by I. T. Lucas
She’d read that people working in emergency rooms felt it, as well as soldiers in commando units. Superficial differences that meant something outside of those intense environments went up in smoke when people fought as a unit for survival, either their own in the case of commandos, or patients in the case of emergency room personnel.
But it was more than that.
Listening to Anandur tell his stories with Brundar’s arm wrapped around her, holding her close, Callie had felt at peace. She had felt at home.
What a shame it was an illusion.
Tomorrow night, her carriage was going to turn back into a pumpkin, but she wasn’t going to leave a glass slipper behind.
“When is Anandur coming back?” she asked.
“Why? Do you miss him already?” There was an edge to Brundar’s voice, his body tensing next to hers.
Did he think she was interested in his brother?
Silly man.
“He is fun, and I like him, but that’s not why I’m asking. I’m trying to figure out how much alone time we have left.”
Brundar relaxed back into the couch. “Plenty. He probably won’t be back until the early hours of the morning. Do you have something in mind?”
“Maybe.” If Brundar was up to it.
Though judging by how he’d gotten himself out of the wheelchair and onto the sofa, Brundar wasn’t exactly helpless despite his injuries.
She still marveled at his incredible upper body strength.
Using the coffee table and the sofa’s armrest for support, he’d lifted himself off the wheelchair and onto the couch with his feet never touching the floor.
Brundar hooked a finger under her chin and turned her head to look up at him. “Tell me what you want, sweetling.”
She didn’t want him to look at her battered face up close. It wasn’t a pleasant sight, but he wouldn’t let go. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you think I’m beautiful. I know what I look like and it ain't pretty.”
He dipped his head and planted a chaste kiss on her lips. “You’re always beautiful to me.”
Who knew the guy was a closet romantic. “That’s sweet of you to say, but I look like crap. If I didn’t, you wouldn’t be kissing me like I’m sick.”
“I don’t want to hurt you. Your face is so badly bruised that I’m afraid that even the gentlest of touches will cause you pain.”
He was right about that, and it wasn’t only her face. Her whole body was one big ache, but for some reason, it didn’t make her any less lustful. Was it a survivor’s thing? Wanting to celebrate life because she’d almost lost it?
“I want you. Is it wrong to feel horny when both of us are such a mess? How can we even go about it without hurting each other?”
“You can sit on me,” he suggested with a smirk.
The idea had crossed her mind, but there was a problem with that. “I can’t do it with my hands tied up. I need them for balance.”
“Can you do it with a blindfold?”
“I guess. Does it mean I can touch you?”
“Given the circumstances, I’ll allow it this time.”
“Maybe we could do without the blindfold as well?”
“No.”
“Why not? I want to see the expression on your face when you climax.”
By the sudden tenting of his loose pajama pants, the idea wasn’t abhorrent to him, which made her hopeful.
“That’s not negotiable, Calypso.” Brundar’s tone changed from playful to commanding, which had the desired effect on her.
So much for hope, but she had to give it one last try. “Please?”
“Go to my bedroom and get one of the ties from my closet.”
“Yes, sir.” She mock saluted him.
“And put a chair against the front door in case Anandur comes back early.”
“As if a chair would stop him. I don’t think a grand piano would.”
“It will give us a second to cover up.”
She could live with that. Besides, there was something exciting about doing it in the middle of the living room when there was a chance they could get caught. A small chance, but then if she thought it was likely for Anandur to show up in the next hour or so, she would’ve insisted on moving the fun to the bedroom.
“I’ll bring a blanket.”
After picking a dark silk tie from Brundar’s small collection, she put it on top of the blanket she’d folded on the bed, and reached for her purse which Anandur had kindly delivered. The birth control pills hadn’t been the only reason she’d needed her purse; the pack of condoms she had in there was the other.
After all, that antsy feeling had been dogging her since morning, and there had been little else she’d been thinking about while cooking lunch and then dinner. It was either a survivor’s need to embrace life, or Brundar’s pheromones.
It was a good thing her bra was the padded kind, not because she needed enhancement, but because it did a great job of concealing her stiff nipples. That was why she’d worn her own and not the one Anandur had gotten for her at Walmart.
It was the right size, which made her realize that he’d been sneaking peeks at her breasts, but it was one of those thin fabric ones that would have covered nothing.
With everything ready, there was one last thing she needed to do—get naked and try to renegotiate from a position of power. Brundar would have a much harder time sticking to his guns while staring at her bare breasts.
Chapter 11: Brundar
Brundar’s breath caught when Calypso entered the living room without as much as a single strip of fabric on her.
The woman was perfection. From her high breasts and pink nipples, which were begging to be sucked, to her slim waist and narrow hips, to her long, toned legs. Except, it pained him to see the large bruises on her left hip and shoulder.
The memory of Calypso falling together with the chair she’d been strapped to would be forever etched in his brain, as would the backhand to her face that put that in motion.
If Shawn weren’t already dead, Brundar would have taken great pleasure killing him, not with a quick and merciful snapping of the neck, but a slow and excruciating death. For every iota of pain the motherfucker had inflicted on Calypso, Brundar would have made him pay that times a thousand.
She stopped in front of him and put a hand on her hip. “Why are you glaring at me?”
He leaned forward and reached for her hips, pulling her to him.
“Careful,” she said, resisting his pull when her thighs touched his.
“Straddle me,” he commanded.
She put her bundle of a folded blanket, one of his silk ties, and two wrapped condoms on the couch next to him.
Brundar smiled at that. Apparently, Calypso had faith in his ability to satisfy her despite his injuries.
Climbing with her knees on the sofa, she lifted one knee over and lowered herself, so her naked core was on top of his aching, pajama-pants covered cock.
“At least someone is happy to see me,” she said.
Brundar caressed her back. “The bruises on your arm and your hip reminded me of how you got them. I wish I could kill him again. But I wouldn’t have granted him a merciful death like my brother did. I would’ve made him suffer.”
Calypso frowned. “Your eyes, they look as if they are glowing.”
Damnation. He should not have allowed himself to get carried away like that. The glowing eyes could be explained away, but he could feel his fangs elongating as well.
“It’s an illusion created by the angle of the light fixture.” He cupped her breast to distract her and reached with his other for the tie.
Calypso moaned and closed her eyes, giving him the perfect opportunity to slip the tie over her eyes.
“Sneaky,” she said. “You know, I put down some hard limits, like paddles and other instruments of torture, but then moved some of them into the soft limits category. I don’t see how the blindfold is a
ny different.”
“If you call paddles and floggers instruments of torture, you obviously don’t know what those are.” He thumbed both nipples.
Calypso arched her back. “Tell me,” she breathed.
Naughty girl. Just from reading over the questionnaire in the club she should have a good idea, but, apparently, talking about it aroused her.
“Nipple clamps, for one.” To demonstrate, he pinched her nipples hard.
“Ouch!” She pushed his hands aside and cupped her breasts protectively.
“Never. There is nothing sexy about those nasty things.”
Her scent agreed with her proclamation. No nipple clamps. Good. He didn’t like them either.
“Okay. Those are crossed out.”
“What else?”
“There are small vibrators to stimulate a woman for hours. In my opinion, when used like that those are worse than the nipple clamps. But in small doses they can be pleasurable.”
“I agree. What about plugs?”
“Those are supposed to be more pleasurable than not, but I don’t play with them.”
“Good. They don’t sound like fun to me either.”
This time her scent didn’t agree with her statement. Calypso was curious about that form of play. Regrettably, he wouldn’t be satisfying that curiosity. He could never associate pleasure with that.
Deflecting again, he continued, “And then there are the real instruments of torture that deliver only pain, such as whips and the like.”
“Masochists find pleasure in pain.”
“True.” He ran a finger through her wet folds. “But you’re not one of them.”
She shook her head. “No. I just like it when you boss me around. In bed, I mean.”
He delivered a soft smack to her behind. “And you like being spanked.”
“Yes. But not today.”
“I know, sweetling, I was just teasing.”
She leaned forward and kissed him, her tongue seeking entry he couldn’t grant. He couldn’t pull her hair either, her scalp was too tender from the assault. Instead, to stop her, Brundar wedged a finger between their lips.
“Turn around, Calypso,” he commanded.
She hesitated for a moment, but then did as he asked, straddling him with her back to his front.
Brundar lifted up and pulled his pants down, freeing his cock. Then lowered her to rub her moist center against it.
“I like it. Feeling you like that against my skin is so much better than through the rubber.”
“How much longer before we can toss those out?” He cupped her breasts, holding her to him and letting her have all the control over their lower halves.
“Four days. And I don’t even care that you didn’t bring me a letter from your doctor yet.”
“I’ll get her to write it when she comes to check up on me.”
“As much as I’m enjoying this, I have to ask you to please put the condom on and get inside me before I spontaneously combust.”
“Your wish is my command.”
She snorted. “Aren't those supposed to be my words?”
“Normally, yes.” Brundar tore the wrapper and sheathed himself. He lifted her by her hips and pushed in an inch. “I'm making an exception today.”
“Oh, yeah?” Calypso lowered herself another inch. “Doesn’t feel like it to me. You’re still calling the shots.”
“Just the way you like it, sweetling.” He surged all the way in.
“Oh, yes!” She threw her head back, her lush hair covering his chest.
He lifted her up, then lowered her, then did it again a couple of times. “You want to give taking over a try? I’ll just provide the prop.” He pushed up to demonstrate.
“Okay.”
Brundar let go of her hips and put his hands behind his head, lacing the fingers. “I’m ready to be ridden by my lady jockey.”
Calypso gave it all she got. For about a minute and a half before tiring. “I like it better when you do it.”
“Of course.”
Chapter 12: Anandur
Anandur leaned back in his chair and popped open the top button of his pants. “I’m so full, I can’t move.”
Calypso was one hell of a cook. As she’d promised Brundar, dinner today was made from yesterday’s leftovers, but she’d fixed it up, so it tasted like something new.
Dabbing his mouth with a napkin, Brundar cast him a hard look. “Too bad, because you’re doing the dishes.”
“I know. Just give me a moment to catch my breath.”
Calypso started pushing to her feet. “There is no rush. Let’s have coffee first.”
Brundar reached for her hand and pulled her back down. “Anandur can make coffee.”
She patted his shoulder. “It’s okay. Let your brother rest. I don’t mind.”
Glaring, he didn’t let go of her hand. “Please, sit down. You’ve done enough. Anandur is perfectly capable of making coffee and serving it.”
Bossy little fucker, but he was right, and it wasn’t as if Anandur could tell him to do it himself. Brundar was taking advantage of his temporary disability.
No matter. Payback was a bitch. Once he was back on his feet, Anandur was going to make him wash dishes and serve coffee for weeks.
“I’m all rested.” He pushed his chair back. “And I’ll bring cookies.”
Calypso chuckled. “I thought you said you were full.”
“I am. So what? There is always room left for dessert.” He headed for the kitchen.
A loud knock on the door startled all three of them, freezing them in place.
“Fuck.” Anandur rushed back. “You need to hide,” he whispered as he caught Callie’s elbow, helping her up.
This time Brundar didn’t pull her back.
Where could he stash the girl so whoever was on the other side of the door wouldn’t hear her heartbeat? Given the cooking smells permeating the apartment, her scent was less of a problem.
“The balcony,” he whispered in her ear as he propelled her toward the sliding glass doors.
“Give me a moment!” Brundar called out to stall their visitor. “I’m in a goddamned wheelchair!”
Anandur slid the balcony door open and pointed to the farthest corner. “Stand flush against the wall.”
She nodded and did exactly as he’d instructed. Anandur closed the door and pulled the curtains closed.
Brundar motioned for him to duck into the corridor, then continued wheeling himself clumsily toward the door while banging into everything in his path to make as much noise as possible.
In his room, Anandur went a step further, going to the bathroom and flushing the toilet.
“Kian,” he heard Brundar say.
Fuck. Out of everyone in the keep, Kian was the last person Anandur wanted to see this evening. He’d thought they had made it through the weekend, and that later tonight he would sneak Calypso out of the keep with no one any the wiser.
Yeah. Neither he nor Brundar were that lucky.
“How are you doing?” Kian asked.
“Have been better,” Brundar grumbled.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
“Yes, of course. It’s hard to maneuver this damned thing. I can’t wait to be out of it.”
Anandur walked into the living room as Brundar pushed himself back, letting Kian in.
Fuck, fuckety fuck. The dining table was set for three.
Anandur moved to block it with his body, leaning against the table and motioning for Kian to take the couch.
“I heard you were injured. How come you didn’t report it to me?”
“It wasn’t in the line of duty, and I didn’t want to bother you on the weekend.”
Kian lifted a brow. “What happened?”
Anandur crossed his arms over his chest. “Brundar decided to play the hero and rescue a damsel in distress.”
Kian ignored him, focusing his intense eyes on Brundar instead. “Care to elaborate?”
“
I do not. It’s a private matter.”
“When my best fighter is put out of commission for two weeks, I think I’m entitled to an explanation, and for your sake, I hope it’s a good one, like saving a bus-load of school children from certain death.”
Brundar returned Kian’s glower with one of his own. “The life of a friend was on the line. In my book that’s a good enough reason.”
Kian glared for a few seconds more, then took in a deep breath and let his shoulders relax on the exhale. “I can’t argue with that. Especially since I would’ve done the same thing.”
He rose to his feet. “I’m sorry for interrupting your dinner. I’ll let you guys go back to it.” He took a sniff. “Something smells amazing. Where did you order the food from? Syssi and I should give it a try.”
Anandur was about to come up with a lie when Kian peeked at the table behind him, immediately noticing the three place settings.
“Who is your guest?” He took another sniff. “You have a woman here?” His chest inflated with anger. “How many times do I need to repeat that no one is allowed to bring their hookups up here?”
Anandur let out a quiet breath. Kian’s assumption would make this much easier to explain away.
“I’m sorry, boss. My bad.” Anandur took the blame. “When she offered to cook for me, I couldn’t resist.” He inhaled deeply. “Can you blame me? The girl is a wizard in the kitchen.”
Kian didn’t smile. “Where is she? Where are you hiding her?”
“Come on, boss. No need to scare the panties off the little thing. Right after dinner, I’m going to take her home and scrub her memories. She doesn’t need to see you.”
“If you care for her feelings, bring her out from wherever you’ve stashed her before I do. And just so we are clear, Monday morning I want you in my office for a formal reprimand. You’re not getting away with harboring a human without penalty.”
“Yes, boss.” Anandur inclined his head in acceptance but didn’t move toward the balcony. Maybe now that Kian huffed and puffed he would leave.
“I’m waiting. Bring. Her. Out.”
Fuck. He was going to smell Brundar all over Calypso and know that she wasn’t Anandur’s. Unless he held her close. It would be hard for Kian to tell where Brundar’s scent was coming from. After all, he was right there with them.