Kate pulled away from him. ‘That’s all it is to you, isn’t it? A price to be paid for something you want.’
‘What else?’ he taunted. ‘You surely weren’t expecting any last-minute declaration of love from me?’
She paled even more at the contempt in his voice. ‘Your sort of person doesn’t know the meaning of love. I think I should just leave now, it’s obvious you don’t even like me.’
‘Like you!’ he spat the words. ‘How can you like something that’s tormenting hell out of you day and night?’ He bent and swung her struggling body up into his arms. ‘I’m going to take you to my bed now and this time there will be no escape for you. I’ll have made you mine a hundred different ways before morning,’ he promised grimly. ‘And maybe then you won’t want to escape from me.’
He dropped her down on to the bed, moving quickly to be at her side. Kate could sense the brutality in him as she fought against him for all she was worth. Her kicks and struggles were futile against his superior strength, and her final humiliation came when he openly laughed at her.
‘I hate you, Damien Savage!’ she cried out.
He held her face roughly between his hands, a wild look about his eyes.
‘I told you that it wouldn’t matter to me if you fought me. You married me knowing what to expect today. And I’m going to see you aren’t disappointed.’
He despatched with their clothing with consummate ease and soon their naked bodies were moulded together as if they had always been made to be that way. Kate felt dazed by the emotions clamouring for relief in her inexperienced body, felt as if she were drowning in the pleasure his hair-roughened chest was evoking against her own sensitive skin.
His mouth roamed possessively over her throat and shoulders before his body shifted slightly and she felt his lips playing with her already roused breasts. ‘Damien,’ she groaned, remembering the last time he had held her so intimately. ‘Please be gentle,’ she pleaded.
He lifted his head, his green eyes almost black with desire. ‘I remembered to shave first this time,’ his smile was wolfish. ‘I won’t give you cause to complain or to run away from me.’
And he didn’t, gently coaxing her to such a pitch that she pleaded for his full possession of her fevered body. But still he didn’t take her, each kiss more drugging than the last, each caress more pleasurably exciting.
Her eyes wild, her hair in complete disorder, she kissed him back, his flesh firm beneath her lips. ‘Now, Damien. Please, now!’
He needed no further encouragement, his body heavy and yet curiously light on hers. The pain she had been led to expect came quickly and faded just as fast, the terror built up by girlish chatter grossly exaggerating a woman’s first union with a man. Now another emotion was taking over, a feeling of a dam about to burst.
She could feel the tautness of her own body and knew that soon she must find release. When the ultimate of their lovemaking happened she cried out, feeling as if the whole world were revolving on a giddy axis.
‘Give in to it, Kate. Give in!’ Damien encouraged hotly, his own laboured breathing evidence of his own fulfilment.
She bit softly into his shoulder as a means of stopping this floating feeling, unaware of the pain she was inflicting or the jagged teethmarks that would remain long after they had come back down to earth.
Considering his previous harsh treatment of her Damien had been remarkably gentle with her during their lovemaking. He had made it everything a girl could wish for on her wedding night.
They lay side by side, her body curved into his, her head resting on his chest. She felt so tired, so sleepy—and so wonderful. Her body tingled with life and she knew that she would never feel the same again. Tonight Damien had made a woman out of her, and she wanted it to happen time and time again.
‘Thank you, Damien,’ she murmured almost inaudibly, sleep beginning to take over.
The arm about her shoulders moved and she felt his hand smoothing back her silky hair. ‘Sleep now, Kate,’ he said softly. ‘We’ll talk in the morning.’
‘Talk?’ he yawned. ‘What about?’
‘I think you know, Kate,’ he replied deeply.
No, she didn’t know at all, but she was just too tired to care about anything at the moment. She felt herself drifting and didn’t know any more until a sudden chill about her body told her she was alone in the bed. She sat up in a panic, her eyes frantically searching the gloom of the room for sign of Damien. She saw his shadowy figure moving about at the foot of the bed.
‘Damien?’ she queried softly. ‘What are you doing?’
‘I’ll be back soon, angel,’ he said gruffly. ‘Just go back to sleep. I won’t be long.’
‘But where are you going?’ Her distress was obvious in her voice.
He came to her side, bending down to gently kiss her lips. ‘I’ll be back soon,’ he promised. ‘Just he back and rest.’ He moved to the door.
‘Damien!’ she cried, her bottom lip trembling emotionally. ‘Don’t leave me.’
‘Rest, honey.’ He closed the door quietly behind him as he left.
The varied emotions of the last week finally took over and she broke into loud sobs, turning her face into the pillow to cry herself out. She didn’t know where Damien had gone or why he had left her like this, but she did know that she would be here waiting for him when he returned, as she
