by Kai Andersen
She opened her eyes a moment later to see him bathed in sweat. Concerned, she reached up a hand and touched his cheek. “Are you all right?”
He smiled down at her. “That was for you. Do you like it?”
“Like it?” She started to cry. “I love it. That was wonderful, Frederick.”
He leaned his forehead against hers. “It’ll be even more wonderful with my cock in your pussy, Serena.”
Chapter Nine
The stinging rain and the biting wind slammed against her, throwing her against the side of the lodge. Her breath was knocked out of her as she slid boneless to the ground.
Gritting her teeth, Serena forced herself to stand, hugging the wall for leverage to keep herself upright. Already, she was soaked and shivering. The raincoat that she’d worn over her traveling clothes was no match for the lashing fury of the storm.
She inched forward in the direction of the stables, her progress torturously slow with the wind blowing against her. It seemed that for every forward step she took, the wind pushed her back two steps. Still, she persevered, having some idea about collecting her horse and sneaking away in the middle of the night.
It was an idea born of desperation and fear. She was afraid that if she stayed, Frederick would make love to her again, and that scared her. She liked it too much and was already anticipating the next time. She had heard of affairs and one-night stands, but never thought she’d be a party to one. The thought of her even contemplating it had scared her more. However, the scariest of all was that she was changing so fast that she didn’t know herself anymore.
For her own sanity, she had decided to run. For the second time in a month.
She had reached the far end of the lodge when hard fingers bit into her shoulders and spun her around. She screamed.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Hearing the familiar voice, she shut her mouth. The storm had drowned out the sound of her scream so effectively she wasn’t able to hear it herself.
The fright she received lent her the anger to shout back. “It’s none of your business!”
“While you’re a guest under my protection, whatever you do is my business!”
It was hard to glare up at him, because the rain was falling directly into her eyes, and the cold wind was seeping through her wet clothes into every pore of her body.
“Get back to the lodge!”
“No!”
It wasn’t difficult to imagine Frederick frowning and his blue eyes flashing retribution. In a sudden move, he scooped her up and strode toward the lodge door.
Serena struggled, though she realized the futility of her actions. “No! Put me down! I’m leaving! Put me down!” She pummeled his chest with her fists, but her movements were sluggish and weak.
The door flew inward as soon as he opened it, the wind helping it on its course. He deposited her in the middle of the hall and then turned to close the door. The wind was blowing so hard his muscles bulged as he struggled and pushed with all his might. Finally, the door clicked shut. He locked and bolted it.
“How long do you think you’re going to last out there?”
Serena flinched. “Lower your voice. Do you want to wake everyone up?”
“Serves you right if they did.” But his voice had lowered in volume. “So you’re leaving. Without even a good-bye.”
That reminded her of their conversation, but she refused to feel guilty about it. She lifted her chin defiantly. “It’s a free world.”
“I would’ve thought saying farewell was common courtesy.”
“All right!” She was vastly annoyed at his only complaint. “Now you know. Good-bye, I’m leaving.”
She made for the door. “Please move aside.” She looked at him pointedly. He was standing right in front of the door.
“You haven’t yet made your farewells to the rest.”
Serena gasped. “This is ridiculous! What does it matter to them whether I leave or not? Move! You can’t stop me from leaving!”
“Try me.” His voice was hard and uncompromising.
“Why won’t you let me go? I’m only disrupting your life!”
He looked as though he was about to say something, but what finally came out was an implacable “No!”
“Oooooh!” Serena stamped her foot, managing to land it on top of Frederick’s bare foot. Not that he noticed. He was too busy staring at her with those narrowed eyes.
“Strip!”
“What!” She stumbled backward. “No!”
“You’ll catch pneumonia.”
“I’ll -- I’ll do it in my room.”
“Wait!”
He strode over to where she poised, ready to flee up the stairs. Before she could guess what he intended, his mouth crashed down on hers, cool and firm and angry. His hands slid over the curve of her bottom and lifted her, molding her body to every hard part of his anatomy.
His head slanted and his tongue pierced her open lips. He was holding her much too tightly, and she squirmed. He groaned and pressed his lips harder against hers. He kissed her without finesse, without his usual practiced grace, but with a certain frantic desperation.
She realized she was echoing the same desperation in the way she pressed against him and in the way she held on tightly to his shoulders. She was also kissing him back like it was her last chance, devouring him, drawing out his fury and drowning in his hot, male virility.
“No!” With a sob, she broke free of his lips and tried to push him away.
He didn’t budge, his arms tightened even more like manacles at her back. Appalled, she realized that her legs were wrapped around his waist, and that he was breathing harshly and staring down at her. Breath heaving, she unwrapped her legs and slid them down slowly.
“You’re afraid of this, aren’t you?” He asked into the stunned silence. “You’re afraid of what’s happening between us. That’s why you ran away.”
Serena shook her head, pushing ineffectually at his chest. “No, you’re wrong.”
“I’m right.”
“You know nothing about me!”
“Prove me wrong.”
She stared at him in the darkness, her hair and clothes dripping into puddles at her feet. It was as if that moment was frozen forever in eternity. Dare she take up his challenge? Dare she? Dare she?
In the end, she broke away from him with a little cry and fled up the stairs.
He let her go.
* * * * *
You’re the best thing that’s happened to me.
The words that he hadn’t been able to utter last night hovered now on his lips. They had popped into his head from nowhere, and he had been taken so much by surprise that he had denied it instantly. The “no” hadn’t been intended for Serena, but fortunately, it applied to her as well.
He’d been uncomfortable with the notion of telling her, but he’d practiced all night until the words felt right and natural on his tongue.
He knocked.
“Come in.”
“Serena, I have something --”
“What are you doing here?” She scrambled to sit on the bed and pull the blankets over herself.
He rushed inside, the bowls rattling against each other on the tray he carried. “Don’t get up! You’re sick!”
“Don’t be silly, I only have a little fever.”
“Still, we can’t be too careful about these things.” He placed the tray on the bedside table.
“What were you saying when you came in?”
“Oh, that.” He felt a bit warm. “Just that I brought you some medicine and lunch.” Where was the suave prince who’d seduced girls with his tongue?
“Is that one of Mrs. Goode-Heart’s concoctions?”
“Yes, why?” He picked up the bowl of clear liquid that Mrs. Goode-Heart had said Serena should drink before her meal.
Serena made a face. “I don’t like it. I drank some early this morning and it’s bitter.”
“But you’re better no
w because of it.” He handed her the bowl. “Be a good girl, and drink it all up.”
“Who appointed you my father?” She grumbled, but took the bowl and proceeded to drink it all in one go.
He didn’t want to be her father.
“There.”
“Good girl.”
Damn it, he really sounded like a father.
He took the bowl from her and replaced it with the tray across her lap. “Eat up.”
Her face was comical in her dismay. “Porridge?”
“Hey, porridge’s my favorite.” He pulled up the chair from her vanity and placed it beside the bed. “See, it’s even got meat inside. I’m sure it’s very tasty.”
“Nice try, Frederick. If you like it so much, take it.”
Frederick laughed. “C’mon, Serena. Don’t you want to leave this room? I’m sure you must be bored to death, staying in here the whole morning, doing nothing but twiddling your thumbs.”
“Now that’s a more persuasive argument.” She took a cautious taste of the porridge, found it acceptable and began to eat with gusto. “By the way, how’d you know I’d left last night?”
“I was on my way to bed when I heard someone on the stairs. By the time I got to the first level, the door was closing, so I knew someone had gone out. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that it’s you.” He was quiet for a few heartbeats and then, “Why’d you leave?”
“I’ve told you.” He noted how she avoided his gaze. “I don’t want to disrupt your life anymore. Anyway, it’s been raining for five days; it ought to be stopping soon.”
“That’s what you think. Have you looked out the windows this morning?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“It’s still raining.”
“Even harder than the previous days. Where do you think you’d be right now if I hadn’t caught you?” He hated to see her flinch from his hard tone, but he has a point to make.
“Halfway out of Repling Forest, I imagine.”
“Shivering to death in the middle of Repling Forest is more like it. Lost, probably being hunted by boars and other wild animals out there.”
“It’s storming.” Serena lifted her chin. “I doubt if the animals are out there.”
He made a frustrated sound. “If the animals have enough sense to stay in their houses during a storm, you’d think an intelligent human such as you would know it too.” He got up, unable to sit still any longer. He paced the length of the room. “If it’s me you object to, I promise to be on my best behavior from now on. You won’t have any more cause to complain --”
“Frederick.”
He whirled around. “What?”
“Come and kiss me.”
He stared at her warily. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Though she didn’t admit it last night, he had perceived that she wasn’t ready for the physical part of their relationship yet. At the same time, he didn’t want to give her any more reason to run away. That’s why he’d decided to cut her some slack, to give her time to grow accustomed to him. After all, they’d met just four days ago.
“Then I’ll just have to go to you.”
He watched in stupefaction as she got down from the bed and walked toward him. He was so surprised that he stumbled back a step or two.
A smile teased the corner of her lips, but she still kept coming. “Is this the Frederick I know?”
“Stop right there.” He winced at the desperate note in his voice. “You might want to rethink this.”
“You issued me a challenge last night, Frederick, and this is my answer.” Her smile was mysterious and seductive, teasing his will.
“Forget I said that.” He took several hasty steps backward. His back hit the door of her cabinet.
“I’m not sure I can.” The smile grew. “You’re a pretty difficult man to ignore.”
“Serena ...”
“I know what I’m doing, Frederick.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“I won’t.”
And then her mouth pressed against his, and the kiss was sweet and slow, tasting, savoring, luxuriating.
He buried his hands in her unbound hair, positioning her head for a better angle as he took over the kiss, keeping their pace unhurried and giving her the space to pull back if she wanted. There was a different quality to this kiss, an added dimension that Frederick hadn’t experienced before. It was deeper, fuller and ... more complete.
Finally, he lifted his head. His eyes roved over her face, noting her dreamy eyes and equally dreamy smile. He wondered if she was seeing the same thing on his face. He couldn’t resist. Their lips fused again in a short, sweet kiss. His thumb caressed her soft cheek. “You need to rest.”
“If you’ll play chess with me later.” Her whispered voice added more intimacy to the atmosphere, and her eyes were liquid pools he could drown in.
“All right.”
Chapter Ten
That afternoon, Serena was well enough to go down to the library to claim her promised game of chess. She looked rather fetching as she pursed her lips in concentration, clad in the dress she must have worn on the night of her arrival, for it looked frayed and threadbare. It fit her better, though, for it clung lovingly and emphasized the hills and valleys of her body. He tried to remember that she’d recently recovered from her bout of illness, but she was making it hard with her natural sensuality. A sensuality she’d now decided to unleash on his poor beleaguered self. A matching vest hid her abundant charms, and though Frederick approved of that when in mixed company, he frowned at being denied the chance to admire them when alone with her.
And right now, they were very much alone in the library.
Serena moved her queen to take his knight, after a think time of about three minutes. He felt absurdly pleased that he was able to make her consider that long before making her move, considering that her average time so far was about thirty seconds.
She was still frowning over her move. “I think that should be it. I’ve covered all the bases, haven’t I?”
“You’re asking me?” He retorted. “I’m the opponent!”
“Well, you might’ve wanted to grant me some handicap points, considering that I’ve been sick.”
“Your doe eyes have no effect on me.”
“Really? You think I have doe eyes?”
“I’m not answering that. Anyway, our rule was that once you’ve made your move, you can’t change it anymore. My turn now.” He frowned, studying the board with concentration, instinct telling him there’s something about the placement of the pieces ...
He moved his queen. “Check.”
“Great.” Serena groaned. “I didn’t see that.” She moved her king one space to the right.
He moved his rook. “Check and mated.”
She threw up her hands. “I can’t believe it. I lost two games in a row.”
“Now we know who’s the master.” He smirked. “And as your master, I bid you to ... tell me more about this farming technique that I hadn’t the chance to ask you about before -- wait, let me get my pen and pad.”
For several minutes, their discussion flowed smoothly, Serena eager to share her country’s technological advances with him. However, when his questions started probing deeper and Serena hadn’t been able to answer, he became more and more irritable. Finally, he pushed his slate to one side and turned brooding eyes on her. He reached over and touched her vest. “Take it off.”
Somehow, she wasn’t surprised at his command. He always had a knack for going straight to the problem.
Instead of obeying, Serena clutched it more tightly to her chest. “Why?”
“I don’t like it.”
“That’s funny. You aren’t the one wearing it.”
Why was this woman always so contrary?
His mouth thinned. “Take it off, I say.”
“No, no and no!”
That word was beginning to irritate him.
“Damn it, Serena.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t understand you!”
“What part of ‘no, no, and no’ don’t you understand?”
“You kissed me yesterday!”
“And so?”
“Damn! I didn’t want you naked. I just asked you to take off your vest because it irritates me!”
Serena’s face clouded with confusion for a moment, and then her face cleared. She half rose from her seat and slammed her hands on the table. Outrage fired from the depths of her eyes. “Just because I kissed you, you think I want to have sex with you?” Her mouth twisted in disgust. “Men!” She pushed back her chair and strode away.
“Wait!” He caught her at the door. He spun her around and stared down into her stormy eyes. “Why’d you kiss me?”
“Not because I want to have sex with you, definitely.” Her mouth was set in an angry line.
“Oh, no?” He taunted. His fingers glided down her arm. “And to think I once admired your honesty.”
She shivered, though he saw her trying hard to suppress her reaction to him.
He lifted his brow.
Her spine stiffened. “I don’t deny that I’m attracted to you, Frederick. You’re a handsome man; possibly, women old enough to be grandmothers would also find you attractive and be eager to jump into bed with you. But that’s not the reason why I kissed you.”
“All right.” He’ll let her off the hook for now. “Why’d you kiss me then?”
“Because you were kind to me, and I just wanted to show my appreciation.”
He snorted. “All right. I’ll accept that. For now. Sooner or later, you’ll have to be honest with yourself, if not with me. Now, take off that vest.”
“Frederick!”
“Please.”
“Didn’t you hear a word I’ve said?”
“And didn’t you hear that I just want that vest off and nothing else? It’s an eyesore.” He moved behind her and rained small kisses on her neck. “To me, at least. C’mon, honey, humor me? After all, I’m irritable because you can’t answer my questions.”
“So now it’s my fault.”
“It’s nobody’s fault. But see how hard it’s become for me to kiss you here?” She didn’t know how hard. His finger slipped underneath the vest to touch the pulse that beat wildly at the base of her neck. “Do you want me to kiss you there?”