Claiming The Prize (19 page)

Strong arms encircled her from
behind.

“
Grace, what is wrong?”
Drago's voice was deep and soft as he kissed the back of her neck.
“Look at me.”

She remained still, struggling to
compose herself, not wanting him to see that she had been
crying.

“
Grace,” he repeated,
turning her in his arms.

He cupped her chin and raised it, his
eyes searching.

“
Why do you cry?
Tell
me.”

She wanted to speak, but couldn't.
Her
anger was too fresh for explanation.

He grasped her to himself tightly and
demanded, “You must tell me, Grace.”

Looking up at her husband for a
moment, she softened and answered.

“
I...I met Anika, and
she...
she had a few things to say.
I don't doubt you, Drago, I
simply heard things I didn't want to.”

Drago flinched.
He knew Anika well,
and was certain she had alluded to his past exploits.
That was long
ago, and he needed Grace to know that.

“
There is no one but you,
Grace.”

He crushed her mouth with his, the
ferocity of his claim in his kiss.
His hand fisted her long silken
hair as he clasped her against his body.

“
There will be no one but
you,” he murmured into her mouth.

She was secure in his love,
knowing that he meant what he said.
Grace returned his passion,
parting her lips for his invasive caress.
Her hands left his denim
clad hips and roved to his bare chest, causing Drago to shudder at
the contact of her skin upon his.

His hands possessed her body as his
lips tasted her sweetness, exploring her mouth, loving her sensual
response.
He lifted the sweater and shirt over her head, feathering
kisses across her bare shoulders and dipping to her lace covered
breast, drawing hungrily on one erect tip.
He throbbed, wanting to
be inside her, showing her how he needed her.
He wanted her to need
him.
Cupping her other breast, he roamed to the small valley
between them with nipping kisses.

Her legs were weak; they would not
hold her, but he lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around his
waist.
Through the denim, his hard length pressed against her,
telling of his desire.
Seeking their bedroom, Drago set her on the
edge of the bed and ravished her mouth as he removed the barrier of
clothing to her sex.

Easing her back, he slid the cotton
panties over her hips, grazing and nipping her thighs which parted
in welcome to his touch.
Sliding his tongue over her slick
entrance, he heard with satisfaction her soft moan.
Again he laved
over her, tasting her essence.
Grace panted in anticipation, aching
to be filled.
He sucked at her with gentleness and slid a finger
into her tightness, growling with pleasure at her mewling cries.
Grace felt she would shatter into pieces any moment.

“
Drago, please,” she
whispered.

“
Tell me, Grace.
Tell me
you need me.”

He paused, then ran his tongue over
her again.

She gasped.

“
Tell me you are mine.
Always mine.”

“
Yes, Drago,
yes.”

He slid another finger slowly into her
as he kissed her most sensitive spot.

“
Tell me, Grace.
I need to
hear it.”

“
I'm yours, Drago.
Always,”
she confessed unashamedly.

Casting his jeans aside instantly, he
sought her body greedily.
He came over her, his thighs pressing her
hips open to accommodate his body fully.
Easing the tip of his
fullness into her tight warmth, Drago emitted a throaty growl,
kissing her deeply.
His dark eyes smoldered, holding her
gaze.

“
My love is yours,
Grace.”

He eased further into her, slanting
his mouth over hers, taking more of her heart.
Her hands caressed
his face, her hips rocking him deeper into her.

“
Love me,
Drago.”

Hearing the words she spoke to him on
their wedding night, words of trust and surrender, Drago thrust
into her, filling her completely.
His arms encircled her beneath
him.
Moving within her, swift and deep in, slow and sensual out
while making love to her mouth with his, their pleasure built in
intensity until Grace cried his name against his lips.

The strong contractions of her climax
broke his reserve and he filled her body with his heated essence
and her ears with his strained groan.

“
Gracie, my
Gracie.”

He remained buried within her, moving
to rest on his forearms.
His hands held her, and tenderly he kissed
her soft lips.
Grace was still wrapped around him, legs about his,
arms holding him, unwilling to break the intimate contact.
Her
brown eyes shone softly for him.

“
Please do not allow Anika
to upset you.
I cannot watch you cry.
She's a cruel woman – it
would make her happy.
You are sweet to her bitter, and it angers
her to see that.”

“
I have to ask you, Drago,
for I don't want to be caught off guard ever again.
Were you
involved with her at one time?”

“
No, Gracie,” he laughed
softly in her ear.
“Let's say she tried once.
But I was not
interested, which is why she was vicious toward you.”

“
I see,” Grace replied with
a hint of understanding.
“Well, I admit I am glad,” she giggled,
“because she's awful.”

“
Ah!
So I inspire a bit of
jealousy in my wife,” he teased playfully, tickling her sides as he
nipped her lips.

Her laughing and wiggling was enough
to cause him to begin to harden within her again.
As he tortured
her in relentless love play, she utilized her quickness and
flexibility.
Thinking to turn over and scramble away from his
grasp, Grace moved swiftly.
But he was aroused once again.
And
quick.
As her leg cleared his muscular form, he grabbed her hips
from behind and held her firmly to him, remaining deep within
her.

Grace went completely still at the
sensation of being filled this way, and Drago groaned in approval
at their new position.
His grasp on her slender hips was iron
tight, his breathing ragged, the playfulness replaced with
intensity.
Curling his chest around her back, his voice deep and
gruff, he spoke.

“
I would have introduced
this way of loving in time, moja
ž
ena.
But it will be now.
Relax for
me, milenka,
sweetheart
.”

He remained perfectly still within her
as he kissed across her shoulders and back.
Stretched around his
thickness, Grace gasped at the feeling of complete fullness and
vulnerability.
When Drago's hands began to caress her body, down
her thighs and around her waist, her taut muscles eased, relaxing
under his reassuring touch.
He stroked his finger over her
sensitive bud, heightening her arousal to match his own.

As desire built inside her soft sounds
of passion escaped her throat, and she moved against him gingerly.
Drago, confident she was now eager with arousal, withdrew partially
and slid himself again into her sweet body, fighting to maintain
his control and hold his seed.
He growled at each invasion into her
lushness, stroking her with his finger on each retreat.
Grace
welcomed his increasing vigor, moving with him as his powerful form
invaded her softness.

Fulfillment broke over her
in waves and she cried out, stripping the last thread of his
restraint.
He ran his hand up under her breast and grasped her
shoulder from underneath while his other arm stretched across her
back, his hand firm at the base of her neck.
Thrusting into her,
his mouth wild and hungry on her back, he hoarsely called her name
again and again against her flesh as he came deep inside
her.

Drago slowed his pace, savoring the
lingering tremors of his orgasm, wrapping his arms around her
possessively.
Grace trembled in her husband's embrace, overcome
with the intensity of their lovemaking, thankful that his arms
supported her.
He slipped from her body and lay them against the
plush bedding, pulling her close.
Resting her head on his chest,
cradled in his arms, Grace sighed with contentment.

When he spoke, his voice was strained
with emotion.

“
Forgive me, milenka, if I
was too rough with you.”

Grace moved to look into his
eyes.

“
No love, you were
wonderful,” she breathed and kissed him sensually.

He rolled them and rained his kisses
down on her between his words of love.

Chapter 12

The weeks passed, Grace's life taking
shape in new routines even as the landscape about her changed.
Winter's icy chill lurked around each corner.
Temperatures hovered
at levels similar to Pennsylvania's winters, but strong winds from
the nearby mountains cut through whatever number of layers Grace
donned.

Ilija and Grace met each Monday, first
drinking tea at Stjepanovic's Dairy with Anja and friends, and then
sightseeing, shopping, or cooking on their own.
The two women grew
closer each week as they discovered how much they shared in
common.

A few years older than Grace, Ilija
had married Drago's cousin, Dubravko, five years earlier.
For their
final Monday in December, she suggested they stay in and cook
instead of braving the icy rain that fell.
Arriving with her
husband, who was loaded with the bags of groceries she brought,
Ilija directed Dubravko to drop the purchases in the
kitchen.

“
When should I pick you up,
drahy,
darling
?
This weather is too foul to be out!
Besides,” he grinned, “I'm
hoping you will have many delicious dishes you'll need me to
carry.”

“
Pssh,” Ilija lovingly
chided, “This man will be led astray by that stomach!
Come for me
at five, all right?”

“
See you then.”

Waving cheerfully, Dubravko headed for
the door after planting a kiss on his wife's forehead.

The pair unpacked their ingredients,
spreading them across the blond wood of the kitchen
table.

“
What will we make?”
Grace
asked.
“And where did you get all this produce?
I'm surprised with
this nasty weather that anything was open.”

Ilija nodded as she
answered.

“
I thought maybe a
vegetable, tomato soup.
My cousin owns a larger grocery further out
from Center Square, so he has plenty of stock even with this
treacherous weather.
Dubravko took me by this morning on our way
over.
What do you think?”

“
Anything warm sounds good
to me today.”

The hiss and groan of the pipes
signaled that heat would soon roll out from the radiators.
At first
the sounds had been disquieting to Grace.
But now she found them
comforting somehow, maybe because they promised much wanted
warmth.

“
So, I have news,” Ilija
tempted with a smile.

She said no more as she went over and
grabbed a mug.

Grace peeked up from the large cabinet
beneath the counter-top.

“
Well...Let's have out with
it.
Si v poriadku?
Are you all
right?
”

“
Your Slovakian is sounding
good, Grace!”

“
Ilija!
You must have
something wonderful to tell to keep me in suspense like this.
What
is it?”

Grabbing the soup pot, Grace joined
her friend at the table where two steaming mugs of tea
waited.

Laughing, Ilija divulged, “Dubravko
and I are expecting a child!
Can you believe it?”

“
That's wonderful, Ilija!
When?”

“
April – spring!
I would
have told you sooner, but...,” her voice trailed off.

Grace covered her hand.

“
Nonsense.
Don't think a
thing of it.”

She squeezed Ilija's hand gently and
steered her friend away from painful memories.

“
I'm so happy for you.
Have
you been thinking of names?”

Of course, Ilija's eyes lit at the
chance to talk freely about the happy event.
She had waited what
seemed an eternity to reveal her secret to Grace.
Four times in
five years, Ilija had found herself with child, but each time she
neared the twelve week mark, she had miscarried.
Now safely past
sixteen weeks, she indulged the dreams she had never allowed to
take shape in her mind.

Two mugs of tea later, they put the
soup pot on to simmer for the day and contemplated a dessert to
make when Grace offered, “I've got news too, but it's not nearly as
nice as yours!”

Ilija let out a guffaw.

“
It wouldn't have anything
to do with the invitation we received in the post, would
it?”

Her mischievous grin drew a groan from
Grace.

“
Oh Ilija!
That woman is
awful.
And...
our invitation is addressed to Mr.
Drago Zadrovec and
guest!”

Peals of laughter rang out in the snug
kitchen as the women resigned themselves to attending the wedding
of Josip Igrec and Anika Oreskovic.
Josip was Drago's friend and an
asset to the gym, and that was reason enough for Grace to suffer
Anika's abrasive personality.
Dubravko, being the financial genius
of the family, handled Josip's financial portfolio, and this
necessitated that Ilija do the same.

“
I'm so glad you're here,
Grace,” Ilija choked out between fits of laughter.
“I've wanted a
sister my entire life.
Now – through cousins and marriages – I have
you.”

Underneath her laughter, Grace was
touched.

“
I'm glad to have you,
too.”

Shortly after Dubravko came for his
wife that evening, Drago came up from the gym, the rich aroma of
the soup greeting him on his ascent.
Stopping in the kitchen on his
way to the shower, he planted a kiss on the nape of Grace's neck as
she tossed a salad.

“
Something smells
delicious,
ž
ena.”

“
It's only soup and a salad
tonight, nothing fancy.”

He pulled her back against his chest,
damp still from the exertion of the gym.
He wanted her
attention.

“
I'm hungry for something
else.”

His breath caressed the back of her
neck, and the words entering her ears sent paralyzing shivers
through her, stilling her hands from work.

“
Leave it for later.
Come
with me, milovnik,
lover
.”

Hands on her hips, he stayed behind
her, kissing down her neck and steering her slowly toward their
bathroom.
As steam filled the room, Drago eased her from her
clothing piece by piece until she stood naked before him, and he
motioned toward the shower.
Stepping under the heated spray, Grace
felt his hands smooth over her sides before stopping on the flare
of her hips.
No words were necessary.
She knew what he wanted, what
he needed.

Often he came in after the grueling
days of his training and loved her with fierce intensity, purging
the day's concerns from his mind by losing himself in her
sweetness.
She was his refuge from the world, draining his physical
tension with her body and calming his thoughts with her soft way
and gentle words.
Slowly, she bathed him, massaging the lather into
his taut muscles until they eased into compliance under her
fingers.
Upon reaching his muscled thighs, she felt the tension
leave him, and she rinsed him carefully.
Low groans told her of his
pleasure under her touch, igniting her desire with each knead and
caress of his flesh.
Clean and more at ease, Drago took on her
role, cleansing her skin and soothing her as his large hands worked
over her with deliberate care, his enjoyment of his work obvious as
the thick erection between his thighs nudged at her abdomen.
Warm
shower water washed over her, pulling a pleasurable sigh from her
throat as he finished.

He sought her lips, his kiss quickly
growing insistent, and Grace met his ardor, knowing this intensity
would not be sated until he claimed her body.
His hands roamed her
curves, grasping her bottom and pressing into her.
Her back rested
against the patterned tile as her lover trailed kisses across her
collarbone.
Closing his mouth over her sensitive nipple, Grace
moaned softly, cupping his dark head and clasping him to her
breast.
He suckled her, starved for the peace he found within her.
Her breasts grew heavy and full under his attentive mouth, and she
gasped as his hand trailed between her legs.

He stilled.

Grace could not look away from his
burning gaze.
She would have pleaded for more, but before the words
could take form in her mouth, Drago rubbed over her again, catching
her delight in a sensual kiss.

Again, he stilled.

The weight of his eyes upon her
heightened her desire, the knowledge that his arousal grew from
seeing her take pleasure still brought heat to her cheeks, even as
moisture pooled in her sex.
Across the rippled plane of his abs,
Grace trailed her caress, continuing until she brushed the length
of his hardness.
Wrapping her delicate hand around him and stroking
back to the tip brought the rough groan she loved hearing him make.
Again she stroked down and up sensually, knowing he would only
endure so much before his need to be inside her won out, and at the
thought, a wave of delight washed through her.

Drago's fingers slid over her.
He
slipped a solitary finger inside her, almost taking her over the
edge.
Panting, she squeezed him, rubbing him in encouragement.
He
growled, breaking his gaze to slant his mouth over hers in a
punishing kiss, driven to claim her body.
His hands palmed her
nether cheeks and lifted her above his engorged shaft before he
entered her in a upward thrust.
Again and again he buried himself
deep inside her until she cried out against his shoulder as
pleasure rippled outward from her center.
She could do nothing more
than cling to him, lost in her joy.
Gentling his pace through her
completion, Drago turned the spray off and carried her to their
room.

His massive form covered her as she
lay atop the rich, chocolate duvet, and he surged into her anew.
Purposefully urgent, then languid, he altered their rhythms,
building to crescendo over and again until she climaxed around him,
and with a final thrust, he spent into her.
Enveloped in his strong
arms, Grace kissed along his jaw and neck.
He withdrew from her,
pulling her close.

“
Som tu, moja
ž
ena,
I am here, my wife
,” he
murmured against her ear.
“Som tu.”

“
I know, love.”

* * *

Drago unpacked his well worn
duffel.

Sayre Mainn.
The next link in the
chain.

He knew the man was powerful, but
nothing would stop him from gaining victory.
Six months of intense
training backed up his confidence.
In three days, he would claim
his victory here in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Glancing at his wife's sleeping form,
he smiled.
They had wisely opted to fly in days ahead of time to
combat the toll of jet lag and allow time for visiting with Grace's
father, who had arrived last night as well.
Drago was glad to see
her resting.
She worked so hard to help him.
The six months they
had been married had been the happiest of his life.
Grace was his
rock, and he could not imagine life without her after knowing her
love.

Determined to be more than just his
rock at home, Grace had taken over the jujitsu aspect of his
training and added classes in their gym, Spar-Slava.
Everyone in
the gym adored her.
She pushed him harder than anyone, earning the
respect of the team.