by Tawny Taylor
As soon as they were safe in their townhouse, he would show her exactly how strong a man he was. It was essential that she held a healthy respect for her Masters. Later, once their positions had been established, and their bride fully understood and accepted her role, it was fine for her to show a little nurturing concern. But not yet. Right now, she needed to be trained, taught to submit.
The walk back to Alyria was agonizing. Long, exhausting, and painful. Cayne suggested he go have his injuries checked. Ronan refused, opting instead to report the attack while Cayne took their bride to their townhouse for some rest and a meal. Later, when he returned, they would have their first training session.
Despite the pain pounding through his body, his cock stiffened at the thought of Kaitlin on her knees, her mouth stuffed full of his rod, her pussy slick and ready.
That first session couldn’t come soon enough.
* * *
Ah, their bride was a strong woman. Strong willed. Strong bodied. Slow to trust. Every aspect Ronan found threatening, Cayne respected. She would make the perfect mate.
He was looking forward to the sparks that would fly when they took her to the dungeon the first time. She and Ronan were bound to strike at each other, like flint and steel. It would be damn fun to watch.
He’d been more than ready for a bride, had looked forward to taking one for years. But now that the time had come, and he’d learned which knight he’d share her with, he was beyond excited. He was the effing luckiest man in Alyria.
He sat with her now, watching her eat, her eyes warily taking in her new surroundings. She’d said very little since they’d arrived. He knew she was terrified, maybe even more now than when she’d first been dragged through the portal. But she wasn’t cowering or lashing out anymore. She seemed to be accepting things. Pretty damn quickly.
Surprising.
She pushed her empty plate away and leaned back in her chair. A shadow of a contented smile passed over her face before fading away. “Thanks. I was starving.”
“You’re welcome.”
Her gaze skittered around the room again. “Can you tell me what happened out there? Who are the Others? I kind of remember something about them from the book, but I don’t recall the details. It’s like my memory is fading.”
He was relieved to hear that. The faster a bride started forgetting her former life, the quicker she accepted her new one. “Your only focus is on acclimating yourself to your new life here, as our bride. Believe me, you’ve got a lot to get used to.”
She straightened up. Her hand lifted to her neck, fingertips dancing over the slender column before finding a curling lock of hair. “What’s that mean? Like what?”
“Like, you’re still wearing clothing. We allowed you to remain clothed while we traveled, even though it reflects very poorly on us.”
“That’s stupid.” She dropped her hand back to her lap and glared at the empty plate before her, toying with her fork.
“It’s our culture. And we will pay a price if anyone learns we broke the law.”
Her gaze lifted to his, and the fire he’d witnessed in her eyes cooled. “What kind of price?”
He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”
She frowned and dropped her eyes again, this time to her hands, now folded in her lap. “I -- I can’t believe I want to apologize. After you kidnapped me. But a part of me wants to say I’m sorry. Is Ronan going to be okay?” She drew in a deep breath, and her full breasts pushed against her shirt. Her nipples poked at the fabric. She exhaled on a sigh and the glorious sight of those hard little peaks disappeared. “This whole thing is so confusing.”
“Just keep focused on what we tell you. Don’t think about anything else.”
“I don’t think I can do that. My life taught me to be the way I am. To take care of myself. Not to trust anyone but myself. How am I supposed to change? Why should I even try?”
He caught her hands in his and coaxed her to look at him by tugging them. Once she made eye contact with him, he smiled. “I don’t want you to change. You’re perfect exactly as you are.”
The corners of her mouth lifted. A pretty pink stain touched her cheeks. “No one’s ever said that to me before.” Her wriggling hands stilled in his.
“You see, you’re going to be very happy here.” He smoothed his thumb over her wrist. Her skin was so soft, and she smelled so good. “Let your old life go, and it’ll be much easier.”
“Let it go? My old life is so much a part of who I am now. I mean, isn’t that true of everybody? We are the sum of our experiences.”
“No. This is your chance to become more than what your experiences would ever have allowed you to become. It’s a gift, if you’ll accept it.”
A long stretch of silence followed. He allowed her the chance to mull over what he’d said, sensing she was already on the verge of accepting her new life. So quickly. He didn’t know any knight personally whose bride had relented so easily.
She was a miracle, all wrapped up in the most delectable package. He glanced at the clock then stood. “Rest now. When Ronan returns, we’ll have our first training session.”
A flash of something passed over her face. But it vanished as fast as it appeared. She stood, accepting his hand, and followed him toward the stairs. Up they went, around the corner and toward the dungeon, with its door open.
She halted, staring into the room. “Is this what I think it is? From the book… those strange looking pieces of furniture?”
“It’s a bondage dungeon. You will be trained in there, taught to submit to your Masters.”
Her eyes widened and she stumbled back, bouncing off his body before twisting to his left. She gripped the doorframe, her knuckles white. “It’s so much scarier in real life. But… I don’t know… now’s not a good time. I’m just so dizzy and tired for some reason…” She started to sink to the floor.
He caught her in his arms and carried her to his room. As he held her, the carnal hunger he’d dammed back stirred hot and raw once more. His cock stiffened as his need to possess her amplified. With every second of contact between their bodies, the drive grew more urgent.
If Ronan didn’t return soon, he’d have no choice but to start the training without him. Cayne had a strong will, but when it came to denying himself the pleasure of their bride, there was a limit. Even his normally ironclad self-control would snap before long under this kind of pressure.
Chapter 3
Kaitlin woke up to a soft caress. A man’s hands gently lifted her hair off her neck and massaged her shoulders.
On her stomach, eyes closed, she smiled and just let herself wallow in luxury for a few minutes. Whoever that was -- Cayne or Ronan -- he had magical hands. Finally, she broke the silence. “I could get used to this. Hmmm, that feels good.”
“You’ll be getting used to a lot of good things.” It was Cayne’s voice, husky and sensual, barely above a whisper. “Time for your first session. This way.” His hands skimmed down one of her arms until he reached her fingertips. He twined his fingers through hers and pulled. “Are you still dizzy?”
“Not so much anymore.” She swung her legs over the side of the bed, slipped to her feet, and padded barefoot behind Cayne down the hall. She was feeling pretty darn relaxed, until they reached that room. She couldn’t help hesitating at the door.
The dungeon was one scary place, and she was none too eager to go in there. But Cayne shot her a look over his shoulder that told her she wasn’t going to avoid it, no matter what she did.
Resigned, she stepped over the threshold but went no further. Her knees felt like Jell-O, kind of wiggly-jiggly and her heart was racing at a zillion beats per second.
The equipment looked like torture devices. She certainly didn’t remember the heroine in that novel being tortured, at least not in a bad way. One thing was for sure, bondage stuff looked a whole lot less sexy, and a whole lot more scary in real life, versus in the pages of a book.
Cayne kicked a foo
t up on a piece of furniture that looked like a weight bench made out of wood. “Before long, you’ll come to look forward to our daily sessions in here.”
Daily? She wasn’t sure how to feel about that, yet.
Cayne dropped his foot to the ground and headed for a shelf on the wall, loaded with bondage stuff. “In this room, we’ll train you to serve us. As our submissive. We’ll use various forms of reward and punishment to shape your behavior.”
Shape her behavior. Like a freaking dog.
Again, it sounded a whole helluva lot sexier in a book, in the book her captors had come from.
Wasn’t it enough for her to deal with the possibility that she’d been seized by fictional characters and dragged into their make-believe world? Why did they have to push this on her too? It was too much, too soon.
“Have you ever fantasized about being tied up? Dominated?” Cayne asked.
She shook her head. “Not before I read Her Dark Knights.”
“Do you still remember the story?” Holding something in his hands, he strolled toward her. His body was loose and relaxed, nonthreatening. His eyes were much more intense. And his expression – a hungry lion on the prowl. “Do you remember how it made you feel?”
“I’m… parts of it I remember. Others I’ve forgotten. I guess being here is making me confused or something.”
He stopped directly in front of her, and she saw up close what he’d been holding. It was a whippy looking thingy with a thick handle and dozens of long strands of animal fur.
Soft fur. That would probably feel pretty good gliding over her back. Tickly.
“Do you remember reading about the heroine’s first time in the dungeon?” He combed through the strands, and she stared at his hand, admiring his long, tapered fingers. They were strong, large masculine hands, but also very attractive. A little quiver skittered up her spine and tingly heat swept down her legs.
“Not the details. I remember getting to that part and not wanting to stop. I also recall thinking it was exciting, in a strange way.”
“Strange how?” He moved closer still, until the heat radiating off his huge body filled the thin pocket of air between them. He raised the end of that whip to her face, skimmed it down the side and then pushed against her chin, forcing her head up until her gaze met his. “Tell me, bride.”
“I -- it’s hard to explain.”
“Let me try.” Dropping the whip, he circled around her side, stopping directly behind her. “You found the scene darkly sensual,” he whispered, his breath caressing her neck and giving rise to a full coat of goose bumps. “A little uncomfortable, but also very arousing.”
“Yes, uncomfortable and arousing.” She remembered now. She’d literally felt like she was going to melt as she’d read that first bondage scene. The book’s character, the heroine, had been both scared and turned on at the same time. That bizarre mix of emotions had totally set her off. There’d been no way she could have put that book down after that.
Strong fingers walked up her neck, over her scalp, rubbed her temples. Mmmm, nice.
She closed her eyes, not totally at ease but getting closer. The slight edge of apprehension still tugging at her insides made every sensation -- Cayne’s every touch and word -- more intense. More sensual. “As you read, you imagined yourself in the character’s place, standing nervously, waiting to see what her new Master would do next. It was sexy and exciting because you knew you were safe, that it was only a book.”
“Yes.” She dragged in a deep breath.
“But now it’s not just a book, and you’re not so safe,” he whispered against her neck. His teeth grazed her skin, and she flinched, one side of her body going tight. “The fear is real. But so is the arousal.” One of his hands smoothed around her body, stopping on her abdomen, just below her breast. His fingers splayed and he gently pulled her against him until her entire backside was crushed against the hard bulk of his body.
It was a delicious sensation, one of utter vulnerability and possession. Her body was his, to do with as he would. For his pleasure.
Realizing it had been a long time since she’d breathed, she sucked in a gasp. A slight fluttery feeling in her pussy ignited a small blaze between her legs. And the heat coming off Cayne’s body only added fuel to the fire.
Cayne’s hand crept down her stomach until it reached the bottom of her knit top. He fisted it and pulled, dragging it up her stomach, over her breasts.
Oh God.
He pressed his palm against one breast, and her nipple hardened to an aching peak. The cups of her bra were whisper thin. Satin. Smooth and cool against her hot skin. “It’s time to experience it all for real, to discover the pleasure in the fantasy.”
Oh God, ohgod, ohgod!
Her back arched all on its own, not only pressing her turgid nipple into his hand but also her soft derriere against the hard bulge pillowed against her buttocks. She dropped her hands to her sides, finding two rigid thighs sheathed in a cotton-like material. She clenched her hands into fists, tugging on the fabric, pulling it tighter, as her insides twisted into a pulsing, throbbing knot.
What was she doing, reacting this way to him? She didn’t know this man, certainly didn’t love him.
He plucked at the front clasp of her bra, and her size-D breasts spilled out. He growled. There was a dull thump as something fell to the ground and then both his hands weighed her breasts, kneaded the soft fullness, lifted them until the fragrant swells of her ivory flesh rested just under her chin.
His hands stirred a million decadent sensations in her body. Caressing. Pinching. Tugging. Meanwhile, he nuzzled her neck again. “Your skin is sweeter than my favorite fruit. I can’t wait to taste you… everywhere.”
Ohhhh… wrong. This was wrong. Bad. But soooo good too.
Her Jell-O knees were starting to soften even more, and she had no choice but to lean into him, letting his body support her as much as possible. He slipped an arm under her thighs, carried her to the bench he’d propped his foot on earlier and lowered her down. She steadied herself by gripping the sides of the seat.
As he’d carried her, her top had fallen back down. But that didn’t mean she felt any less unclothed now as he stood before her. Cayne’s searing gaze seemed to cut right through the thin material to burn her skin. He wedged his hands between her knees and pulled them apart. Her feet fell to the floor, leaving her thighs parted, straddling the bench.
Despite the fact that she was still (more or less) fully clothed, she felt incredibly exposed. In a most wicked way.
Cayne had a vibe about him. He could seduce her, make her feel warm and soft like a woman should feel, while still emitting this dangerous presence. It was magical, like nothing she’d ever experienced before.
“Take off your shirt, Kaitlin. Let me see the beautiful breasts I’ve held.” He licked his lip, the motion catching her gaze and holding it there.
Should she refuse? What would he do?
Her hands trembling, heart pumping searing-hot blood through her body, she pulled her top up, over her stomach, her breasts, then off. She dropped the garment on the floor then lowered her arms and slid her bra straps over her shoulders. It fell from her body but she didn’t move to pick it up. She couldn’t. She was frozen in place by the hungry heat in Cayne’s dark eyes.
Good God, she could practically feel his gaze meandering over her chest. Down the center, over the swell of her right breast, across her nipple then over to her left. The sensation was like a bazillion little hot tingles dancing over her skin. Or soft rabbit fur straps dancing on her nipples.
“You’re absolutely beautiful.”
Now those tingles were heating her cheeks too. “Thanks.”
“And I will reward your strength and courage. Soon.”
She couldn’t help wondering what sort of reward he had in mind. To her surprise, she felt like she’d kind of been rewarded nonstop since stepping into this room.
“Take off the rest of your clothes now, my sweet bri
de.”
Still struggling with guilt and confusion, she nodded and swung sideways. Shaking all over, she slipped off her sweat pants then her panties. Once she was done, she pressed her knees together and wrapped her arms around herself.
She was nude. In front of this enormous, gorgeous, strange man.
Cayne circled her before stopping directly in front of her. He slowly sank to his knees “You’re hiding your body from me. Don’t.”
The way he’d spoken those words… ohmygod, she was throbbing in places that hadn’t felt the least bit tingly in months.
She reluctantly lowered her arms to her sides and pivoted on the seat, facing forward. She kept her knees tight together. Once more, her fingers curled over the edge of the padded seat.
He looked down at her feet, grasped her ankles in his fists, and for a moment, she sat breathless, sure he’d yank them roughly, forcing her to expose her heated center. In a way, she wanted him to jerk them apart.
They stared at each other, both breathing hard and fast.
After what felt like an eternity, he loosened his grip, letting his hands skim up her legs to her knees. “I can smell your arousal. You have no idea what that scent is doing to me.” He wedged his hands between her knees and pushed, but her taut muscles resisted.
He shot her a pleading glance, full of raw, carnal need. “Kaitlin.”
That was more than a request, more than a demand. It was a… command. A challenge. A test.
She had to fight her instinct, but she did it for him. The look he’d given her was like a starving man staring at a delectable steak but being denied even a tiny taste.
Confused or not, she couldn’t be so cruel.
Her legs slowly opened and his gaze dropped to their juncture where the worst of the pulsing heat had gathered. Breathless, burning up with a fever, she watched him feast upon her with his eyes.
He licked his lips once, twice, a third time and slowly glided his hands higher up her legs. He didn’t stop them until the tips of his thumbs teased either side of her labia. He audibly inhaled, nostrils flaring. Closed his eyes. “Scoot to the edge of the seat.”