Cherished (7 page)

Xander smiled again.

“And what the hell are you so smug about?” Sebastien demanded, looking at Xander.

“Just that the three of you have already done precisely as I
imagined you would upon meeting Talia. You’re already protective of her. She already has your loyalty.”

Garon shot him a sharp glance. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”

Xander nodded. “Indeed. But just because it’s what I want doesn’t mean that she would arouse that instinct within you. Tell me something, Garon. If I had told you nothing at all, would your reaction to Talia be any different? Or would you still be holding her as you are now, protecting her as she sleeps after being fed by your hand?”

Garon glanced down at Talia, his brow wrinkled in concentration. Then he looked back up at Xander, his lips set into a determined line. “No. Hell no, it wouldn’t. Your damn orders don’t have anything at all to do with what happens when I look at her.”

Xander looked questioningly at Nico and Sebastien. Nico curled his lip in Xander’s direction, a clear indication that he thought the answer should be obvious. Sebastien shrugged, but Xander saw the way his gaze tracked sideways to Talia, how he looked as though he wanted to be the one holding her.

“She needs rest,” Xander said. “She’s clearly exhausted and it’s also obvious that this entire situation has put an enormous amount of stress on her. I want us to alleviate that stress as soon as possible. I won’t have her terrified of me when I make love to her the first time.”

“I’ll take her up,” Garon said in a low voice.

“Leave her dressed. I’ll take care of it,” Xander said as Garon rose.

Garon nodded and walked slowly out of the dining room, Talia’s long hair trailing over his arm as he carried her away.

Xander remained a moment, staring across the table at Nico and Sebastien.

“Tomorrow…” He toyed idly with his wineglass, swirled the
small amount of liquid before setting it back on the table again. “Tomorrow her training will begin.”

Sebastien cocked one eyebrow. “You don’t think you’re rushing things a bit? You seemed concerned about frightening her and now you want to throw her to the wolves the second day she’s here?”

Nico frowned. “What part of her training are you referring to? Are we talking simple obedience or are we talking sex?”

“Both,” Xander said bluntly. “I think as long as we continue to treat her gently and with patience but also with a firm hand, she’ll respond quicker. We can’t send mixed signals and go soft. If we strike the right balance, there’ll be no need to worry that we’ll frighten her.”

“As long as part of this training is how to suck cock, I’m all for it,” Sebastien said.

“Shut the fuck up,” Nico snapped.

Sebastien threw him a dark look. “Don’t get all choir boy on me now, Nico. You can’t tell me that you aren’t dying to get those exquisite lips wrapped around your cock. She has a mouth to die for.”

Xander wouldn’t chasten Sebastien for being Sebastien. It’s who he was. Irreverent. Blunt. But he was solid and loyal to his bones. And he could hardly fault Sebastien for fantasizing about Talia’s mouth when Xander had been tempted to put her between his knees ever since she’d arrived.

“Perhaps you can instruct her on the finer points,” Xander drawled.

“Hell yeah,” Sebastien breathed out.

Xander rose from his seat. “I’m going up. I’ll see you both at breakfast. I intend for us to spend the entire day with Talia. The more time she spends in our presence, the faster she’ll be at ease with us.”

Nico nodded and Xander turned to stride away. He walked up
the stairs but never passed Garon. When he walked into his suite, there was still no sign of the other man.

The door to his bedroom was slightly ajar and Xander pushed in, his gaze taking in the scene before him.

Garon was carefully tucking Talia into Xander’s bed. She was still fully clothed, or rather still wrapped in the sarong and the spaghetti-strap top.

Talia murmured something in her sleep and Garon smoothed a hand through her hair, murmuring something back. Evidently it soothed whatever worry she may have had because she snuggled deeper into the pillow and settled. Her soft even breathing filled the room.

Garon stared down at her a moment longer and then backed off the bed. When he turned, he came face-to-face with Xander. Garon dipped his head in acknowledgment.

“She’s all yours, Highness.”

“I’ll see you at breakfast,” Xander said, repeating the good night he’d given the others.

When Garon was gone, Xander undressed, stripping down to nothing. There was still Talia’s clothing to deal with. As long as she slept in his bed, she’d never have the barrier of clothing between them.

If he knew anything about himself and the three men he trusted so implicitly, in a matter of days, Talia would never wear a damn thing twenty-four hours a day.

They’d want her naked so they’d have unfettered access to her body and when they weren’t making love to her, they’d want to look at her and know she was theirs. Their woman. Their possession.

Xander smiled as he turned her carefully over and she murmured a sleepy protest. He untied the sarong and left it for the time being. He then slid the straps of her top down her bare arms
and simply peeled the shirt down over her hips until it tangled with the material of the sarong.

He rolled her forward onto her side and pulled the clothing away, tossing it onto the floor. Then he rolled her back so he could look down at her soft curves and the beauty of her skin.

She was magnificent.

It pained him not to touch her. He wanted to explore her body. Give her the pleasure he knew he could provide. But she was tired. She wasn’t even aware of his presence and it seemed wrong—a violation—to do anything more than ensure her comfort so she could sleep well this night.

With a resigned sigh, he crawled into bed and picked up the remote to douse the lights. Maybe he was getting soft, the very thing he’d just warned the others about.

He’d told them they had to be firm but gentle. Let her know right away what their expectations were and what the boundaries were.

With any other woman, at any other time in his life, he would have taken without guilt. He would even now be sliding his fingers through the dark curls between her legs and savoring the essence of her femininity.

And yet here he was, holding back because above all things, he wanted her trust. He wanted her faith. He wanted her to believe that he would take absolute care of her and that he would cherish her as he’d promised.

If that meant taking his time and exerting patience he had little to none of, then that’s what he’d do.

He set the remote aside and then reached for her, pulling her flush against his body.

Tomorrow would be soon enough to introduce her to what he and his men expected of her.

Chapter 7

Talia awoke to sunlight streaming through the window, warming the bed and her skin. She pushed upward to her elbow, the sheet falling down her body to gather at her hip, so she could take in the breathtaking view of the ocean below.

The windows were cracked, allowing a breeze through. She could smell the salt in the air and hear the rush of waves as they lapped at the shore.

It was then she realized she was wearing nothing and that she was in Xander’s bed. Her last memory was of falling asleep in Garon’s arms the night before and yet she was here, nude.

She turned, half expecting to see Xander there, but the bed was empty though the pillow still had the indention of his head. She cocked her head, listening for any sound within the suite to signal she wasn’t alone.

She glanced automatically to the grandfather clock across the room and breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t terribly late. Though Xander hadn’t given her any instructions on when she was to rise, she would have felt bad to have slept the morning away. It was
only eight. If she hurried, she could be showered and dressed and downstairs in half an hour.

She shoved aside the sheets and threw her legs over the edge of the bed. She felt calmer today. Not as nervous and edgy as she had yesterday. But then she’d traveled a long distance and then had to deal with the overwhelming presence of not one man, but four.

She was halfway to the bathroom when the bedroom door opened. She froze, caught completely naked with nothing but her hands to cover her most vulnerable spots.

Sebastien stood there gazing at her, his expression unreadable. Then he leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest.

His silence bothered her. It made her twitchy, like she’d done something wrong, only she couldn’t imagine what. Of all the men, he seemed to be the most…infuriating? Maybe not infuriating since she didn’t really know any of them that well yet. But he seemed more mocking. Or maybe he was amused by her. Regardless, none of the descriptors made her feet at ease with him.

“Is there something you wanted?” she asked calmly.

She wouldn’t let him know how much he intimidated her. Not even Garon with his hulking size made her feel as insignificant as Sebastien.

He chuckled and pushed off the doorframe. “I believe Xander was explicit in that one of us would come to you in the mornings with what to wear.”

She frowned. “Well, yes, he was, but there wasn’t anyone here when I woke up. For that matter, I’m not even sure what time he wants me to be up or if he cares. But I at least thought I could take a shower while waiting for my wardrobe advisor.”

He laughed again. “You don’t like me much, do you, Talia?”

She cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “I haven’t decided yet.”

He gave her a slow grin. “That’s fine. Because it’ll be my cock you’re sucking later. You don’t have to like me for me to enjoy it.”

She reared back, her mouth dropping open at his bluntness. Then she snapped her lips shut and glared at him. “Why are you purposely trying to bait me? Do you want me frightened of you?”

The others seemed to want just the opposite, but she hadn’t yet figured Sebastien out.

“Frightened? No, that serves little purpose. I won’t hurt you, Talia. I’m just not as soft as the others. While they aren’t into putting marks on your pretty behind, I find I wouldn’t mind having you over my knee one little bit.”

“You wouldn’t,” she whispered.

“Don’t knock it unless you’ve tried it,” he drawled.

Her fingers curled into tight balls. “I don’t like pain. I hate it.”

“It’s a moot point. I’d get my ass kicked if I tried to redden that delectable bottom of yours. Now, we’ve wasted enough time. Xander is waiting below for you to join us for breakfast. I’ll wash you and then take you downstairs.”

She stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “I can bathe myself. You’re just supposed to lay out my clothes.”

“I’m supposed to do whatever it is Xander tells me to do with you,” Sebastien said, a bite to his words. “And your task is to obey without question. Now, if we’re done arguing, let’s step into the bathroom.”

Numbly she followed him into the bathroom and watched as he turned the shower on, testing the temperature with his fingers before he turned back to her.

Then he began unbuttoning his shirt. When he reached the bottom, he left the shirt hanging and he unfastened his fly. She looked away as he started pulling his jeans down, her cheeks flaming.

“Talia, look at me.”

The command in his voice gave her no choice but to obey. When she looked back he stood before her, completely naked. And did he have a beautiful body. Tanned. Completely tanned. So either his natural skin tone was dark or he tanned in the nude.

He was tall and lean but tightly muscled. There wasn’t a spare ounce of flesh anywhere. Whipcord lean. He looked strong, every bit as strong as Garon must be but just…different. Different makeup. Different body structure.

He held out his hand and she reached for it, her gaze avoiding one portion of his anatomy. He drew her into the shower and under the spray.

She wasn’t sure what to expect. If this was something sexual or clinical. She was pressed to his body. She could feel his penis at the small of her back, but he made no overt sexual gestures.

His hands were gentle as he soaped her body and he only lightly skimmed over her breasts and then between her legs, almost as if he truly didn’t want to alarm her, which was a direct contradiction to his seeming indifference to her comfort.

When he was finished with her body, he applied shampoo to her hair and gently worked his fingers through the strands until he lathered the entire mass.

Then he turned her so the stream poured over her head. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to the pleasurable sensation. Who knew having someone take such intimate care of her could be nice?

If she expected to lollygag and enjoy the hot water for any longer than necessary, she was quickly corrected when the water shut off and Sebastien pulled her from the shower. A moment later, he enfolded her in a huge towel and briskly rubbed the moisture from her body. Next he set to work on her hair.

To her further surprise, he settled her onto the plush bench in front of the vanity, took one of the combs from the draw and began working the tangles from her hair.

This wasn’t happening. Not in her world. It was bizarre and it unsettled her.

“Relax,” he said brusquely. “You’re wound tighter than a spring. I’m not going to bite you. Yet.”

She found herself laughing and then glanced up at the mirror to see his look of amusement over her shoulder.

“See? I’m not so bad.”

She just stared at him in bewilderment as he continued to comb out her hair.

“I can’t wrap my brain around this,” she said before she thought better of it.

He paused, cocked his head sideways and stared at her in question. “What do you mean?”

Her cheeks flushed and she swallowed nervously. “Nothing. Sometimes I speak before I think better of it.”

He put down the comb and then turned her so she faced him. He framed her jaw with both hands and used his thumbs to brush over her cheekbones.

“I admit that I can be a complete asshole at times. I probably was a jerk to you earlier. I’m an irreverent bastard or so I’ve been told by Xander and the others on multiple occasions. But I’m not going to hurt you, Talia. You can say what’s on your mind. Despite my cocky assertion that I’d like to turn you over my knee and spank your ass, I can assure you that I was looking at it from a sexual standpoint. Quite frankly the thought of having you over my knee and my hand on your ass makes me hot. But I’d never hurt you. And moreover, I respect honesty above all things. So if you have something to say, say it. I don’t know what Xander allows, but when you’re with me, you are always free to speak your mind.”