"Easy, baby." Garret sucked in a deep breath, stood up and stripped off his pants, releasing the hard staff that jutted up urgently.
She didn’t have time to really register his nakedness, only a vague blur of rippling muscle and tanned skin before she was swept off the edge of the sofa and lowered to the black fur rug on her back. The tunic fell from her hips to lie discarded on the floor in the process, along with her sandals.
Heat seared through his veins at the sight she presented, slender yet generously curved, the black fur a perfect backdrop for her blonde beauty. Soft lips, red and swollen from his kisses, eyes bright and pleading with him to give her the relief only he could give her yearning, straining, newly-awakened senses.
God, what a gift.
Without further hesitation, he lowered himself upon her, groaning at the mixture of pleasure and pain it caused when his manhood was pressed between their bodies.
Capturing her hands, linking his fingers through hers, he held them captive one each side of her head, kissing her deeply, plundering her mouth ravenously. At the same time, he parted her thighs with his knee.
Instinctively she widened the gap, bending her knees to give him the room needed to settle comfortably in the cradle of her thighs.
When the engorged tip of his staff nudged the wet entrance to her body, he could wait no longer. With one powerful thrust he plunged into her, sliding into the hot, slick, virginal passage that gripped him tightly. Garret buried himself deep inside her.
The invasion of his entrance, while not unexpected, made her gasp.
Immediately he stilled, muscles trembling with the effort. "I’m sorry, my love. Did I hurt you?"
"No," she whispered, then gasped again when he moved slightly inside her, the gentlest of thrusts.
He felt huge.
"Do you want me to stop?" He gave a pained half smile. "Though I warn you, truth to tell, I don’t know if I can."
She could feel him throbbing inside her, an unusual, full sensation. Quite... pleasurable. "No, it’s fine. Don’t stop."
Another slow thrust made her swallow, her fingers tightening around his. The sensation was growing deliciously.
"It’ll stop hurting soon, lass, I promise." He dropped a hard, fast kiss to her lips. "Let me help you."
Before she could tell him that he wasn’t hurting her, he reached down between them, finding the tiny bud hidden within the folds of her femininity. With a couple of slow, firm strokes, he built the flames higher within her and was rewarded by her low moan, the feel of her thighs gripping him tighter, the ripple within the walls of her sheath.
"Sweet heaven! Take me, Garret!"
Further encouragement wasn’t needed. He started thrusting again, using iron control to keep his movements slow and gentle, sweat breaking out on his brow.
It wasn’t enough. Pushing her hips up at him, she whimpered her need.
He knew what she needed and with a groan of blessed relief, he released the iron control on passion and desire, and allowed it to rage through him.
All the months and days of wanting but being unable to make love to her surged through him, and his thrusts became more powerful, his hands gripping her hips, holding her steady as he surged forcefully inside her.
The hot walls of her cavern gripped him tightly, the muscles squeezing his staff used to riding and fighting, toned and strong. The tight heat gripped like a slick glove, pulling his throbbing manhood deeper and deeper inside her.
The sensations were unbelievable and he lost control totally, withdrawing to thrust again and again into her welcoming depths, straining, harder and faster, his massive chest heaving with each labored breath he took.
She clung to him, carried along on the wild, sensational ride, glorying in the big body moving against her, the feelings invoked by the thick rod that invaded her body and took control, driving her to the edge of the abyss again. Only this time he pushed her out and over the edge. She fell off the edge and into the abyss in a whirl of shattered passion and dancing desire.
Thrusting into her one final time, Garret flung his head back as his seed burst forth to pour deep inside her. The rippling walls of the hot cavern squeezed every last drop from him.
With a groan of satisfaction he slumped onto her, resting his forehead on her shoulder, every shuddering breath carrying her scent into his lungs. Soft breasts heaved against his chest and he smiled weakly, knowing she’d had her first climax and was now as exhausted as he, while still having the hazy, warm afterglow to recover.
Vaguely, he wondered if he was squashing her with his greater weight and habit made him roll onto his back, his arms sliding around Dana and drawing her to him. Immediately she tucked into his side.
Gradually their breathing slowed, pounding hearts returning to steady beats.
Garret looked down at the blonde head nestled on his shoulder, the slender arm draped trustingly across his stomach, and a wave of tenderness swept through him. The feel of her, so soft and warm, pressed against him felt so right. So good. And their lovemaking had been magical.
Over the years, he’d slept with many wenches, some from Argon, some from taverns, high-born wenches, settlement wenches, all experienced, but none had ever had same effect on him as this innocent, hotheaded warrior. It hadn’t been just a coupling for mutual pleasure, but a mind-blowing lovemaking session, a joining of two souls that left him feeling so complete.
The lovemaking had been hot and hard and guilt pricked at his conscience. She’d been a virgin and he hadn’t exactly been gentle.
"Dana?"
"Hmm?"
One large hand brushed back the soft strands of hair from her face. "Did I hurt you, my love?"
Pink flushed her cheeks and she didn’t dare look up at him. "Not really. It was just unexpected. After a few seconds..." Can I be any more embarrassed? she thought with an inward groan.
He wasn’t going to let her get away with it that easily. He wanted to hear how she’d felt. Sliding one finger beneath her chin, he tilted her head back so that he could see her face. Her cheeks went even redder when she met his gaze and he grinned. "And after the first few seconds?"
Thick, black lashes lowered to veil her eyes. "You know."
"I know how I felt." He was amused at her obvious embarrassment. "But I want to know how you felt, sweeting."
The big oaf was enjoying this. Dana shifted uncomfortably, not noticing the sudden indrawn breath he took when her hand slipped lower on his stomach, and one slim thigh rubbed against his harder one.
"It was nice."
"‘Nice’? Only ‘nice’? Surely ’twas more than that!"
She raised her lashes. "Yes, it was much more than nice."
His eyes glowed with warmth. "‘Tis all I wanted to know, my love, that you found it as incredible as I."
"Did you?" she blurted out in surprise. "I mean, you’ve... slept... with many wenches... experienced... I mean, I’m not experienced in... oh!" With a groan she dropped her burning face into his shoulder. "Forget it!"
His chest shook with suppressed laughter.
"I’m pleased that I amuse you, trader!" The muffled words barely reached his ears. "It’ll be the last time!"
Controlling his amusement, Garret caught her shoulders and easily pulled her atop him, slipping his hands up to cup and tilt her face gently back so he could look at her.
A self-conscious gaze met his.
Laughter fled to be replaced with tenderness. "Ah, sweetheart, don’t be embarrassed or ashamed when with me. Regardless of the wenches in my past, ‘tis only you I want, you I need. What I said is true. What I felt while making love to you, I have never felt with anyone else, and I never will. What we shared is special."
Special. They’d shared something special. Embarrassment was replaced with warmth. "Really, Garret?"
"Aye, really." Pulling her head down, he fastened his lips to hers, kissing her with a calm, steady deepness.
She responded immediately, hands braced either side
of his broad shoulders, her hair sweeping past his face. A tingle started inside her.
Feeling his loins harden, he regretfully broke the contact of their lips and, pushing the blonde locks back over shapely shoulders, he smiled ruefully. "Lass, I swear you make me as hard as a steel post with just one kiss, and there’s nothing more I want than to push myself inside you, but it wouldn’t be wise."
Puzzled, she frowned. "Wise?"
"Aye, wise. I rode you hard, lass, and you’ll be too sore to make love again straightway."
The words made her suddenly aware of the slight soreness between her thighs. "Oh."
"Aye, ‘oh’." Gently he rubbed his thumbs along her high cheekbones. "I think we could both do to just relax and enjoy each other’s company for a while."
He caught her by surprise when he rolled to his side, turning her with ridiculous ease as he did so and pulling her back against him so that his chest was at her back, her bottom snugged into his groin, and his muscular thighs pressed to the smooth backs of hers. Sliding one arm around her waist, he settled himself comfortably behind her, resting his chin on the soft, fragrant hair.
The feel of his hard naked body at her back was titillating. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
His chuckle stirred tendrils of hair on her forehead. "Relax, lass." Firm lips brushed a kiss on the top of her head. "We’re together, just as we’re meant to be. I’ll never let you go."
The words seeped into her, curling through her heart, and she rested her hand upon his arm that was draped around her waist.
Capturing her hand, he linked his fingers through hers.
A comfortable silence descended and, pleasantly tired from their lovemaking, they drifted off to sleep.
~ * ~
Memory returned immediately upon awakening, making her smile and shift further into the warmth at her back. Garret’s breath warmed her neck and she sighed blissfully. Strange, she pondered, how embarrassment had no place in her memories of their glorious union. Love had replaced it.
A little shiver went through her, nipples pebbling. Now what had caused that reaction? Awareness dawned suddenly.
The warm breath on her neck had been replaced by firm lips. The arm on her waist had shifted, and a large hand brushed across her breast, a calloused palm skimming her nipples.
"You’re awake." She turned her head to look up at him.
"Aye, that I am. Awake and ravenous."
"Oh." Disappointment stole through her but she hid it. "I’ll go and get some food--"
"Stay right here," he ordered against her throat. "‘Tis not food I’m ravenous for."
"It isn’t?" A flutter started in the pit of her stomach.
A hot, open-mouthed kiss was placed over the rapidly beating pulse in her throat. "Nay. What I’m after is the nectar of the gods."
"N-nectar of the gods?" Her breath caught when the caressing hand flattened over her breast and massaged the generous mound smoothly.
"Aye." His mouth trailed down to her shoulder. "The nectar that comes from you, pretty wench."
She had no idea what he meant and he knew it.
He laughed huskily. "Let me show you, lass."
"Show me?" Dana glanced over her shoulder and immediately he claimed her mouth, tongue sliding between soft lips to plunder the sweet depths mercilessly.
She was breathless by the time he broke the contact.
A sensual smile curved his lips. "Relax, sweetheart, and bend your knees towards those delectable breasts."
A flush stained her cheeks. "Ah, Garret--"
"Tsk, always arguing," he admonished, and his hand left her breast to lightly slap one curved buttock.
It didn’t sting but she stiffened in surprise. Before she had a chance to react, strong thighs nudged the backs of hers and she found her knees shifted higher up, leaving her feeling strangely vulnerable and exposed.
"What are you--oh!" She gasped as one large hand cupped her womanhood.
Love and lust combined in Garret at the shocked pleasure in her words. She was an innocent in the ways of bodily intimacy between man and wench, and he had the delightful duty and right to teach her all he knew about it. And with his wide experience of all the ways to make love, it would take a long time.
Or as long as they had.
Gently he rubbed the delicate folds that protected the entrance to her body, feeling the warm slickness start. When she arched back against him, he pressed his mouth to her bared throat and nipped.
She shuddered when he laved the nipped area with his tongue, then his mouth fastened on the tender skin and he sucked firmly. Desire burned like quicksilver, from the expert mouth at her throat to the skilled hand stroking her private crevices.
"Oh, God," she moaned, as one long finger slid smoothly into the heated opening.
"I feel the nectar of the gods flowing from you, Dana." His hot breath brushed her ear. "‘Tis that nectar I crave to feel around me as I enter you. Are you ready?"
Biting her lip against the deliciously rioting feelings that whirled through her, she nodded, sucking in a deep breath when his finger withdrew to be replaced by something far bigger.
Thick and turgid, his staff slid into her. Hot and long and branding the walls of her burning sheath with the essence that leaked from the end of the swollen head.
Strong arms slid beneath hers, turning around and curving upwards, large hands gripping her shoulders from the front.
Garret held her writhing against his chest, hands fixing her in place while he thrust into her almost desperately, glorying in the seductive feel of the long legs shifting and stretching above his own while the tight sheath held him in a hot clasp.
It seemed to Dana that his power was everywhere, in the strong arms that held her, the massive chest against which she was clasped, the heavy, muscular thighs behind hers and the thick, hard length of manhood that filled her. Inside and outside, she was surrounded by raw masculine power.
She’d never dreamed that making love could be so mind-shattering. She’d never dreamed that Garret would take her as he did, from behind that way. Never had she guessed how he wanted her so much, but she felt it now in every thrust, in the arms that could easily crush her in passion’s heated moment but didn’t. Sweet, carnal words breathed his need into her ear. She’d never have believed that he’d master her and she’d welcome it.
It carried her away, back into the abyss of spiraling sensation, one in which Garret joined her, in one last thrust, pushing himself deep inside her secret depths while his seed spilled forth in a scalding torrent. He held her tightly to him as they rode the wild waves of ecstasy together.
This time there was no talk afterward. He stayed curled around her, sheltering her with his body, and cradling her to him. She remained in his arms, her fingers linking with his where they rested beneath her breasts.
With her head tucked beneath his chin and the heat of his body at her back, Dana felt safe and cared for.
With the lass he loved in his arms, Garret was content.
They slept through the remainder of the night.
~ * ~
Nearly every moment they spent together, savoring the time, knowing how short it would be. By mutual consent, no mention was made of what they had left behind them. Instead, they used the time to explore each other’s minds and bodies, growing even closer.
But it couldn’t last forever.
Eighteen
Two hours from Orkra, Dana used the viscomm to contact Cina. "We land soon to speak to Zar and Diago. Is there any way to get them together to talk?"
"They’ll kill each other. It’s gotten worse, Dana. Northland has incarcerated their slaves in the cells and Southland has done the same. No woman walks Northland, no man walks here. Everywhere are war preparations.
"Damn. When is the battle?"
"The day after tomorrow the armies meet on the border. If Zar does not produce Rominac, it begins there and then."
"So Rominac hasn’t shown?"
"
Not yet. I’m so worried about him!" Cina started crying.
"Are you certain Zar doesn’t have him?"
"She wouldn’t lie about this."
"Very well. I’ll be in contact."
"When do you come?"
"As soon as I can. I must go to Diago first and see if I can talk sense into him."
"Be careful." The screen went blank.
"Mayhaps I should talk to Diago," Garret suggested.
She looked across the table at him. "No, I have to do this."
"Very well, but we go together."
~ * ~
Stepping down from the fleet craft, Garret looked around them. Aye, the preparations for war were being done. Horses were being groomed in one area, lasers were being handed out to men in another, while armor was being fitted in an open building nearby. The metallic clash of swords sounded in the air, clear indication of practice.
An armed guard approached warily, his laser trained on the giant. "What do you want, stranger?"
"Diago. Is he here?"
"Why do you seek him?"
"I have a message for him. Get him now."
Another guard approached and recognized him. "It’s the Daamen trader. Who is the message from?"
"His daughter."
The guards looked at each other and the second one nodded. "Wait here."
"Do I really have to stay in here until he arrives?"
"For your own safety, aye." Garret turned and surveyed Dana. Dressed in warrior clothes once more, she took his breath away. "These Northlanders are likely to shoot first and ask questions later."
"I know, but I hate skulking in doorways."
"Patience. It won’t be for long."
They waited for a short time before seeing the figure of Diago approaching.
Stopping, he looked past the trader at Dana. "You should not be here."
She jumped down from the craft and immediately Garret moved close to her.
"Don’t wage war on the Southlanders," she said.
"They have my son."
"Zar has denied it, hasn’t she?"
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