arm of the chair. She forced herself to stop.
“You forbid it,” she repeated slowly. She began tapping the toe of one foot.
“I will not allow you to pollute my country-state with the insidious customs of offworlders.”
Thunder rumbled in the distance. Riana forgot about their audience as she leaned forward. “Your country-state is slowly stagnating to death. You know I speak the truth. I’ve read your journals. You were looking for an industry capable of making the transition from agriculture to industrial more viable. But there wasn’t one at hand, was there? People were leaving the land, but Nexar had little else to offer.”
“I would have found a solution,” he gritted from between clenched teeth.
“I agree. The question is…would you have found it in time?”
His slashed his hand in the air. “Inviting people unaccustomed to our ways will not cure our woes.”
Pure fury ignited inside Riana. She stood up. Darias was one step below her. It put them nose to nose. Riana waded in. “Your ways? Your ways?” she yelled. “Your ways made slaves of women. Your ways kept you isolated as a people. Your ways pitted man against woman, made it illegal for a woman to offer her opinion.”
“I noticed it never stopped you,” he drawled, insolence in his very bearing.
“Because I was not imbrued in your ways!” She shoved on his chest. It was like trying to move a mountain.
“You adopted our ways quick enough when it suited you,” he shot back. “You punished me when I voiced an opinion, refused to let me voice a say!”
“I’m letting you have a say now, aren’t I?” she fumed. “And I don’t hear one constructive word out of your mouth.”
“Would you listen?” he shot back.
Riana leaned closer to hear the question. She didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
“Even if you don’t like what you hear?”
“Yes. Even if I don’t like what you have to say.”
The silence in the chamber became deafening. Riana looked around. They were the cynosure of every eye in the place. “What are you people looking at?” she demanded, exasperated. She couldn’t even have an argument in this place without all knowing about it. She grabbed Darias by the arm. “Let’s go into the office where we can speak in private.” She glared at the closest group of offenders. “Maybe then we can work something out we can both agree on.”
* * * * *
Riana turned the key in the massive, old-fashioned lock in the office door. She rested her forehead against the cool wood, hoping it would soothe the throbbing in her temples. She placed both palms flat against the door and let it support her weight. What was he thinking?
“Why did you give me back my leather breeches?”
It was the last thing she expected to hear. Her hand dropped from the wood and she rubbed it nervously against the side of her leg. “You don’t have any idea?”
“No.”
“Because I knew how much you hated the slave pants.” Would he understand the significance behind the action? Would he understand it was her way of trying to compromise? Of trying to find a way to work together instead of locked in battle? Breath lodged in her throat, she waited for his response.
She heard Darias crossing the room and turned.
He stood in front of the huge glass windows overlooking the gardens, staring outside. Lightning split the air and rain slashed the panes of the glass. The hard lines of his face were stark.
He nodded.
She couldn’t read him at all, his face closed, impassive.
“You’re serious about finding a solution? Together?” He tilted his head toward the closed door and the Great Hall.
She walked over beside him, but she didn’t touch him. “I’m serious. The problems of Nexar are complex. I don’t mind admitting I need help. You are an able leader, Darias. You pinpointed the problems and were systematically solving them. It wasn’t your fault that you inherited a stagnating economy and a society biased against a large portion of your population.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” He braced one hand against the sill. A bolt of lightning highlighted the old scar that went from his middle knuckle to well past his wrist.
He was also a warrior. A man more accustomed to fixing a problem than dwelling on what had gone wrong. Something she would do well to remember.
“But it is my fault that I didn’t even realize there was something wrong with the old system.” He turned his head and met her eyes. His golden gaze tarnished with pain. “We treated women with less respect than our animals. I treated you with less respect than my chelan. I trust his instincts. I would allow him to refuse a command, certain he had a reason, yet I would not even listen when you tried to explain your position. I hurt you.”
Riana crossed her arms under her breasts and stared with blind eyes at the sporadic drops of rain. “Yes, you did. I recovered quickly from the pain of punishment, but it took much longer to recover from the pain of humiliation.” She swallowed the tightness in her throat. “That’s why I hurt you every chance I got.”
Darias caught her chin on the edge of his hand. “I understand. I thought I understood it the other night, but I didn’t. Not really. Not until now. Where do we go from here?”
“We learn to be a team. I won’t say I won’t ever be tempted to punish you. I have a temper. But I won’t. You have my word.”
“Your warriors will never tolerate a slave advising you.” The corner of his mouth tipped up in wry acceptance of the fact.
“They will if I treat you like a true mate.”
“They’ll revolt,” he warned.
Riana considered his words. “I don’t think so. Look at how your warriors reacted to learning Saria of the Far Islands was a woman. Once they saw firsthand the advantages of trading with the Far Islands, they did little more than grumble. Granted, it helped that Sharri brought the profit from our goods and a wide range of sample trade goods available from the Far Islands back first. They respect you, Darias. Enough that they trusted you turn over control of the entire country-state to the women.
“Also, I’m given more latitude because I’m not from your world. Besides, the women are more pragmatic than the men.”
His expression darkened.
“Don’t look so offended,” she told him, amused. “It’s the truth. They know it is just a matter of time before you’d find a way to overthrow me.” She laughed at the look of shock on his face. “Did you think I wasn’t aware that I couldn’t hold out forever against your plans? You men were doing everything in your power to see to it that we failed. You were certain that governing a household, much less a country-state, would tax us beyond endurance and we’d be relieved when men once again assumed the reins of power.”
“We were that obvious, huh?” He sounded more admiring than chagrined.
Riana frowned at him. “I wouldn’t say obvious exactly. It’s just that I knew you’d never concede defeat. Not completely.”
“How?” he asked, sounding curious.
“We’re a lot alike, you and I. In your place I would never give up,” she said simply.
“I still don’t like the thought of opening Nexar to offworlders.” He stroked the side of her face with the back of his hand. “Look at the trouble of allowing just one to stay has caused.”
She circled the wrist of the hand cupping her face. Her fingers barely fit around i
t. “We can go slow. Open a few of the most profitable markets first. Trust me.”
His gaze softened, became intent. “I do.”
A warm glow settled around her heart. She basked in it for a long moment. “And I trust you.” She allowed a slow smile to curve her lips. “Did I tell you I found something that might be even more,” she paused meaningfully, “stimulating than a feather?”
A flame kindled in his eyes. “I thought the feather was your favorite. I must admit I’m rather fond of it myself. It had applications I never dreamed possible.”
An answering heat melted her insides. She cleared her throat. “Um. The feather has its uses, I agree, but I think I found something even more versatile.” Riana sauntered over to the desk, a provocative swing to her hips. “It just so happens I have it here.”
“In the office?”
“Interested?”
“Do I get a turn this time?” he asked, his hands already on the laces of his old tunic.
A trend the rest of the women were slow to adopt. Maybe once she and Darias began working as a true team that would change. She grinned, picturing the men’s relief at pitching the revealing thongs and leather harnesses.
Riana pursed her lips and pretended to think. “Well…”
“Teamwork,” he reminded her before dropping the tunic to the floor and starting on his breeches. The soft leather did nothing to hide his growing arousal.
Desire made her mouth go dry. Riana licked her lips. “I think that might be arranged.” She fumbled inside a drawer, not taking her eyes off Darias as he shed his breeches. Her hand closed around the leather binding of a book.
The Damsel and the Dragon.
She started to lift it out then changed her mind. She didn’t need the dragon in the book. Not when she had her own, real live dragon.
Maybe she’d give the book to Bryta.
She closed the drawer.
A private smile lifted her lips.
Perhaps after she and Darias had recreated all the love scenes.
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