Kept by Seduction

by Jaymie Holland

  Ty took her by the hand and brought her to a halt. “Why do you frown?”

  For a moment, she didn’t respond. She didn’t want him to know just how comfortable she was starting to feel in Tarok, in case he used that against her somehow.

  She idly looked at their joined hands, and noticed how warm his big hand was around her smaller one. The wound had completely healed on his finger, but she saw faint pink marks had been left behind. She returned her gaze to his. “I hate to sound like a broken record, but I need to know. How long before my nieces can be here?”

  “I do not know what a broken record is.” He studied her, his gaze thoughtful. “However, all I can tell you is that you will see them in time.”

  “You keep saying that.” She drew her hand away from his, and in a frustrated movement pushed it over her shoulder. She placed her hands on her hips. “It’s not good enough anymore. I need to know. I have to see them. Can’t we go to them?”

  “Each kingdom is far from Clubs, and at this time I cannot leave.” He reached for her and slid his fingers down the side of her face. “I know it is difficult to wait, but my brothers have much to attend to. When the time is right, they will all come and we will have a reunion.”

  “One big happy family.” She knew she sounded snippy, but she couldn’t help it. “I’m tired of waiting and hearing about them. I can’t stand waiting any longer.”

  His expression hardened ever so slightly. He was a king and no doubt he wasn’t used to being questioned and having demands made of him.

  He’ll just have to get used to it, because I am someone he’ll never be able to rule.

  The thought surprised her, but she tried not to let it show. In her mind, she had seen and thought something she hadn’t expected. It had been as if she was going to stay.

  That would never happen.

  “You will wait.” He kept his voice calm but firm. “You will see them when they arrive. That is all I have to say on the matter.”

  She ground her teeth and her body thrummed with tension. “You can’t rule me, Ty. I am not one of the people you can lord over.”

  The narrowing of his gaze was enough to let her know he was not pleased. Tough for him, as far as she was concerned.

  His tone remained steady, which surprised her, considering the way he looked at her at this moment. “As long as you are here, you will obey me as your king.”

  “You are not my king.” She scowled. “You will never rule me.”

  He grabbed her by her upper arms and drew her roughly against him. He cupped the back of her head, controlling her movement before he crushed his lips to hers. He slid his tongue slid into her mouth, everything happening before she had a chance to react. His kiss was harsh and demanding, the control he usually exhibited apparently gone.

  She pushed at his chest with her palms as she struggled to break free, but he tightened his embrace, his powerful arms like steel bands around her.

  Her mind began to spin as he kissed her. Something about his scent, his taste, the way it felt to be in his arms made her body turn into molten steel. Her skin heated, her nipples tightening, and she ached between her thighs as desire surged through her.

  She wanted him.

  In the next moment she was answering his kiss with an aggression that caused a rumble to rise in his chest.

  He slid his hands down to her ass and pulled her tighter to him so his erection pressed into her belly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nearly climbed him before she came to her senses.

  Somehow she managed to break the kiss. He no longer controlled her by cupping the back of her head, as his hands were grasping her bottom.

  “No.” Her breathing was heavy as she shook her head and placed her hands on his chest again. “Not like this.

  He released her, his chest rising and falling, his expression easing from harsh to relaxed again. “No, not like this. But you will want to submit to me. You will desire nothing more than to serve me.”

  She opened her mouth to spew her indignation, but took a deep breath instead. “You assume a lot.”

  He shrugged. “You need a man who is your equal, but a man who will provide for you, protect you, and dominate you.”

  She did everything she could to not let his words get to her. Every word he said rang true in her mind, but she wasn’t about to admit it.

  Ty sensed the change in Awai. She struggled against giving herself to him, but that struggle lay within. She had taught herself to be as strong as possible, to never be hurt again by any man.

  She wanted him, of that he was certain. He could see it in her expressive eyes and could scent her arousal. Her erect nipples pushed against her silk robe that had parted enough that he could see the curve of one breast, the material barely hiding her nipple.

  He so badly wanted to reach out for her and take her. He nearly groaned with the effort it took to hold himself back.

  It was in his nature to dominate and he was used to submissive women. But Awai was different. From the start, when he had first seen her wounded eyes in the magical playing card, he had known she had deep pain to overcome before she would or could fully trust him.

  The only way he could break through her barriers would be to dominate her completely, to have her turn her trust, faith, and control over to him. Only then could she allow herself to have the love her heart desired, and the pleasure she craved. He sensed her need for domination at the deepest level of his soul.

  From the moment he had met Awai, Ty had sensed that her act of dominance over men was simply that—an act.

  She didn’t flinch from his touch or pull away as he skimmed his knuckles over her cheek.

  He called to Kalina with mind-speak before he said to Awai, “I believe we have seen enough for this day. You will return to your chambers and consider your true feelings. If you think hard enough, I believe you will know that the desire to submit to me is in your heart and soul.”

  Her words came out somewhat shaky even as she tilted her chin. “I’ve told you countless time it’s not in me to submit.”

  Kalina appeared, responding to Ty’s mental call.

  “The sorceress will see you to your room.” He pressed his lips to Awai’s forehead. I will see you tomorrow, and you will have an answer for me.” The stubbornness in her gaze almost made him smile. “May your evening be a pleasant one.”

  She bit her lower lip as if holding back a sharp retort, and said nothing.

  He turned his gaze to Kalina and gave her a nod, and she responded with a slight bow. He gave Awai one last look before striding away from the two women to head for his study and deal with matters that required his attention.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “TODAY I WILL TAKE YOU to another part of the kingdom.” Ty squeezed Awai’s hand and her belly did that silly flipping thing as she met his gaze. He smiled. “I promised to show you where the secret passageway goes.”

  For some ridiculous reason, she felt like a schoolgirl ready to bounce up and down on her bare toes with excitement. She had wanted to go through that passageway since she’d arrived, but he had insisted they wait until he felt the time was right. Whatever that meant.

  He brought her to a stop in front of the tumble of flowers, where she knew the door was hidden in the wall. The door slid open at once. He tugged her hand and they stepped into pure darkness.

  Her heart thumped hard a moment before torches flickered to life, filling the earthen passageway with warm light. She let out her breath as Ty led her along a path and torches came alive as they progressed.

  It was wide enough they could walk side-by-side. It was also high enough that it was over his head, and he had to be close to six-four. Stone and wood reinforced the walls, and he explained how there was no danger of the passageway ever collapsing.

  The floor was dirt, but soft beneath her bare soles. It smelled of must, dirt, and a scent that reminded her of mossy ponds.

  At least ten minutes passed before they reached the opposite end, a
nd Ty stared at the rock wall in front of them. A rumbling sound filled the air right before the wall shuddered and a stone door eased open, allowing sunlight to spill into the passageway.

  Awai had to blink several times before her eyes grew accustomed to the brightness. She stepped out into the sunny day with Ty, and they strolled into a beautiful clearing surrounded by cherry trees, the grass soft beneath her feet.

  The rock door shuddered closed behind them as her eyes widened.

  It was the clearing from her dreams. She’d never been to this place, but she had dreamed about it every night since arriving in Tarok.

  She released Ty’s hand and walked ahead of him, her gaze taking in the familiar surroundings. Cherry blossoms were not swirling through the air like they did in the dreams. Instead, they clung to the trees. She almost expected the pure white tiger to step out from behind one of the many bushes at the fringe.

  Fear rose up inside her as memories of darkness and evil rushed over her. The terror she felt was so real that she wanted to scream.

  She swung around to face Ty, her robe swirling around her ankles. The words she started to say rushed through her mind, but her mouth wouldn’t open.

  A feeling washed over her, instantly calming her, and the nightmarish vividness of the dreams dissipated like mist. Somehow she knew he wouldn’t approve of her dreams of the clearing and the tiger. That made absolutely no sense, but she couldn’t get out a word. Even stranger was that now she didn’t want to tell him.

  She took a deep breath, drawing in the fresh air and scent of the blossoms. With a sigh, she tilted her head back, feeling sun on her face and a gentle breeze lifting her hair. She spread her arms wide, as if she could gather up every beautiful moment and keep it bottled in a jar to save for rainy days.

  She opened her eyes as she lowered her face and her arms. Ty stood in front of her, smiling.

  “It’s beautiful here.” A strange wave of shyness rose within her. She had the desire to fling her arms around his neck and kiss him. When he looked like he was going to embrace her, she spun away and walked to the edge of the clearing and sat on the grass, close to one of the trees. She laid back and stared at the aqua clouds, and swore one of them looked like a tiger.

  Ty’s groin tightened as he studied his future queen. When Awai settled on her backside in the grass, her robe gaped and showed the plump curves of her breasts. With her arms above her head, her position was one of complete submission.

  She was closer to surrendering herself to him than she realized. Closer than even he had thought.

  He sat beside her and smiled because she was smiling as she stared up at the clouds. Without thought, he reached out with one hand and stroked the curve of her breast.

  She audibly caught her breath and turned her gaze from the sky to him. Her lips parted, and the scent of her arousal grew. While slowly caressing her, he continued to keep his eyes locked with hers. She visibly swallowed as she arched her back, and her expression told him she could not help her reaction.

  “Ty,” she whispered, even as she was drawn to his touch, “I don’t know if I can do what you want.”

  The way she said it told him she was there. All she needed was to be shown that submitting to him was truly what she wanted.

  Lightly he trailed his fingers from her breasts, down her stomach to the silver charm at her belly button. He wanted to suckle her nipples then lick the path his hand had taken, but he feared moving too fast would upset her again, like spooking a wild jul.

  “You enjoy the pleasures of men, do you not?” he murmured.

  “Yes.” She shivered as his finger circled the charm. “Only with men I dominate and control.”

  “In my world, I will dominate you.” He moved his hand down, away from her bellybutton. “With your trust and consent. Only by submitting to me will you truly heal.”

  What Awai had already been through with Ty, from the moment they first met, seemed a lifetime of experiences. She’d gone from one emotion to another—anger, fear, terror, hope, attraction, arousal, the desire to submit…and a feeling of trust that went soul-deep.

  Yes, she trusted him.

  And she wanted him. Desperately.

  At what cost?

  “It must be your choice to submit to me.” Ty’s hand stopped at her abdomen, just before her mound. His face was serious and his tone solemn as his gaze held hers. “But once you make that choice, you must obey my commands without question. The only occasion you may question me is if you are frightened by what I ask of you. That is also the only time you may refuse me.”

  Crap.

  Yet everything in her soul told her to take this opportunity and run with it. To give it a shot, to see if she was a submissive inside. She needed to see if she really did want to be dominated, but hadn’t been able to admit it out loud.

  She felt she knew him better than men she had dominated at the BDSM clubs in San Francisco, men she’d had sex with. She had the birth-control implant in her arm so she couldn’t get pregnant and had always kept a supply of condoms on hand for protection against STDs. At the clubs she had taken what she wanted from men, whenever she desired.

  But submit to Ty?

  Go for it, her inner voice urged. You’ll never know if you don’t try.

  Everything about him made her feel special and excited. It didn’t make sense how she could feel this way with a man who had something to do with her nieces’ disappearances, a man who had purposely taken her from her own world to his. Yet he had given her the choice. And even more impressive, he would have stayed in her world if she had not come with him.

  Ty’s hair moved in the breeze that stirred grass against her cheeks and caressed her belly. She saw the golden hair on his arm move in the light wind and caught the scent of his male musk. His palm was hot through her robe where his hand rested just above her mound.

  Awai was wet and her nipples hard and aching beneath her robe. Her body wanted him, her mind wanted him, and her gut instinct told her he was a good man. A gorgeous man at that. Tall, blond, blue-eyed, and built like a pro bodybuilder. Damn, she could jump him right this moment.

  But to be dominated? Did she really want that?

  She sat up as she turned the question over and over in her mind. They sat beside each other, her arm and hip pressed against him. His body felt warm and welcome through the robe.

  She met his gaze. Before she could stop herself, she said, “I want you to dominate me, Ty.”

  He smiled and didn’t hesitate. He swept her into his embrace and kissed her. A soft, slow kiss that soon deepened until her head spun and her body cried out for him. She wanted him to take her here in the clearing, where she knew she would do whatever he asked of her.

  She broke the kiss and pulled away. She looked into his eyes that had an uncanny way of drawing her right back to him.

  “You were serious.” Awai swallowed. “If I become your submissive, and I’m uncomfortable with anything, I can tell you and you won’t push me beyond my limits?”

  “I would never hurt you, my sweet one.” His expression was sincere and caring. “As you no doubt know, any responsible Dom dedicates himself to caring for the needs of his submissive. Look into your heart, your instincts, and ask yourself if you feel I would meet those needs.”

  Awai studied Ty, confused yet certain all at the same time. Maybe she was out of her mind, but he was giving her the choice, even though he had brought her here to be his queen. She believed he would let her go if that was her decision. She also believed him when he said he would never push her beyond what she was comfortable with.

  Was he right, too, that she needed to submit to fully heal her wounds?

  And what about fulfilling my deepest fantasies, the ones I’ve never told anyone, barely even myself?

  She bit her lower lip then slowly nodded. “I’m not going to change my mind.”

  The most sexy, seductive smile broke across Ty’s face. He slid his hand into her hair and roughly brought her to him, t
his time kissing her hard and demanding, like she’d never been kissed before.

  Everything around her whirled. She’d never been so lost, so totally immersed in a kiss like this. It gave her a shivery excited feeling she’d always heard about but had never experienced until this very moment.

  His intoxicating male scent surrounded her, mingling with the perfume of the blossoms.

  And cherry pipe tobacco?

  Ty pulled away from her, groaned, and put his forehead against hers. “Pillar.”

  Awai’s mouth still felt hot and warm from his kiss, her senses still swirling. “Excuse me?”

  “He means me, missy,” a squeaky voice said.

  Her gaze shot in the direction of the voice and to her surprise she saw a small man sitting cross-legged on a gigantic toadstool that was as high as her waist, the top at least twice the size of her hips. The toadstool and man had appeared out of nowhere. The man smoked a long pipe that looked similar to a Native American peace pipe. The scent of the tobacco made her woozy, not to mention very horny for Ty.

  “Welcome to Clubs, once again.” Ty stood and gave a slight bow to the little man. He turned to Awai, who also got to her feet. “Cater Pillar is of the Munchfolk. Apparently he has chosen to grace us with his presence as well as the cerih pipe.”

  Awai almost giggled at the thought of the pipe-smoking caterpillar on the mushroom in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but she managed to keep a straight face. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Pillar.”

  “Just Pillar.” The man extended his short arm toward Awai, holding out the pipe. “One puff each and I’ll be off.”

  Awai looked up at Ty and he gave her a firm nod. As she turned back to the man and took the pipe, it occurred to her that she was already deferring to Ty as her Dom. That caused her a moment’s hesitation, but then she realized she had already told him she would be his submissive.

  “Thank you, Pillar.” She was not at all sure she was thankful as she brought the pipe to her lips.

  When she took a puff of the cherry-flavored tobacco, her entire body responded. Being with Ty had already made her hot and wet for him, but something about this cerih pipe made her beyond aroused. She wanted to jump Ty now, caterpillar man be damned.