“But that's neither here nor there,” he continued mildly.
Suddenly, he slid two fingers inside her deeply, drawing a gasping moan from her lips. He had been playing with her, stretching her and softening her, and it didn't hurt, but it still opened her. There was just a ghost of soreness there, and then there was nothing but pleasurable pressure.
Just as quickly, he drew them out again.
She wailed. She wanted them, she needed them, and she struggled to get even a little closer, dipping her stomach and pushing her ass up higher. She didn't care how obscene she looked or how desperate she was for this man, she just wanted more, more, more...
“You were telling me what you did after.”
“I told Miss Reynolds that I was feeling poorly,” she whimpered, burying her face in the sheets. “I told her I had to go lie down, and she let me because she knew I was a good girl. I... I went to the bed, and usually, I have to share, but it was the middle of the day and there was no one. I thought about him saying those words, and the things he must have been doing to that lady to make her make those noises...”
She swallowed hard, and, before Jake could think of a reason to smack her again, she continued.
“I laid on my back, Jake, and I...I pulled up my skirts. I used my fingers, just a little, and that was all that it took! I just thought of him whispering those words to me, and calling me those filthy names, and I couldn't stop myself.”
Jake's chuckle was a little strained, and he ran his fingertips lightly over her back and her rump. The sensation might have been soothing just a few minutes ago, but now it was simply maddening.
“Did you make yourself feel what I made you feel this morning?”
“Yes... well, no...”
“Which is it, dear?”
“What we did, what you did to me... that was just so much stronger,” she said, her voice gone hushed and soft. “What you did to me, that... I thought that broke something inside me, it was so much, so strong...”
“That's what a man who knows what he is doing can do to a woman,” he said, his voice taking on a ragged edge. “I can make you feel like that. I can make you feel like that whenever you like...”
“Yes, yes, yes, please,” she cried out. If she didn't get something, anything, she was sure she was going to go mad, and she pulled hard on her bonds. The bed was made solidly, however, and she didn't even manage to make it creak.
Behind her, Jake was stripping off his clothes. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him throw his shirt and then his jeans over the chair where her things rested. It gave her a strange pull in her heart to see their clothing mixed so simply.
When he climbed up on the bed with her, he did it from behind. She could feel his weight and the warmth of his body, but she could not see him. He was on all fours over her, covering her, and when he spoke, his whiskey-smooth voice tickled her ear, making her shiver.
“I can give you exactly what you want, Marigold,” he whispered. “And I know what you want because you told me all about it, didn't you, you little slut?”
At his harsh words, she flinched, but there was a sudden rush of heat to her sex. Yes, this was what she wanted, this was what she had always craved. She had always known that she had this wanting part of her, but the fact that there was a man who could give it to her, and give it to her while he was kissing the back of her neck so tenderly was amazing.
“You're a little slut, and you are so sweet, Marigold, right here between your legs, you're so wet for me. You couldn't hide it if you wanted to, can you Marigold?”
He lowered his body until he was pressing her to the mattress, and she could feel the hard hot column of his cock pressing between the cheeks of her rear. She couldn't help but press herself against him, begging with her body for the release that he could give her, and he stroked his hand down her side as if he were calming a spooked animal.
“That's good, that's a good girl, I know exactly how you want it, don't I? I know exactly how a little slut likes to be filled up and pinned to the bed. You want it so bad, don't you, baby girl? You need to me to make you feel good, don't you?”
At that point, it was all she could do not to let the begging words out of her mouth. Yes, she wanted him, yes, she needed him, and she would do anything to have him take her the way that he had that morning. It was something that overwhelmed her, that made her keen and sob.
Marigold thought that she might die if she didn't get more. She needed to be touched, she needed to be taken, and she couldn't even find the words to make it happen. She braced herself against the bed and pressed up against Jake's body as hard as she could, trying to show him in no uncertain terms what she needed so badly.
Despite his iron control, it was as if Jake couldn't stop himself either. She could feel his cock nestled against her body, and she could feel the tension that was strung through his frame. He bent to lay his teeth against her shoulder. He bit her hard enough to make her yelp, and then he instantly laved it with his tongue, soothing the small hurt until it was nothing but pleasure.
“I'm going to have you again, Marigold,” he whispered. “I'm going to open you up until you can't remember what it is to be without me, and then I'm going to make you come so hard you see stars.”
Marigold felt Jake reach down between their bodies again, this time spreading her soaked lips apart. She could feel the blunt tip of his cock spread her slightly, stroking up and down until she thought that she would go insane, and then he was inside her.
Her breath left her body in a deep and sudden rush, and she was panting hard. All she could do was struggle against the bed, but, with her limbs strapped down, there was no way for her to do anything. She couldn't squirm away from the things he was making her feel, and she couldn't even buck up to get him deeper. The fact that she was stretched so tight made her helpless to him and what he wanted to do to her. For a long moment, he simply rested his weight on top of her.
“You're so tight,” he murmured in her ear. “So tight and wet, darling. Is this what your other lovers felt? Did you get so hot for them?
“Damn you,” she cried, “There were no others. Jake, oh, Jake, you were my first, can't you see that? Can't you feel that?”
He didn't say a word. He only stayed still on top of her, stretching her, covering her body with his bulk. When he swept her hair aside to kiss the back of her neck, she wondered if there was something gentle about it, something almost apologetic.
“Sweet, darling, beautiful Marigold,” he purred in her ear. “Right now, I don't care if you had half the Union Army.”
He thrust into her deeply, making her feel every inch. It still wasn't enough. When he started to slide out, she barely stifled a wail. There was a part of her that could do nothing besides need him. She pressed her hips back frantically, looking for more, but he laughed raggedly at her.
“Calm down, darling, I've got what you want right... here.”He surged hard into her on the last word.
If she hadn't been braced over the pillow, she would have gone down flat on her face. Instead she had to take the full brunt of his strength on her body. In a matter of moments, he quickened his thrusts, making her cry out with each one.
Her legs were shaking with the pleasure that he inflicted on her, and she could barely recognize the guttural sounds she was making as human. She was nothing but need, and what she needed was this man, the one who spanked her, who tied her down and who thought she was a whore. She wanted him, and, in that moment, she gave herself up to him.
Between one moment and the next, a low heat started to build up low in her loins. She could feel it spiral higher and higher, and some part of her resisted. If she gave in to this, she knew that a part of her would be changed forever. She would always be his, no matter where she went or what she did
She bit her lip hard, tried to keep the overpowering sensations from taking over her body, but there was no use at all. Her body had no more mercy than Jake did. When he thrust into her especially hard,
his powerful body lunging over hers and his hands wrapped tight around her hips, she broke into a thousand pieces. Her climax was shattering, made all the more powerful by the fact that she couldn't move. Instead, all she could do was lie still and bear it. It coursed through her like a wildfire, rending her and making her into something new.
Somewhere distant, she could tell that Jake had found his own climax as well. She could feel the deep warmth as he spilled inside her. When she came back to herself, he was slumped heavily on top of her. He bore some of his weight on his arms so that she wasn't crushed, but there was something terribly intimate about it still.
“Marigold...”
Suddenly, it was just too much. The stress, the fear and even the pleasure of the last twenty-four hours consumed her, and Marigold, who had always been the tough and fearless one in her family, felt something that she had been hanging on to by the barest grip of her fingertips slide away. She opened her mouth to respond to him, but instead of words, all that came out was a soft sob.
“Marigold?”
She couldn't help it. The tears ran down her cheeks, one after the other, and they almost made her feel more exposed than the fact that she was naked and tied down.
Cursing softly, he pulled away.
It left her feeling aching and empty. That only made her cry harder.
Jake hurried to untie her.
In a matter of moments, her limbs were free and she was curled up on her side, covering her face with her hands. It felt as if she was crying out all of the stress and pain of her entire life.
After a moment, Jake joined her on the bed.
He handled her more gently than she ever imagined he could. It hardly felt like the same man at all. Surely the man who had bent her over the fence post and beaten her within an inch of her life wouldn't hold her to his broad chest so comfortingly. Surely the man who named her a whore wouldn't turn around and use that same voice to call her his sweetheart.
Still, it was happening, and for what felt like hours but could only have been minutes, she simply buried her face in his chest and cried. He never tried to rush her, he never asked what was wrong, he only held her and made her feel safe and protected. Eventually the tears dried, and she was left tired but somehow cleansed. The weight of his body next to her, and the strength of his arms around her made her wonder if she had ever felt so protected, and she thought the answer must be no.
“I must look a fright,” she said finally, pulling away from him a little.
When she sat up, there was a faint tinge of soreness between her legs, but it was a pleasurable thing. It was more a reminder of what had passed between them than any real pain. For a long moment, she only sat and enjoyed it.
“You look beautiful,” he told her solemnly. “You are one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen.”
She threw a teasing smile over her shoulder, more amused than she liked to admit.
“Really? I thought you would have been singing a different tune after.”
“What do you mean?”
“Men always tell women that they are beautiful before they bring them to bed. Before, it's nothing but love songs and compliments and after... well, I suppose after is when the truth comes out.”
His chuckle was rich and soft, and he ran a gentle hand down her back. “Well, I hardly got you into bed with a song and a dance,” he said ruefully, “but, you are right. The truth is coming out, and it is the truth to me to say that you are beautiful.”
She ignored the comment and stood up to stretch her limbs. Despite her careful nonchalance, there was still something to her that thrilled to his sweet words. When she peeked over her shoulder at him, she was pleased to see his eyes were watching her with something that might be called admiration.
“Well, if the truth must come out, then you are quite handsome, too,” she teased. “I suppose that since we are being honest, I should say that as well.”
His face grew serious, and he sat up. There was a tension in his body that hadn't been there before, and he reached for her hand.
Warily, she gave it to him.
He pulled her close. “Shall we be honest with each other?” he asked, searching her gaze carefully.
She nodded.
He eased back to sit with his back against the wall.
She found herself sitting between his legs. She leaned back against his chest, and slowly she felt their breathing lengthen and soften. She was almost asleep before he spoke again.
“I cannot abide liars,” he said softly. “I've had them in my life from the beginning. There has always been someone who was ready to cheat me, to steal from me. That's life. But lying, especially when there's no need, well, I cannot abide that, do you understand?”
She nodded, but there was already a knot of fear growing in her throat. She knew what the next words out of his mouth were going to be, and she dreaded what was going to come next.
“Were you a virgin when I first took you this morning?” he asked.
The silence between them stretched and stretched, and she felt tears prickle at her eyes again. She wondered if this was punishment for some kind of sin that she couldn't remember, or if there was something broken inside her that she could not fix.
“I was,” she whispered dully. It was the truth, and he had asked her for the truth. It felt like a damning thing, and when he stirred to speak again, she continued.
“You were the first man I had on top of me and inside me. I grew up in Bristol, and not the nice part. I know what it is for a man to want a woman, do you understand? I fought off men who wanted my virtue since I got my breasts. I ran, I fought, I kicked, and I never thought that I would want a man's hands on me until I heard those two in their room.
“I never believed in love songs and ballads. You told me yourself, after the fun is over, the truth comes out, and all of that sweetness and gentleness, well, I thought for sure that it would be over soon enough. Those two, though. My god, can you imagine what it was like for me? They were honest with one another. They knew how they wanted each other and what they wanted, and perhaps they would leave there and never look upon one another again, but what they had was real.
“Jake, what we have had today was real, too. I know it is. I know that you think I'm a liar, and I know you think that I am a whore, but the truth is that I am neither. I swear to you, I was a virgin when we met.”
Her words tired her more than anything else, and she slumped back against him. She was ready to hear his words of recrimination all over again, to have him push her away. She wondered if he would push her out to sleep in the front room again, or if he would even let her sleep in the house after what she said.
For a long handful of moments, all Marigold could hear was the beating of his heart against her ear. Outside, the wind howled hard over the prairie, and, somewhere far away, a wolf howled at the moon. To her shock, Jake's arms came up around her again, and he pressed his lips to the top of her head.
“I believe you,” he whispered against her hair. “God and Heaven help me, I believe you. You're sweet, you're brave, and I want nothing more than for you to be honest as well. Marigold, I....” Whatever he was going to say trailed off, and he only held her more tightly. “I believe you,” he said.
When she turned and looked at him, she could see no shade of doubt on his face.
Wordlessly, she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, and then he bore them both down to the mattress.
“I need you,” he whispered in her ear, and it thrilled something deep and real inside her.
She curled up in his embrace, lulled by the sound of his voice whispering things that she had always wanted to hear in her ear.
* * * *
He was gone again when she woke up the next day. She knew that he had cattle, but for some reason, she didn't think that he was out with them. They weren't milk cows after all. She knew from listening to the conversations of the cowboys that they were in beef country.
She moved restlessly t
hrough the house, cleaning as she had before. Despite the strangeness of her situation, she could not help but enjoy a little of the domesticity that she had been offered. When she came to the United States, she had expected to be little better than a slave. Though the abuse that she had endured at the hands of men like Black was far worse than what she had feared, she had never expected to be able to do much more than labor her life away for a crust of bread and a place at the hearth.
The loneliness of the land suited her, she thought. It was far different from the bustle of Bristol or of the city of New York, where she had landed. After some time, however, after her chores were done, she grew restless.
She paced through the rooms of the small house, back and forth. As the sun dipped closer and closer to the horizon, she felt an ache rise up inside her again. Jake had awakened something inside her that could not be calmed. Eventually, she found her way back to the room where they had slept and done so much more.
She lay down on the covers again. After they had slept for some time, she had awakened to feel his hands close over her breasts, his touch soft and gentle. She had held her breath as he fondled her, sending sparks of pleasure shooting all over her body with the lightest of touches. There was something sweet and slow about it that had been absent in their earlier lovemaking. He had taken her again, this time simply holding her in place while he rocked into her from behind. Her climax, when it came, was long and drawn out, less intense than the ones that had come before it, but it still shook her down to her core. She remembered a sleepy kiss before he had left, but that was all.
Marigold sat on the bed for a long moment, and then her eyes happened to fall down on the rope that he had used on her before. A red blush came to her cheeks as she remembered how he had bent her over and made her bare. She glanced at her wrists where she was oddly disappointed to see not a single sign or mark of what had come before. She rubbed her wrists gently, recalling the pressure of the rope and how it had made her feel.
Savage Impulses Page 4