The Barbarian's Captive (4 page)

Their language was deeply melodic, not remotely like any she could recognize from Earth. Amid all of this male gorgeousness, one of their most striking features was their eyes, the irises in vivid hues of lavender, teal, and gold. The man staring down at her had a dark golden gaze, flecked with a mix of amber and browns that reminded her of the sunsets over the Pacific where she’d grown up in northern California. Her heart twinged as she wondered if she would ever see that sight again, let alone Earth. Perhaps she’d never see her crewmates again either. The
Odyssey
had undoubtedly left her and the other captives long ago when the designated departure time had come and gone.

Distracted momentarily by her dismal thoughts, she didn’t notice that he’d knelt, realizing it only when she glanced up and found his handsome face directly in front of her. He was so tall that even on his knees, his eyes were still above the level of her own. Speaking quietly, she found his low murmur far less grating than the harsh, guttural tones he’d used with her in the jungle.

She hadn’t failed to notice how others deferred to him, or jumped at his barked commands. Or that when he touched her at will, bound her, and yes, spanked her as though he had the right, no one opposed him. Having watched how he and several others had bowed to him, it was obvious to Eva that he ranked above them, a leader of some sort. She wished fervently that she could understand what he was saying, or ask what he intended to do with her and the others. Beyond the here and now, that is. She was not so naïve that she didn’t understand the intent of the wine and the bed, nor did she miss the light of desire in his lustrous gold eyes.

He certainly had the bearing of the one in control and she wasn’t immune to his power in every sense. While gazing upon the unusual beauty of the perfect male in front of her, she barely noticed he’d picked up her wrist until he wrapped a padded cuff around it, snapping it into place. Before she had time to even protest, he’d wrapped another restraint around her other wrist, binding them together.

“What are you doing?” She tried to jerk her hands away, but his fingers wrapped around the cuffs’ short chain, holding her fast. “No,” she pleaded. “Don’t do this, please.”

He paid her no mind as he eased her back on the bed, attaching her bound wrists to the top of the bed frame.

Though she knew it was foolish, she kicked at him with her one remaining free limb. She couldn’t just give up, laying back and taking whatever he planned without a fight. Those plans became abundantly clear when he rose and she saw the enormous bulge behind his loincloth.

Tears flooded her eyes. He was huge and primitive, like the barbarians she’d read about in her history books — and she was his prisoner. She’d always had a thing for stories about Vikings and conquerors in the dark ages, thickly muscled warriors who fought for power, land, and castles, claiming the fair maidens by tossing them over their shoulders and carting them off to tents and having their way with them.

Just like he had done.

That was romantic fiction, however. This… was twisted, messed-up reality.

As he rose and moved around the bed, he caught one flailing ankle easily, tying it to the corner at the foot of the bed. Trembling with fear as she awaited the bedding, of being taken without her say as the spoils of battle, she realized she hadn’t sympathized with the heroines in those stories as much as she should have.

One hot tear escaped. Never a crier, she wanted to wipe it away, but bound hand and foot, had to suffer as it rolled unchecked down her cheek, further proof of her weakness and utter helplessness. Eva did the only thing she could, closing her eyes and willing them away.

The bed shifted right before a warm hand brushed her cheek, his touch surprisingly gentle. Peeking up at him between her lashes, she saw a frown marring his handsome face. Was that concern, or possibly regret? Either way, it didn’t deter his exploration as he touched her, the rough pads of his fingers stroking over her cheekbones, along her jaw and to her mouth. He lingered there, lightly touching the fullness of her lower lip before moving down to her throat.

They trailed along the edge of her collar and beyond to the upper swells of her breasts. Her nipples, pressing hard against the material of her flight suit, betrayed her body’s response. His gaze lowered, observing the taut peaks as he circled one slowly, before rubbing back and forth over it, finally rolling and squeezing it between his finger and thumb. His eyes shot to her face when she squeaked, the sound a mixture of distress and — much to her dismay — arousal. She hoped he didn’t recognize it as such. He watched her for a moment as he continued to play, pinching more firmly, though not painfully so, and giving it a small tug. Her lips parted as her breath came faster, hitching as she inhaled shakily.

He released her and she exhaled in relief. It was short-lived, however, as an instant later his fingers found her zipper and slowly pulled it down, baring the inner curves of breasts, down to her navel, and then further exposing the little pooch on her lower belly that never would go away, despite gazillions of crunches.

“Please,” she whispered, closing her eyes as she tugged against her restraints. But he didn’t stop. Instead, she felt his fingers pull the parted zipper wide apart, baring her to the warmth of the air in the tent and the flick of something hot and wet on her nipple.

His tongue!

Her eyes flew open and zeroed in on his mouth as he parted his lips, the pink tip licking the tight bud. Slightly rough, his tongue slid slowly across the sensitive peak. His mouth closed around it, sucking, bringing her back off the bed. Her squeals of protest were replaced by an uncontrollable moan. As if he’d been waiting for such a response, he freed her with a small pop as the suction was broken. Then, his mouth curved in a devastating grin, he moved to her other breast and took its equally hard nipple between his lips.

She wondered vaguely as he aroused her captive body if the drink had contained an aphrodisiac. How else could she explain her body’s response to this stranger, this alien? His intense looks further stoked the heat that built within her body at his resonant voice, his unintelligible words sending a quiver through her body, connecting all of her arousable parts with a touch of his hand, his fingers, his lips and tongue.

He lifted his head and stared down at the glistening twin peaks he’d created. Both horrified by her reaction as well as mesmerized by him, she watched as he pursed his lips and blew against each taut nipple in turn, the molten gold of his eyes glowing with liquid heat. She wiggled restlessly beneath his regard as he moved, easing down her body, his mouth gliding between the open edges of her zipper

As his head traversed her belly and moved downward, she heard a rip as he easily stripped the rest of her clothing away. His warm breath followed, moving over the damp and most vulnerable part of her body. Deeply conflicted, she knew if he stopped now it would be as much torture as if he continued.

“Please…” she whispered.

The word was unconvincing though, sounding to her more like a plea for him to continue than for him to cease. Without breaking the connection of his lips with her skin, he glanced up, stunning her as he winked, the long, midnight black lashes that any woman would envy lowering immediately and laying like a fan against his cheeks as his chin, then his mouth disappeared between her spread thighs.

The heat of his breath against her damp skin came first, then the searing wet path of his tongue as he licked over her slit without penetrating. She groaned, her hips lifting, offering him more in an involuntary invitation. With the next pass, the tip of his tongue grazed her clit lightly. Her cries rose in the heavy air and seemed to linger, as though taunting her for being so accommodating and letting this alien have it so easy. She twisted, feeling the pull of her restraints, reminding her she wasn’t as compliant as all that.

Even so, do you have to lift and respond, and beg for it?

As if sensing her internal struggle, he redoubled his seductive efforts, sweeping his tongue in for a more thorough caress, swirling it around the aching center of her arousal before latching on to it with his mouth and sucking, continually lashing the firm nub with his tongue from the inside.

“Oh my freakin’ god, yes!” she groaned, giving in to the sensation. He added his fingers, pulling her lips apart, giving him access to every square inch of intimate flesh. As he opened his mouth and hungrily took more, he slid a long, broad finger into her wetness. She was so very wet from what he was doing to her that she heard it as he began gliding in and out. Unsure how much more she could take, Eva knew she hovered on the precipice of something incredible

Before she could reach it, he withdrew, leaving a yearning emptiness that she didn’t want to admit, and couldn’t deny. His fingers returned, gently parting her lips once again. Her eyes flew open the next instant. Rather than the hot tongue she expected to glide over her clit, she felt something cool and solid graze her instead. Her head came up and she saw he held a wand in his hand, not unlike the ultrasound probe they’d used at her last gynecological exam.

She’d had to sign a consent form for that. This man hadn’t given her any such courtesy, or warning. She tried to pull away, but the heavy forearm he laid across her hips held her in place.

Murmuring something low and gentling, that sounded like a strange cooing shushing sound, he met her eyes.

She shook her head.

His brows drew together and his golden eyes darkened. He answered in the contrary, with a deliberate nod, something universal that she couldn’t misconstrue. He was determined to go through with what he had planned, despite her objections. Turning his head to place gentle kisses along her inner thigh, whispering incomprehensibly between each one.

His hot tongue slipped out and forged a burning trail of heat along the crease where her thigh met her body, and then moving over her mound. At the top of her slit, it dipped between her folds and homed in on her clit. The contact shot a current of electric desire from the sensitized bundle of nerves to the rest of her body. Her pussy flooded with moisture and her nipples reacted by contracting tightly. Afraid of her inexplicable response to his touch, her voice sounded close to a whimper as she tried to get through to him again. “I don’t understand any of this. Please, can’t you let me go.”

He didn’t, gripping her hips more firmly as his tongue began to circle and lick around and over her clit while he gently slid the wand over her lips. Eva bucked off the bed in protest, or as much as his arm would allow. Taking him by surprise, it was enough for him to lose contact.

With a short command, his head came up. She didn’t comply to what she instinctively knew was an order to be still, going right on twisting and pulling at her restraints. He issued another order of some kind, firmly and with resonating authority. She ignored that too, resolved to avoid being subjected to an alien probe, similar to the ones referenced in the many sci-fi books and vids she’d voraciously gobbled up over the years. The difference, which to Eva made this even worse, was that he had aroused her, making her want him, or it, or something. All she knew was that she couldn’t allow it to happen and risk enjoying it as much as what he’d already done.

Good heavens!

He grumbled and rose to his knees, clearly irritated. He twisted, reaching behind him and all of a sudden, her ankles were set free. Thank God, he’d changed his mind. That notion had no sooner settled into her brain before her feet were lifted clear over her head, his large hand spanning the backs of her legs, right above her knees, holding them in place. A resounding crack echoed through the tent at the same time searing fire ignited across one upraised bottom cheek. She blinked, too shocked to process this sudden turn of events before she saw his hand rise and fall as it connected sharply with her other cheek. The same crack reported through the air like an ancient rifle shot, repeating twice more before she found her voice.

“How dare you,” she shrieked. “You big bulging boneheaded brute!” She kicked and bucked to get free, more enraged than in any sort of pain. That he had the nerve to chastise her for resisting being captured, restrained to his bed, protesting his violation of her person, was simply too much. In that moment, rather than focusing on what more he could do, she instead gleaned a tiny bit of satisfaction out of clipping his jaw with her heel. His teeth snapped together with a loud click as his head whipped around, grunting with what she hoped was pain.

It didn’t deter his purpose, however. Having an answer for her flailing legs and thrashing feet, he collected both ankles in one huge hand with embarrassingly little effort and pushed them up against one shoulder. The position forced her to lay nearly folded in half, immobilizing her, her ass lifted clear off the bed. He scarcely missed a beat, his giant slapping hand falling once more upon her vulnerable backside.

As the swats fell, he growled something unintelligible. The tone and cadence reminded her of the few times her father had spanked her for misbehavior. Then it became clear that he was lecturing her. Normally, she would have laughed, her lack of understanding rendering his words a waste of effort and breath. She didn’t dare this time while his palm painted her ass with a fiery heat.

At least two dozen more blows fell before she started yelping with each biting slap. When she howled at a particularly stinging blow, tears stinging her eyes, he stopped and leaned over her, speaking sternly into her ear. She didn’t need an interpreter as his meaning took shape in her mind:

Behave, or there’s more where that came from.

What choice did she have against his superior strength? Cooperate, and be given a pelvic exam, or fight, and receive more searing swats and still get an unwanted probing. A lose-lose for her, either way. She chose compliance — and less spanking — indicating her submission with a slight dip of her chin.

He grunted and gently patted her stinging behind. Then he began rubbing it, slowly and thoroughly, dissipating the burn. Eva closed her eyes in embarrassment when she felt the tingle resurge between her thighs. Just when the fire started to fade, and she had relaxed infinitesimally under his hand, he adjusted her legs again, handling her as easily as if she was no more than a rag doll.