Viking's Love (18 page)

Allisande trembled from his touch. His hands
were gentle. She felt him move lower still, his lips leaving a
blazing trail behind them. She struggled anew in earnest, but he
held her still. He held both her hands in one of his, while his
other hand wrenched her legs apart.

His golden head dipped between her legs,
parting the nest of dark curls there and caressing her intimately.
Her eyes flew wide in shock. An anguished moan escaped her. Her
movements only brought her flush with his mouth. She sobbed aloud
as his tongue slid fully against her womanhood.

Hot, intense waves of pleasure washed over
her at this caress. He chuckled against her thighs as he pinned her
hips to the bed and found the moist pink center of her. He was
nuzzling it, suckling hungrily upon it. She was shaking all over. A
strange tightness formed within her loins. Her body was now arching
off the bed against his seeking mouth of its own accord.

Soon the hands he pinned at her sides were
gripping the furs alongside her. He took his time as he nibbled and
stroked her there, and soon brought her to shuddering gasps of
pleasure with slow knowing strokes of his lips and tongue.

She cried out as her body tightened in
response, and ignored his low, knowing laugh as she shook with the
force of it.

When he rose above her, she vainly tried to
push him off, but he held her down gently as he fitted his hips
between her legs. His eyes were darkened with passion as he looked
down at her.

“
Yield to me, my beauty,” Joran
whispered softly, his blue eyes dark with desire. “Let me show you
how pleasurable it can be for us.”

Allisande felt his huge maleness pressing
inside her, and bit back a cry of denial. She gasped as he thrust
gently inside her. She cried out in pain as he breached her
maidenhead without hesitation.

Joran lay still above her, breathing harshly,
and slid fully inside her, his eyes half-closed in carnal delight.
He felt her stretch around him. Allisande closed her eyes as he
thrust inside her with a distinct gentleness she didn’t expect from
the Berserker. Allisande turned her head aside on the pillow to
avoid his lips, shamed to feel her own response to him.

Joran was groaning as if in pain. He buried
his face into her neck. Allisande gasped as he began to move faster
inside her. She felt shards of sensation as his big body bore hers
into the furs.

Joran luxuriated in the feeling of being
inside her, and slowed to savor the pleasure. He poised
purposefully above her. She stared at the wall, forcing herself to
lie still. He took his time, savoring the feel of her beneath him.
Soon his raging lust was too much for him to continue to be
gentle.

He threw his head back and groaned as he
swiftly took his own release, his hips pounding between her slender
thighs at the last. She gasped, feeling the glorious pleasure
intensify, and he went still above her.

She was fuming he stopped before he ended the
curious ache within her, furious as she lay stiffly under him. She
shoved him off her with all her might, and gave him a contemptuous
look. He grinned and drew her back against his sweaty chest, with a
look of such smug arrogance she wanted to kill him.

Joran smiled down at her angry features, and
raised a hand and brushed her hair back from her face. She flung
off his hands and rolled to her side, bringing the fur blanket to
cover her nakedness. He frowned in confusion, and reached for her
again to soothe her, but she would have none of it.

He heard her crying in earnest and stilled,
his face darkening with anger. He rose from the bed, his pleasure
at finally taking his fiery slave vastly diminished from her tears.
He glowered down at her as she curled into a tight ball and wept
piteously.

Joran grimaced, feeling like a loathsome
monster for taking her innocence without more tenderness. He wanted
her so badly at that moment he hadn’t been as gentle as he should
have. He lost his iron-clad control the minute he joined his body
to hers.

He dressed quietly and cursed his feelings of
guilt for hurting her. He wanted her to enjoy it, and now she hated
him even more. She would come to enjoy his attentions, he thought
darkly, as his eyes traced her slim back shaking with sobs with
much regret.

Next time would be
better,
he thought in determination, and said as much
to her. She turned quickly, and flung him a venomous look, her
tear-ravaged face making him flinch inwardly.

“
There will be no next time, Viking!”
She threw a pillow at him. “If you touch me again I swear I will
kill you, do you hear me? Get from my sight, you rutting knave!
Leave me be!”

Joran was furious he failed to incite her
passions, but incurred only more of her loathing. His blue eyes
narrowed dangerously as she heaped violence upon him should he
touch her again. He scowled and leaned over and jerked her from
under the furs, looking down at her nakedness with insulting, slow
deliberation before he flung her backward. She scurried away and
regarded him fearfully.

“
You will grow to like it soon enough!”
Joran’s jaw tightened in anger at her continued threats, his
blazing eyes meeting hers with no remorse. “There is always pain
the first time! Come, and I will show you how good it can be,
Allisande.” He held out his hand to her, realizing how arousing her
anger was for him. His body stirred once again. Her violet eyes
widened in dismay and she practically skewered him with her
gaze.

“
You come near me with that vile thing
between your legs again, and I shall cut it off!” Allisande leapt
from the bed, and cowered into the corner of the wall. “I hate you!
Stay away from me, or you will be sorry, you disgusting, rutting
swine!”

Joran’s hand dropped in midair. He suddenly
wanted to get as far from her as he could, angry at her, and even
more at himself for his failure to make her want him. It backfired
upon him.

He thought he could break down her continued
resistance. All he had done is make it worse. She would never come
to him willingly now. The thought of forcing her to his will was
repugnant to him. He wouldn’t allow her to avoid his bed now. He
smiled mirthlessly at her, his frigid gaze unwavering. “If that is
what you want, that is what you will have!” He kicked at the pillow
on the floor in his ire. “You will come to me whenever I want you!
If you wish to lie there and pretend you’re being defiled, I leave
you with it! It is time you realized you are hardly more than my
slave here, and I can see I have been too lenient with you. From
now on you will either please me in my bed, or you get the lash, is
that understood?”

Allisande balked at his words, and he smiled
cruelly. She paled at the thought of being whipped again as she
regarded him hatefully, her beautiful eyes spewing with fury. If he
thought threatening her with beatings would bring her to him
without a fight, he had much to learn.

“
Are you so little of a man you have to
take what you want by force, Viking?” She looked him up and down
with a snort of disgust. “You may as well go get your whip now! You
will never make me come to you with anything but a cold knife
blade, Viking pig!”

“
Have it your way!” He turned and
slammed out of the room, cursing her defiance under his breath. He
scowled as he returned to the hall, seeing the expectant looks of
his men and ignoring their comments as he stomped out of the
door.

Janna smiled widely as she saw Joran’s
thunderous expression and secretly applauded the English girl. It
was time someone chipped away at Joran the Stonehearted, and the
girl had the mettle to do it. He slammed out the front door and
left the hall. Many wondered whether he had been successful taming
his termagant of a slave, or if the slave was becoming the master
now.

Allisande wiped viciously at the tears,
and cursed her weakness as she went to wash his vile stench from
her body. She was uttering curses upon his head as she saw the
blood smeared upon her thighs.
Her
blood
, she thought with narrowed eyes. He threatened
her with beatings if she didn’t submit to him.

Her face paled when she thought of being tied
to the post again. Her eyes glimmered with tears. She refused to
allow the Viking to humble her. She was a highborn lady, not one of
his lowly serfs. He would learn she wasn’t so easily cowed.

Allisande’s eyes narrowed as she opened the
chest and found a fresh gown after she scrubbed the scent of his
lovemaking from her body. She worked a comb threw her snarled
tresses, and brought it to some semblance of order before she left
the room, surprised to find the door open.

Allisande went down the stairs and went to
the kitchens where Elwynn greeted her with twinkling eyes. She
avoided the women’s knowing looks as she worked to make the evening
meal with them.

She caught the sly looks cast at her when
they thought her distracted by some task. One maid noted the red
love marks upon her neck, and chortled with mirth until her
murderous look silenced her.

Finally, she could stand it no more and
stomped out the back door of the kitchens to throw out the rubbish.
She heard the clash of steel and paused with the bucket. She set it
aside and snuck along the side of the house until she was facing
the courtyard.

The Vikings were exercising in the field. She
watched Grogan and Joran swinging their swords at one another with
ruthless precision. Joran had his tunic off. She watched as
rivulets of sweat ran down his wide, muscled chest with an audible
sigh before she realized she was gawking at the loathsome man.

She turned away but not before he spied her
watching him. He caught Grogan unaware and soon had him pinned to
the ground. His sword point was poised at his throat. The other men
clapped and cheered as their Chieftain won another match.

He is
magnificent
, she thought contemptuously as she
marveled at the rippling muscles of his chest and arms. Thinking of
those same arms that had held her only hours before made her blush
furiously.

Grogan got up and saluted him good naturedly,
and the other men paired off as Joran approached her. Seeing the
mocking smile that curved his lips made her cringe inwardly.

He was obviously thinking of the time they
spent in his room, enjoying the look of unease on her face as he
stopped in front of her. He sheathed his sword. Before she realized
his intent, he swung her up into his arms and kissed her soundly
upon the lips, earning several hoots and catcalls from his men, who
watched them in interest.

Allisande struggled in his sweaty arms. He
released her but not before he let her slide down his body, and met
her flashing violet eyes in amusement.

“
For shame, Girl. Have you no sweet
greeting for me?” Joran placed his hands on his hips, and gazed
down at her shaking his head, his blue eyes twinkling. “I am your
master, Allisande. You should try to be pleasant and it will go
better for you.”

“
You will get no sweet greeting from
me, Viking!” Allisande glared up at him angrily. “You think because
you bedded me, I will bow down and forget what you have done to me
and mine? I hate you even more! Go get your whip, Viking, I do not
fear you!”

Joran hadn’t expected her to continue with
her vehement hatred of him after he had threatened her with a
whipping. He smiled wolfishly down at her, his lips curving
tauntingly.

“
If hate be what you were feeling hours
ago, I should encourage you to express yourself more often.” He
chuckled as she sputtered in outrage. “Come now, you need not keep
up this pretense. We are quite alone. No one listens. It is alright
for you to show your true passion for me, Girl.”

“
You are an arrogant boar! I feel only
disgust for you!” Allisande glared up at him contemptuously. “I
should like to find another man who pleases me instead!”

Joran’s face suddenly darkened in rage. He
gripped her arms and yanked her towards him until her face was on
eye level with his. “You are mine!” He shook her slightly before he
pushed her away. “You will dally with no other men, Allisande. Do
you hear me?”

“
Aye, I can hear you, Viking!” she
replied coldly. “You may think you own me all you like if it
pleases you, but do not assume I feel anything for you because you
forced me to your bed! I will never come to you willingly, think on
that!” She spun on her heel and left him glowering at her trim back
as she returned to the kitchens, a small triumphant smile curving
her lips.

Joran muttered a curse, his mellow mood
shattered by her words. He was livid with rage as he turned and
stalked away. Grogan saw his thunderous expression and nominated
Haldon to fight their Chieftain next, not wanting to bear the brunt
of his anger.

It was obvious the girl hadn’t softened
towards him. He was furious at whatever she said to him. Grogan
cringed when he saw Haldon taking the punishment later as Joran’s
sword slashed unmercifully and sent the man flying backward into
the dust.

****

Allisande helped the women set out platters
of food and was about to return to the kitchens to take her own
meal when a hand gripped her wrist and spun her around. She glared
up at Joran as he pulled her towards his table, his lips twisted
into a cruel smile.

“
You will sit at my feet and eat this
night, Slave.” He was aware every eye and ear turned at his
words.

Allisande pulled her wrist free and rubbed it
as she glared up at him. She decided it wasn’t worth the argument
and took her meal to a low stool near his chair and sat upon the
rush covered floor at his feet, bristling as everyone in the hall
looked on. She realized he was trying to humiliate her, and refused
to rise to the bait as she ate her food and ignored him.