A hand closed around my ankle and dragged me from between the rocks with perfect ease. I whipped onto my back and Bannon descended on me, straddling my hips, and pinning my wrists over my head. My heart hammered in my chest as he drew his big hunting knife from his belt.
My thoughts immediately flashed back to our conversation in the torture chamber, and I was not afraid. Beneath the thrill of the chase, trust ran steady.
Bannon flipped the blade to show me the blunt side before he lowered it to my chest and drew it across my skin. The firm, cold pressure of metal on my flesh sent up a hot, dangerous desire. So near to drawing hot, crimson blood, and yet no danger at all. I rolled back my head with a moan.
"That's one," Bannon whispered. "I think I'm going to finally claim your ass when I win this hunt, Sadira. Be ready."
Sweet, lustful heat ran through my body. Bannon released me and rose, helping me to my feet.
"Find a better hiding spot this time," he warned with a grin, and slapped my behind again.
I hopped into action, throwing a glance over my shoulder at him, returning his smile. The coiled tension and fear had gone, burned away by a liberating joy. He might catch me out, he might even threaten me with the thrill of pain, but underneath the wild struggle, I knew all I had to do was speak the word, and the game would end.
But I don't want it to end. Is this what I've been missing? This purge of all my uncertainty and doubt, the exorcism of ugly fears... a return to the most primal, most invigorating contest of wills. A clash of strength. His inevitable domination.
Yes. I had needed this. Needed to return to the simple, beautiful beast inside, and the hunter who would take her.
I moved in a zigzagging pattern this time, trying to obscure my tracks where I could find solid ground, stony spots peeking up from the soft, cool dirt. In a moment of inspiration, I selected one of the low, squat trees and scaled its smooth trunk, climbing along through interlacing boughs.
"Too easy, kitten."
Bannon had caught up again and spotted me under the leaves. I laughed and tried to climb higher, but he snatched me down easily and backed me against the trunk. The knife appeared, and he drew the blunt edge down the side of one breast, making me shiver and arch against the tree.
"Two." He leaned in to kiss me. "Next time I catch you, I'm going to put you on your hands and knees, and the weapon I draw will most definitely not be harmless."
He sheathed the knife and raised his fingers to my chest, running them down my body. His hand slipped between my thighs and he found my clitoris, leisurely rolling it under his fingertips, teasing me into another soft, yearning moan.
"I'll wring a sweet, wet climax from you first," he promised, making it almost a threat. "So then you'll be even tighter when I thrust my cock in you. So tight, Sadira... you'll be feeling it for days."
I let out another senseless laugh, simultaneously giddy and menaced by his tone. "How do you know I won't turn the tables on you? One good, swift kick, and you'll be the one feeling it for days."
"You can try." His grin widened, showing me his teeth, and I snapped my own at him in reply. "You should know, you only make me harder when you fight me."
He seized my hand and brought it to his crotch. The shape of his cock strained against the leather of his breeches, unmistakably ready. I gave it a vicious squeeze, but only seemed to rile him up more, as he gave a sharp bark of laughter.
"Go on, then," he said, letting me go. "Last chance. Run, run, little bunny... don't let the big, bad bear catch you in his jaws again."
I flew from him this time, digging deep to pull ahead. By now my body was filthy with smudges of dirt and green stains from the moss; my forearms and the balls of my bare feet stung from scraping stone and rough tree bark, and my buttocks smarted from his spankings. I'd outrun him this time for sure—he'd have to earn the prize he felt so sure of, and maybe if I got the upper hand, I'd take something sweet from him instead. Thoughts of pinning him to the ground, straddling him and taking my pleasure as I liked, thrummed through my mind, and filled my belly with delicious, flagrant lust.
He'd chased me deep into the forest now, and nearly all the sunlight had been choked out by the canopy of leaves above. In the last bright fingers of it, I spied a wall of rock and a round, dark cave. I made a sharp turn for it, and coming closer I found it wasn't a cave, but a tunnel. The sound of splashing water and the golden glow of open sun beckoned me from the other side.
I came through to find a mossy rise, overlooking a pool of the bluest water I'd ever seen. A waterfall poured into it from atop a shelf of glittering white stone, covered in an emerald blanket of smooth, soft grass and coils of fern. Honeysuckle and bougainvillea perfumed the air, and directly across from me, perched atop the falls, a brightly colored peacock stared down in comical, offended surprise.
"It's gorgeous..."
I moved up the smooth rise above the basin, caught in wonder. The breeze sifted through the leaves, making the sunlight dance. A sense of perfect calm, of welcome, filled me.
"It is," agreed Bannon's voice behind me. His warm, heavy hand came down on my shoulder. "And that's three."
Chapter Eighteen
I whipped on my heel with a shriek and a laugh, twisting free of Bannon's grip to run farther ahead up the rise. He sprinted after me with a spirited shout, and before I made it to the rocky shelves of the waterfall he dove for my legs, taking us both to the ground. We rolled in the plush, cool moss, batting and wrestling with one another, each fighting to be on top.
"You lost, Sadi! Now be a good girl and present that bottom!"
"What if I'm not so good today?" I taunted. I shifted my hip, seizing the momentum, and pushed myself into sitting position atop him. As he'd done so many times with me, I seized his wrists and pinned them over his head. He struggled and squirmed, until I ground my naked sex against the stiff shape of his cock.
"Unh..." He arched his neck and closed his eyes. "Willful little bunny, are you?"
"I'm not your bunny. I'm a she-cat, remember? Your kitten, with teeth and claws!"
"Keep this up, and you'll have a prettily pinkened and smarting ass before I have my way with you."
He struggled beneath my grip. I bent to kiss him, making it a vicious tease, nipping his lower lip and making him shout.
I gave a triumphant cackle, but my victory proved short-lived. He planted his heels on the ground and swung his hips up against me with full force, disrupting my balance. As I struggled to keep my position, he threw us into another roll, and we bounced down the green slope until we nearly fell over the edge, into the pond below.
"All right, fun's over!" Bannon held me down and thrust one hand between my thighs. His broad, beautiful grin and the humorous sparkle in his eyes brought a giddy peal of laughter bubbling up in my chest. My struggles grew weak and unfocused, and as he slid two fingers into my wet, warm sheath, I surrendered to a soft groan.
"Let's have you come, then." He leaned over me, a hair's breadth from brushing his skin against mine, his voice a salacious rumble. "I'm going to drive you to such climax, Sadira, you'll be drowning in it. I'm going to make you come until it's too much to bear."
I writhed under his touch and rocked my hips to him with a groan. He bent close to kiss me, his lips still salty with a hint of blood, as his thumb circled my jeweled clitoris.
"And then," he whispered. "Then, when you're exhausted from orgasms, when your legs are weak and your throat is sore, when you just can't take anymore... I'll only just be getting started."
"Think you can hold me down that long?" I challenged. "Maybe I'll take the upper hand when you least suspect and have my way with you."
"Not a chance."
He withdrew his fingers and swung one leg over me, straddling me and pinning my arms with his knees. While I wriggled and muttered empty threats, he dove into his satchel and pulled out a length of smooth, velvety rope.
My mouth dropped open. "That's rope from the torture chamber! You had this planned all along!"
/>
"I admit I've been keen to tie you down and wanted to be prepared." He slipped the rope from its neat loops and wound it around my wrists. "I thought you'd appreciate something softer and less coarse than the ship's rigging lines. You're not opposed, I take it?"
Slinky velvet slithered into place with titillating ease. Bannon tugged the ropes tight, testing the give to be sure he wouldn't leave me with any loss of feeling, and then continued winding satiny lengths across my torso, under and between my breasts, looping around my shoulders. He wove a skillful pattern like a star across my chest and bound my arms in simple restraint behind my back.
The tingle of the rope abrading my skin and the familiar delight of the harness he spun around me filled me with joy as I twisted and struggled. Bannon knew much about immobilizing prey or prisoners; once my arms and chest were bound, he spread my legs and tied them in a bent position, calves to thighs, in a manner our special book called a frog tie.
"Think you can get the upper hand now?" he taunted me.
I smirked. "Just don't let your guard down."
"Give up. The fight is over. You lost."
He crawled down my body, sliding between my legs and seizing the soft curves of my ass in his hands.
"And now, as promised..."
He descended on my pussy like a man plunging into a decadent feast. I strained against the ropes, rolling my head back with a moan, helpless beneath him. His tongue tickled and explored me, flicking the jewel of my piercing, teasing my clitoris with swift, lavish strokes.
I clenched my fists and growled, but already my body responded to him. Pleasure bloomed like a wide, luscious red flower as my barbarian stroked and kissed me, coaxing the sweet rush of frantic, needful bliss. All tension and pain, all worry, melted from me like dew under the sun, seeping away into the damp moss beneath us, and I pressed myself to him, yearning for more.
True to his word, he stroked me to a bright, shimmering pinnacle, and before I knew it, I climbed toward hot climax. He plunged two fingers into me just as my body reached its peak, and I cried out in joy, rocking to his touch. As the trembling faded, though, he continued—moving fingers in and out of my tight entrance, he leaned in again to renew his attentions on my clit, flicking and strumming it with his tongue.
I writhed with a desperate groan through my teeth, dancing on an edge between sweet, sensual enchantment and hard, glittering intensity. My second orgasm hit, like a high note in a song, like a flash of heat lightning, and I gave a stammering moan.
"Oh... oh, Bannon—please—"
"Please what?" he taunted me, looking up from between my legs. "Are you already spent, Sadira? Had enough? My sweet slut, I thought you were a glutton for pleasure like this. Wasn't it you who said you could come for me, for days?"
I tugged at the ropes, twisting back and forth, as my thighs and pussy shuddered and convulsed. When he returned his mouth to my clit, I let out a quavering, pleading cry, but he ignored it. Tears of overwhelming emotion streamed down my face.
As he toyed with me, tormenting my sensitive, overstimulated sex, I twitched and tried to pull away, bucked my hips to escape his touch, rolled and mewled and begged. He took it all as encouragement, and wrung another wet climax from me, and another, until every nerve thrummed with high, humming, gilded pain. My nipples throbbed and my thighs quivered at every touch.
"Please," I gasped, close to sinking into a low, exhausted trance. "Please..."
Bannon rose to crawl over my body and took my chin in his hand, forcing me to meet his gaze. His mouth came down on mine, and through the haze of emotions, I returned his kiss with a deep gratitude. My own wet, bittersweet taste lingered on his lips.
"Think you're ready, pet?" he murmured as we parted. "Ready to yield that pert, tight ass to me? Or do you still have strength to resist?"
He brushed a thumb across the wet tear tracks on my cheek. I had no words. I could only offer a gentle sigh of surrender and a single, soft nod of my head. Bannon kissed me again, all at once slow and loving, the game of predator and prey forgotten. He moved his way down my body with warm caresses and tender kisses, cupping my breasts as he nuzzled them, brushing the swell of my abdomen with his cheek.
The lavish attention to my pussy and all my fierce, forced orgasms had left me dripping wet. Bannon pressed a gentle thumb against the tight resistance of my rear entrance, and I moaned, aching.
"Shh, now." He flashed me a smile as he coaxed and massaged me, readying me for the next part. A shiver traveled down my body, through my breasts and belly, straight to my loins.
He unclasped his belt, releasing his beautiful, rigid cock, then slid his hands under my buttocks, lifting me up and moving himself into position. When his great, rigid shaft slid into me, a sharp, sparkling pain made me gasp, tightening from head to toe, and then let out a long, lusty exhale.
"Oh... Sir..."
"There's my good girl," Bannon soothed. He moved slowly, claiming me in inches, until the pain eased away into transgressive pleasure.
"That's right," he breathed, beginning a steady rhythm. A groan escaped him, and he rolled his head back. "Fuck, Sadi... Goddess, I knew your ass would be sweet..."
I answered him with a wordless cry, meeting his motions and urging him on. My body trembled in a place between bliss and torment, and my skin crawled under his lustful, beastly conquest.
"I love you," I whispered. "Oh, I love you."
"My good girl... yes... oh, yes, kitten..."
His pace grew steadily fiercer, and I arched against the mossy ground. He descended to a series of quiet, rough, primitive grunts as he thrust into me, his cock like hot, barbarian iron inside me. It defied my body's every resistant reflex, forceful and demanding, and every motion threatened to break me under his desire.
"Oh, fuck, Sadi—oh, yes—Sadi—"
"Sir!" I cried out for him. His thumbs dug into my hips and he thrust harder, faster. At last, he plunged in to the hilt, and his cock gave a huge, heavy throb. I relinquished a hoarse, stuttering cry, each pulse of his orgasm beating within my sore, exhausted body. Delicious, primally possessive pain.
He withdrew, leaving me with one final, unexpected sting of discomfort, and leaned down to capture my chin again for a kiss. Every part of me ached in beautiful ways, used for his pleasure, and purged of the ugly energy it had carried before.
Bannon spent long moments unwrapping the ropes from my limbs and helping me stretch and flex my joints again. Once each velvet length was unwound and all were returned to his satchel, he set it aside, and stretched out next to me in the moss. Unbound, I lay with my head against his chest, examining each sore twinge and delighted tingle still echoing through my body.
"Beautiful girl," he murmured in my ear, stroking my arm. "Beautiful, magnificent, wonderful girl."
I didn't have the words to tell him how well he'd managed my panic and my fears with his game of predator and prey. The spiraling chaos inside me seemed put to rest. At least, for the time being. The Drekakona, the stalking figure in the corridors, the monstrous creature in the fire, the woman with the knife... all now so far away, and out of my hands. Time would bring them back, I knew. For now, though, he'd relieved me of their burden, and released me to simple pleasure again.
Good girl, he called me. Not witch. Not traitor. Not serpent worshipper. Simply his good girl, desired and beloved.
"Heh." He traced a thumb down my cheek. "You're filthy, you know. Covered in dirt and grass stains, twigs and bits of leaf in your hair..."
"Somebody set me to run through the woods naked," I murmured. "Blame him."
He chuckled and sat up, stripping off his loose cotton shirt. "We'll have to get you clean before we venture back to the village. Fancy a swim?"
I tilted my head to gaze down at the pool below. Beautiful and cold and clear, its surface a swirl of blues and whites under the rush of the waterfall.
It did look enticing. I glanced back at Bannon, though, as he kicked off his boots and slipped out of his jeans. "
I can't swim."
"You can't?"
His smile widened. Sliding his arms beneath me, he scooped me up and lifted me in his arms as he stood. "All the more reason, then, to throw you in."
"No!" I shrieked, but I was giggling even as I beat at his chest in protest. He carried me in big, overdramatic gestures to the edge of our mossy overlook, and, tightening his grip on me, leapt out into space.
We plunged down and made great splash, icy water rushing in all around us. The drowsiness of our post-coital bliss evaporated as the raw cold shocked me awake, and I tightened my grip around Bannon's neck, kicking my feet. An instant later, we broke the surface, and Bannon gave me a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
"Nothing to it!" He kissed my nose. "Now, I'm going to let you go—"
"Don't!" I shook my head and buried my face against his shoulder. "Bannon, really!"
"It's all right, kitten, I'm going to show you."
Sliding his hands under my arms to keep me above water, he shifted to float in front of me, facing me. "Just kick your feet, and I'll guide you to the shallow end."
Fighting a nervous smile, I did as he asked. We moved together toward the shore, Bannon murmuring encouragement all the way.
"Don't you know cats hate water?' I teased him softly.
"My she-cat is too fierce to be afraid of anything. All right now, the water's not very deep here. Just trust me."
At his coaxing, I eased myself down until my feet touched soft, wet sand, slipping and squishing between my toes with a sensual, soothing ease. Not at all like the coarse, gritty sand of Vashtaren.
"See, my lovely?" Bannon guided me a few steps forward, as though we were dancers before a court, motions smooth and sure. The water came up to my chest, invigorating in its crisp, cold purity, and before long my Master had let me go entirely, leaving me to stand on my own.
"Not so bad, is it?"
"No," I admitted, sure a hint of pink chagrin must be lighting up my cheeks. "You were right, Sir."
"Let's get you clean," he suggested. "And once you're free of all those marks and scuffs, we'll teach you to swim."
Beauty's Secret (Beast and Beauty Book 2) Page 15