Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 102573 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102573 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
She stopped by the shed where Fen had been kept and cast a glance around, though there was yet enough light to see clearly. Still, she caught no movement. Then Fen growled.
A sharp command was issued in a language Tavia did not understand and the large hound sat obediently. She turned to see who issued the strange command when a strong arm suddenly snagged her around the waist, lifted her off the ground, and carted her off into the shed, shutting the door on Fen when he tried to enter.
CHAPTER 16
Tavia’s heart pounded with fear in her chest, and it took all the strength she had to try and calm it after realizing there would be only one person who would dare to carry her off into the shed… her husband.
“You frightened me, Bhric,” she chastised, wiggling in his arm to free herself.
He liked the way his name slipped easily from her lips though a touch of annoyance accented it. He made sure his tone accused but not harshly when he said, “You followed me.”
His strength was too much, she could not free herself and fear poked at her stomach. Knowing she was helpless against him left her feeling vulnerable and she did not want to feel that way about her husband. With no choice left to her, she settled against him, her feet still dangling above the ground.
She turned her face up to him. Light was beginning to filter in through the cracks in the wood wall and she was not surprised to see that his stern expression did not at all hamper his fine features.
She spoke as she had promised she would… truthfully. “I was curious and thought you would not welcome my presence.”
“I would tell you if the conversation was meant to be private.”
That told her much and it disturbed her. She would be deprived of the knowledge of certain things that went on in her home. She should be used to it since her da had not discussed all things with her and learning some of those things after the fact, especially those things that pertained to her, had upset her.
Her response was instinctive. “And I will do the same.”
His toned turned harsh. “You shall keep nothing from me and do not bother to tell me that if I can do so than you may do so as well. My word rules.”
Tavia responded as expected. “Aye, my lord.”
He liked it better when she said his name, just his name. It was more intimate. Besides, she said what was expected of her, but he wondered if she meant it.
He yanked her tight against him. “Can I trust your word on that, wife?”
His face was close to hers and she caught the hint of mint on his warm breath and the way his eyes held hers with a strong glare. She spoke how she felt. “I have little choice, husband.”
“That you do,” he said, glad she spoke the truth to him though it was not her words that had interested him as much as her lips that were far too close to his.
Tavia spotted the change in his eyes that went from a glare to a spark of passion when they fell on her lips. She wondered if it was what flared her own passion or if it was the way he held her so intimately against him. It truly did not matter since pure instinct or perhaps pure passion had her pressing her lips against his.
Bhric had felt the subtle change in her, her body no longer ridged against his and a spark of passion chasing away the hint of fright in her soft blue eyes. He had intended to kiss her then, but she reacted faster, and he was glad she had.
He took charge of the kiss, his lips demanding against her soft ones, and she responded with the same intensity, her arms going around his neck. He quickly walked them to the back wall, bracing her against it and keeping her there not only with the strength of his arm but with the strength of his body.
He never felt the overwhelming urge to kiss a woman as he did now with his wife. He had enjoyed kissing other women but never felt an intensity to do so as he did now. He wasted no time in urging her lips open with his tongue and slipping in for a more intimate taste. Hesitant at first, but with gentle insistence from him, she responded eagerly—and never had a kiss been more satisfying.
His body, however, wanted more, much more, and he found himself situating her against him so that his manhood—that had hardened quickly—fit perfectly between her legs. He pressed against her with a slight rub and when she responded in kind, seeking what he offered, he increased and quickened the rhythm of his movement.