“Yes. I want this.”
As he eased deeper and deeper a slight sting pierced her, then she felt her body open. Strength and heat and incredible pleasure shook her from the inside out as Terentius burrowed deep.
“Are you all right?” he asked. “Am I hurting you?”
“No, the pain was quick and over. It feels wonderful, Terentius.”
She groaned and gasped as the pleasure accumulated. Wavering between beauty and madness, her thoughts spun away. Oh, yes. Yes. Yes. He eased back, drawing out of her.
“No. Please stay.”
His deep chuckle, so close to her ear, sent renewed shivers of delight through her. She breathed in deeply and absorbed all her feelings for him. She hungered with an animal’s strength, she worshipped with a priestess’s devotion. Nothing could distract from the feelings, both mental and physical, with this joining. His cock inched within, then retreated, then burrowed long, slow and hard. She cried out softly in pleasure.
Steam rose around them and their breaths rasped in the semi-darkness. Magic overwhelmed the night. Her gaze fixated on a small drop of water at the pool edge. Sensual promise shimmered in that drop, glittered and quivered with life.
“Feel me,” he whispered as he kissed her neck. “Feel what you do to me.”
With one solid, deliberate push, his cock slammed deep. Her body shivered around his hardness, pulsed and tingled.
She whimpered, thrashed as he gripped the stone handles and pulled his hips back. “No, don’t leave me.”
“Never.”
He thrust home, and she cried out once more at the exquisite enjoyment. Repeatedly he drove into her, bringing her body to life, threatening to send her careening into blissful oblivion.
Terentius couldn’t restrain himself any longer. Everything about her turned him into a beast, determined he’d fuck her ruthlessly until his seed exploded. Her soft skin, the way she moved, cried out, begged for a finish. He wanted to torture her with pleasure, deny her and fulfill her, bring Adrenia to the greatest experience of her life. He would never let her go. Growling, he shuddered and slowed his relentless stroking. Again his hips drew back, again he sank within her wet, soft heat. He’d never felt anything more excruciatingly good and doubted the gods would allow him to feel this amazing again. His fingers tightened on the stones as he braced her hips against the side of the pool and used his thigh muscles to direct the pace.
Her breathy moan fired his blood. “Terentius. Oh, please. Please.”
Her pleading drove him to slow down even more. Backwards, forwards, a steady pumping so slow he could feel every inch of her tight channel pulsing around him. He circled his hips, and Adrenia cried out again. As her whimpers continued, his gratification swelled. A woman’s flesh had never given him more satisfaction. Terentius knew her body and soul would delight him through the ages, and he would never feel this way about another woman as long as he lived.
“Yes, my Venus.” He snarled his next words into her ear and drilled her with a hard thrust. “Fuck me.”
At his carnal request, she shrieked, her tightness shivering and milking his cock. His breath billowed from his lungs as he powered his hips into a churning motion. Insane with a need to come, he jammed into her once last time and released. He growled loudly as he came, spewing his essence in shuddering streams. He sagged against her back and panted as weakness assaulted his limbs.
Some time later he managed to speak. “Come, let us rise.”
As he pulled away from her, she shivered. “That was amazing, Terentius.”
Her matter-of-fact statement amused him. He turned her toward him and witnessed her flushed cheeks. The sparkle in her eyes calmed any fears he had that she hadn’t enjoyed her joining. No, more than that, her cries had assured him the pleasure he’d discovered had found her, too.
When he didn’t speak, worry clouded her eyes. “You’re satisfied?”
He kissed her softly and hugged her. “More than that. I’ve never felt this way about another woman, Adrenia.” The truth fell from his lips. “And I never will again.”
“Oh.”
The breathless, astonished sound brought all his protective feelings rushing forth. “I vow this to you, Adrenia. No man or beast shall ever harm you again. You are mine to protect and cherish.”
Several emotions flashed through her gamin, youthful features—affection and admiration, amazement and doubt. He understood the doubt. She’d suffered enough rejection and dejection to last a lifetime. He would work hard to earn her everlasting trust.
“There is more food, and if we are not tired...” He allowed his voice to drift as he kissed her. “More exploration in the baths.”
The idyllic night lingered, and as they sat upon the pallet, naked and warm, he realized they hadn’t learned as much about each other as they could. She sipped wine, and he watched her delicate, white throat work. He loved the way her body moved, the light and feminine curves, the hint of a greater womanliness yet to explore.
“Eat more,” he said. “Drink more. You’re thinner than I would like.”
Her eyebrows drew closer together as she frowned. “My body displeases you?”
“No. I only worry for your health.”
When she put the goblet down on the table, he lay down on the pallet and held his hand out. “Lay with me.” She placed her hand in his, and he drew her down across his body. Her legs naturally parted and he arranged her so that her heat nestled his already hardened cock. He wanted her again. “Ride me.”
When she looked bewildered, he lifted her and brought her slowly down on his hardness. She gasped and immediately started to rock her hips. Soon the music in his body spiraled upwards until nothing short of raging completion would fulfill him. Her milky white skin glowed softly under the dim light. Her cupped her small breasts and pulled lightly on the nipples. Adrenia groaned and rode faster, slamming down on him. Her escalating cries aroused him to a sword point, dancing on the edge of fulfillment. He held back, wanting her happiness more than his own.
He growled his next words. “Goddess, take what you want.”
“Yes.” She moaned and thrashed in his grip. “Yes.”
She panted and squirmed, impaling herself repeatedly upon him. He ached deep in his loins, ecstasy beckoning with fierce teeth. Ah, yes. His little Venus had learned passion quickly and craved it as much as a well-seasoned matron. Determined she’d know the greatest pleasure possible, he threw his hips upward again. Again. Hard and fast. She met each of his motions without hesitation. Her eyes closed, head tipped back, blue-black hair gleaming under the flickering light.
The god’s glory enveloped him, and he released his seed with hot, ecstasy-filled moans.
Terentius drew Adrenia into his arms and rolled her to the side. Silence enveloped them. Other women he’d had sex with wanted to talk nonstop. He waited and began to think she’d fallen asleep. Then she sighed and propped up on one elbow to look down on him. Her eyes held a dream-filled quality and sweetness.
Adrenia sighed as if relieved. “Thank you, Terentius.”
“For what?”
“For the respect you’ve given me. It is beyond...beyond everything.”
“You’re welcome. Now, would you like more wine? More food?”
She sat up. “I think I would.”
He enjoyed feeding her succulent morsels and reveled in a sumptuous aftermath of lovemaking that staggered his mind and body. No dessert could have given him these extraordinary hours with her. When the battlefield wore down his last resolve, when he had the last breath within him, he would remember Adrenia.
Chapter Twelve
“Freedom is a possession of inestimable value.”
Cicero
Roman Author, Orator, and Politician, 106 BC–43 BC
“Here, take these.” Cordia dumped the fine clothing into Adrenia’s hands the second Adrenia opened her bedroom door.
“What are these for?” Adrenia asked.
“Mother said you shoul
d be properly attired for dinner. Those hand-me-downs you’re wearing aren’t elaborate enough.”
“Tonight?”
“Of course.” Cordia’s voice sounded like a demand.
“There is something special about tonight?” Adrenia knew full well Cordia planned a humiliation for her. Why else would she be here now?
Cordia’s long, thick lashes fanned downward. She gazed at her feet for a second before she returned her attention to Adrenia. “Tonight is when my father honors Terentius for his bravery in saving you, of course. Father is inviting so many important people. My betrothal to Terentius won’t be announced this evening. Father wants to be discreet and follow propriety. He feels it is too soon after your...incident.”
Frustration battled with amusement inside Adrenia. Apparently the girl didn’t understand that she had no chance with Terentius. “I see.”
When Adrenia didn’t elaborate, Cordia shifted from one foot to the other and patted her highly coiffed hair. It must have taken hours to arrange her thick, crowning glory.
“Terentius will want to let you down gently, I imagine.”
“Let me down?” Adrenia asked.
“That any girlish ideas you have in relation to him are futile.”
“Terentius is an intelligent man. I’m certain he can decide who he wants to marry without my help.”
“You sound so certain of yourself.”
The undeniable sneer in Cordia’s voice made Adrenia want to scream in exasperation, but she maintained her calm. “I’m certain that Terentius understands what kind of woman he wants.”
“Which is?”
“You’ll have to ask him. But I would imagine he’d want a virgin for his wedding bed night.”
Cordia’s eyes widened, and her mouth twisted in anger. “How dare you? I am a virgin.”
“Then you have nothing to be concerned about do you? You would fulfill one of his desires, then, will you not?”
Cordia’s eyes almost glowed with fury, and Adrenia couldn’t help feel some satisfaction. “A woman of fine birth will always be a virgin before she marries.”
Adrenia nodded. “Of course.”
Cordia leaned forward a bit, her eyes hard as steel. “A man of his intelligence would make a fine husband.”
“You don’t have to convince me.” Then, because she couldn’t resist, Adrenia said, “Of course, if you marry him, there is always the problem of his small penis. I did warn you about that.”
“Why you little bitch.” Cordia said the words with burning emotion, and Adrenia half expected to be pushed or slapped. “When I’m married to Terentius I’ll make certain he never sees you again.”
“How considerate.” Adrenia kept her voice neutral. “That would suppose there is anything within me to disappoint. You may tell Terentius, if you wish, that I’m quite relieved he’s found the woman he wants for house and home.”
“Then you’ll come to dinner and tell him yourself.”
“If your father wills it.”
“Oh, he wants you to attend. Make no mistake.”
Adrenia nodded, wary. “So he told me.”
Cordia’s youthful face altered, her surprise more like a startle response. “He what?”
“He told me that when Terentius came for dinner, I was to attend too. So you and I are in complete agreement with no fight between us.”
Cordia placed her slim hand along the doorframe. “You know, you might be a good match for Terentius’s brutish friend.”
Adrenia couldn’t repress a sarcastic smile. “His optio?”
Cordia waved a hand. “Whatever he is called. That huge, lumbering soldier. He could handle you.”
“I didn’t realize I needed handling.”
Cordia’s eyes grew confused for all of a moment, then clouded with recognizable ferocity. “You are impertinent. You should take my advice as your better.”
Cordia stalked away, and Adrenia closed and latched her door. She knew Cordia wanted her at the dinner so she would have an opportunity to disgrace her. Adrenia abhorred the idea of sitting through a banal dinner until she thought of seeing Terentius. Nothing else mattered but being with him for a few moments, for the pleasure it would bring her.
“Pella!” Adrenia threw herself into her friend’s arms as they embraced outside Cordus Villa.
Adrenia’s happiness escalated at her friend’s response. Pella held on to her a long time. “I thought never to see you again.”
Adrenia’s eyes teared as she drew back. “I missed you too.”
Pella bowed at the waist when she saw Victor and Terentius standing nearby with Longa. Terentius had just introduced Longa to Adrenia.
Longa’s beautiful black hair was coiffed in pretty ringlets and twirls, her exquisitely beautiful face reminding Adrenia of a goddess. She was as tall as Terentius, and her long limbs gave her a grace and dignity Adrenia envied. Longa’s stola and palla, woven in beautiful blue cloth, graced her body in waves of luxury.
Terentius took Adrenia’s arm. “May I speak to you in private?”
Curious, she followed him around the side of the house. “Is something wrong?”
A mischievous smile filled his eyes and curved his mouth. “Not at all.” He kissed her with gentleness. “Don’t leave the villa before Victor and I return for dinner. It’s not safe.”
“Of course. We’ll wait until you return.”
Once more he leaned in for a soft kiss. “Happy visiting, then.”
Victor and Terentius left in short order and Adrenia led Pella and Longa toward a reception room within the villa. They settled on soft couches. A servant brought them wine and they ate special cakes Longa had brought as a gift.
“Your bruises are gone.” Adrenia smiled at Pella. “I’m so relieved to see you well.”
Longa bit into a flaky cake. “Indeed, it is a miracle you faired as well as you did.”
Pella’s eyes held uncertainty when she took stock of the older woman. “Thank you, domina.”
“Please call me Longa. I never stand on ceremony. Many centurion’s wives do, but I think it ridiculous.”
“Do they think the gods will love them for it?” Pella asked.
Longa’s sigh sounded long-suffering. “Perhaps. They are too busy socializing and bettering their standing.”
Pella slanted a clever look at Adrenia. “What attitude will you take when you marry a centurion?”
Adrenia’s mouth opened in surprise. “There is no reason to believe I’ll marry one.”
Longa laughed and then tasted her wine with delicacy. “Don’t be coy, girls. Say what you mean.” Longa sat down her goblet and leaned toward Adrenia. “She means what will you do when you marry Terentius?”
“How did you know... I mean...simply because we have...” Adrenia faltered.
Pella’s eyes widened. “You and Terentius are one?”
Adrenia’s cheeks went hot with embarrassment. “We visited Longa’s soon-to-be home and tried the baths there.”
“Still being coy.” Longa shook her head, but she grinned for all she was worth. “Adrenia and Terentius have consummated their relationship.”
Pella’s cheeks went red this time. “I’m sorry. I was just surprised.” Her lips pursed in a half smile. “He’s a fine, handsome man with much to recommend him.”
Adrenia tossed a look between the two women. “Longa, it is hard for me to speak plainly about physical love. Not because I disapprove of men and women making love outside of marriage. Because it is an intimate situation. I am unable to explain in any fashion such an extraordinary experience.”
“I apologize, Adrenia.” Longa returned to sipping her wine. “As Capito tells me, I’m too bold sometimes. I remind him it is one of the reasons he fell in love with me in the first place.”
Adrenia hopped on the concept. “Then you have a love match?”
“Most certainly. I would have it no other way. Despite Capito’s brutal façade, he is the most gentle of men. He loves me dearly.”
Pella sighed, the sound dreamy and complete.
Adrenia settled back in her chair, the contentment within her amazing. “I have trouble believing the concept.”
Longa frowned. “What? That Capito could love me, or that you could feel that way about a man and he could feel the same for you?”
Adrenia waved one hand in dismissal. “Oh, please, take no offense. I just...that any man could love me is hard for me to imagine.” Adrenia pressed her hand between her breasts. “To understand right here.”
Adrenia kept her hand over her heart, and the room went silent.
Longa reached for a cake and put it on her plate. “Give yourself time, my dear. Life hasn’t favored you with beautiful experiences. Terentius had a good home life with his parents. You didn’t grow up experiencing much love from anyone.”
“You are a wise woman, Longa.” Pella reached for the wine krater and refilled Longa’s goblet. “Few women speak so plainly. I was reluctant to ask about her relationship with Terentius with another person here.”
Longa finished chewing a bite of cake. “How could you be certain of my intentions until you know me well?”
Pella filled her own goblet. “Because, like Adrenia, I’m an excellent judge of character. You, ma’am, are an extraordinary lady.”
With a soft laugh, Longa beamed. “Why thank you. I do not have many friends at the fort. None of the soldiers, save for centurions, are allowed to marry and few of them have wives. The highest-ranking centurion at the fortress has a wife, and she hates me.”
Adrenia winced. “Oh, dear. Then she is likely to hate me.”
“Don’t worry. If you are lucky, you’ll escape her notice entirely. Remember his name is Spurius Laelius Piso.” Longa’s smile burst onto her face, full of satisfaction. “Her name is appropriate. Vitula Scrofa Piso. Vitula means calf or young cow. Scrofa means sow.”
“Is she very large?” Pella asked.
“Indeed.” Longa nodded. “We couldn’t fault her for that, but for the virulent way she eats. She is messy. Even that would mean little to me, but she’s hateful to any woman she believes is a threat.”
They laughed together, and Adrenia enjoyed a new ease inside her.
For a Roman's Heart Page 17