His smile had broadened before he even became aware of the fact that he was smiling. He couldn’t take the time to ponder it now, but one day when he was far away from Glannoventa and its dangers he would sit and wonder how she could affect him so. Settling into the back-and-forth game they were playing, he said, ‘As you can see, I am not, but I am above you which does give me something of an upper hand.’
‘You are despicable.’ She bucked against him to no avail. Well, to no avail but to raise his awareness of the fact that she was indeed beneath him.
Strange as it was, a rush of heat began to simmer deep in his belly and his body tightened in response. The thighs between his were taut and firm, but there was no denying the curve of her hips or the softness of her belly when she bucked up against him. She was strong and lithe, while also being supple. Her beauty rivalled that of any great beauty he had ever known. Only, it was different in a way he could not describe, but could appreciate no less for his inability.
Strong. Feminine. Powerful. It was odd how that particular mix of attributes was appealing to him, but he could not deny her allure. Even chained to the wall of her prison on a bed of straw, he wanted her. Badly.
The night they had met had found them in a similar position to now, him holding her pressed against the wall as he had tried to show her a better way to defend herself. There had been a hitch in her breathing when he had spoken to her softly. In that moment before the attackers had come upon them, Rurik had known that she was attracted to him. The knowledge had been heady then and it was heady now for all that they were in a cage. Thoughts of seduction whirled in his head. If he could get her into his bed and compliant, she might very well give him the freedom he wanted and even the information he needed. Of course, he had a feeling she would also give him far more pleasure than he had ever known, but that was secondary to his real motivation. Wasn’t it?
As if she could read his thoughts, she stopped bucking. But the moment her gaze met his he saw that it was because she had noticed the heat between them. The blacks of her eyes had grown larger, which could have been a result of the weak light, but was most likely enhanced by the shift in the mood between them. Her gaze went to his mouth and, whether she realised it or not, her own mouth softened. The pink tip of her tongue laved her full bottom lip before her eyes darted back to his. They were wide in awareness and perhaps a tiny bit of fear.
The fear he could understand. He felt it, too. She was the last woman in the world that he should feel anything for...but that did not seem to matter. Before he could remind himself that he was only doing this to gain the upper hand, he followed his need for her and leaned down to kiss her.
For one tiny moment, Annis went mad. Rurik’s intent was clearly written on his face. His eyes fairly lit up with his carnal interest in her. Instead of being appalled or using the seax at her waist to ward him off, she wanted his kiss, welcomed it even.
It had been years since Grim had kissed her and he had only ever kissed her in the darkness of her chamber. Even then his eyes had never gone so deep and intense, as if kissing her were the most important thing in the world to him. He had never once kissed her outside of her bed and never would he have done so at such an inappropriate moment. The need in Rurik’s eyes...the way they seemed to eat her up... Annis had never felt so wanted. The feeling was so heady that she was drunk on it, dizzy with weighted limbs that would have trembled had he not held her so firmly...so very firmly.
As Rurik came closer, his head tilting to the side, his thumb a gentle stroke along the inside of her wrist, she found herself licking her bottom lip in preparation for him. When his breath touched her cheek, hers became shallow in anticipation. There was a flicker deep within her belly. She barely had time to ponder the hows and whys of this ill-advised kiss. One moment they had been struggling for control and the next there was this.
His lips were incredibly soft as they touched hers. She had expected a hard kiss, as rough and terse as the man himself. What she got was so much different. So much more. He took his time. Even as they lay there in the cell on a pile of straw, he kissed her as if they were lying in bed on a morning of leisure. His lips brushed hers once, twice, in a lazy back and forth before pulling away to tilt in the opposite direction as if he could sample her better that way.
She should end it before it became deeper. She meant to, but some urgency in the back of her mind made her extend what would surely be the only kiss in her foreseeable future. So instead, she touched her tongue to his bottom lip before retreating. She should end this now and was tensing to do just that when his soft groan gave her pause.
The sound vibrated in her, sending a bolt of molten need shooting to her core. She barely had time to register it before he gave chase, plundering her mouth
