Men of Valor, Books 1

by Kiru Taye

  “Are you happy here?”

  Puzzled, she frowned. This was the first time he’d asked her such a question. She opened her mouth to tell him she was unhappy and closed it again. It was the response she would have given when they had first wed. Now it wasn’t so true. After the incidents of the past few weeks, she was no longer prepared to return to her father’s house. Not without attempting to make a go of her marriage.

  “My husband, I don’t understand your question.”

  His shoulders rise as he let out a heavy sigh. The feeling of dread she’d felt earlier returned with full force. What was going on?

  “My husband, is all well?”

  “I should ask you that. It is nearly a full year since we were bound to each other. On that night you claimed I was the last man you wanted as your life mate. Since then, I have let you be, never forced you to fulfill your wifely duties in our bed. It is your choice, and I cannot change that.”

  He paused and looked away before continuing.

  “However, I am the only son of my parents and my responsibility to produce an heir to keep the lineage—”

  “So this is what you want to do? You want to bring that woman in here to take my place?”

  He looked momentarily stunned and shook his head.

  “What are you talking about, woman?”

  “That husband snatcher, Nneka. I saw you talking to her at the festival. Don’t even deny it.”

  “Mind your tongue, woman. Don’t talk about another person like that. I expect more from you.”

  “There you go defending her already. Is this your plan, to humiliate me in my own home? What did I ever do to you to deserve this?”

  “Do you really need to ask me that? Would I need another woman if you were fulfilling your wifely duties?” He stood up and walked off angrily.

  “Oh, use that against me, will you.” She stood up and ran into the house, feeling sickened. It was really going to happen. Her husband was going to take another wife. She had no one else to blame but herself. She hadn’t realized how much it would hurt until it happened. Now she felt as if her heart was breaking.

  She curled up on her pallet and cried. When did I start caring about my husband or what he did? She’d spent the last year resenting him and wanting to return home. It seemed the gods had finally answered her wish. Yet she didn’t want it.

  What do I want?

  Before she had time to analyze her jumbled thoughts, she felt her body being lifted by strong, large arms. Obinna placed her on his lap. Confused, she hid her face in his chest, not wanting him to see her tears.

  “Don’t cry, aku m.” My treasure.

  But his tender words seemed to break down her walls of restraint. More tears erupted from her, streaming down her cheeks and wetting his chest. Why is he being nice to me? Can't he see I just want to cry in peace, to wallow in the misery I've brought on myself?

  He pulled her even closer, rocking her back and forth while whispering soothing words in her ear. Gradually, her tears stopped. He lifted her chin and kissed the remaining tears away from her cheeks. The sensation of his lips on her skin left her with tingles spreading through her body.

  “Forgive me for my harsh words. I shouldn’t have said them.”

  Feeling even more miserable because of his kindness, she shook her head. “You were right. I am a bad wife. You have every right to replace me.”

  “Shhh...Don’t say that. You’re not a bad wife. I couldn’t have wished for another. I have no wish to replace you.”

  Shocked at his words, she looked up at his face. Surely he couldn’t mean what he said. He was just saying it to cheer her up. Still, his eyes had softened with a warm, sincere glint.

  “You don’t mean that.” She sniffled.

  “More than you could ever know. You are still my wife. We can both make things better if we so wish.”

  “But I’ve ruined things between us. I’ve pushed you into the arms of another woman. I should never have said the things I said on our wedding night. I wasn’t being honest anyway.”

  She flicked her gaze downward but he held her chin up, making her look back into his face. His black eyes were smoldering, boring into her, melting her. She couldn’t look away if she tried.

  “What were you not honest about?”

  His thumb caressed her cheek in a circular motion and, for a moment, she couldn’t think properly. She tuned into the feel of his calloused palm against her soft face and hoped he would hold her like this forever.

  “Tell me.” His low voice rumbled through her. Her heart pounded in her chest.

  “When I said I would never want you even if you were the last man on earth, it wasn’t true,” she muttered in a low voice, afraid of voicing her needs and making herself vulnerable. After months of being standoffish, it wasn’t easy to shed it in a moment. “I was angry at my parents and took it out on you.”

  “And now? Are you still angry?”

  “You have been good to me. I have no reason to be angry with you.” She shook her head sadly. “Now I’m only angry at myself for being so foolish, for pushing my husband into another woman’s arms. It’s too late and I don’t even know how to change things.”

  “Adaku, we are both here now so we can change things if we both want it. I still want to be your husband in all the ways it is possible to be your husband.” His eyes were now shimmering with heat, the corners of his lips lifted in a teasing smile. “And I want you to be my wife in every sense of the word. What do you want, aku m?”

  He’d used an endearment twice already, and her heart soared. Her name, Adaku, meant first daughter of treasure. By changing it to my treasure, Obinna was letting her know her status in his household, if not his heart.

  Was it really so? Does my husband really place me that highly in his esteem?

  He traced a path with his thumb on her lower lip, and her heart skipped several beats as the tingling sensation returned to her body. Transfixed, excitement and fear travel down her spine. After holding back from her husband, she was finally about to admit her secret yearning. She was still afraid it would backfire, and he would punish her by sending her away.

  It was as if he sensed her fear. “Fear not. Speak your mind. The past is forgiven.”

  “I-I want to be your wife in every sense of the word.”

  His breath hitched, and he pulled her closer.

  “You don’t know how much I have longed to hear you say those words, aku m.” He lightly brushed her lips with his.. She shivered, heat spreading through her. “I have craved you every day since the first time I saw you.”

  “My husband, if you’ve felt that way for so long, why did you not claim what was yours on our wedding night?”

  “As much as I wanted you, I would never force myself on to you. I had thought that once we were married, you would submit to me. Yet I hadn’t considered the strength of your will and the depth of your feelings for the prince. I could only pray for a day when you would come to me of your own volition.”

  His words shook her. For the first time, she realized Obinna truly cared for her. She knew of men who would have forced themselves on their rebellious wives and punished them too. A woman couldn’t deny her husband. Obinna had chosen patience and kindness. In the end, he’d won her over because she knew he was a good man at heart.

  “My husband, please forgive me.” More tears stung her eyes as she tried to get off his lap so she could kneel and beg his forgiveness. Still he would not let her go.

  “Aku m, I forgave you a long time ago. Tell me again how you long for me.”

  He didn’t wait for her response. He kissed her like a hungry man. Ravenously, his tongue swept into her mouth. She dissolved into him, clinging on to his shoulders as if she were drowning.

  A desire she’d never felt before sparked to life within her. Wherever his warm hands moved on her body, a trail of heat followed. By the time their lips parted, she was gasping for breath. Their bed chamber suddenly felt contracted. All she coul
d feel were Obinna and the storm raging between them. Their heartbeats combined to rival the sounds of the drums at the festival earlier.

  Before long he laid her back on the pallet as he leaned over her. His earthy scent filled her lungs. His eyes had such intensity, his gaze piercing through to her soul. She felt exposed, vulnerable, though she was still fully clothed. She wanted to reveal all to him. Wanted him to see straight into her heart and know what was in there.

  No other man had made her feel this way. Not even the prince.

  Lifting her hand, she touched his face. “My husband, I—”

  “Shhh.” He put his finger against her lips. “No more words.”

  He proceeded to kiss a path down her body as he slowly undressed her. The sensations built within her with each touch, the flames getting hotter. Yet she craved more. She held his head as he suckled her breasts, arching her body so she could feel more of him. When his lips moved lower to her stomach, she whimpered for him to complete what he’d started. Her body moved restlessly. He trailed his lips down to her thighs. She closed her eyes and her senses heightened, her body climbing to a peak of sensitivity.

  When he touched her secret place, she gasped and her eyes flew open. Her body felt wound tight as he caressed her intimately. The pleasure overtook her in a feverish sensation. She floated in a cloud. When she became aware of her surroundings again, Obinna was kneeling between her legs, his hardened manhood pushing against her moist entrance.

  He leaned down and melded their lips again, reigniting the fiery feeling in her body. She opened up and welcomed him into her body. He moved slowly. Her body gradually expanding as his thick hot flesh filled her. Then he paused and looked at her quizzically.

  For a moment it looked like he would pull back and she panicked, thinking she’d done something wrong. “Please,” her whisper desperate. She wrapped her legs around him to stop him from moving back.

  He kissed her again, and with one push filled her completely. She gasped at the pain-pleasure sensation that flooded her before he started moving again. He set a slow, tender pace, gradually taking her back to her peak and robbing her of breaths. She explored the feel of his taut skin against her palm, moving her hands down his back. The sound of their lovemaking filled the bed chamber.

  This time when her release came, it swept through from her toes to her head and finally exploded into a myriad of colors. She called out his name. After a few more thrusts, his release followed, and they both collapsed entwined in each other’s arms.

  ***

  Obinna lay beside his wife, watching her as she slept. She looked beautiful, as always. Yet this morning there was an extra glow to her skin.

  She’s mine. All mine. Finally!

  He wanted to stand outside and shout it out so his neighbors could hear.

  Smiling, he recalled the previous night. Their first joining had been the culmination of everything he’d ever dreamed it would be. Yet it had even surpassed his dreams. He’d been shocked to realize Adaku had been untouched by another man.

  All the while he’d thought she and the prince were lovers. Especially considering the speculation in the village about her affair with the prince and the speed at which her parents had wanted her to marry. Though it had hurt his ego to think another man had touched her, his love for her had surpassed the pride. He’d wanted her regardless. To finally be rewarded by being the first man to fully claim her was the best gift he could have wished for. It sealed his assumption they had been destined to be together.

  There was no other woman for him but Adaku.

  He knew there were speculations about him and Nneka. The widow was a close, family friend and at one time he’d considered marrying her. Until he’d seen Adaku. It had been a festival and she’d been dancing with the other young maidens. As soon as he’d seen her, he knew she was the woman for him. Her grace and agility had surpassed that of the other maidens. He could see no one else but Adaku. But when he’d heard about her link with the prince, he’d been crestfallen, knowing he couldn’t really compete with royalty. He was a quiet man and lived a humble life.

  He’d spoken to his elder sister, who’d encouraged him to propose to her father. And here he was, more than a year later, and he’d finally claimed what he saw as his rightful woman.

  Several times during the night they made love, exploring each other. He’d been amazed at the way she’d come alive, her usual stony attitude shed. In its place was a woman full of passion, who was willing to go wherever he led in their bed play. Their ardor had blazed all night. Though it was sated several times, it had taken just a little rest to be reignited again. It was as if all the pent up feelings of the last year had exploded during the night.

  In the end, they had both drifted off to sleep just before dawn. Now he knew it was mid-morning by the brightness of the sunshine filtering through the cracks in the door. Luckily, since it was the day after the festival, no one was required to work. There was a break, and all the villagers would be having a rest for a few weeks before the start of the next planting season.

  He thought about getting up to wash and get dressed as his stomach rumbled. But he didn’t want to leave the warm softness and musky scent of Adaku. After being denied her delights for so long, he couldn’t get enough.

  “My husband, ututu oma.” Good morning.

  He glanced down at Adaku. She was awake and smiling at him shyly. He loved her smile. It left him feeling euphoric and reminded him that he’d indeed been her first lover. He smiled back at her, leaning in to brush his lips against hers.

  “Did you sleep well, aku m?” He asked before he licked her chin. His smile widened when he heard her hitched breath. He loved the way she responded to his touch. It fueled his already simmering desire. He continued trailing light kisses down her neck, her pulse underneath his lips beating a frantic pace.

  “I-I did,” she stammered as she seemed to struggle with controlling her response to him. “I should get up and sort out your breakfast.”

  He lifted his head and gave her a wolfish grin. “Breakfast is right here. I think you should be more concerned about lunch.” He laughed before claiming her lips again in a kiss filled with intent.

  Breaking the kiss, the sound of their rapid breathing reverberated in the bed chamber. His heart pounded in his chest. He would never get enough of his wife. He wanted to devour her, hear her cry out his name in ecstasy as she’d done several times in the night. When their flesh joined again, he wanted her to be moist and ready for him.

  Leaning over her, he moved his lips down her bare flesh, suckling her breasts, and nipping her flat belly before settling on the hooded jewel between her thighs. He inhaled her musky scent, and his manhood stirred, becoming harder. He looked up at her face. Her eyes were glazed in longing, her tongue darting out to lick her lips as she watched him with a silent plea.

  When his tongue darted out and swirled around her swollen nub, she gasped out loud. He loved the taste and sound of her. She’d surrendered herself to him. Willingly. He could give her pleasure as he’d yearned to do for months. Totally.

  Taking her hardened nub into his mouth, he suckled on it, lapping at her nectar as it flowed freely. She writhed beneath him, and he moved a hand onto her flat stomach holding her down. With the other he thrust his fingers into her, playing out what he yearned to do with his manhood. Even after she’d screamed out his name in her climax, he continued licking her until her body went limp beneath his touch. It was only then he pushed his throbbing manhood into her warm depth. He kissed her again soundly. She came alive, responding promptly and clinging on to his shoulders, her legs wrapped around his hips.

  Their joining was frenzied as they both demanded and surrendered to each other with equal vigor, reaffirming their passion for each other. As he drove her closer to her peak, he demanded she verbally declare her devotion. For some reason he wanted to hear it from her lips, though her body spoke it in volumes. The turmoil raging within him could only be soothed by her words.
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  “I am yours. Forever,” she promised just before she floated off.

  “And I’m yours, aku m,” he swore before he joined her in oblivion.

  When he woke again, Adaku was not in bed with him. He got up, dressing quickly to go in search of her. He found her in the kitchen. The sumptuous smell of the food she was cooking directing his path there. He gave her a brief kiss before going to clean up in the bathroom. She had the meal ready when he came out. They normally ate separately. Today he set a new precedent. He sat her on his lap and fed her from his bowl.

  Baffled, she queried the informality. He laughed, reminding her this was his house not the palace. He preferred to live very casually and intimately with his wife. They were still locked together when a visitor arrived. Adaku stood up to let the visitor in. It was her younger brother, Nnamdi.

  Nnamdi greeted both of them. Adaku looked a little worried and Obinna couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong.

  “Is all well at home?” Adaku asked her younger brother with a frown on her face.

  “Yes, everyone is fine. I have a message from father. He wishes to see you immediately.”

  “He does? Are you sure nothing is wrong?” she asked again, moving closer to her brother.

  “It’s all right. You have to go and see why your father wishes to see you,” Obinna said calmly, trying to soothe her concern. She turned to him immediately and he could tell she was worried about leaving him. He took her hand. “I’ll be fine. There are things I need to do today anyway.”

  Turning to the boy he said, “Nnamdi, sit down. Your sister will get you something to eat before she gets ready to go with you.”

  He left the two of them and went into the bedchamber to get ready. Adaku came in shortly afterward.

  “My husband, are you sure it is fine to leave you at such short notice? I can go see my father tomorrow or some other time.”

  He turned to her. She still looked worried. Though his instinct told him all was not well, he chose to ignore it. He didn’t want suspicion spoiling the new love blooming between them. He pulled her into his arms and caressed her cheek.